Chapter 132 - 89: The Trial Begins

Compared to half a month ago, he looked as if he had aged several years, the wrinkles on his face more pronounced. He sighed.

"It’ll most likely be the usual 15-year sentence."

"Actual time served... eight years?"

Eight years at most, maybe even seven and a half—just half the total sentence before getting out.

In eight years, the defendant would only be 24. With a juvenile criminal record sealed and kept confidential, it wouldn’t affect their future life at all.

’At least... it’s not like we’re just handing down random sentences.’

Lu Guowei stood up and offered a word of comfort, then turned to the silent Zhang Bingxin at his side.

He spoke.

"Let’s go."

"The hearing starts in a few hours. We just got word from the others that the prosecutor and the victim’s representative have arrived."

"We should go get ready, too."

At his words, the expressionless Zhang Bingxin was silent for a moment before taking a deep breath and standing up.

In his mind, this case had already been "sentenced in advance."

Was it against the rules?

After all, the case was already decided before the trial had even finished. It was an example of the unwritten rule: ’You can argue all you want; I’ll rule how I want.’

But if one thought about it carefully, it was actually quite normal.

During deliberations in the collegial panel’s conference room, all the evidence in a criminal case is picked apart and matched against the statutes, one by one.

If the facts of the case had been thoroughly analyzed, then the corresponding sentence would naturally emerge.

In that situation, if no ironclad evidence could be produced, then mere verbal arguments... certainly couldn’t stop that outcome from being handed down.

As for the current 18th Middle School case...

The prosecution hadn’t submitted any new evidence, and neither had the victim’s litigation representative.

’Since that’s the case...’

"Let’s go."

Zhang Bingxin stood up, glanced down at his watch, and then walked out with a blank expression.

Lu Guowei and Zhao Xing’s hearts tightened. With grim expressions, they rose and followed him toward the waiting room.

"Notify both parties."

"Prepare to open the court session!"

...

「Meanwhile...」

In the prosecutor’s waiting room.

Several figures were resting on a sofa. A closer look revealed them to be Xu De, Huang Shi, and their respective teams.

The waiting room was silent. No one spoke.

However, Huang Shi kept shooting sidelong glances at Xu De beside him, his eyes scanning the man from the tips of his hair down to his cuffs, then back up again.

Sensing something, Xu De looked up.

Huang Shi averted his gaze and tilted his head back to take a drink of water.

Xu De looked back down at the report in his hands.

Huang Shi glanced over again, his eyes resuming their inspection.

The atmosphere was strange and silent. Everyone was engrossed in their own calculations. The surrounding bailiffs had never seen a scene like this and had no idea what everyone was thinking.

Until a voice suddenly rang out, startling the occupants of the silent waiting room.

"The prosecutor and the victim’s litigation representative."

"Please proceed to the waiting area for Courtroom Two!"

Everyone paused, then glanced at the bailiff who had spoken before getting up and heading out on their own.

However, whether intentionally or not, the three from the prosecution team all slowed their pace, maintaining a certain distance from Xu De’s group of three. They stayed behind, their eyes constantly probing the briefcase in his hand, his pockets, and elsewhere.

Fortunately, Xu De already knew the location of Courtroom Two and could find it without them leading the way.

TAP... TAP...

He rounded a few corners and came face-to-face with a crowd of people in suits and ties gathered before a door.

A plaque on the door read ’Courtroom Two’, and the people packed in front of it...

Were, of course, reporters from all the major newspapers and news stations in Lusen City!

Hearing footsteps, the crowd turned to look, then fell silent, quickly clearing a path down the middle.

Xu De didn’t stand on ceremony and walked straight through the center of the parted crowd.

The bailiff guarding the door briefly verified his identity, then reached out and pulled the door open.

CREAK!

A grating sound echoed as the cold, empty Courtroom Two was gradually revealed through the widening gap.

Xu De didn’t hesitate.

He lifted his foot, stepped into the courtroom, and the others followed behind him.

SLAM!

The door closed. The heavy wooden door completely cut off the courtroom from the outside world.

...

...

「Inside Courtroom Two.」

Within the cold trial area, as the prosecutor and Xu De ducked their heads to sit, people were also taking their seats at the defendant’s table.

Xu De paused, raised an eyebrow, and glanced over.

He then saw that the defendant’s table was filled with lawyers.

The faces of Zhang Wei and Sun Bing came into view.

There were more of them than last time, and a few faces had been replaced. If he wasn’t mistaken... it had to be the entire elite team from Zhenghe Law Firm.

Noticing Xu De’s gaze, they didn’t react, instead looking down to silently organize their documents.

It was obvious they had prepared a solid strategy built around the core strengths of their case.

’They’re professional enough. If anyone else were sitting there...’

’...they’d probably be helpless against this kind of defensive tactic.’

Xu De commented silently to himself.

In the world of soccer, there’s a tactic called "parking the bus," and the legal world naturally has its own version.

Take the previous Wang Mei case for example. Xu De’s "not guilty" plea had a high chance of being rejected, but a more conservative "excessive self-defense" claim would have been extremely easy and simple to argue.

The former is aggressive, the latter conservative. The challenges these two strategies pose to an opponent are naturally different.

An aggressive approach relies purely on individual skill; one false move, and all is lost.

A conservative one means turtling up. While it may look pathetic, that "tortoise shell" is incredibly sturdy—so tough you couldn’t smash it with a hammer!

The room fell silent.

Dozens of people sat in their respective seats, outwardly calm but secretly scheming against one another.

Just then...

"All rise."

The court clerk suddenly leaned into the microphone and spoke, her clear voice echoing throughout the courtroom.

Everyone paused, then instinctively stood up.

Immediately after,

CREAK~

The main door to the courtroom opened.

Three imposing figures in judges’ robes slowly walked in from outside. They crossed the threshold, ascended the steps, and stood on the highest bench in the trial area.

CLACK.

Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin scanned the room, looking down at everyone below, then sat in the seat that symbolized the supreme authority of the trial—the chief judge’s chair.

"Is anyone not ready?"

Zhang Bingxin spoke, his tone even colder than usual. Even this routine question was tinged with an extra bit of chill.

"The defense is ready," Zhang Wei was the first to respond.

As for the other side...

There was no sound for a long moment.

At the victim’s litigation representative’s table, Xu De had been waiting for Huang Shi to see if he was ready, but after getting no response for a while, he turned to look.

He met Huang Shi’s stare.

Clearly, the man was waiting for him to speak first, rather than rashly speaking up and risking the implication of ’I’ll be ready when the prosecutor is ready.’

It was a sentiment that probably no one else in all of Dongguo could comprehend.

Perhaps no prosecutor had ever even considered it!

But Huang Shi clearly didn’t want to take that risk. He just stared silently at Xu De.

"On behalf of the plaintiff..."

Unable to stand the staring any longer, Xu De turned to face the judge.

Although the judge hadn’t expressed his own opinion, normally, when a judge asks the question, it means the judge is ready. And if the judge was ready, then Xu De, naturally...

"We are ready."

As he spoke, Huang Shi let out a sigh of relief, nodded, and said:

"The prosecution is ready."

Hearing this, on the bench, Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin nodded. He picked up the indictment and began to speak.

"This case was brought before this court by the Lusen City Municipal People’s Procuratorate, which filed for public prosecution on November 21st, 2002."

"In accordance with relevant regulations, the case is being heard by the First Criminal Tribunal of the Lusen City Intermediate People’s Court."

"On December 17th, 2002, the first trial of the first instance was held. Due to evidence submitted by the victim’s representative, the court was adjourned on the grounds that ’the facts remain in dispute and require further verification.’"

"Following the adjournment, the facts have been verified. There are no objections, and the evidence has been admitted."

"Today, December 28th, 2002, the Lusen City Intermediate People’s Court reconvenes this trial in Courtroom Two to continue the examination of this case."

"I now declare..."

As he spoke, Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin paused slightly. He grasped the gavel in his right hand and struck it firmly on the desk.

BANG!

"This court is now in session!"

As those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the trial area, which had been relatively relaxed, instantly grew heavy. Everyone’s heart sank. They held their breath, unconsciously clenching their fists as their expressions turned grave.

Before they had time to react, another voice echoed through the room.

"Bailiff, bring the defendant into the court!"