Chapter Twenty-Nine: Uproar (Part Two)
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Lei Dong had spent so much time arguing with Fujiyama Ken for a reason. It was certainly not, as he claimed, merely to let Fujiyama Ken “die enlightened.” This was not some absurd war drama in which the executioner had to declare, “On behalf of the people, I sentence you to death,” before putting an enemy to death. As Lei Dong himself put it, with that kind of free time, he might as well throw a few bombs at the Imperial Palace!
Lei Dong’s real purpose had been to lure Fujiyama Ken into saying those things, especially the key phrases. He intended to use that material to create a bomb of immense power and, before the official operation began, completely muddy the waters in Jiepeng!
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In an office on the forty-fifth floor of the Asahi Daily Economic News headquarters, Murayama Masamasa, dressed in a black suit, sat at his workstation with his eyes shining as he frantically searched for every scrap of information he could find.
This was the largest news organization in all of Jiepeng. More than two thousand reporters worked for it, scattered across the world and sending an endless torrent of news back to headquarters every day.
The forty-five-story building housed more than three thousand employees from the editorial, reporting, administrative, printing, proofreading, and publishing departments. Beside the offices on the forty-fifth floor was an enormous rooftop helipad, where two small business jets and three helicopters were stationed. Each aircraft was equipped with the most advanced audiovisual systems available, boasting the highest resolution and most sophisticated sound-recording equipment, ensuring that the newspaper’s finest reporters could reach the scene of breaking news in the shortest possible time.
For that very reason, having a desk on the forty-fifth floor was a privilege reserved exclusively for the newspaper’s most elite reporters. Yet Murayama Masamasa, his eyes gleaming, possessed a private office of more than twenty square meters there.
The Asahi Daily Economic News had been founded more than a century ago. At its inception, its guiding principles declared: “We shall uphold a position free from factional bias, implement freedom of speech, and strive to build a democratic nation and establish world peace; grounded in humanity and justice, we shall devote ourselves to the happiness of the people, reject all forms of illegality and violence, and wage an unyielding struggle against corruption; we shall report the truth fairly and swiftly, preserving impartiality in our commentary through a progressive spirit; we shall always cherish tolerance, remain mindful of character and responsibility, and uphold a fresh yet dignified style.”
By remaining close to ordinary people without pandering to vulgar tastes, and by offering profound yet never extremist opinions, the Asahi Daily Economic News had seized the position of Jiepeng’s leading newspaper in an astonishingly short time. Yet over the past decade, as public sentiment in Jiepeng had steadily shifted to the right and the government had tightened its control over the press, this once world-renowned bastion of objective and impartial journalism had inevitably drifted toward the right wing, its opinions becoming increasingly extreme.
Especially after the current prime minister, Kishisuke Shinzō, came to power, the Asahi Daily Economic News had behaved like a fly drawn to an overpowering stench. Throwing itself into the fray, it had become both the cheerleader and the trailblazer for Kishisuke Shinzō’s far-right policies.
Now, as one of the Asahi Daily Economic News’s top reporters—the star journalist in charge of both the military and political sections—Murayama Masamasa was searching for the public reaction to Kishisuke Shinzō’s latest speech. He had resolved to use that reaction as his starting point, guiding public opinion step by step and leaving a heavy mark on the history of Kishisuke Shinzō’s “new policies.”
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Perhaps, once Kishisuke had become one of the great figures in Jiepeng’s history, Murayama would earn the prime minister’s favor and rise to the top in a single bound, enjoying a smooth ascent through the ranks.
Murayama Masamasa smiled smugly as he clicked on a website.
Majestic music began to play. A black flood dragon circled for a long while, and three large red characters appeared in the upper-right corner of the screen:
The Way of Chivalry!
The official website of the Flood Dragon Society!
Humming along with the melody coming from his computer, Murayama Masamasa clicked his way through the site with practiced ease. Very few people knew about his other identity. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Who would ever suspect that the famous journalist of Jiepeng’s press, an elite in the eyes of most people, was a member of the Flood Dragon Society?
Today was the day the Eighth Patriarch had been released from prison. He must have returned to that magnificent castle by now. What opinion would he express regarding Prime Minister Kishisuke’s speech?
As a senior member of the Flood Dragon Society and a renowned political reporter, Murayama Masamasa knew all about the secret dealings and tacit understandings between his boss and the prime minister. He himself had served as the go-between when the two first began cooperating. And the Eighth Patriarch’s successful release from prison had been made possible in large part by Murayama’s efforts behind the scenes, which had helped the two sides reach a new cooperation agreement. After the prime minister’s speech, the Eighth Patriarch was certain to respond positively.
Sure enough, the latest news soon appeared on the webpage.
“Mr. Fujiyama Ken’s Views on Prime Minister Kishisuke’s Latest Speech.”
Seeing the striking headline, Murayama Masamasa smiled knowingly. With such a response, the reaction of the Flood Dragon Society’s one hundred thousand members, and his own forceful guidance, public opinion would surely develop in a direction favorable to Prime Minister Kishisuke. What sort of reward would await him then?
He could almost see the rewards from the prime minister and the Eighth Patriarch. He could almost see the countless riches, beautiful women, and the power that every man prized above all else beckoning him forward.
But soon, the smile froze on his face. He shouted in utter disbelief, “That’s impossible!”
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The next moment, Murayama Masamasa sprang from his seat like a cat whose tail had been stepped on and dashed out of the office, shouting hysterically, “Team One, get on the aircraft!”
Three young reporters followed close behind him and rushed into the first helicopter parked on the rooftop. Amid the deafening roar of its engines, the helicopter lifted off and thundered southwestward.
On the morning of July 7, 2030, the official website of the Flood Dragon Society, Jiepeng’s largest organized association, released an audio recording by Fujiyama Ken, the Eighth Patriarch, who had just been released from prison.
In the recording, which lasted less than a minute, Fujiyama Ken was visibly agitated, his voice ringing with passion and force:
“Prime Minister Kishisuke is a rabid fascist! It is appalling! In today’s world, strength is revered above all else. Chakna is economically advanced and powerful. Fascist militarism can bring the millions of the Yuwa people nothing but humiliation and self-destruction—until both jade and stone are burned together!”
With certain forces deliberately fanning the flames, the recording quickly seized the headlines of all the major websites. Across Jiepeng, public opinion erupted!
At the same time, every branch of the media—left-wing and right-wing, official and independent alike—became sharks that had caught the scent of blood. Employing every resource at their disposal, they raced toward the coastal estate and castle in Kyoto.
As for the people who heard the recording, their first reaction was disbelief that their ears had not deceived them. Then, as though in unison, they cried out in astonishment:
“Great God Yuzhao! What is he saying?”
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