great-warnovel Chapter 111 The Guillotine
Chapter 111 The Guillotine
September 14, 1988, 9 p.m.
Office of the Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party, Nagata-cho, Tokyo.
Although Typhoon Haar has passed, its residual low pressure still lingers over Tokyo, like a soaked rag covering the city's mouth and nose, making it suffocating.
The torrential rain relentlessly pounded against the thick, bulletproof glass window of the secretary-general's office, the rainwater meandering down and distorting the dazzling Tokyo night view outside into bizarre, colorful patches.
Inside the office, the air was so thick and stagnant it felt almost solid.
The high-powered air purifier hummed under its own strain in the corner, but it couldn't draw away the anxious air.
Shin Kanemaru, Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party and de facto leader of the Takeshita faction (Keiseikai), was deeply slumped in a leather sofa. He held an unlit cigar between his fingers, his knuckles slightly white from excessive force, and the age spots on the back of his hands were particularly glaring in the dim light.
In the shadows opposite him sat a man in his early forties. He had a sharply defined face and eyes as sharp as an eagle; he was none other than Ozawa Ichiro, the young leader of the Takeshita faction.
"Those mad dogs from the Special Investigation Department have already bitten Takeshita's secretary."
Shin Kanemaru's voice was hoarse. He slammed his cigar down on the table with a dull thud.
"It's too late for Aoki to take the blame. The accounting books for that company called Apes are still in Ezaki's hands. The list that nouveau riche is holding is longer than we imagined."
The only sounds in the room were the click of the clock and the muffled rumble of thunder outside the window.
"Ezaki is still trying to contact us."
Ichiro Ozawa didn't respond immediately. He picked up his teacup, gently blew on the tea leaves floating on the surface, and spoke in a calm tone, as if he were discussing tomorrow's weather.
"He hoped that Department D could put pressure on the bank to maintain Apes' loan. He said that as long as the company didn't collapse, he could balance the books, given enough time."
"time?"
Shin Kanemaru snorted coldly, the fat on his face twitched, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips.
"At this point, who would dare lend money to Epes? That would be jumping into a fire pit. Those people at the bank are shrewd as ghosts; they've already put Epes on their 'watch list.' Ezaki is already a political zombie; his only value now is keeping quiet."
Shin Kanemaru stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the dark rain outside.
"We must make him disappear, or at least completely render him unable to speak. But... we can't do it ourselves. The Special Investigation Department is watching our every move. If something happens to Ezaki now, or if Epes suddenly collapses and causes social unrest, public opinion will immediately turn against the Keiseikai."
He turned around and stared at Xiaoze with a sinister gaze.
"We need a 'cleaner'."
"A person who has enough cash to take over this mess and is politically 'clean' enough to shut up public opinion."
Ichiro Ozawa put down his teacup.
There's only one.
Ozawa's voice was very soft.
"Saionji Industries. Apart from them, no one in Tokyo right now has tens of billions of yen in cash on hand and is worried about where to spend it."
Shin Kanemaru narrowed his eyes, his brows furrowed, as he looked at his capable lieutenant.
"Saionji? That Saionji who not only rejected our overtures but also supported Osawa's separatist activities?"
"Precisely because it is them."
Ichiro Ozawa pulled a document from his briefcase and pushed it in front of Shin Kanemaru.
"Because of the 'Akasaka Construction Halt Incident,' the Saionji family was seen by the public as victims of the Takeshita faction's hegemony. If the victims were to come forward and acquire the assets of the perpetrators, it would not only be reasonable but could also be packaged as a righteous act of 'repaying evil with kindness.' This is the perfect script, and the Special Investigation Department wouldn't be able to say a word against it."
Shin Kanemaru looked at the document, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.
Having to bow down and ask for help from the Saionji family, whom he had once tried to crush through administrative means, and even having to hand over a piece of his own lucrative property (Epes's real estate), was a huge humiliation for him.
Although he lost his previous contest with the Saionji family, he did not consider himself inferior to them. In politics, winning and losing are common occurrences.
But he had no choice.
The footsteps of the Special Investigation Department were already at the door, and the guillotine's blade had been pulled up.
"Shuichi Saionji..." Shin Kanemaru squeezed out the name through gritted teeth. "That old fox, would he really be so kind? And that girl, how come these aristocratic families always seem to produce a prodigy every now and then?"
"They are certainly not kind people."
Ozawa Ichiro's lips curled into a meaningful smile.
"He's a businessman. If the profit is big enough, he'll be happy to help us dispose of this body. And... I heard the Saionji family is very interested in those plots of land in Odaiba. Miss Saionji also has connections with Ezaki's daughter at school."
Shin Kanemaru took a deep breath, grabbed the cigar on the table, and bit off the end of the cigarette.
"Let him handle it."
"As long as the accounts are cleaned up, as long as that idiot Ezaki can take the money and roll overseas to shut him up."
"Tell Saionji that this time... I owe him."
Outside the window, a bolt of lightning ripped through the night sky, illuminating the aged and ferocious face of Shin Kanemaru.
……
The next day, at 10:00 AM.
Nagata-cho, House of Representatives Budget Committee.
Countless flashes of light illuminated the enormous conference hall as bright as day. The sound of camera shutters clicked incessantly, and the air was thick with the smell of overheated film.
Ichiro Osawa stood on the questioning stand.
He wore a sharply tailored dark blue suit and a bright red tie, a symbol of "innovation." Unlike other members of parliament who were looking at their prepared speeches, he rested his hands on the podium, his gaze fixed intently on the Minister of Finance and officials from the Ministry of International Trade and Industry sitting opposite him.
In the shadows of the gallery behind him, Shuichi Saionji sat upright, his face calm, as if he were a detached spectator.
"Regarding the issue of political donations, I believe the Special Investigation Department will naturally reach a consensus."
Ichiro Osawa's voice resounded throughout the venue through the microphone, steady and powerful, carrying an undeniable air of authority.
"But I'm standing here today not to talk about stocks, but to talk about 'safety'!"
He suddenly raised a document in his hand and waved it forcefully in the air.
"The Apes Group, a company that holds job-seeking information on two million recent university graduates across Japan, is currently in a state of extreme financial chaos! I would like to ask you officials, if this company goes bankrupt due to a broken cash flow, where will this massive database containing citizens' privacy go?"
The entire place was deathly silent, with only Daze's voice echoing.
"Will it be sold as waste paper to a scrap collector? Or will it be stolen by unscrupulous overseas organizations?"
"This contains our citizens' home addresses, their contact information, and even their family backgrounds! This isn't just a commercial issue; it's a matter of national information security! This is a blatant threat to our citizens' privacy!"
"Whoosh—"
The meeting room erupted in uproar.
Reporters frantically pressed the shutter, the flashes illuminating Ichiro Osawa's face in shifting light and shadow.
This angle is too tricky, too fatal. He doesn't talk about money, he talks about "privacy." In this era when the information society is just emerging, nothing touches the public's sensitive nerve more than "the leakage of personal privacy."
The Minister of Finance wiped the sweat from his brow and stammered as he tried to explain, but he appeared weak and powerless under Ichiro Osawa's aggressive onslaught.
The live television broadcast transmitted this scene to countless households and even to the offices of bank presidents.
The banking consortium, which had initially hesitated about the Apes Group due to Shin Kanemaru's hint and was prepared to wait and see for a few more days, completely gave up at this moment.
Who would dare lend money to a company suspected of "endangering national information security"? That would be suicide, it would be making an enemy of the people.
Dai-ichi Kangyo Bank, Sumitomo Bank, Fuji Bank… one call after another was made, all with the same message:
freeze.
All credit lines of the Epes Group have been completely frozen.
In the audience, Shuichi gently adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses. He looked at Osawa Ichiro, who was speaking eloquently under the spotlight, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips.
This was a perfect performance.
This was also the final death knell for President Ezaki.
"Well done."
He stood up, straightened his perfectly wrinkle-free suit, and turned to leave the noisy venue.
The last straw has broken the camel's back.
……
Five o'clock in the afternoon.
The art room in the old school building of Sheng Hua Academy.
The sunset was like blood.
Orange-red light streamed through the ivy-covered windows, slanting into the room and intensifying the mingled scents of turpentine, linseed oil, and stale dust in the air.
The art room was quiet, with only the soft rustling of paintbrushes against the canvas.
The plaster statue casts long, distorted shadows in the light and shadow, like some kind of silent ghost.
Satsuki sat in front of the easel, holding a paintbrush in her hand.
On the canvas is a rotting apple. Its dark red skin has collapsed, revealing the brown flesh inside, and several ants are crawling on it. Her brushstrokes are delicate and skillful, accurately depicting the texture of death and decay.
"Squeak—"
The wooden door was pushed open with a sickeningly loud sound.
Mariko Ezaki walked in.
She looked even more haggard than yesterday. Her eyes were sunken, her lips were chapped, and the school uniform she used to be so proud of now looked baggy on her, as if she had lost weight overnight. She clutched a handkerchief tightly in her hand, the handkerchief crumpled into a ball.
"Nishi...Saionji-kun."
Mariko's voice trembled, carrying a hint of pleading and a lingering sense of hope.
Satsuki did not turn back.
She dipped her brush in black paint and added a darker touch to the shadows of the apple, making the rotten area even more shocking.
"So, Uncle, have you made up your mind?"
Mariko walked up behind Satsuki, her steps unsteady. She looked at that elegant figure from behind, her lips trembling.
That figure...the person I longed for...who was once so close to me, but now, there's an unbreakable, pathetic barrier separating us.
I'm not even qualified to get close to that figure right now... I don't even have the courage to beg for her forgiveness.
"Dad said... Dad said that price... was really too low. That land... the purchase price of that land was three times that amount..."
Mariko stood a few meters away from Satsuki, her voice growing softer and softer, as if she herself felt a lack of confidence.
"Besides, Dad said Mr. Kanemaru should still have a way... He said if we just wait a few more days until things calm down, the bank will release the loan... So, could you... could you please... just a little bit more..."
"Sizzle—"
The paintbrush made a screeching sound as it scraped across the canvas, like a knife cutting through glass.
Satsuki stopped what she was doing.
She threw her paintbrush into the nearby brush-washing tub, instantly turning the murky water black, which gleamed eerily in the setting sun.
"Mariko."
Satsuki turned around and stood up from the chair.
She looked at the trembling girl before her, her eyes devoid of their previous warmth, replaced by a chilling indifference. That indifference was like watching prey that had fallen into a trap but was still struggling.
"Your father doesn't seem to understand the situation yet."
She walked step by step toward Mariko, her leather shoes making a dull thud on the wooden floor.
"Did he think he was still talking business with me?"
"Did he think he still had leverage to negotiate?"
Satsuki stopped in front of Mariko, leaned down slightly, and Mariko's terrified face was reflected in his obsidian-like pupils.
"Did you watch Representative Osawa's parliamentary questioning today?"
Mariko shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Then you should go back and take a look." Satsuki's voice was soft, but it was like an ice blade that pierced Mariko's heart. "Just now, Mitsui, Sumitomo, and Fuji, the three major banks, officially announced that they have frozen all credit lines to the Apes Group."
"Do you know what this means?"
Mariko trembled, her face turned ashen, and she involuntarily stumbled backward until she bumped into the table behind her.
"This means that starting tomorrow, your family won't be able to write a single check. It means that all your creditors will be waiting outside your house tomorrow morning and taking away the last chair in your house."
"And the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Department..."
Satsuki stretched out her slender fingers and gently straightened Mariko's disheveled collar.
"Their arrest warrants have been signed. The reason they haven't been issued yet is because they're waiting."
"Wait for what?" Mariko asked instinctively, her voice hoarse.
"Wait until this piece of meat is completely rotten."
Satsuki smiled, a smile that appeared particularly eerie in the sunset.
"Once the arrest warrant is issued, all your family's assets will be frozen. At that point, the land will no longer be your asset, but rather 'proceeds of crime.' It will be confiscated, auctioned off, and become revenue for the national treasury."
"And you, you won't get a single penny. Your father will spend the rest of his life in prison, and you will be burdened with huge debts and homeless."
"Do you want to spend the rest of your life like that?"
Mariko's legs went weak, and she slid down the edge of the table, collapsing to the floor, covering her face with her hands, and letting out suppressed sobs.
"Then...what do we do...save me, Satsuki, save us..."
"That's right, the Saionji family is the only ones who can save you."
Satsuki turned around, picked up her paintbrush again, and casually mixed colors on the palette.
"Because only we dared to buy that 'toxic' land with cash at this time."
"This money, though not much, is enough for you to pay off your emergency bank debts, enough to buy a few plane tickets to overseas destinations, and to live a life of anonymity. This is your last bit of 'decency'."
She glanced at the clock on the wall.
5:30.
"Tell your father."
The witch began to pronounce judgment.
"Tonight at midnight. That's the deadline."
"If I don't see a signed and stamped transfer agreement on my father's desk before midnight..."
With a flick of her wrist, Gaoyue smeared a bright red paint onto the canvas, like a shocking bloodstain.
"Then, this deal is cancelled."
"You can take that piece of land and spend the winter in prison."
……
It's late at night, 11 p.m.
Setagaya Ward, Esaki Residence.
The once brightly lit mansion is now shrouded in deathly darkness. Only a dim floor lamp shines in the living room.
The living room was a mess. An expensive antique vase was smashed on the floor, and documents were scattered everywhere. Several servants had secretly packed up some valuables under the cover of night and slipped away through the back door, leaving the front door ajar.
President Ezaki slumped onto the leather sofa, his tie ripped open and his shirt stained with wine. His hair was disheveled, his eyes were cloudy, and he clutched the phone receiver tightly in his hand—his last hope.
"Beep...beep...beep..."
There was a long busy tone on the other end of the phone.
That was the private line to Shin Kanemaru's office. Just yesterday, the owner of that number had patted him on the shoulder, called him "good brother," and promised to protect him.
"Click".
The call was connected.
Ezaki's eyes suddenly lit up, as if he were experiencing a final burst of energy before death.
"Mr. Kanemaru! It's me, Esaki! Please, at the bank..."
"Ezaki-san."
Instead of Shin Kanemaru's familiar booming voice, the voice on the other end of the phone was that of a cold, emotionless secretary.
"The secretary-general is resting. He asked me to pass on a message to you."
"What?" Ezaki seemed to have grasped at a straw, leaning forward and gripping the receiver tightly.
"Take care of yourself."
"beep--"
The phone hangs up.
In that instant, President Ezaki felt as if all the blood in his body had frozen.
Abandoned pawn.
Those two words struck him like a hammer blow to the top of his head. He finally understood his predicament. In the eyes of those powerful figures, he was nothing more than a disposable wallet, a filthy rag.
"dad……"
Mariko stood at the top of the stairs, clutching the agreement sent by the Saionji family tightly in her hand. Her eyes were swollen from crying, and her voice was hoarse.
"Saionji-kun said... there's only one hour left."
Ezaki looked up at his daughter, then at the document that resembled a contract of servitude.
The price listed there was only one-third of the market price. It was outright robbery, ripping people off.
but……
He looked around the house that was about to be sealed off, listening to the faint sound of police sirens coming from outside the window.
He has nothing left but this agreement.
If he doesn't sign, tomorrow he'll face cold handcuffs and endless interrogation. If he signs, at least he'll live.
Give me the pen.
Ezaki's voice instantly aged ten years, as if all his energy had been drained away.
With trembling hands, he reached into the crevice of the leather sofa and pulled out the official seal that symbolized the company's highest authority. That seal had once been stamped on countless priceless contracts, and now it would be stamped on the document that he himself had used to destroy his family's fortune.
He laid the agreement out on the wine-stained coffee table.
At that moment, he thought of his thirty years of starting from scratch, of those spirited days, and of how he climbed step by step to the top of the country.
And now, it's all over.
In the end, it was all just a pipe dream.
"Smack."
The seal fell.
The bright red ink spread on the paper, like a drop of dried blood.
Outside the window, a bolt of lightning ripped through the night sky.
"Snap!"
The guillotine fell.
……
September 15, 1988, midnight.
Bunkyo District, Saionji Headquarters.
The phone in the study rang right on time.
Satsuki answered the phone.
"Miss, I got it." It was Executive Director Endo's voice on the other end of the phone, barely able to contain his excitement. "Ezaki signed it. The land title certificate and company seal are already in my hands."
"very good."
Satsuki's voice was calm, without a trace of emotion, as if she had just completed a trivial task.
"Transfer the funds. Since you promised, you should keep your word. After all, we are legitimate businessmen."
"Yes, I understand. I'll arrange the payment immediately."
"You've worked hard. Get some rest."
"beep."
The phone hangs up.
Satsuki slowly stood up, her bare feet stepping onto the thick carpet, and walked to the long table in the corner of the study.
There lay a huge, detailed Tokyo metropolitan area map.
In the lower right corner of the map, in the blue area of Tokyo Bay, there are several plots of land marked as "reclaimed land" that have just been reclaimed and are still blank.
That's Odaiba.
The area known as "Plot 13" appears isolated on the map at this moment, with no supporting facilities around it.
Satsuki reached out and picked up a white Go stone made of cloud clam shell from the Go jar on the table with two fingers.
The chess pieces were warm to the touch but cool to the touch.
Her gaze fell on "Plot 13," the land that had just been snatched from the Ezaki family, a land stained with scandal and illicit funds.
"Smack."
A crisp sound.
The white piece landed steadily in the center of that piece of land.
On that gray map, this splash of white stood out starkly, yet it exuded a kind of holy domineering power.
"Now."
Satsuki's fingers gently pressed on the chess piece, slowly caressing it.
"It's clean now."
Outside the window, a bolt of lightning tore through the night sky, and the pale light instantly illuminated the entire study, making the white chess piece look like a star that had just been born.
Then came a rumble of thunder, which roared across the sky above Tokyo, like an echo of a collapsing old era.
Satsuki looked up at the torrential rain outside the window.
"Happy hunt."
She said softly.
In the darkness, the Saionji family, this long-dormant beast, once again devoured a piece of succulent flesh, then squinted its eyes contentedly, awaiting the next dawn.