The Heroine Fell Deeply For Her [Quick Transmigration] 107p2

Chapter 107 p2: I Love Slacking Off Part 27

“Here’s the recording from inside her mecha during the exercise.”

No one expected this. The gallery’s attention turned to the virtual screen, and Tao Ning also looked up.

The crashing sound of the mecha being destroyed echoed throughout the courtroom. The young woman, covered in blood, collapsed on the control panel, her pale face a testament to her blood loss. Even then, she hadn’t given up, struggling to raise her arm, attempting to connect her psychic power to the mecha.

But she failed. Every attempt to use her psychic power caused a searing headache, making her clutch her head. Another violent tremor shook the mecha, and the image flickered.

Before the final darkness descended, she grabbed something with her last bit of strength, pulling it out, and then the screen went black.

Perhaps by some miracle, Zang Yuzhu had hidden the black box before dying, and it had finally seen the light of day.

Tao Ning said, “This drug is addictive, taken in small doses daily. The damage it causes is gradual, so when the real danger arrived, she couldn’t use her full psychic potential.”

Some in the audience turned away uncomfortably. Residents of the First Star System couldn’t imagine the brutality of war.

“The evidence is clear, does the defendant have anything to say?”

Xu Lingyi, speechless, remained silent for a long time before saying, “I confess, I did it alone, my husband and son knew nothing about it.”

She thought the three of them were being investigated for the poisoning, and if that were the case, her husband and son wouldn’t escape punishment either.

To avoid upsetting her, her lawyer hadn’t told her the truth.

“Defendant Xu Lingyi, for long-term poisoning and child abuse, resulting in severe consequences, you have been sentenced to fifty years imprisonment on Black Iron Star.”

Murmurs erupted in the gallery. The Federation had abolished the death penalty, and Black Iron Star was a penal colony some distance from the First Star System.

Xu Lingyi’s shoulders slumped. The woman who had entered confidently was now being led away, defeated, no longer the composed lady of the manor.

“Next, we will proceed with the case of illegal embezzlement, defendant Gu Changfeng.”

Xu Lingyi, who had thought she could protect her husband, was stunned, turning around sharply.

Embezzlement?

The plaintiff still hadn’t looked at her, the gallery more emotional than her.

Gu Changfeng, a seasoned politician, didn’t confess like Xu Lingyi upon seeing the evidence.

He maintained his decisive demeanor, even criticizing his lawyer’s performance, taking over the defense himself.

Gu Changfeng said, “This is ridiculous. We adopted Zang Yuzhu out of gratitude, I was merely managing her inheritance, afraid she was too young to be tricked. I didn’t expect her to accuse me of embezzlement after growing up.”

“Regarding your wife’s long-term poisoning of Zang Yuzhu, were you aware of this?”

The drugs were purchased under Xu Lingyi’s name, and she had already confessed, so Gu Changfeng naturally wouldn’t admit it.

Gu Changfeng shook his head: “I knew nothing about it. I’m rarely home, and both children were under her care. I admit my negligence led to this outcome, and I’m deeply saddened by it.”

Turning to Tao Ning, he said with feigned guilt, “I’m sorry, you’ve suffered all these years.”

Tao Ning: “It’s alright, just reform yourself in prison.”

Someone chuckled, quickly covering their mouth.

“…” Gu Changfeng’s face darkened before quickly returning to normal. He didn’t believe Zang Yuzhu could find any evidence.

So they argued about the inheritance.

Zang Yuzhu’s lawyer: “My client was only eight years old when she was adopted, and the defendant’s income couldn’t have supported such an extravagant banquet, let alone the purchase of a three-hundred-square-meter villa in Queen’s District. How did you afford these expenses with your salary?”

Gu Changfeng: “I wanted to provide Zang Yuzhu with a better environment, didn’t she live in that house? We never mistreated her in terms of living expenses and education, I’ve done everything I could.”

Zang Yuzhu’s lawyer: “But the house is under your name, not Zang Yuzhu’s.”

Gu Changfeng: “That’s because Yuzhu was still young. I told her I would transfer the ownership to her when she returned, now that she’s an adult.”

Tao Ning smiled: “That’s because you never intended for me to return alive. Verbal promises are easy to make.”

Gu Changfeng looked heartbroken: “I didn’t expect you to think of me that way. I must have made a mistake, raising you to be so narrow-minded.”

Before Tao Ning could reply, he declared, “I’m willing to return all her assets and provide double the compensation, to settle our past relationship. Whatever else you want to accuse me of, I confess.”

The last sentence was directed at Tao Ning. His attitude was sincere, his reasoning sound, and his crime not as severe as Xu Lingyi’s, so the punishment wouldn’t be too harsh.

Money wasn’t important, what mattered was that he was still alive. As long as he could get out, he could make a comeback.

“Court adjourned.”

When the trial resumed, the judge had been replaced, looking even more imposing.

“Next, we will proceed with the Silver Ship hijacking case.”

The gallery, which had been expecting to hear about the compensation Gu Changfeng would pay Zang Yuzhu, was stunned, then excited.

They had come for the Silver Ship case, after listening to the poisoning and embezzlement cases, they were finally here.

They hadn’t expected the Gu family, with their good reputation in Kelei Star, to be involved in poisoning and embezzling an orphan’s inheritance. As the saying went, “like father, like son,” they wondered if Gu Yuan was also involved.

Gu Changfeng, initially calm, felt his heart sink when he saw Gu Yuan, whom he had just seen a few days ago.

After years of meticulous planning, he wasn’t sure what would happen today.

Could it be… no, impossible, she barely managed to escape the White Ravens, she couldn’t have done anything else.

Gu Changfeng, having missed the previous trial, didn’t know that the purchase records Tao Ning presented were internal White Raven documents, otherwise he wouldn’t be so optimistic.

Then, following Gu Yuan were Gu Changfeng’s secretary and several of his associates. Gu Changfeng’s expression turned grim, finally realizing something was slipping beyond his control.

Gu Yuan looked at Tao Ning with unfamiliar eyes: “What have you…”

He didn’t know what to say, starting a sentence but unable to finish it.

Tao Ning smiled in return, offering comforting words: “Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of time to talk later.”

Gu Yuan was wheeled towards the defendant’s seat, unable to understand how he ended up like this.

He felt this shouldn’t be happening, but he couldn’t articulate why.

Only now did he realize how long it had been since he looked into Zang Yuzhu’s eyes. The eyes he saw just now held no clarity, no love.

Not even hatred, only deep, indifferent stillness.

As the evidence was presented, piece by piece, involving the old A3 Star case, the last vestiges of hope in the hearts of Gu Changfeng and his son were extinguished.

The evidence was irrefutable, leaving no room for argument.

Waves of commotion swept through the gallery, the judge banging the gavel repeatedly to restore order, only for the next piece of evidence to ignite another uproar.

Colluding with the Federation’s greatest enemy, exchanging benefits, abusing his authority, and fabricating achievements for Gu Yuan’s promotion.

Gu Changfeng, the father, was even more ruthless, constantly speaking of gratitude, mentioning Jiao Shu Jun’s distant relatives, while it was him who leaked the A3 Star coordinates.

His hasty adoption of Zang Yuzhu was likely to cover up the truth, and realizing the young Zang Yuzhu knew nothing, he resorted to slow poisoning.

Too many people knew about Zang Yuzhu’s adoption, and with her parents’ recent deaths, her death would have raised suspicions.

Years of risky maneuvers had indeed brought the Gu family benefits, one becoming the governor of Kelei Star, the other one of the Federation’s thirteen Major Generals.

Gu Changfeng’s lawyer had given up on fighting the charges, focusing on reducing the sentence. While the Federation didn’t have the death penalty, it didn’t mean they couldn’t be imprisoned for life or sent to a remote penal colony to work until death.

This, for the ambitious father and son, was worse than death, and they immediately appealed.

But the evidence was irrefutable, and their appeal was rejected.

Two hundred years ago, before the Federation abolished the death penalty, their crimes would have warranted execution many times over.

“Due to the defendant Gu Yuan leaking the Silver Ship’s coordinates, resulting in the destruction of both Caesar Star and the Silver Ship, the debris has been confirmed to be from the Silver Ship. This act has caused severe consequences and significant losses to the Federation…”

Gu Yuan couldn’t bear to listen anymore, his mind focused on the first part.

“The… the Silver Ship is destroyed, Caesar Star is gone?” Gu Yuan was incredulous. “Impossible, impossible, absolutely impossible…”

Tao Ning said calmly, “Why is it impossible? I destroyed it myself. Otherwise, gathering evidence against you would have been troublesome.”

Gu Yuan’s face turned ashen.

The judge officially announced: “Defendants Gu Changfeng and Gu Yuan have been sentenced to life imprisonment on Giant Rock Star, stripped of all political rights, with no possibility of parole.”

Giant Rock Star was a harsh environment, ten times worse than Black Iron Star. Giant Rock Prison was heavily guarded, making even suicide impossible.

They would suffer until their deaths.

“Court adjourned.”

520’s cheerful voice sounded: [Beep, beep, beep, reporting host’s mission progress: mission accomplished!]

It had timed the application perfectly, going to great lengths for the host’s love life.

Saving a widow’s singlehood was everyone’s responsibility!

520 was puzzled: [But Gu Yuan didn’t die, why is the mission complete?]

Tao Ning stood there, watching as the father and son were led away: “The person didn’t die, but his spirit did.”