"Damn it!"
Joel charged forward, pounding heavily on the door before him—but naturally, there was no response.
Behind him, seeing Joel's helpless appearance, the young girls also found themselves momentarily at a loss for words.
"Mr. Duanmu, should we do something?"
"Do what?"
Upon hearing Mary's question, Duanmu Huai turned to look at her. She fell silent for a moment.
"I... I don't know, but... is this really the right thing to do?"
"Of course."
Duanmu Huai nodded slightly.
"Clearly, Ellie knows her fate. She didn't bring it up throughout this journey, which means she has already made her decision. As a Judge, I respect her spirit of sacrifice. Beyond that, there's nothing I need to do."
"But Mr. Joel doesn't seem to agree."
"I can see that."
Watching Joel desperately pounding on the door, Duanmu Huai's expression darkened slightly. He had more or less pieced together what the central issue of this world was.
Joel wasn't willing to let Ellie die.
