“Ultimately, you still can’t get over that hurdle in your heart, can you?”
“The education you received before your transmigration, those values etched into your very bones, make you naturally believe that ‘corporations surpassing nations’ is a sin, a high-level stage of capitalist fantasy—the dregs of cyberpunk, villainous behavior that must be overthrown.”
“And you believe that no matter how strongly you order DRG to do good, to perform charitable acts, the problem of structural oppression is something you can never solve.”
“You yourself are doing this because it’s the only path for DRG’s survival, the result of a rational choice.”
“But your emotions, your conscience, or rather, that soul of yours from another world, has been screaming, resisting, and judging you all along.”
“You feel dirty. You feel sinful.”
“So you project all that inner longing for ‘justice’ onto Yuki Asahi.”
Meiguan seemed to whisper right into her ear, tearing open the most secret scar deep within her heart.
“You hope he can remain pure. You hope he can represent that ‘correct’ world to judge you, even… stop you.”
“If he opposes you, you would actually feel relieved, because that would prove ‘justice’ still exists, prove you haven’t dragged this wonderful young man down into the muck.”
“But now, he jumped into your muddy pit without hesitation.”
“So you panicked. You were disappointed. You feel like you’ve ruined him.”
“Jiang Jian Yue, you’re a classic case of wanting to have your cake and eat it too, except the cake you’re baking is one of ‘moral purity.'”
Jiang Jian Yue bit her lip hard, her nails digging deep into her palms.
Though Meiguan’s words were extremely harsh, she couldn’t refute them.
Not one bit.
She looked at the Yuki Asahi before her, his face full of confusion, yet still watching her with worried eyes.
He was worried she might be under the side effect’s control again, not angry at all about the earlier scolding.
What a good kid.
And she was using his kindness to fill that ridiculous moral black hole in her own heart.
That was too despicable.
An intense sense of shame washed over her, instantly dispersing the earlier irritation.
“I’m sorry.”
Jiang Jian Yue lowered her head, her voice muffled.
Yuki Asahi blinked, seemingly not processing the sudden apology. “Huh? Tsuki-chan, you…”
“I mean, my words earlier… were too harsh.”
Jiang Jian Yue took a deep breath, raised her head, a faint, unnatural blush on her cheeks—shame for her own melodramatic psychology.
“I shouldn’t… have demanded that of you.”
She reached out and took Yuki Asahi’s hand again. This time, her movement was gentle and cherishing.
“You chose me. I’m happy… truly.”
“It’s just… sometimes I’m afraid. Afraid that the places I’m taking you aren’t good places.”
Yuki Asahi looked at her and suddenly smiled.
He clasped her hand back and pressed it against his own cheek.
“Anywhere is a good place, as long as you’re there.”
This cheesy line, at this moment, held the power to put Jiang Jian Yue’s heart at ease.
“Idiot…”
Jiang Jian Yue sniffled, temporarily tossing all those messy entanglements to the back of her mind.
Since she’d already dragged him into the water, they’d swim to the bottom together.
Even if it’s hell, maybe the two of them could transform it into paradise together?
“I’m hungry.”
Jiang Jian Yue instantly changed the subject, patting her stomach—after a whole night of intense exercise and a morning of further chaos, her stomach was completely empty.
“Let’s go eat.”
“What do you want to eat?”
“Meat! I want to eat lots and lots of meat!”
“Huh? No pineapple bun?”
“That… isn’t needed anymore.”
……
Inside a private room in the DRG headquarters’ employee cafeteria.
Yuki Asahi looked at the mountain of plates piled in front of Jiang Jian Yue, once again updating his understanding of a superpower user’s appetite.
Jiang Jian Yue elegantly and swiftly cut her steak, but her mind was racing at high speed.
While filling her stomach, her rationality finally fully returned, and she began analyzing the intelligence Akimoto Miki had brought earlier.
The sacrifice in Seoul, Korea. Pluto’s suspected avatar. And the impending war.
“The New Covenant…”
Jiang Jian Yue speared a piece of beef and put it in her mouth, her eyes growing profound.
The current situation was clear.
The two superpowers across the Pacific had already formed an alliance, an unprecedented behemoth combination in human history.
And the countries in the fractured zone caught in the middle… these countries felt unprecedented fear.
This fear had given birth to the “New Covenant.”
But was it useful?
Forget the absolute generational gap in military strength; just the lack of unity within these countries was a problem.
Korea had already been thoroughly infiltrated by cults. Over here in Japan, the Cabinet and the Curtain Cluster each had their own agendas. India… that was an unpredictable factor.
No matter how you looked at it, it was a doomed situation.
If the Japanese government was determined to join this New Covenant and truly got dragged into war…
Then if DRG continued its deep infiltration of the Japanese government at this time, even seizing real power, when the post-war reckoning came, DRG would probably be listed among the war criminals, right?
Jiang Jian Yue put down her knife and fork, picked up a napkin, and wiped her mouth.
Since the ship was destined to sink, DRG absolutely could not be at the helm in the captain’s cabin.
On the contrary, they needed to send those who had always wanted to seize power up there.
Just like Chiang Kai-shek’s several “retirements,” putting others on the hot seat while hiding comfortably oneself.
A glint of sharp light flashed in Jiang Jian Yue’s eyes. She picked up her mobile phone and sent a message to Akimoto Miki.
Directive: Effective immediately, halt all further infiltration plans targeting key Japanese government departments. Adopt a posture of “strategic retreat” in response to provocations and exclusion attempts by the Curtain Cluster and its allies.
Specific Manifestations: Show weakness in the media, withdraw from some security projects in cooperation with the government, create the false public perception that DRG is being excluded by Japan.
Note: To make them perish, first make them mad. Leave the stage to them.
Sent.
You want power, right? You want to drive DRG out, right?
Have it. Have it all.
I hope you can remain this arrogant after your defeat.
At that time, upon these ruins, DRG will return as the “savior” and the “only reliable maintainer of order.”
This is called… retreating in order to advance.
Jiang Jian Yue was not fighting alone at this moment; the souls of the great (cough) Serys sages were possessing her.
Jiang Jian Yue had never considered preventing the war. After all, from the current perspective, the global economic shock had already peaked.
All political entities were considering diverting internal contradictions. Turmoil was already unavoidable.
Or perhaps… it was simply about solving a ghost named Malthus. Like the ongoing civil war in Sudan, whose cruelty and bloodshed were rare in the world.
This wasn’t something that could be solved by mere talk or by a single corporation like DRG.
……
Meanwhile, in Ginza, Tokyo, at a certain high-end French restaurant.
An elegant violin melody flowed through the air. Crystal chandeliers refracted dazzling light.
This was a dating sanctuary full of romantic atmosphere.
However, at a table by the window, the atmosphere seemed particularly… bizarre.
Morita Aoya wore his eternally unchanged, impeccably pressed suit. His hair was combed flawlessly. The gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose gleamed coldly.
He sat with a posture so upright it seemed he was awaiting a board of directors inquiry, his hands placed properly on his knees.
After dealing with the Tokyo Bowl incident yesterday, he had been forcibly kicked off on leave by the Missy.
Because the blind date had no results, his leave was indefinitely extended.
To be honest, Morita Aoya didn’t really want to get married.
But this father-daughter pair acted like traditional elders pressuring for marriage, always hoping he would start a family soon.
Morita Aoya had also wondered if this father-daughter pair thought that as a single man with no dependents, he had no weaknesses and was hard to control.
He didn’t know the Family Head’s specific thoughts, but the Missy genuinely seemed to want him to marry soon.
The Missy was quite traditional too…
Sitting across from him was a woman wearing a light pink dress, with exquisite makeup.
She was a blind date introduced by the Family Head, said to be the daughter of a major trading company, gentle and virtuous.
At this moment, this young lady was looking at Morita Aoya with some awkwardness.
Because from the moment they sat down, this Mr. Morita’s series of actions had left her somewhat breathless.
First, before taking his seat, he very naturally checked the stability of the chair.
He even swept a scrutinizing gaze around the restaurant’s fire exits and the locations of the surveillance cameras.
This could perhaps be called… having a sense of security?
“Mr… Mr. Morita… your work must be very busy usually?”
After the food arrived, she tried to find a topic to ease the awkwardness.
“Yes.”
Morita Aoya answered seriously. “I am responsible for managing the daily operations of a corporation in Japan.”
“Wow~ impressive.”
“Then… Mr. Morita, what are your hobbies?”
“Hobbies?” Morita Aoya was stunned, as if the question had touched upon a blind spot in his knowledge.
He thought for a moment, then pulled out a document from the briefcase he carried with him—yes, he brought a briefcase to a blind date.
“For today’s meeting, I specially prepared a personal information document. Page four details my skill tree and extracurricular activities.”
He handed over the document with both hands, his attitude as respectful as if submitting an annual financial report.
The young lady tremblingly accepted the document and turned to page four.
[Skills: Advanced Combat Arts, Tactical Command, Multilingual Proficiency, Rapid Scene Cleanup (Physical/Information), Tea Brewing (Special Grade)…]
[Extracurricular Activities: Reading International Situation Reports, Maintaining Weapons and Equipment, Formulating Nutritional Recipes for Superiors, Simulating Emergency Response Plans in Mind…]
The young lady: “…”
Is this really a blind date? Isn’t this recruiting a spy?
“Mr. Morita…”
The young lady closed the document, barely maintaining her smile. “You are a very outstanding person, but…”
“But?” Morita Aoya quickly pulled out a small notebook. “Please point out my shortcomings. I will record them and improve next time.”
“No, no, not shortcomings…” The young lady was somewhat breaking down. “I feel that when we’re interacting, could we… relax a little?”
“For example, we could talk about romance, or… have a little physical contact?”
She tentatively reached out, wanting to touch Morita Aoya’s hand resting on the table.
Just as her fingertip was about to touch the back of Morita Aoya’s hand.
Morita Aoya’s hand retracted like lightning.
“Please wait a moment.”
“Given the nature of my work, if you wish to pursue a further relationship, you may need to sign a confidentiality agreement first.”
With a serious expression, he pulled out a thick contract.
“…” The young lady looked at the confidentiality agreement, the smile on her face finally completely freezing.
Five minutes later.
Morita Aoya sat alone at the dining table, looking at the empty seat opposite him, and sighed.
He really wasn’t suited for romance.