novelsite Chapter 25 The Tribunal
Chapter 25 The Tribunal
"Too late!"
Cao Tengfei shook his head and said, "When I arrived at the scene of the crime, the perpetrator named Zheng Xinjian had completely lost his mind and was using power beyond the limit of his superpowers to assault the victim."
"Only by minimizing his risk factor can we ensure the safety of the victims."
Inside the Bureau of Investigation's Conference Room One, Detective Sherlock of the Major Crimes Unit raised an eyebrow and said, "There are many ways to reduce the danger level, such as attacking the criminal's limbs to render them immobile."
Cao Tengfei adjusted his posture, leaned back in his chair, and smiled slightly, "Xia sir, you mean to say that you can't move, right?"
A hint of displeasure flashed across Sherlock's handsome, sculpted face as he continued coldly, "A direct attack on vital points is bound to arouse suspicion and raise suspicions of retaliation."
Cao Tengfei lightly tapped his watch, raised his hand, and a holographic projection appeared directly in front of the conference table. It showed the crime scene captured by multiple cameras on Platform 8 of the Oriental Tower Station.
The eleven men and women sitting around the table all turned to look.
As Zheng Xinjian grabbed Qi Te by the neck and lifted him up, pulling his right arm away, Cao Tengfei snapped his fingers and waved his hand again. The scene froze, then split into five angles, displaying Zheng Xinjian's condition from every angle to everyone.
"The perpetrator's eyes were bloodshot, his facial muscles were highly taut, and there were clearly bulging blood vessels in his neck. Judges, do you believe that the perpetrator's actions were limited to physical assault and lacked intent to kill, or that he intended to kill the victim?"
In addition to field teams such as special operations, riot control, counterterrorism, major crimes, and homeland security, the Bureau of Investigation also has internal departments such as cybersecurity and data surveillance.
The adjudication panel is unique in that it has no fixed members; it is a temporary group of eleven people randomly selected from various departments.
The initiator submits a request for adjudication to the director. Once approved, the investigation bureau's internal network will select a temporary adjudicator within 12 hours to review and deliberate on the questionable case submitted by the initiator and make a final ruling.
Without a doubt, Sherlock was the initiator of this adjudication meeting, while Cao Tengfei was the "defendant".
The reason for the incident remains questionable: Zheng Xinjian, the suspect, was killed in the incident at Platform 8 of the Oriental Tower subway station.
As the commander-in-chief of this operation, Cao Tengfei not only failed to arrest Cao Yingchong, who killed the suspect, but also failed to mention him in the operation report submitted afterward.
This action is not in accordance with the regulations and procedures of the Investigation Bureau. Given that the killer, Cao Yingchong, is a direct relative of Cao Tengfei, there is suspicion of cover-up.
"These are the victim's medical records provided by the Affiliated Hospital of Ocean University of China."
Cao Tengfei snapped his fingers again, and a set of images appeared next to the holographic screen.
"Eight comminuted fractures throughout the body, two broken ribs, three fractured lumbar vertebrae, and severe dislocation of the lumbar vertebrae due to a heavy blow. Skull injury causing concussion, and abdominal bleeding."
"The surgery lasted one hour and forty-five minutes. Would the judges like to review the procedure?"
The eleven men and women sitting in a circle all frowned, and three of the women looked particularly distressed.
"I have the results."
A burly man, over two meters tall and as big as a door panel, was the first to raise his hand and say, "No."
The three ladies immediately responded no.
Ultimately, the vote was unanimously against.
Sherlock frowned, his expression grim. "I've reviewed the surveillance footage several times. The suspicious point is that Inspector Cao's report makes no mention of Cao Yingchong's actions. Is he deliberately concealing the fact that he killed someone?"
Cao Tengfei was almost laughing in exasperation at this guy. He shook his head helplessly and said, "Excuse me, Officer Xia, if it were you, would you hold back, risking the victim being killed by the perpetrator on the spot?"
"Given Xia Sir's abilities, can you guarantee that you'll land a perfectly accurate punch just as the assailant is about to kill the victim?"
That's impossible, of course. Unless you're a B-rank or higher speed or control type ability user, no one can guarantee that they can both kill the criminal and neutralize the criminal's attack in a split second.
Sherlock's abilities are not applicable to actual combat, which made him feel mocked once again.
"Any member of the task force would have done everything in their power to ensure the safety of the victim."
"I didn't mention Cao Yingchong in the report because I didn't want him to get too much attention."
"Esteemed judges, thank you for your hard work!"
Cao Tengfei waved away the holographic projection, stood up and walked out, but stopped at the door and said, word by word, "Xia sir, you should be thankful that the victim was not killed."
Sherlock, his face dark, asked, "Why?"
"His name is Qi Te. He is the prized student of Liu Baichuan, a famous biologist in the Federation. He is very likely to become a rising star in the Federation's biological field in the future."
"Most importantly, if he hadn't accidentally tackled Yu Zhongliang while trying to avoid the assailant Zheng Xinjian, preventing Yu from boarding the subway, what do you think would have happened?"
"Once the track surface collapses, the subway, which travels at speeds up to 140 kilometers per hour, will inevitably derail. It is impossible to estimate how many people will be killed or injured at that time."
"Does Inspector Xia still think that boy's life is insignificant?"
After saying that, Cao Tengfei strode out the door, and the eleven members of the temporary adjudication team also left their seats one after another.
Sherlock sat in his seat, pondered for a moment, and then suddenly laughed.
"Insignificant, that's a good use of the idiom..."
...................
West Ninth District, a peaceful and comfortable home.
Qi Te carefully got out of the passenger seat, and the driver couldn't help but say, "Young man, did you go to become a mercenary? How did you get so badly injured?"
"Huh? Uh... I got into a fight with a classmate."
Qi Te said without batting an eye, completely ignoring the fact that he had just been brutally beaten up.
Ji Chenyu, who was waiting at the entrance of the residential area, immediately rushed over and helped Qi Te walk towards the gate.
"Didn't the doctor say you had to stay for half a month? It's only been two days, why did you come back? I already told you, Aunt Xiu is taking good care of you, why are you worrying so much, really..."
Ji Chenyu complained, but his eyes were full of heartache.
"fine."
"Come on, the way you look, it's like I just beat you up."
Even with the ability to heal itself, it takes a hundred days to recover from a bone or muscle injury, and it won't be as quick as it used to be.
Qi Te held his lower back, feeling a dull ache with every step. If he took even a slightly larger step, his face would contort in pain, as if he were wearing a mask of agony.
"I'll take you home later; you don't have to pay the hospital fees anyway..."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Ji Chenyu realized he had let something slip.
"I don't need to pay?" Zite glanced at the guy suspiciously.
The Ji family runs a seafood business. Ten years ago, the market was booming, and they made a fortune, buying a house in the Fifth District. However, in the past two years, seafood products have been found to have seriously excessive levels of pollution, causing the Ji family's business to plummet.
"Well, my dad took out a loan, haha~"
Ji Chenyu tried to bluff his way out of it, but Qi Te knew very well that his father was taking out a loan to start an artificial breeding farm. Before the business took off, they had to pay interest every month, and the whole family had to tighten their belts and live a very frugal life.
As for Ji Chenyu himself, although he can earn a few hundred yuan a day by delivering food using his superpowers, he is a typical hedonist and can't save any money at all.
"Is it the class monitor?"
Ji Chenyu paused for a moment, then nodded helplessly.
Qi Te silently clenched his toes. It wasn't that he was shameless; he simply didn't have the right to be shameless.
He never participated in school field trips or interest groups when he was a child. He never even went to a museum; the tickets were free, but there's no such thing as a free lunch.
Cao Yingchong paid for the surgery in advance. The reason he was in a hurry to be discharged was that he didn't want to owe the other party too much.
Seeing Qi Te take out his phone, Ji Chenyu asked nervously, "What are you doing?"
"I'll check the platform for orders and take on more classes to pay off this debt."
"What's there to say? He's already Aunt Xiu's big son... uh, eh~"
Ji Chenyu wanted to slap himself hard. What the hell was the difference between this and a colander?
Under Qi Te's interrogative gaze, Ji Chenyu had no choice but to confess honestly.
"Hiss~"
Upon seeing the transfer record on his phone, Qi Te gasped in shock.
Ji Chenyu chuckled and said, "Do you also want to kneel down and kowtow to Brother Cao?"
"roll!"
Qi Te said irritably, "My mom has a minimum care allowance, which is settled every three months, saving her over 1,300 yuan. That works out to over 400 yuan a month. It'll be three months in a few days, so you're just going to settle the bill for me already?"
Low-income care insurance is a unique benefit measure in Long County, mainly targeting poor households with disabled persons or elderly people who cannot take care of themselves. The care center reports on the situation every three months.
Every time Qi Te pays his bill at the checkout, the neighbors in the neighborhood are all familiar with him and know his situation, so it's understandable that they take advantage of him.
"What a huge loss, this time."
Ji Chenyu smiled broadly and said, "No loss, no loss, Brother Cao..."
Qi Te sneered, "You keep calling him Brother Cao, if I remember correctly, you used to argue with him every time you saw him."
"Not at all, I'm physically in Cao's camp but my heart is in Qi's."
As they spoke, the two entered the elevator.
A notification sound rang, and Ji Chenyu took out his phone to check. A classmate had sent a message asking about Zheng Xinjian.
In the past two days, he has received more than a hundred such messages.
"Tezi, when do you plan to sue Zheng Xinjian's parents for medical expenses?"
Qi Te shook his head and said, "I've had that thought, but never mind."
"What's there to calculate? The classmates have all said that as long as you sue, everyone is willing to testify in court."
"The person is already dead, why rub salt into his parents' wounds?"
Ji Chenyu knew his good brother very well. He seemed arrogant and aloof, but was actually very kind. However, when it came to money, there was no room for negotiation.
Therefore, Zit's decision was quite unexpected.
"One thing at a time, Zheng Xinjian's death was entirely justified. You suffered such serious injuries, you deserve an explanation."
Qi Te didn't respond until the elevator reached the 7th floor and he stepped out, then lowered his voice and said, "Chen Yu, I don't think this matter is that simple..."