Chapter 59 Interrogation

Returning to Pajeon City, it was already 11 p.m. Hirschia only wanted a good night's sleep, and almost immediately after taking a shower, she collapsed onto the bed.

Soon, the sound of quiet, even breathing echoed in the room.

Unlike the quiet residential area of the night, the world at this moment was undergoing tremendous changes.

Blinding floodlights illuminated the once-dim and cluttered cavernous environment. Under the surveillance of federal soldiers, subterranean dwellers were fitted with restraint bands one by one, then escorted to temporary detention centers. There, they would undergo examination and interrogation one by one, and depending on the examiners' rulings, be sent to various locations for reformation.

Those with lesser offenses and younger ages might be released after a few years, while those with malicious attitudes and rebellious personalities might be locked up for a lifetime. But even so, compared to those lives that perished directly underground with no one knowing, they were much luckier.

Although they lost their freedom, compared to the underground world's past average lifespan of only twenty-five years, their future lives would be extended considerably.

"Name?" Behind a sturdy transparent metal partition, an examiner temporarily transferred from another urban district asked.

"Brule." The fat man, sitting in the chair like a small hill, answered with his head lowered.

"What was your livelihood underground before?"

"I helped sell spoiled fruit to the people in the underground world." This statement was not entirely false; he had indeed been responsible for such matters in the gang previously.

"Oh, where did your fruit come from?" The examiner would not believe it based on a single sentence. The transcendent classes they specialized in had certain lie-detection capabilities; not just anyone could pull the wool over these professionals' eyes.

"It came from the supermarkets of the lower-layer residents. They would dump the spoiled fruit into the garbage station, and we would collect it in advance."

"How did you move the things from the garbage station? There should be surveillance and guards there."

"There were, but we made arrangements with the guards and shared a portion of the profit with them, so we weren't stopped."

Hearing this, the examiner tapped his fingertips on the desktop, paused for two seconds, and then continued.

"State the exact location of the garbage station and the name of the person who contacted you."

"I can say it, but I hope you won't blame him. Actually, his life isn't easy either, since the pay at the garbage station is very low."

"Do not say unnecessary things." The expression of the examiner inside remained unchanged.

"It's the garbage disposal station at No. 12 Pai Road Street, R351 Area, Level 67 Underground. Usually, I contacted employee number G183 there, whose name is Klum, seventy-one years old."

Hearing that it was an old man, the examiner inside frowned slightly, but said nothing more. He entered the information into the computer terminal in front of him and then picked up the communicator beside him.

"...... That's right, it's in the R351 area. I'll have to trouble you to make a trip."

After putting down the communicator, he continued the interrogation, asking where Brule spent his childhood and how he grew up.

Compared to the previous information, this part was Brule's weakness. After all, he was not a genuine federal resident, and his identity records had been forged later on.

"I spent my childhood in the F23 residential area on Level 69 Underground..." He tried hard to recall the information on the previous record. Fortunately, these details were filled in by Jolon based on his own experiences, and he happened to know quite a few of Jolon's past events.

"Didn't you have any friends or acquaintances when you were a child?"

"This..." Brule fell into hesitation. After all, he was not very smart, nor could he come up with a perfect answer in a short time. If he made things up on the spot, the examiner before him might see through it at a glance, ruining all his previous efforts.

"I've forgotten most of the friends from my childhood. I wasn't doing well, and I didn't want to contact them."

Brule tried his best to keep his emotions stable and spoke slowly. This was what Jolon had told him before departure: when questioned by federal examiners, try to lean toward the truth, and even when lying, speak of things similar to one's original experience or capable of evoking empathy and resonance so as not to be easily seen through by the examiners.

"It's impossible that there was no one at all. Even if you've lost contact with all of them, name someone you used to play well with when you were young; otherwise, your words are not credible." The examiner's fingertips tapped slowly on the desktop, bringing immense psychological pressure to Brule.

"Don't hesitate anymore. Just say the name." Seeing Brule pause for several seconds, the examiner sneered and continued to apply pressure.

"I'll say it. There was a friend named Holm. We were friends when we were young, but we recently had a falling out over an argument." Unable to think of anyone else, Brule could only name Jolon's childhood friend—the man who had lost all his money to gambling earlier.

"Oh, state his specific residential door and room number."

"It's..." Brule rattled off Holm's home address.

Having confirmed this, the examiner directly picked up the communicator and began dialing. Currently, the phones of federal residents' homes were bound to their addresses; knowing the room number was equivalent to knowing the phone number.

After more than ten seconds of ringing, the call connected, and a sluggish, decadent male voice sounded on the other side of the phone.

"Hello, this is the Examination Hall of the Northern District 7 of Emerald Skirt under the federal jurisdiction. For official business, we have some questions we need you to confirm."

"The Examination Hall?" A surprised and panicked voice came through the communicator.

"Yes, can we begin questioning now?"

"Ah, er... Alright, go ahead and ask." The Examination Hall held considerable power within the federation, and refusing rashly was not a good idea.

"Among your childhood friends, is there someone named Brule? He claims he has been friends with you since childhood."

"Brule? Who is that, what nonsense..." The voice on the other side muttered.

The fat man outside the glass partition was extremely nervous and had to speak up in explanation, "My relationship with him wasn't good. He said that on purpose because I lent him money before and he spent it all on gambling. Then Holm's mother passed away early because of this matter, so I had a fight with him."

"Oh..." The examiner was noncommittal, glanced at him, and continued questioning.

"He said he borrowed a sum of money from you before, originally intending for you to use it for your mother's medical treatment, but you took it to gamble instead."

"Bullshit! Who said that... Alright, who else could it be besides him..." The man's voice was full of annoyance.

"Uh, I know. I do have this friend, and stop calling me either. Our relationship isn't that good; even if he dies out there, don't contact me again." With that, the opposite end hung up the phone.

Looking at the disconnected call, a somewhat surprised expression appeared on the examiner's face. He glanced at Brule and remained silent for several seconds.

At this time, the personnel who had previously investigated the garbage station also returned with news for him.

...

"Yes, that garbage station is indeed managed by an old man. He has been doing this for almost forty years, and he says the garbage he has handled and sold to others is countless. The names Brule, Link, Yoda, and others all exist; we don't know which specific one is meant."

"Although what he did was illegal, it was ultimately a violation within the scope of his duties. The consequence at most is a fine, and given his age, going to prison is probably like enjoying retirement. We don't have any good way to interrogate him harshly either."

After the call ended, the examiner hung up the communicator. He tapped the desktop again and paused for several seconds.

"You are lucky."

"Although I still have suspicions, these are extraordinary times after all. There are still thousands of people waiting in line outside; it's impossible to continue wasting resources on a small fry like you."

"You have passed. After one month of custody and review, you will be released on probation and gain temporary freedom. However, if you commit any violation of federal law within five years, you will be dragged back to prison and severely punished."

He checked off the items one by one on the projection table in front of him, then tossed down the pen.

"Cherish this hard-earned freedom."

Although the fat man before him contained elements of lying, the examiner could also see that this person was not the heinous kind, and at least still had the possibility of turning over a new leaf.

Upon hearing these words, Brule slumped over the desk and chair as if drained of all strength, only remembering something after a long while.

"Thank you for your kindness and tolerance." He lowered his head abruptly, then his chest rose and fell several times.

To this, the examiner inside paid no attention, instead flipping through the files of the next person awaiting trial, and waved his hand for Brule to clear the space and leave.