CHAPTER 389: CHAPTER 387 NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE IMMORALITY OF THE BRITISH

The school bell rang pleasantly, while Morimoto Chiyoda stepped on the gas, revving the engine loudly.

She didn’t head to the Metropolitan Police Department but drove to the Shinjuku Central Building and parked her car.

Two CIA agents approached outside. "Miss Morimoto, please come with us."

"Hmm."

Morimoto Chiyoda nodded, feeling somewhat puzzled. She wondered what Jack could possibly want to discuss with her that warranted such formality? Usually, they communicated by email and occasionally met in person during operations. Most of the time, she and Jack communicated without seeing each other. Even when Jack became the head of the CIA Japanese Branch, he only congratulated her via telephone and had never invited her to meet in person. Only something extremely important could prompt such an invitation.

Morimoto Chiyoda quickly reviewed the events of the previous day in her mind. Is it related to Dio, or the new Angel Envoy? Or perhaps, the higher-ups are considering a complete surrender? That’s not impossible.

With these thoughts, she entered the elevator.

Upon reaching the thirty-first floor, the elevator doors opened.

The area that came into view was similar to other floors, with pale blue walls adorned with the Chinese characters for Hayasaka Financial Company. Two elegant potted plants stood in front.

A woman dressed in business attire stood there. Her figure was alluring, her face lightly made up, and her indifferent expression seemed to stir a man’s desire to conquer.

Yuzuki Suzuko.

Morimoto Chiyoda recognized her at a glance.

Yuzuki Suzuko bowed slightly, her blouse straining at the buttons, and said, "Please follow me, Miss Morimoto."

Morimoto Chiyoda stepped out of the elevator and followed Yuzuki Suzuko to the office of the Special Intelligence Investigation Department. The door was made of bulletproof glass with a frosted pattern, obscuring the view inside.

Yuzuki Suzuko typed in a password and performed a retinal scan before the door opened.

Inside was a large office filled with computers and various eavesdropping and surveillance equipment. The agents here monitored Japan’s networks, listened to all calls that triggered keywords, and were equipped with radar to search the Tokyo periphery. If an entrance to a Different World appeared, fluctuations would show up on the radar.

The two crossed the large office and approached a smaller one. Yuzuki Suzuko rang the doorbell and spoke softly, "Director, Miss Morimoto is here."

BEEP. The green light came on, and the door unlocked.

Yuzuki Suzuko opened the door and stood aside.

Morimoto Chiyoda walked into the office, quipping, "A beautiful secretary certainly is a director’s privilege."

Jack was dressed in a smart suit, his hair slicked back prominently, exuding the aura of a successful man.

"Indeed," Jack said. "Beautiful female secretaries are more appealing than male ones."

"Director, please refrain from such comments, or I’ll have to report you," Yuzuki Suzuko reminded him.

Jack shrugged. "You see? Even her reprimands sound charming."

"You’re such a pervert."

Yuzuki Suzuko sighed. Is she fated to deal with these odd superiors? On reflection, nothing good has happened to her since she encountered Mayers. Damn it, that guy is the root of all evil!

Yuzuki Suzuko would never introspect; she closed the door, choosing not to stay inside. Even as a secretary, she couldn’t be privy to everything.

"I do appreciate her sense of propriety," Jack said.

He opened a drawer, took out a bottle of treasured whiskey and two square glasses, placing them on the table. "Care for a drink?"

"No thanks. I’m not in the habit of drinking in the morning," Morimoto Chiyoda declined, striding to the desk. She pulled out a chair, sat down, and asked, "What did you want to see me about?"

Jack poured himself a drink. Now that he was the top official at the CIA Japanese Branch, he no longer needed to keep up appearances for anyone.

"Let me show you these photos first," he said.

Setting down the whiskey, Jack took six photographs out of the drawer.

Morimoto Chiyoda studied the Monsters in the photos, her pupils constricting. She didn’t say anything but picked up the other pictures for a closer look. The last one showed two massive footprints. The grass was covered with rock, looking as if a long time had passed.

"A Monster from a Different World?"

"Yes. The U.S. Army radars stationed in England caught a significant anomaly, much larger than the fluctuations from the entrances to Different Worlds. At first, they thought Russia had launched some weapon. The White House took urgent command of the situation, ordering the military to seal off the vicinity."

Jack lifted his square glass, gulping down a large mouthful of whiskey, his face twisting into a wry smile. "Next to it, an aircraft carrier looked like a mere toy."

Morimoto Chiyoda suddenly understood why Jack wanted a drink. "Pour me one too," she said.

Faced with such an unfathomable Monster, its mere momentary appearance was enough to suffocate people with despair. Everyone understood that the creature would sooner or later manifest in this world. When that happened, the world might very well face an apocalypse. A Monster the size of Sotoku was already so difficult to kill; the powers possessed by a creature of this sheer enormity were undoubtedly beyond human imagination.

"Where did it appear?"

"In Wales, England, not far from the Sellafield Nuclear Waste Treatment Plant," Jack replied.

He poured her a drink, then refilled his own. "It stood there for mere seconds and altered the local terrain," he grumbled. "I can’t even fathom what would happen if it fully arrived in our world."

"The Sellafield Nuclear Waste Treatment Plant... Do you think its arrival is related to that?"

Jack met her gaze. "I’m not sure. But at the scene, Sellafield is the only unique facility. Do you think there’s a connection?"

Morimoto Chiyoda took a sip of her drink, her expression thoughtful. "There might be a connection," she mused. "Could the weakening of the world barrier be related to environmental deterioration? However, if there wasn’t a leak there, it shouldn’t have been an issue."

"Sellafield’s predecessor was the Windscale Nuclear Power Station," Jack explained. "It caught fire in 1957 and has been leaking ever since. They just controlled the public narrative to prevent a major scandal. It was decommissioned in 2003 and renamed Sellafield."

Jack had investigated Sellafield, and CIA intelligence had provided him with the details. "Your theory that environmental degradation is weakening the barrier is very plausible," he added.

"I thought Japan was bad enough, but it turns out there are even worse offenders." Morimoto Chiyoda was merciless in her criticism of her own country, let alone others.

She put down her glass. "You didn’t call me over just to tell me this, did you?"

"Of course not. What I mean is, this incident has convinced the British Prime Minister to convene the postponed G7 summit. He says there’s an important matter to discuss. The location is Tokyo, Japan. The leaders are expected to arrive in Tokyo tomorrow morning at nine o’clock."

Jack got to the main point. The G7 summit was originally scheduled for May 19th, but with Dio causing so much trouble at the time, no one dared risk coming here. Now, both the United States and England seem unsafe, and other countries might also experience unexpected incidents. By comparison, Japan appears to be the safest option. At least, Japan’s Kumazo Yasuda is still alive.

But Jack believed one couldn’t be too careful. Current Tokyo is like a powder keg; holding the G7 summit here could easily lead to an incident.

"The related security operations must be flawless," Jack continued. "The higher-ups want you to take charge of security."

"I see."

Morimoto Chiyoda nodded. So that’s why Jack didn’t email but asked her here for a face-to-face meeting. It was a matter of attitude. This concerned the safety of someone in The White House; to use email for such a notification... if someone were to leak it, it would reflect very poorly on The White House. And would someone leak it? The answer was obvious. Within the CIA Japanese Branch, Jack had virtually no foundation, having risen solely due to his theories about Dio. He was previously a minor figure everyone else dismissed. Suddenly, he became the branch chief. It was impossible for those under him not to feel some resentment.

Jack took another drink of whiskey. "You must handle the security arrangements perfectly," he said gravely. "Absolutely no slacking off!"

"Don’t worry. I know what to do."

Morimoto Chiyoda picked up the photos. "I’ll take these back to the task force."

"No problem."

Jack still trusted her implicitly. The task force was arguably Jack’s true power base outside the Special Intelligence Investigation Department, more trustworthy to him than even the CIA itself.

「Metropolitan Police Department, Top Floor.」

In the Police Director’s office, thirty-eight high-ranking police officials were gathered. The cabinet had already issued the order for Morimoto Chiyoda to take charge of security for the conference. Everyone in the Metropolitan Police Department, from top to bottom, was to follow her commands.

Despite the authority now in her hands, Morimoto Chiyoda wasn’t pleased. If anything went wrong, she, as the Police Director, would be the scapegoat. She knew exactly how those people operated and understood just how dangerous Tokyo was right now.

"The conference will be held at the Prime Minister’s residence," Morimoto Chiyoda announced. "My plan is to deploy personnel in a one-kilometer radius around it and clear the area beforehand!"

Morimoto Chiyoda decided on the most direct approach: clear everyone out. No people meant the Prime Minister’s residence would naturally be safe. She couldn’t care less about any protests this action might provoke.

"Then there’s the arrival. All national delegations will land at Yokota Base. The route between the base and the Prime Minister’s residence will have a two-kilometer cleared zone, and all roads will be sealed off. The SAT and the Public Security Division must be ready. Snipers will be positioned at the locations I’ve marked to prevent any foolish attempts."

Morimoto Chiyoda unfolded a map and began marking red dots. "The sniper positions must be secured. Check in every minute to ensure no snipers are eliminated. The planes arrive at 9:00 AM tomorrow. We’ll commence operations at 8:30 AM. Issue a public notice now, stating that traffic control will be implemented in the following areas starting at 8:30 AM tomorrow."

Morimoto Chiyoda slapped her hand on the map, her tone brimming with authority. "Dismissed."

"Yes, Ma’am!" all the officials present responded in unison, then turned and left the office.

Morimoto Chiyoda sank into her chair and let out a heavy sigh.

Members of her task force entered.

"You’ve worked hard, Chief," Okayama Buji said.

Morimoto Chiyoda pulled the photos from a drawer, tossed them onto the desk, and said slowly, "Take a look at these. Then you’ll appreciate just how ’easy’ these assignments are."