Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 419 - 415: Refuting Witness Viper, Concrete Proof Against Ghost!

Chapter 419: Chapter 415: Refuting Witness Viper, Concrete Proof Against Ghost!

Zhang Wei rose and announced:

"The defense calls one of the defendants, Zhao Xiaoxiao, to the stand to testify on her own behalf!"

Upon hearing this witness, no one in the courtroom was surprised.

Because the defense was at a disadvantage, they needed strong evidence to prove their point.

And with only one witness left for the defense, who else could they call to the stand if not her?

"Finally, she arrives!"

On the prosecution side, Qin Yang also revealed a cold smile.

Zhao Xiaoxiao was finally going to be a witness.

"The court approves, please call the witness to the stand!" Old Li also struck his gavel timely, nodding in agreement.

Beneath the gaze of everyone in the room, Zhao Xiaoxiao made her way to the witness stand.

Zhang Wei also felt the pressure; he looked toward the spectator seats and saw Xiao Baihe and Xia Qianyue casting encouraging glances at him.

In the corner of the spectator seats, there was still no sign of Zhao Qingyan.

"Looks like I’m on my own then!"

Without Zhao Qingyan’s help, Zhang Wei could only do his best and leave the rest to fate.

Zhang Wei approached the stand and greeted Zhao Xiaoxiao: "Hello, witness."

"Hm." Unfortunately, that was the response he received.

Zhang Wei was momentarily speechless, then he started making faces at Zhao Xiaoxiao frantically.

A few seconds later, Zhao Xiaoxiao reluctantly replied, "Hello, defense attorney..."

Zhang Wei sighed. His own daughter was good in every aspect, but she treated him with a bit of neglect.

"Witness Zhao Xiaoxiao, I know the defense may ask you about Ghost, but do you know Ghost?"

"I..." Zhao Xiaoxiao’s eyes flickered as she shook her head: "I don’t know the guy who hacked into my computer, nor do I want to know who he is."

"Oh, you don’t know who he is."

Zhang Wei understood.

Who was this person that hacked into Zhao Xiaoxiao’s computer?

Although both of them had an answer in mind, they kept silent.

After all, in everyone’s eyes, that person was certainly Ghost~

"Last weekend, the CSB Department conducted an investigation and obtained evidence from your computer equipment. They found a digital signature of the Ghost in your computer, is that correct?"

"Yes."

"The CSB Department found traces of intrusion in your computer equipment; are you aware of this?"

"Yes."

"Have you never considered the possibility of being hacked?"

"Yes."

"It seems like the intruder is quite skilled."

"Yes."

Zhang Wei rolled his eyes; he didn’t need her to answer his last remark—it was a rhetorical expression of his frustration.

Zhao Xiaoxiao blinked innocently, looking quite naive and unaffected.

Their back-and-forth somewhat lightened the tense atmosphere in the courtroom.

The jury, which had been on edge, seemed to ease up upon witnessing the interaction between Zhao Xiaoxiao and Zhang Wei.

Seeing the positive effect, Zhang Wei decided to press his advantage.

"Zhao Xiaoxiao, are you interested in the term ’hacker’?"

"Yes."

"Have you heard of TheGhost?"

"Yes."

"If you were given a chance to become the notorious Ghost of the hacker world, would you seize that opportunity?"

"Yes..."

"Cough, cough!"

Zhang Wei promptly interrupted as his daughter was about to nod again.

This time, your answer needs more thought; don’t keep saying "yes," or it won’t have the right effect.

So Zhang Wei fervently gestured to his daughter.

Finally getting the hint, she composed her thoughts and replied with a clear voice, "To be honest, I really admire the Ghost, so when I heard there was going to be a hacker convention, I couldn’t resist and planned to impersonate Ghost to tease others, but I didn’t expect..."

"Didn’t expect that we’d go together and then get caught by the CSB Department, right?"

"Yes."

Zhang Wei was speechless; his daughter was really something...

"So you’re saying that you came across information about a hacker convention and decided to attend it?"

"Yes."

"Did you get the information from Ghost?"

"Yep."

"Do you know if the other party was Ghost?"

"I dunno."

As Zhao Xiaoxiao spoke, she explained with innocent eyes, "I’m just a naive little girl, how would I know about these things?"

With her answers, the tense atmosphere in the entire courtroom also dissipated significantly.

"Oh, so it’s this tactic after all, what a joke."

From the prosecution’s bench, Qin Yang also realized it.

Zhang Wei was having his witness play the innocent, cute card in court.

The key was, quite a few jurors were actually falling for it.

Qin Yang immediately recalled the questions Zhang Wei asked while selecting the jury at the start.

Zhang Wei had inquired whether the jurors had children, whether they had daughters or sons, whether they had younger siblings.

He also asked if they got along well with their family and if they loved their family members.

Now, Qin Yang finally understood the purpose behind those questions, which was to lay the groundwork for Zhao Xiaoxiao’s appearance in court.

At this moment, Zhao Xiaoxiao appeared like the girl next door, innocent, cheerful, and lively.

After all, who could bear to hurt a "harmless" young girl?

The jurors who loved their families certainly wouldn’t do so.

Although Qin Yang noticed Zhang Wei’s intention, he didn’t mind it one bit.

Because his trump card was already prepared.

And about Qin Yang’s ace, someone still knew nothing.

"Thank you for your answers, the prosecution has no further questions for now."

After thanking Zhao Xiaoxiao, Zhang Wei concluded his questioning.

The two nodded to each other in acknowledgment, and then Zhang Wei yielded the stage.

Overall, his questioning indeed had a good effect.

Under Zhao Xiaoxiao’s cutesy responses, the jury’s hostility towards the defense was reduced considerably.

And compared to the "extremely evil" Zhu Erdan, Zhao Xiaoxiao seemed much more "harmless."

Even the evidence accusing Ghost was mostly hearsay and lacked any concrete proof.

Zhu Erdan being Zhuzhu Xia was a fact that had been proven, whereas Zhao Xiaoxiao being Ghost was still a speculation up to this point.

After Zhang sat down, his brow furrowed.

Because whether they could get through this day depended mostly on what was to come next.

Whether Zhao Xiaoxiao could withstand Qin Yang’s questioning.

Qin Yang approached the court, stepping in front of the witness stand.

He didn’t start questioning right away but instead appraised Zhao Xiaoxiao with interest.

"To be honest, I’ve always hoped to have a daughter, but unfortunately, due to my career, I haven’t had time to meet women, much less time to marry, have children, and take care of a family."

Qin Yang’s words caused a flicker of unusual light deep in Zhao Xiaoxiao’s eyes.

"Sorry, I digressed."

Qin Yang apologized and then with a smile said, "Hello witness, or should I call you Ghost?"

"Objection!" Zhang Wei immediately stood up, interrupting him.

"Objection sustained!"

Judge Li also looked towards the questioner, "Senior Procuratorate Qin, the witness has her own name. You may address her by name, call her ’the witness’, or ’the defendant’. However, this court will not permit unsubstantiated terms that have an inflammatory element!"

"Oh, thank you for the reminder, Judge Li. I guess I will change my form of address then."

Qin Yang chuckled and turned back to Zhao Xiaoxiao, "Then, before I present evidence to prove your identity, let’s temporarily refer to you as the witness or the defendant in this case."

Zhao Xiaoxiao didn’t respond, but sitting in the defense’s bench, Zhang Wei felt that something was amiss.

What does "before I present evidence to prove your identity" mean?

What is he implying?

Could it be that Qin Yang has indisputable evidence?

But the CSB Department had already conducted digital forensics on Zhao Xiaoxiao’s equipment and found nothing amiss.

Qin Yang was only a prosecutor and not versed in computer technology; how could he possibly have more evidence than the CSB Department?

"Unless... someone else has the evidence..."

Zhang Wei seemed to have realized something, his gaze sweeping over the spectators in the back.

In the courtroom, cross-examination had already begun.

"Witness, I have just one simple question, and I hope you can answer it."

"Ask away."

Qin Yang took a deep breath, stepped closer to Zhao Xiaoxiao, and asked seriously, "Are you Ghost?"

"Of course not, I’m not dead!" Zhao Xiaoxiao blinked her eyes, indicating her denial.

This answer made many people in the courtroom burst into laughter.

Ghost?

What ghost, a phantom?

Zhao Xiaoxiao was obviously a living person; how could she be a ghost?

"Cough cough, the ghost I’m referring to isn’t the strange spectral entity outside the realm of science as traditionally understood but an alias, a hacker’s alias."

Qin Yang hurriedly coughed to bring everyone’s attention back to himself.

"Witness, let’s not beat around the bush—I’ll just ask you a simple question!"

He raised his hand, pointing to Zhao Xiaoxiao, "May I ask, are you or are you not the hacker known by the alias TheGhost, wanted by international cybersecurity organizations, also known in the hacker world as Ghost?"

"I don’t know-" Zhao Xiaoxiao tilted her head, looking clueless.

"Don’t know?"

Qin Yang had not expected that even at this point, the person before him would dare to play dumb.

But he was not annoyed; he continued patiently, "I believe this question is easy to answer, if it is yes, then it’s yes; if it’s not, then it’s not."

"That’s not it~" Zhao Xiaoxiao nodded her head, denying it.

"Not it, are you sure?" Qin Yang looked at Zhao Xiaoxiao, smiling.

But this smile, whether to Zhao Xiaoxiao or to Zhang Wei, seemed somewhat malicious.

"Since you deny it, then I have nothing more to say."

Speaking thus, Qin Yang walked up to the judge’s bench, "Judge Li, given that the witness has denied the question just asked, the prosecution requests the summoning of a rebuttal witness to testify!"

A rebuttal witness?

There’s actually a rebuttal witness?

Whether it was the prosecution’s Zhang Lang or the defense’s Zhang Wei, no one anticipated this move.

Where did Qin Yang get this rebuttal witness?

Zhang Lang looked towards Qin Yang, a trace of astonishment flashing in his eyes.

This old rascal is keeping something from me!

Zhang Wei looked at Zhang Lang and enlightenment flashed through his eyes.

This old rascal seems to not know!

Qin Yang had a rebuttal witness and he kept it from his teammate?

On the judge’s bench, Old Li hesitated.

"Are you sure you have a rebuttal witness?"

"Judge Li, I’m sure, and the rebuttal witness will address the very question just asked, whether the defendant Zhao Xiaoxiao is Ghost!"

"In that case, the court approves!"

Old Li did not hesitate for long before nodding in agreement.

Zhang Wei looked again towards the spectator seats, only to see someone stand up amidst the crowd.

He was like Zhao Qingyan, fully equipped, with a mask, sunglasses, and even a cap.

This person stood up and walked straight to the court, making his way to the witness stand.

Zhao Xiaoxiao had no choice but to give up her place, returning to Zhang Wei’s side.

"Who is this guy?"

"I don’t know either?"

The identity of this person was unknown to both Zhao Xiaoxiao and Zhang Wei at the moment.

"Witness, you may remove your sunglasses and mask."

The witness took off the disguise, revealing a gaunt face pale with sickness.

It was a man, tall and thin, with slightly swollen bags under his eyes; it was clear he had not slept well in the recent days.

Qin Yang glanced at the defense bench and then said to the witness, "Please introduce your identity to the court."

"My name is Cui Yibin, a network technician employed at a small company, but I have another identity: a cyber hacker known by the alias Viper, everyone calls me Viper!"

No sooner had he spoken than Zhang Lang and Liu Dashun on the prosecution bench, Zhu Erdan, Zhang Wei, and Zhao Xiaoxiao on the defense bench, all showed varying degrees of surprise and shock.

The person who appeared was Viper, the only hacker who had not attended that day.

And now he had actually come to testify in court, also becoming a prosecution witness.

"Viper?" Zhang Wei’s expression was the calmest, but his brows furrowed nonetheless.

He quickly nudged the person next to him gently with his elbow and whispered, "This Viper, do you know him?"

"Not familiar." Zhao Xiaoxiao’s response was succinct.

"Not familiar?" The furrow in Zhang Wei’s brows did not relax.

The prosecution must have summoned this person because he held extremely key evidence.

Otherwise, calling someone who knows nothing to court would be a waste of time, wouldn’t it?

In the courtroom.

"Witness, I believe many here are quite surprised by your appearance, so could you please tell us why you are here?"

The rebuttal witness Cui Yibin, aka Viper, took a moment to organize his thoughts before telling his story:

"Actually, that day, I saw the message about the gathering, so I planned to attend. But I was cautious and did not enter the scene. Instead, I waited in a corner coffee shop two streets away because I always had a feeling that a lot of things would happen this time."

"Do you know what happened after that?"

"Yes, I do, because I hacked into the surveillance of that place and was watching the whole time. When I realized that the surveillance was hacked by someone else, I knew someone was going to make a move on them."

"Them, you mean?"

"Ghost, Keyboard, Zhuzhu Xia, and Venom, the four of them."

"Oh, those four!"

Qin Yang remarked with a sense of realization, but then as if instantly "reacting," he feigned surprise, "You mentioned Ghost, do you know Ghost’s real identity?"

"I do!"

Cui Yibin raised his hand to point at Zhao Xiaoxiao, saying with absolute certainty, "She is the Ghost!"

At this statement, the entire courtroom erupted into an uproar.

Zhang Wei sensed trouble and immediately stood up. "Objection, the prosecution is leading the witness!"

"Judge Li, my witness is not testifying under my guidance, but countering the defendant Zhao Xiaoxiao’s denial that she is the Ghost!"

Qin Yang was prepared, and he presented his prepared argument just as Zhang Wei stood up.

"Objection overruled!"

Judge Li hesitated for less than half a second before announcing his decision.

Zhang Wei’s face darkened, while Qin Yang wore a smile.

"Witness, please continue. You just said that the defendant Zhao Xiaoxiao is the Ghost, I assume you have evidence?"

"Yes, I have evidence."

Hearing Cui Yibin say this, everyone in the courtroom grew curious.

What evidence could irrefutably prove that the defendant was the notorious Ghost?

Cui Yibin pulled out a USB drive from his pocket.

Upon seeing this, Tan Yingying from the prosecution bench rolled her eyes.

Great, more trouble for me, right?

However, Qin Yang promptly took the USB drive and gave Tan Yingying a sign.

What are you looking at, are you going to be an assistant or not?

Helpless, Tan Yingying, although reluctant, acted dutifully.

She took the USB drive, opened her computer, and the projection equipment started up again.

At that moment, Cui Yibin began to present the evidence in coordination with Tan Yingying, adding commentary.

"In fact, I have never met Ghost and the others face to face, but once, for a relatively tricky mission, we specifically set up a small chat room to communicate. The protection measures of this small chat room were not as high as the large ones; its firewall wasn’t exactly secure—at least not to me, as breaking through this firewall wouldn’t take me too much time."

"During that time, the mission took a lot of time and effort, and we estimated it could take more than 72 hours, which gave me a chance to penetrate the firewall and an opportunity to find the locations of Ghost and the others."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xiaoxiao couldn’t hold back any longer.

"It was that time, this bastard..."

"Calm down, Second Miss!"

Zhang Wei quickly intervened, pressing down on Zhao Xiaoxiao.

You’re not Ghost yet, why are you so agitated.

If you get any more riled up, won’t that be tantamount to admitting it?

Qin Yang glanced at Zhang Wei and Zhao Xiaoxiao, sneering internally.

You can hold back now, but you’ll break soon enough.

"Witness, please continue, what did you do after you breached the firewall?"

"After I breached the firewall, I finally found their addresses. Of course, Zhuzhu Xia and the others only had basic protective measures on their IP, which I could locate in 15 minutes. Only Ghost’s defenses were impressive; it took me a full 48 hours to pin down her location."

"Actually, I was also lucky. Because that mission was very difficult, and Ghost was one of the offensive leaders. I guess Ghost was preoccupied with the task the entire time, which is why she didn’t anticipate my network intrusion."

Upon hearing this, Qin Yang immediately followed up, "After you broke through Ghost’s computer defenses, what did you find?"

"Once I successfully infiltrated the computer, I immediately accessed the webcam. I wanted to see just how impressive the renowned Ghost was. That’s when I ultimately discovered, Ghost is her!"

Cui Yibin again raised his hand pointing at Zhao Xiaoxiao.

And in accordance with his explanation, a photo appeared on the projection screen,

The girl in the photo was wearing blue pajamas, her hair was messy, she was eating chips, it was indeed Zhao Xiaoxiao!

"This guy, how dare he attack a teammate’s computer while we were on a mission together, despicable..."

Zhao Xiaoxiao became agitated again, her teeth clenched, a look of outrage on her face.

"Stay calm; one photo doesn’t prove anything!" Zhang Wei hurriedly reassured her.

"I know, the defense might say that one photo doesn’t prove anything."

As if foreseeing their objection, Qin Yang continued to interrogate, "Witness, earlier in this court you heard about the defendant’s computer being hacked, and the possibility that the defendant might be a Ghost substitute, right?"

"No, absolutely not!"

But Cui Yibin shook his head, "When I invaded Ghost’s computer, there were no traces of anyone else’s intrusion on her computer besides mine. This indicates that the trace was fabricated to withstand a technical investigation. At that time, the defendant was definitely the real Ghost herself!"

Cui Yibin’s testimony was firm and resolute.

This had sealed the case.

Zhao Xiaoxiao was the Ghost!