The Final Struggle

At the Defendant's Bench, Xu De looked straight at the judge on the Judges' Bench.

He was refuting the charges...

He had to refute them!

Why?

After all, in theory, he only needed to offer an "explanation" for the charges. Why insist on fighting the prosecutor tooth and nail until the charges fell apart completely?

Because merely explaining his client's actions could only reduce the sentence!

Once the Procuratorate brought a case, it could accept a reduced sentence under special circumstances. It might even welcome lenient treatment for the defendant, including exemption from punishment after a finding of Excessive Self-Defense.

But... not an acquittal!

Both the Procuratorate and the court found those two words hard to accept!

That was why "Legitimate Self-Defense" had practically become a dormant provision. A court might not see a single such case all year!

Yet Xu De was mounting a Not-Guilty Defense...

The two sides were like opposing magnets. They could not coexist, and there was no room to bargain or compromise. Every statement struck at the other side's bottom line!

"Presiding Judge, the evidence is more than sufficient."

At the Defendant's Bench, Xu De stood with his back straight. He looked around and said:

"The prosecution's charges of 'Intentional Injury' and 'Excessive Self-Defense'..."

"...are unsupported by the objective evidence, the witnesses' testimony, or practical experience."

"Everything the defendant, Wang Qiang, did met the requirements for Legitimate Self-Defense!"

His words rang out.

Only then did the air in the stifling courtroom seem to move again.

Eyes flickered across the room. Breathing grew strained, as though a fire were burning away the oxygen.

The witness had just said... "Wang Qiang might have been struck with a stick."

Taken alone, "might have" meant little to the prosecution. The witness could not even say for certain where the blow had landed.

But combined with everything Xu De had said since the Trial Hearing began...

That changed everything!

At the Judges' Bench...

Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin's eyes shifted. His lips moved for a moment before he raised his gavel.

Bang!

"Order! Order!"

Zhang Bingxin drew a deep breath and called for order twice.

Then he frowned at Xu De and said sternly:

"Defense counsel, do not disrupt the Trial Hearing."

With that, he turned to the prosecution.

"Does the prosecution have any questions for the witness?"

At the Prosecution Bench...

Wang Wei felt exhausted. The air seemed so heavy he could barely breathe, and even lifting a hand felt like an effort.

He fought through the fatigue. He was about to shake his head, but after a moment's thought, he spoke instead:

"Witness."

"Did the defendant behave aggressively at the scene?"

"For example, did he hurl insults, chase anyone, or lose control of his emotions?"

Li Li heard the question.

A doubtful look crossed her face. After thinking it over, she shook her head decisively. "I don't remember."

It had happened a month and a half ago, and a dead body had commanded her attention. Details like that were hard to remember.

Wang Wei asked another question:

"At what point during the incident did the police fire their Warning Shots?"

"While they were fighting," Li Li said.

The police had strict rules for firing Warning Shots. Every bullet had to be accounted for, and they generally would not fire unless a riot broke out.

But there was another side to it.

If the shots were fired to quell a riot, then the scene would generally be under control afterward.

"So after the shots were fired and the police had brought the riot under control, the defendant walked toward the police car?"

Wang Wei came at the question from another angle.

Li Li thought for a moment, then said:

"I don't remember."

Wang Wei fell silent. After a long pause, he turned to the Presiding Judge.

"Your Honor, I have no further questions."

Having said that...

He dropped into his chair and said no more.

It was as he and Hu Guang had said earlier.

An incident unfolded as a sequence of actions. A person's intent could be inferred from what they had done just before.

Li Li had answered this question with "I don't remember."

But on the previous question, she had said that "the defendant, Wang Qiang, might have been unable to break away because he had been struck."

Given that answer, the judge would be inclined to treat her "I don't remember" as a yes.

In other words...

Wang Qiang had taken the initiative to surrender while the scene was still out of control!

Which meant their own reasoning had now been turned against them...

It was as though the other side had used tai chi to turn their force back on them. Their attack had landed like a punch into cotton.

Powerless... they were utterly powerless!

"Very well."

At the Judges' Bench...

Zhang Bingxin nodded and was about to move the proceedings along.

But just then...

"Wait."

"Presiding Judge, the plaintiff has something to say!"

The urgent interruption broke the rhythm of the Trial Hearing.

Everyone turned. Hundreds of eyes fell on Chen Wei, the victim's legal representative seated beside the Prosecution Bench.

Chen Wei was anxious.

No... he was frantic!

He was not a prosecutor, but his interests were tied to the prosecution's. That was why he had challenged Xu De on Criminal Matters during the first hearing—and walked straight into a trap.

At this second hearing, Chen Wei had learned his lesson. He had been careful not to speak rashly.

So careful that he had not said a word since the hearing began.

But... why did it feel as though staying quiet any longer would cost him the case!?

How had the defense attorney forced every piece of evidence into a path leading to acquittal!?

If the defendant was acquitted, Chen Wei's Civil Lawsuit would be a crushing defeat. With public opinion surrounding the case as it was, his career would take a nosedive!

His face tight with anxiety, Chen Wei spoke in a rush:

"Our side has questions for the witness!"

He pressed his request.

Zhang Bingxin nodded.

"Plaintiff's counsel, go ahead."

With that...

Chen Wei took a deep breath. Ignoring the pressuring stares around him, he looked toward Li Li on the Witness Stand. After a moment's thought, he asked in a low voice:

"Witness..."

"After the shots were fired, was anyone at the scene still holding a weapon?"

If someone still had a weapon, the threat had only been paused, not eliminated. And if the threat remained, the scene was not under control.

But if no one did... he could at least knock out the argument for Voluntary Surrender!

Without that show of willingness to surrender, he still had a chance. At the very least, Wang Qiang might be convicted of a lesser offense.

"Yes. I remember that clear as day!" Li Li nodded.

Chen Wei's expression darkened. Unwilling to give up, he asked a pointed question. "Do you remember exactly who?"

Exactly who?

In theory, she was unlikely to know. With everyone's attention drawn to the police firing shots and the dead body, why would she notice who else was holding a weapon?

It was a trap question.

Unfortunately...

She knew the answer all too well!

Li Li openly pointed at herself.

"Me. I still had my hoe in my hands. But I didn't hit the police or Wang Qiang."

Chen Wei: ...

All at once, Chen Wei felt blood rush to his head. His throat tightened, and he could not speak.

Li Li had been an uninvolved bystander at the scene. Even though she had held a weapon, she bore no responsibility and could still testify in court.

But...

"Presiding Judge, what I want to say is this."

"Before the hearing, the witness Li Li gave the prosecution and the plaintiff an entirely different account. Now, in court, she has changed her story and denied her earlier testimony. Her account keeps shifting!"

"We believe the witness's testimony..."

Chen Wei drew a deep breath and looked up at the Judges' Bench. He was no longer questioning the witness. Instead...

He chose to discredit her!

"...is unreliable!"

Not far away...

At the Defendant's Bench...

Xu De sat watching Chen Wei's impassioned speech. After a moment, he broke into a grin.

He had been so focused on fighting the two prosecutors...

He had almost forgotten...

He still had this bastard to deal with!