Hello, Mr. Major General

The judge was so angry that he almost lost his cool. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and allowed his thumping heart to calm down. This was actually a small issue. He had been collaborating with York for many years and had closed many cases in favor of bribery. However, this time around, he felt that his days of abusing power would be coming to an end. He couldn’t think straight, so he merely said in a hushed tone, “Then go and solve the problem! Quick!”

The secretary rushed off again. The judge looked around at the court that he was so familiar with. Even though he looked calm, his trembling hands exposed his true thoughts. He willed his shaking hand to hold the gavel and tried a couple of times before finally managing to hold it properly. He intended to end the hearing today.

Gu Nianzhi was close enough to him to overhear the conversation. They’d found out about the live streaming. Gu Nianzhi felt that she had already done all she could, and the Germans already knew what they should do. Now, they would wait and see how this case would develop on social media platforms and in the German media. Without question, if foreigners like them wanted to speak out about the highest-ranking police officer from Roslau in Germany, they had to debate.

“Silence! Due to the fact that there is new primary evidence, the case shall be postponed. Court adjourned!” The judge slammed down the gavel unsteadily and dashed out of the room.

York and Ramona looked at each other in confusion, not understanding why the judge had gone against his word. They had initially agreed that the judge would be releasing their son as innocent of all charges, and then they’d be sending him abroad to lay low for a period of time. However, there was no verdict, and the judge had just left. What had actually happened?!

Looking fixedly at the judge, Gu Nianzhi did not feel good, either. This was especially so after looking at the information that the officers had provided her with and the autopsy report from the coroner. Niya’s testimony also fell on her shoulders like a boulder, weighing her down. Even though they had won hands down, there was no smile on Gu Nianzhi’s face. She closed her laptop, put on her oversized shades, and walked out of the courtroom with He Zhichu and his assistants.

The moment they were out, whoooah! The area was full of people! It seemed like the media from all of Germany was present. Germany’s broadcasting companies, local papers, magazines, and online media—especially the ones who did the live streaming—sent all their reporters to the location. They wanted to interview the plaintiff’s lawyer, defendant’s lawyer, and plaintiff’s and defendants’ parents. Basically, they wanted to interview everyone who was related to the case.

Gu Nianzhi looked over at the plaintiff’s parents instinctively. They were from an honest and average family, and had never seen such a massive turnout before. Immediately, they stood dead in their tracks.

“Professor He, let’s take them away.” Gu Nianzhi tugged at He Zhichu’s shirt.

Shaking his head, He Zhichu whispered, “We don’t have to worry about them. Minister Bai has sent people to bring them over. They’ll shield them from these people.”

Almost immediately, a few Hua Xia Empire citizens who were wearing shades stood in front of the victim’s parents. “Thank you for your attention on this case. We hope that Germany is able to investigate the justice system in this country, punish the evil and reward the good, and bring justice to the people who died.”

Even though it was a default response, Gu Nianzhi felt more emotional when she heard it at this point in time. These men were clearly from the Hua Xia Empire’s Embassy. It would definitely sound perfect and professional when the officer from the department of diplomatic services spoke, way better than how Gu Nianzhi could’ve put it.

Gu Nianzhi wasn’t worried anymore. The parents would never be taken advantage of if they followed these people. She entered the car along with He Zhichu. After reaching the hotel, Gu Nianzhi took a long shower and had a change of clothes before meeting up with He Zhichu and the team. They were going to have a celebration of victory. Even though the case hadn’t been closed, today’s live streaming was enough for the corrupt people to handle for a good period of time.

The six of them invited their driver to join them for a meal at the four-star Michelin restaurant that He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi had discovered. Gu Nianzhi loved the weisswurst sausages in that restaurant. She ate four of them at a go. Delicious food really had a calming effect on one’s mood. Gu Nianzhi felt a whole lot better after her sausages.

They were having dinner in the restaurant’s al fresco area. It was a quiet and cooling night. The fireflies flying around in the bushes looked like tiny, moving lanterns. The slightly smoky air came from the Alps and Bavarian mountain ranges, making the night air crisp and cool.

He Zhichu and his male assistants were all having stout. Only Gu Nianzhi was having a hazelnut latte with a slice of blueberry cheesecake. The lovely scent of Bavarian roses was all around them. Everything was as perfect as it could be. Gu Nianzhi felt that she could even get drunk on the beauty of this evening, even though she was only having coffee.

He Zhichu was on the seat beside hers. It was a perfect distance, neither too far nor too close. He wasn’t looking at her. Instead, he was listening to his assistants talking. They drank as they discussed the case. The secretary, Smith, who had been sent to check on their new branch office in Germany, was so regretful that he did not even look at Gu Nianzhi. He was afraid that He Zhichu would punish him again if his eyes lingered on her for a little too long.

He Zhichu did not eat much. With a pint of stout in front of him, he turned to Gu Nianzhi. “I need to meet with some people from the German government in the next few days and set up the branch there. What do you intend to do?”

Gu Nianzhi supported her chin with her hand and enjoyed the refreshing breeze as she felt herself relax. She wanted to laze around. What could she do for the next few days when there wouldn’t be a need to be in court? She wanted to look for Huo Shaoheng, but Germany was so huge, how could she do it? Gu Nianzhi laughed at herself internally, but her face remained straight.

After contemplating, she said, “I’ll rest. I’ve been busy since I touched down for the case. My jetlag is still bugging me. I’ve been able to pull through the past few days only with caffeine.”

Nodding, He Zhichu asked her softly, “Why so passionate about this case?”

Gu Nianzhi could not understand, either. She twirled her hazelnut latte in her hand and mumbled, “I have no idea.” In the beginning, she wanted this opportunity to come to Germany to look for Huo Shaoheng. However, after arriving, she realized that finding someone there was near to impossible. That was when she decided to focus fully on the case. Eventually, she felt rage building up in her the more she discovered. She even felt like she was in the same boat as the victim. Then, without realizing it, she had let herself go all out for the case.

He Zhichu’s flirtatious eyes looked even gentler in the romantic night. He reminded Gu Nianzhi softly, “When you’re a lawyer, you just have to do your job well. Never put in too much emotion. A successful lawyer does not have to have too much empathy, but he or she will require an immensely high level of clear headedness. Otherwise, with too much emotion, it’ll affect your ability to judge objectively. Think about lady justice, Justitia. She will look cold forever, and would rather cover her eyes and use the balance in her hand to differentiate right from wrong. This is because she cannot be swayed by emotions.”

Gu Nianzhi knew that He Zhichu was enlightening her, so she accepted it humbly. She took her latte and had a sip.

Finally, dinner was over. The four assistants were so drunk, they could not even walk straight. Thankfully, they did not have to drive. The driver took them back to the hotel and looked at Gu Nianzhi. “Miss Gu, everyone was praising you, you know?”

The live streaming of the hearing had been deleted from the court’s official account. However, netizens were quick enough to save it and upload it to various other online platforms for everyone to see. Gu Nianzhi’s face was never seen in the video, but her voice was remembered by the masses. Her perfect English with an Oxford accent and He Zhichu’s perfect German translation both left a deep impression in everyone’s minds.

This driver had clearly watched the video as well. Even though Gu Nianzhi did not appear in that video, he recognized her voice. She looked gentle and frail. He did not expect her to be as sharp as knife in court and make the popular gangster lawyer, the judge, and York, who seemed to not be afraid of anything, dumbstruck.

“Thank you.” Gu Nianzhi nodded, smiling. “But it wasn’t my doing alone. Our team is really good! They did most of the work. I was just presenting.” Gu Nianzhi did not want to take all the credit on her own. To be frank, the people who deserved the most credit were the investigators who worked tirelessly on the case. Even though they did not dare to stand up for it, they hid the important evidence so that she could have it in court to bring justice to light.

If they had not provided her with that evidence, she wouldn’t have been able to convince everyone, no matter how good with words she was. It was because of these people that the people in corrupt Roslau could still believe in humanity. Gu Nianzhi was really grateful to the prosecutor who gave her all the information and thankful to the policemen who hid the critical evidence from the corrupt officials. Had they not gone against the culprit’s high-ranking parents, this case would really not have been solved in such a short time.

Gu Nianzhi raised her coffee cup, faced Munich’s starry night sky, and toasted, “To everyone who believes in justice.”

In the field of law, there were so many types of people. Everyone looked up to the professionalism of lawyers. Therefore, if a lawyer decided to go against his or her conscience, it would be an easy task to distort the truth. Thankfully, the public’s knowledge and ability to distinguish between right and wrong had been improving over the years. The era when someone was able to have total authority over everyone was over.

Gu Nianzhi thought of Huo Shaoheng. If he had been here with me, he would be really proud of me, wouldn’t he? …Because she was protecting the thing he deemed most important.

…

Gu Nianzhi did not know that he was in a dangerous situation when she was missing him. Huo Shaoheng was someone who had lots of patience. Even though he was only 29, he had been on the verge of death for ten years and had fought with people who were the elite, the smartest, the most cunning, and most evil enemies from all over the world.

Sitting in the apartment he had rented, Huo Shaoheng removed his bandage carefully and checked on his injury.