Too Bad I Take Things Seriously

They hurriedly gathered everyone for an urgent discussion.

"This case is somewhat serious—three thousand defendants! It's unprecedented!"

"The relevant department just sent over the appraisal results. The IP addresses in the USB drive provided by Qin Mu are all real. A preliminary screening shows that the IPs of all three thousand speakers are located in the same province."

"If all this information is accurate, we can directly retrieve their real-name authentication information and quickly confirm the identities of these speakers."

"According to regulations, unless there's a justifiable reason not to accept a case, all cases that meet the criteria must be processed!"

"..."

This meeting lasted a full two hours.

Many were exhausted and overwhelmed. While a large number agreed to file the case, a significant portion also opposed it. However, those who opposed it couldn't provide a valid reason not to proceed. Qin Mu had been meticulous in providing the denunciation materials and IP evidence. The IP addresses were solely for corroborating evidence and were not used for any commercial, profit-making, or private purposes. If they traced these IP addresses, they could identify the three thousand speakers within three days at the latest and then send out the summonses. For those out of town, summonses were usually delivered via postal service. For locals, court personnel delivered them directly.

Qin Mu's lawsuit did not violate any rules. The evidence was ample, and the denunciation materials were sufficient. They could hardly refuse to accept the case on the grounds that "the law does not punish the masses." Doing so would be a significant affront to public order and good morals. They even had reason to believe that Qin Mu, that troublemaker, would sue them in a higher court if they refused to accept the case!

Eventually, after a lengthy meeting, the Case Acceptance Department decided to accept the case and allow it to be filed. Simultaneously, they contacted the procuratorate, the cyber information department, and various social media platforms to coordinate.

「...」

「Nursing home.」

"The case has finally been filed."

After receiving the confirmation from the Case Acceptance Department, Qin Mu breathed a sigh of relief. Actually, he had been somewhat worried. He had indeed stirred up quite a storm this time. But these trolls, spread all over the internet, were too vicious with their insults. He only hoped this lawsuit would succeed in getting all three thousand people sentenced! He wanted to use direct action to show those trolls that the internet is not a lawless place. As the old saying goes, some people never learn their lesson unless they get burned themselves. There were far too many people who were meek and subservient in real life but aggressive and confrontational online.

The modern internet had become a mirror, reflecting the darkness within people's hearts. Someone who might be gentle and refined in reality could be an entirely different person online.

"Two more days until the trial."

Afterwards, Qin Mu calculated the time. During those days, he had been busy with the mass online lawsuit, and Yuan Cui Lian's case was also about to go to trial. Zhang Wei had made extensive preparations for this case and had even discussed some litigation strategies with him in advance, aiming for a defense that would result in no guilt and no compensation, thereby nullifying both criminal and civil liabilities.

Time slowly passed.

「Two days later.」

In the morning, Qin Mu and the three other defendants, along with Zhang Wei, gathered at the courthouse entrance as planned. Liang Chengbin, Bai Xuelan, and Hua Li each had one or two family members accompanying them. Qin Mu and Zhang Wei, however, appeared relatively unattached.

However, Qin Mu noticed that even before they entered the courthouse, Liang Chengbin and his wife seemed a bit nervous.

"Relax," Qin Mu smiled and offered a word of comfort.

In fact, it wasn't just Liang Chengbin; Bai Xuelan and Hua Li also appeared somewhat apprehensive. Their family members were equally worried. After all, apart from lawyers, no ordinary person had as much experience going to court as he did.

"AHEM, let's go. Our case will be heard today in the Second Criminal Court," Zhang Wei coughed lightly and led the group into the courthouse.

The courthouse was vast, spanning several floors. There were three criminal courtrooms alone. The trial was set for ten o'clock. Everyone entered the designated courtroom ahead of time.

As it turned out, they found the courtroom already packed; the public gallery was filled entirely with elderly people.

"Xiao Qin, you're the defendant, and you're this late?"

"Court starts at ten, and you only show up at half-past nine? I've brought all the seniors from the nursing home this time to support you!"

"Being sued for doing a good deed! If this happened when I was young, the entire village would have condemned it!"

"Don't worry, we've taken over the public gallery! The entire courtroom is filled with our people!"

"..."

In the public gallery, Zhang Qingyuan, who was sitting at the very front, spotted Qin Mu and hurriedly waved. The other elderly people also chimed in with a sense of solidarity, saying they were there to show their support. Everyone from the nursing home who could be called upon... had been brought here by them.

The corner of Qin Mu's mouth twitched. ...

He had deliberately avoided the nursing home today. He had assumed Old Zhang and the others had forgotten the court date, but it turned out they remembered it perfectly, even arriving earlier than him, the actual defendant.

The crucial part was that the public gallery had a total of forty seats, and they had occupied every single one. Not an empty seat remained!

Liang Chengbin and the others, along with their relatives, were stunned by the sight of this crowd of around forty elderly people. Each of them was in their seventies or eighties, with white hair, many leaning on canes. Everyone was sizing them up.

This was a scene... the likes of which they had never witnessed before in their lives.