Atlas of Heaven and Man

The next day, at eight in the morning, a convoy of armed patrol cars led the way, and a line of vehicles drove directly from the headquarters of the Patrol Bureau towards the Yangzhi City Court.

The Wuyi students had received the news in advance and were very concerned about this matter, so they arrived early at the Court located on Canglin Avenue in the south of the city.

Among these people were not only freshmen but also graduates who had been out of school for many years. They uniformly donned the formal attire of Wuyi Academy students and stood silently in the square in front of the Court. Looking out, it was a dark mass of people, and the invisible aura emanating from these fighters exerted tremendous pressure.

This scene also caused a large number of citizens to gather around and watch. They dared not get too close, only watching from a distance. The patrol officers of the Patrol Bureau had also arrived in advance, not only setting up barriers but also stationing an officer every few meters on both sides of the street, extending all the way to the end of the road.

At eight fifteen, when the sun was high in the sky, the Patrol Bureau's convoy arrived in front of the Court.

One of the armored vehicles came to a stop, the door opened, and Chen Chuan stepped out. He was still wearing his formal attire, but this time he did not bring the Snow Monarch Saber.

Although he had a weapons permit, theoretically he could take it anywhere except government departments, but considering his current reputation, he decided not to provoke certain people too much.

He looked at the Court ahead. In the sunlight, the building was solemn and dignified, but because this matter involved too many people and forces, it had implicated almost the entire upper class of Yangzhi City. Therefore, the Court itself could not play a decisive role.

Its greatest role was to provide a venue, as well as to act as an observer and the pronouncer of the final result, going through a procedure that ostensibly complied with the law.

At this time, he also saw the Wuyi students who had come spontaneously in the square. At this moment, the deputy sent by Guan Yuming beside him said, "Brother Chen, let's go."

Chen Chuan nodded and, under the protection of a group of patrol officers, stepped onto the steps and entered the front hall of the Court. Here, he adjusted his clothes in the mirror and then walked into the Court hall.

As he walked in, in a building nearby, a telegraph operator was transmitting a telegram to a certain place, eventually reaching a certain regional headquarters. After the receiving operator translated it, it was delivered to Commissioner Cao, who was sitting there. After reading it, he said, "Understood. Keep monitoring."

"Yes!"

He glanced outside, the surrounding scenery rapidly receding. On the national highway, the entire convoy was heading towards Yangzhi City.

Inside the Court, Chen Chuan entered the Court hall and walked along the upward slope, passing through the audience seats towards the front. He could see that many people were already seated on both sides, looking at him with hostility, disgust, hatred, and some wariness and scrutiny.

According to Gao Ming, not only would the family members of the thirty-seven students come this time, but also members of the Political Affairs Hall, the Wuyi School Board, and officials from the Political Affairs Hall. In addition, there would be some social elites, reputable and influential people unrelated to the matter, attending as observers.

The judge was sitting in the center of the Court, wearing a black and red judge's robe, his hair neatly combed, wearing a pair of round-rimmed glasses, and a gold-threaded lanyard around his neck, looking cultured and refined.

Chen Chuan went directly to the defendant's position on his right, which was higher and more open, at a distance from everyone, but he could still see most of the people present.

He glanced around and saw Director Lei, Deputy Director Guan, and others whom he had not seen just now, as well as teachers from Wuyi such as Bian Feng and Yue Hong. Sitting with them were several people, with serious expressions and solemn auras, who were clearly well-trained fighting experts, probably from the Handling Bureau.

Because this time, the attendees were all celebrities and dignitaries from Yangzhi City, all kinds of cumbersome procedures were omitted. The judge waited until everyone had arrived one after another, then picked up a small copper hammer and struck the base below the Xie Zhi statue in front of him, making a loud sound that echoed throughout the hall.

After everyone looked over, he said, "This court will today adjudicate the case of the old Lian Mechanical Factory. Please the plaintiff and defendant read their statements."

The Patrol Bureau and the Secret Sect Investigation Bureau had previously submitted the collected materials. This time, the evidence was very sufficient, especially since Tan Wang was still alive and could provide a lot of testimony and evidence.

This was the benefit of controlling the scene in the first place. The materials were very detailed, and many things could not be denied at all.

The powerful families also knew about this matter and had made many preparations in advance. They had reached a consensus that if they could not completely exonerate themselves, they would hand over some insignificant people, but they must portray the powerful children present as victims of deception.

If things went smoothly, they could even turn around and accuse Chen Chuan of being the one colluding with the secret sect, turning the perpetrator into a victim.

Representatives of the plaintiff and defendant took the stage one after another and began to state their views and reasons. These two were not lawyers, but personnel from the Court, responsible only for reading and not making any arguments.

In the future, in order to protect themselves and survive, they might attack each other, and even more and more people would join the ranks of tearing and devouring them.

This time, they had made full preparations. First of all, they had persuaded a large number of council members to side with them, thereby influencing the Political Affairs Hall, so that they could put pressure on the Patrol Bureau, the Secret Sect, and the Handling Bureau from top to bottom.

However, although these council members had inextricable connections with powerful forces and seemed to have the advantage, it was not that simple.

The Secret Sect, Handling, and Patrol Bureaus were all three government departments in the region with independent armed forces and the greatest deterrence. Without military power in the region, the Political Affairs Hall had to consider the opinions of these departments.

Therefore, if they want to suppress this matter and achieve their goals, they need at least a publicly justifiable reason and comply with the rules of the Da Shun Republic. Forcing it through with power will not only fail to suppress it but will also create more conflicts. They can forget about getting these departments to cooperate in the future.

Considering the various cult members, resistance organizations, and armed groups outside, they not only need the cooperation of these powerful departments even more, but it sometimes involves their own lives, so they cannot be careless.

Therefore, the procedure must be followed.

At this time, the plaintiff and defendant had finished their long statements. Then, the family members of the deceased came to the stage to speak. Those who appeared were all elders and women from the families of the deceased.

They recounted the warm and touching, heart-stirring past events of the "victims," one by one, detail by detail, all spoken with sincerity. At emotional moments, they couldn't help but sob and cry, moving many of the listening and attending personnel. Low sobs also echoed from under the stage.

The judge watched silently from above, and when these people finished their statements, he looked at Chen Chuan and, as usual, asked, "Defendant Chen Chuan, the plaintiff accuses you of killing thirty-seven students at the abandoned Lian Machinery Factory in the Xigang District on the night of the twentieth. Do you admit to this?"

This was just a process. Under normal circumstances, the defendant would deny doing these things. Next, the lawyers from both sides would come forward and engage in courtroom debate. Considering the complexity of this matter and the number of forces involved, it could be a rather lengthy process.

However, he did not expect that after asking this question, Chen Chuan looked over calmly and said, "I killed them. All thirty-seven of those people were killed by me that night."

The judge was a little surprised. He didn't expect Chen Chuan to admit it so readily, but that wasn't the main point. It was actually difficult to deny this matter. The key was the reason for the killings.

He continued to ask, "Then, before and during the killings, were you coerced by someone, or manipulated by a secret religious ritual, which caused you to commit the homicides?"

Chen Chuan said calmly, "No, I killed these people entirely out of my own will. I was not coerced in any way, nor was I affected by any secret religious rituals."

As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar in the audience.

"Murderer!"

"Murderer!"

Finally, someone couldn't help but stand up excitedly and ask in a shrill voice, "My child was well-behaved and honest, always very filial to his parents. He was just a child, still a child… Why did you kill him? Why!?"

Chen Chuan turned his eyes over and said, "Because he deserved to die."

The newest novels are first published on 69shuba.com!

The man trembled when he was looked at like that. "You, you…"

Chen Chuan looked at the seats, looking down at everyone sitting above, and said sincerely, "Every one of them deserved to die. They intended to control me with a secret religious ritual, but they didn't succeed. Later, they even shot at me. To protect myself, I had no choice but to kill them all."

"Intended? What do you use to determine their intentions?"

Angry and justified accusations came from below. "Even if they shot at you, that's not a reason for you to slaughter them. You have no right, you murderer!"

"Actually…" Chen Chuan looked at him, "I do have that right."

As he spoke, he reached into his pocket. However, this action made everyone nervous, and some couldn't help but want to call security.

The judge also became nervous. He knew that Chen Chuan had killed dozens of martial arts students and security guards holding guns in one breath. If he went crazy on the spot, even with security present, he would be in danger being so close.

He quickly said, "Student Chen, what are you going to do? If you want to take something, our staff can help you get it."

Chen Chuan said slowly, "Just showing you the power, that's all." He slowly took his hand out, and in his hand was a card. He held the card up in front, displaying it to everyone.

It was a cyan-black jade card with blood-red patterns like cinnabar spreading out, resembling dyed blood.

Because the distance was a bit far, some people didn't see clearly what it was, but the people sitting in the front row saw it very clearly. Some people who recognized it couldn't help but exclaim:

"Unlimited Defense Permit?!"

The judge stared fixedly, adjusted his glasses, looked at Chen Chuan, and muttered a supplement, "And it's a Class B permit…"

Chen Chuan's steady and powerful voice echoed in the court:

"You ask me if I have the right, I'm telling you I do. This is the legitimate defense power granted to me by the Da Shun Republic government. When I realize that someone is persecuting me, or feel that my life is in danger, I obtain the right of unlimited defense, so… I eliminate all threatening targets within sight, leaving none behind!"

The courtroom was silent, with only the sound of his ending words echoing there for a long time.

Many people looked at Chen Chuan in fear, and some people's hands were trembling slightly. They couldn't say whether it was because of this news or for some other reason.

"Unlimited Defense Permit, how could he have an Unlimited Defense Permit!? It's fake, it must be fake!" Someone immediately questioned from the audience, immediately stirring up a clamor.

The judge then picked up the hammer and struck it once. The sound immediately suppressed the noise in the audience. He looked at Chen Chuan and said, "Student Chen, for the sake of fairness and justice, please allow me to examine the defense permit in your hand."

Chen Chuan nodded and said, "Okay."

The judge walked down from the stage, took the card from Chen Chuan's hand, checked it, and said, "It's real. The material, the serial number, and the name all match, and… this is a Class B permit."

After he said this, the seats were silent. Many people from powerful families in attendance were pale, some sitting there weakly, because they knew that with this permit, unless caught red-handed or the evidence was extremely unfavorable, it would be almost impossible to be convicted.

Wei Hang couldn't help but close his eyes, knowing that the situation he least wanted to see had appeared.

They had considered this possibility before, although the probability was very low, but they could never stop because of this assumption. Could they actively give up pursuing this matter?

So even if Chen Chuan really had an Unlimited Defense Permit, this step had to be taken.

But in this way, they could no longer use public procedures to kill Chen Chuan, but he still had another choice, although this was also a choice that, once taken, could never be turned back.

He looked at the young man sitting next to him, who nodded to him. So he stood up, leaning on his crutches, "Judge, and everyone present, I have something to say."

……

……