I Became a Black Market Tycoon with an Inventory - Chapter 205

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

205 – Excursion
205.
“Is that truly the case?”
Minase’s voice was low, yet rigid with tension.
Akiyama, his secretary, reported with her head bowed.
“Kuroda threw himself from a hotel. Kuroda… died at the scene.”
In that instant, silence descended.
Only the faint sound of water flowing beyond the garden could be heard.
Kuroda was dead.
I couldn’t believe it.
A conversation with Kuroda from days ago surfaced in my mind.
“Director, someone continues to follow me. I will refrain from visiting Headquarters for the time being.”
“I will submit reports in writing. Please bear with me, even if it proves inconvenient.”
“The gaze continues to pursue me. I will do whatever I can to stop it.”
“I will do everything within my power to prevent it.”
Kuroda’s voice had been firm, yet tinged with anxiety.
Minase had sensed that unease, but deliberately feigned ignorance.
A heavy weight of guilt pressed down upon a corner of Minase’s heart.
He had been a core member, walking alongside for decades solely for Japan’s restoration.
Yet when things had gone slightly awry, I had hurled a teacup at such a Kuroda,
and the image of myself offering insult came flooding back.
‘Did I push too hard?’
Minase’s hands trembled faintly.
I was sorry.
I wanted to apologize.
But Kuroda was gone now.
Still, my feelings had to be conveyed.
“Ensure that Kuroda’s final arrangements are handled with utmost care. And see that his surviving family members want for nothing throughout their lives.”
“Understood.”
Akiyama replied.
Minase, his spirits dampened, stepped out into the garden.
This was Minase’s kingdom.
Ideas that transformed Japan had been born here,
and strategies that revived Japan had been decided here.
That was why I cherished this place.
But today was different.
The garden’s air felt uncomfortable and suffocating, unlike its usual serenity.
The meticulously cultivated orchids and the gracefully swimming koi could no longer bring me peace.
As I lifted my gaze, buildings surrounding Headquarters like fortress walls came into view.
Those buildings were shields.
It was a wall built to protect the Headquarters.
Yet something felt wrong.
Those walls seemed to be glaring down at me, as if targeting me.
The countless windows weren’t protecting me—they were surveilling me.
The reassurance of being protected vanished, replaced only by the sickening sensation of being watched.
The fact that Kuroda had been tailed
meant the enemies had already located this Headquarters.
It was no coincidence that the Planning Director of Arata Consulting, who handled all the dirty work, had vanished without a trace.
It was all connected.
This Headquarters, which I had believed was as secure as a fortress, now felt like a massive prison.
“Is it quiet outside?”
“There are no unusual developments.”
I asked with a trembling voice, but Akiyama answered with her usual composure.
That made me even more maddened.
People loyal to Seiwakai were disappearing and dying, yet here everything remained serene.
The enemies had done nothing, yet I felt the pressure closing in.
I poured a glass of the strong liquor I normally wouldn’t even touch.
My esophagus burned with searing heat, but there was no relief.
Only more suffocation.
Those buildings seemed to be drawing closer and closer.
They seemed to be tightening around me.
“I need to get out of here.”
“Pardon?”
Akiyama stared at me with startled eyes.
It was extremely rare for me to leave this place.
Even the Prime Minister came here directly to meet with me.
Yet I was saying I would leave.
“Chairman. Outside is dangerous. This place is the safest right now.”
Akiyama answered with concern in her voice.
In Akiyama’s mind, this Headquarters was the safest.
I looked at Akiyama as if surprised.
It was strange.
Akiyama had never once disagreed with me in all her years.
She was almost like a robot, doing whatever I commanded.
Yet suddenly, at this critical moment, she was contradicting me?
Telling me not to leave this place?
Could there be a special reason she needed to keep me here?
Suspicion reared its head.
Could Akiyama be a spy?
If so, then everything about this situation suddenly made sense.
Kuroda’s death. The Planning Director’s disappearance.
Minase’s eyes turned cold and piercing.
He gestured for a security guard to approach.
“Lock Akiyama in solitary confinement.”
“Sir?”
“Sir?”
Both Akiyama and the security guard gasped in shock, but
upon seeing Minase’s sharp, unforgiving gaze, they quickly changed their response.
“Understood.”
“And we’re leaving this place. Prepare for departure.”
“Understood.”
Akiyama was dragged away.
Minase’s once-peaceful kingdom
had twisted into a realm of suspicion and terror in a single morning.
*******
“Everything is ready, Chairman.”
“Good.”
At the security guards’ report, Minase moved into action.
Unlike usual, he headed toward the basement.
No one knew it, but
the basement of the Headquarters connected to the adjacent buildings.
An emergency escape route had been prepared for critical situations.
It had never been used before, but today it had to be.
This time, the situation was different.
Caution was essential.
I had to distance myself from prying eyes.
Minase reached the Parking Lot and boarded an armored vehicle.
Three identical armored vehicles were lined up in a row.
Minase climbed into one of them.
Only after boarding did Minase reveal his destination.
“Take us to Yokohama.”
The security guards nodded in acknowledgment.
The destination was a private marina located near Yokohama.
It was less than thirty minutes away by expressway.
Waiting there was a state-of-the-art yacht that Minase had prepared as a contingency.
Once on the open sea, he believed no one would be able to pursue him.
“Let’s go.”
As Minase boarded the vehicle, the armored car slowly exited the Parking Lot.
Security SUVs flanked the armored vehicle front and rear.
.
.
.
“The hermit is going on an outing.”
A radio transmission crackled from the Obsidian Unit monitoring the Headquarters from a distance.
The agent who finished the report muttered in a voice tinged with bitter laughter.
“I mean, what’s the point of sneaking out if you’re going to leave like that in a group? Even if we wanted to ignore it, we can’t.”
Upon receiving the transmission, I immediately radioed all units.
“Operation ‘Excursion’ is now in effect.”
The day Kuroda jumped.
We obtained Kuroda’s cell phone.
We were able to find multiple pieces of evidence from Kuroda’s phone.
Records of access to an isolated network, not the external one.
That was the Seiwakai’s exclusive network.
The target Kuroda had risked his life to conceal.
The center of all of this.
We could learn about Minase.
We could see that he was behind all of this.
How could we capture him?
I was pondering how to breach that massive fortress when he conveniently emerged.
‘Thank you.’
“Unit One. Confirm if that’s Minase.”
– I’ll move in close.
A motorcycle with a black helmet pulled up near the escort vehicle.
The vehicle happened to be stopped at a red light.
The motorcycle scanned beyond the bulletproof glass in a fleeting instant, then transmitted.
– Confirmed. Minase is identified.
Before the motorcycle could even finish its transmission, the vehicle departed.
But we had no intention of letting Minase go where he wanted.
“Old man. Get ready.”
– I’ve been ready since long ago.
Kurokawa’s gruff voice came through the radio.
.
.
.
Just as Minase’s bulletproof vehicle was about to enter the highway,
a waste disposal truck ahead attempted a reckless merge.
And then it overturned entirely.
The truck’s rear wheels caught the guardrail and wobbled.
The overturned truck and waste materials filled the asphalt.
We slammed on the brakes hard, avoiding the accident.
But proceeding down this road seemed difficult.
Clearing the accident appeared to require considerable time.
“Chairman, there’s been an accident here. It will take time to clear it, so we’ll take a detour.”
“Do that.”
The vehicle chose a national road instead of the expressway.
We entered the narrow national road, but the situation was similar.
A two-lane road, cramped and confined.
The waste disposal truck crawled forward at a snail’s pace.
The speed was awkward.
Overtaking was impossible—the road was far too narrow,
and the numerous curves made it dangerous.
Visibility was nonexistent.
I found myself in a dilemma.
Should I risk danger and overtake anyway?
Or continue as we were?
But the security officer chose a different approach.
“I’ll turn off at the next junction.”
“But that will make us far too late.”
“Right now, that seems like the best option.”
The security officer spoke.
His words grated on Minase’s nerves.
Minase was the one who had locked Akiyama—who had guarded his side for over twenty years—in solitary confinement on mere suspicion.
The security officer’s actions could hardly appear favorable to him.
“Just keep going.”
“Understood.”
Minase’s vehicle passed the opportunity to turn off but continued following the waste disposal truck instead.
The waste truck ahead signaled and veered to the side.
Seizing the moment, the security officer tried to accelerate, but it was impossible.
Ahead, two passenger cars had collided—a minor fender bender.
Now I understood why the truck had pulled away.
Minase’s vehicle also swerved to the side and took the detour.
Upon detouring, that same truck reappeared ahead as if it had been waiting all along.
It was a narrow alley.
Both sides were lined with the walls of old factories.
The navigation system grew frantic.
“Recalculating route.”
“Resetting navigation.”
It couldn’t find the way.
I wanted to stop the convoy, regroup, and start fresh,
but a car continued pursuing us from behind.
I couldn’t stop the car.
I had to keep driving until a space appeared where I could pull over.
With a vehicle pursuing from behind, stopping wasn’t an option.
So I continued driving forward.
The narrow alley grew progressively tighter.
Barely wide enough for a single vehicle to squeeze through.
The waste disposal truck ahead slowed its pace.
Then it stopped.
What?
Why are we stopping here?
A wave of unease washed over me.
With the path ahead blocked,
I had to escape in reverse.
I urgently transmitted orders.
“All units, reverse. We’re getting out of here.”
But the vehicle couldn’t reverse.
Two dump trucks were blocking our rear.
There was no way out.
Front and back were sealed off by vehicles,
while the left and right were barricaded by the factory’s towering walls.
“Escalate security to Level Three. Arm weapons. Remain in the vehicle.”
“Understood.”
Uncertain what danger might emerge, I waited inside the car.
It was an armored vehicle. This was the safest place to be.
I kept honking the horn, demanding the vehicles move.
Time passed, but nothing changed.
I could sense Minase’s growing irritation.
Action needed to be taken.
“Alpha Team. Scout the perimeter.”
An agent emerged from the SUV at the front of the convoy.
Using the vehicle body as cover, they carefully surveyed the surroundings.
“All clear.”
“Delta Team, maintain rear security.”
Agents from the rearmost vehicle exited and checked the area.
“All clear.”
“Check the truck behind us.”
“No driver in the vehicle.”
“Then drive the truck and move it out of the way.”
“The keys are missing.”
The situation felt ominous.
My destination was clearly Yokohama.
But avoiding accidents and road hazards had led me here instead.
Yet it felt as though I’d been drawn along a meticulously scripted scenario.
If it were a script, there had to be someone orchestrating it.
I needed to confirm this.
“I’ll go check it out.”
Minase nodded silently in response.
The Security Team Leader opened the car door and stepped out.
The Security Team agents, confirming their leader had exited, all climbed out of the vehicle.
I wanted to scout the surroundings, but there was nothing I could do.
Cars blocked us front and back, while high walls hemmed us in on both sides.
The Security Team Leader moved toward the rear.
He would have to tear open the ignition switch beneath the steering wheel to start the engine.
The Team Leader advanced while his agents provided cover.
Thwip, thwip, thwip, thwip.
Without even a sound, the security agents collapsed simultaneously.
They couldn’t even scream.
But Minase inside the car hadn’t witnessed any of it.
He was simply waiting endlessly for the Security Team Leader to return.
The longer the wait stretched, the more maddening it became.
Irritation and fear crashed over me simultaneously.
The Team Leader who’d gone to scout the perimeter never returned,
and this cramped space seemed to be suffocating Minase with a cruel hallucination.
Yet I lacked the courage to open the car door and step out.
That was when it happened.
Ring, ring, ring, ring, ring.
The phone rang.
Minase checked the caller ID.
[Kuroda]
Minase nearly screamed.
The dead man’s phone had come back to life and was calling him.
The phone rang persistently, but Minase remained frozen, unable to answer.
I couldn’t muster the courage to pick up.
Kuroda’s pallid face seemed to materialize before my eyes.
The ringing stopped, then began again.
Minase picked up the phone.
There was nowhere left to run.
This person seemed to have orchestrated everything.
I felt that speaking with this person was the only way this situation would end.
I pressed the answer button.
“Why are you answering the phone so late?”
“Who is this?”
“How gauche, introducing yourself formally. You’d recognize me if I told you my name, wouldn’t you?”
“… Why are you doing this?”
“Are you a scientist? Why do you obsess over cause and effect?”
“If I’m going to die, shouldn’t I at least know why?”
Minase kept his trembling heart hidden, speaking with the utmost composure and ease.
“I don’t need reasons. Your boss tried to kill one of our people, so this is payback? No, that’s too grand a word. It’s just that we felt this shitty that day. I’m showing you. I did something similar to what Kagero did that day. Did you like it? Does it suit your taste?”
“······.”
Minase bit his lip.
The operation Kuroda had orchestrated was now coming back to haunt me.
“Come out. Come out and let’s talk face to face.”
“Do I look like I’m coming out? This is the safest place.”
“Has your boss lost his mind? He fled his safest home on his own two feet, and now he speaks of safety from inside a tin can? That’s hilarious.”
“What?”
“That headquarters has such tight security we were worried. But your boss came out on his own, making our job easier. Thank you.”
Minase squeezed his eyes shut.
Akiyama’s warning echoed in my mind.
Blinded by anxiety and suspicion, I had failed to judge correctly.
I had walked into the trap myself.
‘Have I, Minase, truly become afraid?’
“So come out. Let’s talk face to face.”
Minase did not answer.
More precisely, I lacked the courage to leave.
I would call 110 and report this to the Police,
and hold out.
“You’re going to call the Police, aren’t you?”
The words that pierced through Minase’s intention made me freeze.
“But it’ll detonate before then. A bomb. The same bomb that went off in Tokyo Port, Osaka, and Nagoya is under your boss’s car too.”
“What?”
“If you’re curious, try holding out. Which is faster—the Police or the bomb? Now, the countdown begins. 10, 9, 8, 7.”
With each number that fell away, Minase’s heart felt as though it were being strangled.
Under the pressure, my hands trembled violently, and sweat poured down like rain.
“4, 3, now I’m pressing it. Goodbye. 2.”
“I’m coming out. I’m coming out.”
Minase answered irritably and opened the car door, stepping out.
The moment I emerged, the sight before me left me dumbfounded.
All the security personnel who had been waiting lay sprawled on the ground.
The very guards who had protected Minase all this time.
But only for a moment.
From somewhere, people emerged and roughly seized both of Minase’s arms.
Between them came a Young Man and Kurokawa, dressed in work clothes.
The Young Man looked at Minase and spoke with a smile.
“It was a bluff.”
“What was?”
“The bomb. We didn’t even know when the old man would come out, so when would we plant a bomb? Yet it worked? Fascinating.”
Rage surged through Minase’s entire being.
I was the shadow manipulator of Japan.
The brain behind it all.
I had orchestrated every crucial policy decision in Japan.
Yet to be deceived by such a crude wordplay—the humiliation and fury were unbearable.
Minase glared at the Young Man with seething, venomous eyes, but there was nothing I could do.
“Let’s go. This is your first time here, right? This is Kurokawa’s Waste Disposal Factory. I like this place. There’s an incinerator here that burns everything without a trace.”
At the mention of the incinerator, Minase flinched.
“Let’s hurry. The Yakuza do hold a grudge against the old man. Seems they were quite angry after being arrested this time. The police didn’t give them food or let them sleep, apparently.”
Hearing this, Minase exhaled a deep sigh.
Minase was dragged toward the Waste Disposal Factory.
The figure being dragged away was devoid of strength.
I could almost envision the bleak future that awaited Minase.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————