Empire of Shadows

On Wednesday morning, the fat boss Johnny was pushed into the King's Port City Court in a wheelchair by his daughter. His case was being heard here today.

King's Port City is very prosperous, so there are many cases that need to be heard every day. Some small cases go to the fast court, but criminal cases such as injury must have a formal trial process.

You have to give the defendant and the plaintiff the right to defend themselves and claim their legal rights. This is written in the charter.

"I'm a little worried, Dad," the fat daughter said, sitting next to him. Her smell was a bit strong, and even Johnny couldn't stand it.

He doubted whether her boyfriend had rhinitis, or whether his daughter had some special ability to keep a man from leaving her.

Of course, these thoughts only flashed through his mind. He maintained a confident expression, "I consulted a lawyer. This is just a small case, and there will be no surprises."

In fact, the two had discussed this issue twice, but the fat daughter still felt uneasy, "But they hired a lawyer."

As soon as he said this, Johnny became a little upset, and his voice unconsciously became louder. This is almost a common problem for people at the bottom.

When they are questioned, they will try to prove that they are more reasonable by raising their voices!

"I said, I consulted a lawyer. I am an indisputable victim. They can't just hire a lawyer and the judge will ignore my current miserable situation and determine that I beat them up alone!"

"So the result of this matter is only how much money they can compensate me, and whether I forgive them, that's all!"

As he was talking, a gentleman in a suit suddenly walked over. Honestly, it's mid-to-late September now, the hottest time of the year, and wearing a full suit is also a ruthless move.

If there are no accidents, this person is a lawyer, because only lawyers dress so neatly.

"Mr. Johnny?" the lawyer said, somewhat arrogantly, standing in front of him with his head held high, casually raising his hand and waiting for Johnny to reach out and shake it.

That condescending look made Johnny feel humiliated, even though the other party hadn't done anything, and only said a word.

After three seconds, he nodded, then gestured that he couldn't shake hands, "It's me, so..."

The lawyer retracted his hand. He turned his head back. At this time, Johnny tilted his head and saw several young people sitting on the other side of the corridor, laughing and joking.

To this day, he still remembers how cruelly these people attacked him. Those painful memories reappeared, and his blood pressure began to rise, "You want me to forgive them?"

The lawyer shook his head, "I mean you can settle out of court. I know it may sound excessive to you now, but..."

Before he could finish his words, Johnny roared, "I am the victim! I am the one who decides the final outcome of this lawsuit, not you!"

"Now, get your damn arrogance out of our sight!"

Johnny looked back at his daughter, "Push me somewhere else. I feel disgusted when I see people who can do anything for money!"

The fat daughter looked at the lawyer awkwardly, "I'm sorry, I..."

The lawyer shrugged indifferently, "It's your choice," he said, shaking his head and turning to walk towards the young people.

The fat daughter pushed Johnny aside, "You shouldn't have said that to him. He's a lawyer, and it's easy for a lawyer to make trouble for us."

Johnny didn't care at all, "Let him come if he wants. These vampires won't do anything if there's no benefit. They actually want us to settle out of court?"

"I'm telling you, don't even think about it!"

Thinking of his miserable pleas that night and their violence despite his pleas, it's not about the money anymore. What he wants is to vent his anger, a breath of malice!

The fat daughter's unease became stronger, "You should at least have listened to him, maybe..."

"Don't even think about it. Even if I die, even if I fall from here, I won't listen to him say another word!"

Johnny's temper was out of control. Maybe the woman who left him had a way, but she left.

The fat daughter sighed, "I think we're going to screw this up."

Johnny snorted coldly and didn't speak. He was already thinking about telling the judge in court how hateful these lawyers and those little devils were, just like in some movies he had seen, righteously and sternly.

The lawyer returned to the young people, and he showed a regretful expression, "The other party refused to settle out of court, so now the only thing I can do is to make you pay as little money as possible, and serve as little time in prison as possible."

Several of the young people's parents thought about talking to Johnny again, but the lawyer thought it was not feasible, but of course he would not stop them.

The fact was indeed the case. After they explained their intentions, Johnny directly told them to get lost, which also made these parents very angry.

Although their children did something wrong, it had nothing to do with the adults, and they came with good intentions.

Twenty minutes later, the court officially began. Johnny was pushed to the plaintiff's seat by his fat daughter, and then the judge walked in in a hurry, looking very tired.

After a series of court etiquette, the judge glanced at Johnny, "Is your lawyer late, or did you not hire a lawyer?"

Johnny shook his head, "Your Honor, I consulted a lawyer. The lawyer believes that a case that can be seen through at a glance like this does not require a lawyer to defend me."

The judge wanted to laugh, but he held back, "I will pay attention," and then he looked at the young people in the defendant's seat, and their lawyer, "The plaintiff did not hire a lawyer, so let's start with you."

The lawyer stood up and bowed, "Thank you for taking the time to hear this case. I am Anthony, a lawyer from the Gold Diamond Law Firm, and I am currently taking over this case."

"Your Honor, first I need to introduce my clients..."

The lawyer took out some materials. He told the judge that at least four of his clients had been diagnosed with agitation and exhibited violent tendencies.

At the same time, he said that the whole case was not a crime of passion or a random crime. They were just a group of young people who were overwhelmed by friendship and lost their minds.

At the request of a good friend, they tried to retaliate against the boss who oppressed and exploited the apprentice, but because they were young, psychologically immature, and had violent tendencies, the matter had serious, but not irreparable, consequences.

He presented multiple documents, including proof that these children had actively participated in community voluntary labor, and proof that they had completed high school courses with at least a C+.

Their neighbors also testified that these children were usually very sensible and obedient, and were willing to help other people in need in the neighborhood.

In short, he produced enough evidence to prove that this was just an accident, and there was no intention to commit a crime.

Then, naturally, the main person responsible for all these consequences became the apprentice.

The apprentice's mother had begged the lawyer several times, as the last thing she could do for her son before she left, and had already done.

Seeing that the woman with some beauty let him fool around, the lawyer finally agreed to defend the apprentice.

However, he also told the apprentice's mother that he was very likely to go to jail, and the best expected result was three to five years, and most likely around five years, which was the limit he could do.

If she could come up with at least 50,000 yuan, then he could try to defend the apprentice's innocence, and then reduce his sentence to about a year and a half to two years, and then get him out directly through other means.

But unfortunately, the apprentice's mother did not have this money, even if she started using her specialties to make money now, it would be too late.

This is the benefit of hiring a lawyer, but Johnny doesn't know.

After the judge looked at all the documents, it was indeed as the lawyer said, these young people could not be said to be excellent, but at least they were qualified federal teenagers.

He glanced at the silly Johnny sitting there, and then asked the lawyer, "I noticed that you mentioned in this document that this person named... was oppressed and humiliated."

The lawyer turned to look at the apprentice. The apprentice stood up, "That's right, Your Honor."

The judge pursed his lips, "Can you tell me, how did he humiliate you?"

He looked down again, "It also mentions your mother?"