Chapter 223 - 132: Review! Onstage Execution

"It was done ages ago. The prosecutor’s office finished the report yesterday."

Huang Shi pulled a document from his bag and waved it casually.

"The court’s version should be ready too."

At these words, Xu De blinked and stepped forward with a bashful look. "Prosecutor Huang, look, we’re all teammates, working together for the good of Lusen City. So, about that..."

He didn’t have the documents yet. His firm’s resources were too limited for him to prepare multiple defense strategies.

"Heh."

Huang Shi shot a look at the man who had blindsided him several times before, rolled his eyes, and clearly couldn’t be bothered to engage.

Xu De turned his head and gave Lin Yue a look.

Lin Yue caught his meaning instantly and began to play the victim.

"Prosecutor Huang, I don’t want to be worked to death by my heartless scumbag of a boss! I’m still so young! What if I die from overwork..."

Huang Shi was speechless.

"Fine, fine, fine, fine, take it!"

Unable to stand it, Huang Shi quickly tossed a copy to them. He had obviously prepared one for them in advance.

Lin Yue then turned her gaze toward the people from the court.

Zhao Xing and Sun Dong surrendered on the spot, hastily handing over their documents.

With both defense outlines in hand, Xu De and Lin Yue were finally satisfied. They accepted them without ceremony and lowered their heads to read in silence.

But as Xu De’s eyes fell upon the file...

For a moment...

His brow furrowed.

...

...

「January 18th.」

「7:00 PM.」

Xu De arrived in Wutong City.

Wutong City was far more prosperous than Lusen City. Since the review had yet to begin, Huang Shi and Zhang Bingxin told the two youngsters to get some rest first.

The pair didn’t stay at the designated guesthouse. Instead, they checked into a hotel and booked two separate rooms.

Then they headed out to get a feel for the local legal scene.

As for the local law firms and the bar association...

Especially Lanhua Law Firm.

The more the two learned, the more alarmed they grew!

Their opponent...

Was simply too big!

...

「January 19th.」

The day before the review of the 18th Middle School case.

The representatives from the three parties gathered once more to run simulations of the case presentation, posing questions and practicing their defense.

The results were less than ideal.

Some issues were so sensitive that, even when phrased with extreme caution, they were nearly impossible to speak of.

A heavy mood settled over the group.

Though they had considered the possibility of failure from the start, facing it head-on was still hard to accept.

But on the bright side, at least they’d made it this far. They were better off than the teams that hadn’t even been shortlisted.

This was how the group tried to console themselves.

Until...

...

...

「January 20th.」

The day of the selection!

Wutong City, the capital of Qingwu Province.

The Provincial Administration Building!

CLACK... CLACK... CLACK...

The crisp, clear sound of leather shoes echoed through the halls.

Inside the magnificent, sprawling building—a masterpiece of Dongguo aesthetics—the group walked slowly, heading deeper within.

"Whoa, so this is the Qingwu Provincial Administration Building?"

Inside the main building,

Lin Yue, following behind Xu De and the others, gasped. She stared at the impossibly grand architecture all around them and whispered, "If the municipal building in Lusen City is considered luxurious, this place makes ours look like it belongs in some backwater town!"

"Qingwu Province is one of Dongguo’s most critical core provinces. A political asset like the administration building is naturally going to be treated with utmost importance."

Huang Shi explained as he led the way, gesturing to the various uniformed staff members around them.

He was a division-level director. Back in Lusen City, that was a rare rank, placing him in the leadership echelon.

But here...

’Here...’ Huang Shi thought, glancing at the people passing by.

’Their epaulets, their uniforms... They’re the same rank as me.’

’Here, a division-level director is just another face in the crowd!’

A sense of reverence washed over Huang Shi.

"We’ll be there in a moment," Zhang Bingxin said, comforting the group. "Our main goal this time is to learn. If we don’t succeed... it’s no big deal. The important thing is to stay composed."

He then led them into the stream of people, quietly making their way toward the elevators.

「A short while later.」

After a few turns, a heavy, dark rosewood door appeared before their eyes.

Two police officers stood guard. After checking the group’s identification, they slowly pushed the doors open.

GROAN...

A low sound echoed.

The next second...

An impossibly vast, tiered lecture hall unfolded before them.

The room was packed with people.

A quick scan of the front row revealed police officials, judges, prosecutors, and even members of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission.

Seated behind them were academic experts, professors, and retired senior officials.

To the left and right were clearly colleagues from other municipalities, none of them low-ranking... the absolute lowest was division-level!

The group quickly found their seats.

After taking their seats, the group looked up and surveyed the room.

"Damn, I think I see the Executive Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Provincial Procuratorate!" Huang Shi whispered, his expression changing in an instant after a quick scan of the front row.

Hearing this, the corner of Xu De’s eye twitched.

’Deputy Chief Prosecutor?’

’My God, that’s a department-level official...’

’In *In the Name of the People*, the show’s main antagonist, Qi Tongwei, was only at that level...’

"There’s more," Zhang Bingxin said, his voice low and heavy as a sudden wave of pressure washed over him.

"The Vice President of the Provincial High Court is here too..."

"And that police official... a First-Rank Police Supervisor. That must be the Executive Deputy Director of the Provincial Police Department..."

As they identified the VIPs in the front row, a chill ran down their spines.

Even their breathing felt heavy.

’Good God.’

’These are people you’d never even see on television, and they’re all gathered in one room...’

’And the most critical part is...’

’Who knows if there are even higher-ranking officials here!’

The members of their group fell completely silent.

The teams from the other cities were just as quiet, at most murmuring a few words in hushed tones, making no other sound.