Chapter 231: The Leader

Two sections of seating were located on either side of the courtroom, facing each other. As soon as Chen Ling sat down, he saw Zhuo Shuqing and a group of other media reporters sitting in the opposite section...

The moment their gazes collided, Chen Ling's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Something's not right."

Wen Shilin, beside him, spoke at the same time. "For a normal court trial, two or three media outlets would be the limit, but this time so many came at once... And almost every outlet has its own representative reporter. This setup is a bit too grand."

"It seems this court verdict won't be that simple." Chen Ling's face was cold as frost.

Just as the two were talking, a large, noisy crowd walked over from the side aisle, heading straight toward the public gallery on Chen Ling's side.

Chen Ling swept his gaze over there, astonishment appearing in his eyes...

"Brother Zhao Yi, what are we doing here?" Ling'er held a young man's hand as they passed in front of Chen Ling.

"We're here to cheer for Chief Han Meng from our Third District." Zhao Yi's face was full of determination. "Chief Han Meng risked betraying Aurora City for us. We wouldn't be here today without him, and we must never forget this kindness... Ling'er, you don't need to say anything later, just sit quietly, understand?"

"Okay~"

Zhao Yi scanned the seats and sat down right next to Chen Ling, with Ling'er next to him.

He hadn't seen Zhao Yi for a while, and he seemed to have matured a lot. He no longer looked like the troublemaking boy on Frost Street, but more like the pillar of a family. The baptism of leaving his hometown had made this young man grow up overnight... He was wearing a tattered gray cotton coat, with faint stubble on his chin, and his gaze toward the judge's bench was incredibly firm.

Ling'er, on the other hand, was dressed relatively newer, with cute braided pigtails, sitting obediently beside Zhao Yi like a quiet porcelain doll.

"Xiao Yi, did you bring the things?"

In the row behind Chen Ling, the voice of Boss Xu Chongguo rang out.

Chen Ling looked back slightly and discovered that all the residents of the Third District who had followed the train into Aurora City were almost all present, totaling sixty-one people, filling up that side of the public gallery completely.

"I brought them." Zhao Yi nodded.

"Give them to us, we'll use them in a moment," Xu Chongguo said, reaching out his hand.

Zhao Yi hesitated for a moment, then pulled something out from under his cotton coat and secretly handed it to Xu Chongguo.

"It's a pity Old Ding is sick and couldn't come, otherwise we would be all here..." Xu Chongguo sighed. "I hope there's a good result this time."

"It's okay, there are so many of us, one person doesn't make a difference," Zhao Yi said, trying to comfort him.

Chen Ling sat right next to Zhao Yi, taking all of this in. A doubt couldn't help but rise in his heart... What on earth were they planning to do? Hopefully, they wouldn't be foolish enough to do something that would antagonize the law enforcement system.

"They're the survivors from the Third District." Wen Shilin also recognized these people and whispered in Chen Ling's ear. "It seems they're here to support Han Meng..."

"Yeah." Chen Ling nodded slightly.

"Brother, you look a bit familiar?" Zhao Yi, beside him, also noticed Chen Ling and scratched his head in confusion. "Have we met somewhere before..."

"He's the hero who drove away that reporter named Zhuo the other day." Xu Chongguo recognized Chen Ling at a glance, his tone full of gratitude. "We meet again. It was a bit rushed last time, may I ask your name?"

"..." Chen Ling paused. "Lin Yan."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Zhao Yi." Zhao Yi reached out his hand. "We might... uh... make a bit of a scene later, please don't be offended."

Chen Ling had a strange expression as he shook his hand. "What are you planning to do? This is a courtroom."

"You'll know in a moment."

As the two were talking, several figures slowly walked out from inside the courtroom and sat down on the judge's bench.

At the head was an old man draped in black and red robes, dressed solemnly and dignifiedly. He sat in the judge's seat, his gaze as deep as a boundless frozen sea.

"That is the Chief Judge of the Tribunal, and the current leader of the [Judgment] path, the Seven-Striped Law Enforcer, Gu Yuan." Wen Shilin explained at the right moment.

"Leader? What's that?"

"You should have heard of the fourteen paths to divinity, right? Each path has many branches, and the so-called 'Leader' is the strongest person of this era on a certain path." Wen Shilin continued. "In other words, he is the 'King' of the [Judgment] path in this era."

"Don't look at this old man as being old now; it's said that back in the day, he once fought the Chief Law Enforcer, the leader of the [Asura] path, one-on-one for three days and three nights without a winner... Unfortunately, perhaps because of his age, the old man's potential is exhausted, and he's still at Tier 7 after all these years. While that [Asura] leader has already stepped into Tier 8, the difference in their strength is now worlds apart."

"Chief Law Enforcer? Is that Tan Xin?"

"No, Tan Xin is just the Deputy Chief. That Chief usually can't be bothered with all that messy business, so he delegated full authority to Tan Xin."

Gu Yuan sat on the judge's bench in the center of the courtroom, glanced at the time, and tapped the base with the wooden gavel in his hand. The dull sound echoed in the courtroom, and the noisy crowd immediately quieted down.

"The trial regarding the Third District's Chief Law Enforcer, Han Meng, now begins." Gu Yuan's calm voice rang out. "Bring in the defendant, Han Meng."

Everyone's gaze fell to the side, and they saw a familiar figure in black prison garb walk out from the edge of the courtroom with shackles on his hands. Two law enforcers followed him on his left and right, escorting him into the defendant's seat, where he stood alone under the judge's bench.

After Han Meng appeared, Chen Ling clearly felt the breathing of the Third District crowd around him become heavy. Zhao Yi, beside him, stared fixedly at the black prison garb, his eyes full of worry.

Han Meng, on the other hand, stood motionless in the defendant's seat, like a black sculpture.

He seemed to have lost some weight since they last met, but his calm, unflappable expression remained the same. Even though he was wearing simple black prison clothes, he still had an inexplicable aura as if he were wearing a law enforcer's trench coat, not at all like a prisoner.

"Next, I will provide a brief statement of the case..." Gu Yuan spoke again.

Just as Gu Yuan was about to say something, two crisp sounds came from the public gallery!

*Snap, snap*—

In the astonished gaze of the crowd, two bright red banners were unfurled in the public gallery. The Third District survivors raised their hands high, trying to hold the banners as high as possible, and the vigorous, powerful characters were immediately displayed before everyone!

——【Great righteousness in heart, sacrificing oneself for others!】

——【Law as firm as a mountain, protecting the spark!】

As these two banners were opened, Zhao Yi also stood up abruptly, picked up a horizontal banner, and held it above his head with a *snap*!

——【Han Meng is innocent!!】