The reasons had been reported in advance, and the circumstances were understandable. The lawsuit had not been withdrawn; according to regulations, the trial still had to proceed.

Meanwhile, in the defendant's dock, Cheng Chuxiao, Han Tianming, and the others exchanged bewildered glances, utterly speechless.

"Sister Cheng, your... where's the lawyer you hired?" Han Tianming asked, looking blankly at their empty lawyer's bench.

Cheng Chuxiao: "..."

Beside them, the lawyer's bench was also completely bare. Not a single person was there.

"I... I had an appointment with Lawyer Zhang to meet at the courthouse entrance at 9:20. How could I have known he still wouldn't be here by now?" Cheng Chuxiao forced a smile, equally speechless.

Actually, none of them had anticipated the massive crowd outside the courthouse today, which was why they had agreed to meet at the entrance at 9:20. But when she arrived at 9:20, she found the entrance swarming with people. It was impossible to find Zhang Wei. Left with no choice, she could only manage to push her way inside. The short distance of a few dozen meters took her a full half-hour to squeeze through, just so she wouldn't miss this court session.

Who would have thought... her defense lawyer, Zhang Wei, hadn't made it inside at all. Clearly, Zhang Wei wasn't squeezing through the crowd as quickly as they had.

"The other side is even more ridiculous. Not even the plaintiff has arrived," Han Tianming said darkly, pointing at the plaintiff's bench.

Cheng Chuxiao glanced at the plaintiff's bench.

For some reason, a sense of satisfaction suddenly arose in her heart. Qin Mu had sued so many people this time; it seemed he was finally getting his comeuppance. It looked like he, too, was stuck outside the courthouse, struggling to get in for a long time. Unfortunately, the crowd outside was from all over the country and didn't recognize Qin Mu. Otherwise, the scene outside would certainly have been spectacular.

「At the same time.」

In the nursing home, Li Weiguo, Song Tiancheng, and others sat in front of the big screen, their faces etched with bewilderment. At ten o'clock sharp, they were full of anticipation, ready for the trial to begin. But instead, while the live broadcast feed did appear, the screen only showed the Judgment Chief, the judicial panel members, and the defendants like Cheng Chuxiao. Both the plaintiff's and the lawyers' benches were empty. Not a single person had shown up! Even the opposing counsel hadn't managed to make it.

"What in the world is going on? Where are Xiao Qin and Old Zhang? Where are they?"

"Could this case have been dismissed? I heard that if the plaintiff doesn't show up, it's considered an abandonment of the lawsuit."

"Will someone hurry up and call Old Zhang and the others to ask what's actually happened?"

"For such a big case, it better not be dismissed out of the blue! Otherwise, even the litigation fees won't be recoverable. That's over a hundred million down the drain for nothing!"

...

Li Weiguo and the other elders began to discuss, growing more anxious with every word. They all understood the consequences of the plaintiff's absence. They further understood that the litigation fees were paid in advance; if the case were dismissed due to an unjustified failure to appear, those fees—paid by the plaintiff—would not be refunded at all. Unless one actively chose to withdraw the suit, in which case it might be possible to get half the litigation fees back!

And for this lawsuit, Qin Mu had invested all his assets and taken on a massive loan. If he really didn't show up... he might lose his entire fortune, down to his very last pair of pants.

Amidst everyone's anxiety, the clerk on the live broadcast screen stepped forward and explained to the camera that the lawyer was stuck at the courthouse entrance and was on his way. The trial would not be cancelled but postponed.

"So they're stuck at the courthouse entrance? The area outside the courthouse is quite large, but it's not that long a walk, right? Five minutes at most."

"Could it be that over ten thousand defendants are all squeezed outside? That scene must be quite spectacular."

"I told you Xiao Qin and the others should have set out earlier."

"Seeing that the opposing counsel hasn't arrived either, I'm relieved."

...

The group continued to chat, feeling reassured. They watched the screen, eating and drinking. As long as the lawsuit wasn't withdrawn, waiting a bit longer didn't matter. Good things come to those who wait, as they say.

And in a corner of the yard, Wan Zhongyuan, blending in with the elders, sat on a bench, looking down at his phone. For this court session, he had delegated the nursing home's litigation rights to Qin Mu, so he hadn't gone to the courthouse himself. But as the deputy director, he was equally concerned about the case, so he had been sitting here since early morning.

It was past ten o'clock. "Just how many people are outside the courthouse?" He frowned, picking up his phone to search for information on the situation. But as soon as he opened the search bar, he received several local news alerts on his phone.

"Shock! Sea of people outside Jin City's district courthouse, numbers reportedly exceeding forty thousand!"

"The Courthouse Besieged: Is this a twist of human nature, or the descent of morality?!"

"Warning! Do not drive near the courthouse at this time! Once you go in, you might not get out!"

"Trial for 15,000-Defendant Case Begins Today, But Plaintiff and Lawyers Blocked Outside Courthouse! Trial Temporarily Postponed!"

These news reports spread with incredible speed. Within just a few minutes, they made the top headlines. The articles even included drone footage of the "sea of people." As far as the eye could see, it was all people. The courthouse was completely surrounded by a flood of humanity. The sight was truly astounding.

Wan Zhongyuan couldn't help but swallow hard upon seeing these photos. He felt a sudden bout of claustrophobia coming on. Qin Mu, this time... seemed to have truly thrown the entire internet into an uproar!

「In Zizhou.」

In a high-end residential complex, Qing Lan sat in her study before the computer, also following the live broadcast of the trial. But, like everyone else, she too was staring blankly at the empty screen.