Chapter 304: An Unexpected Helper

Wu Meng paused. "But I'm afraid it will take some time. Hopefully, it'll be in time for the trial."

Initially, I had only helped Huang Boyuan because I was trapped in the same situation. Whether it was investigating Huang Guanxing's cause of death, entering Huang Xue's Dream Realm, or helping him reconcile with Huang Lan, everything I did was actually for my own sake.

In my eyes, Huang Boyuan was a businessman. Our relationship was mostly mutual exploitation. The fact that he was willing to lend a hand now that I was in trouble truly took me by surprise.

The official directive from above explicitly demanded that my case be taken seriously. Getting mixed up with me at a time like this brought absolutely no benefit to Huang Boyuan. 'Given his personality, he shouldn't be doing something like this. Could it be because of Huang Xue?'

Regardless of whether Huang Boyuan genuinely wanted to help, by the time he brought in a lawyer from out of province, my verdict would probably already be handed down.

Wu Yang had mentioned that as soon as I was out of critical condition, I would be transferred to the People's Court. Old Master Jiang had likely smoothed over every connection there. The moment I left the hospital, I would probably be placed in isolated detention, making it nearly impossible to receive visitors. Once I was in his hands, he could deal with me however he pleased.

"In Jiangcheng, Old Master Jiang truly is covering the sky with one hand!" I sat on the hospital bed, looking at the sunlight outside the window. After the heavy rain, the sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly. But who could possibly know just how much I had sacrificed to save it all?

"There are still many people in Jiangcheng who believe you are innocent. Don't give up," Wu Meng offered in consolation, noticing that I had zoned out.

I withdrew my gaze. "It doesn't matter. Just find me a defense lawyer as soon as possible. It has to be someone trustworthy."

After thinking for a moment, I spoke to Wu Meng again. "Captain Wu, I also want to ask you about two people. One is the taxi driver I 'hijacked' at the Bridge No. 3 Crematorium. He's balding and about forty years old. The other is a young man named Chen Er Gou, the one who kidnapped Jiang Chen for me and stalled the armed police."

A look of understanding dawned on Wu Meng's face. "Neither of them are simple. That Balding Uncle actually managed to drive his car all the way to the county district while being pursued by the armed police. After being caught, he adamantly insisted that he didn't know you and had been completely coerced. We investigated his social circles and confirmed that he really had no connection to you. He was temporarily released after giving his statement. As for Chen Er Gou, his situation isn't as optimistic. He has been determined to be an accomplice. If your charges are confirmed, he's looking at life imprisonment at the very least."

Chen Er Gou had been fully aware of the situation. Not only did he fail to stop my criminal acts, but he had also hidden inside the raincoat to impersonate me and help me escape. That alone was a violation of the law.

"I'm the one who dragged him down." Er Gou's final words at the Shanyang Shopping Center had moved me deeply. Even if not for my own sake, for Er Gou's sake, I absolutely could not plead guilty.

I kept my head down and thought for a long time. The only lifesaving cards I held right now were the Jiang family's bad debts and the illicit correspondence between Jiang Detao and Jiang Long, which even involved human lives.

Leaking these things would be enough to shake all of Jiangcheng. It would also give me grounds to defend my actions, but I lacked someone I could trust.

The evidence and the broadcasting equipment were all stored inside the Black Leather Suitcase. There was no way I could retrieve them myself, so I could only have someone else do it for me. This was also why I so desperately wanted to find a defense lawyer. Those items could only unleash their maximum power in the hands of someone who understood the law.

I cast a glance at Wu Meng. Captain Wu had plenty of fierce courage, but he lacked the necessary scheming mind. Letting him act as my sole proxy would very likely lead to problems.

This was my only chance. I had to be cautious.

Seeing me lost in thought, Wu Meng did not want to disturb me. It was only when Wu Yang walked over to urge him along that he coughed twice and opened the document bag in his hands. "Gao Jian, we've already retrieved this Large-Screen Phone from Jiang Chen's sports car. You mentioned that it's connected to another murder case. Could you elaborate on that?"

"You found it?" Recovering the Underworld Live Show Phone was arguably the best news I had heard recently. My eyes slowly narrowed. "Have you seen the contents of the phone?"

Wu Meng nodded. "There are only four applications on the phone, and one of them can't even be opened. The call logs have all been deleted as well. We did find a message in the inbox, but its contents are extremely bizarre."

"When was it sent?"

"Yesterday morning, a little past six o'clock—right when the heavy rain had just stopped."

Wu Meng took out the Underworld Live Show Phone, which was wrapped in a plastic evidence bag. "We've studied this message many times, but we still don't quite understand it."

"Can I take a look?" I sat up straight, unable to contain my impatience. At that moment, Wu Yang also walked over, standing by the bed and scrutinizing my every move.

Wu Meng didn't say much. He tapped into the inbox and scrolled down the screen.

"Live broadcast task: Find Qiu Ren before midnight. Completed."

"Earned one point for completing the live broadcast task; peak concurrent viewers exceeded 5,000, rewarded seven points; total value of gifts received during the broadcast exceeded 1,000 Underworld Coins, rewarded one point; completed the commission from the Underworld, rewarded one extra point."

"Optional task one: Kill Qiu Ren. Completed. Rewarded five points."

"Optional task two: Kill Lu Xing. Uncompleted."

"Optional task three: Save Jiangcheng. Completed. Rewarded one opportunity to ask a question."

"Eight broadcasts concluded. All assessment tasks completed. Rewarded thirty extra points!"

"Notice: Please proceed to the Live Show immediately after the broadcast ends. The broadcasting equipment will undergo a comprehensive upgrade."

"The assistance call function was not used during this broadcast. The free usage opportunity is retained for the next broadcast."

"Tally complete. A total of forty-five points were earned during this broadcast. Current total points: eighty-four points."

"Eighth broadcast completed. The product catalog will be updated after the Live Show broadcasting equipment is upgraded."

After finishing the long message, my expression instantly turned incredibly ugly. "Optional task two uncompleted? Lu Xing isn't dead?"

"Gao Jian, what does this message mean?"

Wu Meng asked. I frowned and thought for a good while before replying, "Never mind what it means for now. Does the Jiang family know about the existence of this phone?"

"No. When I went to fetch it myself last night, the phone was still sitting untouched inside the sports car."

"Who else has seen this message?"

Noticing the shift in my tone, Wu Meng's expression grew solemn. "Could this message be related to those unearthly things? After I brought it back to the station yesterday, only I and two on-duty detectives have seen it."

"Do not spread the contents of this message. It will cause massive problems. You all must pay close attention to your safety during this period. Try your best to avoid places with heavy Yin energy, and if you have the time, go to a Taoist temple and ask for some talismans to keep on you." I didn't touch the Underworld Live Show Phone. With the armed police monitoring my every move, I didn't want to invite unnecessary trouble.

"Alright."

I gave a slight nod and offered one final warning. "Stay safe. Also, hurry up and find me a trustworthy lawyer. Whether I live or die depends entirely on this final gamble."

After Wu Meng left, I sat on the bed and was just about to circulate the Profound Truth Mental Method when Wu Yang suddenly walked over. "What did that message mean? Live broadcast? You get points for completing murder tasks? Just what exactly is your identity?"

Seeing that I didn't answer, he only grew more curious. "Are you a professional hitman? Broadcasting murders?"

"Don't ask things you shouldn't ask, or else you won't even know how you died."

"You..." Wu Yang was so choked by my retort that he couldn't speak. It wasn't until a good while later that he let out a cold sneer. "Let's see how long you can stay so arrogant. You still want to find a lawyer to retract your statement? I'll tell you the truth: the very day you got into this mess, Old Master Jiang gave a warning to every law firm in Jiangcheng and even the surrounding counties and cities. Nobody dares to help you."

He glared at me viciously. "I have even worse news for you. To prevent any accidents, Old Master Jiang spent a fortune to hire the most famous legal team in the country. You want to retract your statement? Just wait for death!"

Just as his voice fell, before I could even say a word, someone suddenly knocked on the ward door.

"Is Wu Meng back already?"

Wu Yang walked over impatiently and opened the door. Standing outside was an unfamiliar middle-aged man in a sharp suit and leather shoes.

"Who are you? You cannot enter the intensive care ward without permission."

Wu Yang berated him sharply. He was fully armed with a loaded weapon; an ordinary person would have probably panicked at the sight of him. But the man outside simply offered a polite smile. "I am Mr. Gao's defense lawyer. I just returned from abroad. Here is my business card and my legal certification."

"A lawyer? There's actually someone not afraid of death?" Wu Yang turned his head and shot me a glance. "Is this the lawyer you hired?"

I didn't answer directly. Instead, I carefully scrutinized the man before me, unable to make up my mind. I had never hired a lawyer. Could he be someone Huang Boyuan or Tie Ningxiang had sent over?

Seeing that I remained silent for a long time, the man outside didn't rush me. He took out a fountain pen and wrote a few words on the back of his business card. "Please pass this to Mr. Gao."

Wu Yang handed the business card to me. I looked at it for a while but still couldn't be sure. The man's name was Du Yu. He had a whole list of titles and positions, but they were all written in a foreign language.

I shook my head. Just as I was about to refuse, I saw the back of the business card. Written on it in fountain pen were seven Chinese characters.

"Socrates Paradox."