John Yang is a cautious man, preferring to gather all relevant information beforehand to help him make decisions. Of course, as an ordinary person without any intelligence training—and with this operation being just a spur-of-the-moment adventure between two old men—most of the information he got came from travel guides.
John Yang read those travel guides with utmost care and seriousness, even memorizing the key details by heart.
According to those guides, Japan generally presents a calm and elegant vibe when hosting foreign tourists. Whether visitors come or not, the Japanese tourism industry always seems unfazed and above it all. But when John Yang and Charlie stepped out of Osaka Airport, ready to start their own spy adventure, what they saw was a completely different scene.
"Osaka Castle, Osaka Castle! Free shuttle to Osaka Castle! See the historic site of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, totally worth a visit!"
"Kinkaku-ji, Kinkaku-ji, cheap tickets to Kinkaku-ji! See the original setting of the clever Ikkyu, the dazzling golden temple you can see, touch, and even climb up!"
"Shinsaibashi, Shinsaibashi! Osaka’s biggest shopping center! Drugstores, beauty shops, and all kinds of high-end cosmetics—everything half off!"
"Christmas mega sale! Christmas mega sale! -66%, -77%, -88%, -99%! And get a free bonus game! GTA, Witcher, Dark Souls—lowest prices ever, stacked on lowest prices! What are you waiting for? The Steam Wallet Massacre is on!"
"Double 12 never ends, the shopping festival keeps going! From now until December 31st, Taobao Global keeps the discounts coming—never stop saving!"
The airport was noisy and bustling, tinged with a sense of desperation and hysteria over tough business. Banners in all languages decorated the arrival hall, and the lively shouting was a stark contrast to the quiet international terminal before. The tourism workers were like fish struggling in a drying pond, pulling out every trick to squeeze out a little more life. Sadly, against the tide of fate, their efforts were as laughable—and as tragic—as a mantis trying to stop a cart.
Japan's proud service industry was facing an unprecedented winter.
However—
How come their Chinese is so good? John Yang wondered, deeply puzzled.
Charlie didn’t react. He didn’t know, and he didn’t care. He didn’t think it had anything to do with their mission. Like a block of iron, this warrior operated by his own rules: read the mission brief, extract key info, then charge straight in. Anything outside the job was irrelevant to him.
But John Yang had a different approach. He liked to gather information from all angles, analyzing the situation to uncover deeper patterns. It’s no wonder Jack Young picked up his internal martial arts knack from John—he inherited that trait. So John strolled over and started chatting warmly with the tourism workers. Under his gentle, broad-hearted vibe, the tour guides spilled everything.
A slightly chubby woman in her forties spoke in pure Beijing dialect: “Ha, you caught us! We’re not Japanese at all. All these folks hustling for business are Chinese. Some settled here for work, some are students. Since that incident in Shanghai, some rushed home, but others stayed—some don’t want to go back, some can’t, some are too scared.”
John Yang asked curiously, “Is it safe to stay here?”
It used to be fine—the security here is way better than in America. You know, that thing in Shanghai… scary stuff. If I went back to Beijing, who knows when I’d be toast? And after chatting with friends and family, I can tell everyone’s scared stiff, nerves stretched tight. If anything else happens, if that tension snaps, who knows what’ll come next? So I thought it over and decided not to go back. No matter what, nothing’s better than staying alive.
John Yang pressed, “Can you make a living here? I’ve heard unemployment’s pretty high.”
She pursed her lips and shook her head: “It’s tough, really tough. You heard about the latest mess in the Middle East? If you ask me, the Shanghai thing isn’t over. With all these international incidents happening every other day, you know there’s more coming. And with billions watching, our country has to respond, right? No matter who’s to blame, there’s gonna be a fight! So until this storm blows over, I’m just laying low abroad. By the way, are you hiding out too, old buddy?”
Pretty much,' John Yang nodded honestly. 'And I’m here for a bit of fun too.'
Wow, in times like these, anyone who can still travel is something else! That big guy behind you—is he your bodyguard?
Not at all,' John Yang replied modestly, shaking his head. 'Just a friend, here to look around with me.'
The woman clearly didn’t buy it. She sized up Charlie—he was obviously the type who followed orders. Then she looked at John Yang: refined, eloquent, and dressed in nothing but top brands. Definitely a big spender! She leaned in, squinting and whispering, “Buddy, if you really want to have some fun… ever heard of Tobita Shinchi?”
John Yang flipped to a certain page in his travel guide, took a deep breath, and replied with a mysterious air, “I’ve heard of it.”
She flashed an OK sign: “Buddy, you’re good! I won’t say more—just one thing, satisfaction guaranteed. And remember, pay in US dollars.”
US dollars?' John Yang mused. 'Is the yen losing its value?'
It’s crashing! These days, US dollars are what’s valuable.
Meanwhile, somewhere else…
Let’s set aside what went down with John Yang and Charlie in Tobita Shinchi for now, and talk about something else. When it comes to what’s really valuable these days, there’s another refined fellow with a different take—
This chapter isn’t finished yet~.~ Click next page for more exciting content!
Huh? Do I need to repeat myself? Spend it, spend it all! In three days, burn through twenty billion dollars—leave nothing behind!' In a secret base in New York, Cobra was barking orders at a bunch of lab-coated scientists, sending them running around a huge underground space like a soccer coach chasing his team: 'Do you know how hard it was for me to get to America? How many checks and controls I had to dodge to free up three whole days? Just three days! Move it, move it, you bunch of weaklings—go, go, go!'
Boss.' The attendant appeared silently behind Cobra, leaning in respectfully to whisper in his ear: 'After skimming so much, aren’t you keeping any for yourself?'
What kind of nonsense is that? You do the job you’re paid for, got it? If the client shells out twenty billion, you deliver eighty million worth of results! Besides, as a noble scientist, I have my scientific ethics. Just observing the time-space turbulence is reward enough. I really am a great scientist, ahahaha!' Cobra declared, arms raised. Then he spun around and muttered, 'After all this time, you still don’t get it? Spend it all—how else can we line our own pockets?'
The attendant got it immediately.
After so long doing real work, he’d almost forgotten he was a high-ranking official.
If you don’t spend the money, how can you line your own pockets?
If you don’t keep planting willows everywhere—then watch them all die—then dig them up and sell them cheap—then plant them again in an endless cycle, how can you line your own pockets?
If you don’t keep building bridges and roads—then let shoddy work cause problems—then tear it all up—then rebuild it again and again, how can you line your own pockets?
To think I’m still a high-ranking official—shameful!
I get it now, but does the US even issue fake receipts?
What do you know? What fake receipts are you talking about? You don’t get it at all!' Cobra snapped, scolding the attendant. 'I mean it literally—spend it. Turn that twenty billion into gamer soda or instant noodles or whatever, just stock up on real stuff instead of useless paper! Oh, and grab me the whole Steam Christmas sale while you’re at it.'
'Useless paper?' The attendant caught a hint of something sensitive in Cobra’s words and lowered his voice: 'Are you saying the dollar’s about to crash?'
Very soon.
Do you have some inside info?' The attendant pulled out his phone, ready to trade at a moment’s notice. 'To be honest, I’ve been spending too much keeping up with you lately. I’ve been watching the international markets, hoping to make a little on forex—whether I end up on the rooftop or in the club depends on your tip.'
I’ve never let you down, have I? Look at this.' Cobra unlocked the attendant’s phone with ease—the custom security system was no match for him. The attendant didn’t react; he was used to this kind of treatment. He just watched as Cobra tapped away and pulled up a headline news story.
A Category 5 hurricane is sweeping across the Gulf of Mexico, intensifying, expected to peak in five days and hit—New York.' The attendant read the headline, then shook his head: 'I don’t get it. What does that have to do with the dollar crashing?'
Someone’s about to make a move on America.
You mean this “Category 5 hurricane”?
That’s just one of them. There are others. Once they make their move, the dollar will be worthless.
Why are they targeting America?
They’re not after America—it just happens to be in the way. Their real target is this thing right here.' Cobra gazed at the massive machine being restored, awe on his face. 'Look at it—a device that can anchor a higher-dimensional space in New York. This is Sophia’s masterpiece! As long as the Tiberius Heart’s access chain is anchored here, no matter where or when, everyone will converge at this spot. And don’t forget, a certain someone is still strolling the Pacific. Once the US Pacific Fleet is wiped out, the dollar? Ha! Not even worth using for toilet paper.'