One case after another, one example after another, resonated through the courtroom as they came from his mouth. His voice was forceful and ringing. All present changed their expressions upon hearing. What Qin Mu had described were all hot-button incidents that had happened in society. The protagonists of these stories had indeed faced criticism and blame from netizens. In the end, due to their inability to cope psychologically, they had chosen the path of suicide.

Perhaps, for them, the fear was not of death, but of living. To continue living meant that they had to endure ongoing criticism and abuse from all sides. Sometimes, cyber violence isn’t the sole reason for someone’s suicide; it could just be the last straw—the final straw that breaks the camel’s back. In this screwed-up society, life is full of disappointments for most of us. After being battered by society and life, they then encounter a deluge of "malice" online. It’s inevitable that some can’t bear it and choose to end their lives.

"Here, I’d like to ask the seventeen defendants, have you ever thought about the consequences of exaggerating such a matter and spreading it online for netizens to curse and insult our elderly plaintiff?!" Qin Mu’s gaze was sharp as he surveyed Cheng Chuxiao and the other seventeen. At the same time, he pointed his right hand towards Zhang Qingyuan at his side.

Zhang Qingyuan, upon seeing this, was utterly baffled. But he quickly recovered, pretending to be in great agony.

"Do you see that?" Qin Mu sneered coldly. "Our elderly client, due to your actions, has been furiously scolded and blamed by countless online trolls, suffering immense psychological torment. His complexion is now poor, and he cannot sleep at night. Do you feel no remorse for this?!"

This time, he took a page from Cheng Chuxiao and the others, positioning himself on the moral high ground and accusing the seventeen with no holds barred.

Not to mention, this feeling... was quite exhilarating. No wonder so many people enjoy accusing others from the moral high ground. He got a sense of psychological satisfaction.

Meanwhile, on the plaintiff’s bench, Zhang Qingyuan listened to Qin Mu’s impassioned speech and unconsciously swallowed. Something felt off. He had indeed been suffering from insomnia and hadn’t slept much these days. But... that was because he was too excited seeing so many defendants. At night, he and Cuihua stayed up late researching travel guides, planning which countries in Europe to visit. Yet, in Qin Mu’s narrative, it became a tale of great psychological harm and severe distress. Now, when he looked at these defendants, he actually felt no anger at all. All he felt was gratitude. Without these defendants, he wouldn’t be where he was today. If it weren’t for the restrictions, he would have liked to thank these defendants in his cyberbullying award acceptance speech.

However, in the dock, Cheng Chuxiao and the other seventeen defendants, mercilessly accused by Qin Mu, hung their heads in shame. They didn’t even dare to look directly at Qin Mu anymore. Indeed, they hadn’t considered the potential consequences when they publicized their case online seeking help. The examples Qin Mu had listed all involved victims being condemned by netizens, ultimately leading to irreversible tragedies. At the time, all they had wanted was justice and an apology from Zhang Qingyuan and the others.

"Yes, indeed, you just wanted our elderly client to apologize. But have you ever considered that, even if—hypothetically speaking—our elderly client did apologize, would the online trolls let him off the hook?!" Qin Mu snickered coldly and continued his tirade.

Cheng Chuxiao and the others’ initial aim might have been to get Zhang Qingyuan to apologize. But in reality, even if Zhang Qingyuan had apologized and paid compensation, netizens would still have criticized him relentlessly. Once cyberbullying starts, it doesn’t stop. Every participant in cyberbullying, without exception, is an abuser. Under an avalanche, no snowflake is innocent.

Consider the woman who gave the delivery driver 200 yuan. After being furiously ridiculed by netizens, she later gave the delivery driver several hundred more yuan. She explained to the netizens that she was unemployed, living at home, didn’t have much money, and was not financially well-off. But the netizens relentlessly pursued her without an ounce of pity, continuing to accuse her of posturing and making excuses. In the end, it led to tragedy.

What’s infuriating is that the majority of those who criticized the woman were educated college students. After her suicide, these people felt no guilt or regret whatsoever. Instead, they blamed the woman for her lack of psychological resilience, believing they had only "spoken a few words." They continued to be active online, searching for the next "victim."

Such people are everywhere on the internet. Once they ascend to the moral high ground, these trolls never come down voluntarily. Nor do they possess a shred of pity or sympathy for the strangers on the other side of the screen.

"Therefore," Qin Mu said, turning to face Zhou Quanmin and the others. "I believe the actions of Cheng Chuxiao and the other seventeen defendants were driven by despicable motives. They maliciously incited public opinion online, aiming to cyberbully our elderly client. These actions are severe and should not qualify them for probation!

One of Zhang Wei’s earlier defensive arguments was that Cheng Chuxiao and the other seventeen acted to seek justice for a dog, driven by compassion, which made their actions excusable. Addressing this point directly, Qin Mu declared their motives despicable, aimed at trapping Zhang Qingyuan in a whirlpool of public opinion. The verbal violence online...