The moment these few banners appeared, the courtroom suddenly fell into a dead silence.
Zhao Yi didn't make a sound, and the other District Three residents on the side also didn't make a sound. They just quietly held these banners, their expressions firm and stubborn.
"What are you doing?" Seeing this, a Law Enforcer's face slightly changed, and he hurriedly stepped forward. "You are disturbing the courtroom order! Hurry up and put these things away!"
"We are just holding banners, without making a sound, and without disturbing anyone. This does not count as disturbing the courtroom order." Boss Xu spoke toughly.
"You guys..."
Seeing this, that Law Enforcer's expression changed consecutively. But after hesitating for a long time, he still made no movement.
It could be seen that before the District Three crowd came, they had also done their homework. The scene Chen Ling imagined of disturbing the courtroom to defend Han Meng did not appear. Instead, they exploited a loophole in the rules of Aurora City's Court of Judgment. Seeing this scene, he breathed a slight sigh of relief in his heart...
Han Meng in the defendant's seat also seemed to have heard the commotion here. He turned his head and looked back, and upon seeing the familiar faces in the spectator seats, his whole person stood stunned in place.
Gu Yuan swept a glance at the banners, a faint smile flashing in his eyes, and continued speaking in a deep voice:
Gu Yuan's voice was unhurried, giving people a feeling of being as steady as Mount Tai. Halfway through hearing this, a flash of astonishment passed through Chen Ling's gaze.
"Eh..." Wen Shilin also spoke softly in some surprise. "This statement of the case... is a bit interesting. Could it be that someone in the upper echelons of the Enforcers is deliberately protecting Han Meng? Such a massive incident occurred, but in the end, only these two charges were indicted."
Wen Shilin thought the same as Chen Ling. Although what Gu Yuan said was indeed the truth, what happened at the time was far more than just this. Things including Han Meng openly questioning Aurora City and opening the gate for Chen Ling and the others were all deliberately concealed... In the end, it just landed on these two charges of "Defying Orders" and "Dereliction of Duty", which could be viewed as big or small.
The District Three crowd also faintly sensed something, but they weren't too sure. Only Boss Xu watched Gu Yuan on the trial stand, looking thoughtful.
"It seems this time, Han Meng is secured." Wen Shilin couldn't help but sigh with emotion. "According to the current charges, even if the verdict comes down, it will be at most no more than seven or eight years. This is already the best result."
As Gu Yuan's voice fell, his gaze swept over below, looking towards the position where Han Meng's defense lawyer was.
"Defendant's defense, do you have any objections to this charge?"
The defense lawyer stood up. He inadvertently swept a glance at the jury on the side, and the media reporters in the spectator seats. Wisps of faint light flickered in his eyes.
"I have an objection." The one who said this sentence was not the defense lawyer, but the prosecutor sitting beside Gu Yuan. As soon as this sentence came out, it instantly attracted the attention of the entire venue.
Gu Yuan's brows wrinkled. He narrowed his eyes and turned his head to look at the prosecutor, his face somewhat gloomy.
"Oh? What objection do you have?"
"During the process of my investigation into the Defendant, I discovered more details that contradict the current statement of the case. Please allow me to make a statement, Lord Judge."
As soon as this sentence came out, the crowd of reporters in the spectator seats on the opposite side all whipped out pen and paper to seriously record it down. At the same time, countless camera lenses were aimed at the Judge, Gu Yuan, seeming to wait for his answer.
Gu Yuan felt the change in the atmosphere inside the courtroom, his gaze incomparably cold. He watched the prosecutor beside him, a wisp of faint killing intent emitting out.
Only after a long time did he coldly spit out one word:
"Read."
"Enforcer Han Meng of District Three, during his period of managing District Three, relied on the power of his position to force and extort the residents of District Three. He led a group of Law Enforcers to forcibly collect protection fees, and even colluded with the underworld forces of District 2 to secretly conduct organ trading, drug trading, weapons trading..."
Hearing this, the faces of the crowd in the spectator seats all changed. They looked at that prosecutor in shock, their eyes full of disbelief.
"Damn it, what kind of bullshit are you spouting here?!!"
"Exactly! Superior Han Meng collected protection fees? Conducted organ trading?? Are you joking??"
"Whose accusation is this? This is fundamentally framing and shifting the blame!!!"
"..."
The District Three crowd were all furious. One by one, they all stood up, pointed at that prosecutor's nose, and began to curse. Their voices instantly covered the prosecutor's statement, interrupting him.
Zhao Yi also widened his eyes, ready to get up and say something, but was pressed back into his seat with one hand by Chen Ling at the side.
"Don't move." Chen Ling spoke in a deep voice.
Right as Chen Ling's voice fell, several Law Enforcers, as if they had been prepared early on, came to the spectator seats on this side and said coldly, "Openly disturbing the courtroom order, your qualifications to spectate have been canceled... Those few who were cursing just now, please come out with us."
Without waiting for the crowd to resist, the Law Enforcers swarmed up and forcibly escorted them away from the spectator seats. All of a sudden, the number of people on this side decreased by nearly two-thirds.
Watching those companions struggling while being taken away one by one, flames of fury almost spewed out of Zhao Yi's eyes. At the same time, Boss Xu's lowered voice came from behind:
"They did it on purpose... Little Yi, this is the courtroom. We absolutely cannot be impulsive, understand?"
Zhao Yi took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart as much as possible. "But... this is fundamentally framing!"
"Fake is fake. Only by staying here can we become witnesses when necessary. I've figured it out, the factions inside this Court of Judgment... are also not that simple." Boss Xu's gaze looked towards the trial stand, his eyes narrowing slightly.
On the trial stand.
Gu Yuan stared at the interrupted prosecutor, "Prosecutor, why didn't you submit these charges in advance before the trial proceedings?"
"Time was urgent. I also only just learned of these matters."
"Then you coming out to make an accusation now, do you have evidence?"
"I do." The prosecutor nodded. "In the aspect of organ trading, we have detailed transaction records. They came from the underground ruins of the Stars Chamber of Commerce. It clearly recorded the entire process of Han Meng organizing the plundering of organs and conducting buying and selling transactions with the inside of the city. As for forcibly collecting protection fees, we also have human witnesses..."
"Please invite the witness, Old Man Ding."
As the prosecutor's voice fell, two Law Enforcers escorted an old man out from the side. The moment they saw that person, Zhao Yi and the others in the spectator seats widened their eyes in disbelief.
"Old Ding?? Why is he here..." Xu Chongguo muttered to himself.
As if thinking of something, chilling killing intent flashed in Zhao Yi's eyes. "This damn traitor..."
Old Man Ding's head hung low. His narrow, long eyes shiftily swept over Han Meng and the spectator seats, yet he fundamentally didn't dare to lock eyes with them. Only after walking to the witness stand did he raise his head and look towards the many Enforcers on the trial stand.
He took a deep breath and spoke with absolute certainty:
"I can testify that every word of the Lord Prosecutor's speech is true!"