Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Early the next morning, Gu Nianzhi learned from He Zhichu that their civil case had been accepted and was to be scheduled for trial. Because of the high attention on the case, the Munich District Courts arranged for a very early date. In two weeks, the civil proceedings would begin.
But what about the criminal proceedings? The first trial results had yet to be announced. Because the huge compensation demanded in the civil case attracted new interest from the German citizens, the case was once again noticed by everyone. This made the situation awkward for the Munich District Court, which had delayed the results of the first trial for a very long time now.
Inside a small room in the detainment center, Seth punched the desk and screamed, “What?! One billion Euros?! They might as well rob us!”
Sitting across from him was his mother, Ramona. Her eyes were downcast, and the ruddiness on her high cheekbones made her cooked meat-like face appear angry and fierce. “There’s nothing we can do. They notified the media, so the courts didn’t dare to reject the case.” Ramona was frustrated and walked in circles with her arms crossed.
“The case was filed?! Then doesn’t that mean… Doesn’t that mean…” Seth’s eyes bulged as he balled his huge hands into fists to brandish in the air. “Was it that lawyer b*tch?! The one from the same country as the dead girl?!”
“Of course. That woman is vicious and refuses to give in.” Ramona appeared even more gloomy. “Your stepfather asked someone to pass a message and negotiate with her. The best case scenario is we could settle it out of court, but she replied… replied…”
“What did she say?!” Seth furrowed his brows, his red tongue darting out to lick his chapped lips. He was almost crazy from being locked up in the detainment center for over a month now. Not only was the food terrible, but there weren’t even any women around. He’d always had a woman every day ever since turning 14.
“She said it was a shame there is no death penalty in Germany, and that whatever your sentence may be, it will still be too lenient…” Ramona tightened her fists and frowned. “She wants you to die for the dead girl.”
“Hmph! How dare she?!” Seth rose in a fury. “I don’t care! Hurry up and get me out of here! I can’t stand it anymore! I don’t want to go to jail! I don’t want to be in jail for the rest of my life!”
Face soaked with tears, Ramona looked at her beloved only son in that sorry state. She was beyond aggrieved. “Just wait, your stepfather and I are thinking of a way…”
“Hurry up! This is no place for people to live!” Seth screamed and was finally taken back to his cell by the detention center police officer.
…
Ramona returned home to see York drinking alone sullenly in the living room. “York, think of a way. It’s really bad for us if they keep taking this to court.” Ramona grabbed York’s sleeve as she begged him.
York pushed her away with bloodshot eyes. “Your son has caused so much trouble from the time he was young! I told you to discipline him, but you never listened! Now he finally got into this big mess! This is murder! You think it’s so easy to deal with?!”
“What? Didn’t the judge agree to help us?” Ramona froze, then immediately hugged York’s arm again. “We helped him earn five hundred Euros with one fundraiser. He’s still not satisfied?”
“Hmph! Of course he’s going to raise the price at a time like this!” York slammed the glass hard down on the bar. “I met him today, but he was being so indecisive and vague. All the money we’ve paid is down the toilet!”
“But, we have to get his help on this…” Ramona thought about it for a while and pouted her fat lips. “York, help Seth think of a solution. You’re only helping me…”
York downed his glass of wine, his face growing even gloomier. The situation right now wasn’t a matter of helping his stepson or not. It was a matter of whether or not his pride and authority could be maintained! He didn’t care about Ramona’s useless son at all. Although he had gotten into lots of trouble before, York only had to make the request to resolve everything, and it was no inconvenience for him. This time, it was a disaster.
Did he regret it? Maybe he did regret not kicking out that useless thing long before. But things had already reached this state, so if he couldn’t protect his stepson, it would also mean he wouldn’t have power in Roslau anymore. Those power hungry and vicious men would no longer respect him, and he might not be able to get elected as city councilor again. Also, he would most likely lose his job as Chief of Police. So in the current situation, saving his useless trash of a stepson meant saving his own position. His hands were dirty anyway, so he couldn’t wash his hands of it now. If that was the case, no one could blame him for being merciless. York downed the remaining wine and picked up his sunglasses and hat. “I’m going out. Try to get to bed early.”
Ramona’s expression relaxed because she knew York was thinking of a solution.
…
York went out for a bit but didn’t go to the court detainment center to see Seth. Instead, he called several of his previous subordinates. They were current court officers at the Munich District Court. They met in a bar and enjoyed the best drinks as they raked their eyes over the beautiful single women inside. They talked about how they wreaked havoc in Roslau in the past and laughed happily. York had a pipe in his mouth and laughed, but it didn’t match with the look in his eyes. His gaze was icy. Under the dim lightning inside the bar, the women’s exposed pale breasts and legs glowed like light bulbs and attracted male attention like moths to a flame. York discreetly took out several envelopes to pass out to each person. “Our old rules apply, everyone is included.” York’s eyes were half-lidded, and he remained motionless. He had one hand draped on the couch armrest, and he rapped it occasionally.
The men felt the envelopes and were excited by the thickness. Germany had a high tax rate, and as civil servants, 60% of their salary was taxed. Under these circumstances, York was even more of a savior to them by giving them cash assistance from time to time. Everyone put the envelopes away and began drinking some more before one of York’s previous subordinates asked him quietly, “Boss, what do you need our help with?” One did not get paid without working, and they all understood this well. It wasn’t their first time doing things like this anyway, so no one cared. But the media was watching them closely now, so they couldn’t be as brazen about it.
York removed the pipe from his mouth and laughed. “It’s just a small thing. It won’t be difficult for you guys.”
The men glanced at each other, frightened by this “small thing.” When had Mr. York ever asked for a small thing? They all looked at York with unease.
York sighed and smoothed his natural curls that he had slicked back. “My stepson is truly useless, and I am really sad he did such a thing, so I’m hoping you can find some people to beat him viciously in the detention center.” He finished speaking and looked meaningfully at the court officers.
“Oh?! Beat him?! Boss, are you sure? We are pretty good to Seth. No one dares to touch him in the detention center!”
York reached out to stop them from continuing. He said seriously, “Really, have someone beat him hard. It’s best if he ends up in the hospital…”
The court officers understood as soon as he said it. That was too easy… Being beaten in a detention center was a common thing, and they had been protecting Seth all this time, so he hadn’t suffered at all. Now… Although he was going to be beaten, everyone knew he wouldn’t actually get hurt too much. This was easy money! Rubbing their palms, they replied excitedly, “Don’t worry, Boss! We’ll be sure to find someone to ‘beat’ Seth!” They emphasized the word “beat” and all knew what it meant.
A few days after, a riot happened in the detention center at the Munich District Court. Several detained suspects suddenly started fighting each other for some unknown reason during break time. The court officers watching them at the time happened to be out for lunch, and the officers taking over the shift hadn’t arrived yet. As a result, the fight started with a verbal argument and ended in a brawl. Even though Seth was a huge man, he was somehow pushed to the ground and beaten so viciously, he passed out. When the wardens found him on the ground, he had already been beaten unconscious by several inmates.
The court officers blew their whistles, and a group of anti-riot police carrying tasers burst inside to separate the brawling group. On the empty field in the detention center, several suspects that had been beaten unconscious laid on the ground.
“Call an ambulance!” one court officer commanded gravely. “These people are seriously injured and must be taken to the hospital!” Soon after, ambulances’ sirens were heard outside the court, and several court officers pushed gurneys carrying the unconscious suspects into the ambulance. The ambulance sped down the streets and quickly arrived at the Munich District Hospital.
The news was quickly picked up by the media monitoring the courts, and they all fought to report it first. The TV stations had extensive coverage on the fact that Seth had been among the people seriously injured from the beating and sent to the hospital for emergency treatment. Many believed he deserved it, since a scumbag like him should be sexually assaulted in prison by felons.
Gu Nianzhi also saw the news on the local Munich TV stations. She had lots of free time lately and was teaching herself German, so she watched TV every day to watch the news when she had time. She was able to train her hearing quickly and could understand some basic spoken German now. This time, she saw footage of the Munich District Court and immediately watched intently. She even took out a translation device to compare to see if she understood properly. It went without saying that it was much easier for someone with good memory to learn another language. Gu Nianzhi began to laugh as soon as she heard the TV report that Seth was hospitalized from being beaten and had sustained serious injuries. She quickly called He Zhichu. “Professor He?”
He Zhichu was reading in his room and raised a brow when he saw Gu Nianzhi calling him. He swiped the phone to accept. “What is it?”
“Professor He, are you watching TV? I saw that the Munich District Court is on the news…” Gu Nianzhi sat cross legged on the couch and held the phone with one hand as she held an iPad with the other to play a game.
He Zhichu turned on the TV to give it a quick glance before frowning right away. “There was a brawl at the Munich District Court, and Seth was hospitalized for serious injuries?” He Zhichu replied coolly, “Looks like we have to go to the hospital tomorrow.”
