The Kingdom of Smoke

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

TO EVERYONE WHO ever said,

“You know what’s really going on over there?”

You were right.
But not nearly right enough.

To the dissidents, defectors, journalists, hackers, and quiet rebels—
you cracked open the illusion one whisper at a time.
This book is a spotlight swinging toward your courage.

And to the ones still inside:
We see you.
We believe you.
We haven’t forgotten you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JJ IS A writer, researcher, and unapologetic illusion-breaker.
He specializes in ripping the curtain off global narratives and handing the audience a flashlight.

When he’s not dismantling propaganda systems, he’s probably in a parking lot somewhere, connecting dots, sipping tea, and calling bullshit on the theater of geopolitics.

This book is part exposé, part eulogy, part "what the hell are we even doing?"

And all of it—deadly serious, and just unserious enough.

COPYRIGHT

© 2025 JAMES JOHNSON.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, redistributed, or repurposed without written permission from the author, unless you're photocopying it for underground education or reading it aloud to expose tyrants in your living room. Then, by all means, proceed.

This is a work of nonfiction.
All facts have been verified to the extent possible through publicly available sources, firsthand accounts, and investigative research.
Any satire, sarcasm, or psychological judo is intentional.

Kim, buddy—if you’re reading this from your little palace bunker:
Sorry if I offended you.
Actually, not really.
Your regime is a theater of pain and fear, and I’m just the guy who finally yelled “cut.”