Chapter 164: Courtroom Dialect Reproduction

Zhao Jianguo parked his bicycle at the courthouse gate, the bell on the handlebars shook once and gave a clear chime. He felt his pockets, the sign‑in card was still there, the red line on the screen had disappeared, but the feeling of being watched by something hadn't faded.

He stepped into the hall; there weren't many people, a few neighbors sat on benches waiting for court to start. Someone saw him and whispered, "Here he is," and everyone turned to look. Zhao Jianguo nodded, said nothing more, and walked straight to the courtroom.

Xu Da Mao had already been brought in, his handcuffs not yet removed, sitting with his head down in the defendant's box. Hearing the footsteps, he lifted his head for a glance, his eyes flickered, then quickly looked away.

The judge struck the gavel and declared the court in session.

The prosecutor first read out the case: selling stolen college‑entrance exam papers, forging answer sheets, using overseas communication equipment for illegal trade; evidence included UV‑revealed exam papers, a signal‑triggered pocket watch, and on‑scene arrest records, etc.

Midway through, Xu Da Mao suddenly stood up, voice trembling: "I don't admit to this crime! I was tricked! Someone called me in the middle of the night to deliver something—I didn't know it was exam papers! I'm just an errand runner!"

A commotion rose among the spectators.

The judge frowned: "You previously admitted the handover in the record, now you're recanting—do you have new evidence?"

"I didn't sign anything!" Xu Da Mao exclaimed, "They forced me to say it! When the light shines, words appear on the wall—who knows if they were pre‑drawn? This isn't legal!"

Zhao Jianguo sat in the witness stand, motionless. Hearing this, he rose: "I can prove he's lying."

The judge looked at him: "You're the key witness—do you have additional evidence?"

"Yes." Zhao Jianguo said, "I can reconstruct what he said."

The whole court fell silent for a second.

"What are you saying?" Xu Da Mao turned to him, "Go ahead and try to reconstruct it."

Zhao Jianguo ignored him, turned to the judge: "Please allow me to demonstrate a dialogue. This is voiceprint data extracted by the system last night, combined with a language model to reconstruct the original exchange."

The judge hesitated: "The technical method must withstand verification. Can you guarantee its authenticity?"

"Yes." Zhao Jianguo nodded, "And only Xu Da Mao himself would know whether what I say is true."

The judge pondered a moment, then nodded: "Approved."

Zhao Jianguo took a deep breath and spoke.

His voice changed.

No longer his usual crisp tone, it now carried a Jing‑nan accent, the endings drawn out long—even his cough sounded like it was squeezed from his throat: "Old Zhang, these papers are genuine, from the Shanghai Education Bureau, fifty yuan a set, cash deal. Want them? If not, I'll find someone else."

The entire courtroom fell silent at once.

Xu Da Mao's face turned pale in an instant.

This wasn't just a dialect imitation. It was his own voice, his own speech habit—every time he said "fifty yuan" he paused slightly, and when he said "cash deal" his right hand unconsciously rubbed thumb and forefinger twice. Even that smug attitude was reproduced exactly.

"How…… how could you…?" Xu Da Mao pointed at Zhao Jianguo, his finger trembling.

Zhao Jianguo continued, his tone slower: "If you were worried about trouble, you shouldn't have worn that military overcoat. When the wind blows, the collar skews, the hat falls off—who wouldn't recognize you then?"

As soon as he said that, someone in the spectator seats exclaimed, "Whoa," and started murmuring.

That day in the warehouse, Xu Da Mao had come wearing that military overcoat, his hat blown askew by the wind, and he'd even adjusted it himself. No one but the parties involved knew that detail.

The judge slammed the gavel: "Order!"

He stared at Xu Da Mao: "Was that passage spoken by you yourself?"

"No!" Xu Da Mao shouted, "This is a frame‑up! He just made up a few lines, faked a voice, and wants to pin the crime on me—who investigates like that?"

"Not made up at random." Zhao Jianguo pulled a small notebook from his pocket, "I extracted three audio clips from the system. The first is what you said when you met the intermediary at the grain station gate; the second is you muttering to yourself before getting in the car, 'This time I'll strike it rich'; the third is you whispering after being arrested, 'I wish I hadn't come in person.'"

After he finished, he opened the notebook and read: "'If I'd known, I shouldn't have come in person, but seeing the money arrive, I couldn't set my mind at ease.'"

Xu Da Mao froze solid.

He remembered those words. At the time he was pressed face‑down on the ground, mouth to the tiles, saying them—even the police hadn't heard.

The judge's expression changed: "How…… how did you hear all this?"

"It's recorded by the system." Zhao Jianguo closed the notebook, "As long as you're within ten meters of the scene, sound‑wave vibrations can be captured. This isn't eavesdropping; it's a physical residue."

Xu Da Mao suddenly lunged at the rail, gripping the iron bars: "Impossible! There's no such technology! You've colluded—this is a setup!"

"Then tell me." Zhao Jianguo looked at him, "Why do you always leave something behind when you commit a crime? Last time it was the exam admission slip, this time the pocket watch. Do you think that as long as you don't touch the papers yourself, it's not a crime?"

"I…… I didn't…"

"You do." Zhao Jianguo kept his voice low, "You're greedy but timid. You don't fully trust others, nor can you let go completely. So you always show up, always thinking that if something goes wrong you can shift the blame. But you forget that people's words, even as light as a breath, leave traces."

Xu Da Mao slumped in the chair, lips trembling, unable to utter a word.

The judge announced a ten‑minute recess.

After the recess, the verdict came swiftly: Xu Da Mao was guilty of illegally selling state secret documents, sentenced to seven years in prison, all seized property confiscated, and the overseas communication equipment handed over to the National Security Bureau for further investigation.

Bailiffs stepped forward to take him away.

As Xu Da Mao was lifted to his feet, he glanced back at Zhao Jianguo. His mouth moved as if to say something, but all he managed was two words: "You're ruthless."

Zhao Jianguo gave no reply.

He lowered his eyes to his pocket; the sign‑in card vibrated once, and a new notice popped up on the screen:

【Civilization Inheritance Degree meets the standard, system upgraded to LV. 12】

【Unlocked feature: Civilization Intergenerational Transmission—can store and transmit specific era knowledge fragments】

The corner of his mouth twitched up slightly, he turned and walked out of the courtroom.

Outside, the sunlight was just right, shining on the steps. He pulled out his phone and dialed Jia Dongxu's number.

"Hello, it's me."

"Is the patent certificate still with you?"

"And there's Sha Zhuzi's 85‑point exam paper—don't lose it."

"Round up everyone in the courtyard, meet at the siheyuan at 2:30 p. m."

"We're going to turn the central courtyard into a 'College Entrance Exam Museum.'"

The other end of the line paused a few seconds: "You're serious?"

"Of course." Zhao Jianguo smiled, "Knowledge like that will mold if hidden; only when displayed does it become valuable."

He hung up, mounted his bike, and rode back.

Passing by the vegetable market, he heard several old ladies chatting.

"I heard that the Xu family kid got sentenced to seven years?"

"That's right, for a little money they even dared to tamper with the college entrance exam."

"It's Zhao Jianguo who's reliable, quick-witted, and willing to take charge."

"They're capable; our courtyard has produced a promising person."

Zhao Jianguo listened, didn't stop, as the wheels rolled over small stones on the road, making a faint clacking sound.

He returned to the Siheyuan, just got out of the car, and saw a large group of children gathered at the entrance.

"Jianguo bro! Jianguo bro!" Xiao Pang ran over, saying, "I heard you're organizing an exhibition? Can we see the real exam papers?"

"Not just that." Zhao Jianguo took out a yellowed paper from his bag, "You can also see how the examinees wrote, how they corrected mistakes, and how scores were calculated."

The children's eyes all lit up.

He walked to the center of the Central Courtyard, looked up at the old locust tree. Its branches swayed, sunlight filtered down, casting dappled spots on the ground.

"From today on, this place is not just for living." He clapped his hands, "It's also a place to store memories."

Someone brought a desk, someone wiped the glass cabinet, and Sha Zhuzi came out holding a plate of melon seeds: "Here, have some to refresh yourselves—can't work on an empty stomach."

Zhao Jianguo took the melon seeds and smiled.

He was about to speak when the check-in card in his pocket vibrated again.

He took it out to look, and a new line of words appeared at the bottom of the screen:

【Detected unregistered audio signal, source: northwest direction, distance about twelve kilometers】

He stared at that line of text, motionless.

From afar came the children's laughter, along with the sound of hammers driving nails.

A wooden board was nailed to the wall, a plaque reading "First College Entrance Exam Papers Exhibition" was hung up, crooked.