Endless Debt

Chapter 1162 - 21: Shackled Justice (Part 2)

"Remember your vow, Priest."Having spoken, Gami turned to leave, and York watched his silhouette, calling out loudly, "You did have a heart for repentance, didn’t you?"

At a certain moment, Gami must have felt regret; otherwise, he wouldn’t have arranged for confession. But this remorse failed to triumph over greedy desires.

Gami’s departing figure hesitated for a moment. He turned his head and shook it, "I don’t understand what you are saying, Priest. You know I don’t believe in God."

The words paused for a moment, and Gami continued as if in mockery.

"Justice is always bound hand and foot."

Gami vanished at the end of the alleyway, York stood with his back to the ruins, clenched fists, as the woman’s cries lingered around, refusing to disperse.

Suddenly, York felt very confused. He knew this matter was indeed the doing of Gami, but due to faith and other reasons, he couldn’t point it out. Even the wise Priest found himself bewildered and at a loss.

In the following days, more and more bodies were discovered in the ruins, stripped of their valuables like the ones before. People felt enraged by the desecration of corpses, and the sheriff began an investigation in the decaying town, but no progress was made in the short term.

Gray Stone Town had too many issues to face at this time; the crime of desecrating bodies seemed not important.

York considered confiding in the sheriff, but this involved Gami’s confession. As Gami said, York had no direct evidence to prove Gami’s crime, let alone determine if the confessor was indeed Gami; he could only keep the secret.

Looking at the sorrowful faces, desecrated bodies, pain grew in York’s heart. He knelt before the statue, in great agony.

"What should I do?"

York prayed to the statue, but the cold statue offered no response.

In summary of the teachings, confession is of absolute privacy, involving one’s moral and personal privacy. A priest should not disclose the contents of a confession; it’s a fundamental ethical principle.

York became trapped in a moral and ethical dilemma, feeling pain and confusion due to his faith and moral responsibility. On one hand, he was bound by his teachings, and on the other by the iron rule of law.

"I need him to repent," York murmured, "I want to reform him."

In such a predicament, the only solution York could think of was to warm Gami, letting him realize his mistakes, and go confess to the sheriff.

York believed he could succeed, and he believed some good must remain in Gami’s heart, otherwise, he wouldn’t have sought confession, no matter how much he denied it himself.

"God, please help me."

York prayed sincerely.

...

Beneath the thick night, the lights of Gray Stone Town had long gone out, leaving only solitary streets and the oppressive atmosphere atop the ruins. Cliff-like heights blocked all light, darkness was so profound one couldn’t see their hand in front of their face.

The light rain pattered against the ruins, producing crisp sounds. The atmosphere grew even gloomier, even more desolate.

No plants grew on the ruins; everywhere was devastation. Some abandoned houses collapsed on the ground, emitting a strong smell of decay. Gami bent in the darkness, silently dragging the bodies, burying them back beneath the ruins.

The truth matched the sheriff’s speculations somewhat. Gami found these bodies elsewhere, stripped them of valuables before discarding them back on the ruins.

But the sheriff hadn’t anticipated that the truth was harsher.

"I’m sorry... I’m sorry."

Gami muttered softly as he buried the bodies. The darkness obscured their faces, but Gami remembered them, remembered every face.

As a casino enforcer, during the disaster, he had fortunately escaped from the underground casino, while those wealthy gamblers hadn’t been so lucky. While others were busy rescuing, Gami clandestinely dug into the buried casino. As Gray Stone Town’s shadowy place, few knew its location.

To Gami, that sorrowful ruin was a treasure trove waiting to be harvested.

"Help me, Gami."

Thunder rumbled in the sky, and simultaneously, ghostly voices echoed in Gami’s ear.

Gami’s actions paused for a moment, the corpse beneath him seemed to come alive, grasping Gami’s hand, pleading with him.

The surrounding scene changed, Gami was transported back to that time digging at the casino. Amidst the unearthed soil, he saw the gamblers barely clinging to life, begging for Gami’s kindness. But Gami was mesmerized by the glittering coins beneath them.

For a fleeting moment, Gami indeed thought about saving him.

"You’re all a bunch of society’s dregs... Not to mention, you’re already dead."

In the opponent’s desperate gaze, Gami hypnotized himself while wielding the shovel to smash his skull.

Blinking, the rain brought chilling coldness, awakening Gami’s gradually collapsing mind. He broke free from the memory, before him lay no casino, only a gray wasteland.

Gami hastened his work, disposing of these bodies while unnoticed.

Just as Priest York had speculated, at a certain moment, Gami was indeed overwhelmed by guilt. He sought the Priest for confession. But within that dark confessional, once realizing that confessing would cost him wealth, Gami hesitated.

He had wallowed in the mud too long. Gami yearned for change but didn’t know where to start. Fearfully, he realized this might be his only chance.