Great, we're doomed now!

V looked around:

The various media logos, both familiar and unfamiliar to him, lined up on both sides of the aisle like a military parade, while the telephoto lenses of the cameras, like a row of fledglings waiting to be fed, all opened their mouths and pointed at the defendant's dock.

Several hovering camera drones were also moving slowly in the air, searching for the best angle.

...This setup doesn't look like a trial; it's more like a movie premiere or press conference.

"Humph!"

V leaned back in his chair, finding the scene both strange and comical.

In Night City, the law exists, but it is merely "existent".

Each code is as thick as a brick, with every rule and regulation written meticulously, covering everything from contract law to criminal law, from traffic violations to murder charges.

The legal issue is never about the law itself, but about who enforces it and what standards are followed.

The wealthy can hire the best legal teams, using the most rigorous logic to exonerate criminals and meticulously close every gap in the chain of evidence. The poor, on the other hand, can't even afford bail; their prosthetic bodies are forfeited as fines, and months in detention don't bring them a chance to go to court, but rather a plea agreement.

If they don't sign, they'll have to keep waiting, but most people in Night City simply don't have the savings to get through this period.

From murder and arson to fighting and brawling, the outcome is already written long before it even enters the courtroom!

After all, Night City is a magical place where people die every day, and it's even possible to run a regional lottery called "Death Lotto"!

It's important to know that even in North America in a normal timeline, the police are in a "public-private partnership" state, tending to protect the safety of the rich rather than the poor, as can be seen from the ample police presence in wealthy neighborhoods.

As for Night City, needless to say, they generally don't want to deal with gangsters or high-risk criminals—what's the point of risking your life for 3,000 euros a month?

Even if you sacrifice yourself, you still have to pay off your loans, but the burden will fall on your wife and children...

If there's any exception, it's that cleaning up the messes for companies and the wealthy is the kind of reward that's enough to entice them to take the risk.

The huge "vacuum of law enforcement power" created by this attitude of law enforcement has inevitably been filled by various mercenary organizations, the most famous of which is the Trauma Group (nominally a health insurance company).

In terms of the specific environment of arrest and trial, the poor have no ability to defend themselves, while the rich can escape punishment through various means, so the court gradually becomes a mere formality... Anyway, this is the first time V has ever watched a trial in person.

By the way, V has never been to court... In this city, breaking all sorts of laws to survive is the norm. Getting arrested is just bad luck, while being able to stay at large makes you a qualified wanderer (a fringes of society).

Therefore, in general, ordinary trials would not attract so much media attention.

"Everyone stand up."

The judge walked in through the side door, and the presiding judge and court clerk took their places one after another. The jurors sat down in the row of high-backed chairs one by one, and their identities were verified by the authentication system.

V looked around. These people included men, women, and children of all ages, with different skin colors. They looked like they had been randomly selected from all over the city... but he knew they weren't.

As a seasoned expert, he had long ago hacked into the media's internal communication channels, and the reporters' voices came through intermittently.

Have you looked at the juror list?

“I saw it. Precise screening.” Another voice replied, its tone carrying a weary air of familiarity. “According to usual practice, they should have already been bribed. Just look at their debt situation.”

"What's the background of the defendant?"

"Subcontractors of military technology have secured orders this year alone..."

"The defense attorney is Chuck Goodman."

There was a brief silence in the headphones, followed by a whistle.

"Wow~ Goodman & Howard Law Firm? Just for such a small case?"

Judging from the reporter's reaction, that must be a very formidable person.

"The defendant really went all out."

"What kind of huge expense is this? For that family..."

What about the victims?

"My father is a dockworker, and he hired a government-sponsored lawyer, the kind who just got his license... She seems to be a gold digger?"

"Hehe~"

V turned off the communication channel and refocused his attention on the courtroom.

Chuck Goodman, a gray-haired, overweight man, wore a well-tailored dark gray suit with a red handkerchief folded in his breast pocket, looking like he had stepped out of an old-fashioned movie.

Lawyers have always valued the "old school" and "tradition," since their main weapons are the various past cases buried in old papers. So even in this era dominated by colorful paint jobs, they still prefer handmade suits, and their prosthetic bodies are designed to look as close as possible to the natural human form.

“My client, Mr. Lucius von Underwood, is a respected young entrepreneur.”

He was born and raised in Night City, and after graduating from business school, he returned to the city to start his own company, providing jobs for more than two hundred people.

He was a good son, a good boss, a good neighbor, and a person who contributed to society…

It made one want to yawn—V covered his mouth, frowned, and looked towards the defendant's seat.

Lucius sat there, restraints fastened to his clasped hands, but his posture showed no sign of discomfort. His back was straight, his chin slightly raised, and a faint curve played at the corners of his mouth—not a smile, but a certainty that "this too shall pass."

His hair was neatly combed, and his face was angular; he certainly looked like the kind of young talent who would appear on the cover of a business magazine.

...They didn't seem to be there for trial, but rather for an awards ceremony; they exuded a low-key yet proud aura.

No, for him, exposing his "feat" to the public might actually be a form of recognition.

A young man, probably in his early twenties, sat in the witness stand with his collar slightly open.

He placed his hands on his knees, his fingers slightly curled, as if grasping at something unseen. His expression was not one of fear but of anger, as if something suppressed and about to overflow was burning his heart.

That night, he passed by the apartment building and saw the victim covered in large patches of peeling skin, completely covered in blood. He naturally protected the victim and clashed with the defendant who followed him.

As an agent of the newly established security company "Kuse Union", he possessed outstanding combat skills and shooting abilities, and was able to subdue the defendant even though the defendant's cybernetic body had been illegally modified.

However, after that, because it involved intentional assault, the police detained him as well, as he had filed the report.

The reason this case has drawn attention in Night City is not because of the heinous nature of the crime or the tragic circumstances of the victims, but because of the unusual identities of the two individuals involved:

Lucius is involved in military technology, while Alexander, the young man who saved the man, is an employee of Kuze Union.

When people talk about "Kuse Union", they have a strange feeling.

It's not unusual for a new company to appear in Night City, but if that company immediately takes on the security of numerous large corporations, including Arasaka, and also opens up private services to the public, offering affordable yet efficient medical services, security assistance, and unemployment benefits for only one-tenth the price of other health insurance packages... that would definitely attract attention!

This isn't a place to make money, it's a place to cause trouble!

The medical insurance companies whose market share had been squeezed out were eager to dismantle "Jiushi United" immediately. They had been putting pressure on this emerging company both openly and covertly, using all sorts of methods. But surprisingly, these suppressions had no effect!

Their cash flow seemed to be on cheat code, with no end in sight. No matter what the medical insurance company did, "Jiushi United" remained as unshakable as a mountain or a sea. And their incredibly cost-effective package deals swept through Night City like wildfire...

This case was just an accident, but since it involves "Kuse Union" and "military technology", it is no longer a simple criminal case, and it will inevitably evolve into a battlefield of confrontation between the two sides!

A truly large corporation must have the ability to influence politics and the courts. This incident will reveal just how much this emerging company is capable of.

Putting all that aside, the case itself is actually quite simple:

Lucius is a complete psychopath!

Thinking about this, V recalled the whole story of the case:

Lucius, 27 years old, son of a bourgeois, a young elite of Night City.

Yachts, parties, luxury hovercars, and the occasional group photo at a charity gala – it's all typical high society.

But in private, he has a little-known hobby.

Lucius was attracted to girls' bodies... not in the ordinary sense, but in a twisted, morbid, almost religious obsession.

He would target women on social media, approach them with sweet words and carefully prepared gifts, triggering romantic events that made them think they had met their Prince Charming.

He invites them to his apartment, pours drinks, plays music, creating a romantic atmosphere, and then he makes a suggestion—

How about trying out the Black Sunglasses Dream?

Black sunglasses are not hard to find on the black market in Night City. For young people, they are synonymous with novelty and excitement. Girls who lose their judgment will not refuse, just like many people who are lured into taking drugs or engaging in promiscuous sex at parties... and this reckless behavior will lead them into the abyss.

Lucius's Black Dream can sever the brain's control signals to the body, rendering the user unable to move, but the user remains conscious and can feel everything, just unable to move.

It sounds like some kind of extreme "sexual partner" experience, but Lucius isn't looking for something so gentle.

Once the girl puts on the sunglasses, she will turn into a doll, and then Lucius will take out his collection of knives.

He started from the back of the girl's neck and peeled off her original skin bit by bit, layer by layer—when choosing his prey, he would specifically select those with a high rate of original skin retention.

First, the peeled skin is laid out on a special table, like admiring a work of art... Then, artificial skin is replaced on the girls, the kind of high quality. The process involves suturing, disinfection, and bandaging, and the whole process lasts for several hours.

—And the girl remained conscious throughout all of this.

Lucius would wear a synchronization device that connected to the girl's nervous system, allowing her to watch as she was slowly skinned. At each point, he would slow down, pausing between each cut to let fear coursing through the girl's blood like a snake, slowly tightening until she thought she was about to become numb before continuing to cut.

And every bit of pain and every second of fear felt by the victim will be transmitted intact to his consciousness.

This gave him a euphoric feeling that surpassed any psychotropic drug!

After his arrest, police found 26 black smart chips in his residence. Each chip recorded a similar case, spanning three or four years from the first to the last, and none of them had ever caused any trouble.

Not only did the victims not report the incidents, but Lucius's public image remained unaffected, and young women continued to fall for his tricks.

The reason is quite simple:

“My client admitted that he did have relationships with some women, but that was not a crime. In Night City, consensual relationships between adults are neither illegal nor morally wrong.”

The prosecution's attempt to portray these normal social activities as some kind of premeditated act is a serious misrepresentation of the facts.

He paused, then turned to face the jury.

"As for those so-called 'black sunglasses dreams,' my client has never denied that these things belong to him."

But why did he create this content?

The prosecution described it as 'sadism,' 'perversion,' and 'antisocial'—words that are inflammatory, but they cannot replace evidence.

In reality, this was just Mr. Lucius and his girlfriends' "fun"; young people can sometimes be quite crazy when they're looking for thrills... but it was definitely a mutual desire, as evidenced by the fact that they had prepared replacement prosthetics beforehand.

We can summon Mr. Lucius's ex-girlfriends at any time, and I believe they will all testify to this without exception.

Why would a criminal specifically replace the victim's prosthetic body with such an expensive and practical one?

In fact... it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that these women took advantage of Mr. Lucius.

"?"

V, who had been bored, suddenly perked up, while Alexander in the witness stand raised an eyebrow, wondering what else the lawyer would say.

"Mr. Lucius's prosthetic body modification rate is over 87%, and it has undergone a considerable number of modifications and upgrades, always keeping up with the latest trends... As you can see, he is a man obsessed with prosthetic bodies."

Replacing and modifying his own prosthetic body is an irreplaceable hobby for him.