Not guilty...
Verdict: Not guilty!!!
The moment those two words fell, the entire courtroom plunged into a deathly silence.
Everyone froze in a daze.
Dongguo was a populous nation, occupying almost half a continent, with a territory of 9.601 million square kilometers and a population of 1.28 billion. It accounted for a huge proportion of the global population.
A large population meant more conflict.
In one year—365 days—the national police force opened 4.33 million criminal cases.
And among the thousands of courts, 730,000 criminal cases were tried each year. Of those, only...
Five cases where the defendant was confirmed to be the killer would be declared not guilty!
No, that’s not right.
It was fewer than five. In all of ’02, out of those 730,000 cases, there would likely be only three cases where a confirmed killer would be declared not guilty!
And in those three cases, the defense lawyers standing before the defendants...
Were either from a Yanjing Red Circle Law Firm or were top-tier legal teams with international connections, deep backgrounds, powerful methods, and extremely strong teamwork!
It would take more than ten of the legal world’s top, most influential figures working around the clock for a defendant for a whole year to achieve such a result!
But in 2002, for a case where the defendant was a confirmed killer, with no team, purely through individual skill, going head-to-head with the prosecution and the judge’s ’principles’ to achieve a ’not guilty’ verdict...
Forget seeing it.
They had never even heard of such a thing!
But now, they were seeing it... with their very own eyes!!!
"N-Not... not guilty..."
In a daze, someone in the gallery gulped, stunned, and unconsciously murmured those two words.
It was like a single stone setting off a thousand ripples. The ’dead’ courtroom gradually stirred to life, and the commotion grew into an uncontrollable uproar!
"Not guilty? Is it really not guilty? Am I still dreaming!?"
"It’s real... unbelievable... This is a miracle! The chances were hundreds of thousands to one, and it happened right before our eyes!"
"What was the last ’not guilty’ case?"
"The Huang Xin case. A rape and murder case, declared not guilty in court..."
"But in that case, the semen found in the victim’s body wasn’t even his. In the Li Family Village case, however... it was confirmed that the killer was Wang Qiang!!!"
"..."
All at once, as if a dam had burst, the First Courtroom erupted in a chaotic din, the noise flooding the scene like a monstrous torrent.
Some were shocked, others were stunned, and still others covered their mouths, their faces etched with disbelief.
Not guilty verdicts happened in criminal cases.
But they were usually reached in only one fundamental way.
By dismantling the chain of evidence the prosecutor used for the indictment!
In other words, only when you couldn’t prove the defendant killed the victim would the judge declare them not guilty.
But for a case with a complete chain of evidence confirming the defendant as the killer to still result in a ’not guilty’ verdict... you couldn’t find a single precedent even if you looked back decades... It was simply unheard of!
Thinking of this, the crowd grew even more excited, feeling a feverish heat. The uproar escalated into a chaotic frenzy, a complete mess.
"When I came to court, I was hoping the defendant would get his sentence waived... I didn’t even think a waiver was possible!"
"I was just hoping for a suspended sentence..."
"Damn it, it’s not your fault. Based on the first hearing, even a suspended sentence seemed out of reach. He should’ve gotten at least a few years. But this time... that defense lawyer was ferocious, like he’d been chugging diesel!"
At this, the crowd paused to think, their breathing growing ragged with excitement, their spirits soaring.
It was true. Based on the last hearing, a lighter sentence would have been perfectly fine, and not unacceptable.
But who would have thought... that the moment the trial began, the defense lawyer would go head-to-head with the prosecution and, with crushing dominance, refute every single piece of incriminating evidence!
He even submitted a pile of favorable materials. When you added all that up...
The harshest possible sentence was only an exemption from punishment!
What did an exemption from punishment mean? It meant, ’I say you’re guilty, but you don’t need to serve time.’ Not a single day in jail, not even a verbal apology. It was no different from being released on the spot.
Thinking of this, the crowd’s gaze grew fiery as they subconsciously turned to look at the defense’s side, at the young, upright figure.
Just seeing him stand there made them tremble with excitement.
It was as if they had boundless energy with no outlet.
On the judge’s bench.
"Order! Order!!!"
Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin hammered his gavel repeatedly, shouting sharply, trying to bring the courtroom under control.
But it was no use. His voice was like a raindrop falling into a vast ocean, creating not a single ripple. It even seemed to make the din even louder.
Zhang Bingxin felt a wave of exhaustion. A look of helplessness crossed his face, and he finally gave up trying to maintain order.
He simply spoke directly:
"If you object to this verdict, you may, within ten days from the day after receiving the written judgment, file an appeal through this court or directly to the Lusen City Intermediate People’s Court."
"I now declare..."
"Court adjourned!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Bingxin, not wanting to stay a moment longer, turned and walked out. Liu Guojian and Sun Dong followed closely behind.
At the defense table...
The moment the verdict was announced, the taut string in Xu De’s mind finally went slack. The thought of preparing for an appeal, of continuing the tough fight, dissipated into thin air.
He slumped into his chair and let out a long, deep breath, releasing all the tension. In that instant, all his energy seemed to drain away, leaving him feeling utterly exhausted.
’We won...’
The moment the verdict was read, the curtain had already fallen on this case.
The High Court and the Supreme Court wouldn’t overturn this justifiable defense. Wang Qiang was completely exonerated. The prosecution, naturally, wouldn’t file for a second trial, and the plaintiff wouldn’t be able to find any evidence to appeal.
’So...’
’We’ve won. Completely!’
’The pressure was pretty intense.’
Xu De came back to his senses and realized his prim and proper suit was soaked through with sweat. He couldn’t help but chuckle in wry amusement.
’A ’not guilty’ defense in 2002 and one in the later era of 2026 were on completely different levels of difficulty.’
’Or rather, it was only after the ’Brother Long Case’ 18 years later that the dormant ’not guilty’ clauses were brought to light, causing the difficulty of a ’not guilty’ defense to plummet.’
’It was incredibly difficult in 2002, especially for someone like Wang Qiang who had actually killed someone. There wouldn’t be a single ’not guilty’ case like this for years.’
’Very difficult.’
’But...’
’I still managed to do it!’
’Of course, to some extent, Presiding Judge Zhang Bingxin also announced the verdict under pressure from ’political factors.’ After all, in this day and age... he really could have ended up taking the fall for this.’
Thinking of this, Xu De raised his head. Gone was his previous solemnity and caution. He puffed out his chest, straightened his back, and glanced over at the prosecution’s table not far away.
At the prosecution’s table.
Wang Wei looked like a defeated fighting cock. He sighed, gathered his things, and silently left the courtroom with Hu Guang.
Xu De retracted his gaze.
A smile played on his lips.
Then he stood up, walked over to the defendant’s dock, and spoke to the two stunned bailiffs standing beside Wang Qiang:
"Could you please remove his handcuffs?"
Hearing this, the two bailiffs finally snapped out of it.
"Oh, right!"
They fumbled as they started to unlock the handcuffs.
With a ’not guilty’ verdict, the defendant is released on the spot and no longer needs to wear handcuffs. An innocent person can go straight home after completing the paperwork.
CLICK!
With the crisp sound of the spring mechanism, the shackles that had bound Wang Qiang’s withered wrists came undone.
Wang Qiang’s hands suddenly felt light. He looked down at his empty hands, his eyes glazed over and his mind a complete blank. He hadn’t yet processed what had just happened.
PAT!
Xu De patted him on the shoulder and said softly, "Come with me. We need to go through the procedures."
Wang Qiang felt like he was in a dream.
He didn’t know when the court had been adjourned, nor did he register what his great benefactor, his ’savior,’ was saying.
As if he had lost his soul, he remained in a daze, allowing himself to be led away to handle the release paperwork.
「Just one hour later...」
When Wang Qiang came to his senses, he found himself standing on the high steps at the main entrance of the courthouse, dressed in his simple clothes.
He looked up.
The dazzling sunlight hit his face, making him instinctively raise a hand to shield his eyes. The light still streamed through the gaps between his fingers, forcing him to squint.
He looked down.
He saw the bustling traffic outside the courthouse and felt a gentle breeze rush past, caressing his skin.
Wang Qiang was in a trance.
He felt like he was dreaming, lost in a fantasy. It was all so unbelievable. Just two days ago, when he was in the detention center, the other ’suspects’ had told him to prepare for a ten-year prison sentence.
Wang Qiang turned his head and stared blankly at Xu De, who stood beside him looking as cool as a cucumber.
’And now...’
’The shackles... were gone.’
’The crime... was also gone.’
’He was reunited... with the daughter he had been searching for for ten years.’
’If this is a dream... then please don’t let me wake up. That would be too cruel.’
The next second...
A horde of dark figures holding microphones suddenly swarmed toward them from the courthouse entrance, accompanied by the flashing lights of countless cameras. In the blink of an eye, the crowd of figures surrounded the two of them.
"Lawyer Xu, Lawyer Xu, you must grant us an interview!"
"Lawyer Xu, I’m a reporter from the Phoenix Newspaper! Our editor-in-chief would like to ask you for an exclusive interview, would you consider..."
"Lawyer Xu, can you tell us about your thought process during this case!?"
"Excuse me, back when no one was optimistic about this case and no one dared to take it, what was your mindset when you decided to represent him!?"
"Mr. Wang, do you have anything you’d like to say right now?"
"We’re from Chasing Waves News..."
"..."
Wave after wave of overwhelming, frantic, and fanatical noise completely submerged the two of them in a sea of people.