"Court is in session!!!"

The moment those two words were uttered.

Xu Liang couldn’t help but become serious, his expression solemn, his gaze heavy.

At this moment.

Judge Liu Shennan directed his calm gaze toward Xu Liang and spoke:

"Plaintiff, please state your demands."

Demands...

Yang Ruoxi paused for a moment; she was just about to pull out the evidence she had previously investigated, but unexpectedly, before she could reach for it, Xu Liang pressed her hand down.

Xu Liang silently looked at her, then slightly shook his head.

Yang Ruoxi was stunned upon seeing this.

Without explanation, Xu Liang directly stood up, took out a draft he had written in the waiting room, and said:

"Respected Judge."

"I am the representative of the plaintiff Qi Tao in this case. He is my client, and having signed the contract to gain all permissions, this case will be fully represented by me."

With that,

Xu Liang paused, then turned his gaze to Zhao Hailong, his eyes focused, smiling coldly:

"Our demand is... to dismiss this civil compensation case and convert it to... a criminal murder case!"

Dismissing the civil compensation case!?

In an instant, the people in the courtroom paused slightly and started discussing.

But in the defendant’s seat, Zhao Hailong and Cheng Jia’s faces turned gloomy.

Xu Liang didn’t care about this and directly spoke:

"Respected Judge, before the trial, I need to supplement my previous statements."

"The police case was filed on March 3rd, and at that time, my client deeply suspected that the victim Qi Yu’s death had another cause and was not solely due to the so-called work injury compensation claim!"

"Subsequently, after a thorough investigation, I found... my client’s lawsuit had significant issues!"

"Their true intent was completely distorted, and according to my client’s account, he met Lawyer Zhao Hailong when signing the lawsuit!"

Xu Liang’s gaze was like an arrow, piercing Zhao Hailong’s heart, making him take this seriously.

"The opposing lawyer privately approached my client before filing the case to discuss the compensation issue!"

"During this time, he subtly suggested that my client’s criminal lawsuit be converted into a civil compensation case!"

"Therefore, we have two demands."

With that, Xu Liang paused.

Qi Tao’s filing had significant issues, which Xu Liang noted when first taking the case.

The opposing side clearly suspected that Qi Yu’s death was orchestrated by someone else, essentially murder, a homicide!

If that’s the case...

Why would they proceed with a civil compensation case?

It wasn’t until he thoroughly researched last night that he realized Zhao Hailong had approached him before writing the appeal, and Xu Liang asked him to recount what Zhao Hailong said.

He ultimately discovered... Zhao Hailong was completely leading them on using words!

It appeared to be about compensation, but in reality, it was secretly coercing Qi Tao into conflating murder with civil compensation, then through a rat in the court, redefine a criminal case as a civil work injury compensation case!

Furthermore, the opposing side pulled out a letter of understanding... frankly, if Xu Liang had been even slightly late, signing the letter of understanding would have made the case extremely tricky!

Fortunately, he went just in the nick of time.

Thinking about this.

Xu Liang reassessed his thoughts, took a deep breath, and two sentences echoed within the courtroom.

"One!"

"We request to redefine the case, transferring it from a civil compensation case to a criminal murder case, and subsequently conducting a new trial!"

"Two..."

With that, Xu Liang suddenly locked eyes with Zhao Hailong.

"I request the recusal of the opposing lawyer Zhao Hailong from this trial, on the grounds of abnormal court behavior!"

Upon hearing that.

Zhao Hailong felt a tightness in his chest.

Those two sentences... were directly targeting him!

The latter goes without saying; if he recuses himself, Cheng Jia, who is more inclined toward tactical approaches, won’t stand a chance against them, and the case will end in defeat.

As for the former...

The divide between civil and criminal is like an unsurpassable mountain!

If it were a criminal case... losing would mean bearing criminal responsibility, even potentially dragging others in to accompany Zheng Shijie!

And in a civil compensation case, no matter how badly you lose... it’s merely a matter of spending more money.

"It’s getting troublesome," Cheng Jia said softly.

Zhao Hailong remained noncommittal.

They had already thought it through in the waiting room.

Given that Xu Liang is in Jiang City, the variables are simply too great; they were planning to abandon the case and satisfy the opposing demand, even if it meant compensating 2 million!

Once the case is satisfied, the first trial ending will still pose no threat to them.

But unexpectedly...

Xu Liang’s demand was directly aimed at criminal proceedings, making it impossible for Zhao Hailong to ignore!

If a civil case transforms into criminal, it’s far beyond what a mere pinch can clarify...

It’s like directly seizing their weak point!

However....

"Relax, his demand won’t be fulfilled," Zhao Hailong reassured.

At the judge’s seat.

Liu Shennan looked at Xu Liang expressionlessly and said:

"Plaintiff, please state the basis for your demand."

"If there is no basis..."

"The bench will dismiss your demand!"

Xu Liang didn’t rush to reply.

After making his demands, his eyes squinted, scanning everyone in the courtroom.

There’s a rat hidden in the court.

He didn’t know who it was, not even Zheng Shijie knew!

Yes, Zheng Shijie, who exposed the truth, somehow didn’t know they had someone inside the court!

After the truth was revealed, Xu Liang also tried investigating, but to prevent alerting Zhao Hailong and others, decided to abandon it.

At this moment....

’If this rat isn’t rooted out, my mind will be troubled, and the evidence hard to present....’

Xu Liang murmured in his heart.

Ultimately, he decided... to fish with a straight hook!