ABT Chapter 0123

 The incident occurred in a relatively remote area where there were no surveillance videos from traffic cameras at the time. Hong Rui's car was not equipped with a dashboard camera, so these two direct pieces of video evidence could not be provided.

The road to seeking justice was destined to be long and passive. The traffic police confirmed that Hong Rui was not driving under the influence, and based on the scene, the accident was indeed caused by abnormal vehicle conditions. So, armed with the photos from the scene, Hong Rui went directly to the Mitsubishi dealership.

However, to his dismay, the dealership vehemently denied the claim of the Pajero's broken axle. Seeing that Hong Rui didn't have direct video evidence, they insisted that the axle broke due to aggressive driving or collision.

Unwilling to accept this, Hong Rui immediately contacted the traffic police and obtained a brake trace identification report from the scene of the accident. It clearly stated that the vehicle lost control due to an abnormality in the left front wheel. He thought that with the scene photos, the broken left front axle and tie rod, and this identification report as evidence, the dealership would surely admit fault.

But he was wrong. He didn't understand that in the auto industry, deception runs deep.

After Hong Rui visited the dealership again, armed with three pieces of ironclad evidence, they changed their tune.

"Mr. Hong, we found records of steering repairs on your car, and the test results at the time showed no problems. This proves that our car was not at fault. Since you had two inspections done in a short period and there have been no subsequent records of inspection or repair since then, we suspect you have tampered with or modified the steering and front axles."

Infuriated, Hong Rui couldn't accept this groundless accusation and irresponsible speculation, and immediately caused a scene at the dealership. The next day, he made two banners and blocked the dealership's entrance, but the dealership called the police and had him taken away.

Helpless, Hong Rui posted a plea for help on the Pinche website's forum. As the country's largest automotive portal, this incident immediately caught the website's attention.

After the Pinche website sent someone to understand the situation, they decided to help Hong Rui with his rights protection. Editor Xiao Wu accompanied Hong Rui to the Consumer Rights Protection Center.

The dealership, which had been served a subpoena, finally panicked and contacted Mitsubishi again. Mitsubishi also sent someone to handle the matter and conducted a so-called appraisal of the accident vehicle.

The appraisal result: the vehicle had no quality defects, and there were traces of repairs on the left front axle, which was the main cause of the axle breakage.

Furthermore, Mitsubishi stated that they would counter-sue Hong Rui to recover the negative impact and economic losses caused to the company by this incident.

And so, the matter was turned into a mess.

Lying on the cold bed, looking at the chaotic mess in the house, thinking about his wife lying in the hospital bed and the injured person in the intensive care unit, with medical expenses nearing ten thousand yuan per day, the man in his thirties had aged significantly in just a few days.

He grabbed his messy hair, unable to hold back his tears.

At that moment, the phone rang. He quickly wiped away his tears and picked up the phone.

It was Xiao Wu from the Pinche website. "Hong Ge, I contacted a lawyer for you today. The lawyer said that if you want to win this lawsuit, you must have direct evidence proving the vehicle's quality defects. The scene photos and brake trace identification in your hands are not enough to prove their liability. We need to find a way to have the front axle and steering checked."

The thought of going to court made Hong Rui even more uncomfortable. He had already been sued by the injured person's family for compensation.

Now he had to go to court with Mitsubishi, and he already had a deep fear of the courtroom.

Choking back his tears, he asked, "Where can we get that done?"

"I've already inquired for you. We have an automotive testing center right here in Nanhe. They can do the evaluation there," Xiao Wu suggested.

Hong Rui hesitated for a moment before tentatively asking, "How much does this evaluation cost?"

Xiao Wu pondered for a moment. He knew Hong Rui's situation. His wife and the injured person had already incurred medical expenses of over two hundred thousand yuan, and he had borrowed as much as he could from relatives and friends. He couldn't afford a single penny more, otherwise the injured person's family wouldn't have been able to take him to court.

"Well, it will cost about ten thousand yuan. Hong Ge, if it's inconvenient for you, I can cover it for you first. You can repay me once we win the lawsuit. Don't worry about it," Xiao Wu said.

Tears welled up in Hong Rui's eyes again. 

Because this was an accident possibly caused by a quality issue, the Pinche website's forum provided live coverage of Hong Rui's rights protection process from start to finish, attracting more attention from netizens as the situation developed.

Some cheered Hong Rui on, while others used their knowledge and experience to help him. When they learned that Hong Rui was going to have the accident vehicle evaluated for quality, the forum immediately began discussing it.

"Hong Rui, keep it up!"

"Keep fighting! We must fight for our rights!"

"Rui Ge, hang in there. We all support you."

"Ah, our country's judicial system is still too inhumane. The burden of proof falls on the weaker consumers, which is very disadvantageous. Not to mention the time and energy spent on the proof process, the hefty appraisal fees are also a considerable burden for Hong Rui right now."

"The user above, Hong Ge said in the post he just made that Xiao Wu, the editor of Pinche website, covered the appraisal fees for him."

"Oh? Xiao Wu, the editor, is really something!"

"Pinche website has a conscience! Brothers, Hong Ge's situation is not good now. I suggest we do something!"

"Yes, many hands make light work. I've been following this matter from the beginning, and Mitsubishi's behavior is really unethical. I suggest everyone mobilize and contribute a little to help Hong Ge."

"Agreed! Companies like Mitsubishi have a track record. Now that problems have arisen again, they're still acting the same way. We can't just sit back and watch."

After more than an hour of discussion, several moderators from the Pinche website forum initiated a fundraising campaign. In a short time, a support army of over three thousand netizens was officially declared to be at war with Mitsubishi.

The next day, accompanied by Xiao Wu and two netizens from Nanhe City, Hong Rui brought the broken left front axle and steering drum to the automotive testing center of South Automotive Group.

At the same time, Mitsubishi also got wind of this news.

Because Mitsubishi had collaborated with South Automotive Group before, Zhang Yong received a call from Mitsubishi China's General Manager Xiao Shi Jinnan for the first time.

On the phone, Xiao Shi Jinnan offered a price that Zhang Yong couldn't refuse.

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