Chapter 239 - 139: On-Stage Judging, a Criminal Homicide

"When the police want to investigate, they often only have a single phone number to go on..."

"Some scams are even run from overseas. Once the money is transferred out of the account, it’s laundered abroad within ten minutes."

"..."

Huang Shi muttered under his breath. He had clearly handled many such cases.

Xu De nodded.

Ten years ago was the era of the brick phone.

Back then, when monthly salaries were just a few hundred yuan, a brick phone could cost over ten thousand. It was a status symbol. Few people had them, and even fewer had computers, so telecom fraud hadn’t yet emerged.

But as cell phones became common and reached the masses, the era of bulky CRT monitors began.

And with them, telecom fraud appeared.

This included things like online chats, using social media to lure in men and women, or simply using the phone to run scams directly.

In later years, an even wider variety of scams would appear.

They wouldn’t even need people, just AI. An AI would dial your number, detect keywords in your speech to trigger responses, and use common scripts like, "I’ve finally reached you. Your medical insurance policy for this year has been approved..."

The list went on and on, making it impossible to guard against everything.

"In this case,"

"the criminal organization used the internet to defraud multiple people of over 1.8 million yuan through pension investment schemes and offers of free physical therapy."

"The police, procuratorate, and courts worked together to recover all stolen funds and mitigate losses. A criminal-incidental-to-civil public interest lawsuit was filed, and those involved were severely punished."

On the stage, the presenter began his report.

He explained how the money was swindled, then detailed the capture of the suspects, and concluded with the court’s sentence.

Below the stage, a first-rank police commissioner from the provincial police department looked up toward the stage.

"First off, the case was handled beautifully. The fund recovery and rights protection were very well done, and the verdict was satisfactory."

"But why did the early warning and prevention systems completely fail before the case broke, allowing the group to operate for three years before being caught? For a case being presented as a model, was the so-called joint task force mechanism nothing more than window dressing for an after-the-fact cleanup?"

The time frame was incredibly long.

If one of the victims hadn’t reported it, the police wouldn’t have even known the case existed. It was clear that the preventative warning systems had not kept up with the new scamming methods born from technological evolution.

The police officer on stage took a deep breath and began to explain in a solemn voice.

"This supervised case was not merely a matter of post-incident handling."

"To completely eradicate the occurrence of telecom fraud,"

"we have begun to establish a proactive warning mechanism led by the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, while also strengthening public awareness through anti-fraud campaigns..."

As he finished speaking, at the very back of the conference room, Xu De’s brow twitched slightly before settling.

’Well, I’ll be. The anti-fraud app is about to make its debut... As the timeline progresses, the moment smartphones become widespread, they’ll definitely do this.’

’And based on what he said, they’ll also conduct grassroots visits and investigations to educate the public about fraud...’

"Which law firm handled this case?"

Lin Yue turned to the side and whispered to Xu De.

"The local authorities handled it. It had nothing to do with lawyers," Huang Shi interjected, answering first.

’It seems Lusen City isn’t the only place with capable people,’ Xu De thought.

Meanwhile, the few figures at the front of the room seemed quite satisfied with the officer’s answer.

If nothing unexpected happened, this model case would be selected as a classic example, guiding the Qingwu Province judicial system to replicate its methods.

However...

...

TAP, TAP, TAP...

The moment the police officer on stage stepped down from the podium, the entire conference room suddenly fell into an unprecedented silence.

Everyone held their breath. It was so quiet you could hear a heartbeat, and uncertain expressions flickered across their faces.

Even the host on the podium hesitated, looking down at his script while occasionally glancing at the leaders below.

This year’s selection conference was a bit special.

What made it special?

It was special because... there was one case of immense importance!

On the stage, the host took a deep breath and spoke in a solemn tone, reading from his script.

"Next, please welcome the final case for consideration at this trial conference..."

"The review of Contending Case Number 60!"

"This is a homicide case. As soon as it emerged, it immediately sparked widespread public debate, stirred strong emotions among the populace, and involved complex circumstances..."

A homicide case!

The moment those two words were spoken, in an instant, everyone in the conference room snapped to attention, their eyes glued to the stage. No one dared to speak.

You wouldn’t see a criminal case presented at one of these selection conferences for five or six years at a time.

But...

this time, they were seeing one.

And it was one where the defendant had been acquitted on grounds of ’justifiable self-defense,’ entering the selection with a not-guilty verdict!!!

In fact, aside from their own cases, this was the case they had all been waiting for!

Even Du Wei, at the front table, nodded his head and waited quietly.

The host announced:

"Will the team from Lusen City that handled the case please come to the stage for the review!"

Lusen City!

The moment the name was spoken, all eyes immediately turned toward the Lusen City delegation’s seats.

Feeling the weight of everyone’s gaze, Zhang Bingxin felt a surge of pressure, but he still rose from his seat and walked toward the stage.

TAP, TAP, TAP...

He wore his judge’s robes, the black garments lending him a solemn air.

In just a few steps, he was at the podium. He looked up and saw the faces of four bureau directors, several deputy directors, and even Du Wei looking back at him.

Zhang Bingxin’s breath caught in his throat. The pressure was palpable.

Fortunately, he wasn’t completely unprepared.

The court had already prepared a defense script, and even Xu De had shown him a personal draft he had quickly written for the Li Family Village case.

’No need to worry!’

"Respected leaders, esteemed judges, comrades, hello. Today, on behalf of Lusen City and the case-handling team for the ’Li Family Village Case,’ I will be delivering our report..."

"I will cover the cause of the case, the handling process..."

"I invite all leaders and judges to offer their critiques and corrections."

"First, the cause of the case..."

Zhang Bingxin paused, then began:

"The case originated from a human trafficking incident that spanned a decade."

"The party in this case, Wang Mei, was abducted by human traffickers ten years ago and taken from over a thousand kilometers away to Li Family Village in Lusen City, Qingwu Province."

"Subsequently, Lusen City busted an inter-provincial human trafficking ring, and upon investigation..."

A human trafficking case...

The topic of human trafficking had always been a hot-button issue.

There were two main reasons for this.

First, the psychological trauma inflicted on the victims was second only to that of murder.

Second, the sentencing of the traffickers themselves!

Most people believed the sentences for human traffickers were too lenient. Some could even have their sentences reduced if they behaved well or provided information on other abducted individuals.

Of course, in this particular case from Lusen City, the real controversy wasn’t about the trafficking.

It was about...

The verdict!

"Ultimately,"

"the Lusen City Intermediate People’s Court announced the verdict for the first trial. The ruling was as follows:"

"The defendant, Wang Qiang, whose actions at the time of the incident were consistent with Article 20 of the Criminal Law, is determined to have acted in ’justifiable self-defense.’ He is therefore declared not criminally responsible and found not guilty!"

On the stage, Zhang Bingxin solemnly finished explaining the full story of the case.

Upon hearing this, the audience below erupted into discussion.

"Not guilty... Justifiable self-defense after a killing. Lusen City actually dared to make that ruling!"

"Hiss~ So aggressive. Normally, they’d be found guilty, but considering all the factors, the verdict would be a suspended sentence followed by immediate release from court."

"If this case gets selected... the pressure on the province will be immense..."

"..."

In the audience, in the experts’ section, listening to the murmurs around him, the president of the Provincial Bar Association, Feng Ji, was also lost in thought.

This case was huge. If selected, its impact could potentially exceed the combined significance of the other nine nominated criminal cases. It could completely change the judicial direction for homicide cases in an entire province!

In a daze, Feng Ji began to hesitate.

’He had wanted to take this case for himself and make Xu De work for him. But looking at it now, the case was far too significant. If he rashly tried to claim it... he might get burned by the backlash from Xu De’s newfound fame!’

Feng Ji wavered, an uncertain look on his face.

The others didn’t have such complicated thoughts.

At the front, the official from the Public Security Department paused for a moment, his brow furrowing. He asked in a deep voice:

"Excuse me..."