Grassroots lawyers also have their day

Chapter 69 Major Criminal Case!

But doctors have hospitals to back them up; hospitals won't treat patients if they don't charge a registration fee. Lawyers, on the other hand (except for salaried lawyers), have no such backing. They live off their own money and spend their own money. So why should lawyers be expected to be selfless and dedicated?

Of course, medical teams sometimes do free outreach services in rural areas, but that's not something that happens every day. Similarly, lawyers occasionally offer free consultations to clients facing financial difficulties, but they don't do that every day either, since that's how lawyers make a living. For those truly struggling, there's also legal aid available. (It's possible that some lawyers, lacking business, use the guise of free services to lure people in, with only one goal: no upfront fees, but charges later.)

Once you understand something, you won't dwell on it anymore. Wang Chuan finally understood what Zheng Yi had told him before: a lawyer's experience is accumulated through sweat, blood, and tears.

Forget it! Once bitten, twice shy. Next time, I'll charge you upfront for legal services. Being overly compassionate is the biggest injustice to yourself. Life is hard enough; you should treat yourself better. Wang Chuan smiled helplessly at this thought.

"Wang Chuan, the Gao family's criminal case will be heard next Wednesday morning at 9:30. You're coming with me. Remember the time, don't forget!" Just then, Fatty Wan walked over and said.

"Okay, next Wednesday at 9:30 am. I've written it all down in my notebook," Wang Chuan nodded.

Just as he was about to leave work in the afternoon, Wang Chuan's phone rang.

"Hello, are you Wang Chuan?" A woman's voice came from the phone.

"Yes, who are you?"

Upon seeing the unfamiliar landline number, Wang Chuan hurriedly inquired. Since the caller knew his name, it was probably either a client or a call from the court. In Beijing, apart from a few old classmates, practically no one would call him.

"I'm from the Shijingshan Court. The verdict for the case you and Attorney Zheng Yi represented regarding Hetong Company has been released. Come pick up the judgment at 10:00 AM next Monday," the woman on the phone said.

"Okay, either of us can go pick up the judgment, right?" Wang Chuan pressed.

"Sure, anyone can come. Just call me when you get to the courthouse." The other person then hung up.

Just as Wang Chuan put down his phone, Zheng Yi and Fatty Wan had finished their cigarette downstairs and entered the law firm. He told Zheng Yi about the court's notice, and naturally, the task of collecting the judgment—a task requiring no skill—fell to Wang Chuan.

"Attorney Wan, we heard you just closed a major criminal case. Tell us about it!" Pan Jinlian asked.

"Actually, there's not much to say. The case has already been decided. The defendant killed a total of six women and has been sentenced to death," said Fatty Wan.

"To kill six people at once, that must be incredibly vicious. The killer must have looked extremely fierce!" Pan Jinlian asked in astonishment.

"Wei Ping and I met with the criminal before. Actually, the murderer wasn't as vicious as you think. He was just a fetishist," Fatty Wan said, glancing at Wei Ping.

"Yes, I've met the killer. He was introverted, didn't talk much, and seemed a bit slow on the uptake."

He had a very ordinary appearance, the kind of person you wouldn't notice in a crowd. When we first met him, he looked rather dejected, his eyes were red, and he looked like he was about to break down," Wei Ping recalled.

"Well, I guess he knew he was doomed, so when Wei Ping and I went to see him, he barely spoke. He was like a living dead person, basically just waiting to die."

He admitted to all the facts alleged by the prosecution and only wanted to die.

I still remember one sentence he said to me and Wei Ping: He said he was most afraid of sunset because every night, the six girls he killed would come to him and ask for his life!

Sigh! Even if the court doesn't sentence him to death, I reckon he'll live a life worse than death!

He had a fetish for objects. He originally intended to sneak into the house to steal some women's clothing, such as underwear and bras. He didn't intend to kill anyone, but he didn't expect that one of the six girls living in the house would return early and trap him inside.

In a moment of panic, the man accidentally killed the girl. Just as he was about to flee in a panic, two more girls returned, and he killed those two girls as well.

"And so, the six girls entered the house one after another, and he killed them all inside," Fatty Wan said heavily.

"My God! This is inhuman!" Pan Jinlian stared in astonishment, and after a long while said, "How...how was the murderer discovered?...Was it...like in the movies, that he was caught after a fierce fight?"

"It's not as exaggerated as you say. Six people died at once, which is a major case. After the incident, the police started checking people in the neighborhood, focusing on those who had been released from prison and those with criminal records at the police station."

The guy lived in the same building as the victim. After checking around, the police called him in for questioning. It was just a routine procedure, and the police didn't think much of it since the guy looked honest and had no criminal record. They were going to ask him a few questions and then send him home.

But during the questioning, a junior policeman poured the guy a glass of water, hoping he would soothe his throat. Unexpectedly, the guy took the paper cup, tilted his head back, and drank the entire glass of water in one gulp. "Wan Pangzi said.

"What's the big deal? It's not much water in a cup. I can have a cup if I'm thirsty," Pan Jinlian said dismissively.

"Little Pan! That's a cup of hot water, freshly boiled water that the young policeman just got from the water dispenser. Try drinking some!" Fatty Wan said, his eyes wide.

"Huh? Hot...hot water!? You drank it all in one gulp?" Pan Jinlian stared in astonishment, her mouth agape.

"Yeah! What do you think!" Fatty Wan said.

"My God! How can he drink that?! Isn't he afraid of being scalded to death?!" Pan Jinlian exclaimed in astonishment.

"Well, although I wasn't there, I think the young policeman's expression was probably similar to yours." Fatty Wan paused for a moment after saying that, and then continued, "The young policeman was completely dumbfounded!"

The young policeman didn't know when it would rain, but he knew the water was hot—it was freshly boiled water. But after gulping it down, the guy neither cried nor screamed! His eyes were fixed on the floor.

After realizing what was happening, the young police officer quickly notified the head of the task force. After some questioning, the guy confessed everything, explaining his crimes in detail.

The case was solved just like that! The rest was much simpler: following procedure, the police investigated, the procuratorate approved the arrest, and then the case was quickly transferred to the court.

"Attorney Wan, you're going to defend someone like that?!" Pan Jinlian said with a sneer.

(End of this chapter)