That could only mean...

Someone gave him this information!

Who gave it to him?

The province? No, the province is investigating the pollution case. The other side can't possibly know about this, otherwise who would still care about some pollution case?

A thin sheen of cold sweat seeped out on Qian Jianye's forehead.

The more he thought about it, the more terrified he felt.

The more he thought, the colder his back grew.

If it wasn't the province, then the only one with the ability to mobilize so many resources would be...

The Upper City!

The Upper City was feeding Xu Liang information, letting him fight this case. And during the trial, there was clearly a group of people in the gallery whose bearing was completely different from everyone else's. He had thought they were from the province, but looking at it now...

In an instant.

Qian Jianye's heart skipped half a beat, his breathing stalled for a moment.

If that was the case.

Then Xu Liang's information had already been vetted.

And the judicial personnel who vetted it were... from the Upper City!

"Defense, do you have anything you wish to refute?"

Once Qian Jianye figured it out, he suddenly spoke in fear, though the fear was very well concealed.

He had to drop this case...

The case was far, far too big!

He had to get it off his hands. If he didn't now, the ones who'd be out of luck would not be just this batch of people like Sun Chen... He might not be completely ruined, but at the very least he'd be dragged into the mire, and it would be extremely troublesome then!

Unfortunately.

Liu Kun and Luo Jun were slumped like dead men.

No matter how the people around them urged, they remained motionless, their eyes vacant.

They really weren't much different from dead men.

Qian Jianye's gaze hardened, and he blurted out:

"If you do not respond, the court will deem that you have tacitly acknowledged the plaintiff's submitted evidence has been verified!"

The defense still said nothing.

Seeing this, Qian Jianye gave them not the slightest chance.

He hurriedly leaned to the microphone and spoke, his tone anxious.

"I now announce that this hearing will end the non-public session and shift to a public trial phase!"

"Court recess for ten minutes, granting ten minutes for entry into the courtroom!"

With that said.

He waited anxiously.

And his voice...

At this moment also came out of the speakers, sounding from some of the loudspeakers.

The reporters and residents outside the courtroom, who had been anxiously waiting with tense faces, heard this and their pupils shrank at once.

"They're opening the court again!"

"Hurry... hurry!"

Someone shouted.

Then they quickly followed the bailiffs back into the courtroom.

This hour had been like counting every second as a year for them.

In just sixty minutes, anxiety gnawed at them as they kept wondering what on earth Xu Liang had said in there, and what exactly about this case made it impossible to hold a public hearing!

The key was, with the new evidence appearing...

Which direction would the judgment go!?

Thinking of this.

The reporters, who had already arrived at the main doors of the courtroom hall, stared fixedly at the doors that the bailiffs were slowly pushing open.

And as the crack of the doors widened...

Once they saw inside, they all froze.

What was inside the courtroom?

It was...

The defendants, their faces twisted, utterly losing their public image.

They saw Sun Chen and the others, their eyes dull, hair disheveled like a bird's nest, no trace of light in their gaze.

And the two in front, Luo Jun and Liu Kun, looked like patients, faces deathly pale as they sat in the dock.

This...

"What's going on!?"

Those entering in succession were all startled by this scene.

"Isn't this a pollution case?"

"Environmental pollution—even if heavy metals are that far over the limit, at most you pay compensation and a few responsible people go in. They might not even qualify for a suspended death sentence..."

"What's with this bunch of people?"

"No idea. Luo Jun and Sun Chen and the rest, haven't they already been through twenty years of handling pollution cases? How come they're like this now..."

"During the closed session just now, what did the plaintiff say? What evidence did he pull out!?"

"..."

Everyone whispered among themselves.

They could almost feel the emotions that had been left hanging in the air of the courtroom—a heavy weight pressing on their chests.

No one knew what had just been said.

But... just from the state of the defendants alone, it was enough to prove that the previous phase of the trial must have been brutal for them.

But...

The question looped back on itself.

At the end of the day, it was just an environmental pollution case. No matter how brutal, they shouldn't be in this kind of state!

They looked to the judge for an explanation.

But the entire bench remained silent.

Watching the people file in one after another, Qian Jianye suddenly felt a trace of relief.

If what had just happened had been revealed during the public phase...

If that stuff got out and wasn't handled in time, what would happen to Sunzhou...?

Qian Jianye didn't know, and he didn't want to know, didn't even dare to imagine!

Thinking of this.

He couldn't help but cast a grateful look at Xu Liang.

At the same time, he also thanked his earlier decision to hold a one-hour closed session!

Without realizing it.

Ten minutes passed.

The entire courtroom was very quiet. It was as if they all knew something, silently waiting.

After a long while.

Qian Jianye pulled his thoughts back.

He looked at the dozens of cameras, forcing himself not to search the crowd for those people with extraordinary bearing.

Qian Jianye picked up the gavel and took a deep breath.

"Bang!"

"The trial will now continue!"

With that said.

Qian Jianye hesitated no longer.

He stood straight up.

"Sunzhou City Intermediate People's Court, defendant Luo Jun of Jinyang Steel Plant, defendant Sun Chen of Five Grains Chemical Plant..."

"The defendants filed a lawsuit with this court in accordance with the law in March 2005..."

"The case is being heard today, March 15, 2005, at 2:30 p.m."

"Now, this court holds that the defendant Jinyang Steel Plant..."

"In accordance with the law, the judgment is as follows."

As he spoke.

Qian Jianye paused for a moment, then began to announce the verdict.

"The defendants Jinyang Steel Plant and Five Grains Chemical Plant… have violated the Environmental Protection Law and caused a death."

"They are hereby ordered to compensate the family for lost wages, medical expenses, nutritional expenses… for a total of..."

"Five million!!!"

Fi… five million!?

Not three million, but five million!?

In an instant, everyone's hearts jolted, their eyes filled with shock.

Wasn't the plaintiff only asking for three million?

How did the defendants haggle all through the trial and not only fail to get it reduced, but end up two million higher!?

However...

Qian Jianye paused again, intending to add something about criminal sentences, but he simply couldn't say it. In the end, he said:

"At the same time, all of the above defendants must, upon adjournment, immediately carry out rectification of their factories!"

"The judgment is as stated."

"Do any of the defendants have objections?"

Objections?

"No, I have no objection!"

Sun Chen suddenly snapped out of it, fear on his face, and hurriedly spoke up.

The people from the other plants were about the same.

Objections?

Objection my ass!

Five million?

They'd pay fifty million if they had to!

"Me neither, I have no objection. I'll pay, I'll pay as soon as I get back, and immediately suspend operations for rectification!"

"You can all supervise me, you watch me do it, I promise I'll run my business honestly from now on..."

"No objections, I'll go contact the family right away to arrange compensation!"

"..."

They all scrambled to speak.

The way they looked, not only did they not think the amount was high, they even seemed to think it was too low, as if they had to pay the most and show the best attitude!

Except for Luo Jun.

Even after the verdict, there was no light in Luo Jun's eyes. He might… really be finished.

This scene left everyone present utterly baffled.

"Plaintiff, defendants..."

"If anyone disagrees with this court's ruling, you may file an appeal with a higher court for a second instance trial!"

"This trial is now declared..."

Qian Jianye hurried to speak. Right now he couldn't wait to grease the soles of his feet and run, and only hated that he had just two legs.

"Adjourned!"

"All parties, please leave in an orderly manner."

With that.

Qian Jianye immediately led the other judges out.

He had to take this news to the others...

He had to say it. Since Upper City had let Xu Liang speak, it clearly meant the confidentiality stage was over; they wanted to use this case to conveniently make the steel matter public!

As for...

What would happen to the case after it went public...

Qian Jianye just thought about it for a second, and his face instantly turned ashen. He didn't dare think further, sped up his steps, and quickly left.

And once they saw the judges leave...

In the gallery.

Lin Fuqiang, who had obeyed Xu Liang and not gone to the municipal building for the meeting, could hold back no longer. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

With his face full of horror, he walked over to Xu Liang, who was packing up to leave, his heart shaken to the core.

Lin Fuqiang had confirmed it.

What he'd seen was not an illusion.

Sunzhou really was hiding… people from Upper City!

Just in that one trial just now, he had already spotted quite a few familiar faces.

But the problem was...

How could an environmental pollution case draw in a bunch of people whose slightest stomp hit harder than an earthquake!?

Combined with the non-public hearing just now...

Lin Fuqiang moved closer to Xu Liang, breathing rough and heavy, his voice low, urgent, and tinged with terror as he asked:

"This…"

"What the hell is going on!?"

Sunzhou...

What on earth is happening!?

Lin Fuqiang stared hard at Xu Liang, desperate to get an answer out of him.