fictionpage Chapter 112 Saionji Intelligence System
Chapter 112 Saionji Intelligence System
September 15, 1988, 2:00 AM.
Epes Group headquarters building, Shinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo.
In the dead of night after the typhoon passed, the air was still damp. This building, which once symbolized a "pioneer of the information age," now resembled a huge, brightly lit, yet airtight iron coffin.
All entrances and exits have been sealed off by security personnel from Saionji Temple. From the outside, the blinds are tightly shut, with only a few pale rays of light shining through the gaps.
The CFO's office.
Contrary to expectations of chaotic noise, the place was eerily quiet. The air was thick with the smell of paper, mixed with the ozone fumes emitted by a high-powered printer overheating.
"Zira—"
The sound of duct tape tearing was particularly jarring in the deathly silent space.
Takagi, the former financial officer of Apes, slumped in the leather swivel chair, his face ashen and his eyes bloodshot. He clutched a handkerchief tightly in his hand, but could not wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.
Before him, several men in black suits were working methodically. Instead of stuffing documents into a shredder as is typical in "corporate liquidation," they were neatly stacking ledgers, vouchers, and stacks of stock transfer certificates bound with rubber bands from the deepest part of the safe into several silver metal briefcases.
If any of the names on those documents were to be leaked, they would be enough to cause an 8.0 magnitude earthquake in Nagata Town.
"Endo...Executive Director Endo."
Takagi looked at the man standing by the window with his back to him, his voice trembling.
"Shouldn't we burn these... these?"
If we don't burn it, what if the Special Investigations Department comes in tomorrow...?
Endo turned around. He pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, the lenses reflecting a cold, sharp light under the lamplight.
"Burn it?"
Endo's lips curled into a meaningful smile.
"Mr. Takagi, we are legitimate businessmen and never destroy 'important assets'."
He walked up to the row of silver metal boxes, reached out, and gently patted the cold box.
"These are 'debts of gratitude' left behind by President Ezaki. If we burn them, wouldn't the favors owed by those important figures simply vanish into thin air?"
Takagi froze, her lips trembling: "But...but what if it gets found out..."
"Cannot find it".
Endo picked up a seal with the words "Saionji Industrial" printed on it and carefully affixed it to the seam of the box.
"Because these things need to be sent to where they belong tonight."
He raised his head and looked at Dojima Iroha, who stood at the door like an iron tower.
"Minister Dojima, these are 'gifts' for Mr. Kanemaru. Please be careful not to fold the corner of one of the papers inside."
Dojima Iwao nodded expressionlessly. Wearing white gloves, he lifted the two heavy metal boxes as if they were empty.
"Only by handing the knife handle back to the other party will they believe that we are 'one of their own'."
Endo muttered something to himself, then looked at the finance manager who was completely terrified.
"As for the rest."
He pointed to the pile of insignificant, ordinary accounts on the ground that only involved business kickbacks.
"The shredder is over there. If we're going to put on a show, we have to go all the way. We need to give the prosecutors who come in tomorrow morning the feeling that 'we're destroying evidence.'"
……
At the same time, on the second basement level.
Epes Computer Center.
Compared to the cold and oppressive atmosphere of the upstairs room, filled with political calculations, this place presents a gloomy and futuristic feel.
The headlights were not on.
In the vast server room, the only sounds were the low-frequency hum of the temperature-controlled air conditioner and the frantically flashing red and green indicator lights on the rows of massive IBM mainframes and the Cray supercomputer. (Licourt was one of the very few non-research-oriented private technology companies that purchased the Cray supercomputer at the time.)
This is an ocean of data.
It was also a "gold mine" in the eyes of Satsuki Saionji.
Satsuki stood in front of the control panel, arms crossed, looking down through the massive one-way glass curtain wall at the "steel forest" that was silently boiling. She had changed into a light black turtleneck sweater, her long hair casually tied back, making her look very capable.
Beside her sat a young man who seemed out of place in such a serious setting.
He was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt with "Los Alamos" printed on it, a pair of worn-out sneakers, and chewing a piece of gum.
Shimomura Tsutomu.
This 24-year-old genius was in the New Mexico desert just a month ago, researching how to simulate a nuclear explosion with code. And now, he's sitting in a basement in Tokyo, his fingers flying across the keyboard.
He was a "monster" that Satsuki recruited by using all of SA Investment's connections in the United States and promising "control over Asia's top supercomputing center" and "unlimited research budget".
"How is it?"
Satsuki looked at the code scrolling like a waterfall on the screen and asked softly.
"The firewall architecture is practically primitive, riddled with vulnerabilities. But..."
Shimomura Tsutomu didn't turn around; his eyes were fixed on the screen, the data stream reflected in his thick-rimmed glasses.
"The hardware is excellent. And the amount of data is astonishing. The privacy of two million people, their home addresses, parents' occupations, personality test results... it's practically the DNA map of Japan's younger generation."
He pressed the Enter key heavily.
"Smack."
"Data migration and cleaning are complete. The underlying layer of the old system has been formatted. As you instructed, I have named the new system."
Shimomura Tsutomu whistled, turned around, and pointed to a line of new logos flashing at the top of the screen.
【Saionji Information Systems】
Satsuki glanced at the screen.
The once dense stream of data has disappeared, leaving only a green cursor jumping alone against a black background.
"drop--"
The main unit emitted a long beep, like an electrocardiogram flattening out.
"very good."
Satsuki's fingers traced across the cold control panel.
"Even if the Special Investigations Department demolishes this place tomorrow, they'll only be able to take away a pile of scrap metal."
"However, Boss..."
Shimomura paused for a moment, then popped a red cassette tape out of the reader.
The playful expression on his face disappeared, and he became serious.
"Just as you predicted. That President Ezaki may be a technical idiot, but he's cunning. He left a backdoor in the mainframe's low-level logs."
"This is an electronic mirror backup of all bribery records. It includes the time, amount, and account of every transfer, and even some 'special fees' that are not recorded in the paper ledgers."
Shimomura Tsutomu carefully handed the red cassette tape to Satsuki.
"The encryption level is very high. If I hadn't specifically studied this encryption algorithm in Los Alamos, I probably would have missed it."
Satsuki took the cassette tape.
The plastic casing is cold and hard.
This was President Ezaki's last lifeline, and also the fatal flaw that could cause the entire Takeshita faction of the Liberal Democratic Party to collapse instantly.
It's always good to keep a spare of the strangulation rope, just in case you need it someday.
"Shimomura."
Satsuki put the red cassette tape into her handbag and fastened the clasp.
"exist."
"Forget about the red cassette tape you saw tonight."
Satsuki's voice was soft, even carrying a hint of amusement. Yet, it exuded the authority of someone long accustomed to a position of power, subconsciously commanding obedience.
"Starting tomorrow, you will be the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of 'Saionji Information Systems.' This server room, and the future new data center in Odaiba, will all be under your management. I need you to use the data on that black tape to build that 'predict the future' algorithm for me."
"As for the red plate..."
She patted her handbag.
"It never existed."
Shimomura Tsutomu was stunned for a moment, then looked at the girl in front of him who was several years younger than him.
He had met many important figures in the United States—generals, politicians, Nobel laureates. But he had never felt this suffocating control over a minor.
He spat out the chewing gum, wrapped it in a tissue, then stood up and bowed solemnly.
"Yes, Boss. I'm only interested in code. Politics is dirty stuff; it'll just get my keyboard dirty."
"very good."
Satsuki turned around, her hard-soled shoes making a crisp, rhythmic sound as they stepped onto the anti-static floor.
"Physically destroy all operation logs."
……
It was 5:30 a.m.
Bunkyo District, Saionji Headquarters.
This old mansion, which witnessed the turbulent years of the Showa era, is now immersed in the deepest darkness before dawn. The occasional sharp cry of a startled deer in the courtyard only adds to the silence.
The main building has three underground floors.
This is an absolute forbidden zone, where even the butler Fujita is not allowed to enter alone.
"Crack—Boom—"
With the dull thud of the winch turning, the explosion-proof steel door, which was 30 centimeters thick and custom-made by the German company Krupp, slowly slid open.
Satsuki stepped inside.
The motion sensor lights then turned on, instantly filling the entire space with a stark white light.
The first thing you see is a golden wall.
Those were gold bars neatly stacked on heavy-duty shelves. Each one was a standard delivery gold bar certified by the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA), weighing 400 ounces (approximately 12.5 kilograms).
They radiate a dull, captivating, and timeless luster under cool light.
This gold is one of the Saionji family's last trump cards, never to be publicly disclosed. They won't use it lightly unless absolutely necessary.
But Satsuki didn't even glance at the gold.
She walked straight to the deepest part of the vault, where there was a row of black safes.
"Young Miss".
Fujita, who had been silently following behind, handed over the metal box containing the red cassette tape with both hands.
As Satsuki's personal bodyguard, he was one of the few in the family qualified to enter the forbidden area.
Satsuki took the box.
She entered the password and turned the mechanical lock.
"Click".
The safe numbered "001" popped open.
Inside were not jewelry, but a yellowed family tree and the land transfer document for Odaiba that they had just received.
Satsuki gently placed the silver metal box inside, placing it on top of the contract.
Against the backdrop of the wall of LBMA gold bars, the small red plastic cassette tape seemed rather plain, even insignificant.
Satsuki's fingers lingered for a moment on the cool surface of the metal box.
Then, she withdrew her hand and slammed the heavy safe door shut.
"Click, click, click."
The mechanical turntable clicked crisply in the silent vault as the three complex combination locks were locked in sequence.
Satsuki didn't linger and strode outside.
"Boom!"
The Krupp steel door slowly closed behind them, sealing all the light and evil back into darkness.
In the hallway outside the door, the indicator light changed from red to green.
Satsuki straightened her collar and looked up at the end of the passage. A faint sliver of morning light was seeping down the ventilation shaft.
"It's dawn."
She walked toward the elevator.
"Endo should have already set off, right?"
"Yes, young lady. The convoy left the garage five minutes ago, heading towards the ryotei 'Kuchietsu'."
"very good."
The elevator doors opened.
Satsuki stepped into the sedan chair, looked at the delicate-looking girl in the mirror, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.
"It's time to send gifts to our allies."