Chapter Eighty-Seven: A Turn for the Better

If it was shown on television, then that was that; at most the host or commentator would tack on a line about continuing to follow the matter, and that would be the end of it.

A newspaper might, at best, run a detailed report, a follow-up piece, and an in-depth commentary.

But the internet was different.

Over the past two days, new video clips had kept leaking out. Even if the source was traced to an IP address, it led to foreign servers, and there was nothing anyone could do. The fresh clips came in endless variations: one moment it was Chudong brandishing a stick and beating Viata savagely; the next, it was the blood-soaked scene of Chudong thrusting his hands into Viata’s eyes and blinding him. In short, in the videos, Chudong looked like a deranged killer.

At first, the posts on sites like Tudou, Youku, and Ku6 were all like that, but later they were deleted because they were too bloody. Even so, the so-called Killer Gate videos kept appearing on small, obscure websites, and even on foreign sites trying to boost traffic.

Among netizens, if you said you had never seen the art photos of certain entertainment stars, that was still understandable. But if you had never seen the Killer Gate videos and photos, then you were a little behind the times.

The comments poured in like a flood, and everyone was debating Chudong, this apparently cold-blooded "killer."

"Pervert. Drag him out and chop him into pieces."

"Too fierce. If only he had been born half a century earlier. With a hero like that, would the Japanese have had a chance to bully us?"

"Too terrifying. Does this person even have a shred of compassion..."

"No words..."

"Big brother, do you still take in little brothers? My QQ number is **********. Please be sure to reply when you have time..."

After some bored busybodies tallied and investigated the numbers, they found that the little spring from the online camp who supported Chudong accounted for forty percent of the total, and they were all children under eighteen. Those who believed Chudong was cold and cruel and called for severe punishment made up fifty-nine percent. The remaining one percent refused to express any opinion at all.

No matter how netizens commented, what followed was a deluge of condemnation and criticism. All the commentators and legal programs pointed their weapons at Chudong, who was still in custody. In the end, to put it in one sentence, they were so enraged they wished they could bite the flesh from Chudong’s bones.

Dalian’s weather in early autumn did not change much. The sea breeze was only a little cooler, with none of the scorching feel of summer.

It was just getting light when Tan Xue and Li Youlan brought Little Jade to the hotel where Zhao Baode was staying to find him.

"Uncle Zhao, tomorrow is the trial. Do you really have confidence that you can save my brother-in-law?" Little Jade asked Zhao Baode as soon as she saw him.

"Heh, the problem shouldn’t be too big. A lot of the work is already done. It all depends on whose trump card is better in this round." Zhao Baode let the three girls in and closed the door.

"Really? What exactly is your trump card, Uncle Zhao? Just tell us a little. We, we’re honestly terribly anxious, especially with those videos spreading online. It’s just nonsense!" Tan Xue had spent the past few days using every connection she had to try to learn inside information about Chudong, but to her disappointment, apart from everyone’s speculation and conjecture online, she had found nothing useful.

That only made the three girls increasingly restless, and in the end they could not help coming to Zhao Baode.

"It’s not the right time. But I can promise you this: Chudong won’t be in any real trouble. He will still have to bear the responsibility he should bear. Justice must be done, after all." Zhao Baode still had the mood to joke.

Although they had not gotten a clear answer, the three girls felt somewhat steadier. Even so, they canceled the shopping trip they had originally planned, because none of them had the heart to waste time.

At first, Gao Jun had been very invested in the case of exposing the underground arena. He had wished the judicial process would start immediately and the verdict would come down at once, so that the prosecution of Chudong and the thugs among the organizers caught at the scene could begin.

Who would have thought it would become such a huge uproar? By the time he regretted it, it was already too late. The interrogation of the people at the scene by the Development Zone Branch Bureau had not yet fully concluded, and the evidence collection was still incomplete when word came that the trial would officially begin on October fifteenth. In view of Chudong’s suspected intentional injury, his participation in a gambling case involving a huge sum of money, and the strong public reaction it had caused, the Dalian Intermediate People’s Court conducted a public trial in the interest of openness and fairness.

On the day of the trial, the weather was fine. Many journalists from all kinds of media came to the scene, of course along with ordinary citizens, and even several provincial and municipal television stations’ legal channels and programs broadcast the proceedings live in full.

First, the presiding judge read out the court record and rules of order, and then the prosecutor read the long indictment. It was hard to tell whether Chudong truly had crimes too numerous to recount or whether the prosecutor was simply too verbose, but in any case it took a full half hour before the prosecutor finished laying out the charges against Chudong: intentional assault, participation in gambling, and even refusing to explain matters and giving false testimony to shield Li Youlan.

After the prosecutor finished reading, the reporters at the scene actually applauded, a rare reaction that showed just how much prejudice the videos circulating online had created in their minds.

The presiding judge first asked the prosecution whether there was any additional evidence to submit. After learning that there was video footage and that some of the organizers’ underlings could testify, he then turned to the defense and asked whether Chudong’s side had any objections to the prosecution’s charges.

"Honorable presiding judge, jurors, the prosecution, and all friends present who care about this case, I am the defense attorney for the defendant Chudong, Zhao Baode." Zhao Baode stood up and first introduced himself, then began to state his position. "In the case of my client beating Viata in full view of everyone, please note: beating him. That is the prosecution’s characterization. I believe no one here is unaware of it. But first, I would like to put forward a different view of the nature of this brawl."

Unlike the lawyers they had seen before, Zhao Baode did not sit in his seat holding a sheet of paper and reading with his head down. Instead, he walked out from behind his table.

"Some of you may know that my client and the injured party had no prior connection. They met in an underground arena, and it was only when Viata threatened the life of Liu Tian, the fighter who had been facing him before the incident, that my client stepped forward and came into direct, face-to-face conflict with the injured party, thus triggering this struggle. Does the prosecution agree with what I have said?"

After thinking it over, the prosecution nodded in acknowledgment. After investigating the matter, he also understood the situation at the time, and he could not deny what Zhao Baode had said.

"Good. Then let me move on to the next point." Zhao Baode smiled and nodded. "Based on the injured party’s previous capabilities and the unwritten rules of underground boxing, unless one side goes down and can no longer fight, the match does not end within the specified time. Even if you beg for mercy, your opponent will not agree. Everyone here should know that, right? Then think about this: if there were a hungry tiger in front of you and you had a wooden stick in your hand, would you use the stick to drive it a few meters away and let it glare at you, or would you cripple it within your power so that you would be left in a position where it could not threaten you?"

Zhao Baode did not look like a lawyer delivering a defense. He looked more like he was giving a speech as he spread his hands. "What I am saying is, of course, hypothetical. But everyone may wish to consider whether this hypothesis is appropriate.

"We have a large number of witnesses who can prove this. You must understand that Viata’s destructive power was far greater than a tiger’s, because his intelligence was also far above that of ordinary animals. Liu Tian, a seasoned sanda fighter, nearly lost his life to him. My client, as an ordinary person, when he could still strike back, was he not even more endangered than if he were facing a ferocious tiger?"

Zhao Baode showed no sign of stopping.

"My client, under those circumstances, somehow became the 'beating the injured party in full view of everyone' described by the prosecutor. I cannot agree with that. And as for the prosecution’s claim that my client, Chudong, participated in gambling, I must say I find that even harder to accept. I do not know what evidence the prosecution has to prove this. Did my client have tens or even hundreds of thousands in cash in his pocket? Or were his fingerprints found on the cash at the scene? From beginning to end, my client had a total of seven thousand four hundred yuan in his pocket, untouched, not a single cent spent. And the minimum amount for gambling participation starts at ten thousand yuan. I would like to ask: did you supply my client with the stake?"

By the end, Zhao Baode’s tone had become sharp and forceful. He stared straight at the prosecutor with the air of a counterattack, leaving the prosecutor speechless for a long while.

Feeling that he had put enough pressure on the prosecution, Zhao Baode finally shifted his glare away. "Presiding judge, I have finished my statement." Then he walked back to his seat and sat down.

The reporters present were all a little dumbfounded. Before they came, they had thought this case held no suspense at all. Some had even already drafted their headlines: the arrogant young master brought to justice, the complete story of the Killer Gate murderer’s downfall and imprisonment, and so on. A few of them had already nearly finished their articles at home, just waiting for the proceedings to end so they could notify the newspaper and get the piece published. In journalism, seizing the lead meant seizing the market.

Who would have thought that, after hearing the defense counsel’s words in court, the killer almost seemed to have become a Tiger Hero instead?

They had originally felt no goodwill at all toward this cold-looking "killer" from the videos, but now, seeing him sit quietly there with a calm expression, and with the lawyer’s argument on top of that, the reporters felt that this somewhat handsome young man must have a major story hidden beneath the surface. Today’s hearing would definitely not be as simple as they had imagined.

Upon hearing Zhao Baode’s defense, some of them could not even hold back and secretly called outside. "Tell the editor-in-chief not to publish the draft, absolutely do not publish it. Something has changed..."

Tan Xue and Li Youlan had already been released on bail and were sitting in the front row of the gallery. Hearing Zhao Baode’s brilliant defense, they grew excited as well, their hands clenched tightly, as if that would lend them strength.

Little Jade was still in school and could not come. Before the trial, she had called her sister several times, telling her to inform her the moment there was any result. If she had been there too, she might have leaped from her seat and shouted for victory.

"Quiet in the courtroom. Observe court discipline." The presiding judge was somewhat displeased with the reporters. Only after he had the bailiff go over and take away the phones did the deep crease between his brows ease a little. "Does the prosecution have any objection to what the defense attorney has said?"