CHAPTER 190.1: THE TRIBUNAL (PART ONE)

At 8 a.m. the next morning, armored patrol cars rolled out of the headquarters and headed to the tribunal court in Yangzhi City.

The Martial Valor University students had learned about this and were highly concerned, so they went to Granary Avenue, where the tribunal court was located in the south of the city.

They weren’t solely made up of current students. Among them were also people who had graduated years ago. All of them wore the university’s uniform and stood on the square before the tribunal court. They formed such a large mass of black giving off the invisible, imposing presence of martial artists that all those who saw them felt an immense pressure.

This stole the courage from many of the citizens who had gathered in the area to watch things unfold to get too close. They stayed at a safe distance. The constables had also arrived earlier to set up barrier ropes and post sentries every few meters on either side of the road. This setup went on until the end of the road.

The sun was fully up at 8:15 a.m. Right on time, the Constabulary’s motorcade arrived.

After one of the armored patrol cars came to a steady stop, the door opened, and Chen Chuan got out. He was dressed in the formal wear he wore when he went to the factory. The only difference was that he didn’t bring the Frost King Saber with him this time.

While he had the weapons permit and could bring a weapon everywhere aside from the Department of Administrative Affairs, considering his current reputation, he decided to avoid setting off a certain group of people.

Chen Chuan cast a glance at the tribunal court before him. The building was majestic and solemn under the sun.

Too many people and forces of power were involved in the matter. Practically the entire upper-class of Yangzhi City was dragged into it, so the tribunal court wasn’t going to be able to make the final decision.

Its main tasks were to provide a venue, to serve as an observer, and to announce the final decision, which meant that it was really just there to make this whole thing appear legal.

Just then, Chen Chuan saw the Martial Valor University students on the square.

“Let’s go, Chen Chuan,” Guan Yuming’s assistant said when he paused.

Chen Chuan nodded and walked up the stairs while surrounded by the constables. When he stepped into the tribunal court’s lobby, he smoothed out his clothes in front of the mirror before walking into the courtroom.

***

A telegraph operator in a nearby building took note of it and sent a telegram, which was then redirected to another place. After the telegraph operator on that end interpreted the telegram, he sent it to Mr. Cao from the examination committee of the unrestricted defense permit test. Mr. Cao read it and said, “Got it. Pay close attention to this.”

“Understood!”

Mr. Cao then cast a glance outside. He was in a car right then. The scenery outside flew past swiftly as he went down the public road leading to Yangzhi City.

***

Once Chen Chuan entered the courtroom, he walked up the central aisle, passing the gallery. The benches on both sides were filled with people. They were glaring at him with hostility, hatred, animosity, and all sorts of other negative emotions. There was even wariness and scrutiny in their eyes.

According to Gao Ming, the families of the thirty-seven Mutual Aid Group members weren’t the only ones who had come. Council members from the Consultative Council, the university board of Martial Valor University, and the government officials from the Department of Administrative Affairs were present as well. On top of that, some prominent figures of society, along with some reputable, distinguished members of society who had nothing to do with this incident also showed up. They were here as observers.

The judge sat in the tribunal court. He wore the black-red robes of a judge and had his hair combed neatly. The golden eyewear retainer attached to his round glasses gave him a refined, scholarly air.

Chen Chuan stood to the right, in the area meant for defendants. His position was relatively high up, and the space around him was empty. He was kept a certain distance away from everyone, but could see most of the people in the courtroom.

With a quick sweep, he saw some people he had not noticed on his way in—Lei Guangcheng, Guan Yuming, Bian Feng, Yue Hong. A few other people sat with them. They had stern expressions and gave off a sober air. It was obvious that they were trained martial artists, so they were likely from the Resolution Department.

The people in the courtroom were either famous or important government officials, so they skipped all the cumbersome procedures. The judge waited for everyone to arrive in the courtroom before picking up a bronze gavel and knocking on the base of the xiezhi statue in front of him. The sound spread through the entire courtroom.

When everyone looked over, he said, “This court will now hear the case concerning the old factory of Li’an Machinery. Plaintiff and defendant, please present your statements.”

The Constabulary and the Cult Investigation Bureau presented the information they had gathered. They had ample proof this time, and since Tan Wang was still alive, he could come forward as a witness and provide lots of witness testimonies and evidence.

This was the benefit of seizing control of the crime scene first. They could get comprehensive evidence, which made many things undisputable.

The powerful families knew this, and they had made preparations. They had also come to an agreement that if they couldn’t escape unscathed, they would hand over some insignificant people to the government, but they had to make sure that the children who died were seen as pitiful, deceived kids.

If things went well, they could even turn things around and accuse Chen Chuan of being in cahoots with the secret cult. Their plan was to change the perpetrators into victims.

The people representing the plaintiff and defendant went up the podium and started voicing their opinions and reasons. Neither of them were lawyers, just members of the tribunal court. They were in charge of reading out the statements instead of presenting any arguments.

The people in the gallery listened quietly. The focus of the case was on Chen Chuan, but all parties involved had different interests.

The Constabulary and the Cult Investigation Bureau were concerned about whether Chen Chuan could weather this storm and whether they could dig further into the case.

The Resolution Department was more concerned about weakening or even destroying the recommended students’ united front, thereby weakening the powerful families’ influence on the university.

To do that, they had to protect Chen Chuan. His actions had to be known as just and fair. Otherwise, their goals could not be achieved.

As for the powerful families, their goals were completely different. If they let the murderer of their children walk out scot-free, not only would they be utterly humiliated, but their power would also be weakened. They wouldn’t be able to maintain the current political and economic situation in Yangzhi City.

From then on, if they wanted to survive, they might have to fight each other. Other people might join the battle too.

They were fully prepared for this. They had convinced many council members to side with them and gained influence over the decisions of the Department of Administrative Affairs. With that, they could apply pressure on the Constabulary, Cult Investigation Bureau, and Resolution Department.

But while the council members were tightly connected to the rich and powerful and gave them the upper hand, things weren’t that simple.

The Cult Investigation Bureau, Resolution Department, and Constabulary were three governmental departments who had their own independent combat force and were the most intimidating departments in all regions where they existed. If no military was stationed in a particular region, the Department of Administrative Affairs had to first consider these three departments’ stances on a matter.

If they wanted to achieve their goal and not let the truth get out, they needed to present a righteous enough reason that followed the rules of the Great Shun Republic. If they used their power to keep the truth down, it would not only backfire in their faces, but also more conflicts would arise from it, and they could forget about cooperating with these departments in the future.

Since there were still all sorts of cults, the resistance group, and armored forces around, they needed these powerful departments working with them. There were even times when they needed them to ensure the safety of their families, so it was impossible for them to not exercise caution.

That was why they had to go through the tribunal court.