Four days after the rampage,
The atmosphere at the academy had changed from unease to a morbid excitement.
A new, anonymous forum had appeared on campus like a parasite.
No one knows who built it.
No one knows where it's located.
It's not even on the regular school network. It's more like a website that emerged from a spirit world signal.
The login screen displays only one sentence written in blood:
"Everyone is guilty. So, who will judge?"
Dozens of new posts appear on the forum every day.
[Spiritual Power Test: Can You See Your Sins If You Look In The Mirror For 10 Seconds?]
[Shadow Test: Can you force out the spirit behind you by following these audio instructions?]
DIY Sin Seal: Tips for Forging Rei's Abilities.
[Rumor: Can Witness Rei see through your secrets?]
The more dangerous the challenge, the more people rush to participate.
The closer one gets to becoming a "judge," the more fanatical people become.
Some even start livestreaming rituals to open the door to inspiration.
People use games more often to test each other, expose secrets, and threaten each other.
"Do you dare let me judge you?" has become the most popular line recently.
The atmosphere in the academy is gradually shifting towards "dark entertainment."
The most popular section of the forum was called:
Witness Simulator.exe.
Using it was incredibly simple. You just had to upload a photo, and the system would "judge" you.
However, what was truly terrifying wasn't the website itself.
Rather, it was that people were imitating Li's tone and the sentences he would utter during judgments. They were even mimicking the glowing patterns of the sin imprint.
Students began sharing the fake judgment results:
"The girl you like actually hates you."
"You spoke ill of your friends behind their backs."
"Your soul has a flaw."
"You will be punished within three days."
Some took it as a joke; others took it as a threat.
But by the third day, the predictions were getting closer and closer to "reality."
Some of the fake judgments directly touched upon the students' deepest secrets.
This was no longer an online game.
It was prying open everyone's soul.
In the hallway.
Several first-year students turned deathly pale when they saw Li.
The next second, one of them shouted at him.
"Did you use your ability to view my judgment record last night?
Did you invade my soul?"
Another girl cried out in question:
"Was it you who judged me based on that sentence on the forum?"
Before Li could reply, she turned and ran away in terror.
Jinguji Hai frowned and whispered beside him,
"This thing is consuming your ability and destroying your prestige."
Hakuya's tone was even colder.
"No, this isn't just simple imitation.
Someone is deliberately causing a collective panic among the students."
Li clenched his fist; the Sin Mark burned painfully again.
They traced the forum's origin to the basement of the information building.
But there, they found only malfunctioning servers and an
—an invisible crack.
The crack seemed to breathe.
All the surrounding screens lit up,
A message that didn't sound human at all appeared:
"Judge, you've finally arrived."
Li's heart tightened.
White Raven stared at the crack in an unusually somber tone:
"This isn't a website server.
"This is the 'Spirit World' creating its own forum."
Jinguji Hui added in a low voice,
"Or rather, something from the Spirit World is imitating you."
Li stared at the message, his throat tightening.
He suddenly felt a strange sense of familiarity.
It wasn't "imitation."
It was another Judge
greeting him.
Six days after the "judgment game" from the dark web went viral.
The whole school thought it was just a thrilling, albeit slightly bizarre, supernatural game.
That is, until the first person actually died.
Dormitory Building B, Room 406.
The roommates were jolted awake by a piercing scream.
When they turned on the lights, they saw Hayashi Taki, a third-year student, slumped over his desk in his school uniform.
His body was stiff and arched as if he had been crushed by spiritual pressure.
His eyes were completely white.
But a strange smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
Most eerily, the screen in front of him was playing a program from the dark web.
"Witness Simulator Witness.exe."
The page displayed a red sentence:
[Verdict: Unforgivable.]
The roommates were terrified. Their legs went weak, and they cried out for help frantically.
By the time the duty teacher and the Night Club arrived, Hayashi Taki was completely lifeless.
But his soul was gone.
In less than two hours, an eerie and blurry video had circulated throughout the entire campus.
The screen was black, and only the sounds of breathing and faint keyboard tapping could be heard.
Then, a voice so low it seemed to seep from the ground said,
"Lin Long, you're lying."
"You've been pretending to be innocent."
You think I don't know you've been deceiving everyone?"
The next second—
The screen lit up and displayed red text:
[Unforgivable Sin]
Then came Lin Long's scream.
The video ended there, but the effect had already been created—the campus was plunged into an unprecedented state of panic.
"It was a fake trial that killed him!"
"The simulator is real! We can't play it!"
"The Witness's abilities have been stolen!"
Everyone blamed Li.
After the Night Walkers sealed off the dormitory,
Shirayuki and Jinguji brought Li to the scene.
As soon as he stepped into Room 406,
His sin mark pierced his wrist bones as if they would tear apart.
"There are traces of 'True Judgment' here,"
Li said softly.
Shirayuki frowned. "Are you sure? A simulator shouldn't be able to do this."
Li didn't answer. He simply reached for the desk.
Instantly, a surge of electric spiritual pressure flooded his eyes.
A fragment flashed. Linlong's soul was forced to kneel in the darkness.
Before him stood a blurry, mist-shrouded shadow.
The shadow reached out and pressed its hand against his forehead.
"Judgment begins."
Linlong's soul disintegrated, twisted, and evaporated as if it had been sucked dry.
Li staggered back two steps, his face deathly pale.
"It wasn't the simulator that killed him.
Someone used the simulator to conduct a real trial."
Jinguji frowned deeply. "You mean someone can use your ability mode?"
"No, only partially." Li gritted her teeth.
"But he learned too quickly. It was as if he were filling in the gaps in my abilities."
While sorting through Lin Long's belongings,
, the nightclub found a handwritten note that he had placed in his drawer.
It contained only six words:
"The sin of the witness is imminent."
Bai Ya remained silent for a long time.
"This wasn't written by Lin Long."
Her tone was unusually cold.
"He was forced to 'write' it before he died."
When Li heard this, his heart skipped a beat.
For the first time, he felt that someone was forcing him and the entire academy toward a massive "trial."
And death was only the beginning.
Just as the nightclub was preparing to close, the school's public address system was suddenly hijacked by an unknown signal.
Hissing, static, and spiritual pressure mingled,
Finally, they coalesced into a low, inhuman voice:
"The next one...has been chosen."
The broadcast paused for 0.7 seconds.
Then, a string of names came through:
"Class 2-3, Mio."
Mio froze.
Rei rushed to her side.
White Crow's pupils constricted sharply. "He's started playing 'Designated Judgment.'"
Jinguji whispered,
"The pseudo-judgment has become a real death ritual."
Rei felt the mark of sin pierce his skin.
He finally understood—the imitator didn't want to replace him.
The imitator wanted to force him to "open his eyes"
—so that the real judgment could begin.