Raimund and Cozet passed through the grand and elegant lobby and went further inside.
After having Cozet and the researcher’s identities confirmed by the security guard, Raimund, passing through the staff-only gate and going up to the second floor, was once again surprised.
“Someone answer the phone over there! Where’s line 3?”
“This is the Ecuador Shelter. I’ll connect you immediately.”
“No.1476, how did the symptom grade change for the anomaly?”
“It was upgraded from Lupe to Pesa grade. The quarantine team is planning to move the isolation room. The security clearance needs to be updated as well—how shall we proceed with that?”
In the spacious area without a single wall in sight, there were dozens of desks with translucent glass partitions.
Phone bells rang frantically. Seven screens attached to one wall displayed a nonstop stream of videos and graphs.
Voices in foreign languages could be heard, not just from the British shelter; news flashes from shelter news and internet media were jumbled chaotically.
It was Raimund’s first time seeing such a hectic scene, and overwhelmed, he was led to a small adjoining room.
The room contained nothing but a desk, a chair, and a large monitor.
Cozet and the researcher stood waiting by the door, and Raimund quietly sat down on the chair.
A few minutes later,
There were two knocks, and someone opened the door and came in.
“Nice to meet you. No.101. I’m Yocanan. Please call me whatever feels comfortable.”
The man came around to sit across from Raimund and immediately offered a handshake.
He carried a laptop and a file folder whose purpose was unknown. His expression showed no formal smile, and his under-eyes were unusually dark.
His damp hair looked unkempt, and his loose necktie gave off a tired vibe.
Raimund stood and lightly shook his hand.
“I’m Raimund Geppert. Please, call me however you like. By the way, is Yocanan your real name?”
“Everyone I meet for the first time asks that. Please, have a seat.”
Somehow, this person seemed pressed for time.
The icebreaking conversation was emotionless, as dry and businesslike as his tone.
“I heard you stayed in quarantine for a few days. How is your condition?”
“Ah, yes. Thanks to the researcher, I can move well now. My voice is back too.”
“That’s good to hear. Shall we get straight to the point? You may already know, but before you came to us, Mr. Geppert, you were at the scene of the explosion.”
Flashing red numbers.
The fetid water entering his mouth.
Raimund forced himself to shake off that moment and answered.
“Yes.”
“Officially, it was announced that the old underground water pipe burst under pressure, affecting the nearby underground waste disposal unit and causing the explosion. But through numerous experts hired by the Foundation Federation, it was confirmed that this was not a simple accident.”
“Yes.”
“We’ve also consulted with our cooperating parties and concluded this incident was deliberate. We have cautious suspicions about the culprit, but without witnesses or evidence, nothing is certain.”
“Yes.”
“So please answer honestly. Mr. Geppert, have you ever heard of the name ‘Red Witch’?”
Raimund swore he had never heard such a ridiculous name in his life.
If it’s a witch, fine. But why red? Is it the name of a circus troupe?
Erasing the image of an old woman with a black pointed hat and an evil grin, he hurriedly replied,
“No. I’ve never heard of it.”
“I see. ‘Red Witch’ is the name of a group. As the name suggests, they always carry something red—a hat, shoes, clothes, things like that.”
“Unusual people.”
“They carry those marks because they’re an occult group.”
“Oc-cult?”
“Of course, having a religion itself is no problem. Diversity of faith must be respected, and it’s natural that different cultures worship different gods or entities. But if they blindly believe in those things, that’s another story.”
Yocanan took some photos out of the file folder and turned them toward Raimund.
The pictures weren’t very clear, but Raimund immediately recognized that he was the one in them.
His fingertips went cold.
Tapping on the photos, Yocanan continued.
“The Foundation Federation tracked your movements by using your damaged credit stick. Before the explosion, you stopped at a café in the economic district, and before that, you took an unmanned tram. The surveillance camera photos at the stop in the 4th Residential District clearly show it’s you. Handsome people like you are rare.”
“Uh, yes.”
Was this a moment to say thank you?
“But I understand you live in the 5th Residential District. Was there a reason you visited the 4th Residential District that day?”
This was an interrogation scene.
Raimund racked his brain.
Since they had surveillance photos, it was highly likely the Foundation Federation had the cooperation of law enforcement.
But if he told them he had been pickpocketing and was introduced by a credit exchange broker to deliver a bomb?
He would surely be dragged to prison.
And the file folder Yocanan carried.
How much information did it contain? Surely, they had collected other data besides the surveillance photos showing him.
Under Yocanan’s sharp gaze, Raimund had to speak carefully.
If he didn’t, he might as well have already booked a one-way ticket to the abyss.
“For starters, it’s true I live in the 5th Residential District. And I was in the 4th Residential District, just like in these photos. I was… asked to deliver a bomb.”
“You received an order to deliver a bomb? Did you have any prior contact with others? A contact person?”
“No, no! I mean, I don’t have a job right now. So I was taking recyclable trash to the recycling center in the 5th Residential District and exchanging it for credits to get by.”
The 5th Residential District indeed had many landfill and waste treatment facilities.
Trash from the central, administrative, and economic districts all moved underground to be separated into recyclable and non-recyclable waste.
The recyclable waste was sent to processing plants that turned it into various resources for factories or facilities.
It looked good on the surface, but a conveyor belt carrying stinking garbage rumbled underground.
Noise and pollution during the recycling process were severe, so the facilities were considered a nuisance and pushed underground into the 5th Residential District.
Many people in the 5th Residential District collected recyclable trash to sell to these processing plants.
Raimund had chosen pickpocketing as a more profitable job since he had many family members to support.
“Especially since trash was frequently produced in residential districts, that day too I was checking the 5th Residential District before moving to the 4th. But when I got off the tram, I heard loud cats crying in an alley.”
“Cats?”
“I thought the street cats were fighting over food or territory, so I glanced over and saw a black cat.”
“So?”
“So I approached and petted it a little. It didn’t shy away from human hands.”
“You petted a cat? That’s rare to see.”
“It was cute.”
Yocanan looked at him incredulously.
But Raimund, wearing a mask of impudence, met his gaze confidently.
Why? Cats are cute. That’s a fact.
So it was natural to pet one without thinking.
“...Fine, let’s say that. So what happened next?”
“There was something hanging from the cat’s neck. At first, I thought it was a collar. Since few people keep pets in the 4th Residential District, I thought maybe it came drifting in from another district. But it had a note attached.”
“What kind of note?”
“It said I would be paid if I delivered a bag from a trash bin to the economic district. When I opened the nearby trash bin, there really was a bag.”
“To whom in the economic district?”
“To the back gate security guard of the Ames Department Store.”
“But the explosion happened on the road near the department store. Underground, too. How does that make sense?”
“At first, I didn’t open the bag because I was told not to. Of course, I was tempted by the reward. But while entering the economic district and heading toward the department store, I bumped into a passerby. My clothes got caught, and the bag opened. And…”
Those red numbers.
Raimund held his breath for a moment, then exhaled.
“I saw it. The numbers counting down.”
“You’re saying you didn’t deliver the bag?”
“I saw that, so how could I deliver it? I planned to get rid of it, but there were too many people that day. I didn’t know what to do, so I thought going underground might help avoid the trouble…”
Now, thinking it over calmly, it was really strange logic.
Even underground, depending on how powerful the bomb was, the entire economic district could have been blown up.
Whether the bomb was above or below ground, many people would have died or been injured. Maybe handing it over to the shelter police quickly would have been better.
But the damage was already done, and he had become an accomplice to a serious crime.
Raimund lowered his gaze and added,
“I’m sorry.”
“I roughly understand the outline. But one question remains. Even if promised a reward, would you deliver a bag without knowing who asked you? It doesn’t seem very reasonable.”
“The note said I could get a fee from the security guard at the back gate of the department store. So I did it. Moving the bag and receiving money isn’t hard.”
“Didn’t you feel suspicious? Listening to your story, Mr. Geppert, I don’t think you’re stupid enough not to realize something was off.”
“I have a family at home. If I don’t earn, everyone will starve. So even though I knew it was strange, I held onto hope…”
That was enough.
This made it his own crime, but
he could get sympathy points for “trying to feed his family in harsh conditions.”
He had given enough information about how contact was made. There were slight lies, but he was sure any note like that would have burned up in the explosion.
Yocanan, seeing Raimund visibly deflated, leaned back in his chair for a moment.
Two minutes of silence passed slowly. Then Yocanan finally spoke.
“Do you know how many civilians were injured in the explosion?”
“...”
“Four people near the blast site were seriously injured. Twenty-nine more were hurt by flying debris, though mostly minor injuries. Because the underground water pipes in the economic district burst, all shops there closed completely. The shop owners protested vigorously. The gas pipes also ruptured, and the efforts to prevent a secondary explosion from the gas leak were considerable.”
“...I’m sorry.”
“It was a miracle no one died. Mr. Geppert, you are quite lucky.”
“I don’t think I’m lucky for making the entire economic district shut down.”
“That too.”
Yocanan’s tone softened for a moment.
“If you hadn’t noticed what was in the bag and handed it to the department store, or even if you had but hadn’t gone down to the underground water pipes, dozens would have died, no matter how lucky you were.”
That was obvious.
Suddenly the conversation shifted, and Raimund blinked.
Yocanan said seriously,
“Your actions to prevent the explosion had meaning. Many people were in the department store, and if the building had collapsed, more would have died or been injured. I’m not saying you did well delivering explosives, understand?”
“Oh.”
“I’ll say it once more because it’s important. You should be in jail now just for delivering explosives. That’s a crime. But because your judgment reduced the damage, and you acted valuing public safety over your own, you’re sitting here now. Be aware of that.”
Yocanan’s eyes, which had softened, now sharpened fiercely. No, he really looked terrifying.
Raimund, who had never been scolded by an elder since leaving the orphanage, flinched a little.
Seeing Raimund’s hesitation, Yocanan irritably loosened his tie and pulled more documents from the file folder.
“This is the compensation amount you must pay.”
“Compensation? What?”
“Compensation. As I said, the economic district will be paralyzed until the water and gas pipes are repaired. The shop owners are protesting fiercely. So the shelter government plans to pay them consolation money.”
“Consolation money?”
“Yes. Consolation money. But since it’s hard to put all the blame on you alone, while you were in quarantine, our team discussed with the legal department and decided you would pay only a portion.”
Yocanan offered a teal pen, but Raimund didn’t even take it, grabbing the documents and burying his nose in them.
Compensation, economic district, water pipe explosion, sewer damage, business suspension. Credits. Daily revenue estimates.
His trembling hand turned to the last page, which had a clear conclusion in three lines.
“Have you read everything already? The government will pay 34 million credits as compensation for failing to protect citizens. And our Foundation Federation will pay 50 million credits as compensation since it failed to track the ‘Red Witch’.”
“Then below that…”
“This is the amount you owe to the economic district. A total of 30 million credits, which is about 15 million pounds in old currency.”
Fifteen million pounds. Thirty million credits.
Raimund’s credit stick held only a few hundred credits at best.
Raimund Geppert was left dumbfounded.
From today, he had become the biggest debtor in history.