Chapter 72 - 63: Taking the Case, an Unusual Situation

To be honest, when it comes to professions like doctors or lawyers, the first thing most people look at is age.

It was no wonder Sun Zhigang felt uneasy. The man in front of him... was just too young!

"Now that everyone’s here, let’s sit down and talk. There’s no rush."

Zhang Hu spoke up from his seat at the tea table.

At his words, Sun Zhigang snapped back to his senses and invited Xu De to sit down.

He looked at the young lawyer, wanting to speak but holding back, then wanting to again. In the end, he couldn’t suppress his feelings any longer and said:

"The defendants are three girls, none of them over eighteen!"

"Are you sure... you can achieve our demands?"

This time, Xu De paused. He thought for a moment, then, instead of answering directly, he asked:

"Do you have information on the defendants? Including, but not limited to, photos and personal identification."

Sun Zhigang glanced at Tang Xiaohu, who was sitting to the side.

Tang Xiaohu quickly took out his briefcase, pulled out a stack of documents, and laid out the photos of three different-looking girls.

Xu De took them, and his brow twitched slightly as he looked at the three photos.

He picked up the photo of the one named Liu Jingqi and stared at it for a long time.

Liu Jingqi was 1.65 meters tall and weighed 60 kilograms. She had an ordinary appearance, but her eyes held a certain... arrogance?

Most importantly... she looked a bit mature for her age...

"How old is she?" Xu De asked with a frown.

Tang Xiaohu said, "Sixteen."

"A high school senior? Are you sure she’s sixteen?" Xu De shot back.

Tang Xiaohu shook his head. Liu Jingqi’s age was indeed questionable.

Of course, Sun Zhigang knew minors under eighteen couldn’t receive the death penalty, but his insistence on that sentence was fueled by this very suspicion about her true age.

"I’ve said the same thing, and you’re not the first person to ask."

Tang Xiaohu shook his head and said,

"But the police went to the hospital, a forensic identification agency was involved in a bone age assessment, and there were multiple investigations by various parties... In the end, the verified information is what you see in front of you."

Coming from the police meant the information had been confirmed multiple times.

But...

"Alright, I understand."

Xu De said, but just like Tang Xiaohu, he didn’t take the information at face value.

’In this world, nothing related to the judiciary is ever absolute. There’s only the question of whether you can find the right angle and the right words to expand upon it!’

’As for this particular case...’

’Xu De would only trust, one hundred percent, what he found out for himself!’

"It’s not too late to make a decision after I understand the basic facts of the case."

"So... Mr. Sun, Mr. Tang, besides this... is there any other information on the case at the moment?"

He looked up at the two men before him.

’As long as he dares to take the case...’

Sun Zhigang breathed a sigh of relief. Compared to all those other timid lawyers... who wouldn’t even dare to try after hearing the defendants were minors... the man in front of him seemed much more capable.

Tang Xiaohu spoke up:

"Right now, the word from the police is this."

"In about half a week, the case will be handed over to the Lusen City People’s Procuratorate for public prosecution. The prosecutor is a man named Huang Shi, thirty-five years old."

"As for the defendants... their families hired a boutique law firm. That’s all I know besides that."

Theoretically, a case like this should have been handled by seasoned veterans like Hu Guang and Wang Wei.

But... even veterans are just veterans, not nuclear-powered donkeys. They had just taken on the Li Family Village case and were still in the process of prosecuting Li Youcai and Liu Cui, so they had absolutely no spare energy.

Thus, the case fell to the slightly less-experienced Huang Shi.

"A second-tier prosecutor, a boutique law firm..."

Xu De fell into thought.

’My teammate is a bit weak, while the opposition is likely a team of Gold Medal Lawyers. Looking at it this way...’

"Are the defendants’ families very wealthy?" Xu De asked, his eyes narrowing as he folded his hands.

Tang Xiaohu sighed and nodded.

"Not exactly rich, but their home was demolished and they received a million yuan in cash compensation. It’s more than enough for this case, though."

"That’s precisely why Liu Jingqi was spoiled into having such a domineering attitude."

Xu De nodded, now having a general understanding of the other party’s financial situation.

’After a moment of thought, he felt this case...’

’Was winnable!’

"This case... I can give it a try."

Xu De said, before his tone suddenly shifted.

"Mr. Sun, I won’t give you a guarantee right now that I can fully achieve your demands. That would be irresponsible of me."

"But what I can guarantee is that I will use all of my abilities to fight this case for my client!"

"If you’re willing, we can sign a contract in ten days."

’Am I willing...’

Sun Zhigang paused, falling silent.

’The other lawyers wouldn’t even investigate the case. They rejected it outright after hearing the basic facts, no room for discussion. But since this man was willing...’

"Deal!"

"I trust you."

Sun Zhigang took a deep breath, his gaze hardening. He said magnanimously,

"After the case is finished, I’ll give you a 300,000 yuan retainer. If you don’t succeed, you’ll still get 150,000 for your trouble!"

"Good. In that case..."

Xu De nodded, a smile spreading across his face.

Then, he paused and suddenly said something that took the others a moment to process...

"Can you take me to see the client now?"

’The client?’

Sun Zhigang froze for a second, then nodded.

...

...

Zhao Li was dead, and so was Yang Jiale.

But Zhao Li had two children, not just Yang Jiale. Of their family of three, only her young son was left alive.

"The boy’s name is Yang Huan. He’s fourteen years old."

"He’s still in middle school. These past couple of days... he hasn’t been in a good state emotionally."

"Don’t worry, he’ll be your client, but I’ll be the one paying. As long as you get it done, you won’t be short-changed!"

"Mr. Sun, you’re overthinking it. I’m not concerned about the money, but about the facts of the case."

"..."

Lusen City, the suburbs.

A black sedan weaved through a residential area.

This was the outskirts of the city, three kilometers from the nearest commercial street. It was mostly filled with self-built, single-story houses, and the overall feel wasn’t much different from a rural village.

「A moment later.」

SCREECH~

The car stopped in front of a somewhat dilapidated, self-built house.

CLICK!

Xu De opened the car door and got out. He looked up at the house before him.

This was the house Zhao Li had rented for 150 yuan a month. The environment wasn’t great, and getting around wasn’t convenient.

Yang Huan wasn’t at school. After the construction site and the police explained the situation to him, he had taken a leave of absence. If he hadn’t gone out, he should be at home.

Xu De walked to the front door and reached out his hand...

KNOCK!

"Anyone..."

He had just knocked and was about to call out when... to his surprise, the faint force of his knock pushed the door open.

At the same time, Xu De’s ears twitched. He caught a sound and narrowed his eyes.

Sun Zhigang, who was behind him, walked up, looking puzzled by his expression.

"What’s wrong?"

"Shh~"

Xu De made a ’hushing’ gesture, signaling for the other man to press his ear close and listen carefully.

Sun Zhigang was suspicious but did as he was told. The next second...

...faint, barely audible voices drifted into his ear.

"Our client expresses her deepest apologies. She’s been tossing and turning these past few days, filled with self-reproach. She is willing to offer compensation..."

"She’s a victim too. She was friends with your sister. She never expected that playing around would lead to your sister’s accidental death."

"As for your mother, she passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack brought on by exhaustion. Mr. Yang, I know you’re an understanding boy, you..."

’This...’

Suddenly, Sun Zhigang’s pupils contracted. Without a second thought, he kicked the metal door wide open.

BANG!

"Who’s in there talking?!"