Chapter Fifty: Aftermath

The assassination of Goro Mouri and the sudden destruction of the Black Dragon Society sent shockwaves through the Japanese political arena. Right-wing figures such as Senators Nobunaga Oda, Kazumitsu Ishii, and Kohei Matsumoto speculated endlessly: Who was responsible for wiping out the Black Dragon Society? Who killed Goro Mouri? Was there a connection between the society’s annihilation and Mouri’s murder? These men knew all too well the ties between the Black Dragon Society and Goro Mouri. If both events were politically motivated, it could only mean that someone had set their sights on the right-wing factions themselves—who would be next? And which power was moving against them?

If, on the other hand, Goro Mouri’s death was unrelated to politics, they had little reason to fear for their personal safety. But to unravel whether the demise of the Black Dragon Society and Mouri’s murder were politically charged, they had to discover who was behind these acts. Thus, the cause of Mouri’s death had to be made clear at all costs. These perpetually anxious right-wingers began exerting their influence and power, pressuring the Tokyo Metropolitan Police to solve the case swiftly and give the Japanese public an answer. The rank-and-file members of the Black Dragon Society suffered for it—the police, desperate for leads, did not hesitate to use torture in their interrogations. Yet it was all in vain. The underlings knew nothing that could help find the culprit.

The obliteration of the Black Dragon Society shocked Onokura, who was far away in Hong Kong. For reasons he could not explain, his first thought was that this was Wei Hua’s revenge. He began reaching out to his old contacts in the United States to investigate Wei Hua’s whereabouts. But before he could receive any news from them, Wei Hua had already appeared in Japan, just after the Black Dragon Society’s fall. Studying the timing of Wei Hua’s arrival, Onokura thought: This can’t be a coincidence—Wei Hua comes to Japan and opens a branch office just after the Black Dragon Society is destroyed. It seems he had already planned to expand his business. Did he know the society would be wiped out? If not, was he unconcerned about their revenge?

An enemy who could quietly erase the Black Dragon Society in such a short time was truly terrifying. Perhaps it was time to consider letting go of the grudge with Wei Hua. In truth, there was no direct conflict between them. Onokura had only partnered with Inuhei Jiro to monitor the Yamaguchi-gumi, inadvertently offending Wei Hua in the process. Now that Inuhei Jiro was dead, their cooperation was over, and it was pointless to persist in this feud with Wei Hua. Perhaps he should find an opportunity to return to Japan.

With the branch’s investment business proceeding methodically, Wei Hua and the three women had fewer tasks on their hands. The three women began to interrogate Wei Hua:

“Wei! Where did you get those ninety billion yen? We checked the accounts at the American headquarters—none of it was transferred from there. It came from the Cayman Islands. So where did the money come from? And why were you missing for so long? What were you doing during that time? And the Black Dragon Society’s destruction—did you have anything to do with it?”

“Well, let’s put it this way: the ninety billion yen was an unexpected windfall. You don’t need to know the details. The Black Dragon Society’s destruction has nothing to do with me. I wasn’t missing; I was just working in the tech lab. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Ruan Wenyong!” Wei Hua had no intention of letting the three women know he was behind the deaths of the Black Dragon Society and Goro Mouri, so he brought up Ruan Wenyong as his alibi, confident that Wenyong would never betray him.

“What’s the point of asking him? He’d die for you if you told him to, a complete blockhead. We’d get nothing from him—it’d be the same story you two rehearsed,” Kathleen said irritably.

“So if you can’t get any answers, you’ll just give up? Aren’t I here before you, safe and sound? You should focus more on our investment business. We’ll be investing in real estate next, which will be a major focus going forward. Also, our cooperation with Panasonic must begin as soon as possible. Time is money—the sooner their production line is up, the sooner we start earning. Do you understand?” Wei Hua said to them with a cheerful grin.

“We know! We’re not short of money at all right now. Why work so hard to make more?” Jessie asked.

“This amount is nowhere near enough for what we’ll need. Our real spending is yet to come, so we have to make the most of our time to earn more. When the time comes, you’ll understand,” Wei Hua replied offhandedly.

One morning, while Wei Hua was having breakfast with the three women, a news report suddenly caught his attention—a major earthquake had struck Hokkaido. Wei Hua let out a startled cry and jumped up, the news reminding him of the Tangshan earthquake. By his calculations, the disaster was imminent, yet there was nothing he could do to prevent the tragedy. This unprecedented earthquake would cause immense suffering to the Chinese people: 240,000 dead, 160,000 severely injured, thousands of children orphaned, and immeasurable indirect economic losses. But was there anything Wei Hua could do to stop it?

Wei Hua paced anxiously in the living room, racking his brain for a solution, but nothing suitable came to mind. At that time, China had only a handful of embassies abroad that could communicate such information, but how could he convince embassy officials that his warning was genuine? People generally believed earthquakes were unpredictable. Should he try to sneak back into China and influence someone at a high level? That, too, was unrealistic—he couldn’t possibly gain access to the leadership at Zhongnanhai. And even if he could, what could compel them to believe a mere stowaway? At this moment, Wei Hua was tormented—why must the Chinese nation endure so many hardships?

Nevertheless, Wei Hua resolved to do his part for his people. He told the three women, “I must return to America for an important matter. But don’t worry—I’ll be back soon!”

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