Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

Chapter 101 : 59 Interrogation

By the time he returned to Payin City, it was already 11 p.m. All Hexia wanted to do was get a sound sleep, and he had hardly finished bathing before he passed out on the bed.

Soon, the quiet breathing sounds filled the room.

Unlike the peaceful residential areas during the night, the world at this moment was undergoing a tremendous change.

The glaring floodlights illuminated what used to be a dim and chaotic cave environment. Under the surveillance of the federal soldiers, the people from the Underworld were shackled with Restraining Bracelets and then escorted to a temporary detention center. There, they would be subjected to individual scrutiny and interrogation, and based on the judgment of the examiner, they would be sent to different places for reformation.

Those with lesser offenses and younger in age might be released after a few years, while those with worse attitudes and rebellious personalities might be imprisoned for life. Even so, they were still luckier than those who had died unnoticed in the Underworld.

Though they lost their freedom, compared to the average lifespan of no more than 25 years in the Underworld, their lives would now be extended by a considerable amount.

"Name?" asked the examiner from behind a sturdy transparent metal partition, temporarily reassigned from other districts.

"Blu," the hefty man replied humbly, seated like a small mountain on the chair.

"What did you do for a living in the Underworld?"

"I helped to sell damaged fruits to the people of the Underworld," he said, which wasn't false—he really did manage such transactions for the gang before.

"Oh, and where did these fruits come from?" The examiner wouldn't believe him on his word alone. Their Transcendent Profession included certain lie detection abilities; not just anyone could deceive these experts.

"They came from a supermarket in the lower residential levels. They would dump the spoiled fruits at the garbage station, and we would collect them in advance."

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

"Indeed, there are, but we had an agreement with the guards and gave them a share of the profits, so we weren't obstructed."

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

"Specify the location of the garbage station and the name of the person you dealt with."

"I can tell you, but I hope you won't blame him. His life isn't easy either, after all, the wages at the garbage station are very low."

"Cut the unnecessary talk," said the examiner inside, his expression unchanged.

"It's in the R351 area of the Underworld 67th layer, at 12 Pai Lu Street, at the waste processing station. The person I contacted is worker G183, named Klum, 71 years old."

Hearing that the contact was an elderly man, the examiner inside frowned slightly, but said no more. He entered the data into the computer terminal before him and then picked up the communicator beside him.

"...Yes, it's in R351 area. We would need you to make a trip there."

After putting down the communicator, he continued the interrogation, asking about Blu's childhood, where he grew up.

Compared to the previous information, this part was Blu's weakness; after all, he was not a true federal resident, and his identity file had been forged later on.

"When I was a child, I lived in the F23 residential area of the Underworld 69th layer..." He strained to remember the information from the file, which luckily for him was filled in by Qiao Long based on his own life experiences, and he knew quite a bit about Qiao Long's past.

"You didn't have any friends or acquaintances as a child?"

"This..." Blu hesitated. After all, he was not very bright and couldn't come up with a perfect answer on short notice. Any hastily fabricated story might be seen right through by the examiner in front of him, undoing all his previous efforts.

"As a child, I've forgotten many friends. I didn't fare well myself, so I didn't want to contact them."

Blu tried to keep his emotions stable and spoke slowly. This was something Qiao Long had advised him before he left: when questioned by the federal examiners, try to lean towards the truth as much as possible. Even if telling a lie, it should be similar to or evoke empathy with his actual life, so as not to be easily seen through by an examiner.

"It's impossible not to have even one person. Even if you don't keep in touch, name someone you used to get on very well with as a child; otherwise, your words will be taken with skepticism," suggested the examiner, his fingertips slowly drumming on the desk, exerting great psychological pressure on Blu.

"Stop hesitating and just say the name," prompted the examiner with a cold laugh after Blu paused for several seconds, continuing to apply pressure.

"Alright, there was a friend named Holmes. We were friends when we were children, but we fell out recently over an argument," Blu, unable to think of anyone else, resorted to naming Qiao Long's childhood friend—the man who had recently lost all his money gambling.

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"Oh, tell me the specific door number and room number of his residence."

"It is..." Blu reported Holmes's home door number.

Once confirmed, the examiner directly picked up the communicator and began dialing. All federal residential housing phone numbers were linked to addresses, so knowing the door plate number was as good as knowing the phone number.

After ringing for over ten seconds, the call connected, and a dull, listless male voice answered on the other end.

"Hello, this is the Examination Hall of Jade Skirt in the Northern Seventh District under the federation. For official business, we have some questions we need to ask you for confirmation."

"Examination Hall?" A voice of surprise and panic came from the communicator.

"Yes, may we start asking now?"

"Ah, um... alright, ask away." It wasn't a good idea to rashly refuse the Examination Hall, given its significant power within the federation.

"As a child, did you have a friend named Blu? He claims that he has been your friend since you were young."

"Blu? Who's that, out of the blue..." The voice on the other end grumbled.

The chubby man on the other side of the glass partition was a bundle of nerves as he had to explain, "We don't get along. He's saying this on purpose because I lent him money before, which he used for gambling, and then Holmes's mother died prematurely because of this incident, so we had a falling out."

"Oh..." The examiner responded noncommittally, glanced at him, and continued with the questioning.

"He said he once lent you a sum of money, which was meant for treating your mother's illness, but you gambled it away."

"Bullshit! Who said that... well, who else but him..." the man's voice was full of irritation.

"Er, I understand now, I do have this friend. And don't call me again, we're not that close, and if he dies out there, don't contact me either." With that, the person on the other end hung up the phone.

As he watched the disconnected call buzzing, the examiner's face betrayed a slight expression of surprise. He looked at Blu and waited silently for a few seconds.

At that moment, the staff who had been investigating the trash station also replied to him with a message.

...

"Yes, that trash station is indeed watched over by an old man who has been doing this job for nearly 40 years. He claims he has sold countless pieces of trash to various people, with names like Blu, Link, Yoda, etc., and he doesn't know specifically which one we're referring to."

"Although what he's doing is illegal, it only amounts to a violation within the scope of his duties, with the worst consequence being a fine. And since he's old, going to jail would probably be like living in comfort, so we don't have much to pressure him with during a strict interrogation."

After ending the call, the examiner hung up the communicator, tapped on the desk again, and paused for a few seconds.

"You're lucky."

"Although I still have my doubts, we're in a crisis right now, with thousands of people queuing outside. We can't afford to waste resources on a small fry like you."

"You've passed. After being detained and reviewed for a month, you will be released on probation, granted temporary freedom. However, if you commit any violation of federal law within five years, you will be caught and returned to prison for harsh punishment."

He ticked off items on the projected form in front of him and then threw the pen down.

"Cherish this hard-earned freedom."

Although the examiner could tell that the chubby man in front of him had lied, he also saw that he wasn't a thoroughly wicked person; there was at least a chance for him to reform.

Upon hearing this, Blu slumped into the chair as if deflated, it took him a long while to remember something.

"Thank you for your kindness and leniency." He bowed deeply, then bobbed several times.

The examiner inside paid him no mind and instead flipped through the file of the next person to be examined. He waved his hand, indicating for Blu to clear the spot and leave.

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