...
「Ten in the morning.」
「Second Criminal Court.」
BANG.
The gavel sounded.
Zhou Quanmin sat in the Judgnt Chief’s seat, observing the courtroom before him. His gaze lingered on Qin Mu, standing at the plaintiff’s table.
That’s right. He saw Qin Mu at the plaintiff’s table again.
In the previous case, soone had finally managed to counter Qin Mu, successfully suing him and placing him at the defendant’s table. But not long after... Qin Mu had sued the entire internet! With his own efforts, he had created three thousand, two hundred defendants! This case had even sent shockwaves through the Supre Court.
For days, their collegiate panel had been cautiously deliberating on how to handle this case. Any mishandling could easily escalate into a nationwide issue. The judgnt for three thousand two hundred people... if too lenient, the law would appear to lack solemnity, thereby losing its deterrent effect. Conversely, if too severe, the law would seem excessively harsh, negatively impacting public perception of criminal law. Therefore, a delicate balance between leniency and severity had to be judged and maintained by their collegiate panel.
Qin Mu had only been concerned with filing the lawsuit, leaving them to deal with the difficult aftermath.
He took a long look at Qin Mu and then spoke solemnly, "Today, in the Second Criminal Court of the Jin City Court, I, Zhou Quanmin, serve as Judgnt Chief. Together with the collegiate panel, we will jointly hear the case of Plaintiff Qin Mu suing netizens from various online platforms for defamation. This court session will be live-stread online and is open to the public!"
Having said that, he glanced at the defendant’s table beside him. It was empty. The primary reason was, in fact, the sheer number of defendants. When the trial began, the bailiffs were montarily unsure which defendants to bring in first.
"Due to the excessive number of defendants in this case, a special trial thod will be adopted," Zhou Quanmin took a deep breath and continued, "We will hear the cases in batches, based on the number of defendants represented by each defense attorney."
According to the information currently received by the court, of the three thousand, two hundred defendants, nearly two thousand, nine hundred had assembled. The remaining two hundred-plus individuals had not communicated with the court at all, nor had they hired lawyers to respond to the lawsuit. Thus, it was ruled they would be tried in absentia.
Of those defendants who had responded, Zhang Wei represented more than nine hundred people, Qi ZhaoYu represented over eight hundred, and Ling He represented more than five hundred. The representation for the rest was divided among other law firms. After discussion, they decided to proceed in batches, starting with the defendants represented by Zhang Wei, who had the largest group.
"Next, the court discipline will be announced!"
Following that, the court discipline was read aloud. In the waiting rooms, designated personnel also read out the court discipline to prevent anyone from obstructing judicial proceedings.
Ten minutes later, the reading of the court discipline was completed.
The bailiffs opened the doors to the waiting rooms. Zhang Wei, leading one hundred defendants, entered the courtroom in a grand procession. Upon their arrival, they imdiately filled the previously sowhat spacious courtroom, making it extrely crowded.
These defendants following Zhang Wei looked around, their faces etched with nervousness and anxiety. For many of them, this was their first ti in a courtroom. Even though Zhang Wei had previously briefed them on what to expect, they were still apprehensive.
"Don’t be too nervous. Just follow my instructions one by one when it’s your turn," Zhang Wei said, looking at his clients and emphasizing his words.
Although he was battle-hardened, he felt a pang of nervousness this ti. It wasn’t for himself, but because he was representing more than nine hundred people. The old saying was absolutely right: in a big forest, there are all kinds of birds. He was quite worried that so on his side might cause trouble.
"Rember to argue rationally, actively confess, don’t curse the judge or mbers of the judicial panel, don’t falsify evidence, and don’t get into fights or brawls," he said, lowering his voice to reiterate these crucial warnings—points where others had stumbled before.
BANG.
The gavel sounded again. The court session entered the formal phase.
"The plaintiff will now read the complaint and state the facts."
Qin Mu imdiately stood up. He presented the online verbal abuse he had experienced, along with a series of evidence screenshots. He also articulated his demands, requesting that the opposing parties bear criminal responsibility and provide civil compensation.
Afterward, a series of one-on-many statents followed.
To expedite the case and increase the efficiency of the hearing, the collegiate panel decided to hear the cases of one hundred people at once.
One hundred people successively stood up. Each, in turn, addressed Qin Mu’s complaint and evidence. The court clerk at the side was typing furiously, recording each person’s statent. His fingers almost twitched from the sustained effort.
Behind Zhang Wei, each defendant was on edge, extrely nervous. As their nas were called, they ca forward to give their statents.
"I... I, when I saw the video, I cursed a few words in a mont of anger, but I realize my mistake now and will never do it again."
"I don’t know what I was thinking. I really regret it now. I hope the plaintiff can give us a chance to make ands."
"I apologize. I was out of my mind when I cursed online..."
"I really didn’t an it. I only cursed those words because the mother in the video seed so pitiful..."
Instantly, the whole courtroom transford into a large-scale scene of internet trolls admitting their guilt and apologizing.
This scene was sothing Qin Mu hadn’t anticipated.
At the plaintiff’s table, not only Qin Mu but also Liang Chengbin, Bai Xuelan, Hua Li, and others who had been jointly slandered, stared in disbelief at the unfolding scene.
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