Chapter 523: The Settlement Agreement Will Absolutely Not Be Signed, Just Wait to Go to Jail!

"Stop crowding around, hurry up and make way!"

The police officers who arrived began to maintain order; they saw the ambulance as soon as they reached the entrance, and under any circumstances, saving lives was the priority.

The onlookers quickly dispersed, each remarking that coming to the mall today was worth it; being able to witness such a scene meant the trip wasn't in vain.

"That young man's kick was quite ruthless, he'll probably have to go to jail for this, right?" someone commented directly.

The person next to them shook their head and said, "He won't go to jail, right? It was clearly the other party who struck first; this should count as Legitimate Defense."

"Legitimate Defense? Are you kidding me? What year is this and people still believe in Legitimate Defense? Let me tell you, I have a friend who was in the exact same situation, and he ended up going straight inside. You're a Legal Blind!"

The onlookers were discussing it loudly; thanks to the legendary Long Ge, whose case sparked massive online discussion, everyone now has something to say about Legitimate Defense.

It can only be said that Long Ge used his own life as the price to educate everyone on the law—what the hell is actually called Legitimate Defense...

The police officers were also a bit shocked when they arrived; two people were lying on the ground, one of whom was clutching his crotch with an extremely painful expression, and blood had even begun to seep out from that area.

Although the other one didn't show any obvious abnormalities on the surface, he was screaming quite miserably...

Hmm, someone who didn't know better might think something had happened to him.

Zhou Xinran was also full of anxiety, though, in truth, she knew that Zhou Yi's situation shouldn't be very serious.

After all, she was a young woman who had sent several suitors and blind-date partners to prison, and having followed Fang Dazhuang for so long, she certainly had the skills.

If he were truly in great pain, Zhou Yi would absolutely not be shouting with such vigor right now.

Seeing that the police and ambulance crew had arrived, the Manager's wife hurriedly shouted, "Officers, officers, hurry and come save my younger brother!"

The ambulance crew rushed up and began preparing the stretcher; fortunately, most ambulances are small, and normally they can only carry one patient who needs to lie flat on a stretcher.

Otherwise, Zhou Yi and the other man might have been able to go back together...

The hospital staff naturally handled the rescue, while the police began to inquire about the situation.

The officer who responded to the call today was Lao Ma from the nearby Police Station, who was listening with a furrowed brow.

The Manager's wife, Han Ying, was currently giving a full account.

"Officers, my brother was kicked into this state by him. It was just an argument, but he just delivered that kick—he really was too ruthless..."

As Han Ying spoke, Zhou Xinran didn't say a single word, just listening.

Police investigations and judicial trials do not operate on a first-come, first-served basis.

Everything depends on evidence; if you have no evidence, the more you say now, the more the police will resent you once they understand the situation.

This is human nature; as investigators, the police certainly hope you will state the case truthfully, rather than spouting nonsense like this.

"You said your brother and the other party were arguing; did your brother strike first?" Lao Ma asked.

"He... he was just trying to scare him, he really didn't mean to do anything, but, but the other party delivered such a ruthless kick..."

"Alright, let's go to the hospital to check the situation first."

First, we have to see if it qualifies as a Slight Injury; if it is only a Minor Injury, then it is generally handled as Mutual Fighting.

As for compensation, it is handled according to the cause of the incident, who started the trouble, and whose injuries are more severe—it's that simple.

In cases where no Criminal Case is involved, it is generally treated as Mutual Fighting.

Of course, the Monitoring footage and such still need to be retrieved.

So, Lao Ma quickly arranged for his apprentice to retrieve the Monitoring, while he followed to the hospital to take a look; Injury Appraisal is generally done by the forensic department.

But if, upon arriving at the hospital, they find the problem is serious enough that even an ordinary person can tell, then they must investigate thoroughly and prepare for a Case Filing.

He was just a bit curious that the girl beside that young man hadn't said a single word; from beginning to end, it was only the sister of the injured party doing the talking.

The Manager was also numb; he had wanted to leave the moment he heard the sound of the police siren.

The Lawyer had made it very clear before: he is currently on Bail Pending Trial and absolutely must not cause any more trouble.

But what happened? This brain of his—he should just go inside and start Treading the Sewing Machine early.

Therefore, the Manager did not follow them to the hospital; instead, after they left, he hurriedly dialed the number of his case officer to explain that this matter had nothing to do with him!

He had to clarify it in advance to avoid trouble later...

At the Handong Provincial First People's Hospital, Zhou Yi and the other man had already begun emergency treatment, and soon Zhou Xinran received news.

Zhou Yi had suffered some damage to the joint in his shoulder, his arm couldn't be lifted, and there was bruising; it wasn't very serious, but a Minor Injury was certain.

On the other hand, Han Guoxing's situation was more severe; by the time he was sent to the hospital, he had already fainted from the pain, though fortunately, the standards at the Handong Provincial First People's Hospital were very high.

It's just that... the area the other party was injured in was a bit special...

Han Ying was extremely anxious outside; she had already had an argument with her husband on the way here, feeling that since her brother was in trouble, her husband should at least be present!

Unfortunately, her husband had argued back, even asking her if she really wanted him to spend ten years in jail.

In her heart, she actually knew that both her husband and brother were currently on Bail Pending Trial and definitely couldn't afford any issues, but once her emotions flared up, her reason simply ran away.

Finally, a doctor came out; Han Ying and Lao Ma hurried up to ask, and the conclusion was that the situation was very serious and might even affect future function...

Of course, it was only a possibility; modern medicine is quite capable when it comes to this kind of pure physical trauma.

It's just that the medical expenses certainly won't be low...

"Officer, you heard that, right? My brother's situation is very serious now. If anything happens to him, how am I supposed to live!"

Lao Ma waved his hand and said, "Ms. Han, please calm down. The other party is also at the hospital now, and we are currently investigating."

"Please rest assured, the law will not let a bad person go, nor will it wrong a good person!"

After speaking, Lao Ma walked over to the orthopedics department and found Zhou Yi's ward.

It looked like the other party was asleep, and just as he was hesitating whether to ask, a pretty girl walked over.

"Um... hello, Officer, I am a friend of Zhou Yi," Zhou Xinran said with a smile.

Lao Ma nodded and said, "Hello, you are his friend, right? We need to conduct an investigation now. Your friend struck too hard, and the other party's condition is very serious, so for now, your friend cannot leave our Monitoring."

"As soon as his injuries improve, he must come back with us to accept investigation!"

"Also, do you know the contact information for his family?"

Although there was no Injury Appraisal yet, Lao Ma's experience told him that the man named Han Guoxing had definitely sustained enough for a Slight Injury.

As for Serious Injury... to be honest, anyone who has read our "Standard for Identification of Human Body Injury Degree" would know that for a Serious Injury, either you end up disabled for the rest of your life, or you are left with only one breath remaining.

Therefore, normally speaking, even if someone looks like they were beaten very badly, it is hard to say whether it even qualifies as a Slight Injury.

Whether to initiate a Case Filing depends on the appraisal results from the forensic department and whether there are any grounds for exemption.

There are two typical situations for grounds for exemption in Criminal Law: one is Legitimate Defense, and the other is Emergency Avoidance.

While saying these things, Lao Ma felt the name Zhou Yi sounded very familiar, but he just couldn't recall it for a moment.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xinran smiled and said, "Comrade Police, I know all of this, but before that, I must show you the video I recorded at the time."

"The video you recorded?"

"Yes, it's basically recorded from beginning to end; this should be usable as evidence, right?"

Lao Ma was noncommittal, only saying, "An investigation and verification are required."

He didn't think much of the video; in a Criminal Case, the admission rate for evidence privately recorded by related parties is actually very low.

The exclusionary rule for illegal evidence, which is what we call the Poisonous Tree Doctrine, was completely excluded in our country's criminal justice system in the past.

It was only later discovered that it couldn't be completely excluded either; it depends on the situation...

But he still took it to have a look, as it might involve a Criminal Case, and evidence needs to be collected as much as possible during the investigation stage.

Zhou Xinran took out her phone, flipped to the video, and handed it over; Lao Ma took it and clicked play.

The first thing that appeared was the two of them arguing; of course, there was nothing to that, but what left Lao Ma stunned was that the video started with a shout:

"I'm telling you, don't be impulsive, I've already started recording a video, everything you do next will be recorded by me!"

The voice was very loud, and one could see in the video that after Zhou Xinran finished shouting, Han Guoxing even glanced at the lens.

This segment was captured perfectly and could be seen very clearly.

Lao Ma looked at the girl in front of him, completely stunned. This young woman looked beautiful, but... had she already anticipated at that time that this matter might involve a crime later?

Otherwise, there would be no reason for her to shout that before starting...

You have to know, after specifically giving notice, this video evidence is no longer considered illegally obtained!

Of course, in practice, it isn't that harsh; normally, if you hold your phone and record openly, it won't necessarily be excluded.

It's just that by comparison, this kind of evidence has no procedural issues, and as long as it is investigated and confirmed that there is no forgery or editing, it can be used directly as evidence...

Zhou Xinran still had a smile on her face; the level of tacit understanding she now had with Zhou Mouren was cultivated single-handedly by Fang Dazhuang.

If a conflict occurs and there are two people, one must remember to record a video while the other acts, and additionally, one must remember to give notice.

She retreated to the side, called the police first, stated the time, event, and location clearly in a few sentences, and then began recording.

"How is it, Comrade Police, can this evidence be submitted?" Zhou Xinran asked again.

"This... this is acceptable, but we need to conduct an investigation," Lao Ma said.

He no longer mentioned having Zhou Yi accept an investigation; this video was very likely real, and if confirmed to be true, then this man named Zhou Yi could be said to have performed a textbook example of Legitimate Defense.

The counterattack happened when the other party was attacking him with a fire extinguisher, and it was aimed at his head.

In that moment, there were no restrictions on the counterattack, and the aggressive act was still ongoing.

The counterattack consisted of only one strike, and then both sides stopped.

It was recorded extremely completely and was very clear; it was Han Guoxing who first picked up the fire extinguisher and started hitting people.

Legitimate Defense is still hard to judge right now, so what exactly are these two doing?

Just as he was thinking, Lao Ma's phone rang; he answered the call, and it was from the station.

"Hello, what? That Han Guoxing is currently out on Bail Pending Trial? What is he thinking!"

With the ID numbers, the station quickly checked the identities of both parties and also found out about Han Guoxing's Bail Pending Trial status.

Lao Ma didn't even know what to say; he had been a police officer for many years and had seen many criminals with brain problems, but someone who gets into a conflict while out on Bail Pending Trial could almost rank in the top ten of the "Stupidest Criminals" list.

As for what the situation is for the number one on the "Stupidest Criminals" list, I believe everyone can guess.

Doing all sorts of death-seeking things during a Suspended Sentence, and then having the Suspended Sentence changed to an Immediate Execution of Death Penalty...

Even today, there are still many people who think that a Suspended Sentence means you don't have to die and that you are completely fine.

And that Zhou Yi on the other side... holy crap, it couldn't be that Zhou Yi, could it!

Lao Ma suddenly remembered; the station's special operation had only finished a few days ago, and the Propaganda Department had even specifically asked everyone to watch the promotional video together.

This is that A Yi!

I didn't expect him to be so young, and... he really does things without a single flaw.

If that's the case, then this matter is going to be lively.

Police are also human.

Anyway, the Police Station will investigate as it should; all the evidence has been submitted, and whether to initiate a Case Filing is a matter for the branch bureau and the Procuratorate.

Lao Ma didn't know that the moment he left, Zhou Yi opened his eyes.

"Your video recording was good, your hand was very steady!"

"Your acting was also very brilliant; it would be a pity not to be an actor."

The two looked at each other after speaking, gave a loud high-five, and then started laughing.

Throughout the previous actions, the two had never communicated from start to finish, but when the event occurred, they did it naturally.

"Sigh, it's just that this shoulder is injured; the swelling will probably take a few days to go down. I hope it's fine by the time I go back; I still have to show my face," Zhou Yi sighed and said.

By the time Lawyer Lao Pang arrived at the hospital, it was already dark, and he felt completely numb.

He had warned them repeatedly not to have any accidents while out on Bail Pending Trial, especially Han Guoxing, who was an Accomplice; if handled well, he might even get a Suspended Sentence.

And yet, he ended up in the hospital from a fight...

"So he was beaten and injured by the other party, right? That's fine then; if there are really any sequelae, we can apply for Medical Parole later."

In front of the hospital payment window, Lao Pang said.

Han Ying nodded and then said, "Then since the other party beat my brother like this, he must go to jail, right? And he has to pay for the Medical Expenses; I've already paid a lot of money just today."

Lao Pang nodded and said, "Regarding this injury, normally it would certainly qualify as intentional injury, but according to the principle of the more serious crime absorbing the lesser one, it might be processed as Picking Quarrels and Provoking Trouble..."

"If you don't sign the Letter of Forgiveness here, the other party will likely be sentenced to two or three years."

"I definitely won't sign it. If they want us to forgive them, they can keep dreaming!"

As she spoke, Han Ying turned her head and happened to see Zhou Yi and Zhou Xinran walking over from not far away.

Zhou Yi had his arm in a sling; he was fine now and could go home once the paperwork was finished.

Of course, according to Lao Ma, he had to keep in touch with them and would be required to go to the Police Station to accept an investigation; even with the video now, the necessary investigations would not be skipped.

Enemies are especially jealous when they meet!

Han Ying immediately blocked Zhou Yi and shouted, "So you really were faking it; you're fine now and want to leave, right!"

"Let me make it clear to you in advance, that Letter of Forgiveness or whatever, I will absolutely not sign it, just wait to go to jail!"

The first update is here, good evening everyone, thanks to Wenchidage, Jianghu Dage, Mengxinzai Dage, and Youyige Xinshou Dage, thank you brothers for the tips, thank you.

The outline planned for a dislocated shoulder, but it turns out that a major joint dislocation is a Slight Injury Level Two, source: Human Body Injury Degree Appraisal Standard 5.9.4.

(End of chapter)