Then let the witch offer her loyalty

Luo Lingyou pulled his armband up a little and walked towards the door expressionlessly.

As she passed by Chen Moxin, her pair of crimson eyes glanced at him, their eerie color as thick and chilling as blood.

"Chen Moxin, I'll remember you."

After saying that, she led her people out and left.

After the two judges left, Chen Moxin breathed a sigh of relief. He took off his coat and covered Liu Lan with it, then squatted down beside her and asked with concern, "Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Liu Lan's emotions just now went through a rollercoaster ride.

Originally intending to fight the Bureau to the end, the people from the Tribunal suddenly intervened, not only threatening her personally but also assaulting her.

There was no one to turn to for help, and everyone thought they were going to be beaten half to death, but then someone arrived just in time and argued with them, forcing the judge to leave.

Moreover, this person was Chen Moxin, who had offended her not long ago.

If Liu Lan had previously harbored some resentment towards Chen Moxin for his offense, that last bit of unease has now dissipated, leaving only gratitude.

She instinctively wrapped the coat Chen Moxin had given her tighter around herself, sniffling and saying in a trembling voice, "Thank you... thank you..."

Chen Moxin shook her head and said softly, "There's nothing to thank me for. Interrogating you is the Bureau's responsibility, and protecting your safety is also the Bureau's responsibility. I was just fulfilling my duty."

These words were spoken in a completely businesslike tone, but Liu Lan felt a warmth in her heart for no reason: "I always thought that the people in the Bureau were all bastards... I never expected that there would be such a good person as you."

Chen Moxin smiled helplessly: "I can't judge whether I'm a good person or not, but those judges who used torture to extract confessions were definitely bastards."

"Especially that white-haired one, she's so pretty, I never expected her to be so vicious! The saying 'the most poisonous heart is a woman' is absolutely true!"

He paused for a moment, then quickly explained, "Um... I only insulted her... I didn't mean to insult you too..."

His flustered explanation amused Liu Lan, easing the oppressive feeling in her heart and making her feel increasingly close to the young man in front of her.

"Your name is... Chen Moxin?"

Chen Moxin said in a friendly manner, "Yes, you can just call me Moxin, that's what my friends call me."

Liu Lan asked worriedly, "Mo Xin, you've offended the Judge for my sake. What will you do about your job now?"

Mentioning this, Chen Moxin also felt a bit troubled, and sighed, "Who knows? I guess I'll inevitably be given a hard time. Oh well, let's just take it one step at a time."

In any other situation, Liu Lan wouldn't have thought anything of it.

But Chen Moxin offended the judge this time because she was arguing for her.

That's true, she and Chen Moxin have different stances.

But people should always have a sense of gratitude.

Seeing Chen Moxin's dejected expression, Liu Lan couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt and wanted to do something for him.

"Mo Xin, is there anything I can help you with?"

Chapter 6 I, Chen, swear on my own mother

Chen Moxin sighed after hearing this: "Help me? How can you help me in this state?"

Liu Lan hesitated for a moment, as if she was thinking about something. She glanced warily at the surveillance camera on the ceiling and gestured for Chen Moxin to come closer: "Come here, don't let those people hear us."

The two huddled together and began to communicate in very low voices.

Liu Lan asked softly, "Do you want to come with us?"

Chen Moxin asked, puzzled, "What do you mean by 'going with you'?"

Liu Lan said slowly, "You all have relevant information, so I won't hide it from you."

“Zhang Hao and I originally planned to immigrate to the ‘Azure Federation.’ You know, the Federation has long since relaxed its control over witches; they’re very free.”

"Before the immigration process was completed, my witch identity was exposed, and I was caught and brought here."

“But it doesn’t matter, Zhang Hao is still outside. He used to do foreign trade and knows a lot of friends. He has a way to help us smuggle ourselves out of the country.”

"You're such a good person, and you've offended the Judges in the Administration Bureau and have no future. Why don't you just find a chance to let me go, and then I'll take you to find Zhang Hao. The three of us can escape the Empire together and go to a freer country!"

Chen Moxin stared blankly at Liu Lan for a long time before finally snapping out of it, her expression awkward: "Sister Lan, it seems you've misunderstood something..."

"I did offend the judge, but at most I just got some trouble at work, it's nothing serious."

“If I were to release you without authorization, I would be committing dereliction of duty and would be sentenced to prison. That’s impossible, don’t even think about it.”

Seeing that Chen Moxin refused, Liu Lan nodded thoughtfully.

She was three parts sincere and seven parts testing the waters.

She was grateful to Chen Moxin for his help, but she didn't forget that he was from the Administration Bureau.

She pretended that if he let her go, she would take him to find Zhang Hao. If he agreed, it was probably a trap.

Just as Chen Moxin himself said, offending the judges would at most mean facing difficulties at work in the future.

Releasing a witch without permission? That's extremely dangerous.

A direct refusal would be the normal reaction, and it also shows that Chen Moxin is very honest.

Liu Lan smiled apologetically at him: "I'm sorry, I said something silly. You have your own responsibilities, I understand."

Silence fell again, neither of them spoke, only the occasional soft sigh could be heard.

After a while, Chen Moxin leaned close to Liu Lan's ear and whispered, "Sister Lan, have you ever thought about the danger you might be in if you continue like this?"

"The Empire has very strict control over witches. It's good that you're under the jurisdiction of the Bureau now, but if this continues, you'll be in big trouble when the Inquisition takes over."

Liu Lan frowned and asked, "You mean, what the court said about 'harmless disposal' is true? They really will kill witches who don't cooperate?"

Chen Moxin said helplessly, "It seems Luo Lingyou did threaten you... Yes, it's true. In an emergency, they really will execute the witch."

Liu Lan clenched her fists: "These people are absolutely insane!"

At that moment, she felt a soft, warm touch on the back of her hand.

She looked up instinctively and saw Chen Moxin gently holding her hand, his amber eyes filled with concern: "Sister Lan, I want to help you."

"I am an imperial public servant, and no matter what I think, I can only abide by the rules."

"But that doesn't mean I can just stand by and watch you get hurt. I think that would be too cruel."

Liu Lan asked in a low voice, "How are you going to help me?"

Chen Moxin tightened her grip on her hand: "Actually, it's not difficult. Don't think of the Administration Bureau as some kind of perverted place. Custody and imprisonment are different."

“Witches who cooperate with the control measures actually receive very good treatment in the containment area. They have dedicated staff to take care of their food, clothing, and shelter, and they can engage in recreational activities within the containment area. Apart from not being able to go out freely, they are no different from ordinary people.”

"Only witches who refuse to obey control and whose internal madness has exceeded the danger level for various reasons will be targeted by the Inquisition."

"As long as you behave yourself and don't try to escape or use your psychic powers without permission, the Inquisition won't do anything to you."

"But there's a tricky issue right now, and I think you understand."

Soon, Liu Lan realized what was going on: "You mean Zhang Hao?"

Chen Moxin nodded: "Yes, you two established a spiritual contract, allowing him to share your spiritual energy."

“Every time he uses psionic energy, the erosion of your body by the madness intensifies.”

“He’s your fiancé. Now that you’ve been arrested, I can imagine how anxious he is. What if he does something foolish with his psychic powers outside? He’ll not only harm himself, but he’ll also harm you.”

"Therefore, the most urgent thing is to contact him and tell him not to use psychic energy recklessly. This is the only way to ensure your safety. Otherwise, the Inquisition will come after you again."

Before awakening her psychic powers, Liu Lan was just an ordinary person with no special experiences. She was already terrified from the torture she had just endured by the judges.

Not to mention the so-called "harmless disposal," she didn't even dare to think about it.

Even putting those issues aside, she really wanted to send a message to Zhang Hao right now, otherwise she didn't know how anxious he would be.

Liu Lan muttered, "I understand the logic... but how do I get in touch with him?"

As she spoke, she subconsciously looked at Chen Moxin.

Chen Moxin smiled brightly: "If you're willing to trust me, I can help you find him."

Upon hearing this, Liu Lan's eyes immediately turned wary: "You want me to tell you where Zhang Hao is?"

Chen Moxin didn't try to hide anything and said sincerely, "This is the only way. I know you have concerns, but I really want to help you."

"I'm just an unofficial staff member. If someone in the team hadn't fallen ill and I hadn't temporarily filled in, I wouldn't even have the authority to talk to you."

"I can still help you now, but if this drags on any longer, once that official operative returns to his post, I won't even have the chance to see you anymore, let alone help you."

At this moment, Liu Lan was caught in a dilemma.

For the sake of her fiancé's safety, she naturally didn't want to reveal Zhang Hao's whereabouts.

But what Chen Moxin said earlier also made sense.

If we can't get in touch with Zhang Hao, there's likely to be trouble.

In her heart, the only person in the management bureau who could be considered a good person was Chen Moxin, who had stood up for her.

"Mo Xin, you have to promise me that you'll only deliver messages and you'll never tell anyone Zhang Hao's whereabouts!"

"I promise."

"Swear a solemn oath!"

Chen Moxin swore without hesitation: "If I reveal Zhang Hao's whereabouts to anyone, my mother will surely die!"

That's a really vicious oath.

Liu Lan couldn't believe that an upright young man like Chen Moxin would joke about his own mother, and her last line of defense crumbled.

Even setting aside the oath, she subconsciously wanted to believe Chen Moxin.

I can't quite describe that feeling.

The boy in front of her gave her an innate sense of closeness.

Her intuition told her that Chen Moxin was reliable.

Without further hesitation, Liu Lan slowly spoke into Chen Moxin's ear...

...

"Whoosh—" The isolation door of the prison area opened.

Chen Moxin left the prison area and prepared to go to the administrative area.

As he passed through the connecting corridor, he saw two figures.

Luo Lingyou and the female judge were standing there, seemingly waiting for something.

Upon seeing Chen Moxin, Luo Lingyou slowly walked over and stopped in front of him.

The corridor lights were already dim at night, and with Luo Lingyou facing away from the overhead light, the backlight cast shadows on his face, which intertwined and twisted like some kind of living thing, making his rose-red eyes appear even more profound.

The air seemed to freeze at that moment; the surroundings were deathly silent and oppressive.

Luo Lingyou stared expressionlessly at Chen Moxin, reaching into his pocket for the stun gun...

It brushed past it.

He took out the lollipop that was in his pocket.

She handed the candy to Chen Moxin with a playful smile on her face.

How was my performance?

Chapter 7 Chen Moxin, I'll Remember You

(Today is a combined two-chapter update, both chapters will be posted together.)

...

Chen Moxin took the lollipop, unwrapped it, and put it in her mouth.

He sucked on a sweet strawberry-flavored candy and joked, "Were you really acting just now? I suggest you check; it didn't seem like acting."

Luo Lingyou raised an eyebrow: "What, do you mean I look like a bad guy?"

Chen Moxin chuckled and said, "No, I was just praising your acting skills."

Luo Lingyou took out another lollipop and put it in his mouth to eat.

"So, I played the bad guy, you played the good guy, and in the end, did you get any results?"