Loa entered with an apology.
However, the crowd at this moment did not cast him accusatory glances. Instead, they appraised him with curiosity.
Under everyone's gaze, Loa quickened his pace and finally reached Li Chonglou and the other person.
Loa looked at the judge and bowed slightly.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, we can begin."
The old judge on the round platform nodded. In front of him was a wooden strip, which he picked up and struck on the table.
Bang!
"The trial begins!"
The entire venue immediately fell silent. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath, not daring to even exhale.
Loa stepped forward suddenly, getting straight to the point.
"Your Honor, I will summarize the incident first."
Loa's opening, coupled with his status, made no one find anything amiss. All eyes were on him.
In fact, everyone was extremely curious about the truth of the matter. They had all been calculating based on the information they had gathered.
But when they saw that the parties involved from the General Bureau were only on the third floor, they immediately doubted their own intelligence.
After all, no one could accept the fact that someone from the third floor could defeat someone from the seventh.
Therefore, the gazes people cast on Loa were tinged with a hint of expectation.
"Actually, the matter is not complicated. Firstly, my client, Mr. Li Chonglou, although he is a person of status, has always been focused on business and wishes to find his own value in the marketplace."
Loa smiled faintly. Despite his plain appearance, he exuded an aura of control and security, making him appear much more handsome.
Loa turned to face the audience and smiled, saying, "Everyone has their own pursuits. I believe many of you here share the same thoughts."
The crowd nodded silently. Yes, although they were all masters of their respective domains, they still harbored certain expectations for business.
This was human nature. As long as something was unattainable, there would always be a certain longing for it.
In reality, many people were developing their commercial power. However, unlike Li Chonglou, they were completely hands-off managers and never let anyone know about their affiliated industries.
They feared situations like this arising.
After all, not everyone could have a powerful backing. Such cases were extremely rare in reality.
In most situations, the backing forces would sever ties immediately, fearing mutual misunderstandings.
But they did not know Li Chonglou's specific situation, only that they were all insiders doing business. Therefore, everyone generally agreed with Loa's words.
And this was the effect Loa desired.
"My client, Mr. Li Chonglou, although his identity is somewhat special, is not very familiar with the situation in Shangjing. His idea is very simple; he just wants to make a little money."
At this point, Loa's tone shifted. He turned to face Yuan Bei and the other two.
"But as far as I know, my client has always been a law-abiding citizen. For him to suddenly be attacked by the Civilian Association, I require an explanation!"
Li Chonglou was stunned. This was not a courtroom where evidence was presented to the judge to determine right from wrong?
Why would the lawyer need someone else to explain things to him?
Just then, Loa suddenly turned and whispered into Li Chonglou's ear, "Mr. Li Chonglou, have you made any contributions to the General Bureau? Regardless of size, as long as it can be verified."
Loa spoke extremely quickly, and Li Chonglou immediately understood what this fellow meant.
He was using this method to stall for time to understand the case!
What is "临急抱佛脚" (seeking help at the last minute)? Li Chonglou truly experienced the meaning of this idiom today!
However, no matter what, Loa was on his side. Li Chonglou could only follow his lead and quickly explain his situation.
If it was about contributions to the General Bureau, he really hadn't done anything. He hadn't even made any contributions to his Dragon Team.
But this did not mean Li Chonglou hadn't.
He hadn't contributed to the General Bureau, but he had made substantial contributions to the police force! If one were to count them, his achievements in the police force would be enough to make him a deputy director!
Loa's eyes lit up upon hearing this, "This is good. It seems our chances of winning have increased."
Li Chonglou's initially relaxed mood immediately tensed up.
What did he mean? Our win rate is so low that even a small piece of favorable evidence makes him this happy?
Loa posed the question, and the right to speak naturally fell to Yuan Bei's side.
The lawyer from Yuan Bei's side sneered, stepped forward, and said, "Everyone has heard what Lawyer Loa just said. His client has only recently arrived in Shangjing and is unfamiliar with many of Shangjing's rules."
"In this situation, if Mr. Li Chonglou violated the rules unknowingly, is there any problem with our Civilian Association, as the enforcers, going to Mr. Li Chonglou's company to apprehend him for questioning?"
"But the fact is, the people at Mr. Li Chonglou's company not only failed to cooperate but also resisted us law enforcement officers. This is the real matter that needs explaining!"
Yuan Bei's lawyer spoke calmly and clearly, immediately shifting the focus back to Li Chonglou.
However, Loa unhurriedly produced a file bag.
Loa calmly said, "This contains the surveillance videos from my client Mr. Li Chonglou's company, which show the entire process. Do your Civilian Association members dare to say that you provided a科普 (explanation/introduction) to my client's staff immediately upon entering?"
The lawyer's expression changed. He turned to look at Yuan Bei and the other two. All three lowered their heads.
He then sighed and admitted, "No."
Loa casually placed the file bag aside, and a staff member voluntarily came over and placed it on the judge's bench.
Although the old men were elderly, they each had a computer in front of them, and operating them was as easy as drinking water for them.
Loa did not wait for them to review it and continued, "I believe I don't need to elaborate on the enforcement rules of the Civilian Association. The first point, and the most important one, is that you did not provide an explanation immediately upon entering. Besides this."
Loa's gaze suddenly turned icy, and even his tone became sharp.
"Your people also carried out indiscriminate slaughter of the innocent employees at my client's company! Have you forgotten your identities, or do you think the Civilian Association has the authority to slaughter?"
"Or perhaps, you already believe that you are the masters of Shangjing?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Yuan Bei's side of four people's expressions changed drastically. Before the lawyer could even speak, Yuan Bei couldn't help but say, "No, this is a misunderstanding, we..."
However, before he could finish his sentence, Loa interrupted him.
"Did I ask you to speak?"
Yuan Bei's expression froze. His lawyer quickly winked at him and bowed towards the judge, saying, "Apologies, my client is a bit agitated."
The judge spoke for the first time, his voice hoarse, "Let this not happen again."