dtnovels Chapter 321: Fair or Unfair
Chapter 321: Fair or Unfair
The man in the red uniform pointed above Lefia's head and said, "Lefia, please return Power's soul."
People didn't see anything above Lefia's head, and Lefia's body didn't move either. However, the bright manifold in the illustration jumped up and then down. Then, the large manifold split into a smaller manifold, which was about the same size as the smaller manifold before the fusion.
The smaller manifold circled the larger manifold once, then accelerated and flew out of the frame. The larger manifold also accelerated and flew away from the frame.
To everyone's surprise, Powert let out an "Ah!" while Lefia opened her eyes.
Powert blinked and looked around, as if waking from a dream. When Powert saw the five uniformed men, fear appeared on his face.
The man in the red uniform stared at Powert with a sudden surge of light in his eyes and said, "Powert, you've essentially been brought back to life. You can check if your original consciousness belongs to Lefia."
After he finished speaking, images of small manifolds merging and separating from larger manifolds appeared on the holographic screen. Power lowered his head and remained silent for a long time.
"Power, I know what you're thinking. If any of you are willing, several, a dozen, or even all of you can verify this process, verify that all of your original consciousness will voluntarily merge with Lefia's original consciousness. I want to ask, who among you is willing to be a volunteer?"
The man in the red uniform called out loudly, "Pusis, Long Zaitian, Fakolen, Yingmeisi..." He read out a string of names, then waited quietly. All the spectators held their breath, but those whose names were called remained silent, and no one volunteered. A cold smile appeared on the man in the red uniform's face.
"Powered, are you guilty?" the man in the red uniform suddenly shouted.
Powered shuddered in fright. "I'm guilty," Powered said, lowering his head.
"Alright. Powert, the Imperial Court has found you guilty of opposing the Empire and spreading rumors. The Imperial Court hereby sentences Powert to one year in Imperial prison. Effective immediately."
Imperial Prison? What kind of prison is that? Just as everyone was wondering, Powered's body rose into the air, and a thick pillar of light appeared in the sky, enveloping Powered. Powered rose rapidly inside the pillar of light until it was no longer visible to the naked eye, and then the pillar of light disappeared.
"Chairman Long Zaitian of Country C, step forward." A synthesized voice announced.
Long Zaitian also "floated" towards the center of the circle and then stopped. The five uniformed men quickly moved to their new positions, with the man in the red uniform facing Long Zaitian.
"Long Zaitian, the Imperial Fleet has determined that on September 18, 2037 (Washington time), you ordered a hydrogen bomb attack on the capital of Country J, resulting in the deaths of 9 million innocent people in the island nation. Long Zaitian, do you feel guilty?"
As the man in the red uniform spoke, an illustration simultaneously appeared on the holographic screen. In the illustration, a mushroom cloud from a hydrogen bomb explosion rose into the sky, and a massive shockwave swept outwards, destroying trees, buildings, and crowds in its path... leaving nothing but devastation in its wake.
Looking at the illustration, Long Zaitian laughed three times. "Yes, it was I who gave the order. We reclaimed Diaoyu Island, wiped out the Japanese pirates, and avenged our great grudge. If it weren't for the strong opposition from the United States, I would have rather been punished several times over to sink the island nation to the bottom of the sea. I, Long Zaitian, am willing to bear the consequences!"
Long Zaitian straightened his body and stared intently at the man in the red uniform.
The man in the red uniform stared into Long Zaitian's eyes. "After the September 9.18 Incident in 1931, the J-country invaders were utterly inhumane. During their fourteen-year invasion of C, their crimes were heinous and countless. Long Zaitian, although C and J were enemies, you ordered the deaths of tens of millions. Furthermore, you had a video call with the leaders of the four MRFE countries, plotting against the Empire. Long Zaitian, the Imperial Court has found you guilty of indiscriminate killing, opposing the Empire, and spreading rumors. The Imperial Court hereby sentences Long Zaitian to one year in Imperial prison, after which his original consciousness will be stripped away and returned to Leifia. This sentence is effective immediately."
Like Powered, Long Zaitian's body also rose into the air, and a thick pillar of light appeared in the sky, enveloping Long Zaitian. Long Zaitian and the pillar of light then disappeared.
Next, R Country President Pushis stepped forward. The Imperial Fleet discovered that eight years ago, Pushis and Long Zaitian conspired to bomb J Country's capital with a hydrogen bomb. Pushis also threatened M Country, saying that if M Country launched a nuclear attack on C Country, R and C Country would launch a strong nuclear attack on M Country's mainland. Five years ago, Pushis ordered the invasion of W Country, occupying half of W Country's territory. Three years ago, R Country and C Country repeated the same trick. After successfully stopping M Country, R Country carried out an aerial bombardment of J Country's second largest city in retaliation for J Country's sneak attack on the Northern Territories.
The Imperial Court pronounces its verdict: Pushis is guilty of indiscriminate killing, seizing foreign territory, opposing the Empire, and spreading rumors. The Imperial Court hereby sentences Pushis to one year in Imperial prison, after which his original consciousness will be stripped away and returned to Lefia. This judgment is effective immediately.
Then, Kim Jong-un, the head of state of South Korea, stepped forward.
"Kim Jong-un, the Imperial Fleet has determined that on September 18, 2037 (Washington time), you ordered the launch of a large number of missiles to attack SK, and coordinated with C to launch long-range missiles to attack J, resulting in the deaths of 9 innocent civilians. Are you guilty?"
After he finished speaking, an illustration appeared on the screen. In the illustration, NK forces unleashed a barrage of long-range artillery fire at SK, while hundreds of medium- and long-range missiles flew through the sky, attacking SK's capital and other cities, as well as J's coastal cities. The intense artillery fire and numerous missiles created dazzling explosions in the cities of both countries, turning the sky above one city blood red.
Like Smith, Kim Jong-un shouted, "I protest, I am innocent. I did this for this country. We have been suppressed and sanctioned for many years by the alliance of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the United States. For this country and its people, I had to make this decision. I do not regret making this decision. If I could turn back time, I would still do it."
"Okay. Kim Jong-un, during your 35 years of rule over South Korea, you engaged in domestic terrorism, arrested dissidents, and indiscriminately killed innocent people. That's true, isn't it?"
"Yes, I admit it. But history always repeats itself. Only by fighting to the end can I survive and lead this country to glory and realize the dream of becoming a great power."
"Does being a great power simply mean having advanced and abundant weaponry and flaunting military might?"
"Haha, isn't your so-called Imperial Court backed by powerful military force? If I had established this court, would the likes of Smith, Power, and Insme from the United States be here? Even your Earth Empire, in its previous massacre of extraterrestrial intelligent civilizations, relied on advanced weapons, didn't it? Why didn't anyone or any other civilization try you? Moreover, in the more than 30 years I've been in power, the people's happiness index is very high, with free education, free medical care, and free housing, which is evident to the whole world."
While Kim Jong-un's words were somewhat far-fetched and sophistical, his comparison of the Imperial Fleet's massacre of an alien intelligent civilization was still somewhat convincing.
“Kim San, we acknowledge that some of what you said makes a lot of sense. The Imperial Court has two possible punishments for you, and you can choose freely: one is for your death, in which our Imperial Fleet will complete the unification for you; the other is for you to serve sixty years in the Imperial Prison.”
The man in the red uniform's words immediately caused a stir. The president of SK glared angrily, and the prime minister of J was also filled with unease. The audience was also unsettled by this bizarre verdict.
Kim Jong-un glanced around at the heads of state and dignitaries, then fixed his gaze on the president of SK country, before shifting it to stare at the prime minister of J country.
"I choose the first one, but I have one more condition."
"What conditions?"
"Abolish the military power of country J and prevent it from posing a threat to our country for sixty years."
"I protest!" the Prime Minister of Country J shouted, raising his hands.
"Protests are futile."
"This is not fair!"
"Unfair? Haven't you done enough ugly and evil things in your country over the past hundred years?" The man in the red uniform waved his hand.
"Kim Sam, the Imperial Court declares you guilty. The 'Photon Sword Execution' will be carried out immediately! In exchange, the Imperial Fleet will utterly destroy all of J-Nation's military forces."
As soon as the man in the red uniform finished speaking, a beam of light slowly descended from above Kim Jong-un's head, instantly transforming into the shape of a giant sword. Another illustration appeared on the holographic spherical screen, depicting the destruction of J country's military bases, arsenals, military satellites, weapons and ammunition depots, military departments, naval forces, and more, all by a terrifying beam of light.
People saw Kim Jong-un smile, then his body turned red and finally vanished.
On August 28 alone, the heads of state and key officials of more than 8 of the world's top-ranking countries were tried.
The day on August 29th is a rest day to allow sunlight to reach the Earth's plants and animals.
On August 30th, the sunlight disappeared, a giant holographic spherical screen appeared, and the Imperial Court swiftly tried the remaining heads of state and important officials.
It's worth mentioning that those twenty-odd high-ranking officials with glowing "shackles" were all people who had committed suicide in the "House of Light" and then been resurrected. When the giant screen illustration showed the two rows of six-story-high "Houses of Light," the audience was involuntarily stunned. What was even more chilling was that those who touched the "wall of light" in the "House of Light" in an attempt to commit suicide to avoid trial were resurrected by the "gods" and continued to face trial by the Imperial Court. One of the charges against these twenty-odd people was attempting suicide to avoid trial by the Imperial Court, a crime punishable by three years of imprisonment in the Imperial Prison.
After everyone had finished their trial, the giant screen disappeared, and the sun shone brightly on the earth once more.
The two-day trial was accompanied by illustrated scenes, evidence was presented, and sentences were determined based on each person's performance and crimes during their tenure.
What puzzled some viewers of the trial livestream was that the illustrated scenes were mostly depicting events from the past, some of which occurred seven or eight years ago. How did the "gods" reconstruct history and present it visually?
In response, heads of state from various countries secretly ordered historians and scientists to investigate and verify the historical content of the illustrations on the giant screen to determine whether they were forgeries by the Imperial Fleet. The investigations revealed that the historical images were indeed authentic, with many details corroborated by documents, secret archives, and contemporary photographs and videos. Historians and scientists reached a consensus: the historical content of the illustrations in the Imperial Court was more detailed and accurate than the historical records, causing alarm among the heads of state and high-ranking officials of various countries.