Chapter 13

The Tallest Are Often the Loneliest

My heart jolted. I stared at Valerian in disbelief. "Who told you that?"

"My friend. We work together a lot — comrades in life and death."

"What did he say?"

"I'll let him tell you himself. He's right next door."

Valerian got up and ran to the corridor, knocking on the next door.

Passing Sin Hunters saw him and teased, "Brainless, going to find your Big Brain again?"

Brainless and Big Brain...

Valerian shot them a vicious glare. When they'd walked far enough, he muttered under his breath, "Assholes."

He said it so quietly, but their ears were sharp. They turned back. "Who are you cursing at?"

Valerian quickly pointed at me. "I was cursing her. Just joking around."

Just then, the door opened. A girl stood in the doorway, yawning sleepily. "Brother Xia, what's up?"

"Come over. I need to ask you something."

He pulled her into our room and introduced me. "This is Escort Juniper."

I asked, "The one who helped us leave last time? She doesn't look like it physique-wise..."

"That was Sage. Juniper only handles simple missions."

Juniper, Sage — all herbal medicine names. So this was Judgment Tower's convention.

Valerian told Juniper, "Tell her what you said about Hemlock possibly setting the fire."

Juniper looked annoyed, pouting. "Brother Xia, at least tell me who this woman is first."

"She's Dandelion, the new Heaven-level Sin Hunter. She and I are just friends — don't overthink it."

"Oh..." Juniper adjusted her glasses and said seriously, "Well, this is mostly my own deduction."

"How so?"

Juniper said, "The day Sage had off, I received the mission to assist Hemlock's transfer. When I arrived, Hemlock was injured and the mission had failed. He sat in my truck, and I observed his condition."

"What do you mean? Did your truck have cameras?"

"No, no. I'd bought a stuffed bear that day — its eyes are hidden cameras. I was going to put it in my room but temporarily stored it in the truck compartment, and it accidentally recorded this scene. I saw a lighter slip out of Hemlock's pocket when he sat down. That's strange, right?"

"It's normal for things to fall out of your pocket when you sit down. Why is that strange?"

"Hemlock doesn't smoke. I've never seen him smoke, and his fingers are clean with pink nail beds — no traces of cigarette staining. And if he was going on a protection mission, why bring a lighter? A non-smoker bringing a lighter back from a fire scene — doesn't that seem extremely suspicious?"

I thought for a moment and said, "This is just circumstantial reasoning. It doesn't prove Hemlock set the fire."

She nodded. "Right, this is just speculation. But there's another odd thing. Sage always partners with Hemlock, but he happened to be off that day. Only on that one day I was substituted. Sister, do you know about Sage?"

I said, "I know. Judgment Tower ranks him as the top escort, and you're at the bottom."

"You didn't need to add that last part! Anyway, I just find it suspicious. Sage is an exceptional all-around escort. His coordination with Hemlock is seamless. But the day he coincidentally takes off seems questionable."

I shook my head.

It was all speculation, no direct evidence that Hemlock had started the fire.

This was just hearsay and rumor.

I cradled my bottle and drank in silence.

Valerian carefully said to me, "You should stay at the Badlands for now — it's safest. But... could you lend me your account?"

"Why?"

"I want to do a protection mission. I want to team up with you, then go do it myself..." Valerian said. "That way I can protect innocent people!"

"You're so weak you can barely protect yourself."

I didn't really understand.

Valerian seemed obsessed with reaching Heaven level.

But he was genuinely weak.

Valerian whispered, "I can do it. Just let me borrow your account for a bit."

Juniper couldn't help chiming in. "Yeah, just lend it to him. He's been wanting to do protection missions forever. Brother Xia is actually quite capable — he just never got the opportunity."

"No, you two are too weak. I don't want to watch you die."

They looked at each other, clearly disappointed.

"Guess what?"

I set down the bottle and said softly, "Since you're this weak and I need to blow off steam, I'm not lending you my account. I'll go with you."

Valerian's head snapped up, eyes bright. "Really?"

"Yeah. I need a new phone, new SIM card, new clothes."

"I'll get it right away!" Juniper said quickly. "I've got clothes in my room — let me bring them to you. Thank you for giving Brother Xia a chance!"

I looked at Valerian's excited face and suddenly felt a pang of sadness.

If every Sin Hunter were like him, if I had been like him back then... maybe my baby would still be safe.

In the darkness of my life, even if I couldn't greet the dawn, witnessing its light would be enough.

Juniper quickly brought me new clothes — a leather jacket and pants. I frowned. "Why leather?"

"So when you wear the mask, you look cool..." Juniper said. "Look at those action movie heroines — they all wear leather or punk skirts. Super cool."

I said, "These aren't practical for fighting. Get me athletic shoes and sportswear — something like a school uniform for mobility. And thick sports bras. I'm still nursing."

Valerian beside me instinctively glanced over. I didn't even look at him — I just reached over and slapped him across the face. He clutched his cheek and didn't dare move.

Juniper reluctantly went back to find me proper clothes.

When we were ready, I asked Valerian, "How do you know we'll receive a protection mission? How could so many crimes happen so quickly in one city?"

"Protection missions are location-based by default. You can turn off the location filter in the app, and then we can choose missions with more time buffer."

I had a eureka moment and disabled the location filter.

The moment I did, missions started flooding in!

I finally realized just how many people needed Sin Hunters' protection!

"XX Residential Complex — fire in two hours, an 80-year-old woman will die. Please protect!"

"XX Village, XX Road — in three hours, a drowsy truck driver will hit and kill a pregnant woman. Please protect!"

"City Center Feifei Internet Cafe — robbery and murder in two hours. Please protect!"

Protection missions weren't just about shielding innocents from villains.

They included fires, car accidents... all kinds of natural and man-made disasters.

It was a devastating feeling — seeing so many people in need of protection yet knowing you couldn't possibly reach them all.

I sighed deeply. Perhaps this was what Sin Hunters had to face — having the biggest heart for justice, yet needing the cruelest resolve to look away.

Such a contradictory existence.

Valerian borrowed my phone and scrolled through the flood of missions. He was stunned, even trembling slightly, and then whispered, "How insignificant we are, watching innocent people die but unable to protect everyone. Yet how great we are — when we choose one mission, someone gets a second chance at life."

I nodded in agreement. Juniper walked beside me and said, "Sister, did you know Sin Hunters have a priority system for protection missions?"

"How's that work?"

"Contributors get top priority — scientists, doctors, engineers, that sort of thing. Then pregnant women, then children, children over young adults, young adults over the elderly. That's the Sin Hunter priority order."

I sighed.

I doubted any Sin Hunter wanted to rank innocents this way, but there was no choice.

By then we'd left the building and gotten into a car.

Passing Sin Hunters teased Juniper: "Aren't those Brainless and Big Brain? Hey Doggie, teaming up with your Brother Xia again?"

Juniper brandished her tiny fist and snapped, "You can call me Juniper, but you cannot call me Doggie!"

"Got it, Doggie. No problem, Doggie."

Juniper fumed. When they'd walked away, she pointed two fingers at her temples, stared murderously at their backs, and gritted her teeth: "May you perish! May you perish!"

I stared at her in shock.

Valerian grabbed Juniper's wrist and said urgently, "What are you doing?"

"I'm summoning my dark powers to curse those bastards!"

Valerian said seriously, "Stop it! You're playing with unknown forces!"

I stared at the two of them in bewilderment.

In the end I said nothing and chose silence.

We only took one sedan. Although Juniper was an escort, she hadn't brought a truck. I asked what she'd do in the city — she casually told me Judgment Tower had designated supply points for vehicles and resources.

My curiosity about Judgment Tower grew. Maybe because my mindset had shifted — I'd fully come to see myself as a Sin Hunter.

I asked, "How powerful is Judgment Tower? The The Badlands can't generate profit from those imprisoned villains. Instead, the organization subsidizes Sin Hunters and escorts and provides all these resources. What kind of behemoth is funding all this?"

Valerian perked up at having a question to answer and enthusiastically explained.

He told me Judgment Tower had four divisions.

First, Sin Hunters — the most important branch. They operated in the outside world, protecting the weak and hunting sinners.

Second, Escorts — responsible for transporting captured sinners to the Badlands. Sin Hunters weren't support staff — they already bore the greatest risk, so escorts handled logistics.

Third, Prophets — rumored to provide intelligence to Sin Hunters and escorts, helping them capture sinners and protect innocents while keeping the hunters and escorts themselves safe from arrest. This was a highly secretive role. Prophets didn't live in the Badlands, and no one knew their locations.

Fourth, Contributors — said to be the ones continuously managing product donations, resource provision, and financial support. They, too, remained behind the scenes, never surfacing.

These four divisions were each led by one of the Four Masters. So the normal ceiling for Sin Hunters was Heaven level. Above them, the Four Masters each headed one division and directly managed the organization's operations to keep Judgment Tower running safely.

I said, "What about the Emperor? Hemlock is classified separately as the highest rank. What role does he play?"

Valerian said, "Here's the interesting part. The Emperor doesn't manage anyone, but he connects the Four Masters. Say I got incredibly powerful and became the Sin Hunters' leader..."

"That'll never happen. You're not incredible."

"I said 'say'! Sister, do you need to look up what 'say' means in the dictionary?"

"Sorry, it just slipped out."

"Anyway, say I became the Sin Hunters' leader. And Juniper also became incredible and led the escorts. Even though we're both Masters, even though we both manage operations, we couldn't contact each other. Because if one Master betrayed the organization and revealed all intelligence, it could bring down the entire operation."

"Then how do you run the organization?"

"The Emperor becomes the bridge between the Four Masters. He exists so the organization functions. So the Emperor must be the strongest, ensuring he won't be captured easily. He also must be willing to sacrifice for the entire organization — one hundred percent loyal."

I asked, "Who's our Sin Hunters' leader?"

Valerian shook his head. "No idea."

"No idea?"

"Nobody knows who the Four Masters are. They each manage their own divisions. If you became the Sin Hunters' leader, and I was a regular hunter, what if I sold you out one day? Masters rarely issue orders, and when they do, it's in secret, never revealing their identities."

I murmured, "That's strange. The Masters hide in darkness, but the highest-ranked Emperor is exposed to everyone. That's contradictory..."

Halfway through, I stopped.

No... it wasn't contradictory.

Juniper drove and said gently, "The Emperor must be one hundred percent loyal to the organization. He has the highest status but is ultimately just a communication bridge. If something goes wrong, he's the only one targeted. Pathetically, the Emperor has a title but no real power. If he dies, they can just vote in a new one."

Right...

The Emperor was the biggest target.

If a Sin Hunter got captured, could they reveal the Masters? No — because they didn't even know who the Masters were.

But they could reveal the Emperor, shifting the spotlight.

Yet if the Emperor was eliminated, it barely affected the organization at all, since real power lay with the four leaders.

Judgment Tower would keep running smoothly. Just choose a new liaison.

Like an ancient puppet emperor — occupying the highest throne, but the first to die when trouble came, while the real power brokers stayed safe.

I suddenly thought of Hemlock.

Maybe this was why he was so wild and reckless.

He'd long prepared himself for sacrifice.

When we drove the car onto the ferry, Valerian suddenly turned off his phone and sighed deeply.

I asked, "Why aren't you looking anymore?"

"It'll be hours before we reach the city dock. Staring at it this whole time just makes it worse. Better to wait until we can actually act."

"Yeah, I get the feeling. Rest for now."

"Okay, Sister."

I reclined my seat and closed my eyes.

The moment I shut them, thoughts flooded in. I snapped my eyes open and hit random play on the car stereo.

Violin and piano began — it was that new song, "The Crow."

"When I fly here again, gazing down at the blurred mountaintop, hiding alone in the night sky, waiting for your reply..."

"Consider me ill-fated, unable to hold beautiful luck, only hoping you can sense me from afar..."

When you're down, even a song works against you.

By the time we arrived, night had fallen.

Valerian turned on his phone, and protection missions started appearing.

He said in surprise, "Two missions in the city. Which one should we take?"

I took the phone and my heart sank.

"Protection mission: In two hours, a 24-year-old woman will be caught in a warehouse collapse at work, her life hanging by a thread. Please protect!"

"Protection mission: In an hour and a half, 65-year-old Quentin Vance will be caught in a fire at his shop. Please protect!"

Juniper answered without hesitation, "Obviously the 24-year-old girl. She has her whole life ahead!"

I said coldly, "Can we do both?"

"No, your account can only accept one mission at a time."

"Then I'll accept one, and we split up..." I said. "Doggie, you go save the girl. Valerian and I will save the old man."

Juniper said weakly, "My name is Juniper... If that's too long, my real name is Xing Huina. You can call me Nana. Just please stop calling me Doggie."

Valerian quickly said, "Sister, your idea is nice, but I have to remind you — once you accept a mission, you can't view real-time updates for other missions. We won't be able to find Quentin Vance!"

I said firmly, "That's fine. I know where he is. Valerian, come with me. N... Doggie, get going!"

"You literally had 'Nana' half out of your mouth! You almost had it!"