Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 336 - 334: Lan Gaojian Makes a Move, Dragging Chen Xianfeng Down?

Chapter 336: Chapter 334: Lan Gaojian Makes a Move, Dragging Chen Xianfeng Down?

p.m., the courtroom.

As the courtroom doors swung open, Judge Chen led the way, with the key members of the prosecution and defense following in succession into the courtroom.

Zhang Wei and Lan Zhengye walked side by side behind Judge Chen, flanked by Lu Wenwen and Xiao Baihe.

Tan Yingying had already arrived early to take her seat on the prosecutor’s bench.

Similarly, on the defense’s bench, Xia Qianyue and Jessica had already taken their seats with Doctor Qian.

However, as Zhang Wei arrived, Xia Qianyue and Jessica went back to sitting in the family section of the defense, alongside Doctor Qian’s assistant, Wang Yali, effectively giving up their seats for Zhang Wei.

"All rise!"

Following the announcement by the Court Guard, Judge Chen took his seat on the bench.

The key members of both the prosecution and the defense also took their seats.

Judge Chen scanned the courtroom and saw many people in the front rows of the spectator gallery.

Procuratorate Headquarters’ Zhao Chunming and Guo Wufeng, a delegation from Pioneer Medical Technology including the CEO, and even Chen Xianfeng were present.

At that moment, Chen Xianfeng was listening to his son-in-law’s report, but his expression was somewhat sullen, showing no response despite the lengthy discussion.

Clearly, the father-in-law didn’t seem to have forgiven his son-in-law yet, as was evident from his demeanor.

However, these people were not the focus of Judge Chen’s attention.

"The jury is in place, and all parties are present, so let’s begin the trial!"

With his declaration, the gavel struck and the trial officially began!

On the prosecutor’s bench, Lan Zhengye straightened his collar and slowly rose.

He walked to the center of the courtroom, bowed slightly to the bench and the jury, and then revealed a slight smile.

Lan Zhengye was handsome and, representing the Procuratorate Headquarters and being a high prosecutor himself, his deliberate display of humility won him many favors.

Lan Zhengye took a deep breath, glanced over at the defense’s bench and after a brief pause on Zhang Wei, he finally made his move.

"Today, we are here to accuse a man of a very, very serious crime on this court!"

"He, the man sitting on the defense’s bench, is named Qian Zhisui, a doctor of medical science and genetics, a scientist, senior researcher in a laboratory and leader of the PD research project, a challenger in the world of science, bringing hope to sufferers of incurable diseases across the globe!"

"Of course, these full-of-honor titles have brought him a certain social honor. But his harmful activities have posed a great threat to the security of our Dragon Country!"

"Doctor Qian Zhisui, took advantage of his work convenience, entered the laboratory of Pioneer Medical Technology, stole project research materials and confidential data, and planned to take the materials to a lab collaborating with foreign forces!"

"One can imagine that if their actions were successful, the cutting-edge technology of our country’s genetic disease research, the project data from our top laboratories, would all be lost to foreign countries, causing economic losses exceeding tens of billions and not to mention the hard work and effort put in by countless researchers and the public security threat the leakage of these experiment data might cause!"

"You may not know that Pioneer Medical Technology’s research focus is not just as simple as genetics. Their research also involves virology and pathology. If foreign forces get hold of the first-hand data from virus research, what they might do with it is unimaginable!"

With that, Lan Zhengye finished his statement.

His words cast a solemn atmosphere across the entire courtroom.

Viruses and diseases, these are very dangerous things.

If foreign forces get their hands on research material, or even research materials, will they create something terrifying?

(For some well-known reasons, the author Germ shan’t delve into details about viruses!)

Thus many people became scared upon hearing these words.

When people become scared, they become fearful.

But once afraid, they begin to loathe the cause of their fear.

And the one causing the threat was obviously the defendant.

If your plan really succeeded, would we not likely live in fear every day?

Loathing, disdain, and even hatred!

Both the spectator gallery and the jury looked at the defendant Qian Zhisui on the defense’s bench with eyes filled with hostility.

The jury’s gaze was straightforward—they seemed to be telling Qian Zhisui, "We despise you!"

"Lawyer Zhang, I feel..."

"Don’t rush, this is all within expectations!"

Just as Qian Zhisui started to speak, Zhang Wei immediately offered reassurance.

Lan Zhengye was no ordinary adversary; his opening statement was very powerful, something Zhang Wei had known all along.

But an opening statement is just an appetizer. As long as one can handle the main course and counter with a trump card, there is a chance to turn things around in the trial.

However, for now, he needed to wait...

Wait for an opportunity!

In the courtroom.

After Lan Zhengye finished his statement, it was finally time to call witnesses.

"Your Honor, the prosecution requests to summon the special forces spokesperson Zhou Xiaoli to testify," said the prosecutor.

"Hmm, the court approves," responded Judge Chen.

As Old Chen nodded, a person familiar to Zhang Wei ascended to the witness stand.

It was strange to think that the very first time Zhang Wei had confronted Zhou Xiaoli, this woman had stood on the opposite side from him.

At that time, it was for his uncle Xia Qianjun’s case. Zhou Xiaoli had always wanted Zhang Wei to reconcile with the opposition, but sadly Zhang Wei was unwilling, and they parted on bad terms.

But that case actually turned out well in the end.

Because Zhang Wei won and cleared his uncle’s name, although at the cost of his uncle’s social death.

Moreover, Zhou Xiaoli eventually stepped in and had the opposition arrested.

Overall, although Zhou Xiaoli and Zhang Wei viewed things from different perspectives and had different objectives, they both stuck to their moral compass.

And this time, they were once again on opposite sides.

Zhou Xiaoli stepped up to the witness stand and took her seat.

"Guider Zhou, hello!" greeted Lan Zhengye.

"Hello, Lan Gaojian," she responded.

The two exchanged greetings.

Lan Zhengye began to question, "Guider Zhou, I recall that after Dr. Qian Zhisui stole confidential documents and experimental materials, it was your special forces unit that was dispatched and intercepted him, right?"

"Yes!" she confirmed.

"Could you tell us how much time it took from when you received the information to when you took action?" he inquired.

"5 minutes to lock down Dr. Qian’s location, 10 minutes to get to the airport, and 2 minutes to secure him—17 minutes in total!" Zhou Xiaoli answered.

"So, after the special forces had secured him, what did you find on him?"

"On his person, there was an identification card of his assistant Wang Yali, a briefcase containing experimental materials, and a USB flash drive loaded with research data."

Upon hearing the words "USB flash drive," Tan Yingying on the prosecutor’s side felt an involuntary shudder.

She glanced at the defense’s bench and saw Zhang Wei sitting there, which made her breathe a small sigh of relief.

Thank goodness, it’s the evidentiary flash drive, no need for her to be a tool.

That was a scare, next time in court please don’t mention flash drives, okay? I have some serious trauma here!

Zhou Xiaoli on the witness stand was unaware that her testimony had triggered someone’s reflex. She simply answered Lan Zhengye’s questions concisely.

"What kind of data was on the USB drive?" Lan Zhengye asked.

"It contained information related to the Pioneer Technology Laboratory, including genetic data, scientific research reports, some clinical trial reports, and..." Zhou Xiaoli paused, glancing at the defense’s bench.

"And what else?" Lan Zhengye quickly asked.

"There was also information concerning virus and microbiological research," she revealed.

At these words, the courtroom erupted in a buzz of conversation.

The prosecution’s witness had mentioned those two dangerous words again, and jury members and spectators alike began whispering to each other.

But their gazes towards the defense were eerily the same.

Dr. Qian Zhisui was stealing research secrets, even virus research. What did he intend to do?

Whatever it was, it seemed to be a very dangerous affair.

The direction of the courtroom shifted decidedly in favor of the prosecution.

Or rather, everyone in the courtroom was hostile towards Dr. Qian Zhisui, hostile towards the defense.

Lan Zhengye, of course, felt the change in the court’s mood, but he knew that this advantage was not enough to defeat Zhang Wei.

If it had been any other lawyer, they might have begun considering conditions for a plea deal by now.

But Zhang Wei was different; he was like an indestructible cockroach with formidable vitality.

"Guider Zhou, if I may ask, since you intercepted the defendant and he was preparing to board a flight, do you happen to know his subsequent itinerary?" Lan Zhengye probed.

"Of course!" She nodded and explained, "We didn’t only intercept his flight route but also, through investigating his mobile and computer data, we learned that he had been in contact with the laboratory all along, trying to find someone to take over his project!"

"In the end, he found a laboratory in the north and exchanged several encrypted emails with the head of that laboratory. Even though decrypting them was challenging, we managed to crack some of the emails and discovered that the defendant and the head of the laboratory discussed genetics and viruses most frequently!"

Upon hearing this, Lan Zhengye finally smiled.

"Oh, so Dr. Qian had premeditated this affair even while he was working for Pioneer Medical Technology, and had been secretly dealing with that laboratory?" Lan Zhengye deduced.

"Objection!"

Just as Lan Zhengye’s words had not yet faded away, Zhang Wei indeed rose to his feet.

"I take back what I just said!"

Lan Zhengye offered a slight smile and immediately apologized.

But what his face lacked was sincerity, so naturally, his apology was not heartfelt.

His aim, however, was achieved because everyone in the courtroom knew that the defendant had long planned the "betrayal" of Pioneer Medical Technologies!

In the audience, many people had smiles on their faces.

Zhao Chunming and Guo Wufeng were on the verge of pumping their fists in the air and shouting with excitement.

This time, let’s see how you, Zhang Wei, can escape this death trap!

Chen Xianfeng also smiled, and even the look he cast toward his son-in-law next to him softened slightly.

Qian Zhisui, you are ultimately going to prison, and it’s best you never come out in this lifetime!

On the prosecution’s side, Lu Wenwen also smiled, beaming from ear to ear, secretly praising Lan Zhengye for his prowess.

Even Lan Zhengye himself was smiling.

While his smile was not overly unrestrained, the upturned corners of his mouth betrayed his excited heart.

A classic moment: The advantage is mine!

"Does the prosecution wish to continue questioning?"

Old Chen could no longer hold back, hastily stopping this group from showing off, while casually reminding them.

Mostly because you, damn it, are laughing so inappropriately. Although everyone knows you have the upper hand, please be mindful this is a courtroom proceeding.

Didn’t you see? When you laughed, others laughed along. Please show some seriousness, this is my, Old Chen’s, courtroom!

"Your Honor, the prosecution has no further questions for this witness at this time!"

Lan Zhengye yielded the stage and sat back down at the prosecution bench, his gaze fixed intently on Zhang Wei.

He wanted to see how Zhang Wei would counterattack under such an onslaught.

Zhang Wei stood up and walked to the front of the courtroom.

"Hello, Guider Zhou!"

"Hello, Lawyer Zhang!"

The two were acquainted, so their greetings to each other were relatively normal.

"Guider Zhou, the members of the special combat unit are really amazing, aren’t they? They caught my client in just 17 minutes!"

"Lawyer Zhang, if you want to compliment your uncle, you don’t need to tell me!"

Zhou Xiaoli chuckled and threw in a teasing comment.

"Cough, cough!" from a corner of the courtroom, court clerk Li Qinghua coughed.

She was speechless too, because her daughter, her son, and her son-in-law were all sitting in the courtroom.

What a situation!

If Xia Donghai hadn’t been an external staff member who needed to be on duty outside, he might have actually come to the hearing to observe.

Then it would have been a real family reunion right there in the courtroom.

"Sorry, I didn’t make myself clear,"

Zhang Wei quickly apologized and glanced at his mother-in-law.

So, his mother-in-law had objections, it seemed he needed to keep a lower profile.

"Cough, cough, Guider Zhou, let me ask more clearly then, I want to know if you received the message in time, which is why you were able to locate Dr. Qian’s position, right?"

"Of course, our special combat unit’s operational guideline is to act swiftly and eliminate any threat to the safety of Dongfang Capital!"

"Then, may I ask, who provided you with this information?"

"Sorry, that’s operational secrecy, I can’t disclose it to the courtroom!"

Zhou Xiaoli refused right away when Zhang Wei asked the question, "Protecting the confidentiality of our informants is a work requirement, please understand!"

"Oh, then let me ask it this way, is it Pioneer Medical Technologies that provided you with this information? Did they inform you of the possible route my client might take, did they—"

"Sorry, I can’t tell you this information!"

As Zhang Wei pressed on with his questioning, Zhou Xiaoli once again refused to answer.

Seeing Zhou Xiaoli’s refusal, Zhang Wei smiled and said, "I see, that makes things difficult. Because if you don’t tell the courtroom the source of this information, your arrest action is as good as baseless. Even if this basis is your own protocol, in the eyes of the public, an arrest always needs proof, right?"

"And even if you did arrest my client and confiscated some experimental materials and data from him, these materials and documents are not necessarily evidence of so-called treason. If I can prove..."

"Ahem, actually, this matter is not difficult to handle!"

Just as Zhang Wei decided to counter Zhou Xiaoli’s argument, Chen Xianfeng, who was seated at the hearing panel, stood up.

"Your Honor, and Guider Zhou, I, Chen Xianfeng, can tell everyone here that it was my Pioneer Medical Technology that provided information to the special operations team!"

When Chen Xianfeng realized that Zhang Wei decided to question the basis for the arrest, he could not sit still any longer.

While Zhou Xiaoli, for some reasons, did not wish to disclose the details of the operation publicly, Chen Xianfeng was not a member of the special operations team, and he could disclose it himself.

"I would like to clarify here that my Pioneer Medical Technology has cooperated with Dragon Country on several research projects that benefit the public. We also oppose any actions that endanger the security of our country, and of course, we would never tolerate the defendant Qian Zhisui’s act of treason!"

He spoke with righteous indignation, his expression extremely serious.

"Oh, then that’s odd. If you lost something, shouldn’t you have reported it first? Why did you directly contact the special operations team?"

Zhang Wei countered with a question and reminded them, "I checked the police report from the day of the incident and found that the investigation department did not receive a report promptly. Instead, after my client was arrested, the investigation department began to trace and investigate the case!"

"To me, it seems like you let Dr. Qian steal the items on purpose and then had the special operations team catch him, framing him with the charge of treason!"

The moment he said this, Chen Xianfeng’s expression changed.

Zhou Xiaoli, who sat at the witness stand, also had a change in her complexion.

This conjecture was truly beyond many people’s expectations.

Could it really be that Chen Xianfeng had used the special operations team to arrest the defendant and frame him with a charge of treason?

"Objection!"

As Zhang Wei voiced his speculation, Lan Zhengye immediately stood up to interrupt.

"The defense lawyer is making baseless speculation!"

"Hmm, the objection is sustained," Judge Chen nodded, then turned to Zhang Wei; "Lawyer Zhang, please do not make such bold and hypothetical remarks!"

"Your Honor, that’s not how you should put it!"

Despite this, Zhang Wei did not apologize; instead, he approached the witness stand again.

"Guider Zhou, I would like to ask, during your subsequent investigation with the investigation department, did you find some suspicious issues?"

"What kind of suspicious issues?" Zhou Xiaoli countered.

"Such as my client!"

Zhang Wei pointed to the defendant’s bench and said, "My client, Doctor Qian, is over fifty years old and spends all day immersed in the laboratory. He’s practically a bookworm."

"May I ask, how could he, all by himself, steal core confidential data and experimental materials from a heavily guarded laboratory containing confidential research data?"

"This..." Zhou Xiaoli frowned, which was something she had considered as well.

Pioneer Medical Technology’s security seemed a bit too lax.

In the end, she could only speculate that Qian Zhisui had unusually good luck that day, coincidentally there was only one person on the night shift.

"I have investigated, and there are usually four staff on duty in Pioneer Medical Technology’s labs, with patrol staff every 2 hours. But that night, there was only one person on duty, which is a bit odd, isn’t it?"

"Moreover, the laboratory’s security system update was way too delayed. After Dr. Qian was dismissed, his assistant, Wang Yali, was also restricted by the company, but why wasn’t her access to the vitally important lab removed? How could my client enter the core laboratory so easily with just an ID card, bypassing multiple layers of security, and take away the core materials under the surveillance of so many cameras?"

"This..."

Zhou Xiaoli also hadn’t expected that Zhang Wei had done so much homework, even looking into the details of those security systems.

"Chairman Chen, I would like to ask you this question as well. As the top executive of Pioneer Medical Technology, I want to know if your company’s security system is a mere formality? My client was able to walk in with a card and two legs, and under the watchful eyes of so many surveillance cameras, he effortlessly took the core materials?"

"If this is how Pioneer Medical Technology guards its core secrets, then I have to question whether the high-level cooperation with your group is appropriate?"

Zhang Wei turned his fire towards Chen Xianfeng at the hearing panel and cross-examined him in court.

Chen Xianfeng’s expression changed immediately because Zhang Wei’s questions were full of malice.

If he didn’t answer well, he might make others think less of his company’s strength, or even raise suspicions among the higher-ups.

"Objection, irrelevant question!"

But just as Chen Xianfeng felt somewhat unsettled, Lan Zhengye preemptively stood up.

You, Zhang Wei, can ask the witness stand, but you definitely cannot ask the hearing panel. They are not court witnesses and do not need to answer your questions.

"Ahem, the objection is sustained. Please, Lawyer Zhang, address your questions to the witness, not to the audience!"

Judge Chen also gave a reminder.

Zhang Wei sighed in disappointment internally; he had hoped to drag Chairman Chen into this matter, but his attempt was thwarted.

However, he knew that if it didn’t work this time, there would be a next time!

Next time, for certain!

He would definitely drag Chairman Chen into the water!