Chapter 64: That Moment of Relief

The supervising lawyer looked at the apprentice, having already spoken with him and told him exactly what to say to secure a lenient outcome in this case.

He told the truth—he described how Johnny had exploited and oppressed his labor, extorted his money, and humiliated him and his mother.

Such things… frankly, they didn’t make the judge feel much pity, because worse, stupider, more pitiful cases existed. At first, he’d certainly felt compassion and mercy, but after encountering one terrible thing after another, he’d grown less easily angered and less able to empathize with the weak.

“It does sound terrible,” he said, turning to Johnny. “Since you have no defense lawyer, you must defend yourself. I must warn you: you are responsible for every word you speak, and every word you say will shape the course of this case.”

“Now, tell me—is what he said true?”

Johnny stammered for a long time, unsure what to say, then finally muttered, “But he wanted to learn my recipe—he worked for me for free and paid me monthly fees as the price.”

He seemed to recall something. “Everyone knows my bread is the best. So I don’t think that’s unreasonable.”

The judge nodded without comment. “And his mother?”

“She volunteered!”

The judge raised an eyebrow. Anthony immediately raised his hand, catching the judge’s attention. “Your Honor, I have a question for the plaintiff, Mr. Johnny.”

The judge gave a slight nod—it was within procedure. “Proceed.”

“First, you claim these payments were for learning your recipe. Did you ever teach him any recipe or technique?”

Johnny fell silent—he’d taught him nothing—but he reluctantly argued, “I taught him how to knead dough.”

Anthony’s lips curled slightly. “Everyone knows how to knead dough. That’s not why your bread tastes good. So you taught him no technique—after he’d already paid you the price.”

Johnny said nothing. He couldn’t lie in front of the apprentice.

“Mr. Johnny, did you deliberately use cruel words in front of my client… to provoke him and achieve your goal of humiliating him?”

“Did you deliberately leave the bedroom door ajar and make the… lady scream loudly?”

“Everything you did was meant to humiliate him more intensely, more vividly!”

“Before you answer yes or no, I urge you to think carefully. Do not lie to this court or to the judge—we can request his mother to appear here at any moment.”

“We are not summoning her now only out of respect and protection for women. But if you lie, if you attempt to deceive the judge and this court, we may very well bring her here to confront you.”

Johnny’s heart raced; sweat soaked his back. He had indeed thought that way—he wanted to see if pushing the apprentice further would make him… he didn’t know what kind of twisted compulsion it was, but only then did he feel stimulation, pleasure.

But now, facing the judge, he couldn’t say it.

His prolonged silence made the judge and the lawyer understand exactly what he meant.

“Your Honor, I’m finished.”

The judge idly scribbled something on the paper before him—no one could see what.

After about twenty to thirty seconds, he looked up. “The case is simple, yet complicated. I thought this was merely a straightforward case of violent home invasion for money. I never expected so many unexpected details.”

“Do either party have further questions or new evidence to present?”

“No, Your Honor.”

Johnny looked bewildered but quickly shook his head. “I have nothing else to say, Your Honor.”

He’d originally felt he was in the right—but after the opposing lawyer’s relentless barrage, he suddenly felt like the one who was utterly wicked!

He was the victim!

The judge exhaled softly. “Closing statements.”

Johnny looked lost, but Anthony was thoroughly prepared.

He reconstructed the case from every angle: a young man, exploited, oppressed, and severely humiliated, with no other recourse, turned to his friends for justice—and ultimately injured Johnny.

As for the stolen money?

That was merely the immaturity of youth. They were willing to return the stolen funds and actively plead guilty.

Several youths stood up and apologized to Johnny—including the apprentice, who said he should have handled these issues more rationally, rather than resorting to violence.

A serious home invasion became an act of retaliation. Retaliation and home invasion are two different matters.

Vengeance was widespread in the Federation, thriving amid its multiethnic fusion. The judge even somewhat understood their mindset—but not their methods.

In other words, he agreed Johnny deserved retaliation—but it should have been done through reasonable, appropriate, legal means, not… beating him and stealing some cash.

Anthony’s closing plea asked the judge to consider the youths’ clean records, their positive contributions to society, and their willingness to compensate, and to impose a lenient sentence.

He also asked the court to consider the apprentice’s psychological state at the time of his actions, the pressures he faced, and the real-world circumstances, granting him a chance to admit fault and reform.

As for Johnny?

The judge glanced at him. “What are your thoughts now?”

“What do you want? What do you expect them to do?”

Johnny suddenly shouted, “I want them locked up for years longer!”

The judge’s expression didn’t change, but Anthony smiled. Dealing with fools like this required no effort.

Federal judges held great power. To be an excellent lawyer, you had to master the judge’s emotional shifts.

Throughout the trial, Anthony had crafted a story of a “naive avenger”—a failed revenge, precisely because the avenger was young.

The narrative was clear, the story perfectly told. If Johnny had shown generosity and magnanimity, the judge might have considered a moderate sentence.

At least one that wouldn’t leave Johnny feeling wronged.

But now, his behavior only made the image Anthony and the apprentice had built—of a bitter, cruel man—more vivid. The judge, naturally, would dislike him even more. After all, judges were human—they had their own likes and dislikes.

Once the judge’s neutrality began to waver, the case was won.

“Court stands adjourned for ten minutes… then we will announce the verdict.”

Anthony appeared relaxed, easing the tension for the youths and their families. Only Johnny sulked, convinced he’d been tricked by the lawyer.

He should have hired a lawyer. He felt the judge hadn’t respected him… somehow.

He knew “respect” wasn’t the right word—he meant the judge’s bias was obvious. Though the judge showed nothing, Johnny could feel it.

That look, that demeanor—it all showed the judge held a grudge against him.

Damn it!

Ten minutes passed quickly. Back in court, the judge announced the verdict.

All six youths were first-time offenders with no prior records and no demonstrated threat to society. The two who had wielded the batons and broken Johnny’s arms received nine months (for breaking the second arm) and one year (for breaking the first arm) in prison, plus sixty hours of community service.

The other three received only community service—over one hundred hours each.

They must return the stolen money and pay partial compensation.

Since Johnny had no lawyer to claim compensation, the judge would only award what he could determine himself: compensation for emotional distress, medical expenses, and nutritional costs.

These had standard rates—directly referenced. As for anything else?

Johnny had no lawyer and made no claims. The court wouldn’t help him.

As for the core of this case—the apprentice—the judge considered the circumstances but acknowledged the serious consequences. Recognizing the apprentice had always been the weaker party throughout the incident,

the judge showed exceptional mercy: sentencing him to three and a half years, plus two hundred hours of community service after release.

A successful case. Anthony shook hands with the client and their families. The outcome was already the best possible—even beyond his expectations.

The parents thanked him profusely and praised his skill. Anthony, of course, humbly replied, “This result is thanks to Mr. Johnny not hiring a lawyer. Had he hired one, achieving this outcome would have been extremely difficult.”

“It might have been at least two years or more. But…” he gave a knowing smile, “so this case is closed. Whether you choose to do anything further is none of my concern.”

Soon, Attorney Anthony left. Johnny, furious, chased after the judge demanding to know why the sentence was so light—only to be ejected from court after shouting twice.

After much thought, the apprentice decided to continue his revenge against Johnny.

During his conversation with the lawyer, the lawyer told him he planned to use Johnny’s tax evasion as leverage to reach an out-of-court settlement.

But Johnny refused.

They’d taken over a thousand dollars from Johnny at once—clearly, this money was suspicious.

Even if it wasn’t, the tax bureau could make it suspicious. Who the hell kept that much cash at home?

You say it’s fine? Fine. Now explain the source and flow of every single dollar. If you can’t, it’s suspicious!

But now the case had reached its perfect conclusion, so Anthony wouldn’t pursue any further unnecessary actions. Whether the apprentice and the other youths reported Johnny was none of his concern.

Unless someone needed him to continue representing the case—but reporting tax evasion to the tax bureau required no further involvement from him.

The Federal Tax Bureau had not only powerful enforcement forces but also a formidable legal team!

“To the Honorable Federal Tax Bureau:”

“I am a worker at a bakery. I suspect my employer…”

The handwriting was crooked and unattractive, but legible enough to convey his meaning.

The letter, less than a third of a page long, was inspected by bailiffs, sealed in an envelope, and dropped into the courtroom mailbox.

Such tax evasion reports required no postage—the Jincheng Tax Bureau had arranged with the post office to cover mailing costs.

It was the last thing he did before incarceration. He also knew his mother had left Jincheng—perhaps they would never see each other again in this lifetime.

For a moment, everything felt light to the apprentice.