Chapter 361 Betrayal
In the dim room, a close-up of Statham's face fills the entire screen.
Every detail of his expression is clearly visible.
His eyes were deep and his tone was surprisingly calm, as if he was narrating a story that had nothing to do with him.
He narrated his past word by word.
It was a dark night. Right before his eyes, his mother was struck by a strange green light, then fell down and left him forever.
The green light was like a devil's tentacle, ruthlessly taking away his mother's life.
He told everyone that it was magic and that his mother was killed by magic.
But what we got in return was suspicion and distrust.
In police records, his words were dismissed as the fantasies of a frightened child.
His mother's case eventually became an unsolved cold case.
He also doubted himself, maybe it was really an illusion from his childhood, maybe all that was not real.
Until some time ago, when he learned of the existence of wizards, his childhood memories came back like a tide.
What he saw that night was not an illusion, but something that really happened.
He had no power to take revenge on the wizard.
So he decided to block all information about wizards.
He was not doing this simply for himself, but because he did not want those who did not know the truth to be deceived by the wizard's hypocrisy and misled by those seemingly magical powers.
At the end of the video, there is a hint of sadness in Statham's voice.
"I blocked out all information about wizards because I didn't want more people to suffer the same fate as my mother."
Everyone who watched the video fell silent.
They believed it, believed this man who had experienced trauma in his childhood and wanted to protect them in his own way.
What a noble sentiment!
Although what Statham did harmed the interests of some people, he was ultimately a child with psychological trauma.
As a result, the direction of public opinion changed.
From denouncing the government to denouncing the wizard, from anger to sympathy.
There was even a group of saints who spontaneously formed a petition group, hoping that the judge would give Statham a lenient sentence.
And some people believe that Statham's attack on foreign networks is a manifestation of patriotism and he should be given a reduced sentence.
The dark clouds over the Baigong Conference Room finally dissipated.
Everyone raised their glasses of champagne to celebrate the success of the plan.
Harvis smiled, took a sip of red wine, and spoke to Leah in a relaxed tone.
"This is a good job, but that Statham..."
Leah's expression immediately turned serious. "Don't worry, Mr. President. There will be no problem brainwashing Statham. He will disappear after the trial."
"If we delay, something bad will happen. Please deal with it as soon as possible." Harvis instructed.
"I understand." A hint of mischief flashed in Leah's eyes.
Hermione looked at the message from Leia with a fierce look in her eyes.
She kept in mind a sentence that Hephes said.
Never pop champagne at halftime.
The fish has taken the bite, but now is not the time to reel in the line.
All she needs is to give and take.
Let the fish struggle in the water for a few times until it is exhausted. That is the best time to collect the net.
Naturally, there are many smart people in the United States, and they all noticed that the situation was unusual.
The timing of Statham's arrest was truly fortuitous.
The problem that the US government had been unable to solve for more than two months was miraculously solved three days after public outrage.
It looks like a carefully choreographed script.
They expressed their opinions on the Internet, but were met with fierce attacks and endless abuse.
There were even some radical netizens who followed the Internet to their homes and conducted offline investigations directly.
In the end, they had no choice but to remain silent.
Today is the day that the Statham case goes to court.
The judge will try him for illegal acts such as hacking into the Internet.
Statham over the past eleven years.
It has carried out as many as 257 cyber intrusions into many countries, and transferred people's property worth up to 5000 million US dollars.
Recently, he controlled the Internet in 76 countries for 76 days.
It indirectly triggered a large number of people to riot, seriously threatening public safety.
When several crimes are sentenced together, the most serious crime will be sentenced.
Statham faces 25 years in prison.
The judge routinely asked: "Statham, do you have anything else to say in your defense?"
This verdict has aroused great public attention, and many people have pleaded for Statham.
Otherwise, considering the crimes he committed, a sentence of 25 years would be considered too short, let alone 75 years.
Statham's eyes went from clear to somewhat dull, and then he suddenly shouted loudly.
"Your Honor, I was wrongly accused! I did not do the action of blocking wizard information at all. I am just a scapegoat for the government."
There was a buzz of discussion in the courtroom.
There was a gleam of excitement in the reporters' eyes, but then it dimmed.
Even if there is such explosive news, I am afraid it will not be allowed to be reported.
However, the reporter from the Sun Daily was trembling with excitement and he didn't care what others thought.
Their newspaper applied for the right to broadcast live.
What Statham just said was broadcast live through the equipment beside him.
This wave is really profitable.
As for cutting off the live broadcast?
He was also shocked. He had even forgotten that there was such a thing as live broadcast.
"Silence, silence." The judge banged the gavel, trying to maintain order in the courtroom.
He hesitated for a moment, then finally motioned for Statham to continue speaking.
Statham's tone was extremely calm.
“After I was arrested, the government threatened me that if I didn’t follow their instructions, my family and I would be harmed.
In that situation, I had no choice but to give in. But now, I finally have the chance to tell the truth.
I don’t want people to be deceived by this dirty government anymore. And I ask for judicial protection.”
Statham's words were like a bombshell, causing an uproar in the courtroom.
Media reporters faithfully recorded this astonishing scene.
The people in the gallery had mixed expressions, including shock and anger.
The judge didn't dare to continue asking questions. If he did, he would probably lose his hat.
So he banged the gavel again, trying to calm the noise and end the trial as soon as possible.
But when the words came to my lips, they somehow turned into another question.
"And what about the wizard who killed your mother?"
At this time, a group of tall and brave men in black suits rushed into the hall.
They first cut off the Sun Daily's live broadcast equipment.
Then the entire court was surrounded and Statham was taken away immediately.
"Those are lies that the government people taught me," Statham replied.
“My mother was shot when I was very young, and she wasn’t a witch at all.
They didn’t tell me why they were framing wizards, but it was consistent with the goal of silencing wizard speech, which was to demonize wizards.”
