Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk

Chapter 161 The Real Dongzheng Association [Fifth Update, Requesting Monthly Tickets]

Kuroda Shuichi leaned back in his chair and joked, "Kiryu-kun, you didn't actually think the Tou Seikai's event today was going to be held in this tiny Tou-kan building, did you?"

Kiryu Yaya didn't say anything, he just pursed his lips.

He had indeed thought so before.

Kuroda Shuichi noticed the expression on Kiryu Yaya's face, smiled, then stood up, walked to the alcove, and gently pressed his hand against the edge of the ink wash landscape painting frame.

Click.

A very faint mechanical sound.

The entire wall slid inward silently, revealing a narrow corridor that could only accommodate one person at a time.

The corridor is lined with exposed concrete walls, and the overhead lights are recessed, casting a cold, dim light.

It was a completely different world from the warm and elegant private room in the restaurant outside.

Kiryu Yaya's pupils contracted slightly.

Shuichi Kuroda turned and glanced at him: "The Toto Building is just one of the entrances to today's venue. Follow me."

As he spoke, he stepped into the narrow corridor.

Kiryu Yaya followed.

The wall behind me closed silently, shutting out the lingering aroma of wine and warmth from the private room.

The corridor was very long, and Kiryu Yaya only estimated that he had walked about 120 steps.

It's reached the end.

Before me stood a heavy metal door, unmarked except for a small, palm-sized silver-gray panel embedded in the right side of the door frame.

The panel has a slim card slot and a numeric keypad.

Shuichi Kuroda took the membership card out of the inside pocket of his suit, inserted it into the card slot, and then quickly pressed a string of code on the numeric keypad.

The red light next to the panel turned green.

With a low "click," the dull sound of the hydraulic device being released came from the crack in the door.

The metal door slid open slowly to both sides.

Behind the door was a small antechamber, about ten stories high, with much brighter lighting than in the corridor.

The floor was covered with a dark gray short-pile carpet, the walls were painted matte black, and a long table was placed in the center, behind which sat two burly men in black suits.

On the table in front of the two people was a panel and keyboard identical to the one outside the door.

Kuroda Shuichi walked over, inserted the magnetic card into the card slot again, and entered another string of numbers.

One of the men glanced down at the monochrome display screen embedded next to the panel, then looked up, his gaze lingering on Kiryu Yaya's face for a moment.

"Who is this?"

"I vouch for the new member."

Shuichi Kuroda's tone left no room for argument.

The man nodded without asking any further questions. He took out a flat, black wooden box from under the table, opened it, and pushed it in front of the two of them.

The box was lined with black velvet, and two masks lay quietly on it.

Kiryu Yaya's gaze fell on the mask, and his brows twitched slightly.

Pure black, half-face, covering only the eyes and the upper part of the nose. The material is like a thin, hard plastic with a matte finish that does not reflect light.

Shuichi Kuroda picked up one of the cards, skillfully placed it on his face, and adjusted its position.

"Kiryu-kun, put it on."

Kiryu Yaya picked up another mask.

It feels cool to the touch and is very lightweight. The inside is lined with a thin layer of fleece, making it fairly comfortable against the skin.

After he fastened the mask, his field of vision was slightly narrowed on both sides by the edge of the mask, but his view straight ahead was not affected.

Shuichi Kuroda pushed open another door at the end of the anteroom.

"At the core venue of the Dongzheng Association, try not to show your true face."

Behind the door was a wider corridor with dark marble flooring.

There is a wall lamp every few steps on both sides, illuminating the entire corridor as if it were daytime.

Kiryu Yaya noticed that there was a hemispherical glass dome embedded in the ceiling of the corridor at intervals.

That's a surveillance camera; the little red light above the lens is flashing on and off.

"This corridor leads to four different areas."

Shuichi Kuroda walked ahead, his voice unhurried: "The trading hall, the information exchange room, the members' lounge, and one more..."

He paused for a moment.

"Not for public use."

Kiryu Yaya did not ask what that closed area was.

Since Kuroda Shuichi didn't bring it up, it means he doesn't need to know yet.

There is a door at intervals on both sides of the corridor. There are no nameplates on the doors, only numbers, which are engraved in tiny silver letters on the upper side of the door frame and are almost invisible unless you look closely.

A-01, A-02, B-03, C-01——

Kiryu Yaya silently noted down these numbers, but did not ask what each number corresponded to.

He's a new member, so it's inappropriate for him to ask too many questions.

At the end of the corridor, there was another metal door.

This time, Kuroda Shuichi did not use his own magnetic card, but stepped aside to signal Kiryu Yaya to come forward.

"When a new member enters the core area for the first time, they open the door themselves. This is a tradition."

Kiryu Yaya glanced at him, said nothing, took out his membership card, inserted it into the card slot, and entered the initial password that Kuroda Shuichi had whispered to him.

drop-

A short, sharp electronic sound.

As the green light turned on.

The door opened.

The world behind the door was completely different from what Kiryu Yaya had imagined.

There was no extravagant luxury of a high-end club; instead, there was only a simple and restrained lobby.

The hall is about 300 square meters and has an amazing high ceiling.

Inside, there are about twenty semi-circular high tables scattered around, each with a monochrome LCD screen embedded in it. Below the screen are rows of neat physical buttons, and there is a card slot on each side of the screen.

The tables are far apart, so even if people at adjacent tables speak in hushed tones, they won't be heard by each other.

Kiryu Yaya's gaze swept across the hall.

At each table sat one or two people, all wearing the same black half-face mask as him.

No one was talking or laughing loudly.

Everyone is doing the same thing—

Transaction information.

"When I first came in, I stood at the door for a long time."

Shuichi Kuroda's voice came from beside him.

Kiryu Yaya did not respond.

His gaze fell into the depths of the hall.

Inside was a huge black wall with an equally large monochrome display screen embedded in it, currently showing lines of scrolling numbers and codes.

"What is that?"

he asks.

Real-time transaction information.

Shuichi Kuroda followed his gaze and said, "The points trading, asset listings, and information bidding within the East Association are all displayed on that screen."

"Members can view details, bid, and transactions through their desktop. The entire system was developed by the Bureau itself and is not connected to any external network."

Kiryu Yaya's gaze sharpened slightly.

It does not connect to external networks.

This means that the system is closed and independent, and is not subject to the supervision of any financial regulatory agency.

All transaction records exist only on the servers within the East Alliance. Unless the Secretariat provides them, the outside world will never know what happened here.

"Come with me."

Shuichi Kuroda strode forward.

Kiryu Yaya followed behind him, passing through the central passage of the hall.

People at the tables on either side occasionally glanced up at them, their gazes lingering briefly on Kiryu Yaya's mask before quickly looking away.

No one tried to strike up a conversation, and no one nodded in greeting.

Here, the mask is the face, and the membership number is the name.

No additional information is needed.

Shuichi Kuroda stopped at a table against the wall at the far end, pulled out a chair and sat down, gesturing for Yaya Kiryu to sit opposite him.

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