The right to access a lawyer is a fundamental right of all citizens guaranteed by the Constitution.
Even though the Special Investigation Unit is an organization with no foundation, it is a state agency and cannot be ignored.
If you watch detective dramas, it's not for nothing that suspects start by looking for lawyers.
Seong Do-yul, who was arrested this time, also met with a lawyer according to his rights.
As soon as the meeting with the lawyer was over, his face brightened noticeably.
Seo Ji-yu, who was watching the scene, asked cautiously.
"Team Leader. Shouldn't we search the Golden Shield Guild headquarters right now?"
"No. There's no way there's any evidence left at headquarters."
I said it with great confidence.
Oracle has the ability to freely access all data storage devices, including the company's intranet.
If such an oracle cannot find any trace of crime, then there is no evidence.
"If you were going to do something like that, you should have done it last night. The Golden Shield would have realized the situation the moment they lost contact with Seongdo Yul. Let's not waste our energy on something unnecessary."
"But just in case..."
"There is another basis for this."
When Seo Ji-yu pointed to the data she had organized yesterday, all the team members' eyes gathered.
The data contained the time it took for the Golden Shield Guild to process short-selling stocks.
"Look. I said this yesterday, but the Golden Shield Guild committed their crimes over a period of roughly 60 days. At most, it's roughly three months. There's a slight difference in the stock processing period, though."
"Well, after the stock price crashes, you can dispose of it whenever you want."
"Yes. But, the first crime is an exception."
"Oh. Is that so?"
The PFG Chemical fire incident five years ago.
The case that caused the stock price to plummet using the same method as the Metascience case that ended in a failed investigation this time involved a much longer period from the start of short selling to the incident.
This one went on for well over 60 days, lasting nearly half a year.
"This must also be a saintly act, but why is there such a difference? Isn't it strange?"
"Now that I hear it, that's true. It was my first time, so there were some trial and errors..."
"For your information, PFG Chemicals, as its name suggests, was a chemical engineering company. However, just before the short selling, it began developing its own hunter equipment."
"Hmm?"
Alice clicked her tongue slightly, as if she had finally gotten the hang of it.
I started commentating for everyone.
"What I'm about to say is not speculation but imagination, but it wouldn't hurt to give it a listen."
"Imagination..."
"Five years ago, the Golden Shield Guild was in dire straits. The market was already saturated, and it wasn't easy for a small to mid-sized guild like Golden Shield to break through."
However, some very good news reached the ears of the Golden Shield management team.
It was confidential information about a company called PFG Chemical.
"There's no way a normal company could suddenly jump into developing Hunter equipment and succeed. It's usually doomed to failure. That's why the Golden Shield leadership decided to make the biggest investment of their lives."
"Sir, surely that's..."
"Yes. I'm shorting PFG Chemicals. I scraped together all the company's spare cash and borrowed the stock."
The problem is that PFG Chemicals was not one of those companies.
Clearly, they had no know-how about hunter equipment, but they ended up hitting the jackpot unexpectedly.
I continued my explanation by showing the press release from that time.
"But surprisingly, we made a good product, so instead of the stock price plummeting, it hit the upper limit for three days in a row."
"Three, my goodness."
"Yeah. From the perspective of the short sellers, it's a real pain in the ass."
Short selling starts with borrowing stocks that must be repaid later by buying them back...
If the stock price skyrockets like this, the losses will increase without end.
The maximum return is limited to 100%, but the maximum loss can increase infinitely as the stock price rises.
As a result, the Golden Shield was not only unable to make a profit, but was also in danger of going bankrupt.
Even if you wait and believe that the stock price will fall someday, the fees and interest will increase day by day.
Although the bubble has burst a bit over time, it is still in an absurdly high state.
If things continued like this, all the guild members could end up on the streets.
In fact, if you look at the accounts of the guild members at the time, it seems that they even went as far as not paying their wages.
But the hunters with an indomitable will did not give up easily.
To be exact, the guild master and his younger brother, Seongdoyul, could not give up.
If the stock price doesn't go down, you have no choice but to lower it yourself.
Seongdo Yul thought so and attempted to commit the crime.
Unfortunately, the results were quite successful.
"The cause of the fire that broke out in PFG Chemical's warehouse was never properly determined, but the Golden Shield was not suspected."
Because PFG Chemical was developing Hunter equipment.
Mishandling of magic stones, monster corpses, or hunter abilities has been a constant occurrence since the early days of the Hunter era.
This was even more likely to happen for a company like PFG Chemical that lacked know-how.
"So... you had no intention of committing a crime at first?"
"Maybe. He did it accidentally when he was cornered. At least that's my guess."
But the rate of saints was not detected.
Far from being judged by the law, they even reaped huge profits.
Thanks to this, the Golden Shield Guild became more daring.
They have completely transformed into a planned and systematic criminal organization.
"I went from hell to heaven in one night, so how could I possibly get my hands on Hunter work? From then on, things got serious. From what I can tell, the guild master didn't even give direct orders."
"sure?"
"First, you short sell, then you subtly give your guild members a heads-up. If you make a profit, you distribute it in the form of a bonus."
This method was possible because it was a guild that was truly like a family.
Even the account of the missing person, Taeyang Ahn, continued to receive small bonuses.
"The missing Mr. Ahn Tae-yang received a particularly small bonus. He probably noticed his colleagues' crimes, or was punished for refusing orders."
"...That makes sense."
"I understand the general situation. So what can we do?"
Seo Ji-yu spoke with a needless enthusiasm on the topic of embezzlement.
No, maybe it's because he has a history of embezzlement.
She was properly punished, but wouldn't it be unfair if others weren't properly punished?
I pointed her outside the facility and said to her:
"Jiyu, bring me some coffee."
"Are you serious?"
"For now, we have no choice but to wait until Seongdo-yul opens his mouth."
"No. That can't be true. If your hypothesis is correct, Seongdo-yul is the beginning and end of the Golden Shield's crimes..."
Even if he confesses outright, he will be punished for the PFG Chemical incident from five years ago.
Seo Ji-yu raised her voice, pointing it out.
"Since the guild will treat him well to keep his mouth shut anyway, he might call a pretty lawyer from prison and have a chat with her."
"Oh, that's not it."
I chuckled at the more detailed worry than I expected.
It's certainly true that abusing the right to visit a lawyer to enjoy a pleasant and leisurely prison life happens in real life...
Seongdo Yul is not that big of a deal.
"Why?"
"That kind of service is incredibly expensive. Do you think a pretty, young lawyer like that is cheap? It costs roughly 500,000 won an hour to do that."
"Huh? Really?"
That's something that only someone at the level of a chairman can enjoy.
Even though Seongdo-yul is the founding father of the Golden Shield Guild, he cannot enjoy such luxury.
However, it is an undeniable fact that the rate of saints will be treated well in its own way.
The Golden Shield Guild will do its best to reduce his sentence.
If Sungdo-yool were to be treated like a leftover by the guild and end up serving a life sentence or have his bond cut off in prison, he'd likely confess all his crimes to his injustice.
Of course, I had no intention of leaving it like that.
"Don't worry, I have everything figured out."
"What on earth are you going to do..."
"But Jiyu, is my coffee far away?"
"profit!"
Seo Ji-yu grumbled slightly and headed to the cafe in the association lobby.
I left work earlier than usual after distributing the press release to the media.
That night.
I quietly sneaked into the association headquarters late at night.
The temporary shelter at the Association headquarters was equipped with electronic security equipment and even Hunter abilities, but none of it could stop me.
'It's been a long time since I've worn these clothes.'
The outfit of Green Dust, a professional hunter and killer, was relatively simple.
A hooded coat in a color that easily blends into the darkness.
Of course, it is equipment that has been granted hunter abilities.
He wore a mask over his mouth.
Since people all look similar if they only cover their lower body, it wasn't a mask that covered the entire face.
It has a decent design that allows you to blend in with the crowd.
As I advanced, enveloped in a green, ember-like substance, I easily encountered Seongdo-yul.
Seongdo-yul, who was sleeping in the darkness, was startled when he felt my presence.
"Huh! That, Green Dust?!"
The green sparks floating in the darkness were almost like my own, so he recognized me right away.
It's kind of funny that an assassin has such easily recognizable traits... but actually, it's actually good because he's both an assassin and an executioner.
I spoke in a distorted voice, slightly increasing the amount of green dust I emitted.
The inside and outside of the iron bars where Seongdo-yul was locked up shone even brighter.
"Seongdo-yul. I know your sins."
"Wait a minute! I'm just a loser. But why bother with someone like me..."
Seongdo-yul, who is so consumed by fear that he doesn't hesitate to belittle himself.
I comforted him with all my heart.
"Have pride. You are one of the worst scum I've ever seen."
"Huh, don't be ridiculous! Is it a big deal to just take some blind money from the market?"
"Are you going to say that to the PFG Chemical employees who were left on the street because of you? The night shift workers who were so badly burned they couldn't even walk properly?"
Paaaat!
The green dust that had been hovering around the iron bars fell upon him according to my will.
Like most special material creation hunters, I also possessed the ability to control the green dust I had already created.
The green powder floating in the air dug into Seongdo Yul's body without hesitation.
"Ugh!"
Seongdo Yul tried hard to hold his breath, but it was impossible.
The guy ended up inhaling green dust along with the air.
"Ugh, ugh... Stop! Stop it!"
"You do know that my green dust is radioactive, right? Have you ever felt your insides slowly decaying?"
"No! Don't do it!"
He screamed like a child, but his cries were in vain.
I snapped my fingers once, activating the green dust the thing had inhaled.
Immediately after, the man felt a tingling sensation in his body and vomited thick blood in shock.
This one shot would have shortened my lifespan by five years.
"Ku, kuluck! No... Save me! I didn't do this because I wanted to. The guild master told me to do it!"
Seongdo-yool speaks hurriedly, thinking that he might really die.
The laws of this country may not be scary, but death seems to be.
I answered indifferently in a flat voice, laughing heartily inside.
"Are you selling out your colleagues now?"
"Really! I have proof. I have evidence containing the guild master's instructions! At first, I did it willingly, but then he kept pressuring me, so I secretly took pictures!"
"Evidence?"
"Yes. It's a very clean recording. Of course, it has audio. It's in my private safe deposit box, so please... check it at least once! If you check it, I'll confess in court!"
"...give me the address."
Seongdo-yul recited the address and password of the safe deposit box in one breath.
From my experience, I would guess that this is very likely true.
As expected, the guy was keeping the evidence.
It makes no sense that this meticulous guy didn't even have these safety devices in place.
I turned away from him and gave him one last warning.
"You'd better keep your promise. The green dust within you can be reactivated at any time."
"Now, wait a minute. Really... if I confess, you'll let me live, right?"
There was no need for further conversation.
Seongdo-yul, who was trembling inside the iron bars, quickly moved away.