Chapter 54: Their Opponent Is Me!

For Tao Zhiming, tracing things back to Hiroshi Ohmiya wasn’t all that complicated.

After all, counting carefully, it had only been half a month since his rebirth in Tokyo. In these fifteen days, he had done only two things: first, attending company information sessions to glean whatever he could, and second, leveraging his property to secure the initial startup funds.

Of course, he’d also indulged himself one night.

But as for Risa Tomizawa, did she really have the means or the nerve to enlist a group like the Kitashiro-kai for revenge? What a joke. She’d enjoyed herself just as much.

As for everyone else, he’d already ruled out Ryu Inoue, the man who’d handed him a hundred million yen. The donkey hadn’t even left the barn—was there any need to kill it now?

So, since last night, he’d turned the matter over and over in his mind, and could only settle on one likely figure: Hiroshi Ohmiya.

There used to be a call every day, routine check-ins, but yesterday and today, nothing. Normally, that wouldn’t be suspicious, but Tao Zhiming knew well enough—Ohmiya hadn’t liked him at first. The subsequent warmth had been purely utilitarian, hoping Tao Zhiming could help him implement that so-called integrated retail supply chain model in conjunction with real estate.

And for the sake of securing funding, Tao Zhiming had described the model to Saijo Holdings in even greater detail.

The fact that Saijo Holdings had so quickly handed a billion yen to Ryu Inoue showed how serious they were. For such a massive project, mobilizing those funds and resources was bound to cause ripples.

Tokyo, for all its size, was still a small world at the top. For someone like Hiroshi Ohmiya, catching wind of any movement was only natural.

So, there was only one Tao Zhiming. If he now seemed to favor Saijo Holdings, wouldn’t someone like Ohmiya be displeased?

Tao Zhiming thought it quite likely. After all, Ohmiya had already spent over a million on him—swallowing his pride and prejudices to do so.

Yet there was still something Tao Zhiming couldn’t quite grasp: even if he was of Chinese descent, Tao Dailang was still a bona fide University of Tokyo student. Why would Ohmiya, trying to win him over as an ally, resort to hiring yakuza on the side? Just for spite?

Even if the Wanda model held special meaning for Ohmiya, could it really be so urgent?

So Tao Zhiming needed more information.

Yuuta Irie followed him into the bustling district dense with bank headquarters, his own demeanor shrinking somewhat.

But Tao Zhiming strolled in as if returning home, heading straight for the “Bloomberg Tokyo Office (preparatory)”—the warehouse-like space he’d visited just yesterday.

Nick Sada looked slightly nervous at his arrival. “You’re back so soon—is it something someone said? Tao, you’re a pro, right? I wasn’t making anything up yesterday, was I?”

“Of course. I am a professional. All the more reason to give it a try—let me see what your current data looks like,” Tao Zhiming said gravely.

Left with no choice, Nick Sada led him into a demonstration workspace they’d just set up.

For Yuuta Irie, stepping inside felt like entering another world.

In the room, on a spacious, specially designed desk, several phones were lined up. Most striking were two television-like devices set side by side on a metal rack, with a rectangular console decked out in multicolored buttons in front of them.

Cables of every hue were bundled together, running along the floor to destinations unknown.

Tao Zhiming walked over, head held high. “All right, give me something to look up. Let’s see if your database has any recent intel on Tomoichi Trading.”

Nick felt uncertain—data was handled by headquarters, stored on their so-called “servers.” He could only power on the machine and query it with typed commands.

Watching the screen’s slow response, he explained apologetically, “The network speed will improve. We’re still preparing here, and the line calibration needs time…”

Tao Zhiming could make out some of the commands. There was no helping it—the software was primitive, the communication infrastructure nothing like what would come later. But something was better than nothing.

He leaned in. “Not bad—there’s some information here.”

Nick brightened, seeing results. “Of course! Bloomberg has dedicated teams gathering intelligence on major listed companies and their affiliates. For analysts like you, comprehensive data like this is indispensable…”

Tao Zhiming seemed not to hear, already immersed in the details.

Yuuta Irie, hearing the word “intel,” realized what Tao Zhiming was after. So this machine could provide intelligence on Tomoichi? Wasn’t gathering intel supposed to be a matter of legwork and asking around?

Tao Zhiming, unfamiliar with the system, and more comfortable with a mouse than this, simply said, “Let me see Tomoichi’s parent company’s annual and recent quarterly reports.”

He needed to pinpoint Ohmiya’s motive for moving so urgently—only then could he justifiably lock in his suspicions.

If it was just spite, then Ohmiya was hardly worthy of his position.

Unlike others, Tao Zhiming had a god’s-eye view of Japan’s bubble era.

If it wasn’t personal for Ohmiya, profit was at the heart of it.

The strategy Tao Zhiming had suggested could be executed by Saijo Holdings or Tomoichi Trading alike. With companies of that scale, Ohmiya’s subordinates couldn’t all be fools, forced to depend on Tao Zhiming’s insight.

Such desperate action suggested something more.

When Nick finally pulled up Tomoichi’s parent company’s financials, Tao Zhiming studied them closely, his eyes sharpening as he exhaled softly.

“…Today is already the eleventh. Nick, show me the real-time foreign exchange market now.”

Nick assumed he was still testing the Bloomberg terminal’s capabilities. Real-time data from the financial markets was its most basic function, so he quickly brought it up and pointed at the screen. “See? With this product, you can view the latest real-time data right here. Compared to those who must rely on scattered sources, Bloomberg’s powerful analytics let clients draw conclusions faster. Time is money—that’s its appeal. Honestly, sometimes I get addicted to using this myself…”

But Tao Zhiming’s attention was elsewhere—the yen was indeed bouncing back more rapidly.

Tomorrow, another rate cut would be announced.

With his bird’s-eye view, Tao Zhiming had foreseen it.

And wherever you looked, there were always those “well-informed” who positioned themselves ahead of time. Among the true “conglomerates,” who didn’t have a source or two?

Gazing at the colorful screens, the shifting graphs and numbers, Tao Zhiming’s eyes glittered.

He had almost…guessed why Hiroshi Ohmiya was in such a rush.

From the latest news and performance data, Tomoichi’s prospects weren’t as bright as advertised. The questions Tao Zhiming had raised at the information session had struck a nerve.

Exchange rate fluctuations mattered a lot to them.

But that wasn’t all.

The wild bubble era had truly begun. Making money from currency speculation was old news. Even a once-staid steel manufacturer, wounded by rate cuts, now diverted funds into forex and earned more than half its profit that way.

So why wouldn’t the conglomerates do the same?

The most recent reports from Tomoichi’s publicly listed companies showed this clearly.

Given their own inside track on the impending rate cut, reallocating funds to make a killing in the markets was irresistible.

But for poor Ohmiya, the taste of easy profit came at a cost.

The “Six Demons Rampage Through Tokyo” was a legend written in bold strokes during Japan’s bubble era.

Tao Zhiming nodded with satisfaction. “Very good, the machine is excellent. Don’t worry, once I find the right office, I’ll install it at once!”

Nick relaxed, laughing. “Right?”

“Well, I won’t keep you. I have other things to do,” Tao Zhiming said, rising to leave.

Watching him and his companion hurry out, Nick tilted his head. Something felt missing.

Of course—my terminal has so many other powerful features! Don’t you want to see what else it can do?

Outside the building, Yuuta Irie couldn’t help but ask, “That machine just now…what exactly was it?”

Tao Zhiming smiled meaningfully, “Renting one for a month costs two hundred thousand yen. I’ve ordered one. There aren’t many in all of Japan right now.”

Yuuta was awestruck without knowing why. “What’s it for?”

Tao Zhiming rubbed his fingers together. “In the hands of a professional? Making money.”

He paused on the curb, watching the endless flow of traffic, muttering to himself, “So, once I’m sure, how do I handle this situation?”

“You mean, how do you deal with the conspiracy?” Yuuta Irie looked at him strangely. “Your opponent is the Kitashiro-kai. And if it’s Tomoichi Trading, that’s a major corporation…”

Tao Zhiming shot him a sidelong glance. “So what? After all, their opponent is me!”

Yuuta was left speechless. Had he been too friendly? Did this guy have some kind of misunderstanding about what a yakuza syndicate really is?