The moment the agreement was reached, the question mark on the Yin-Yang iPad screen spun wildly, transforming into a pitch-black vortex.

  [Establishing Cross-Realm Transmission Channel...]

  [Target: Conceptual Heroic Spirit ( The Outlaw ).]

  [WARNING! Target psionic density is critical. Cannot manifest stably without a physical vessel!]

  [Please provide a compliant physical container (Must possess high-grade psionic resistance).]

  "Container?" John stared at the red text, dumbfounded. "Master didn't say I had to bring my own body for the summon!"

  "Because this isn't a normal summon." Grace's data stream scrolled rapidly across the screen, her voice anxious. "A guy like Zhao Yun comes as a 'Full Service Package' with his own horse and armor because he charges by the minute. This... this is a free 'Conceptual Entity.' He's pure thought, zero meat."

  "So what do I do? Me?" John pointed at himself.

  "No way! Boss, you're mortal flesh. Zhao Yun's possession nearly killed you last time. If you get taken over by this kind of high-intensity mental construct, your brain will burn out like an overclocked CPU!" Grace objected vehemently.

  "Then... Grace, you?"

  Their gazes simultaneously drifted toward the door, where Bone was squatting, looking blankly at a roll of duct tape, trying to stick a broken rib back on.

  Bone felt the two malicious stares. He instinctively hugged his ribcage, his soul fire trembling. "Boss... although I am your employee, I have Bone Rights... don't think about using me for soup..."

  "Not soup." John revealed a benevolent (creepy) smile. "Bone, do you want to wear a suit? Do you want to be a big-shot lawyer? Do you want to stand in court and roast the people who bullied us until they cry?"

  "No," Bone answered crisply. "I just want to be a quiet, handsome skeleton."

  "But this lawyer gentleman said if we lose, he'll give you his soul as a spare bone. That's a high-tier spirit, very nutritious," John threw out the bait.

  The flame in Bone's eye sockets jumped violently.

  [30 Minutes Later]

  John dug out an old suit from the bottom of the wardrobe—it belonged to his late father. It was a style from twenty years ago: wide shoulder pads, a slightly yellowed shirt, and a garish tie.

  Bone awkwardly stuffed his skeletal frame into the outfit. Without muscles to fill it out, the suit hung loosely, sleeves dangling too long, but he still tried his best to straighten his spine (literally).

  "Ready?" John aimed the iPad at Bone's skull.

  "Hit me!" Bone closed his non-existent eyes with the resolve of a martyr.

  John pressed [Confirm Transmission].

  ZZZT—!!!

  A jet-black bolt of lightning shot from the screen, striking Bone precisely between the brows.

  Bone's entire frame convulsed violently, his joints emitting tooth-aching crack-crack sounds. The soul fire in his eye sockets—originally a ghostly blue representing goofiness and loyalty—was suddenly injected with ink.

  In an instant, it turned a deep, cold, Pitch Black.

  The trembling stopped.

  Bone (or rather, the Lawyer) slowly raised his head.

  He didn't speak. First, he looked down at his new body. He extended a hand made only of finger bones, adjusted the crooked tie knot, and then elegantly dusted off non-existent specks of dust from his sleeve.

  That movement, that aura... even as a skeleton, he exuded an overwhelming sense of Elite Professionalism.

  "A bit light. Bone density is insufficient."

  Bone spoke. The voice had changed. It was no longer the goofy clacking sound, but a deep, magnetic baritone with a metallic texture.

  "However, it will suffice. After all, I earn my living with my brain, not my muscles."

  He turned around, picked up the thick book The Guide to Anti-Logic Defense from the table, flipped through a few pages, and looked at John.

  "Let's go, my client. Let us see this so-called 'Court of Law'."

  [New Babylon District Court]

  This magnificent structure stood at the border of the Mid and Lower Sectors, symbolizing the majesty of the law. In reality, it was merely a tool the Necromancy Guild used to legalize their atrocities.

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  Today, the courthouse entrance was packed.

  Aside from the media reporters who had set up their long-range cameras ready to watch a joke, there was a large crowd of ragged, agitated "rioters."

  They were the neighbors from the 13th Street.

  Harry the veteran leaned on his crutch, Mrs. Evelyn carried a basket, and Uncle George had even pushed his hotdog cart over. They weren't here to cause trouble; they were here to "back up" John.

  "John is a good man! He's innocent!"

  "No forced demolition! No violent enforcement!"

  They held up banners. Though their voices were weak, in front of the fully armed riot police, they appeared exceptionally tragic.

  "Order! Order!"

  Inside the courtroom, the gavel struck. BANG!

  Solomon, the Guild's Chief Legal Counsel, sat in the plaintiff's seat, looking contemptuously at the empty defendant's chair.

  "Your Honor, the defendant has not arrived. This is clearly contempt of court. I request an immediate trial in absentia, a sentence of life imprisonment, and mandatory asset liquidation."

  The Judge (also on the Guild's payroll) nodded and raised his gavel.

  BAM!

  The courtroom doors swung open.

  John Doe walked in. He wore his wash-faded hoodie, his face tired but his eyes determined.

  And behind him followed a...

  Skeleton wearing an old suit, a floral tie, and carrying a briefcase under its arm?

  The courtroom erupted.

  "Who is that? Cosplay?"

  "The defendant brought a... undead creature to court?"

  Solomon sneered. "Mr. Doe, this is a court of law, not a circus. Please remove your pet."

  Bone (The Lawyer) ignored the mockery. He strode with elegant steps straight to the defense table, set down his briefcase, took out a pair of gold-rimmed glasses (which he absolutely did not need), and perched them on his nasal bone.

  Then, he looked up. Those pitch-black soul flames stared directly at the high-and-mighty Judge and Solomon.

  "Correction."

  Bone's voice, amplified by magic, echoed through the entire hall. The oppressive pressure silenced everyone instantly.

  "I am Mr. John Doe's defense attorney."

  "You may call me... Law."

  "Also, regarding your use of the term 'pet,' I have noted it down. This will serve as Evidence Item #1 in our countersuit for 'Species Discrimination' and 'Character Defamation.'"

  Solomon paused, then laughed loudly. "Countersuit? You? A pile of bones without vocal cords?"

  "Just me."

  Bone (Law) extended a skeletal finger and tapped the table gently. Tap.

  "Now, let the game begin."

  The next two hours became the most magical, insane, and brilliant page in the judicial history of New Babylon.

  Solomon threw out a barrage of evidence: photos of illegal construction, data on stolen electricity, recordings of the noise. Every piece was enough to nail John to the pillar of shame.

  "The defendant used illegal means to oppose municipal engineering projects. The evidence is ironclad!" Solomon gloated.

  "Objection."

  Bone stood up. He didn't refute the evidence; he attacked the source of the evidence.

  "Your Honor, regarding the plaintiff's so-called 'Municipal Engineering Project,' may I ask if there is a legal Environmental Impact Assessment? Is there a Resident Resettlement Agreement? Are there records of a Public Hearing?"

  "This..." Solomon stammered. "This is a Guild-approved emergency project..."

  "Special approval?" Bone seized the loophole. "In other words, this is an unsanctioned 'Black Operation.'"

  "According to Article 3 of the New Babylon Basic Law: 'Citizens have the right to refuse execution of any administrative order that has not been publicly gazetted.'"

  Bone turned to face the gallery, where the neighbors of the 13th Street listened wide-eyed.

  "Since the project itself is illegal, my client's resistance is not 'violent obstruction of the law,' but rather—"

  Bone's voice jumped an octave.

  "—Justifiable Self-Defense!"

  "As for stealing electricity..." Bone pointed at John. "My client did not steal electricity from the grid. He utilized 'Atmospheric Electrical Energy,' specifically natural lightning harvested via a Tesla Coil. May I ask which statute in New Babylon states that lightning is the private property of the Guild?"

  "If there is one, please present the Property Deed signed by God."

  Laughter erupted in the gallery. Solomon's face turned the color of a pig's liver.

  "This... this is sophistry!" Solomon slammed the table. "What about the noise? That noise capable of shattering glass, was that natural too?"

  Bone shrugged his (skeletal) shoulders.

  "That was my client's landlord (The Landlady) practicing her... singing voice."

  "She was in her own home, exercising her own vocal cords. Although the volume was significant, this falls under 'Personal Artistic Pursuit.' Conversely, your construction team blasting residents with loudspeakers in the middle of the night—that constitutes real 'Environmental Pollution Crime'!"

  Bone spoke faster and faster, getting more excited. He quoted the classics, referencing everything from Ancient Roman Law to Interstellar Treaties, tearing every one of Solomon's accusations to shreds.

  He wasn't arguing the law; he was deconstructing it.

  Using a rogue logic bordering on gangsterism, he tore the Guild's supposedly airtight rule system into pieces of loincloth.

  "In conclusion."

  Bone delivered his closing statement. He walked up to Solomon, locking eyes—skull to elite lawyer.

  "We not only plead not guilty."

  "We are filing a Counterclaim."

  "We are suing the Necromancy Guild, the Power Group, and that fat man named Bob."

  "The charges are: Abuse of Power, Endangering Public Safety, Crimes Against Humanity (cutting off water and power), and... Intentional Injury (aggravating Margaret's condition)."

  "Claim amount: One Hundred Million New Currency."

  "Furthermore..."

  A cunning glint flashed in Bone's dark eye sockets.

  "Given the large number of people involved (the entire district), the complexity of the case, and the massive chain of evidence, the defense requests the initiation of a 'Judicial Hearing Procedure' and demands intervention by a third-party investigator (such as the Netherworld Inspection Team)."

  "During this period, according to the law, any demolition actions against the 13th Street must be—"

  Bone slammed the Guide to Anti-Logic Defense onto the table. BAM!

  "—Indefinitely Suspended!"

  The gavel fell.

  Although the Judge's face was ashen, under the public gaze, under the scrutiny of a livestream broadcasting to the entire city, he dared not declare John guilty on the spot.

  "This court declares... Adjourned! Pending retrial!"

  "We won! We won!"

  In the gallery, the neighbors of the 13th Street boiled over. They broke through the cordon, lifting John and Bone into the air.

  Although the lawsuit wasn't over, and the money hadn't been received.

  They had won the most precious thing—Time.

  And... Dignity.

  Bone (Law) was tossed into the air. His suit was wrinkled, but the glasses remained steadily perched on his nose bridge.

  In his mind, a satisfied sigh from the Conceptual Entity echoed.

  "Ah... what a refreshingly unscrupulous debate."

  "Kid, this body isn't bad. Next time you have this kind of fun job, remember to call me."

  With that sigh, the black current withdrew from Bone's body.

  The blackness in Bone's eyes faded, returning to a ghostly blue. He looked bewilderedly at the cheering crowd around him, then down at the suit he was wearing.

  "Boss... did we win? Do I have... backbone now?"

  John looked at his goofy partner, his eyes moist.

  "Yeah. You not only have backbone, you are... the most handsome lawyer I've ever seen."

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