04
[One hundred thousand dollars a
month for her life? What kind of family is this?]
[Money means nothing! Domestic
abusers deserve death!]
The comment feed exploded as the following memory sequence began.
The scene showed me slapping
Michelle hard across the face at home. She
collapsed to the floor, staring up at me in disbelief. “You hit me… you actually hit me
over something so small? I want a divorce!”
The comment coction orated into
chaos.
[Dear God, does paying one hundred
thousand dollars a month in allowance give him the right to beat his wife?]
[Domestic violence never happens just
once! This sc*mbag needs to face justice. It
hurts just watching this.]
The judge continued with the verdict. “In
this instance, no abusive behavior was
found. Eric is innocent.”
Not just the comment section but the entire courtroom gallery erupted in outrage. People stood up, hurling water bottles and shoes at me.
Someone threw a glass bottle. Though I managed to dodge it, it shattered against the wall, and a shard sliced my cheek. Bright red blood dripped onto the back of my hand.
The prolonged memory extraction had already left me weak. I barely managed to
I
stay standing as I glared at everyone who
had thrown something at me
“You monster! What kind of man hits
women? We reject this unfair verdict. We
demand a new judge!”
“Protest! Protest!”
The courtroom descended into
complete chaos.
The judge rapped his gavel on the
bench.
“Order in the court! One warning to all
disruptive individuals. The next outburst,
and you’ll be removed!”
Though protests continued to ring out, the judge’s authoritative presence silenced the crowd. I noticed his gaze toward me had shifted somewhat.
Michelle stared at me smugly, her lips forming silent words. “You’re messing with the wrong person. You’re finished.”
But Michelle had forgotten something crucial. These were my memories. Even if she tried to manipulate public opinion
against me, people would have a chance to learn the truth.
Just as my memories were about to be
extracted again, the helmet burst into flames. My entire body felt like it was being
scorched alive before I lost consciousness
and collapsed.
Through my foggy awareness, I caught
Michelle’s satisfied smirk as she watched
me intently.
The livestream cut off as I was rushed to
the medical bay, and the judge announced
a postponement.
[Is the suspect trying to dodge justice.
because there’s no objective evidence?]
[I knew there was something fishy going.
on! We demand another memory extraction
from the criminal!]
[What if they secretly declare them
innocent? Are we being played for fools?]
As comments continued flooding the
screen, the judge paused and turned his
attention to me.
By then, I had regained consciousness
but couldn’t stop convulsing.
“We apologize. After examination, wel
found that the Judgment Helmet had been
tampered with. It short–circuited, and we
deeply regret the harm it caused you.”
Hearing this, I knew exactly who was
behind it. Besides Harris, I couldn’t imagine
anyone else having the means and the
motive to mess with the Judgment Helmet.
They were trying to force me to back
down or even kill me!
If that were how they wanted to play it, I wouldn’t show any mercy either.
The judge’s face was etched with
concern.
“Can you continue with the trial?” he asked.
I struggled to my feet, stumbling but with unwavering determination in my eyes.
“Yes!” I declared.
They wanted me dead, but I wouldn’t make it that easy for them.
