### Chapter 402 – Room 206, The Curse Room – ‘The Demon King Who Revives After 100 Days’ (4)
—
After the interview with “Happy Happy Paradise News” was published, I found myself locked in solitary confinement.
I was honestly glad to be free from working in the mine; it felt nice to relax.
But what does being confined in solitary really mean?
They locked me up because they were afraid I’d do something bizarre, but that doesn’t mean they’re planning to kill me.
The news of the mysterious mass murder incident at the Mirconium Mine was all over the TV.
Would they really kill the key informant—me—at this stage?
That would just be throwing bigger bait to the press.
If you’re going to cause chaos, you might as well make it grand.
As I was loosening up and brainstorming my next plan, suddenly the door to my cell creaked open.
— Creak!
As two burly figures emerged from the dark and threw a hood over my head, I couldn’t quite understand where my calculations had gone wrong.
*
“Hey there.”
“…”
“How’ve you been? I saw your name in the article.”
My calculations weren’t wrong; it was just that an element I couldn’t factor into my equations had intervened.
The two burly figures who abducted me were my grandfather and Cha Jinchul, and the mastermind behind their escape was none other than Lee Eunsol.
“Wait, sis, you’re a Grade 2?”
“Seems so.”
“Whoa! I’ve been rolling around as a Grade 4 citizen since the start, and you’re starting off as a noble? What kind of absurdity is this—”
“Sorry, but let me talk. I hardly have any time left. I need to get you back in eight minutes and return to my post.”
Eunsol’s words hinted at an important fact.
Grade 4 citizens can’t act freely even with a Grade 2 citizen, who is looked up to like the heavens.
In the end, they’re merely cogs in the city’s surveillance system.
“Let me give you my friends’ statuses. Grandfather and Jinchul should hear this too.”
Han Kain: Grade 4 citizen, mine worker.
Park Seungyub: Grade 4 citizen, orphan.
“So Seungyub is playing the role of the child who lost his parents? You went from Emperor to suddenly—”
“Stop cutting me off; I’m busy.”
Cha Jinchul, Kim Mooksung: Grade 3 citizens, informants.
Elena: Grade 3 citizen, actress.
Kim Sanghyun: Grade 2 citizen, special agent.
“Did everyone hear that?”
“Wait, three are missing?”
“Mi-ro, Ah-ri, Song-i. Those three are not on my list.”
“That means—”
“One of three things: First, they’re sealed. Second, they’re Grade 1 citizens. Third, they’re ungraded.”
“…”
“I’m talking about sealed individuals, alongside 1st-grade citizens like Leon Kardirov and his close associates. Besides a few, their identities are meticulously hidden. The ungraded ones are people without residency registration in Korea. Most of them belong to criminal organizations.”
“Got it.”
“That’s the info I wanted to pass on. Now it’s your turn. What on earth caused that uproar in the mines?”
Since time was tight, I only touched on the key points.
“It wasn’t just because work has become tough. Everyone lost their inheritance or blessings, right? We’re just ordinary folks now. That makes escaping Paradise’s control incredibly hard.”
“Ah, so because you don’t have powers, you couldn’t escape Paradise’s control by your own strength, so you thought you’d tear it apart instead?”
“… Creating chaos would allow us to act freely.”
“Sounds convincing. Keep doing that. I’ll support you, so either stab them with a pitchfork or something.”
With a serious expression, my sister urged me to do my best to spark a proletarian revolution.
Eunsol was indeed the youngest daughter of a chaebol family.
…
Yeah, this is the charm of the hotel.
“Doing well. I really must part ways now. Oh, by the way, the investigation agency will be calling for you starting tomorrow. Are you ready?”
“Of course.”
“I’ll trust you.”
*
The next day, I was escorted by well-dressed individuals to a Grade 2 high-ranking law officer.
It suddenly hit me; the city was taking this seriously.
It was just a few Grade 4 citizens that died, right?
This shouldn’t be such a big deal.
If, according to mine manager Rupert’s intentions, it had all ended with an accident, no one would have cared, but it’s labeled as a ‘murder case.’
This is a matter regarding the safety of the entire city.
Soon, the questioning from the high-ranking law officer began.
“Grade 4 citizen, Han Kain. I swear you will only speak the truth from this moment on.”
“I swear.”
“Should there be a single lie in your words before me, know that it means instant execution.”
“Of course.”
“I will now ask my question. According to your interview with the reporter from ‘Happy Happy Paradise News,’ Grade 3 citizen Rupert and his associates murdered 24 miners. Is that correct?”
“Correct.”
At that moment, Rupert—listening from the other side—could no longer contain himself.
“Hey! You little demon—”
— Thud!
The high-ranking law officer slammed a wooden hammer on the table, glaring at him.
“Rupert.”
“… Yes.”
“If you interrupt me again, you’ll find it hard to leave here in one piece.”
“I’m sorry. Respected law officer, I won’t interrupt again.”
“Han Kain, I’ll ask again. Rupert has contradicted the accusations you raised.”
It seemed they were prioritizing fact-checking Rupert before me.
I could feel the difference in how they treated a Grade 4 citizen compared to a Grade 3.
What kind of retort had Rupert prepared?
Would he simply deny everything and whip up lies from scratch?
That would actually make things easier.
A poorly concocted lie would reveal its flaws with just a minute of listening.
“First of all, he acknowledged that 24 miners were killed. He also admitted that the deaths reported as due to a tunnel collapse were false.”
“…”
“And for this alone, Rupert, you’re dismissed. Do you acknowledge this?”
“Yes. I also accept punishment for incompetence in operating the mine.”
So he admitted it wasn’t just an accident, but a murder case.
Rupert was initially afraid of ruining his career and tried to cover it up, but now that it spiraled out into a murder charge, he’s thrown in the towel.
“Rupert’s next claim differs entirely from what you stated.”
“I’m listening.”
“The slain 24 victims held the position of ‘foreman’ in the mine, which could easily lead to animosity from other miners due to their position. This part wasn’t disclosed by you to the press, was it?”
“… I admit that. However, Respected Law Officer, I concealed the victims’ positions because I thought it wasn’t necessary.”
“Not necessary?”
“We all worked together in the mine. Obviously, we all felt kind of close-knit, like brothers. We’ve shared tough times, so there’s no need to distinguish between who the workers are and who the foremen are—”
“What did you just say? Did you say you’re close to the foreman? You crazy con artist—”
— Bang!
The high-ranking law officer didn’t even open his mouth this time and just lightly gestured.
— Bam!
“Ugggh!”
The enforcers ruthlessly slammed Rupert’s head against the table.
“So you’re saying there was no need to make a distinction between the foreman and the workers?”
“After all, we’re all Grade 4 citizens, right?”
Right now, my answer was landing perfectly.
Just from looking at the law officer’s expression, I could tell.
How could a Grade 2 citizen in the heavens fathom the situation with Grade 4 citizens dying in the mine?
They probably wouldn’t care; to the law officer, a foreman is the same as any other miner.
“Han Kain, your reason for not disclosing the victims’ positions to the press has been established. However, Rupert claims no harm came to the 24 miners from him.”
At this point, shouldn’t I put on a little performance?
Having already said that the victims and miners are like brothers, right?
“That bastard Rupert! Can you really not hear the screams of the brothers you buried underground? Seriously—”
— Bang!
Naturally, the enforcers slammed my head down on the wooden table too.
It hurt, but if this action conveyed my ‘true feelings’ to the law officer, it felt like a fair trade.
“… I apologize for that outburst.”
“According to Rupert, the ones who killed the 24 victims were you and the other 480 miners. The motive was the resentment against the foremen. What do you think?”
“Respected Law Officer, is there any evidence that we harmed the victims?”
Finding that would be tricky.
It’s not like anyone else did, but Rupert himself ordered his subordinates to destroy the evidence thoroughly.
“There isn’t. However, there’s also no evidence that Rupert harmed them.”
In this situation, where there’s insufficient evidence to determine who the murderer is, it doesn’t bode well for me.
All the miners, including myself, are Grade 4 citizens, while Rupert is a Grade 3 citizen.
Since the law officer in front of me is like the heavens as a Grade 2, every time Rupert opens his mouth, I take a blow and feel even smaller, but Rupert isn’t a Grade 4.
In ambiguous evidence, which side do you think the court will favor?
It’s a no-brainer that they’d go with the Grade 3.
Therefore, Rupert can afford to be without evidence, but I need that evidence.
So, I prepared a piece of evidence.
“Respected Law Officer, that isn’t the case. There’s evidence that Rupert harmed the foreman.”
“Speak.”
“A few days ago, when I was interviewing ‘Happy Happy Paradise News,’ I was so flustered I forgot to say it, but I remembered it recently. Respected Law Officer, the 24 victims didn’t all die in the mines.”
The moment those words left my mouth, the law officer’s eyes widened in surprise.
“What?!”
“I distinctly remember! Foreman Eriksen of Team 11! He was covered in blood after escaping Rupert’s clutches from the mine to the surface!”
The difference between the mine and the surface.
The mine is dark and badly lit, with no surveillance cameras.
On the other hand, the surface has cameras everywhere to monitor the miners.
Those cameras were the reason we lost sleep and our meals every time we made a mistake.
Now it’s time to collect that debt.
“The surface has hundreds of surveillance cameras! There should be traces of Eriksen escaping stained with blood somewhere. If the data has been deleted, let’s recover it—”
Before I could finish, the law officer reacted.
“Claude!”
“Yes?”
“I’ll issue a warrant, and you immediately take the enforcers to seize and search the surveillance footage from Section 17 of the Mirconium Mine!”
“Will do.”
Finding out who killed the 23 foremen who died underground is impossible.
But the one foreman who died on the surface is a different story.
All the miners were trapped underground, yet one of the victims died on the surface?
That means the perpetrator wasn’t a miner.
This from the get-go is the truth.
The man who killed the foreman who died on the surface was indeed Rupert.
The world wouldn’t differentiate between the foreman who died on the surface and the ones who died underground.
When I turned my head, I could see Rupert’s face, pale and steeped in despair.
…
Now that the issue of the trial is finished, it’s time for the next step.
One for all, all for one.
I cleared the murder charges for all the miners.
Now it’s time for the whole group of miners to step up for me.
*
– Yu Songee
“Miss! Where are you trying to run off to again?”
“… It’s so suffocating.”
“Oh dear! Didn’t Dad say it’s dangerous outside?”
“…”
“If you need anything, don’t hesitate to tell me. I can bring you anything.”
“Got it.”
I am Yu Songee.
A Grade 1 citizen and daughter of the ruler of Paradise, Leon Kardirov.
I promise to deliver updates consistently.
+
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