Chapter 305: Du Yu

Back when I was livestreaming at New Century Amusement Park, I ran into a livestream viewer with profound insights into crime. He went by Socrates Paradox. He helped me see through Qiu Ren's lies and deduced how the Mirror Ghost was formed. I could tell from his words and mannerisms that he was no ordinary person, and we had even agreed to meet up if we ever found the time.

Looking up at the doorway, I never expected him to show up at a time like this, let alone as a defense lawyer.

"That's right. He's the lawyer I hired. Let him in." Smiling, I waved him over.

Wu Yang didn't let him in right away. Instead, he patted Du Yu down meticulously from head to toe. "This is bizarre. Where did you pop out from? This kid has more than one body on him. He's guilty as sin. Don't ruin your own life and throw your future away."

"I take people's money and solve their problems. Here is my license to practice law, my firm's credentials, and a formal letter of legal aid. I expect you won't interfere with the normal communication between my client and myself." Du Yu cooperated with Wu Yang's search and was only allowed into the hospital room once he was confirmed to be unarmed.

"Hello, Mr. Gao. Let me formally introduce myself. I am Du Yu, senior lecturer in criminal psychology at Athens University, founder of marginal social ideology, and honorary visiting professor at Columbia University. And, of course, a professional lawyer."

Du Yu rattled off a long string of titles. I didn't quite catch it all, but my gut instinct told me the guy wasn't entirely reliable. All that nonsense he'd just spouted sounded completely made up.

"Hello, Mr. Du." I extended my uncuffed hand and gave him a brief shake in greeting.

Du Yu looked me up and down. "Mr. Gao, you look much more haggard than you do on screen. The man I saw was a passionate fighter, someone who refused to yield to illusions."

"Just call me Gao Jian," I said with a bitter smile. I muttered inwardly, 'Passionate fighter, my ass. I was being chased down by malicious ghosts and yin souls. If I didn't find my passion right then and there, I'd never get the chance again.'

Du Yu nodded and glanced around the room. "My client and I need a word. Could you gentlemen step outside for a moment?"

"Sorry, but Gao Jian is extremely dangerous. We have to remain in the room at all times," Wu Yang refused flatly. He stood a short distance away, on high alert, not even blinking.

"Extremely dangerous? They hold you in high regard, Mr. Gao." Du Yu pulled two contracts from his briefcase. "These official letters and power of attorney forms have already been stamped. You just need to sign them to make it official. Once you do, I will formally become your defense lawyer and help protect your legal rights."

He handed me a fountain pen. I glanced over the contract. It was a standard power of attorney, with only one glaring difference in the payment section. "Pro bono legal aid?"

I looked at Du Yu in surprise, having no idea what he was playing at.

"That's right, completely pro bono. All you have to do is agree to one trivial little condition."

"What condition?"

"If it's convenient, I'd like to appear in front of your audience with you." Du Yu maintained an unruffled smile, making it utterly impossible to guess what he was really thinking.

I didn't agree right away. 'He wants to livestream with me?' I weighed the thought in my head. 'What good would that do him? Could he also be a Streamer for the Underworld Live Show?'

It had only been a day since my incident, and he had suddenly shown up out of nowhere. The timing was far too convenient.

Mind buzzing with suspicion, I stole a glance at him.

He was dressed immaculately in a sharp suit, his leather shoes polished to a mirror shine.

He wore a habitual smile that made him seem warm and reliable at first glance. His fingers were perfectly manicured, free of the tiny nicks and cuts left by manual labor, and lacking the scalpel-grip calluses of a surgeon.

He had an ordinary, gentle face. He worked at prestigious universities, possessed high social standing, boasted a razor-sharp mind, and exhibited impeccable psychological fortitude.

What I saw in Du Yu went far beyond the standard traits of a lawyer. Everything about his demeanor reminded me of a completely different sort of person—a highly intelligent criminal.

Would an ordinary lawyer sit in front of a computer every day, waiting to watch my life-and-death livestreams? That kind of behavior completely clashed with his current demeanor, leading me to deduce that Du Yu was more than just a lawyer.

But then again, his true identity didn't really matter to me. Even if he were a hidden serial killer, as long as he was willing to help, I didn't mind working with him. After all, in the eyes of the public, I was the heinous murder suspect who deserved a thousand deaths.

Maintaining a healthy dose of caution, I looked up at him. "You want the audience to see you? Can you tell me why?"

"Pure curiosity. It's not a demanding request. Just once will do, and you can pick the time." Du Yu seemed incredibly accommodating, offering the concession himself.

I had no reason to turn down such generous terms. "Deal."

To an outsider, my conversation with Du Yu sounded like utter nonsense. Wu Yang felt exactly that way. He had perked up his ears to eavesdrop, but hadn't understood a single word. "What the hell did you two just agree to?"

After I signed the contracts, Du Yu packed the documents away and began questioning me about the details of my case, making absolutely no effort to hide our conversation from the armed police in the room.

About an hour later, Du Yu had a basic grasp of my situation. "Twenty-one criminal charges, ranging from a hit-and-run to kidnapping and murder. You truly are extraordinary, Mr. Gao. An ordinary lawyer would have run for the hills by now."

"Let's hope you're no ordinary lawyer, then," I replied offhandedly. In my head, I was busy trying to decide if this guy was truly trustworthy, and whether I should tell him about the Jiang family's dirty laundry.

Du Yu sorted the case files into categories, finally pulling out a single document. "Mr. Gao, I can help you with the other twenty criminal charges. Only this one is a bit tricky. I need you to tell me the truth."

I looked at the file in his hand. It was the police's crime scene investigation report from the night of Jiang Long's murder.

"Did you kill this man? Or rather, did his death have anything directly to do with you?" Du Yu chose his words with extreme caution. "Mr. Gao, I can only help you if you tell me the truth."

The armed police around us also locked their attention on me. Whatever came out of my mouth next could very well cement the official nature of the entire case.

I flipped through the investigation report on my bed. The police had recovered my shoe prints, fingerprints, and DNA residue inside Jianglong Villa. They had also gathered witness testimonies from Jiang Long's lackeys, along with the recorded phone call Old Master Jiang had kept of me. Faced with this mountain of ironclad evidence, it seemed impossible for me to talk my way out of it.

But as I read through it carefully, I slowly began to calm down. There were a few crucial pieces of evidence missing from Jiang Long's murder case.

First, Jiang Long's cause of death was still a mystery. The medical examiner hadn't been able to reach a conclusion. He had no wounds anywhere on his body; it looked as if he had died of an acute myocardial infarction.

Second, the police hadn't recovered anything linking to me on Jiang Long's body itself. I had sent the Fate Ghost to attack him; I hadn't directly touched Jiang Long myself.

Third, there were no eyewitnesses to Jiang Long's death. A single audio recording couldn't prove a thing.

Based on those three points, I could completely deny having anything to do with Jiang Long's death. I closed the file and tossed it aside. "I didn't kill anyone. Jiang Long was sitting on some of the Jiang family's darkest secrets. There are a lot of factors behind his death, but the most likely scenario is that Jiang Detao hired a hitman to silence him."

"Do you have any idea what Old Master Jiang's status is? Hiring a hitman to silence him? You'd better watch your mouth." Wu Yang stood by the hospital bed, holding his rifle. "Gao Jian, stop being so stubborn. Honestly confess to the crime, and you might just get a suspended death sentence."

"You really didn't kill him?" Du Yu mulled over my words. "You suspect Jiang Detao hired a hitman. Do you have any proof?"

"Of course," I said with a faint smile. "Do you remember where I hosted my second livestream?"

Du Yu gave a small nod. I gently took his hand and traced the words "Women's Apartment, first floor" against the back of it.

"Go to that location and find the suitcase I used to carry around on my streams. You'll find the crucial evidence inside."

Behind Wu Yang's back, I quietly tipped Du Yu off to the location of the Black Leather Suitcase. I couldn't fully trust him yet, but I was out of options. I had no choice but to take the gamble.

"Don't let anyone else see it. Old Master Jiang has hands and eyes reaching the sky. For all we know, some of the people standing right here in this room are his lapdogs." After saying that, I shot a casual glance at Wu Yang. He did not look pleased.

"I know exactly what to do. I never expected you to have an ace like this up your sleeve. I'm quite looking forward to it." Du Yu maintained his gentle smile, but I couldn't shake the feeling that beneath it lay a personality as sharp and ruthless as a scalpel.