An Zhe took a breath and lowered his head. The bitten finger restlessly rubbed against his thumb. In the Abyss, no monster would think of fighting mushrooms. However, he would occasionally bump into some living creatures. His mycelium would be pricked by the thorns of vines but he hadn’t been infected. He didn’t know if it was due to luck or any other reason.

What about this time?

***

The disaster suddenly occurred as well as this trial.

It was late at night and dim, yellow lights were on at the entrance of District 6. A large number of people lined up like a long snake against the wall and stretched out with no end in sight. There was the sound of insect wings fluttering in all directions. It could be imagined how they stared at the city with jealous eyes as they looked at the city like it was a warm room where they could reproduce. At the same time, there was the sound of rumbling wheels and the vibration of the ground as it was crushed by heavy armour arriving. The military was constantly rescuing residents from various residential areas and rail transit trains were also responsible for the transportation of residents. Sometimes, there were insects on the train but people couldn’t care about this. Once the residents reached the outskirts of District 6, they were placed at the end of the line and awaited trial.

The process was a black river of countless people. They slowly moved forward. After passing the trial, they could enter the safe District 6.

The mechanical broadcast kept emphasizing the words ‘please observe the queuing discipline’ and ‘please be patient’. There were occasional screams as a living person mutated and soldiers patrolling the queue immediately killed him. After a few shots, the crowd changed from their initial restlessness to silence. They were advancing very slowly and no one wanted to come forward, but the soldiers drove them all the time.

However, the main source of the gunshots wasn’t from the centre of the line but the gates of the wall.

“70 years,” an old man muttered. “Judgment Day has come again.”

The nine year old boy being held by the old man looked up with fear but he didn’t get any comfort worth mentioning. The old man’s eyes were empty and he only held the boy’s hand more tightly.

Outside, it was the insects killing people. They were rescued from the insect tide but in District 6, people were killing people. God judged the world and there was still good and evil as a basis. In front of the Trial Court, some people could do nothing but face death.