Chapter 156 - 143 Mr. Lee of Chinatown

"You were an intern in the laboratory, did Professor Conners let you participate in the experiment?"

"No, I was only involved in auxiliary data processing work and some less complex supportive tasks."

"Such as?"

"Cleaning, data processing, delivering messages..."

"Did it include genetic engineering experiment operations?"

"No, it did not."

"Then how did you complete the experiment on your own? You haven’t even graduated from high school, you are just a high school student."

"I watched Professor Conners and Mr. Lee operate, I secretly learned it."

"You learned it? Are you saying, you, a high school student, learned such high-tech skills?"

"Yes, I learned it..."

The lawyer interrupted, "You think we will believe that? Professor Conners and Mr. Lee in the experiment..."

Peter interrupted, "Regardless of whether you believe it or not, this was my personal action, I can repeat the experiment in court."

No one wanted to see that—at least not in court.

"Would demonstrating the experiment violate the laboratory’s restrictions on interns?"

"No, sir, interns have the right to observe and learn, in fact, Professor Conners would conduct safety education for me every day."

"Did they emphasize the risks of the experiment in their demonstrations?"

"Yes."

"And you violated safety regulations out of your own selfishness?"

"Yes."

"... You mentioned that before your unauthorized experiment, you had contact with a graduate student from Laboratory Three, did you kidnap..."

"No, sir, we greeted each other but didn’t talk much, I don’t even know his name."

"Was he wearing a gray shirt at the time..."

"Maybe he was."

"Maybe? Please answer yes or no."

"Or say..."

In court, Peter’s performance was even better than Lille and Matt had expected.

The prosecutor’s questions came wave after wave, trying to find contradictions and ambiguities in Peter’s statements to achieve certain purposes.

But Peter confessed faster than they expected and showed no negative emotions in the face of many seemingly pointless inquiry traps.

The prosecutor spoke dry-mouthed but still did not find any contradictions and did not achieve his additional goals.

Peter’s answers were crisp and direct, which was due to his complete lack of lucky mentality and maintaining the utmost honesty.

But the prosecutor came with a task, besides the Laboratory Three matter, he had other tasks.

"... Could the Lizard Serum be used for human enhancement?"

"It’s unethical, it should be prohibited ethically."

"But you did it, which means it is technically feasible."

"It is also technically infeasible, a soldier should have the ability to execute orders, which I clearly did not have at the time."

"That night, Mr. Lee appeared on the scene, he..."

"Regarding the situation at that time, I have no memory, that is why I say it should not be used for human enhancement.

If the court allows, I can fully elaborate on my reasons here."

The prosecutor’s face remained unchanged, but he thought to himself, how is this kid different from what our sponsor said.

He didn’t seem reckless and timid, self-abased and cowardly, except for those glasses, he didn’t look like a youth who had long been bullied at school.

Did the psychological profile lose its effectiveness overnight? What is this boy’s situation...

The case was indeed quite clear, and under the rigorous and meticulously arranged questioning, Peter showed no signs of anxiety or shame—at least he didn’t show it.

The judge knocked the gavel, "Based on the current information, on the night of June 4, which was last night, the defendant Peter Parker conducted an unauthorized human experiment on himself, causing significant destruction in the city and endangering public safety.

Throughout the case, Peter Parker recklessly and immaturely replicated the experimental pharmaceutical, and became the ’Lizard Man’ as stated in the case—

Causing destruction in the New York City area, with total losses exceeding 2.34 million US dollars, detailed losses are still being calculated and may change.

Throughout the case, Peter Parker had no intent to harm others, and did not cause any direct casualties.

Violations of the law include New York State Penal Law..."

A long list of laws was recited by the judge, making it hard for people to breathe.

But the final sentence was as Lille guessed, after consolidating various evidence and circumstances, the judge ultimately did not choose a heavy sentence,

"The sentence, five years of imprisonment, with a suspended sentence of two years and six months.

Considering the overall case, the second biological research laboratory of Empire University, where Peter Parker served, should bear 30% of the final loss.

The case trial is over, if there are any objections, please appeal again within 30 days..."

But the actual compensation loss would be ridiculously high, that’s for sure.

The strange thing about this whole matter is that Peter caused damage as a lizard—in a sense, it could even be defended under mental illness related provisions...

The trial was held the next day to appease the public, but the whole case was clear and the evidence was solid, leaving little to investigate.

The New York State judicial department demonstrated the highest efficiency since its establishment... this would probably make the headlines.

A two-and-a-half-year suspended sentence was a good result—considering there is still an unresolved case needing his help, Peter might not need to serve time at all.

The Parker family embraced at the courthouse entrance, then were swarmed by media reporters. Hammond and Matt stood by to help handle them.

Peter now looked a lot calmer, his answers were flawless.

In this incident, judicially, the company and Peter had been separated, they even had the right to claim compensation from Peter.