Desperate people, accept the seed of my soul!

No one responded to him.

The blood outside the door seeped in more and more, reaching his feet.

It was cold, viscous, and had a rusty taste.

"I know you hate me!"

Zhao Dehai's voice cracked.

"I was wrong back then! I shouldn't have taken Zhang Jinshan's money! I shouldn't have betrayed my conscience and convicted you! I was wrong! I apologize to you! I kowtow to you! Please forgive me!"

He knelt down on the ground with a "plop".

His forehead slammed hard against the cold floor.

a bit.

Another one.

His forehead bled from the blow.

Still, no one paid any attention to him.

He heard the screams from the office area outside gradually subside.

The sound of staff members rushing towards the stairwell could be heard.

Someone was running and shouting.

"It's that blood-controlling superhuman! He's here!"

"Run!"

"All the police are dead!"

Some people ran into the emergency exit and stopped, peering over the wall.

There was fear in his eyes.

There was also a secret excitement.

Most of them are grassroots court clerks or assistants.

I've seen too many ordinary people like those in the Song Dynasty, kneeling at the courthouse entrance with their lawsuits in hand, yet unable to even see the judge.

I have also seen too many judges like Zhao Dehai who take bribes from both the plaintiff and the defendant, tilting the scales of justice to an unnatural degree.

No one called the police.

No one wanted to come and help.

Some people even took out their phones and secretly recorded videos in the direction of Zhao Dehai's office.

They recalled the case they had handled last month, where the evidence was conclusive, but Zhao Dehai dismissed it for retrial with a single sentence.

Thinking of his sick elderly family member who needed the compensation to save his life, Zhao Dehai accepted the money from the defendant and delayed the trial for six months.

I'm reminded of that sarcastic saying, "If you have connections, you're right; if you don't, you deserve it."

A fair judgment.

These four words, though seemingly weightless, have crushed the spirits of countless people.

Today, finally someone has come to collect this debt.

Zhao Dehai heard the discussions outside.

He was so angry that he was trembling all over.

"A bunch of ingrates!"

"I've always treated you well! Are you just going to watch me die?"

"Call the police! Call backup! Whoever saves me, I'll upgrade them three levels! I'll give them a million!"

Still no one moved.

Only the wind blowing in through the corridor windows carried a strong smell of blood.

"Zhao Dehai".

A cold voice came from outside the door.

Very bland.

There was no anger.

There was no murderous intent.

But it was like an ice pick, piercing Zhao Dehai's heart.

He recognized the voice.

A month ago, Song Chao's lawyer came to him with evidence to appeal. It was this voice that kept telling him, "I did not steal the steel bars. I have been wronged. Please investigate and find out the truth."

What did he say back then?

Oh right.

He sat behind his desk, not even lifting his eyelids, and only said one sentence.

The appeal is dismissed due to insufficient evidence.

Now, this migrant worker, whom he had never even glanced at, was standing outside his office door, coming to claim his life.

"The Song Dynasty!"

Zhao Dehai scrambled to the door, grabbed the doorknob, and cried his heart out.

"I was wrong! I was really wrong! I'll give you any amount of money you want! I'll give you all my possessions! Please spare my life! I have elderly parents and young children to support, I can't die!"

"I can help you overturn the verdict on the case of the torture you were subjected to during interrogation."

I can apologize to you publicly.

"I can give you all the evidence of Tang Ming and Zhang Jinshan's crimes."

Please.

His forehead slammed against the door, making a loud thud.

The person outside the door didn't speak.

Zhao Dehai only heard a soft "click".

The door lock, which was deadbolted, was opened at some point.

The heavy solid wood door was gently pushed open a crack.

Song Chao stood at the door.

His blue overalls were still covered in dust, and there were a few drops of blood splattered on his trousers.

His face was expressionless.

There was no anger.

There was no joy in it either.

There was only a cold, numb feeling.

His gaze swept over Zhao Dehai, who was slumped on the ground, over the files piled on the table, over the plaque with the words "fairness and integrity" hanging on the wall, and finally landed on the calligraphy and painting with the words "great virtue carries all things" in the corner.

The calligraphy was powerful and vigorous, the work of the president of the provincial calligraphy association. Zhao Dehai had spent 200,000 yuan to acquire it and hung it in his office to make a good impression.

How ironic.

"do you remember me?"

When Song Chao spoke, his voice was very calm.

Zhao Dehai nodded frantically.

"I remember! I remember! The Song Dynasty! I know it's you! Let me go! I'll agree to anything you ask!"

"My lawyer came to see you three months ago."

Song Chao took a step forward, his shoes making a soft smacking sound as they stepped into the pool of blood.

"He told you that the warehouse receipts at the construction site were forged, that Zhang Jinshan forced the 30,000 yuan on me, and that Lao Zhou's statement was made under duress."

"You said there was insufficient evidence, so the case is dismissed."

Is that so?

Zhao Dehai's face was as white as paper.

"Yes! Yes! I was wrong! I shouldn't have taken Zhang Jinshan's money! I shouldn't have lied through my teeth! I deserve to die!"

He raised his hand and slapped himself hard across the face.

again and again.

He was slapped so hard that blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"You still dare to talk."

Song Chao's voice remained flat, devoid of any emotion.

"For a low-level migrant worker like me, I'll do anything for money. Stealing steel bars is commonplace. Even if I'm wronged, going to jail for three years isn't a big deal."

Is that so?

Zhao Dehai's body trembled like a sieve.

"I was wrong! I'm a bastard! I'm not human! Please don't hold it against me! I'll kowtow to you! I'll be your slave!"

He knelt on the ground, his forehead covered in blood from banging his head against the floor.

Song Chao watched him kowtow without the slightest change in his expression.

He remembered that he had knelt in front of the courthouse in the same way before.

They kowtowed in the same way.

There was more blood on his forehead than Zhao Dehai does now.

He begged Zhao Dehai to show him his evidence and to clear his name.

Zhao Dehai's car drove past him without even stopping.

He was splattered with mud.

"The daughter I raised for three years is not mine."

Song Chao took a step forward and stood in front of Zhao Dehai.

"My wife is a pawn that Tang Ming planted next to me."

"I was assaulted three years ago and my lower body was damaged. I will never be able to have my own children."

"I was beaten by Liu Lei in the interrogation room for three days and three nights. I broke three ribs and two fingers were broken."

"They wanted me to sign a confession, saying they would sell my wife and daughter to a brothel if I didn't."

With each word he spoke, Zhao Dehai's face paled a little more.

In the end, Zhao Dehai couldn't even utter a sound of begging for mercy.

"You are the judge."

Song Chao squatted down, his line of sight level with Zhao Dehai's.

"Tell me, what crime have I committed to deserve this suffering?"

Zhao Dehai opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

What could he say?

They say the Song Dynasty deserved its misfortune.

They say that people at the bottom are just there to step on the feet of the powerful and wealthy.

That's reality.

He dare not.