Chapter 306: Court Session

Under the surveillance of the armed police, Du Yu and I had to avoid sensitive topics during our conversation, such as how to clear my name or avoid criminal liability.

After we roughly established our basic strategy and goals for the criminal defense, the armed police "invited" Du Yu to leave.

Wu Yang had long since grown impatient. My conversation with Du Yu clearly annoyed him—it was all smoke and mirrors to him. He understood parts of it, but the vast majority went right over his head.

"You've been stuck in the hospital ever since your incident. How did you contact him to be your defense lawyer?" Wu Yang stared fixedly at me, as if trying to see right through me.

"Take a guess." I stretched comfortably, leaning back against the bed to look out the window. "Whether the fish dies and the net breaks, or we reach a mutual compromise, justice and profit are separated by a razor-thin line."

"You actually think you can fight until the fish dies and the net breaks? What a massive boast," Wu Yang sneered. "Old Master Jiang hired the most famous legal team in the country. The prosecuting attorney is the renowned Gou Changzheng—a professor at Huaxia University of Political Science and Law, a doctoral supervisor, and the executive deputy editor-in-chief of the Legal Daily. He doesn't just have status in the real world; he also has millions of followers on Weibo and WeChat, and he's published multiple books..."

"Is any of that useful?" I glanced up at Wu Yang. "I didn't even get my police academy diploma, but didn't I still lead you guys on a chase for three days and three nights? If I hadn't called the police myself, would you elite armed officers have been able to catch me?"

"Keep acting up while you still can. Once you're sentenced and locked up, the boys and I will ask some people to give you a 'proper' rehabilitation." There were surveillance cameras both inside and outside the ward, so Wu Yang didn't dare get physical with me; he could only resort to verbal threats.

"I'm afraid you won't get that chance." I smiled faintly, closed my eyes, and circulated the Profound Truth Mental Method, regulating my internal organs to heal my body.

...

Du Yu returned at five in the afternoon. "I've retrieved the item. It is indeed a crucial piece of evidence."

Under the watchful eyes of several armed police officers, Du Yu remained perfectly composed, acting as if he were just chatting with an old friend he hadn't seen in years.

"You're quite efficient. Did you run into any obstacles?" I gave Wu Yang a brief glance before lowering my head, hiding my expression from everyone in the room.

"Just a few flies and mosquitoes. I wouldn't call them obstacles. A little trick was all it took to shake them off." As soon as Du Yu finished speaking, the muscles in Wu Yang's face stiffened. He let out a cold snort and rested his hand on the butt of his gun.

I didn't know what had happened between the armed police and Du Yu. I only knew that given how closely the higher-ups were watching me, anyone who contacted me should be under strict surveillance. The fact that Du Yu easily shook off the police tails and went to Xinhu High School to retrieve my Black Leather Suitcase was enough to make me see him in a new light.

Of course, I wasn't going to blindly trust him because of that. There was still another possibility: Du Yu wasn't actually Socrates Paradox.

I had been pondering this issue for a while now. The livestream viewers who watched my broadcasts were scattered all over Huaxia. While most of them hid in the crowd, living behind masks, there was no guarantee that the Jiangcheng Police Department didn't harbor a few who had seen my stream.

Thus, it was entirely possible that the police were impersonating Socrates Paradox to figure out my bottom line.

He might have approached me ostensibly to defend me, but in reality, he could be trying to uncover my trump cards and cut off all my avenues of retreat.

Du Yu had entered the ward twice. I had observed every detail of his behavior, his movements, and his small verbal habits, but so far, I hadn't found anything out of the ordinary.

"Your case involves a lot of people. Following normal judicial procedures, the court session shouldn't happen very soon. For now, just treat this time as a vacation. Every profession has its specialty—leave the rest to me." Du Yu maintained his smile, completely unhurried.

"Sorry for the trouble. If I can survive this ordeal, I will definitely fulfill your request."

Right in front of the armed police, I recounted everything that had happened on the night of the eighth livestream to Du Yu.

Around five o'clock, Du Yu prepared to leave. "Focus on recovering. I won't come to see you again until the court session. I need to drop off the police's radar and disappear for a while. That's the only way to catch them off guard and get you out."

"Is it really appropriate to say that right in front of them?" I pointed at the armed police guarding the ward's doors and windows.

"It's fine. Oh, right, there's one more thing I need to tell you," Du Yu said. Standing in the center of the ward without any regard for the guards, he added, "At the trial, I will enter a not-guilty plea for you. In other words, we are rejecting all charges, including murder. So, while I'm gone, no matter how the police interrogate you or what methods they use, you must not confess to any crime."

He paused and gave me a gentle smile. "Even if you really did kill that person, you cannot admit to it!"

Before I could even react to his words, the armed police officers couldn't sit still any longer. Led by Wu Yang, they surrounded Du Yu.

"What did you mean by that just now? 'Even if he really did kill that person, he cannot admit to it'?" Wu Yang slammed one hand against the door, blocking Du Yu's exit.

"Exactly that." Du Yu's smile remained unchanged. That kind of smile seemed to have become a habit of his.

"Where is your conscience as a lawyer? Do you know that your behavior is making a mockery of the law?" Wu Yang shouted. He was already starting to suspect that Du Yu was my accomplice, involved in the crime.

"Mr. Police Officer, please watch your words. I have never mocked the law." Du Yu gently pushed Wu Yang aside and grabbed the door handle. "If you must get to the bottom of it, I can tell you this: in your eyes, the law represents fairness, but in mine, it is merely a tool."

He flashed a polite smile at the officers and then simply left.

Listening to the fading sound of his leather shoes echoing down the hallway, I shook my head. "This guy is truly interesting."

Around seven in the evening, a few familiar barks rang out in the corridor, followed by the sound of claws scratching at the door.

"Who's out there!" The three armed police officers instantly entered combat readiness upon hearing the noise. Forming a wedge formation, one ambushed the doorway, one crouched by my side, and Wu Yang took the center.

"It's Wu Meng! I have some case-related matters to ask Gao Jian about!"

The ward door swung open, and my eyes lit up. "Bai Qi!"

A pale yellow figure flashed past as Bai Qi spun around in the doorway, wagging his tail.

"Why is there a dog?" Wu Yang raised his gun and chambered a round. "Don't do anything stupid."

Wu Meng ignored Wu Yang and released the leash in his hand.

Bai Qi immediately bolted over, running right up to my side. "Woof!"

I could feel Bai Qi's excitement. I pulled him into my arms and rubbed his head, taking a good while to recover my senses. Bringing a dog into a hospital was already against regulations, let alone into a special-care ward for a major suspect.

I looked up at Wu Meng, initially intending to thank him, but I suddenly noticed how awful he looked. His smile was extremely forced. "Captain Wu, what happened?"

"Your dog is incredibly stubborn. He's been on a hunger strike for two days now. I was afraid something might happen to him, so I brought him here to see you. It would be a real pity for such an impressive dog to starve to death." He hesitated, pausing for a moment before continuing. "Gao Jian, I have a few pieces of bad news for you."

"How many?"

Wu Meng pursed his lips in a bitter smile. "The Jiang family used a lot of their connections. Your case can't be delayed any longer; the first trial opens tomorrow at three in the afternoon. Director Huang and Captain Tie both tried their best to help you, but the results weren't ideal. Your case is too high-profile. Capable lawyers aren't willing to defend you for fear of ruining their own careers. We could find some amateur lawyers, but unfortunately, their abilities are limited. I asked around, and even the most expensive lawyer among them couldn't guarantee getting you a suspended death sentence."

"Tomorrow afternoon? They can't even get me a suspended death sentence?" I sat on the bed in a daze, holding Bai Qi. The Jiang family had moved far too quickly. I thought I still had another week.

In my arms, Bai Qi noticed my depressed mood and stopped fussing. He licked my cheek as if he couldn't bear to let me go.

Looking into Bai Qi's pure black eyes, I finally understood why Wu Meng had brought him over. He wanted me to see Bai Qi one last time.

"Gao Jian, get some good rest. As for a lawyer..."

"There's no need," I said, rubbing Bai Qi's head. "I've already found a lawyer. He should arrive on time tomorrow at three in the afternoon."

I lifted Bai Qi off the bed and scratched his chin. "Bai Qi, eat and drink as you should. Tomorrow night, I will personally come and take you home!"