Chapter 12

“Hey, Iron Army, what brings you here today?” Chief Prosecutor Gao Zheng smiled, pouring tea for Wang Tiejun.

“Well, no one visits the Chief Prosecutor without a good reason,” Wang Tiejun joked, taking the teacup.

“Work, work, and more work—that’s all you ever think about,” Gao chuckled, shaking his head.

“What else could I do? You’re the Chief Prosecutor, and I’m the head of the Narcotics Squad. Not much room for small talk here.”

“Alright, alright,” Gao laughed, “what’s on your mind?”

“It’s a case,” Wang Tiejun replied, then proceeded to explain An Xiaohai’s situation.

“I’ve heard about that case,” Gao said, nodding. “That kid, An Xiaohai, was a promising student. It’s a shame.”

“Exactly, it’s a shame, so I wanted to ask for a favor—maybe see if we can lighten the sentence.”

Gao looked surprised, mouth agape. “You? Asking for a favor? Have I heard right? Captain Wang, the man who never cuts corners, coming to me for this? But you’re in the wrong place—I’m not the judge; I’m the prosecutor.”

“I know, but do you know why An Xiaohai killed someone?”

“I heard it was because he was defending a girl, some young thugs were harassing her, and that led to the conflict.”

“And do you know who that girl is?”

“No, I hadn’t paid much attention to that.”

“Her name is Lin Xuan’er.”

“Lin Xuan’er…wait, isn’t Lin Jian’guo’s daughter named Lin Xuan’er?”

“Yes, exactly. That’s why I looked into the case more closely. And I found that from the incident to the trial and sentencing, the entire process took less than a month.”

“What? Less than a month?” Gao was stunned. For a case like this to go that fast? That kind of efficiency is unheard of. It’s certainly not a special or high-profile case.”

“Well, let’s go,” Wang Tiejun said.

“Go where?”

“To the courthouse! I want to ask Judge Xing directly what’s going on with this. Let’s see how he explains it! Come on, let’s go!”

—

Meanwhile, in a conference room at the Shenhai City Hall, village chief Zhou Weiguang and his wife sat waiting anxiously. After some time, a young woman entered, her high heels clicking as she walked over.

“Secretary Sun, any news?” Zhou Weiguang asked, glancing at her with a bit too much interest.

Secretary Sun cast him a disapproving look, keeping her expression neutral. “The higher-ups suggest you accept the compensation and sign the waiver.”

“Compensation? But what about An Xiaohai?”

“Don’t worry—he’s not getting out of jail. He’ll probably be sentenced to three to five years.”

“What? Only three to five years? This was murder!” Zhou’s wife protested loudly.

Secretary Sun’s face soured. “If you want more money, we’re talking about 40,000 yuan. That’s what they can afford by selling their home and borrowing from relatives. You can accept that, or they might go broke, and you get nothing.”

Secretary Sun left after laying it out. Zhou Weiguang turned to his wife, silencing her with a stern look, and they quietly exited City Hall through a back door.

—

Soon after, An Xiaohai’s retrial concluded with a revised sentence: his family would pay 40,000 yuan in compensation to Zhou’s family, and his sentence was reduced to three years and six months. An Xiaohai’s family burst into tears of relief, while Pan Zhuangzhuang cheered.

In the courtroom, An Xiaohai met Wang Tiejun’s eyes, and the two exchanged a long, meaningful look.

Back in the medical ward, An Xiaohai packed his belongings. Yang Yuanbing, a corrections officer, soon arrived.

“I’ve arranged a spot for you in Block A, room 232. It’s a smaller room, only four beds, so it should be comfortable.”

“Thank you, Supervisor Yang,” An Xiaohai said politely.

“It’s my job,” Yang responded. “Two of your cellmates are Hu Jianming, who’s in for drug dealing and has a year left, so he won’t cause trouble. The other one is Yang Bo—he’s in for gun trafficking and can be dangerous, so steer clear of him.”

“Understood. Thank you for looking out for me,” An replied with a calm smile.

Yang Yuanbing led him back to his original cell, giving him a half-hour to gather the rest of his things, and then locked the door behind him.

An Xiaohai looked around, his gaze falling on Wu Guanhai, who sat on the bed waiting.