Crash.
Tokyo.
A sound ill-suited to the Seiwakai headquarters, where even breathing was done cautiously, echoed out.
Though it had been a place of silence,
that silence was now completely shattered.
It was the first time Minase, the head of the Seiwakai, had been this enraged.
Minase, who had maintained a poker face in any situation.
But now his expression was like that of a demon, not a human.
He wordlessly picked up a teacup,
and threw it at Kuroda, who was kneeling.
Kuroda did not dodge, but he was not struck.
The teacup missed Kuroda.
However, the moment the teacup struck the wall,
with a sharp cracking sound, shards flew in all directions.
An Edo-period teacup.
One that Minase had cherished dearly,
one he only took out when distinguished guests visited.
But now, such things did not register in Minase's eyes at all.
The damage from the explosion at the Port of Tokyo was already at an irreparable level.
Direct losses, of course,
plus cascading logistics paralysis and financial shocks.
They could not even 'calculate' the damages.
Claiming it was just film props that had exploded,
the Port of Tokyo had vowed full inspections of all containers for the sake of port transparency.
But because of that, logistics halted, and as the situation worsened,
the policy of 'full inspection' disappeared, and the Port of Tokyo tried to resume customs.
But then an explosion accident occurred at Nagoya Port as well.
They said the same incident had happened at Yokohama Port a few days ago.
Explosion accidents had occurred at Japan's major ports.
It was no longer just the Port of Tokyo's problem.
All of Japan's ports were shaking simultaneously.
Japan, which boasted that its security, customs, and safety systems were world-class;
a Japan that prided itself on thorough management systems.
And yet smuggling explosives into the ports was possible?
They could blow up at any time?
If it were just the Port of Tokyo, they could insist it was an accident.
But not now.
Japan's top three ports had stopped simultaneously.
They were places that all boasted world-class cargo volumes and systems.
This problem had become an issue for all of Japan.
As ports stopped, factories sequentially suspended operations.
As distribution networks shook, financial markets reacted immediately.
The yen fluctuated, and insurance companies stayed up all night calculating risks they could not bear.
Ironically, the logistics that had been stopped to demonstrate trust instead acted fatally.
The very fact that the supposedly perfect ports had stopped was already a signal that there was a problem.
The government immediately established a special joint investigation headquarters and launched an investigation.
Police, public security, the prosecution, the Japan Coast Guard, Self-Defense Forces intelligence, and the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office were all mobilized.
But there were no results whatsoever.
Of course they could not specify a suspect;
they could not find a single clue.
Even with just the Port of Tokyo,
tens of thousands of people came and went each day,
and hundreds of thousands of containers moved.
Containers were not things people could move by hand.
Naturally, they had to borrow the power of machines.
Container entry and exit records, movement routes, schedules, and even crane usage records were thoroughly checked, but there was nothing unusual anywhere.
The system was perfectly normal.
That was the bigger problem.
If there is a problem, you find it and fix it.
There is damage right now, but
greater damage can be prevented.
Future damage can be prevented.
But there was no problem at all.
The system had no problems, yet accidents occurred.
There was nothing to fix, yet accidents continued.
This was truly a big problem.
Either there was a huge problem they could not find,
or it meant Japan was exposed to a threat of a completely different dimension.
It meant that despite there being a problem, they could not respond at all.
They could not even calculate how much damage would increase going forward.
In this situation, it was natural for Minase's anger to be directed at Kuroda.
Not only had he failed to handle matters properly,
he had failed to judge properly.
By rashly trying to eliminate Aenna, he had provoked Korea.
No one in this room spoke, but everyone knew.
Even without speaking,
even without evidence,
that this was not an accident.
And that Korea would be behind it.
They did not know what method Korea had used to cause the explosions,
but this was definitely related to Korea.
The problem was that Korea's intentions were not yet visible.
Whether this was a warning, or the beginning.
Kuroda still could not raise his head,
staring only at the floor.
Though fragments of the teacup were still scattered at his feet,
what was sharper than that
was the result of the choice he had made.
What Japan had to face now was not the port explosions,
but an uncontrollable architect whose very identity was unknown.
*******
Zurich,
Nordhafen Re Insurance.
An emergency meeting was underway with the Japanese port explosion incidents on the agenda.
"Everyone has received the Japanese port accident report, yes? I believe existing risk assessments and reinsurance conditions must be completely reset due to this incident."
"I agree. I think we must abolish all existing discount brackets."
"Delete discount brackets? That's merely a basic measure in the terms and conditions. A stronger response is needed."
"A stronger response?"
"We must apply a surcharge. At least 30% or more."
A brief silence fell over the conference room.
The word 'surcharge' carried a heavy shock.
Not South America or Southeast Asia, but a surcharge for Japan.
These were Japanese ports that had long been the standard of safety.
It was the moment when the trust Japan had built up over a long time officially crumbled.
"No. If it were just Tokyo, I would understand. 30% surcharge would be correct. But Tokyo, Nagoya, and Yokohama all show the same pattern. It's too much to see this as an accident. There is some kind of systemic defect."
Rather than defending Japan, he struck harder.
He declared it was not an accident but a system defect.
"Are you saying it's a system risk?"
"Yes. And more serious is Japan's attitude."
Everyone nodded.
"Japan has refused the dispatch of every investigator we offered to send. They only repeat their position that they will investigate on their own and notify us afterward."
"They expect us to believe that data?"
"That's the problem. If it were literally an accident, there would be no reason to hide it to this extent. Accidents can happen anytime, can they not? Isn't our goal to prevent and reduce them in advance? But excluding us from the investigation? It's hard to accept."
"It's something that makes no sense."
One executive nodded in agreement.
"Japan seems to be hiding something we don't know. Therefore, they are untrustworthy. They said the items from the accident scene were film props, but it's hard to believe they were film props. That's why Japan's report is unbelievable."
"Then are you thinking of more than 30%?"
"At least 70%. Furthermore, I want to exclude port and logistics special clauses."
The conference room went quiet again.
"Isn't that... too excessive? If we're not careful, all of Japan might fall out."
"That may be. But I am not here to protect Japan; I am here to protect our Nordhafen."
With those words, the meeting was decided.
The CEO sitting at the head of the conference room took the microphone.
"I will conclude."
"Notify Japan. 70% reinsurance surcharge."
"Full exclusion of port and logistics special clauses."
"And from now on, remove Japan from the list of 'safe countries'."
"Delete all benefits applied at the time of insurance subscription."
"Tell them to follow proper procedures from the beginning."
The meeting ended just like that.
Nordhafen's judgment was clear.
Korea had been placed on hold,
but Japan was excluded.
That decision was quiet, but it was a fatal signal.
Other European reinsurance companies also began to move following Nordhafen's decision.
*******
Knock, knock, knock.
With the sound of knocking, room service entered.
The food on the trolley was neatly placed on the table.
Once the table was set,
I took out a bottle of soju from my inventory.
'On a day like today, it's soju.'
Pop.
The sound of opening the lid was unusually cheerful.
I turned on the TV, and as luck would have it, breaking news was coming out.
The timing was perfect.
"This is breaking news. We have received word that an explosion accident has occurred at Yokohama Port."
"As logistics are being controlled due to recent successive port explosion accidents..."
I took a sip of soju and picked up a chopstick of ramen.
Slurp.
...Salty.
On the screen were only a few blurred photos.
Smoke, fire trucks, and a control line were visible.
Everything else was completely blurred out.
They must have learned from the previous Port of Tokyo explosion.
Back then, in the ratings competition, they had broadcast it live recklessly.
But the aftermath was severe.
Though the exploding scene itself was shocking,
the items that burst out of the containers made people imagine all sorts of things.
They were perfect items for creating stories.
Rumors were produced endlessly.
When the government controlled the scene,
the rumors had already become truth.
Perhaps because of that,
live broadcasts had disappeared since the Nagoya explosion incident.
The scene was replaced with just a few photos.
And all of those were blurred too.
It was a shame.
I had worried so much about how to make those blow up beautifully.
It was not just a simple explosion.
To stand out in others' eyes, to make sense, so that people could take interest—
after agonizing over and over, it was a kind of 'artwork' I had built up.
Since I could not handle it alone, I had mobilized even Sin Jung-gi.
This crazy bastard had suggested adding fireworks, but I did not accept that.
Anyway, after much deliberation, I had been able to create a fairly splendid work.
First, the bottommost container was a container for the explosion.
I filled it with explosives.
I also put in weapons like grenades or mines.
This was a device to delay the response.
If an explosion was happening,
and there were weapons next to it, they would naturally delay time trying to handle those first.
The second-level container had hard weapons like firearms.
The third level had counterfeit luxury goods.
And in the topmost container, I put light items including counterfeit bills.
I even slightly pried open the containers.
So they could break well when exploding.
So the items inside could spill out well.
I had poured such care into it;
how much money had gone into it,
and with just one blur treatment, it all became meaningless.
But that did not mean my efforts were useless.
I picked up my phone and checked SNS.
Government control did not seem to have reached here yet.
Original photos without filters or blur were floating around here and there.
People at the scene had taken pictures and uploaded them.
It seemed the government was managing it,
but controlling foreign companies seemed difficult.
At best, they would request cooperation.
"Yeah. This much is enough."
I drank another glass of soju.
It was not perfect, but it was sufficient.
Those who needed to see it had already seen it.
I was not trying to inflict great damage on Japan.
Just as Japan had tried to grab and shake us.
I was merely trying to shake Japan.
If they come at the ports, isn't answering through the ports common decency?
I had merely returned exactly as much as I had been given.
Of course with a bit of interest.
I too had gained something from this incident.
Thanks to it, I could now put containers in my inventory.
It was quite a level-up.
Though the blur treatment was regrettable,
I gained more than I lost.
Being able to put containers in my inventory seemed like a much bigger gain.
I suddenly became curious.
By the way, when are they coming to catch me?
Emptying my glass while looking at my phone.
I had already prepared an alibi for when I would be caught.
Movement routes, records, witnesses.
I had even planned the scene of being taken away,
explaining as if nothing had happened,
and walking out confidently, but it was too quiet.
Surely, they were not completely failing to catch on?
Japan was truly difficult.
Even when I painstakingly made plans, nothing went right.
The efficiency was shit compared to the effort.
I drank another glass of soju.
The TV breaking news continued.
The announcers' expressions too.
The expressions of the so-called experts were all dark.
Japan's logistics had stopped, and
they did not know where another accident might happen next.
Statements were coming out that systems needed to be comprehensively re-examined.
I was enjoying a feast with such words as my side dishes.
It was sweet.
Though no one knew,
it was sufficient reward for myself.
Buzz, buzz, buzz.
My phone rang.
It was Team Leader Hwang Onyu.
- Where are you? What are you doing?
"I'm having a glass of soju."
- Must be nice. Soju in broad daylight.
"If you're jealous, you drink too."
- Forget it. Where are you?
"Japan."
- What are you doing there?
"Sightseeing?"
- I'm really jealous.
"Why did you call?"
- Want to come over after you're done sightseeing?
"Why? Did something happen?"
- The President wants to see you.