Are You Crazy? He's only an Intern Lawyer?-Chapter 58 - 57 Procuratorate Headquarters Makes a Move, Zhang Wei Begins the Investigation

Is there no other public defender in Dongfang Capital?

Or is Wang Yuqing too poor to afford another lawyer?

Why is it always Zhang Wei, do we at the Procuratorate Headquarters have some bad karma with this kid?

“This time, I really want to see what you’re going to do!”

Zhao Chunming gritted his teeth and walked out of his office into the larger one outside.

In the office, the prosecutors from the Serious Crimes Division all stuck their heads out, looking at Zhao Chunming.

“The Warden just called from Iron Island Prison.

A public defender has taken on Wang Yuqing’s case.

Guess who the lawyer is?”

“Director Zhao, what’s the point of guessing?

What’s there to worry about with a public defender?”

A male prosecutor at his side laughed, showing disdain.

A public defender taking a case generally meant they were juggling 20-30 various cases at once.

Getting them to focus exclusively on a single case was nearly impossible.

Moreover, public defenders were usually either small-time lawyers who couldn’t make it into large firms or law students still in their internship, hardly a concern.

However, among the prosecutors, one of the women stood up.

“Director, since you mention it that way, could it be that this public defender is rather troublesome?

Otherwise, you wouldn’t specifically step out of your office and take the initiative to share this news with us, right?”

The one asking the question was Xiao Baihe.

As the rising star prosecutor, she naturally sensed something out of the ordinary.

Normally, cases taken by public defenders were of little concern even to the regional Procuratorate’s Office, much less for Zhao Chunming, the Director of the Procuratorate Headquarters, to single them out for attention.

Unless, the person taking the case was extraordinary!

Xiao Baihe’s reasoning was clear, and that’s also why she could become the ace of the office.

“Xiao Baihe is right, the person taking the case is indeed a bit troublesome!”

Zhao Chunming nodded, “The one taking the case is still that kid, that law student called Zhang Wei!”

“Zhang Wei!”

“Him again?”

“Is this kid deliberately going against our headquarters?”

“Boy, this must be the second or third time already.

Does he deliberately pick the big cases from our headquarters?”

The prosecutors in the large office all showed expressions as if they had swallowed flies.

Why is it again Zhang Wei, why is it always Zhang Wei?

“Director, let me do it, I want to meet that kid!”

“No, let me handle it.

I will settle the score for our headquarters!”

“Director, let me go, I will definitely win against that kid!”

Soon, some began to realize this was a good opportunity to seek merit.

All the evidence in this case pointed to the suspect Wang Yuqing, surely a perfect chance for the Procuratorate Headquarters to redeem itself from past humiliations.

Moreover, the whole city was watching this case.

Winning would bring immense fame.

Being the prosecutor for this case would undoubtedly be a win-win situation.

Instantly, all the prosecutors were clamoring to be the lead prosecutor for the case.

“Director, please let me do it!”

From the crowd, Xiao Baihe spoke up as well.

As soon as she opened her mouth, the others around her fell silent.

Once the ace prosecutor requested to enter the fray, the others had no chance.

Seeing this, Zhao Chunming nodded approvingly, “Mm, since Xiao Baihe you have made such a request, then…”

Dinglingling…

Just as he was about to announce the decision, his office phone rang again.

Zhao Chunming hurried back to his office and quickly picked up the phone.

“Ah, it’s the chief inspector, yes, tell me, tell me…”

“Mm-hmm, okay, okay, I understand!”

“Definitely, definitely, we absolutely won’t slack off, we will handle it meticulously.”

“Right, right, you’re correct, we must always remember that!”

“Thank you, chief inspector, for caring about the work of our Major Crimes Unit, I will arrange it now, arrange it this instant!”

Shortly after, Zhao Chunming came out again, but his expression had changed, becoming even more cautious than before.

“Director…” Xiao Baihe stood up again, her face showing her eagerness to volunteer.

“No, I can’t let you take this one!”

But Zhao Chunming waved his hand, “Just now the chief inspector called me, he said we must handle this case with utmost solidity because he is also paying attention to this case, and our Procuratorate Headquarters cannot afford another loss, and moreover, we must win handsomely!”

In his heart, he had already begun to consider the candidates, the first to be ruled out were the group of underachievers in the office.

Quickly, he thought of the suitable candidate.

“Huang Fang!”

Zhao Chunming yelled out, his voice even startling the neighboring office.

An assistant prosecutor with her own independent office walked out; she was Huang Fang.

This woman, appearing to be in her thirties, walked briskly, her face bearing a confident smile.

“For this case involving Wang Yuqing, which the chief inspector is paying attention to, you will be the chief prosecutor!”

“I understand!”

Huang Fang nodded solemnly, her expression remaining calm.

After all, she had handled many cases, and this was just yet another one.

“Zhao Jing, come out, too!” After giving the order, Zhao Chunming called out another name.

Within the large office, a girl slightly younger than Huang Fang stood up.

Zhao Chunming walked up to the girl, reminding her, “This time, you will be the deputy prosecutor, assisting Huang Fang in handling this case!”

“Director Zhao, is it necessary to assign me an assistant?

I can handle this case on my own!”

His action caused Huang Fang a bit of dissatisfaction.

“Huang Fang, I know your capabilities, but this case is no trivial matter.

The chief inspector specifically called to instruct me, so I must ensure the case is thoroughly handled!”

Zhao Chunming warned, then said to Zhao Jing, “Zhao Jing, you are thoughtful and calm in handling affairs.

You will assist Huang Fang, and this time we must make that fellow understand, our Procuratorate Headquarters is not a place he can provoke at will!”

“I understand!” the girl nodded emphatically.

“Huang Fang!” Zhao Chunming then looked at Huang Fang, expecting her to express her stance.

“I understand, too!”

The latter naturally did not dare to object, after all, the other party was still her nominal leader.

“That’s very good!” Zhao Chunming finally felt at ease.

As he walked back to his office, he muttered, “This time two against one, we cannot possibly lose, especially with so much evidence supporting us, the advantage lies with our Procuratorate Headquarters!”

The people in the large office, seeing that Zhao Chunming had made the arrangements, naturally lost interest in competing for the role.

However, this did not affect their discussions.

“With Huang Fang taking action this time, and Zhao Jing assisting, it seems Director Zhao is determined to win!”

“Isn’t that obvious?

The chief inspector himself made the call, how could Director Zhao not take it seriously!”

“Huang Fang was once the ace of our Major Crimes Unit too.

After becoming an assistant prosecutor and moving to an independent office, she now gets to handle such a big case, it’s really enviable!”

“What’s the use of your envy?

You don’t even have the chance to assist her.

Although Zhao Jing is not Xiao Baihe, she is still one of the top three performers in our office every month.

You and I are always middle performers, we don’t qualify to be involved.”

“That’s not necessarily true; it’s not hard to get involved in this case.

We can attend the trial when it starts!”

“Isn’t that obvious?

I want to see for myself how that defense attorney named Zhang Wei is going to defend!”

“When the time comes, we’ll all go, and together we’ll cheer for Huang Fang and Zhao Jing!”

The discussion within the large office grew louder as many prosecutors thought about attending the trial to observe.

Xiao Baihe sat at her desk, her eyes reflecting a complex mix of emotions.

“It’s a shame, I didn’t get the chance to go against Zhang Wei, otherwise I would have let him know that provoking our Procuratorate Headquarters was a mistake!”

She felt disgruntled because the opportunity to defeat Zhang Wei had not come her way.

But when she recalled Zhang Wei’s cheeky, grinning demeanor, she also felt a flicker of doubt.

What if Zhang Wei won again this time?

It seemed like this guy had a knack for picking tough cases and turning them around every time.

“No, no, no, that’s impossible.

This time, the case is being handled by Huang Fang, who was the ace prosecutor before I arrived, along with the assistance of Zhao Jing.

Even I couldn’t win against them, let alone him!”

Xiao Baihe hurriedly shook her head, dispelling the “unrealistic” thought from her mind.

However, she also decided that once the court date arrived, she would drag Tan Yingying along to observe.

She wanted to see what Zhang Wei had up his sleeve to contend with them!

…

Iron Island Prison, meeting room.

Zhang Wei was unaware of who the Procuratorate Headquarters had deployed to deal with him for this case.

He was chatting with Wang Yuqing.

They talked about a lot, but Zhang Wei did not inquire about the details of the case; instead, he asked about Wang Yuqing’s work and personal life.

He had to make sure there were no oversights in this case, so his questions had to cover all bases.

Watching Zhang Wei, who had filled several pages of his notebook with details, including Wang Yuqing’s daily routine and sleep quality, Luo Feixiang was at a loss for words.

After all, Zhang Wei was the defense lawyer, and he was just Wang Yuqing’s friend.

And as a law professor, he knew one rule: in matters of the case, outsiders should not interfere with the attorney.

“Alright, I’ve got a pretty good understanding of your situation.

Let’s talk about the case now, shall we?”

After a long discussion, they finally got to the heart of the matter.

“First question, there should only be 5 people who can enter the laboratory, who else is there besides you?”

“Besides me, there are 3 other researchers in my group; they are all colleagues from the Medical University.

The fourth person is Professor Tan, the sponsor of the laboratory.

Not only is he the financial backer, but he is also the head of our mushroom research group and he convened all of us for the research.”

Zhang Wei picked up his notebook and began to note these details.

“Second question, do you know the victims, Councilor Yang and spouse, and why would someone target them?

Do you understand that aspect?”

Wang Yuqing thought for a moment and ventured a guess, “Maybe it has to do with research funding.

Councilor Yang is in charge of the preliminary review of scientific research funding for Dongfang Capital, and he seemed to want to cut the funding for many laboratories.”

“So, besides your laboratory, other labs also had their funding cut, all by Councilor Yang?”

“Yes, it’s not just our Medical University, several labs in that area had their funding reduced.

But, the problem is, the mushroom from our lab is what killed Councilor Yang, which I can’t deny.”

Zhang Wei nodded, acknowledging Wang Yuqing’s point that many people were dissatisfied with Councilor Yang, yet the murder weapon definitely came from the Medical University’s lab.

“Third question…”

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Zhang Wei took a photograph from his briefcase.

It was a surveillance photo showing a public mailbox.

This was also verified by the Procuratorate and the Health Department who investigated and confirmed this as the source from where the mushroom-contaminated letters were sent—all the letters with the mushroom came from here.

“Have you seen this mailbox before, or have you ever used it to send mail?”

Wang Yuqing looked at the photo and nodded, “Of course, this mailbox is just a few blocks away from the Medical University.

Many colleagues send letters, submit to scientific journals, all mailed through this public mailbox—I’ve used it several times too!”

“Alright then!”

Zhang Wei nodded and quickly noted down these details.

“One last question, how did you meet Professor Luo?”

Wang Yuqing was slightly startled by this question, and Luo Feixiang was taken aback as well.

What did this question have to do with the case?

Luo Feixiang couldn’t hold back and asked hastily, “Zhang Wei, how is this question related to the case?”

“How is it not related?” Zhang Wei spread his hands and countered, “Weren’t you brought in for questioning?

Would the Procuratorate focus on you without any reason?”

“Feixiang, you were taken away for questioning?” Hearing about Luo Feixiang’s ordeal, Wang Yuqing was also surprised.

She didn’t expect her case to involve Luo Feixiang.

Seeing Zhang Wei look towards her, she hesitated for a moment and then began to recount, “I met Feixiang at a university mingling event.

He was at the law college and I was at the Medical University.

I was a junior to him…”

Hearing Wang Yuqing’s story of how they met and became friends, Luo Feixiang blushed slightly.

After all, this was a tale from their youth, from over a decade ago.

He did not expect Wang Yuqing to still remember.

Zhang Wei, of course, listened intently, and when he heard that Luo Feixiang would send Wang Yuqing text messages every evening, he smiled knowingly.

Well, well, who would have thought Professor Luo, you too were quite the devoted admirer!

What a pity, after trying to play up to the person for over a decade, they still haven’t got it right.

More than ten minutes later, Wang Yuqing finished speaking.

“Alright, I’ve learned a portion of the case from you, and now I need to go to other places to gather clues!”

Zhang Wei began to pack up his things, ready to leave.

“Lawyer Zhang Wei, what should I do next?” Wang Yuqing hurriedly asked.

“What else can you do?

When the trial date arrives, you’ll be taken out of Iron Island Prison.

Then, until the verdict is out, you’ll be kept in the detention center, which actually makes it more convenient for us to see you.”

“Fortunately, you’ve behaved well in prison, otherwise visiting you here every time would be too much for us.”

Zhang Wei paused, then joked, “As for whether you will regain your freedom in the future and soar with Professor Luo or keep staying in Iron Island Prison, gazing across the sea at him, depends on whether we can find more clues!”

At this teasing, Wang Yuqing blushed, embarrassed, and lowered her head.

…

Under the indifferent gaze and escort of a bunch of soldiers, the two of them packed up and left Iron Island Prison.

By the time they returned to the port of Dongfang Capital, it was just around noon.

“Zhang Wei, what do we do next?” Luo Feixiang asked from the driver’s seat, a bit restless.

Zhang Wei lifted his head and looked at the high noon sun.

“What else?

First, let’s find a place to eat, I’m starving!”

“Ah, but…”

Professor Luo wanted to say something, but his stomach betrayed him with an untimely rumble.

The “gurgle” sound, in the still car, was particularly loud.

“Old Luo, how many days has it been since you ate properly?

Your stomach is protesting!”

Zhang Wei slapped his shoulder, chuckling.

“You little rascal, don’t be so cheeky!”

Luo Feixiang quickly brushed away Zhang Wei’s hand, but he noticed that his mood seemed a lot lighter than the previous few days.

Maybe it was because Zhang Wei took on the case.

He had that slight confidence in Zhang Wei, and a certain hope blossomed in his heart.

Feeling better, he didn’t mind the trivial matters as much.

“Come on, you pick a place, I’m treating today.”

“Then let’s go to Xiuyelou, I’m familiar with the restaurants there.”

“Why head to Xiuyelou?”

“Because after we eat, we can go right over to the Medical University’s lab, otherwise we’d waste the entire afternoon.”

“That does make sense…”

Luo Feixiang nodded unconsciously, almost forgetting that they had more investigating to do in the afternoon.

He started the car and steered towards Xiuyelou University Town in Central Ring.

After a simple meal, Zhang Wei didn’t let Luo Feixiang pick up the tab.

Once they had eaten, they immediately entered the Medical University.

The laboratory Wang Yuqing belonged to was part of the Medical University Affiliated Laboratory, but because of the case, the entire lab was sealed off.

Not only that, the Martial Association had also arranged for people to guard the scene, and luckily the guards were acquaintances.

“Sister Wang, Xiao Lu, we meet again!”

Seeing the two standing guard at the door, Zhang Wei was surprised.

Since Xia Qianyue had joined the major crime unit 7 as an intern, her mentor Sister Wang, having lost a disciple, was reassigned to another group.

This time, Sister Wang happened to be on duty with her former apprentice Xiao Lu, guarding the Medical University’s laboratory.

“Isn’t that little Zhang?

What brings you here…”

“Oh, I’m here for an investigation, I’m Wang Yuqing’s lawyer.”

“Zhang, how did you end up taking on this case too?

Does Xia Xia know?”

“Of course, but as a public defender, I have to take the cases assigned to me, I can’t refuse, can I?

Besides, I believe that Wang Yuqing is innocent, and I’m here to investigate the evidence!”

“Fine, but the lab has been thoroughly searched by the hygiene department and the investigative team, I doubt you’ll find anything new if you go in.

Since you’re a lawyer, shouldn’t you be looking at the evidence that’s been made public?”

“Compared to the evidence they’ve released, I prefer doing an on-site investigation.

Who knows what sort of trump card they might be hiding?

If I inspect the scene myself, at least I’ll have a clearer picture.”

After chatting for a bit with Sister Wang, Zhang Wei was let through by the two of them and managed to enter the laboratory.

Luo Feixiang was taken aback, not expecting Zhang Wei to also get by with a bit of charm.