At the front of the courtroom, after Qin Mu had presented all the evidence, Zhou Quanmin’s gaze swept over Cheng Chuxiao and the other seventeen defendants. "Regarding this evidence, does the defense have any objections?"

The seventeen individuals swallowed hard, exchanging glances. Unless they could provide evidence proving they weren’t the users of the accounts, they were trapped. The evidence laid out before them was undeniable; it was, indeed, the rights protection group they had established. What surprised them further was that many of the chat record screenshots were taken from an account named "Seeking Justice for Dogs." And it was glaringly obvious that this account belonged to Qin Mu! To think Qin Mu had infiltrated their rights protection group so early on, disguised as a dog lover, just to gather so much evidence to sue them!

While several of them were still stunned, Zhang Wei stepped forward and spoke. "We have no objections."

Regarding the evidence Qin Mu had presented, he too had no rebuttal. The screenshots clearly showed the organized and disciplined pattern of Han Tianming and the others’ online criminal activities. There was simply no basis for defense.

The corner of Zhou Quanmin’s mouth twitched at this. He then continued, "Since that is the case, let us move on to the free debate segment. Next, the litigation participants from both sides may speak freely, focusing on the key issues of this case."

He had initially thought that the trial of Cheng Chuxiao and the seventeen others would take at least half a day. Unexpectedly, only ten-odd minutes after the court session began, they had already smoothly proceeded to the free debate segment—the penultimate stage of the trial. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Zhang Wei immediately stepped forward and spoke loudly. "We believe that while our clients did commit crimes, their subjective malicious intent was not strong. Their actions, stemming from an inherent human compassion for pets, are somewhat understandable. Furthermore, they only spread the false content in the early stages and later chose to stop, which constitutes a voluntary cessation of criminal activity. They have also shown a positive attitude in pleading guilty and accepting punishment. We earnestly request that the court consider a lenient sentence for our clients."

He built his case for leniency on three points: their motives, the cessation of criminal activity, and their cooperative attitude in pleading guilty and accepting punishment. Among these, the voluntary cessation of criminal activity offered the greatest potential for a reduced sentence.

However, the moment he finished speaking, Qin Mu also stepped forward to counter. "Judgment Chief, members of the judiciary, members of the jury, I contend that the three points for sentence reduction mentioned by opposing counsel do not apply."

He looked at Zhang Wei and the seventeen people behind him, his gaze as sharp as a hawk’s, unflinching. He said in a deep voice, "Firstly, indiscriminately publishing others’ personal information online and inciting netizens to cyberbully our elderly client and the nursing home was not motivated by love for pets, but by revenge."

Saying this, he pointed at Cheng Chuxiao and recounted the incident where Cheng Chuxiao had caused a disturbance at the nursing home, leading to his detention by the police for disorderly conduct. "After his release from detention, he clearly harbored resentment and sought malicious revenge. He used such despicable means to smear the reputation of our client, Zhang Qingyuan, and the nursing home, attempting to coerce their compliance."

"The death of the dog was merely a catalyst."

"Their criminal motive was not righteous indignation or love for pets, but rather a desire for revenge."

"As for the others..." He glanced at Han Tianming and the others, stating coldly, "While they appeared to be helping, they were, in fact, the instigators of this cyberbullying!"

At this point, he paused briefly, taking a deep breath.

"Regarding cyberbullying, I have researched instances that have occurred online in recent years, as well as the outcomes for those who were targeted."

"Four years ago, a female doctor was involved in a conflict at a swimming pool. Netizens accused her of lacking medical ethics, publicly disclosed her personal information, and subjected her to gratuitous insults. Ultimately, she committed suicide by taking medication."

"Two years ago, a female streamer with depression was live streaming. Netizens in her stream goaded her into committing suicide. She eventually ingested pesticide and died on the live stream."

"..."

"Last year, a man posted a video seeking his birth parents. He was accused by netizens of trying to extract a house from his biological parents. Eventually, unable to bear the pressure, he committed suicide by taking medication."

"This year, a woman asked a deliveryman to travel forty kilometers to deliver a meal to her father. She was criticized by netizens for offering only 200 yuan for the service. After making a final dinner for her father, she chose to commit suicide by jumping off a building."