Struggling through the last narrow, cluttered corridor, He Xiaojun finally arrived at the final judgment ground.

Judging from the timer on the wall, he had 8 minutes left.

The layout of this judgment ground was even simpler.

Ahead was a female player locked in an iron chair mechanism, her mouth bound tightly with a cloth, unable to make any sound.

On the judgment platform, there were no red or blue buttons, only a sharp dagger.

[He Xiaojun, no matter how many chances you have missed before, remember: you always have one last chance.]

[If the law cannot give you fairness and justice, do not despair, because choosing to resolve issues through the law is not the law giving you a chance, but you giving the law a chance.]

[If the law cannot give you justice, then you must give justice to the law.]

[There is only one absolutely fair thing in this world: everyone has only one life.]

[Of course, this is your revenge, your judgment, so you have the final decision authority.]

[You can choose to forgive the slanderer; press the button beside the iron chair mechanism, and she will regain her freedom.]

[You can also choose to kill the slanderer, but the antidote will be destroyed upon her death.]

[You can also use the dagger to give her the punishment she deserves and then press the button to release her.]

[But note, you can only stab her three times; if you exceed, the mechanism will automatically unlock.]

[Special reminder: Regardless of your choice, you must pay a corresponding price.]

[Now, please consider carefully and complete your final judgment.]

He Xiaojun picked up the dagger on the judgment platform; it was icy and heavy in his hand.

At that moment, faint screams of police officers came from a distance.

The delayed mechanism had finally activated.

But He Xiaojun had more important things to do now.

He approached the iron chair mechanism, looking at the female player locked in the chair.

Unlike the previous iron chair mechanisms, this female player's hands were locked behind her back, while the front was connected to a special mechanism, with a pointer jumping continuously, also linked to a rear device containing the antidote.

In other words, if her heart stopped beating, the antidote would be automatically destroyed by the mechanism.

He Xiaojun looked silently into her eyes.

This was the first time he had held such a long gaze with this female colleague who had framed him.

Before, He Xiaojun never dared to look directly into her eyes; when questioned aggressively, he could only respond with avoidance and evasion.

But this time, he finally summoned the courage to see clearly the fine lines at her eye corners, the faint makeup, and the fear and despair in her eyes.

"Now, I am the aggressor, and you are speechless."

He Xiaojun inexplicably felt the scene was very similar to when he was falsely accused in the company.

At that time, she wielded an invisible dagger, step by step approaching him; while he was gagged by an invisible cloth, unable to say a word.

In this final judgment, their roles were completely reversed.

He Xiaojun didn't expect the rules of the final judgment to be completely different from before.

If he had to choose between two buttons again, he would certainly pick the right one.

It was exactly this mentality of hope that led him to fail to make the best choices in the first two judgments, missing two opportunities.

But in the final judgment, there were no more buttons.

He Xiaojun could stab her three times; those stabbings could be light or heavy.

Even just one stab could end her life.

However, the rules clearly stated if she died, the last antidote would also be automatically destroyed.

In other words, 'No matter the choice, a corresponding price must be paid.'

If He Xiaojun had made the right choices in the first two judgments, he wouldn't need to worry about the antidote at all now.

But obviously, missing opportunities also meant punishment was inevitable.

The female player struggled continuously on the iron chair; she saw hope for life.

Apparently, even before He Xiaojun arrived, she had understood the corresponding rules.

If He Xiaojun had already obtained the antidote from the previous three judgments, she would undoubtedly be doomed.

But now, judging from He Xiaojun's reaction, it seemed he had not obtained the antidote.

If He Xiaojun wanted to survive, he couldn't kill her, which gave her some room for bargaining.

But with her mouth blocked, she couldn't utter any sweet words, only using tears to gain a last chance for survival.

He Xiaojun sighed silently.

"I remember, I also cried back then, right?

"I anxiously denied every accusation, begging you to spare me, but all I got was your ridicule and sarcasm.

"This game is right; the only absolutely fair thing in this world is that everyone has only one life.

"I am a sinner too; my own cowardice led me into the abyss one step at a time; I missed my chances, so to seek revenge now, I must pay the price—life for life.

"This is the only opportunity for a coward to demand fairness from this world.

"Without the courage to pay with one's life, there can be no fairness."

In her incredulous gaze, He Xiaojun fixed his eyes on hers, slowly driving the dagger into her heart with trembling hands, but without any hesitation.

"Beep—"

The mechanism originally connected to the heart no longer received signals from the heart, the pointer stopped, and with a snap, the connected mechanism also crushed the antidote syringe.

He Xiaojun expressionlessly withdrew the dagger; the iron chair mechanism emitted successive clicks, unlocking continuously.

The female player's body slumped forward as the dagger was withdrawn, falling to the floor with a thud.

At the same time, there was also a clear sound.

He Xiaojun froze for a moment, noticing the female player locked with the mechanism also held a dagger in her hand.

In other words, if he had not had the courage to choose mutually assured destruction at the last moment and had instead chosen to unlock the mechanism on the female player for the antidote, regardless of where those three stabs landed as long as they weren't fatal, he was very likely to be counter-killed.

There wasn't much time left; He Xiaojun stared blankly at the corpse on the ground, his mind went into a temporary blank.

Suddenly, he seemed to recall something, hastily trying to retreat.

But before he could enter the corridor, he saw a figure stumbling through the dark corridor, entering the judgment ground.

He Xiaojun warily held the dagger in front of him for protection.

The visitor was Officer Zhang, his left arm already broken by a mechanism, hanging limply at his side.

Officer Zhang stretched out his right hand, holding the antidote syringe in his palm.

He Xiaojun took it silently, injecting himself with it.

He didn't know if the injection method was correct; the syringe didn't have a long needle, only a sharp tip, which would automatically inject when piercing the skin.

Presumably, there shouldn't be a problem, as all the tools in the Walkway could function 100% as intended.

The two sat on the ground in dejection, waiting for the final broadcast announcement.

[Game over.]

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