Chapter 247: Not Guilty

"What evidence?"

"Before the court session, we received a handwritten letter from the Deputy Chief of the Law Enforcement Officers of Aurora City. In the letter, Officer Tan Xin states that the defendant Han Meng's act of releasing the train into the city that day was done under his secret instruction..."

When the defense attorney took the envelope out of his bag, whispers erupted in the courtroom.

"Han Meng opening the gate was under Officer Tan Xin's orders?? What is going on?"

"I don't know... If that's true, then this whole trial was just a misunderstanding? But why wouldn't Tan Xin just order the gate opened directly instead of letting Han Meng bring the train in that way? That doesn't make sense!"

"Could there be other concerns? Like internal conflict among the officers?"

"Regardless, Tan Xin has testified for Han Meng, which means he is indeed innocent... Accusing him of being a Twilight Society member is complete nonsense."

"I thought something was fishy before. You're a Twilight Society member just because you found a playing card under the bed? I have two decks of cards at home... That Fang Lichang really has major issues!"

“……”

The letter was sent to the tribunal. Gu Yuan opened it, glanced at it briefly, and set it aside.

"The defendant's rebuttal statement is complete." The defense attorney finished and looked up at the tribunal. "The accuser has left the scene, and facts have proven that all his accusations were deliberate frame-ups... What is the final verdict for the defendant, Han Meng?"

Gu Yuan sat on the judge's bench, slowly flipping through the documents in his hand without answering immediately. The surrounding jury also whispered, as if discussing something.

Meanwhile, a noisy commotion came from outside the courthouse doors.

Through the glass windows, one could see residents holding newspapers gathering outside, peering in... And as time passed, more and more people arrived. After a moment, someone suddenly shouted:

"Release Han Meng! Officer Han Meng is innocent!"

The moment this voice rang out, the Third District group in the gallery was stunned. They looked blankly out the window, not knowing what was happening.

"Boycott the trial's corruption! Boycott the deliberate suppression! Officer Han Meng fought for a glimmer of hope for the survivors and performed his duty faithfully! He should be innocent!!"

"Officer Han Meng is a real man! If you frame even him, are you still human?"

"We demand that all details of this case be made public! Clear Officer Han Meng's name!"

"Release Han Meng! Han Meng is innocent!!"

“……”

More and more figures shouted outside. Their voices passed through the open doors of the courtroom, echoing continuously inside... Han Meng, standing at the defendant's bench, was slightly stunned, his eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment.

Xu Chongguo in the gallery seemed to think of something. He bent down and picked up the newspaper Fang Lichang had dropped earlier. The headline was the article exposing the Star Chamber of Commerce's organ trade. When he flipped the newspaper to the second page, he froze in place.

"This is..."

"Han Meng is innocent!!" Perhaps fueled by the voices outside, the Third District group, who had been listless due to the loss of their banners and megaphones, suddenly stood up from the gallery as if injected with adrenaline, their eyes bright as stars!

"Han Meng is innocent!!"

"Han Meng is innocent!!!"

Zhao Yi clenched his fists, shouting along with the others, one after another. Even Ling'er stood up, one hand tugging at Zhao Yi's sleeve, the other waving forcefully in rhythm with them, her small face full of seriousness.

The commotion inside and outside the courtroom left the officers maintaining order in a panic. Even the passersby in the opposite gallery began to shout for Han Meng. With so many people disrupting the court, they couldn't manage it at all; the scene was chaotic.

Among the group of Third District people waving their fists and shouting, Chen Ling was the only one sitting quietly in his seat. He scanned the entire courtroom, the corners of his mouth curling upward;

He pushed up his glasses, stood up gently, and walked out of the courtroom alone amidst the chaos and shouting...

His brown overcoat fluttered in the wind, like a person behind the scenes walking offstage after orchestrating a brilliant performance, amidst the thunderous applause of the audience.

The performance was over. Perhaps no one would ever know what happened behind the scenes, and no one would know the truth, but Chen Ling didn't care... He only cared about one thing—

Today, the victory was secured!

The moment Chen Ling stepped out of the courtroom door, a crisp gavel sound came from behind.

*Thud—!*

"Following the final deliberation of the Aurora City Tribunal..."

"Defendant Han Meng is acquitted!"

The moment the last four words were spoken, a cheer erupted throughout the courtroom. Amidst the enthusiastic applause, Han Meng, standing at the defendant's bench, seemed to sense something and turned his head slightly to look behind him...

On the long path bathed in glass-like light behind him, a figure in a brown overcoat glanced back once, then turned and disappeared into the courtroom entrance.

"Officer Han Meng is really acquitted!"

"I knew it, good people get good rewards! Now we can finally sleep well!"

"Remember to take the banners and megaphones when we leave later, don't forget, those things cost a lot of money..."

Amidst the joyful conversation of the Third District group, Zhao Yi seemed to remember something, his gaze sharpening slightly.

He turned and walked straight out of the courtroom.

"Xiao Yi, where are you going?" Xu Chongguo, holding Ling'er's hand, asked in confusion upon seeing this.

"I have something to do. You guys go back first."

Zhao Yi said, and before Xu Chongguo could speak again, his figure disappeared outside the courtroom...

On the tribunal, Gu Yuan and the other officials stood up, preparing to leave. When his gaze fell on Han Meng below, he spoke:

"Han Meng, you may go."

Several officers walked up with Han Meng's clothes and personal belongings. Han Meng was silent for a moment before taking them all. "Thank you, Senior Gu Yuan."

"Don't thank me, I only did what I had to do," Gu Yuan replied flatly. "However, if it weren't for someone helping you in the shadows, this trial wouldn't have gone so smoothly... In a sense, both you and I should thank him."

As he finished speaking, Gu Yuan turned and left in his black trench coat.

Han Meng's observation and reasoning skills had always been strong. Even without Gu Yuan's hint, he had already sensed the anomalies in the courtroom today. He certainly didn't believe that this series of reversals and the retaliation against Fang Lichang could have happened without someone pulling the strings... But since arriving in Aurora City, he barely knew anyone. Who would help him like this?