In the darkness, the courtroom fell silent.
The images of the twelve defendants extinguished one by one. The virtual backs of the chairs collapsed into dust, as if the long trial had been nothing but an illusion.
The system's voice rang out again—calm and mechanical:
> [Instance Phase Two: Trial of the Innocents — Completed]
[Presiding Arbiter: Shen Yan]
[System initiating performance settlement and philosophical trajectory assessment.]
---
[I. Consciousness Curve Generation in Progress…]
Streams of translucent data converged before Shen Yan, slowly forming a complex and enigmatic "Map of Consciousness."
It was a spiraling trajectory of cognition, starting with the first defendant, Lin Qing, and extending all the way to the last, Cui Zhou. Every line, node, and deviation represented a decision Shen Yan had made during the trial—empathy, interrogation, indifference, acceptance, denial… even silence.
> [Consciousness Map completed.]
[Philosophical Alignment: Non-extremist, inclined toward Complex Systems Theory.]
[You acknowledge: The world does not operate solely on absolute justice or absolute evil.]
Shen Yan stared at the diagram, a subtle shift in his gaze. Then he heard the system continue:
> [Performance Evaluation: Grade A.]
[You selected mostly acceptable paths, yet failed to engage deeply with core philosophical conflict.]
[Potential for deeper transformation remains.]
---
[II. Hidden Branch Activation]
At that moment, the space trembled slightly. The system paused briefly before continuing with an unusual trace of hesitation:
> [Warning: Instance log indicates "Missing Number" — Defendant No. 7 did not appear.]
[Abnormality triggered by host behavior — Consciousness Fragment Resonance detected.]
Shen Yan frowned faintly.
The system resumed:
> [Data for No. 7: Isolated by system, only fragmentary records remain.]
[Preliminary assessment: No. 7 may be tied to host's subjective memory corruption or a presence "beyond system control."]
[Status: Dormant and concealed, unresolved.]
[Outcome: This instance is recorded as "containing latent hazard" and will be subjected to re-evaluation in future reboots.]
He remained silent, fingers clenched tightly. He recalled the name that had emerged in the earlier memory fragment—an "unrevealed name." And the system had noticed its anomaly too.
---
[III. Homologous Entity Verification]
A new cluster of data detached from the consciousness map, projecting fragments of Defendant No. 5 and No. 9's minds.
What chilled the air was this: parts of those fragments had a 32.6% overlap with Shen Yan's own consciousness map.
> [You share high structural overlap with Defendants ⑤ and ⑨.]
[System Assessment: You are "Homologous Entities."]
> [Note: Not biological clones, but individuals reflecting and reconstructing from shared structures of cognition, emotion, and value judgment.]
[Preliminary conclusion: Originates from similar psychological trauma models or exposure to comparable mental interference.]
Shen Yan murmured:
"So I… am the same as them?"
He finally understood why the fifth and ninth defendants had seemed so familiar. It wasn't simply "they're like me"—
It was, in some profound way, "they are me."
---
[IV. System Rewards and Titles]
> [System Rewards Issued:]
[Title: The Contemplator]
[Title: The Impure Arbiter]
[+1 Access Token: Abyss of Memory]
[Hidden Keyword: The Contaminator]
At the same time, a new, unfamiliar notification appeared:
> [You have touched a "deep fissure" in cognitive retrospection.]
[In the next instance, you will face trials regarding the truthfulness of memory.]
Shen Yan slowly raised his head, as though hearing the "seventh voice" whispering in his ear once again.
---
[V. Instance Closure]
The courtroom began to collapse. Pale gray fragments of space disintegrated, like a silent avalanche.
> [Instance Phase Two — Officially Closed.]
[Transferring to "Phase Three: The Bureau of Fate Editing"...]
White light engulfed his vision.
Shen Yan closed his eyes. In the alternating tides of light and dark, he heard a voice rise from the depths of his own mind:
"If I'm not truly me…
Then who is passing judgment on my behalf?"