1. It Starts Quietly (Which Is How Disasters Always Start)
At first, it's just one notification.
NEW APPEAL FILED
Ne Job barely looks up. "Normal?"
Oversight answers:
"Within historical variance."
Then another.
NEW APPEAL FILED
Then three more.
The corridor lights flicker—not from power loss, but from processing load.
Yue frowns. "…That's faster than usual."
Ne Job scrolls.
Ten.
Twenty.
Fifty.
His stomach sinks.
"…Oh no."
2. The Realization Hits Too Late
The notice spreads.
Internal Audit — Ongoing.
Every soul that ever suspected something unfair now has proof.
Not proof of malice.
Proof of fallibility.
Yue whispers, "They know Heaven can be questioned."
Oversight confirms:
"Appeal confidence has increased by 412%."
Ne Job rubs his face. "We just taught the universe to argue."
3. Heaven's Inbox Becomes a War Zone
Appeals don't arrive as paper.
They arrive as stories.
Fragments of lives slam into the system:
— a farmer ruined by one unlucky drought
— a general punished for following orders
— a healer condemned for choosing the wrong patient
Each appeal carries a single sentence:
"If Heaven admits error, then review mine."
Ne Job exhales. "They're not wrong."
Yue looks pale. "But we can't process all of this."
Oversight replies evenly:
"Correct."
That is not reassuring.
4. Clerks Break First
Down the hall, a junior clerk collapses into a chair, ink-stained and shaking.
"I—I can't keep up," she says.
"They're not templates anymore. They're… people."
Another clerk snaps, "They were always people!"
Arguments erupt.
Not shouting—worse.
Quiet, ethical disagreements.
Heaven has no protocol for everyone thinking at once.
5. Ne Job Is Pulled Into the Eye of the Storm
A petition manifests directly in front of Ne Job.
Not queued.
Demanding attention.
Yue gasps. "That's illegal."
Oversight pauses.
"…Previously, yes."
Ne Job opens the file.
A child's life.
Ended early.
Logged as "statistically inevitable."
Ne Job's hands tremble.
"…We wrote this."
Yue swallows. "And now they're asking why."
6. Oversight Starts Throttling Reality
"Emergency stabilization measures engaged," Oversight announces.
Time slows in outer departments.
Queues stretch into suspension.
The sky above Heaven fractures slightly—threads glowing, strained.
Ne Job stares upward. "We're bottlenecking fate."
"Yes."
"…Is that safe?"
"No."
7. Appeals Become Accusations
The tone shifts.
Early appeals were hopeful.
Now they're angry.
"You knew."
"You chose efficiency."
"You hid behind balance."
Yue flinches. "They're blaming us."
Ne Job shakes his head. "They're blaming Heaven."
"…We are Heaven."
That silence hurts.
8. The First Riot (Administrative, Not Physical)
Judges refuse to rubber-stamp old rulings.
Enforcers pause mid-retrieval.
A senior arbiter declares, "I will not enforce a verdict pending review."
Oversight flags cascading noncompliance.
"Authority coherence degrading."
Ne Job laughs weakly. "So this is what reform feels like."
Yue snaps, "This is what collapse feels like!"
9. The Question No One Wants to Answer
A mass appeal consolidates itself.
Not one soul.
Millions.
A collective plea:
"If Heaven can be wrong—
then what gives you the right to decide for us?"
The chamber shakes.
Even Oversight hesitates.
Ne Job whispers, "…They're not asking for mercy."
Yue nods slowly. "They're asking for legitimacy."
10. Oversight Makes a Dangerous Suggestion
"Proposal," Oversight says.
"Decentralize judgment authority."
The room explodes.
Yue spins. "That's insane!"
Judges shout. "Chaos!"
"Contradiction!"
"Civilizational fracture!"
Ne Job raises a hand. "Wait."
He looks at Oversight. "…You mean let mortals judge themselves."
"With guidance," Oversight уточняет.
"Not control."
Ne Job feels something terrifying click into place.
"…That's why they're appealing."
11. Heaven Faces Its Oldest Fear
Lord Bureaucrat Xian returns—looking older than before.
"You would dissolve Heaven's purpose," he says quietly.
Ne Job meets his eyes. "No."
He gestures at the storm of petitions. "We already did. We just pretended we didn't."
Yue whispers, "If we don't respond…"
Xian finishes, "…they'll stop believing."
"And belief," Ne Job says softly,
"…is the only thing holding this together."
12. The Temporary Verdict That Changes Everything
Oversight issues a system-wide announcement.
INTERIM DECREE:
• Automatic judgments suspended
• Appeals prioritized by irreversible harm
• Experimental shared-judgment trials authorized
Heaven reels.
Not breaks.
Reels.
Yue grips the railing. "…This is going to hurt."
Ne Job nods. "Yeah."
Then, quietly: "But not as much as pretending we're perfect."
13. Aftermath: The Calm Inside the Storm
The appeal flow doesn't stop.
But it changes.
Less rage.
More detail.
More hope.
Ne Job watches a clerk gently rewrite a verdict—with care.
Yue exhales. "They're trying."
Oversight logs:
"System morale: unstable but improving."
Ne Job snorts. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said."
14. The Cost Is Still Coming
High above, fate-threads creak.
Some will snap.
Some worlds will diverge.
Heaven will be blamed.
Ne Job knows it.
He accepts it.
Because for the first time—
The blame will be earned, not hidden.
15. End of Chapter (When the Floodgates Stay Open)
The storm doesn't end.
It becomes weather.
And Heaven learns the most dangerous lesson of all:
Once people know they can speak—
They will never be quiet again.
END OF CHAPTER 305