Chapter 344: Millions in Code

When Yohan stepped out of his office, he found the Mayor standing by the door with both hands in his pockets, waiting for him.

Their eyes met as Yohan walked past.

"Mr. Yohan, if you’re not in too much of a hurry, can I tell you a short story?"

It was a friendly invitation, so Yohan decided to entertain him.

He followed Mayor Grant back into his office and even accepted a drink from the man.

Without Emily present, the atmosphere felt vastly different.

’It actually feels less tense now...’

They sat around the small table, and the Mayor lit a cigar.

"First, I have to say that you and Emily have gotten really close."

Yohan could only manage a smile to mask his guilt. Somehow, right now he wasn’t particularly proud of his actions with the married woman.

"I can see why she’d choose an active young man like yourself..." The Mayor let out a chuckle that carried a deep, rattling undertone.

"I can’t say I understand what you mean," Yohan replied with a smirk.

"You sure?" The Mayor tilted his head slightly and squinted one eye.

"In that case, I’ll get right into it. The story I want to tell is about two friends who were more like brothers at times and complete strangers at others.

"They used to belong to a criminal family known as Blackfire, from a neighboring city. They eventually left and came here, where, with the help of a few others, they built this city up from the slums it once was.

"One took the legal route while the other ruled the underworld. Hatoru helped put me through school while he established his roots in the city. By the time I graduated, he’d made sure my political rise went without a hitch.

"He used muscle when necessary. There was violence on quite a few occasions, but those things have always existed alongside humanity. We didn’t create them. We simply used them to accomplish what everyone else wanted. Success."

Yohan interjected. "Only yours was soaked in blood."

"Like I said, that wasn’t the goal. But you can’t survive in our line of work without putting a few people down. I’m sure you understand."

"You’re referring to the fact that I killed Hatoru?" Yohan wasn’t surprised.

"That fucker deserved to die a hundred times over."

"I’m sure a lot more people would share that opinion," Mayor Grant sighed before taking a sip from his glass. "But you were the one who pulled the trigger. Should I be congratulating you?"

"Honestly Hatoru didn’t involve me much in his side of the business, but I know he must have done some terrible things. I may not know everything he did, but I’d like to apologize on his behalf."

"No, I think you do. In fact, I’m pretty sure you know every single detail."

"You’re free to believe whatever you want, but my record is spotless. Even if you could decipher the writing in that ledger, you wouldn’t find my name in it."

Silence settled between them for a few seconds, broken only by the faint hum of the air conditioner.

"What ledger?" Yohan asked, his expression blank.

"Are you going to pretend?" The Mayor maintained his calm grin as he took another sip of his drink. "Well, why don’t I tell you the real reason I called you here?"

He leaned back in his chair.

"That book holds everything we’ve worked so hard for, and I need it to complete the Jade Island Project."

"I... I don’t see what you want me to do about that. I already told you—"

"I wasn’t joking when I said I wasn’t involved in the illegal aspects of our business. We deliberately set things up that way so that, when the time came, I could use a single project to funnel all our money into the legitimate economy."

He paused to take a drag from his cigar.

"Unfortunately, with Hatoru gone, there’s suddenly no one left to claim his share of the money. We’re talking about more than twenty million each..."

"Mr. Mayor, I still don’t see why you’re telling me all this. I don’t know anything about any book."

The Mayor studied Yohan’s indifferent expression, but it was impossible to read.

In the end, he sighed.

"Like I said, the Jade Island Project might be on rocky ground at the moment. I just thought I should let you know, since you seem to care about it so much. Thank you for your time."

Yohan left without looking back.

As he stepped out of City Hall, a book slipped from his pocket and tumbled down the staircase. He hurried after it, worried for a moment that it was Hatoru’s ledger, but breathed a sigh of relief when he realized it was his red book instead.

However, when he picked it up, he noticed that the page it had opened to contained something he’d never seen before.

"Trigger Point Therapy"

Reading the words aloud, he realized it was a new technique.

A wide grin spread across his face. He almost began studying it right there, but decided to head home first so he could properly explore everything he’d gained, including the information the Mayor had just revealed.

’It turns out the Jade Island Project means something different to each of us’

Yohan was certain the returns would far exceed anything they could have imagined. But for the Mayor, the project had never really been about the project itself.

’It’s always been about this book’

He pulled out the small green ledger and flipped through its pages. The Mayor had been right. Everything appeared to be written in code, a confusing mixture of numbers and jumbled symbols.

It was hard to believe such a small book held the secrets to millions.

’It’s probably cryptocurrency stored on a flash drive. Or maybe cash stashed away somewhere secret...’

"But then, it’s money he made doing things like murdering my parents."

He stared at the ledger, his expression gradually turning solemn.

"Countless lives have been lost in the pursuit of this wealth, and now it’s fallen into my hands."

He let out a deep exhale.

"What do I do with it?"