Chapter 24: What Do You Mean He Was Protecting the Police?

Lawyer: Starting with Legal Revenge Against Infidelity!

As the voice rang out, an invisible aura seemed to emanate from Zhang Bingxin, who sat perfectly upright at the judge''s bench, sweeping across the entire courtroom.

Inside Courtroom One, everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on Zhang Bingxin in the center as they listened quietly.

"In this case, the public prosecution organ, the Greenwood City Intermediate People''s Procuratorate, initiated a public prosecution on October 10, 2002, charging the defendant, Wang Qiang, with the Crime of Intentional Homicide."

"In accordance with relevant regulations, the First Criminal Trial Division of the Greenwood City Intermediate People''s Court is conducting a public trial."

"For this case, Judge Zhang Bingxin shall serve as the presiding judge, and the clerk is..."

"The court is now in session!"

It had begun!

The moment those words echoed, the hearts of the hundreds of people present jolted simultaneously, their pupils contracting.

Down in the gallery, Zhang Xia''s face tensed, and she hurriedly pulled out a pen and paper to note it down.

''The Crime of Intentional Homicide? The prosecutor really charged him with the Crime of Intentional Homicide!''

''This is a felony among felonies...''

''Searching for his daughter for ten years, resisting and accidentally killing the buyer to save her, only for the procuratorate to charge him with intentional homicide... I wouldn''t even dare say such a thing out loud!''

''...''

Whispered conversations broke out in the gallery. People lowered their heads, clicking their tongues in disbelief.

Although the bulletin board outside had announced Wang Qiang''s charges in advance.

Hearing the judge state it himself still sent shockwaves through the crowd!

If this was published in the newspapers... it was hard to imagine how violently public opinion would explode!

At the prosecution bench.

Prosecutor Hu Guang remained completely expressionless. His gaze was sharp, like an emotionless machine.

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

Immediately after, he fixed his eyes on Xu De, a playful look flashing in his gaze.

"Heh, once intentional homicide is broken down and evaluated... it won''t be so easy to evade!"

A single charge could often be established for various reasons.

The Crime of Intentional Homicide was no different. It could even be broken down into several types of ''intent''. No matter how one looked at it, Wang Qiang would fit into one of them!

"I want to see how you argue this!" Chen Wei stared at Xu De across from him, a cold smile appearing on his face.

Meanwhile.

In the center of the courtroom, at the elevated judge''s bench that symbolized justice.

Bang!

The gavel fell, and all noise in the room instantly ceased.

The presiding judge, Zhang Bingxin, directed a gaze that seemed capable of seeing through a person''s soul toward the prosecution bench and slowly spoke.

"The prosecution may now read the indictment."

Hearing this.

At the defense bench.

In the chair surrounded by the railing, Wang Qiang, whose wrists were bound by iron chains, tightened his grip.

Prosecutor Hu Guang took a deep breath.

Holding a document, he slowly stood up and spoke:

"Respected Presiding Judge and Judges."

"The defendant, Wang Qiang, 52 years old, born on April 17, 1950, was arrested on October 2, 2002, on suspicion of the Crime of Intentional Homicide."

"Upon review by this Procuratorate, it has been established that the defendant Wang Qiang''s daughter was illegally controlled, imprisoned, and raped by the victim. Consequently, the defendant became overly emotional and was the first to initiate a conflict with the victim."

"Subsequently, the defendant Wang Qiang actively carried out a violent assault against the victim, Li Erniu, and then used a lethal weapon, resulting in the victim''s death on the spot!"

At this point.

Hu Guang suddenly paused, his brow furrowing as his tone turned grim.

He raised his head slightly, his eyes cutting across the distance to lock directly onto Wang Qiang''s frail figure.

The next moment, his sonorous voice rang out!

"His actions have violated Article 232 of the Criminal Law of Dongguo, constituting the Crime of Intentional Homicide. The facts of the crime are clear, and the evidence is reliable and sufficient!"

"This Procuratorate initiates public prosecution according to law and requests the court to sentence the defendant accordingly!"

His logic was rigorous and complete.

Every word felt like a thousand-pound boulder pressing heavily onto Wang Qiang''s chest, suffocating him. He clenched his chained hands tighter and tighter.

At the judge''s bench.

Zhang Bingxin nodded.

The human trafficking case and the homicide were inextricably linked, but during the trial, it could not completely absolve Wang Qiang of guilt. At most, it could only mitigate his sentence slightly.

"Will the ''victim''s litigation agent'' please present your opinion on this case."

Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin directed his stern gaze to the side of the prosecution bench, landing on Lawyer Chen Wei.

Hearing this, the dense crowd of hundreds turned their heads in unison to look over.

Chen Wei took a deep breath.

He stood up, scanned the massive Courtroom One, and then cast a glance at Xu De, a sinister smile creeping onto his face.

The next moment.

"Respected Presiding Judge, Judges, and members of the jury."

"I am the litigation agent for the victim''s incidental civil lawsuit, Lawyer Chen Wei. Based on today''s trial proceedings, I will now present the following opinion regarding the civil compensation portion of this case."

"The defendant Wang Qiang''s act of intentional homicide was the direct and sole cause of the victim''s death. According to the law, he must bear full civil liability for compensation!"

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

"Presiding Judge, this is the complete documentation regarding our victim''s family circumstances."

As he spoke.

He held up a stack of documents and handed them to the clerk beside him.

"According to the clear stipulations of the Civil Code of Dongguo, the defendant should pay a death compensation fee of 49,700 yuan!"

"He must also pay for maintenance fees." "The victim''s parents—his father Li Youcai, 61, and his mother Liu Cui, 61—are rural residents with no pension, no source of income, and no ability to work."

"The victim had no siblings."

"According to regulations, the maintenance compensation should be 64,600 yuan!"

"As well as bearing the victim''s funeral expenses of 4,043 yuan, and a total of 1,762 yuan for transportation, lodging, and medical expenses..."

"Furthermore, the elderly couple has no other children. Losing their support in their twilight years has caused immense mental anguish. We demand an additional 100,000 yuan in emotional damages, bringing the total to..."

At this point.

Chen Wei suddenly paused. A second later, he spat out a number that shocked everyone present.

"218,343 yuan!"

Nearly 220,000 yuan!?

Demanding 220,000 yuan in compensation for a death? Was that a lot? It might not sound like much.

But this was the year 2002!

In this era, a rural migrant worker''s monthly income was less than 800 yuan, and even 800 was a wage only highly skilled laborers could earn!

For a migrant worker, how long would they have to go without eating or drinking to save up 220,000 yuan?

272 months.

A full 22, nearly 23 years!!!

"220,000 yuan!? Is the family insane? Even if a normal person died, they wouldn''t get that much compensation. A human trafficker died and they still dare to ask for 220,000 yuan?!"

In the gallery.

At this moment, even the reporters who were used to major scenes could not help but look bewildered.

The gallery, which had been quiet out of respect for the court session, could not help but break into a wave of commotion and whispering, even with the national emblem hanging high above.

"220,000 yuan? Why doesn''t he just go rob a bank!"

"Shameless... shameless! Absolutely shameless, they''re bandits!"

"Where do they get the nerve to ask for that!?"

"This blatant shyster, that extra compensation was definitely his idea to demand for Li Youcai and Liu Cui. What a bastard, an animal..."

"..."

Reporter Zhang Xia stopped her pen. She could not help but look up, her face tight with displeasure as she stared at the calm and collected Chen Wei.

It was obvious.

He must have had a bad interaction with the defense lawyer, so he deliberately demanded 220,000 yuan in court just to vent his frustration!

But...

This money would have to be borne by Wang Qiang and Xu Hong!

Zhang Xia gritted her teeth. She looked at the scrawny Wang Qiang sitting in the chair—barely 1.6 meters tall, so thin he couldn''t even fill out his prison uniform—her emotions in utter turmoil.

"Bastard!"

She couldn''t help but curse in a low voice.

In contrast to the commotion in the gallery.

The order of the court did not waver, though it did cause the expressions of a few key figures to shift slightly.

Sitting in their chairs, Li Youcai and Liu Cui breathed heavily upon hearing the amount. Their eyes shone brightly, revealing an impatient, unbridled greed. They were extremely excited.

Prosecutor Hu Guang frowned slightly, casting a sidelong glance at Chen Wei, but he said nothing.

Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin frowned tightly. After a moment, he spoke:

"Are the victim''s parents present?"

As his voice fell.

Li Youcai and Liu Cui''s eyes lit up. The excitement instantly vanished from their faces as they hastily answered, "We''re here, we''re here!"

As if realizing their tone was inappropriate.

The two of them instantly swapped expressions. Liu Cui lowered her head and choked up, even letting out a sob from time to time.

Seeing this.

Zhang Bingxin''s heart remained completely unmoved. He pondered for a long moment before asking:

"Plaintiffs, does what the victim''s litigation agent stated align with the facts?"

Li Youcai choked out a sob, wiping his tears as he sat in his chair:

"Yes, what Lawyer Chen said is the truth."

"I was nearly forty when I finally had this son. We farmed the land and went through so much hardship to raise him. We were just watching him marry a wife and have a child, waiting for him to care for us in our old age..."

"But then this had to happen!"

As he spoke.

Liu Cui suddenly cut in from the side:

"Our family fed and housed that ungrateful wretch for ten years, and this is how she repays us... Ten whole years!"

"Eating our food, drinking our water, costing us so much money over those ten years! Even if she doesn''t repay our kindness, she actually ganged up with an outsider to murder my son... There''s no justice, no justice at all! You have to decide things for us, Your Honor!"

With that, she broke into a wailing sob, tears streaming down her face.

Her wails echoed through the entire courtroom.

However, the crowd present gradually felt a stifling sensation in their chests. After a long while, their brows furrowed deeper and deeper.

A moment later, they felt a wave of helplessness and sighed.

If Wang Qiang had killed the actual human trafficker, there would be room to maneuver, and Li Youcai and Liu Cui''s wailing wouldn''t be of any use.

But the victim ultimately was not the ''human trafficker'', and he would not be defined as such in court!

By law, it was a misdemeanor!!!

Though it was hard to believe, the victim Li Erniu had merely committed a misdemeanor, whereas Wang Qiang had murdered someone who had only committed a misdemeanor.

As such, because he was killed over a misdemeanor, his family could naturally demand compensation—and a massive one at that!

But...

"Two hundred and twenty thousand..."

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

A long while later.

"Huu."

Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin took a deep breath. With heavy brows, he finally focused his gaze on the defense side, specifically...

The defense bench!

At the expansive defense bench, a young man in a neat suit sat with his back perfectly straight.

"Defense, in response to the statements made by the prosecution, the victim''s litigation agent, and the plaintiffs..."

Zhang Bingxin looked down from the high bench at Xu De and asked:

"Do you have any objections?"

The moment those words fell.

The previously restless courtroom fell completely still. Hundreds of people turned their heads simultaneously, gathering their gazes on Xu De, the sole figure at the defense bench.

Quiet.

Incredibly quiet.

Xu De slowly stood up. He glanced around, his face completely devoid of agitation.

"Respected Presiding Judge and jurors, regarding what the opposing parties have stated..."

"The claims advocated by the prosecution are not corroborated by any evidence and cannot stand! The content described does not conform to the facts of this case! The court should not adopt it! It is completely unworthy of belief!"

"The victim''s litigation agent has engaged in exaggeration and subjective speculation, which completely contradicts objective reality!"

"The statements from both sides lack evidentiary support and are purely subjective assumptions! They do not align with the facts and should not be accepted!"

"And the truth is..."

Xu De paused slightly.

Immediately after, his clear voice rang out.

"My client, the defendant Wang Qiang, never actively intended to kill anyone from start to finish."

"The so-called homicide was merely an act of acting bravely for a just cause. Forced by the situation on the scene, it was an unavoidable action taken solely to protect the seven police officers present from harm!"

The judge''s bench: ?

The gallery: ?

At the prosecution bench, Prosecutor Hu Guang, who had been deep in thought, suddenly froze. He raised his head, staring blankly at Xu De on the defense bench.

What... what the hell?