[HOST INTEGRITY: 18%]
[LOCATION: THE LAST STOP FACTORY]
[TIME: 3:30 AM]
The influx of 5,000 Spirit Coins didn't sit in Ren's account for long.
It was burned with the speed of a startup trying to survive its first quarter.
Ren sat on a crate in the middle of the factory floor, staring at the three small, black pills in his hand.
[ITEM: MINOR BODY REFINEMENT PILL (BATCH 2)]
[COST: 300 COINS TOTAL]
He swallowed them dry.
Gulp.
The effect was instantaneous. It didn't feel like healing; it felt like welding.
His bones heated up, fusing the micro-fractures from the last two days.
His blood, which had been sluggish and cold, began to pump with a rhythmic, heavy thud.
[SYSTEM ALERT]
[HOST INTEGRITY RESTORED: 18% → 25%]
[STATUS: FUNCTIONAL]
[WARNING: SOUL DENSITY STILL EXCEEDS VESSEL CAPACITY. DO NOT ENGAGE IN SUSTAINED COMBAT.]
"Twenty-five percent," Ren muttered, flexing his hand. The tremors were gone.
He stood up without feeling like his spine was made of glass.
"I can run. I can shout. I can survive a light jog."
"Boss!" Lian's voice cut through the hum of the new Grade-C Soul Grinder
(Cost: 2,000 Coins) that was currently chewing through a pile of rusted pipes.
"The perimeter sensors are tripping. All of them."
Ren walked to the loading bay doors.
Red Dog and his twelve gang members were already there, weapons drawn.
The Triad leader looked agitated. His four arms were twitching, and his spectral fur was standing on end.
"Crow," Red Dog growled.
"Something is coming. It doesn't smell like a gang. It smells like... bleach."
Ren looked out into the darkness of the courtyard.
The fog had rolled in.
But it wasn't natural fog.
It was white. Perfectly, sterilely white.
It rolled over the cracked asphalt, erasing the graffiti and the dirt, leaving the ground looking unnaturally clean.
Through the white fog, came the sound.
Clink. Drag.
Clink. Drag.
It was the sound of heavy chains being pulled over concrete.
"Defensive positions," Ren ordered, adjusting his beak mask.
"Do not engage until I confirm the jurisdiction."
The Procession
Figures emerged from the fog.
They weren't monsters.
They were men in grey, featureless uniforms.
Their faces were blank—no eyes, no mouths, just smooth skin.
In their right hands, they held heavy iron rods glowing with blue runes.
In their left hands, they held stacks of paper.
[ENTITY: BAILIFF SPIRIT (CLASS D)]
[AFFILIATION: NETHER-CORE LEGAL DEPARTMENT]
[FUNCTION: ASSET SEIZURE & EVICTION]
There were twenty of them.
They moved in perfect unison, marching toward the factory gates.
Behind them floated a massive, burning scroll.
The scroll unrolled in the air, projecting a hologram of text that hovered over the factory.
[WRIT OF SEIZURE]
[CASE NO: 9902-B]
[PLAINTIFF: NETHER-CORE REALTY]
[DEFENDANT: OCCUPANT OF PLOT 402]
[JUDGMENT: IMMEDIATE LIQUIDATION]
"They brought a warrant," Ren whispered.
"Mr. Vane didn't waste time."
One of the Bailiffs stepped forward.
A slit opened on its blank face, and a mechanical voice droned out:
"This property has been designated a 'Distressed Asset'.
By order of Judge Mortis Clause, all machinery, spirits, and organic personnel are to be impounded.
Resistance will result in immediate termination."
Red Dog roared.
"Impound THIS!"
The Triad leader didn't wait for Ren's command.
He leaped over the gate, his massive cleaver swinging down to chop the lead Bailiff in half.
CLANG.
The cleaver didn't cut the Bailiff.
It bounced off.
A blue hexagonal barrier flickered into existence around the Bailiff the moment the blade made contact.
[IMMUNITY TRIGGERED: ASSAULT ON AN OFFICER]
The Bailiff didn't even flinch.
It raised its iron rod and tapped Red Dog on the chest.
"Violation of Penal Code 4."
FLASH.
Chains of blue light erupted from the rod.
They wrapped around Red Dog's massive torso, binding his four arms instantly.
The Level 8 Boss crashed to the ground, screaming as the chains burned his spiritual essence.
"Boss!" The gang members yelled, rushing forward.
"STOP!" Ren shouted.
But it was too late.
Three gang members charged.
The Bailiffs moved with terrifying efficiency.
Tap. Bind. Drop.
Tap. Bind. Drop.
Within seconds, the gang members were trussed up like turkeys, writhing on the ground.
"Physical damage is nullified," Ren analyzed rapidly.
"They have Legal Immunity.
As long as they are 'Serving a Warrant', they cannot be harmed by the defendant."
The Bailiffs stepped over the struggling gang members.
They walked toward the factory gates.
They weren't running.
They were inevitable.
They raised their glowing rods toward the new Soul Grinder.
"They're going to tag the assets!" Lian shrieked.
"If they tag the grinder, it locks up! We lose production!"
The Loophole
Ren looked at the advancing line of grey uniforms.
He couldn't fight them.
His physical attacks would bounce off.
Red Dog was incapacitated.
He had to strip their immunity.
"Jian!" Ren barked.
"The bag!"
Jian, who was hiding behind a forklift, threw the shopping bag Ren had brought.
Ren caught it.
He pulled out the item he had spent his last 2,000 coins on.
It wasn't a weapon.
It was a Coat.
A long, tattered robe made of woven parchment, covered in black ink calligraphy.
[ITEM: SHROUD OF THE SPIRIT ADVOCATE]
[EFFECT: GRANTS THE WEARER THE STATUS OF 'LEGAL COUNSEL']
[DURABILITY: LOW]
Ren threw off his trench coat and donned the Shroud.
Instantly, the air around him shifted.
He didn't feel stronger.
He felt… Technically Correct.
Ren jumped down from the loading dock.
He landed directly in front of the lead Bailiff.
The Bailiff raised its rod to strike him.
"Obstruction of Justice."
Ren held up a hand.
"OBJECTION!"
The word rippled with power.
The Shroud glowed.
The Bailiff's rod froze mid-air.
"I am the appointed Legal Counsel for the Defendant," Ren announced, his voice amplified by the Shroud.
"And I am filing a Motion to Stay."
The Bailiff paused.
Its blank face seemed to process the data.
"Motion denied. The Writ is absolute."
"The Writ is for 'Plot 402'," Ren countered, pointing at the burning hologram in the sky.
"But according to the Imperial Survey of the Ninth Era, this land is not Plot 402."
Ren stepped forward, pushing the iron rod away with his finger.
"This land is designated 'Provision Depot Alpha'.
Your warrant has the wrong address."
The Bailiffs stopped.
They looked at each other.
They looked at the Writ.
[ERROR: GEOGRAPHICAL MISMATCH DETECTED]
[CALCULATING...]
"While you calculate," Ren said, his eyes glowing green,
"I am invoking the Sanctuary Clause.
You cannot seize assets while a jurisdiction dispute is active."
Ren pointed at Red Dog, who was still groaning in the chains.
"Release my security guard.
That is 'Unlawful Detainment' of an employee during a dispute."
The lead Bailiff twitched.
Smoke started coming out of its ears
(or where its ears should be).
"Processing… Processing… Ambiguity found."
SNAP.
The blue chains around Red Dog vanished.
The Triad leader scrambled up, rubbing his burned skin.
He looked at the Bailiffs with murder in his eyes.
"Don't hit them!" Ren warned Red Dog.
"If you hit them, their immunity resets.
Just stand there and look menacing."
The lead Bailiff lowered its rod.
"Dispute logged.
A 24-hour stay of execution is granted for... administrative review."
The Bailiff looked at Ren.
"We will return with a Surveyor.
If the address is confirmed... the penalty will be doubled."
The Bailiffs turned around.
Clink. Drag.
Clink. Drag.
They marched back into the white fog, dragging their heavy chains with them.
The burning scroll in the sky rolled up and vanished.
The Fallout
Ren collapsed against the gate, tearing off the Shroud.
The parchment robe disintegrated into ash.
Two thousand coins gone in five minutes.
But the factory was safe.
For 24 hours.
"That..." Red Dog panted, limping over.
"That was worse than fighting a demon.
I couldn't hit them. I couldn't bite them."
"You can't bite a lawsuit, Red Dog," Ren said, wiping sweat from his forehead.
He looked at the empty fog.
"They were probing us. Testing our defenses.
Next time, they won't bring a generic warrant.
They'll bring a Surveyor to rewrite reality until the address is correct."
Jian peeked out from the warehouse.
"So... we won?"
"We survived," Ren corrected.
He checked his system interface.
[QUEST COMPLETED: THE FIRST MOTION]
[REWARD: 1,000 KARMA]
[CURRENT KARMA: 1,110]
Ren stared at the number.
1,000 Karma.
That unlocked Shop Level 2.
"Lian," Ren called out.
"Keep the production running.
Red Dog, heal your men."
Ren turned and walked back toward the office.
"Where are you going?" Jian asked.
"To the Shop," Ren whispered, his eyes gleaming.
"I need to buy a weapon that can kill a lawyer."
[Author Note:]
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Ren Wu just used a "technicality" to stop a SWAT team.
But the Shroud is gone. The next wave will require more than just words.
Next Chapter: Shop Level 2.
What does 1,000 Karma buy in the Underworld? (Spoiler: It's not a toaster).
Drop a Power Stone if you think the Bailiffs are terrifying! ⚖️