Gold Medal/Top Lawyer
In the solemn and dignified courtroom, the trial had already dragged on for four hours. Yet everyone present remained fully focused, as the case kept reaching new climaxes.
At this moment, all eyes converged into a single beam, landing on the young defense lawyer in the dock.
Jiao Qian stood at the center of attention, calm and composed. In his hand was an evidence bag containing a rusty fruit knife.
“Presiding Judge, the defense submits Evidence No. 7.”
His voice was not loud, but it was like a stone dropped into a still lake, instantly stirring ripples across the courtroom.
Just seconds ago, the plaintiff had been confidently in control, paying no attention to the defense lawyer at all. But upon seeing the knife, his expression suddenly changed drastically. Ignoring courtroom discipline, he slammed his hand on the table and stood up.
“Where did you get that knife?!” the man pointed at Jiao Qian and shouted in accusation.
The judge immediately struck the gavel. “Plaintiff, maintain courtroom decorum.”
Jiao Qian remained unfazed. His refined features carried a natural sharpness as he said evenly, “Your Honor, the defense’s seventh piece of evidence is a weapon retrieved from the bottom of Changhong River in this city. Forensic analysis confirms that the bloodstains on the blade match the victim’s DNA. The fingerprints on the handle also match the plaintiff’s.”
He paused, allowing the information to settle slowly in the courtroom.
A month earlier, he had taken on a case involving a wife accused of murdering her husband.
The defendant was a woman, charged with killing her spouse. The evidence appeared conclusive.
The plaintiff was the victim’s childhood friend. On the day of the incident, he visited the victim’s home and found his lifelong friend lying in a pool of blood in the living room. He immediately called the police and accused the wife—who was in the kitchen cutting vegetables—of being the murderer.
The wife denied it, insisting she and her husband were deeply in love and she could never commit such a crime.
However, a kitchen knife hidden deep in the knife rack bore bloodstains that had not been fully washed off. The blood matched the victim. All evidence pointed to the wife.
An airtight case.
Until Jiao Qian, the defense attorney, retrieved a fruit knife from the bottom of a nearby river—one bearing fingerprints.
The blood on it belonged to the victim. The fingerprints on the handle did not belong to the victim’s wife—but to the childhood friend who had broken into the house that day.
At that moment, in the plaintiff’s seat, the man’s eyes were bloodshot, his fists clenched tightly, knuckles turning white. From the start of the trial, he had sat upright like a righteous victim’s relative—but now he looked entirely different.
He stared at the young lawyer on the defense side, whose effortless confidence felt like a provocation.
“Impossible!” the middle-aged man suddenly stood again, his table shaking violently as he roared, “I checked all the surveillance around that river… Why would you suddenly think to dredge that river?!”
The judge frowned at him and struck the gavel again.
Jiao Qian ignored the outburst and even disregarded courtroom procedure, turning instead to the judge and adding fuel to the fire: “Your Honor, I believe the plaintiff’s statement just now is sufficient to establish his guilt.”
The courtroom erupted into commotion, spectators whispering among themselves.
“Wait, he actually overturned this case? I thought Lawyer Jiao would finally lose this time.”
“You think the reputation of Shengfan City’s highest win-rate lawyer is a joke?”
“Silence!” The judge struck the gavel again, nearly sparking fire from it. Then, stern-faced, he turned to the plaintiff. “Plaintiff, do you have any further arguments?”
The man on the plaintiff’s bench froze. Sweat began to bead at his temples, his throat bobbing unnaturally.
At this point, the entire direction of the trial had already tilted toward the innocent defendant wife.
It had been an ordinary day. She had simply gone to work and cooked a few dishes, planning to share dinner with her husband.
Unbeknownst to her, while she was cooking, her husband’s corpse had already been lying lifeless under the bed.
The real killer had broken in at noon, stabbing the victim in the heart with a fruit knife, then using a kitchen knife to “finish the job.”
After roughly washing the kitchen knife, they returned it to its place. When the wife came home late, she unknowingly used it, leaving her fingerprints on it.
Meanwhile, the real weapon was thrown into the river, and the killer later returned to frame the scene.
It should have been a flawless plan.
But no one expected that the woman—who supposedly knew nothing about law—had hired a young defense lawyer.
A pretty-faced one, at that.
At first, they thought nothing would come of it.
But then this “madman” took the case, went straight with prosecutors to dredge the river—and actually pulled up the real murder weapon.
The plaintiff was now at the end of his rope. He suddenly stood up and pointed at Jiao Qian.
“I accuse the defense lawyer! He’s my accomplice!!”
The entire courtroom fell silent.
The man continued desperately, almost losing control of himself: “Don’t you think it’s strange? He took the case only a few days ago and immediately went dredging the river.
“Why did no one else think to question that river? Why is he so smart, so sharp, when even the police missed it? It’s because he’s my accomplice! He betrayed me and is now turning on me!”
He spoke as if it were completely reasonable.
The judge coughed and adjusted his glasses, looking exasperated. “Defense counsel, are you aware you’re an accomplice?”
Jiao Qian replied earnestly, “Your Honor, I am not. This is the first time I have ever met the plaintiff.”
At this point, the judge had already reached his conclusion.
Jiao Qian had already submitted all evidence to the court. The only ones unaware of this were the furious plaintiff and his lawyer.
After further disorderly debate, the judge struck the gavel.
“The defense’s evidence chain is complete. The evidence shows that after killing the victim, the true culprit used a kitchen knife to fabricate the murder weapon and frame the innocent defendant. The only person capable of knowing the household’s routines and item placements—”
The judge paused, his gaze landing on the plaintiff.
“—is the plaintiff himself, who entered the scene under the pretense of a visit and was the first to discover the body.”
Another heavy strike of the gavel.
“Court adjourned!”
Thunderous applause erupted throughout the courtroom, everyone impressed by the brilliant reversal.
Amid the applause, Jiao Qian calmly organized his documents. At that moment, his assistant Qin Liu rushed over from the front row of the gallery.
Qin Liu gave him a thumbs-up as he ran up. “Brother Jiao, that was insane. You even flipped such a solid case. If I didn’t know you, I’d think you were the accomplice.”
Jiao Qian smiled faintly and tapped him on the head. “Watch your mouth, or I’ll sue you.”
Qin Liu immediately panicked. “No, no, bro, I’m sorry!”
For people who knew Jiao Qian, that “I’ll sue you” was more frightening than any threat.
Ever since entering the profession, this young lawyer had built a 95% win rate that terrified the entire industry.
He could turn black into white, and even without evidence, pull out murder weapons from the most impossible places.
All of it, in truth, came from his special ability.
That day he had boarded a 3 a.m. subway. When he woke up, the surroundings were filled with strangers, station names completely unfamiliar.
When the doors opened, the outside world was pitch black, with a faintly visible river that did not seem like the human world.
After returning from that “ghost train,” he could see ghosts.
At first, they were terrifying. But later he realized they did not harm people—they simply lingered where they had lingering attachments, usually where they died or near their killers.
So he gradually adapted.
Eventually, he began using this ability in his legal work.
And everything changed.
His career took off like a rocket. He founded his own law firm, took on more cases than he could handle, and hired other lawyers to help.
Once stable, he aimed for higher-value cases—fewer clients, more money, one case a year would be enough to live comfortably.
A life of early retirement was within reach.
As he sat in traffic on the way back to the office, Jiao Qian felt no irritation—only satisfaction.
Then Qin Liu’s phone rang.
“Xiao Shu just sent a message,” he said, checking it. “A big client is coming. They specifically want you as defense lawyer. Upfront fee… 3 million.”
Jiao Qian almost stepped on the accelerator too hard.
“…How much?”
“Three million. I checked it twice.”
“…”
He coughed lightly to steady himself. “What’s there to be surprised about? There will be more cases like this in the future.”
Qin Liu nearly cried from excitement. “I knew I chose the right boss!”
Jiao Qian’s hand tightened on the wheel, trying hard not to smile too obviously.
Three million.
Who would pay that just for a defense lawyer?
His firm’s reputation had finally attracted a top-tier client.
At the office, he tidied himself in the restroom—tie straight, suit flawless, hair perfectly in place.
Only then did he enter the meeting room.
Inside sat a man in a black overcoat, gazing out the window. His profile looked like a cold, carved statue.
“Mr. Xie, thank you for waiting. I’m Lawyer Jiao.”
He extended his hand.
Then froze.
The man named Xie Yin turned around.
A dark, oppressive presence surged forward. His expression was cold, unreadable.
Behind his chair… something was moving.
One shadow… two… five or six ghostly figures slowly crawled up from the carpet. Some clung to his shoulders. Others slumped against the chair.
The implication was unmistakable.
This man… was a murderer.