It was quite normal to see so many people. But this was a courthouse! Usually, it was deserted, cold, and empty, with hardly a soul in sight.

But now... as far as he could see, there was nothing but the backs of heads. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

He was only about thirty meters from the main courthouse entrance, yet it felt like an insurmountable chasm. There wasn't even a clear path.

And these people...

All wore worried expressions, incessantly standing on tiptoe, peering towards the inside of the courthouse.

Aside from the defendants, most were family members accompanying their accused loved ones.

By a rough estimate, there were no fewer than 30,000 people outside the courthouse.

Qin Mu, also witnessing this scene, had no choice but to try and push forward with Zhang Qingyuan. At the same time, he called out, "Excuse me, please let us through! We need to get to a trial."

But in the din of the massive crowd, his voice was too faint and was instantly swallowed up.

Those near him occasionally responded.

"Stop pushing! I said, stop pushing! Are you the only one who has to attend a trial? Who here doesn't?"

"Can't you follow first come, first served? You arrived late, so just get to the back and wait patiently."

"My son? Has anyone seen my son? He was right here a moment ago."

"This is awful! Why are there so many defendants? When will it be my son's turn?"

"Didn't you see the notice at the courthouse entrance? The court officially stated that due to the large number of people this time, everyone should queue in an orderly manner. Defendants can only enter when their names are called, and relatives are temporarily not allowed inside."

"How the hell am I supposed to see it? All I see in front of me is a sea of heads!"

"..."

Around Qin Mu and Zhang Qingyuan, the air buzzed with hushed discussions and complaints as everyone jostled to push forward.

Even with the enhanced physique granted by the system reward, Qin Mu couldn't withstand the relentless throng; he was unable to move an inch. Coupled with the need to protect Zhang Qingyuan, progress was even more arduous, and several times they were nearly crushed.

"This… Xiao Qin, what do we do? The trial is about to start," Zhang Qingyuan said, his face falling instantly upon seeing their predicament.

Having attended so many trials, he knew very well that if the plaintiff and their lawyer weren't present, it meant an automatic withdrawal of the lawsuit. This was tantamount to the trial being unable to proceed, with the plaintiff forfeiting their right to sue.

Moreover, they hadn't anticipated this situation and hadn't made any prior arrangements or notified the court. The court would consider it an unexcused absence.

Qin Mu took a deep breath, fully grasping the severity of the problem. Traffic jams had delayed them until 9:50 AM. The trial was scheduled to begin at 10:00 AM sharp, leaving them with less than ten minutes.

To fight their way through this sea of people was nearly impossible. An absence would indeed mean withdrawing this lawsuit.

If that happened, these 15,000 defendants would probably be laughing in their sleep.

At this critical juncture, he didn't dare reveal to the surrounding crowd that he and Old Zhang were with the plaintiff. There were simply too many people. If their identities were discovered, the crowd could erupt in anger at any moment and might do something irrational. Putting other concerns aside, they definitely wouldn't be allowed to pass.

"Old Zhang, see if you have contact numbers for any courthouse staff. Quickly call one before ten o'clock," Qin Mu whispered, leaning close to Zhang Qingyuan's ear after weighing his options.

Once it struck ten o'clock, all courthouse staff would have their phones on silent, and calls wouldn't get through.

Hearing this, Zhang Qingyuan quickly nodded, pulled out his phone, and began scrolling through his contacts.

"Yes, I have one. This is Bailiff Xiao Lin's, this one is Clerk Xiao Qing's, and this one is the vice-presiding judge's…" he muttered, scrolling through them one by one.

Suddenly, he was struck by choice paralysis. For a moment, he didn't know which number to call. He had to look at Qin Mu and ask, "Which one should I call?"

Qin Mu rolled his eyes, took the phone, found Clerk Xiao Qing's number, and dialed.

The clerk was responsible for maintaining order in the court, organizing records, and so on. Taking attendance was also part of the clerk's duties.

The call connected quickly. However, their surroundings were so noisy that he could barely hear the voice on the other end. He had to shout into the phone to report their current predicament.

「Meanwhile, inside the courthouse, in the Second Criminal Court.」

At 10:00 AM sharp, Judgment Chief Zhou Quanmin, accompanied by the other judges and jurors, entered the courtroom.

He scanned the room below but found the plaintiff's seats completely empty. Not only that, but the lawyer's bench was also vacant.

"Judgment Chief," the clerk began, stepping forward with a wry smile, "the plaintiff's lawyer just called me. He said there are too many people outside the courthouse, and they're stuck, struggling to push their way in."

"Stuck?" Zhou Quanmin's mouth twitched, his face a mask of exasperation.

In all his years of presiding over cases, this was the first time he had ever encountered a plaintiff being blocked outside the courthouse, unable to get in for so long.

But when he recalled the sheer number of defendants in this particular case, he quickly understood.

Fifteen thousand defendants! Add to that their accompanying relatives, and the crowd easily numbered over 30,000. All of them were currently jamming the courthouse entrance.

Even he might not have made it in if he hadn't used the internal staff passage. That's right, the esteemed Judgment Chief of the Criminal Court himself had almost been late.

"Let's wait a bit longer then," he said, rubbing his forehead and sighing.

If Qin Mu was absent or late this time...