138: Withdrawal of lawsuit

Returning to his quiet apartment, Shen Mingyuan wolfed down a large amount of food before finally suppressing the weakness and hunger stemming from the depths of his cells.

He washed away his exhaustion and sat at his desk; the armband on his left wrist had returned to its form as an inconspicuous black watch.

The phone screen lit up at the right moment, a starry sky avatar pulsing.

.: "Tonight's performance was acceptable. The initial adaptation of the new armor 'shadow' was smoother than expected. However, energy management still requires attention; metabolic depletion after high-intensity combat is an inherent risk."

.: "Additionally, the official organization you encountered is known as the 'GUPA,' or GUPA for short. They are one of the primary official forces in the current international community dealing with the 'Great Upheaval' and related anomalous events, possessing extremely high authority and resources."

.: "You encountered their subordinate action team tonight. Their primary goal is to control, contain, and study abnormally evolved individuals or phenomena to maintain surface order and avoid public panic."

"For 'unregistered Aptitude Holders' like you, their attitude is usually to observe and assess. Before you are confirmed as 'friendly' or 'controllable,' they will remain vigilant, but generally, they won't attack proactively—unless you exhibit clear hostile behavior or pose a major uncontrollable risk."

.: "Your behavior of calling yourself 'shadow' and intervening has been recorded. This will increase your visibility in their files, but given that you assisted in containing a dangerous individual, the preliminary assessment should tend to be favorable. There's no need for excessive concern, but you should be aware of this."

Shen Mingyuan quickly read the messages, integrating the intelligence in his mind.

A global organization, maintaining order, observation and assessment... This information gave him a clearer understanding of the team in gray uniforms.

Shen Mingyuan: Understood. Will their records affect Uncle Chen's case?

.**: "Yes, and decisively so. GUPA's intervention means the case will be removed from ordinary judicial procedures."

"Qian Qiang is no longer a 'victim' in the legal sense, but a contained 'abnormal biological specimen.' The charges of injury against him will lose their legal basis."

"It's expected that the prosecution will receive relevant notification and react soon. You can wait for the changes in the official procedures."

Shen Mingyuan: Okay. Thanks for the intel.

.**: "Focus on yourself. The new equipment requires practice and familiarity. The method of energy replenishment has been told to you. Stay in touch."

A few days later, Shen Mingyuan received a notification from the court. When he stepped into the courtroom again, the atmosphere was completely different from before. The Prosecutor at the public prosecution's seat looked calm and even gave Shen Mingyuan a slight nod.

Uncle Chen was brought to the defendant's dock, his face still filled with confusion and anxiety.

The Presiding Judge offered no unnecessary pleasantries and directly announced: "Regarding the case of the defendant Uncle Chen's alleged intentional injury, this court has received new developments. The Prosecutor will now explain."

The Prosecutor stood up, his tone businesslike.

"Presiding Judge, given that the victim in this case, Qian Qiang, and his legal representative formally submitted a written statement to this court and my procuratorate today, citing 'a major deviation in the understanding of facts, and after careful consideration,' they have proactively and unconditionally withdrawn all criminal charges and incidental civil litigation requests in this case."

"At the same time, through supplementary investigation by the investigative authorities, it has been confirmed that an unlawful infringement did indeed occur at the time of the incident, and the circumstances were serious."

"Considering the existing evidence and the victim's attitude, and after deliberation by this court's prosecution committee, it is believed that the circumstances of this case have changed, and the facts and evidence for the charge of intentional injury against the defendant Uncle Chen are insufficient."

"According to Article 177 of the Criminal Procedure Law, this procuratorate has decided: to withdraw the charges against the defendant Uncle Chen."

Silence fell over the courtroom, followed by low murmurs. Several of Qian Qiang's relatives in the gallery had ugly expressions, but they didn't say a word, seemingly having been cautioned beforehand.

Shen Mingyuan's face was calm, but his mind was as clear as a mirror. 'GUPA is truly efficient. "A major deviation in the understanding of facts"... this phrasing is euphemistic to the extreme.'

He could almost imagine how an order from a certain level was handed down, and how Qian Qiang's family was 'persuaded' or 'informed' of certain 'facts' they couldn't understand and had to accept.

The Presiding Judge struck the gavel: "Silence! This court will review the prosecution's application to withdraw the charges. Does the defense counsel have any comments?"

Shen Mingyuan rose and said briefly: "The defense counsel respects the prosecution's decision and has no objection. At the same time, I implore the court to clarify the nature of the defendant Uncle Chen's actions in the legal documents based on the established facts of the unlawful infringement, to set the record straight."

After whispering with the other members of the collegial panel, the Presiding Judge ruled on the spot: "The withdrawal of charges by the XX City People's Procuratorate against the defendant Uncle Chen is granted. The defendant Uncle Chen is released in court. The relevant legal documents will state the cause of the case and the circumstances of defense. Court adjourned!"

The gavel fell with a crisp sound.

Uncle Chen stood dazed in the defendant's dock, seemingly not having reacted yet. It wasn't until the bailiff stepped forward to unlock his restraints and whispered "you can go" that he gave a sudden shudder. Tears instantly welled up in his clouded eyes as he looked toward Shen Mingyuan, his lips trembling, unable to speak.

Shen Mingyuan walked over, supporting the old man's arm, and whispered: "Uncle Chen, it's okay now, it's all over. Let's go home."

After sending the profoundly grateful Uncle Chen and his family home, Shen Mingyuan returned to the law firm. Not long after he sat down at his workstation, the partner Director Wang walked over with a beaming smile, holding two cups of freshly brewed tea.

"Mingyuan, you're back? Hard work, hard work!" Director Wang placed a cup of tea in front of Shen Mingyuan and pulled over a nearby chair to sit down, the smile on his face impossible to hide. "I just heard—the prosecution withdrew the charges in Uncle Chen's case, and he was released in court! Beautifully done! This was a clean and decisive victory."

Shen Mingyuan picked up the teacup, blowing on the steam, his expression calm: "The facts were clear, and favorable changes appeared in the evidence; the result was only natural."

"Oh, you're being modest." Director Wang waved his hand. "Even if facts are clear, someone has to dig them out and argue for them. Your 'stubborn' streak really hit the mark this time. The limited online reports and the news circulating in the industry have raised our firm's reputation by another notch; everyone's saying we're 'principled, brave enough to tackle the tough ones, and professionally skilled.' Several potential clients called this morning to inquire, specifically asking for a 'reliable' lawyer like you."

Shen Mingyuan took a sip of tea, noncommittal. To him, the online praise and the firm's improved reputation were far less tangible than the moment of relief on Uncle Chen's face as he walked out of the courtroom.

Director Wang observed his expression and sighed, his tone becoming more serious: "After this, I've also come to understand. I used to think you were too 'stubborn,' letting easy money go. Now it seems I was wrong. In this business, once your reputation is established, it's more important than anything else. From now on," he patted Shen Mingyuan's shoulder, "I'll try not to push those ambiguous cases with complicated backgrounds your way. I'll find you those... well, relatively 'cleaner' ones that let you dig and argue to your heart's content."

Shen Mingyuan put down his teacup and looked at Director Wang, his lips curling into a rare, extremely faint, almost invisible arc: "Thank you for your understanding, Director. However," he changed his tone, with a hint of banter that was hard to tell if it was a joke or serious, "if you must push something 'unclean' on me in the future... then I'll just have to find a way to make our firm's reputation even more 'renowned' than it is now."

Director Wang was stunned, then burst out laughing, waving his hands repeatedly: "Don't! Rest assured, absolutely not! I can see now that a great Buddha like you needs to be enshrined in a 'clean-water office' to exert your maximum power. Let others wade through that muddy water!"

The two smiled at each other, the atmosphere rarely relaxed. The sunlight outside shone in, spilling over the mountain of case files. For Shen Mingyuan, one commission had ended, but the lawyer's daily routine continued.