great-warnovel Chapter 40 The Two-Meter-Wide Wall of Sighs
Chapter 40 The Two-Meter-Wide Wall of Sighs
In March 1987, the wind in Meguro Ward still carried a hint of winter's chill.
This is Meguro Ward, one of Tokyo's traditional affluent neighborhoods.
However, at this moment, this area looks more like a devastated battlefield.
To generate buzz for the upcoming IPO of Seibu Land and to secure a prime location in Tokyo's increasingly frenzied land market, the Seibu Group launched a massive development project codenamed the "100 Billion Yen Plan." They spent a fortune to demolish dozens of old wooden detached houses in this prime location, freeing up two huge open spaces.
According to the plan, two ultra-luxury apartment buildings, "Meguro Forest Park," will be built here, each thirty stories high. They will be connected by a wide French-style tree-lined avenue and will also have a sunken plaza with a fountain.
GG has already been played.
"Dedicated to the upper class of the new era."
The sales office's phone is ringing off the hook every day. Even before the pre-sale permit has been issued, more than two thousand potential customers have already lined up to register.
Everything seemed so perfect.
Until this morning.
A black Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan screeched to a halt at the construction site entrance as it sped along the muddy makeshift road.
The car door opened, and Quan Tian stepped out with a grim face.
He was wearing an expensive camel-colored cashmere coat and his shoes were polished to a shine, making him stand out starkly from the muddy surroundings.
Since being humiliated by Shuichi Saionji six months ago, he had been sidelined within the group for several months. It wasn't until recently, because of his "tough love" (although the methods were not very honorable) in the demolition work in Meguro Ward, that he was reluctantly reinstated by Chairman Tsutsumi to be in charge of the on-site coordination of the project.
This is his chance to turn things around.
If this project starts smoothly, he can wash away his previous shame and return to the center of power.
"What's going on?!"
As Quan Tian walked inside, he shouted at Tanaka, the construction site manager who came to greet him.
"Why has work stopped? Why isn't the pile driver over there working? Why is the bulldozer over here stalled? Do you know how much interest we lose for every day we stop work?!"
His voice was loud, and he spat all over Tanaka's face.
Tanaka, a veteran engineer in his fifties, usually had a loud voice, but at this moment he was hunched over, looking miserable, and constantly wiping sweat from his brow with his hard hat.
"Deputy Minister...it's not that I want to stop, it's...it's just that I can't do it."
Tanaka pointed to the very center of the construction site.
"Go and see for yourself."
Quan Tian frowned, trudging through the mud with uneven steps, and strode toward the center of the field.
That area was originally planned to be the "Champs-Élysées," the core thoroughfare connecting the two plots of land, north and south.
But now, there's a crowd gathered there.
The bulldozer's bucket was raised high, but remained frozen in mid-air, like a monster that had been frozen in place.
Quan Tian pushed aside the onlookers and squeezed to the front.
Then, he froze.
Between two pieces of barren, leveled yellow land, a narrow strip of land suddenly stretches out.
It is only two meters wide.
It's so narrow that it's not even wide enough for a car to turn around.
But it is very long, a full fifty meters, like a sharp knife, or rather an ugly scar, firmly severing the connection between the two lands of the north and south.
The land was not leveled; it was overgrown with withered, yellow weeds that were half a person tall, and there were even some discarded tires and rusty tin buckets piled up from who-knows-where.
But around this desolate area, a brand-new, gleaming silver wire fence has been erected.
Every five meters, a conspicuous red warning sign is hung on the barbed wire fence:
【Private land establishment prohibited】
[Saienji Industrial Co., Ltd. Management Site]
"What is this?"
Quan Tian pointed at the piece of land, feeling his temples throbbing.
"Why wasn't it included during the previous demolition?!"
Tanaka's face scrunched up like a bitter gourd.
"Deputy Minister, this land used to be a passageway to a garbage recycling station, a 'blind spot' in the municipal planning. The previous owner was an old man, and we couldn't find him. We thought it was unclaimed land, so we ignored it, planning to just bulldoze it once construction started..."
"Who knows..." Tanaka swallowed hard. "Last night, a group of people suddenly came and erected this fence overnight."
"Last night?"
Quan Tian squinted at the sign.
"Saionji..."
Was this a coincidence? Or was it intentional?
He turned around and looked at the bulldozer parked next to him.
The driver in the cab was smoking and looking over there with a bored expression.
"Who told you to stop?" Quan Tian shouted at the driver. "Push it over there! Forget about private land! This is a key project! I'll take responsibility for anything that happens! Cut down those damn barbed wire fences!"
The driver hesitated for a moment and glanced at Tanaka.
Just as Tanaka was about to speak, Gonda kicked the track.
"Are you deaf?! Drive!"
The driver was startled and quickly threw away the cigarette butt and started the engine.
"Boom!"
The massive diesel engine emitted a plume of black smoke, the bulldozer's bucket slowly descended, and the tracks began to turn, crushing the rubble on the ground as it approached the barbed wire fence.
Just when the sharp teeth of the bucket were less than half a meter away from the barbed wire.
"drop--"
A sharp car horn blared.
A black Crown sedan that had been parked in the shadows not far away suddenly opened its door.
A man in a dark gray suit, wearing silver-rimmed glasses and carrying a briefcase got out of the car. He wasn't wearing rain boots or a helmet; he simply stood calmly at the edge of the mud, raising one hand.
In his hand was a large mobile phone, which was still quite rare in that era.
"stop."
The man didn't shout or yell, and his voice wasn't loud, but amidst the roar of the machines, his gesture carried an unsettling certainty.
The bulldozer driver instinctively slammed on the brakes.
The bucket stopped ten centimeters from the barbed wire fence, and the wind it generated made the red warning sign rattle.
Quan Tian turned his head and stared intently at the uninvited guest.
"What brings you here?"
The man straightened his tie, but instead of answering immediately, he carefully avoided the puddles on the ground and walked up to Quan Tian.
He took a business card out of his briefcase and handed it over with both hands.
The movements were standard and polite.
"My name is Sasaki."
"Legal counsel for Saionji Corporation."
Upon hearing the name "Saionji," Gonda's pupils contracted sharply.
That name.
The name that kicked him out of Azabu-Juban six months ago.
That name that he's been gritting his teeth in his dreams for the past few months.
"It really is you guys..." Quan Tian's business card was crumpled in his hand. "What are you trying to do? This plot of land is only two meters wide! Not even enough to build a doghouse! Are you trying to raise mosquitoes by fenced it off?"
Attorney Sasaki pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting a cold light.
"It doesn't matter what can be built on this land, or whether nothing can be built on it at all."
He opened his briefcase and took out a document stamped with a bright red seal.
"The important thing is that the property rights of this land belong to Saionji Industrial."
"According to Article 29 of the Constitution of Japan, the right to private property is sacred and inviolable."
Sasaki held the document up to Gonda.
That was a "Provisional Order Prohibiting Construction" recently issued by the Tokyo District Court.
"Just now, if your people had moved forward another ten centimeters, that would have been the crime of trespassing on private property and the crime of damaging property."
The lawyer's voice sounded like an emotionless teleprompter.
"I've already contacted the Meguro Police Station. Also, regarding the car over there..."
He pointed to the back seat of the black Crown.
"Sitting here is a photographer from Weekly Bunshun. If you think Seibu Group's stock price can handle headlines like 'forcibly occupying a private residence,' you can continue."
Quan Tian's face instantly turned a deep liver color.
He glanced at the black car, then at the bulldozer bucket hanging high above his head.
He felt as if there was a wad of cotton stuck in his throat, making him feel suffocated.
This piece of land is too fatal.
It not only physically severed the connection to the construction site, but also legally severed the lifeline of the Seibu Group.
If this land is not acquired, the two plots of land, one in the north and one in the south, cannot be merged.
If the buildings are not merged, the floor area ratio of this project will be halved according to the Building Standards Act. Moreover, if the road in the middle cannot be used, the fire lane will not pass inspection, and the entire project will be an illegal structure.
"you……"
Quan Tian gritted his teeth and squeezed out a few words.
"You did this on purpose."
"This land is a garbage dump! Who would buy such rotten land for no reason? You all knew Seibu was going to develop this place, didn't you?"
Attorney Sasaki smiled slightly.
That smile was professional and standard, yet it was more unbearable than any mockery.
"Mr. Gonda, please watch your wording. This is called business investment."
"My client, President Saionji, is very optimistic about the future of Meguro Ward. He originally intended to buy this land..."
The lawyer glanced at the overgrown wasteland and began spouting nonsense with a straight face.
"We plan to build a long, narrow 'strip park' here, or erect a 50-meter-long public service sign to promote world peace."
"You're talking nonsense!"
Quan Tian finally couldn't hold back and swore.
"A linear park? Two meters wide? Do you think you're walking a tightrope?"
He grabbed the document, as if he wanted to tear it to shreds.
But reason told him that tearing it up wouldn't help. The judge's seal was genuine, and so was the land deed.
Name your price.
Quan Tian took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
He's a businessman. In this circle, there are no unsolvable problems, only prices that can't be agreed upon.
"This plot of land is only 30 ping (about 100 square meters). According to the current market price, it would cost at most one million per ping."
He held up three fingers.
"Thirty million. I'll have the finance department write the checks right now."
"This is to give face to Representative Saionji."
Attorney Sasaki looked at the three fingers, said nothing, and silently put the documents back into his briefcase.
"Mr. Gonda, you may have misunderstood."
The lawyer fastened the briefcase with a soft "click".
"I'm just a lawyer. I'm not in charge of negotiating deals; I'm in charge of educating people about the law."
"If you are interested in purchasing, please contact President Saionji directly. However..."
Sasaki raised his wrist and glanced at his watch.
"As far as I know, the president is very busy lately. After all, the new building in Akasaka just opened, so he probably doesn't have time to deal with this kind of 'small business'."
After saying that, he bowed slightly and turned to walk towards the Crown car.
"Wait a moment!"
Quan Tian took two steps, then stepped into a mud puddle, splashing dirty water onto his expensive trouser legs.
"Tell Shuichi Saionji! Don't go too far! The Seibu Corporation is not to be trifled with! If he tries to cause trouble here, I have plenty of ways to turn this place into wasteland!"
Sasaki stopped in his tracks.
He didn't turn around, but stood by the car door with his back to Quan Tian and said:
"Mr. Gonda, allow me to offer a word of advice."
"This land is already a wasteland."
"Because it is nothing, it fears nothing."
"But your project..."
Sasaki turned his head and looked at the heavy machinery that had stopped.
"How much interest will the bank accrue if these machines are shut down for a day? How much will the workers' wages be? What will the penalty be for customers who pre-sold their tickets?"
"You know better than I do."
"Bang."
The car door closed.
The black Crown starts up, and a puff of white smoke comes out of the exhaust pipe, like some kind of silent mockery.
The car quickly drove away from the construction site, leaving Quan Tian standing alone in the cold wind.
The surrounding workers looked at each other, none daring to speak. The bulldozer driver cautiously poked his head out:
"Deputy Minister...so, should we still push down this fence?"
"Push my ass!"
Quan Tian suddenly turned around and kicked an oil drum next to him.
"Bang!"
The oil drum rolled a long way before crashing into the wire mesh with a loud bang.
But the brand-new barbed wire remained completely still.
It's like an insurmountable wall of sighs, silently standing there, mocking the Seibu Group's ambitions of hundreds of billions.
Quan Tian looked at the red warning sign.
Saionji Industrial Co., Ltd.
These words were like needles, piercing his eyes.
He finally understood what Shuichi meant when he said that in Azabu-Juban that day.
"Tokyo no longer belongs to Yoshiaki Tsutsumi alone."
This is hardly a land purchase.
This is clearly poisoning.
They precisely inserted a fishbone into the throat of the behemoth that is Seibu Group.
It's not fatal, but it's enough to make you suffer unbearable pain, unable to swallow or spit it out.
"Shuichi Saionji..."
Quan Tian squeezed out the name through gritted teeth, crumpling the business card in his hand into a ball of trash.
"You just wait."
But he knew how pale and powerless those harsh words were.
Because behind him, those two enormous plots of land, bought for billions, now lay like two corpses under the gloomy sky, waiting for the person who held the antidote.
The wind picked up.
They rolled up the withered grass on the ground and spun it in the air.
For Gonda, this spring in Meguro Ward was colder than winter.
......
(P.S.: Satsuki isn't deliberately causing trouble here. This plot of land was foreshadowed earlier and is part of the plan.)