Chapter 79 - 69: Court Opens: Listing the Charges

As long as you stood by the door and it was quiet enough... you might not hear every single word, but you could at least catch the gist of the trial.

And at that very moment...

In front of the main entrance to the Second Tribunal of the Lusen City Intermediate People’s Court, a dense crowd had gathered. Cameras were trained on the door, and reporters stood by with microphones in hand.

"How much longer until the trial starts?"

"It’s starting soon... I heard the prosecutor is Huang Shi this time. I wonder how he’ll do..."

"Huang Shi? Prosecutor Huang is a ’scholarly general.’ He’s unbeatable in a battle of pure logic—even Hu Guang couldn’t best him—as long as he has enough evidence and no legal constraints. But... the laws on minors will have him completely tied up."

"..."

The crowd chatted idly amongst themselves as they waited by the door, until...

Suddenly, someone shouted.

"The prosecution’s here!"

The crowd immediately fell silent, their attention snapping as they all turned to look.

And there they were.

Six people in black suits with bright red ties, their backs ramrod straight, were walking toward the courthouse without a single glance to the side. They exuded an incredibly powerful presence as they moved.

The crowd quickly parted to make way.

The six passed through the crowd and entered the courtroom without giving anyone so much as a glance.

But the reporters felt a stir of excitement.

After the group had vanished inside, they started talking all at once:

"That was definitely Huang Shi. And Zhang Qing from the Li Family Village case, and Prosecutor Wang."

"Did I just see another familiar face?"

"I saw him too... Xu De!?"

In a daze, the reporters exchanged glances, a sudden hesitation falling over them.

Some of them remembered Xu De’s face. The man who had just walked by had the exact same features they recalled, but...

"Is he... acting as the victim’s legal representative?"

"Looks like it. Probably to secure compensation in the civil suit."

At that, everyone recalled his performance in the Li Family Village case, which had defied all expectations. A flicker of excitement rose in their hearts, and they were about to speak.

But the next moment...

The words died on their lips. It was as if they had a fishbone stuck in their throats; they wanted to say more but couldn’t, and a silence fell over them instead.

Sometimes, that’s just how cases were.

Even if you were a top-tier lawyer, the kind who could argue a murderer into an acquittal.

Once you ran up against an extreme case or an unshakeable law... there was nothing you could do!

And the laws concerning minors...

It was considered extreme even among extreme laws. It was impossible to overturn. Even if the eight Red Circle firms joined forces and assembled a dream team of a hundred of their top lawyers, there wouldn’t be the slightest chance of winning a case based on that law.

Standing at the courthouse entrance, the crowd let out a deep sigh.

"Sigh..."

...

...

「Inside the courtroom.」

CLICK, CLACK, CLICK, CLACK...

The moment Xu De stepped inside, he was met with an atmosphere as cool and crisp as mint. He paused, his eyes sweeping across the Second Tribunal.

The layout of the Second Tribunal was much like the First, but with fewer people present, it felt somewhat desolate.

But the dim lighting made the national flags and the national emblem on the judge’s bench seem all the more grim and austere.

Xu De glanced at the prosecution’s table without a word and started walking. His footsteps echoed clearly on the wooden floor.

CLICK, CLACK, CLICK, CLACK...

A moment later...

CREAK~

The six of them took their seats at the prosecution’s table.

He Miao had also arrived, but she was seated in the plaintiff’s section, not far from the prosecution. She didn’t intend to speak; she just sat there in silence.

Before long...

CREAK~!

The main doors to the courtroom swung open again.

Everyone looked up.

They saw the defendant’s party walking toward the trial area.

There were nine of them in total: seven lawyers and the two defendants’ parents. They all took their seats at the defense table.

Seeing this, Wang Chao clenched his fists and muttered, "Seven lawyers... No wonder Liu Jingqi was bold enough to say those things..."

’Two gold-medal lawyers and five senior attorneys, all arguing a defense based on juvenile law...’

’It’d be hard to lose even if they tried!’

Xu De, however, wasn’t focused on the lawyers. His gaze shifted to the two middle-aged people.

The pair looked to be in their fifties. The man was rather obese, with a beer belly and a face full of coarse, fleshy features. He seemed to look down his nose at everyone, his eyes radiating a hostile energy.

The woman wore heavy, gaudy makeup. Her build was stout, and she had a greasy appearance.

Noticing his thoughtful expression, Huang Shi leaned over slightly and said in a low voice:

"Those two are the parents of one of the defendants, Liu Jingqi. The man’s name is Liu Hao, and the woman is Cai Fei. They’re both fifty-three."

’Fifty-three-year-old parents, a sixteen-year-old daughter...’

Xu De narrowed his eyes, thoughtfully filing that piece of information away before shifting his gaze back to the defense attorneys.

Coincidentally, the opposing counsel was sizing him up as well.

A tacit understanding seemed to exist between them. Seated at their respective tables nearly ten meters apart, they said nothing, silently organizing their files.

Until...

"All rise!"

The clerk’s sudden shout echoed in everyone’s ears.

Both sides rose to their feet without hesitation.

The next second...

GROAN~!

The heavy courtroom doors were pushed open, and three figures in judicial robes appeared before the crowd. Their expressions were grave, their gazes sharp and discerning.

’An old acquaintance.’

From the prosecution’s table, Xu De, now standing, watched Judge Zhang Bingxin and raised an eyebrow.

That’s right. Of the three imposing judges, one was none other than the presiding judge from the Li Family Village case: Zhang Bingxin!

And for this case, considering its importance and the difficulty of the trial, the court had decided he would once again serve as the presiding judge.

The other two were named Lu Guowei and Zhao Xing.

The three took their seats, their expressions composed.

Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over each person in the room. It paused for a fraction of a second when it landed on a certain someone, but he didn’t linger for long.