For Pama, Reid dared not offend her in the slightest; not only was she a genius Pharmacist, but her mentor was the only A-grade Genetic Potion Master in the Tianhe Star Domain—Madico.
Madico's connections could be said to be quite terrifying; he almost knew everyone in the high echelons of the entire Tianhe Star Domain, and he had good relationships with them. Being a Pharmacist was a special occupation—coddled by the Federation Government, feared by interstellar pirates, and suckered up to by various other forces.
Pama, as Madico's Direct Disciple and furthermore a beautiful woman, had a popularity not much less than Madico's but was also mostly in touch with the top layers of the Federation Government. It seemed that just one sentence from her could darken one's future.
After cautiously answering a few of Pama's questions, Reid finally broached the topic of Guding being brought before the Federation Court. At this time, more than twenty minutes had passed beyond the expected time.
"I'll go with you. I've heard of that guy Preston before; his reputation stinks, and he holds grudges. I've heard about his feud with Cain too. It's really not a big deal. But now, seeing as Cain has escaped, Preston has transferred all his hatred to Guding. Guding is definitely in for trouble. If there's no result by the end of the interrogation, I guess he'll directly propose to have Guding sent to prison and then torture him into confessing," Pama said. Having mingled in the upper echelons of the Federation for some time, she was aware of some unspoken rules and was quite worried about Guding receiving such treatment.
"I'll head there first; you should also hurry over. With you speaking on our behalf, Preston probably won't dare to mess around." Reid suddenly felt tense; as an Advance Lawyer, he was aware of some industry unspoken rules, even if he had not witnessed them firsthand. He hadn't considered this aspect previously because he was confident in himself that he could win the lawsuit. But now that Pama mentioned it, he started to worry about Guding.
He drove straight to the Federation Court. As an Advance Lawyer who had handled hundreds of cases, he was no stranger to the location of the Federation Court.
It took him only about twenty-five minutes to reach the court. He looked down at his watch and realized he was still twenty minutes late.
The moment he pushed open the doors of the federal court, he heard the Trial Judge say, "All right, bring up the first witness now."
Many people turned to look at Reid when they heard the door open; he walked to the lawyer's bench next to Guding as if nothing were amiss. "Sorry for the delay, I was held up by some matters and arrived late."
"You're Reid?!" The color drained from the face of Preston's lawyer upon seeing Reid; obviously, he knew Reid.
"Are you Preston's lawyer?" Reid replied with an indifferent smile; he seemed not to recognize the man, and he certainly didn't seem to consider him a serious opponent. "I can only wish you luck."
"So your lawyer is Mr. Reid," the Trial Judge said upon seeing Reid, nodding slightly in recognition.
"Who is this kid?" Preston asked in a low voice.
"His name is Reid; he's the only Advance Lawyer on Sea Blue Star and also a super VIP member of the Tianhe Star Domain Law Association. At fourteen, he obtained his Advance Lawyer qualification, setting a record not just for the entire Tianhe Star Domain but also ranking in the top ten across the entire Cosmic Country. Although he has handled just over five hundred cases, he has never lost a single one," the middle-aged lawyer explained in a hushed voice.
The Trial Judge once again banged the gavel, signaling for both sides' lawyers to start questioning the witness.
The first witness came forward, and Guding and Reid could clearly see that he was in a poor state of mind, looking as if he hadn't slept well and his gaze somewhat vacant. Upon seeing Preston, his expression turned noticeably frightened.
"This guy, he must have been tortured last night," declared Sea Emperor upon observing the witness.
"Wait!" Reid interjected before the other side could ask the first question.
"Do you have a question, Reid?" the Trial Judge asked with a slight frown.
"Your Honor, in my opinion, testimony obtained under duress is unreliable. What do you think?" Reid stood up and spoke calmly and collectedly.
"The federal court does not allow the practice of torture for confessions. Testimonies obtained through coercion are inadmissible," the Trial Judge nodded.
"What makes you think this witness was tortured by us?" the opposing lawyer immediately raised an objection.
"It's quite simple," Reid then turned to Guding, "Guding, what did you notice about this person?"
"His hands are unnaturally trembling, and he dares not apply force when picking up papers, clearly in great pain. His fingernails are much redder than usual, which is because they have been regenerated using Cell Regeneration Liquid and are thinner. To verify, it's simple—just squeeze his fingernails a little, and they will break from the root. But the inability to use his hands isn't because the nails were pulled out."
"Ordinary skin wounds would heal completely after soaking in F-level Cell Regeneration Liquid for three hours, but bone damage doesn't recover that quickly. It takes at least three days of continuous soaking to fully heal. But we're talking about multiple fractures in all ten fingers. With F-level Cell Regeneration Liquid, soaking for just one day, the bones wrapped by flesh can only heal superficially, and will break again with minor force. Of course, these scars can be seen with an X-ray machine. A professional doctor can determine the timing of the injuries by looking at the X-ray images."
"Additionally, he's been in the courtroom for less than two minutes, yet his face occasionally reveals a look of discomfort. However, the source of his pain is not his hands—it's inside his body. External injuries heal easily with Cell Regeneration Liquid, but internal injuries are not something the liquid can reach. To determine if he has internal injuries, a full body scan will suffice."
After Guding finished speaking, Reid gave a thumbs-up, "Guding has pointed out the key issues. Now let me add something."
"After this witness entered, I noticed a detail. His gaze is dull, and his mental state is very poor. Just now, while Guding described the injuries, I also looked up this person's information through photos. Now I'll read it to everyone."
"Brent, an interstellar pirate, with a bounty amount of 130 million. Convicted of murder, arson, kidnapping, sentenced by the Federation Government to 330 years in prison." Reid finished and looked up at Preston, "A bounty of 130 million is about the highest in the Sea Blue Star Prison, isn't that right, Prison Director?"
"Before Cain, he was the highest, so what?" Preston replied indifferently.
"That means, whether before Cain entered the prison or after Cain escaped, his bounty was the highest. So who in the prison would dare to provoke him? His bleak mental state is obviously a result of trauma. Psychological trauma usually has two causes: one is the body enduring inhuman torture, beyond what the individual can withstand, leading to mental breakdown. The other is being dumped by a woman."
Reid paused for a moment, and then continued, "Just now, when he entered the courtroom and saw our Prison Director, he clearly displayed an emotion of fear."
"All you have are guesses—show some evidence!" Preston had an indifferent look.
"Want evidence? That's simple," Reid nodded, "then please, Prison Director, cooperate with me."
Preston didn't care about Reid's intentions, as he didn't think Reid could cause any trouble.
"Prison Director, please stand in my position." Reid walked up directly in front of Brent. Brent just gave him a lifeless glance and lowered his head without any reaction.
Preston probably guessed Reid's thoughts now. He tried to keep a relaxed smile and slowly moved toward Brent's position.
Upon seeing Preston, Brent's expression became notably tense. In his eyes, Preston's smiling face was much more terrifying than his serious one, as Preston had tortured him with such a smile. Watching Preston's steps close in, Brent's body began to tremble violently, "Don't come any closer... please... I'll tell you everything..."
Reid spread his arms, "The witness's reaction should be enough to explain everything, right? I presume, Prison Director, the condition of the other witnesses you mentioned is similar?"
"Bring up the other witnesses. Any with similar mental conditions—their testimonies are invalid!" the Trial Judge nodded and once again struck the gavel.
(The pace of the story has slowed down a bit in these chapters, as the story developed quite quickly earlier. I personally think it's better to give readers a break before reaching the next exciting point. The courtroom segment should conclude tomorrow.)