Stepping out of the detention center's gates, Tang Fangjing prepared to return to the office while carefully pondering the situation.
Looking back at the many cases of intentional harm he had dealt with in his previous life, there was a possibility that this case could be justified as self-defense.
Of course, it was only a possibility, after all, everyone knew the strict standards of self-defense, and, most importantly, the other party was also a minor, with two people seriously injured.
But since it had become his task, he was determined to succeed, even if it meant moving heaven and earth. Failure was not an option!
As for what Liu Yan said, Old Tang did not choose to fully believe her... it was not that he suspected her of lying or anything, but that she might not remember some of the details clearly.
For instance, whether Li Zixin had pulled out a knife, Liu Yan couldn't remember.
These were lessons learned from his past life, and Tang Fangjing too had grown from a rookie step by step, having stumbled into countless pitfalls along the way.
It wasn't that because he had a good relationship with Old Liu, he would unconditionally believe Liu Yan's words.
It was necessary to cross-reference this with the case details from the police.
Next on the agenda was, of course, bail pending trial, as it was imperative to first get Liu Yan out—her continued detention in the detention center could lead to psychological issues. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel-fire.ɴet
After phoning Old Ge and learning that the case had been transferred to the criminal investigation team of the Guangming Sub-branch, he quickly prepared the bail application at the office and called Old Liu to ready the money.
"Old Tang, are you saying... you can get Little Yan out first?" Old Liu asked excitedly over the phone, "If Little Yan can be released, I'm willing to spend any amount of money!"
"I can't guarantee that, I can only say I'll do my best. However, even if the bail is granted, it doesn't mean there's no issue, just that there's no need to stay in the detention center temporarily."
"Once released, she can't go anywhere, and must report to the police whenever summoned..."
Tang Fangjing had to make these circumstances clear, although unlikely, there were still idiots who got in trouble during the bail period.
"That's no problem, so long as Little Yan can come out, that's all that matters. She's always been timid; being locked up alone, I haven't been able to eat for days."
"Alright, alright, just have the money ready. When the time comes and it's needed, I'll call you. That's it!"
Having said that, Old Tang hung up the phone directly—there was no time to listen to ramblings.
Carrying the bail application, Tang Fangjing made his way to the Guangming Sub-branch, where coming here truly felt like coming home.
From the homeowners committee case, to coming to the Sub-branch for economic crime investigations, he had been there no less than twenty times. He had also visited the criminal investigation team. It was truly a familiar path.
Upon reaching the criminal investigation team, he followed proper procedure to submit the application, which normally, would allow bail pending trial.
A minor, a first-time and occasional offender, and moreover, there was a cause for the incident. Even if released, she would pose virtually no harm to society.
However, his visit this time was not only to submit the application, he also needed to talk to the case officers, such as about something Liu Yan had mentioned before—that someone seemed to have recorded a video at the scene!
If Liu Yan wasn't mistaken, that would be an extremely crucial piece of evidence!
The position was situated at the corner of the restroom, and it was currently uncertain whether it could be captured by surveillance, so direct video evidence would be best if available.
After submitting the bail application and waiting a good while, a case officer finally arrived.
"Are you that lawyer for Liu Yan? Tang Fangjing right? I'm really busy here, let's get to the point!"
The case officer, who seemed to be not young, with dark circles under his eyes, sat down and started drinking tea continuously, obviously surviving on strong tea.
"All right, comrade, I'd like to first understand the charges Liu Yan is facing and some basic information about the case," Tang Fangjing began.
He wasn't like those young ones who fawned over the investigators as if it would get them somewhere. If fawning was effective, what would the need for the law be?
Criminal officers least preferred lawyers who wasted their time with circular questions, especially the stubborn ones who fixated on procedure—it was something they resented.
With work already so busy and then having to respond to lawyers' inquiries, it certainly wouldn't invite a good attitude.
Upon hearing this, detective Lao Wei glanced at the young lawyer in front of him—he had a feeling he had heard that name before somewhere.
But now, the idea was to get this man out of the way quickly.
"The suspected charge is intentional harm, severe injury resulting from intentional harm, and from what we know, Liu Yan was taken by Li Zixin and six others to the vicinity of the restroom, where some beating took place, including tugging at clothes at one point," said Lao Wei.
"After that, Liu Yan picked up the switchblade Li Zixin had dropped and started swinging it, resulting in Zhao Lingling among three being stabbed, with Zhao Lingling severely injured..."
Lao Wei was quite general in his account and did not provide details, but it wasn't far off from what Liu Yan had described.
However, what Lao Wei said next made Tang Fangjing furrow his brows.
"Wait, are you saying that when Liu Yan was caught up with by Li Zixin, it wasn't just one stab?" Tang Fangjing quickly asked.
"Of course not, Li Zixin was stabbed one time and then immediately retreated. Liu Yan chased after and stabbed her two more times. According to the injury assessment report, Li Zixin had three stab wounds," Lao Wei explained.
Tang Fangjing nodded solemnly—the situation differed from what Liu Yan had described, and this could significantly affect the trajectory of the entire case.