He had to handle the situation properly to avoid causing a miscarriage of justice.

In the defendant's dock, Cheng Chuxiao stammered, "I... I-I..." unable to meet Zhou Quanmin's gaze, biting her lower lip.

Zhang Wei's defense strategy had actually been explained to them beforehand. He had asked them to actively plead guilty, stating it was the fastest way to reduce their sentences. If they contested the lawsuit and raised objections, they would lose the discretionary leniency afforded by pleading guilty and accepting punishment.

Under immense pressure, she finally lowered her head and admitted, "I... I... was wrong."

Seeing this, Han Tianming and the others didn't hesitate and spoke up one after another.

"Judgment Chief, I admit my mistake and plead guilty. We had no idea of the consequences of our actions! We intended to stop midway, but the netizens all found out about it, and we couldn't control the situation anymore."

"I also admit my fault, plead guilty, and accept the punishment. I earnestly request the court to consider leniency in sentencing. I will never dare to slander anyone online again."

"I admit my mistake, truly. I was only trying to help a friend; this matter originally had nothing to do with me..."

"Regarding Binbin's death, we are also deeply aware of our mistake. In the future, we will definitely use a leash when walking our dogs."

"Me too. For the damages caused to the plaintiff, I am willing to compensate as much as I can, hoping to gain their understanding."

"..."

The seventeen defendants expressed their positions one after another, speaking earnestly. As they spoke, they even bowed towards Qin Mu, appearing very sincere.

Their feelings towards Qin Mu at this moment were quite complex. After enduring those hellish seven days, they no longer harbored any contempt for him. Beneath his "great fame" lay a trail of defendants' metaphorical skeletal remains. Qin Mu's reputation was built upon those he had prosecuted. And now, they were "fortunate" enough to be the next defendants, perhaps even the kind who would go down in history. In front of Qin Mu, they didn't dare to be the slightest bit insolent, terrified of provoking his "targeting" again.

...

「Jin City.」

「The retirement home.」

「In the courtyard.」

Li Weiguo and the others watched the live broadcast on the screen, their faces filled with surprise. The behavior of Cheng Chuxiao and the other sixteen defendants was completely unexpected. They had imagined Cheng Chuxiao and her group would try to argue evasively, but they hadn't anticipated them lowering their heads and admitting guilt as soon as the trial began. And they did it on a live broadcast, bowing in apology to Qin Mu and Zhang Qingyuan.

"They've suddenly become so compliant; I'm finding it a bit unsettling."

"I still preferred their old arrogance. Weren't they the ones crying out that *they* should be compensated before? What happened to all that?"

"And now they're talking about using leashes? Didn't they claim before that their dogs don't bite?"

"I've never seen a dog that doesn't bite. At most, it just doesn't bite its owner."

"They have no backbone. Honestly, I'm starting to miss Meng Lei."

"..."

As the group chatted, they suddenly brought up Meng Lei. In comparison, Meng Lei seemed to have far more backbone. Eighteen yuan! He refused to pay it back, preferring divorce and the division of property over returning that eighteen yuan!

In contrast, look at Cheng Chuxiao and her group. Once in court, all their professed love for their dogs was forgotten. They didn't say a single word about seeking justice for the dogs, which made the onlookers despise them. Meng Lei was leagues ahead of them in terms of integrity.

"If this is how it's going to be, the case won't be very interesting. They're all trying to get reduced sentences, so doesn't that mean there's no chance to increase their punishment?"

"I think we're getting disappointed too soon. There are still over ten thousand defendants to go. Surely some real characters will emerge."

"Young people these days are really something. 'Wolong Fengchu' used to be a compliment for talented individuals, but now it's become a derogatory term."

"Surely some instigators or hidden troublemakers won't be content to stay quiet. I wonder how many there will be?"

"..."

As Li Weiguo and the others chatted, their anticipation grew. Cheng Chuxiao and her group of seventeen were merely the appetizers. They were at the forefront of the storm, the primary targets of Qin Mu's attention, and by now, they were scared out of their wits. They had absolutely no intention of speaking freely or deviating from their script. Defendants who didn't resist didn't make for compelling viewing. They could only pin their hopes on the subsequent defendants to provide some "spectacular performances."

BANG—

「At the same time.」

On the screen, the sound of the gavel rang out.

After summarizing, Zhou Quanmin announced gravely, "Since the seventeen defendants have pleaded guilty, the main point of contention in this case now lies in whether the defendants meet the conditions for discretionary mitigation of their sentences. Next, we will proceed to the evidence presentation and cross-examination phase."

As soon as he finished speaking, sixteen people in the defendants' dock breathed a collective sigh of relief, their expressions showing their immense relief. Only Cheng Chuxiao kept her brows tightly furrowed.

She was different from the others; she was a principal offender, while Han Tianming and the rest were accomplices. She had to bear the primary responsibility. Zhang Wei had only told her that, at most, he could help reduce her sentence by a year or two. This meant that no matter what, she faced at least six years of fixed-term imprisonment! The others, however, might have a chance to argue for suspended sentences and receive lighter punishment.

"These are the pieces of evidence collected by our side." Qin Mu, representing the plaintiff, stood up and proactively submitted a series of evidentiary materials.

This evidence mostly consisted of chat logs from the "rights defense" group that Han Tianming and the others had set up. These chat logs conclusively proved their past actions of defaming Zhang Qingyuan, Qin Mu himself, and the retirement home. The criminal acts had indeed occurred. As for tracing the account IP addresses, the procuratorate had already done so and issued the relevant forensic certificates. The defendants had no way to deny it.