What Do You Mean He's Protecting the Police?

As his voice rang out, an invisible force seemed to radiate from Zhang Bingxin, seated at the judges' bench, and sweep through the entire courtroom.

In the First Courtroom, everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on Zhang Bingxin at the center as they listened in silence.

"In this case, the Greenwood City Intermediate People's Procuratorate charged the defendant, Wang Qiang, with Intentional Homicide and filed the indictment with this court on October 10, 2002."

"In accordance with the relevant regulations, the First Criminal Trial Court of the Greenwood City Intermediate People's Court will hear this case in open court."

"I, Judge Zhang Bingxin, will preside over this case, with the court clerk..."

"This court is now in session!"

The trial... had begun!

The instant those four words fell, a shock ran through the hundreds of people present. Their pupils contracted.

In the gallery, Zhang Xia tensed and hurriedly took out pen and paper to write it down.

She was not alone. Everyone else was just as shaken, their emotions churning.

"Intentional Homicide? The prosecutor really is charging him with Intentional Homicide!"

"That's among the gravest of crimes..."

"He searched for his daughter for ten years, fought back to save her, and accidentally killed her buyer. And the Procuratorate charged him with intentional homicide... I wouldn't even dare say that aloud, let alone do it!"

"..."

Whispered conversations spread through the gallery. People lowered their heads, stunned by what they had heard.

The charges against Wang Qiang had been posted on the notice board outside beforehand.

But hearing the judge say them aloud still shocked everyone!

If any of this appeared in the newspapers... no one dared imagine the public outcry!

At the Prosecution Bench.

Prosecutor Hu Guang showed no expression. His gaze was sharp, like an emotionless machine.

The lawyer beside him, Chen Wei, turned and gave Li Youcai and Liu Cui behind him a reassuring look.

Then he turned his gaze to Xu De, amusement glinting in his eyes.

Heh. Once they start breaking down the different forms of intentional homicide... that charge won't be so easy to escape!

A single crime could be established in several ways.

Intentional homicide was no different. It could even be divided into several kinds of "intent." No matter how Wang Qiang tried to explain it, one of them would fit!

Let's see how you argue your way out of this! Chen Wei stared at Xu De across the courtroom, a cold smile on his face.

At that moment.

At the center of the courtroom, at the judges' bench raised high as a symbol of justice.

Bang!

The gavel fell, and every sound in the courtroom stopped.

Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin turned his gaze toward the Prosecution Bench. His eyes seemed able to see into a person's heart. He slowly opened his mouth.

"The prosecution may now read the indictment."

At those words.

At the Defendant's Bench.

Wang Qiang sat in the chair behind the railings. His hands, shackled in iron chains, clenched tight.

Prosecutor Hu Guang also took a deep breath.

Holding a document, he slowly rose and began:

"Your Honor, members of the court."

"The defendant, Wang Qiang, age fifty-two, born April 17, 1950, was arrested on October 2, 2002, on suspicion of Intentional Homicide."

"Our investigation found that the defendant, Wang Qiang, had a daughter who was unlawfully controlled, confined, and raped by the victim. As a result, the defendant became highly agitated and initiated a confrontation with the victim."

"The defendant, Wang Qiang, then initiated violence against the victim, Li Erniu. He later wielded a weapon, causing the victim's death at the scene!"

At this point.

Hu Guang paused. His brows drew together, and his tone turned stern.

He lifted his head slightly and looked straight across the courtroom at Wang Qiang's thin figure.

The next moment, his voice rang out with force!

"His actions violated Article 232 of the Eastern Kingdom Criminal Law and constitute intentional homicide. The facts of the crime are clear, and the evidence is reliable and sufficient!"

"Our office has brought this prosecution in accordance with the law and requests that the court sentence the defendant accordingly!"

His argument was complete and tightly reasoned.

Every word seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, pressing on Wang Qiang's chest until he could barely breathe. His shackled hands clenched tighter and tighter.

At the judges' bench.

Zhang Bingxin nodded.

The trafficking case was inextricably linked to the killing, but it could not completely absolve Wang Qiang during the trial. At most, it could reduce his sentence somewhat.

"Counsel for the victim, please present your position on this case."

Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin turned his stern gaze toward Chen Wei, the lawyer seated beside the Prosecution Bench.

At his words, the hundreds of people present turned to look.

Chen Wei took a deep breath.

He stood and swept his gaze across the vast First Courtroom. Then he glanced at Xu De, a sinister smile spreading across his face.

The next moment.

"Your Honor, members of the court, and members of the jury."

"I am Chen Wei, attorney and litigation representative for the victim in the attached civil action. In light of today's proceedings, I will now present our position on the civil damages in this case."

"The defendant Wang Qiang's intentional killing was the direct and sole cause of the victim's death. By law, he must bear full civil liability!"

Chen Wei suddenly shifted his approach, his voice ringing in everyone's ears.

"Your Honor, these documents contain all the information on the victim's family circumstances."

As he spoke.

He raised the documents and handed them to the court clerk beside him.

"Under the explicit provisions of the Eastern Kingdom Civil Code, the defendant must pay 49,700 yuan in death compensation!"

"He must also pay support for the victim's parents. His father, Li Youcai, and mother, Liu Cui, are both sixty-one. They live in the countryside and have no pensions, no source of income, and no ability to work."

"The victim had no siblings."

"Under the law, he must pay 64,600 yuan in support!"

"He must also cover the victim's funeral expenses of 4,043 yuan, as well as transportation, accommodation, and medical expenses totaling 1,762 yuan..."

"Furthermore, the elderly parents have no other children. Having lost their support in old age, they have suffered immense emotional distress. We seek an additional 100,000 yuan in compensation, bringing the total to..."

At this point.

Chen Wei paused. Then he delivered a figure that stunned everyone in the courtroom.

"218,343 yuan!"

Nearly 220,000!?

Pay 220,000 yuan for a death? Was that a lot? It might not sound like it.

But this was 2002!

In those days, rural migrant workers earned less than 800 yuan a month. Even 800 was a wage reserved for skilled workers!

How long would a migrant worker have to go without food or drink to save 220,000 yuan?

272 months.

A full twenty-two years, almost twenty-three!!!

"Two hundred and twenty thousand!? Has the family lost its mind? Even when an ordinary person dies, the compensation isn't that high. How dare they ask for 220,000 when a human trafficker dies!?"

In the gallery.

Even reporters accustomed to dramatic scenes could not hide their disbelief.

The gallery had fallen quiet when the hearing began, out of respect for the proceedings. But even with the national emblem hanging overhead, people could no longer keep from stirring and whispering.

"Two hundred and twenty thousand? Why doesn't he just rob someone!"

"Shameless... shameless! Utterly shameless! They're thieves!"

"How can they even bring themselves to ask!?"

"That ambulance chaser obviously came up with the extra compensation himself for Li Youcai and Liu Cui. That bastard, that animal..."

"..."

Reporter Zhang Xia stopped writing. She could not help looking up at Chen Wei, who stood there utterly composed, her face dark with anger.

There was no need to guess.

His talks with the defense lawyer must have gone badly, so he had deliberately demanded 220,000 yuan in court just to vent his anger!

But...

Wang Qiang and Xu Hong would be the ones forced to pay!

Zhang Xia gritted her teeth. She glanced at Wang Qiang sitting in the chair, barely five-foot-three and so emaciated that even his prison uniform hung loose. Her emotions churned.

"Bastard!"

She could not stop herself from muttering the curse.

Compared with the commotion in the gallery.

Order in the courtroom itself held, though a few expressions changed.

Seated together, Li Youcai and Liu Cui began breathing faster when they heard the amount. Their eyes gleamed with greed, and they looked eager and excited.

Prosecutor Hu Guang frowned slightly and glanced sideways at Chen Wei, but said nothing.

Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin's brows knitted tight. After a moment, he asked:

"Are the victim's parents present?"

At his words.

Li Youcai and Liu Cui's eyes lit up. Then the excitement vanished from their faces, and they promptly answered, "We're here, we're here!"

They seemed to realize they had shown the wrong emotion.

As soon as they had spoken, both changed their expressions. Liu Cui lowered her head and choked back sobs, even sniffling now and then.

At the sight.

Zhang Bingxin remained unmoved. He thought for a moment, then asked:

"Plaintiffs, is what counsel for the victim just stated consistent with the facts?"

Li Youcai choked up. Sitting in his chair, he wiped away tears as he said:

"Yes. Everything Lawyer Chen said is true."

"I was almost forty before I had this one son. We worked the fields to raise him, and just when he'd married, had a child, and was ready to take care of us in our old age..."

"Then this had to happen!"

As he spoke.

Liu Cui suddenly cut in from beside him:

"We raised that ungrateful girl for ten years, and this is how she repays us... Ten whole years!"

"She ate our food and drank our water. We spent so much money on her all those years. It'd be bad enough if she never repaid us, but she joined up with someone to kill our son... There's no justice, no justice! Your Honor, you have to stand up for us!"

When she finished, she broke into wailing sobs, tears streaming down her face.

Her cries echoed through the entire courtroom.

Yet the people present felt a growing tightness in their chests. As time passed, their frowns deepened.

A moment later, helplessness set in, and they sighed.

If Wang Qiang had killed an actual trafficker, there would still be room to maneuver. Li Youcai and Liu Cui's tears would do them no good.

But ultimately, the other party was not legally a "human trafficker." The court would not define him as one!

Under the law, his offense was a minor crime!!!

It was hard to believe, but the victim, Li Erniu, had committed only a minor crime, while Wang Qiang had killed a man guilty of that minor crime.

Because someone had been killed over a minor crime, his family could naturally demand compensation—and demand a great deal of it!

But...

"Two hundred and twenty thousand..."

Someone muttered the figure. Before long, the courtroom fell silent, save for a few muffled sobs.

After a long moment.

"Hoo."

Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin took a deep breath. His brow furrowed as he finally focused on the defense side—on...

The Defendant's Bench!

At the long row of seats on the Defendant's Bench, a young man in a neat suit sat with his back straight.

"Defense counsel, in response to the statements by the prosecution, counsel for the victim, and the plaintiffs..."

Seated on the dais, Zhang Bingxin looked at Xu De and asked:

"Do you have any objections?"

As the question fell.

The restless courtroom quieted. Hundreds of people turned as one toward the only person at the Defendant's Bench, Xu De.

Silence.

Utter silence.

Xu De slowly rose. He glanced around, his expression perfectly calm.

"Your Honor, members of the jury, as for what the other side has said..."

"The prosecution's claims are unsupported by evidence and cannot stand! Its account does not match the facts of this case! The court should not accept it! It is not credible!"

"Counsel for the victim has exaggerated and made subjective assumptions. His account is not an objective statement of fact!"

"Neither side has evidence to support its claims. Their statements are mere subjective speculation, inconsistent with the facts, and should not be accepted!"

"The truth is..."

Xu De paused.

Suddenly, voices rang out.

"My client, Wang Qiang, never once took the initiative to kill anyone."

"What they're calling murder was an act of courage. Faced with the situation at the scene, he had no choice but to act to protect the seven police officers there from harm!"

The judges' bench: ?

The spectators' gallery: ?

At the Prosecution Bench, prosecutor Hu Guang, who had been deep in thought, froze. He looked up and stared blankly at Xu De at the Defendant's Bench.

Wh... what the hell?