For the creatures in the abyss, death is the most insignificant thing. Yet in just this single day outside the abyss, he witnessed Anthony Carter's mutation and Henry Watson's death—human life was not precious either.

Adam Carter closed his eyes. He knew he had to go to the northern base.

The next morning, they continued driving toward the base. Since only Victor Harris was driving, his energy was limited, and their rest times became irregular. They started resting that afternoon, then resumed heading north in the middle of the third night. When the aurora began to fade and the sky turned white, Victor Harris said, "We're almost there."

Adam Carter looked ahead. In the gray morning mist, a round city gradually emerged on the horizon.

A city—he knew this word. Humans gathered in cities, just as mushrooms clustered together in the rainy season.

The armored vehicle kept moving forward. As the morning mist slowly dispersed, more details appeared ahead. The round city had gray steel walls, as tall as the tallest mushrooms—if twenty people stood on each other's shoulders, one person's feet on another's shoulders, they still might not be able to climb over. Steel fangs and spikes jutted out from the walls, their color sharp and icy, like winter rocks and soil.

The edges of the walls were covered with surveillance devices and laser installations. Any intruder would be discovered immediately. There were only two city gates—one for entry only, the other for exit only. They were now at the entry-only gate.

Soon after, Adam Carter saw many teams like Victor Harris's returning from all directions. Some were lightly equipped, others wore heavy gear and carried weapons. Four or five people per team, they parked similar armored vehicles in designated areas, then got out and walked toward the city gate, with vehicles and people being checked separately.

Victor Harris got out first. Adam Carter grabbed his arm and jumped down from the vehicle. He felt Victor Harris's arm was a bit tense. He thought, perhaps this city gate brought back bad memories for Victor Harris about his brother.

They walked together toward the city gate, where a long line had formed. There was some commotion at the front, but he couldn't see clearly—people were entering one by one.

Adam Carter followed behind Victor Harris, heading toward the line, glancing around as he walked.

On both sides of the gate stood soldiers in black uniforms, with two guns at their waists—one a conventional firearm, the other a laser gun. Behind them were massive heavy weapons aimed at the gate. One could imagine that if a monster tried to invade, it would be blown to pieces by these weapons.

After scanning the surroundings, his gaze was drawn to a black figure—in an open spot under the distant city wall, a man in a black uniform, seemingly a slack, undisciplined soldier who had left his post. Unlike his colleagues standing at attention, he was half-leaning against the wall, head down, slowly wiping a black gun.

However, the black uniform with silver trim he wore seemed much more refined and sharp than the others', or perhaps it was just because his figure was taller and more well-proportioned.

Victor Harris glanced over there, and for some reason, his pace quickened, pulling him straight ahead. Just as they were about to join the end of the line—

Adam Carter saw that distant man slowly lift his head.

Beneath the brim of the black uniform cap, a pair of icy green eyes appeared.

In an instant, Adam Carter stopped abruptly, feeling a chill spread around him, as if everything had frozen.

Victor Harris turned back and said, "What's—"

His words were cut off.

A gunshot.

Victor Harris's tall body swayed in place, then collapsed with a thud. His eyes were wide open, his throat making a rasping sound. Blood streamed from his temple. After a few spasms, he lay completely still.

But Adam Carter couldn't even reach out to grab a corner of his clothes, nor did he have any time to process what had just happened. He could only look up and meet the gaze of that officer in the black uniform, because at this moment, the officer was slowly turning the black gun—aiming it at him.

Chapter 5

Victor Harris's blood spread in Adam Carter's peripheral vision, a deep red pool. The people in line, hearing the commotion, turned to look, but after seeing what happened, they calmly turned back, as if nothing had occurred.

But Victor Harris was dead—a human killed at the gates of a human base, and no one objected.

Suddenly, Adam Carter realized that this man was the Judge—the one Victor Harris had mentioned to him a day ago.

He was the master of the Tribunal, judging whether each person entering the gate was human or other. He could decide anyone's life or death, no matter who they were, without needing a reason.

And now it was his turn to be judged.

Adam Carter's heart pounded violently a few times. The moment the gun was pointed straight at him, he realized he really might die.

But as he looked into the Judge's icy green eyes, he gradually regained his calm.

Coming to the northern base was a decision he had to make, so facing judgment was his fate, whatever the outcome.

He silently counted the seconds in his heart.

One, two, three.

The gunshot did not come. The Judge kept the gun trained on him, slowly walking this way.

The people in line seemed to tacitly speed up, moving forward and closing ranks. In a moment, the area was empty—only Adam Carter remained.