Chapter 3 Chapter 3 The Trembling of the White Night

At twelve thirty in the morning on May 20th.The time difference with Tokyo is 18 hours.Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska, is standing in the white night. The well-known international airport is a major central industry in Anchorage.If there were no airplanes in this world, this town would probably only be a small northern city forever.For more than half of each year, it is enclosed in a colorless world of ice and snow, and there are occasional earthquakes.The prosperity of the gold rush will turn into a short dream and disappear without a trace after the gold is dug out.Even so, as long as someone pursues speed, and the biggest goal is in the air, then the town of Anchorage should continue to be a geographically important place in the world.Only after the collapse of the Soviet Union, since the sky over Russia and Siberia was opened to air routes, the importance of Anchorage, which played the role of a relay station, became less and less important, and the day of turning back into a small northern city may come again.

Hubert Moore, the director of Anchorage International Airport, is a person who regards airport management as his bounden duty and has devoted thirty years of service to this day.In his life, it was the first time to welcome such a large number of guests to the airport. A giant flying whale with a length of 500 meters.So far, the Boeing airliner, which is known as the largest body, looks like a bird trembling in the night wind in comparison. The vast grass field outside the main taxiway has already been prepared in advance, and a mooring tower has also been set up. The Japanese airship originally had no plan to stop in Anchorage, but was scheduled to fly directly to Vancouver.However, Anchorage's International Airport Control Department had to request the "Asuka" to make an emergency landing to confirm the presence of explosives because it received an anonymous notification that "ASUKA had been bombed".

Moore was in the office looking at the white night scenery, and standing beside him was Sergeant Jiang Shidun, the Alaska State Police.Moore murmured: "But what's the benefit of blowing up the flying ship? Although I once heard that Mr. Arimoto is a man with many enemies..." "If it were me, just seeing such a huge hull, I can't help but want to blow it up." After the sheriff finished speaking in a tone that didn't sound like a joke at all, he shrugged his thick shoulders at Moore. "Such a huge thing is really not suitable for flying in the air, but should float in the ocean. I always feel that everything should stay in a place suitable for it."

Sergeant Gingerston is a fan of the small planes that are common in Alaska.Moore responded with a wry smile.He felt more or less the same way himself.Although this may just be an irrational emotion. "It's almost time." Moore muttered to himself again.The giant flying ship ASUKA landed at the Anchorage Airport at exactly one o'clock in the morning as scheduled. Prior to this, the diligent Japanese terrorist Shingo Kanaki and his subordinates had already arrived in Anchorage after a six-hour and thirty-minute air journey from Narita Airport.Not only do you have to catch up with the "birds", but you also have to fully reserve the time necessary for work.

A total of nine Guanki and his party disguised as kind passengers traveled from Japan to the United States.The necessary equipment for work can be prepared in Anchorage.Because Guanmu's network of dirty business transcends borders and ideologies and spreads all over the world. In charge of Crownwood's logistics in Anchorage was a man named Douglas Putnam.He runs an outdoor sporting goods store not far from the seaplane base.As soon as Guanmu entered the store made of logs, Pradnam immediately stepped forward to welcome him with open arms. "Mr. Guanmu, what kind of job is this time! Every time you appear, the environment of the scene will inevitably be disrupted by you."

"There is a saying in the East that if the water is clear, there will be no fish. The quiet environment is not suitable for you." Guanmu easily counterattacked the opponent's serve.Although he is not a graduate of a foreign language university, he has also learned fluent English under the training of needs and experience. There are a lot of people in the world who have sentimental thoughts about a career like a mercenary or a spy, but those people are definitely not likely to be their customers.Their work is prose mundane, not even worth the affairs of the men who become the gibberish of drunken men.This is the idea of ​​Guanmu.

Looking at the memo presented by Guanmu, Putnam's expression moved busily, nodding for a while, frowning for a while, and whistling for a while. "Seems like a lot of business." Putnam tentatively looked at Guanmu again.The Japanese terrorist industry immediately saw through the opponent's intentions correctly. "There is no need to worry about money at all, because the Japanese money, which is the world's crown, is behind it." "That would be wonderful." Pradnam respectfully and politely paid homage to the understanding of the other party. "Well, what about the other condition? How much time do I have?"

"Four hours." "No problem. I will find a way to finish it." Putnam blinked one eye.Maybe that's the expression on the face of an Alaskan grizzly bear when it finds a beehive. "While waiting, do you need a woman? If there are three or four, we can arrange it right away." "No need. The employer is quite verbose about the working hours. Next time, I'll come back in four hours, and I'll leave everything to you." After watching Guanmu and his party leave, Padnam shook his head.This man named Guanmu showed the behaviors that the Japanese are accustomed to in everything, but the Japanese are Japanese after all, so even terrorist activities should be carried out according to the timetable according to the true colors of the Japanese?

Regardless, it's also big business for Pradnam.A thick, muscular hand reached out. Guanmu knew absolutely nothing about the ethnological investigations of Putnam, etc.After giving orders to six of the eight subordinates, he took the remaining two into a nearby box-style restaurant. From the window of the room, you can see the takeoff and landing status of the seaplane.After ordering an ordinary lobster dish and light beer, one of the subordinates spoke. "It's disgusting to think about. Don't you think, Boss?" "what you mean?" Guanmu's deliberate reaction was actually a way to urge his subordinates to speak.

"It's that guy named Zhensheng, do you think he can be trusted, boss?" "What do you think?" "That guy doesn't treat people other than himself as equal human beings at all!" "Well, maybe." Having said that, he has no intention of morally condemning Needle.As far as Kanaki is concerned, it doesn't matter if he is a cruel child abductor or a homosexual who likes to wear women's clothes, as long as he can maintain his integrity as a customer, because everything is none of his business. It's just that the distrust of the needle has been squirming in his instinct.

Guanki secretly recorded the conversation with Zhensheng with a mini tape recorder.Although it was for future planning, it was a pity that this matter ended in failure.Because there seemed to be some kind of magnetic force emanating from the room, the tapes were completely useless.This is definitely not accidental, the little trick of the needle is obviously better than the trick of the crown wood. Guanmu turned his whole body towards the window.The huge flying ship finally pierced the white night and appeared in the sky of Anchorage.Under the guidance of the fake bomb information sent by Guanmu from Japan to Anchorage, although he didn't know it, he still marched sadly towards death step by step. Ironically, Guanmu didn't know that a threatening letter with a bomb was also found inside the flying ship. The fact that the airship was not loaded with bombs will be confirmed by Alaska police.It was after that that Guanmu and others went up to install the bomb.It's just a very basic blindfold, nothing to be proud of. However, clever planning does not mean clever execution.This time, a high degree of improvisation is absolutely required, because there are too many variables that cannot be predicted without being in the moment.Next, if Guanmu and others succeed, what will happen to the situation? The amount of compensation for the crew and passengers alone should be as high as 100 billion won, right?Even in terms of financial resources, this amount must not be a small sum.But having said that, if Ben and the flying ship exploded in the air, he would not have to bear the responsibility for compensation. After that, the Arimoto Foundation will lose its powerful autocratic monarch, bear huge compensation, and then disintegrate in the air. There will certainly be some changes in Japan's financial world, but most people are happy.There must have been people who toasted to celebrate, or who were moved to tears. "No matter what, it's a disaster for those involved. Alas, we can only treat it as fate..." Guanmu didn't feel any guilt about the fact that nine hundred lives would end at his own hands. During the waiting time, several reports were sent.It is mainly the precious information intercepted from the control center of Anchorage International Airport through the wiretapping system. Two of them made Guanmu frown.One is the death of a passenger named Zhishui on the flying boat.The other is that a threatening letter warning of an explosion was found on the flying ship. Shisui is dead?It is not so much a miscalculation as an event that should not have happened.This made Guanmu confused.Zhensheng's "just do it, don't need to know why" attitude is especially unpleasant at this moment. "Since that guy named Shimizu is dead, is our job over here, boss?" asked one of the subordinates.After thinking for a moment, Guanmu shook his head.The focus of the work proposed by Acuro is to keep Shimizu's body from attracting attention.If Zhishui's body was autopsied, not only would the matter become extremely difficult, but perhaps Needle would not even be willing to pay a dollar. Guanmu quickly thought about countermeasures.Obviously he was the one who sent out false information that the flying ship was equipped with explosives, and successfully landed the flying ship in Anchorage.But he has no helper inside the flying ship. "It always feels like several thoughts are entangled and tied together." What concerned Guanmu the most was that Shisui chose to use the airship as the means of escape. He can understand that he should avoid Narita Airport, which is heavily guarded and time-consuming to clear customs.However, as long as you know that the destination of the airship "Asuka" is Vancouver, Canada, you can take an ordinary plane to arrive there first and wait there leisurely.Kanaki and his party in front of them left Japan much later than Shisui, and waited for the opportunity in Anchorage like now. That being the case, maybe Shisui didn't plan to go to Vancouver in the first place.He planned to change the course of the flying ship and land at some other place to carry out his escape plan.Let the pursuers waiting in Vancouver rush to nothing, and then escape leisurely.Absolutely. "Heh, laymen have their tricks too. The bomb threat letter is probably a good thing Shimizu himself did. But, is it possible for that guy to do those things alone?" Guanmu put down the hand that was caressing his chin, and looked at one of his subordinates. "Do you have any idea?" "Maybe Shimizu's accomplice is in Anchorage!" "That's it!" Guanmu smiled lightly.When something goes wrong inside the airship and it has to make an emergency landing, there is nowhere else but Anchorage. "This possibility seems to be worth a desperate bet." It was an amazing night for Anchorage International Airport.The usual business alone is already busy enough, but also the commotion of the flying ship ASUKA docking.In addition to the explosion threat and so on, everyone was running around, so chaotic that they couldn't even remember what they were doing at that time afterwards. During that time, the following announcement came from the loudspeaker. "Visitors who come to meet Mr. Shimizu, please contact counter A No. 7, here is your message." The broadcast was repeated twice.Twice is enough.A Japanese man of medium build, wearing a pair of inappropriate sunglasses, approached the counter with a very unnatural attitude while keeping an eye on his surroundings. After looking around anxiously, he asked the counter staff in a low voice.At this moment, several men who looked like Japanese approached quickly without making a sound of footsteps, caught the man wearing sunglasses from left and right, and took him away. Due to being busy, the counter staff quickly forgot about it.The oriental with sunglasses never appeared again. Of course, for that Easterner, the disaster was just about to begin.He was forcibly taken away by Guanmu's men and taken to a corner of the bonded warehouse in Anchorage. The man in the sunglasses was dragged into the basement of a dingy old building that was part of a sweeping remodel.The first hello they met was a slap that was enough to numb the cheeks, and the sunglasses flew out and fell to the ground in an instant. "Tell me, what is your relationship with Zhishui? You'd better explain it to me clearly!" "I, I don't know anything." "...do it." Under Guanki's extremely short order, the tallest man with the strongest arms among his subordinates immediately grabbed the prisoner's left hand.Resistance was rather weak.After the giant man pressed the man's left hand to the ground, he stepped on his ring finger and little finger.Through the fingers, the man felt a weight of more than one hundred kilograms.The next moment, he screamed like an animal, because the bones of the two fingers were broken.The cry was blocked by the thick wall and did not reach the outside. "How, do you have a little willingness to cooperate?" Kanaki patted the man's cheek lightly with the back of his left hand. That feeling must have been more creepy than the devil's kiss.Tears of pain and frustration surfaced, and the man nodded feebly. "Very good. No one will abuse you again, you can rest assured." After giving a vicious smile, Guanmu began to question him.One of the subordinates took out a mini tape recorder to record the process. First of all, the man's surname is Takezaki, and he was the deputy section chief of the technical department in Estancia until two years ago. Although he quickly reached his limit as a researcher, he was very good at using his connections since the university to attract excellent researchers or technicians to join the company or to jump over from other companies, so he was highly valued in terms of personnel.Shimizu, who caused the turmoil, also entered Estancia to take office through his help. However, Shimizu and Takezaki have not only been neglected, but even persecuted since Masamichi Shino took over the real power of Estancia.Takezaki is expelled from the company due to false accusations, and Shimizu's research results are also taken away by Suzuo.For revenge and money, Takezaki pulls Shimizu into his plan.That is to steal the most advanced research results of Estancia and flee abroad.Then, what exactly is the research result, Takezaki continued to explain. "There is a disease called progeria, do you know?" "Now I know." According to Takezaki's explanation of the broken finger, it is a strange disease that causes children to age at the age of seven or eight, and then age to death.Regarding the process of aging, there are scientific conclusions up to the part where the cause can be found in the gene, but the following part is in a state of mixed theories and inconclusiveness. To put it simply, there are two versions of the sequence of the aging mechanism in the gene itself, and the defect in the replication of genetic information, that is, the debate on whether aging will inevitably occur.In any case, the existence of progeria is the most obvious evidence that the aging process is not fixed, but can be accelerated. Since the aging process can be accelerated, it should not be impossible to slow it down.In other words, the technology to artificially achieve immortality is possible.This technology is called "Longevity Enzyme".This is the medicine that Satoshi is researching, and what Shimizu stole from him. "Oh, so it's the elixir of life. Then the dreams of Emperor Qin Shihuang and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty will come true. If it is really made." Guanmu said sarcastically with the corner of his mouth slanted. If there are any ugly dreams in the real world, then immortality must be one of them, Guanmu thought.The old fool who holds power and wealth in one hand has only one thing equal to ordinary people, and that is that he cannot escape aging and death.What a miserable thing.But they still have to realize that there are still things in this world that wealth, power, or technology cannot do anyway. Takezaki continued talking. There is also a theory that the cause of aging comes from oxidation.Charged reactive body chemicals called free radicals cause oxidation of body tissues.If this oxidation process can be stopped, there is the possibility of life extension. "In other words, the so-called aging can be viewed as a phenomenon of rust." This guy is a genius.Guanmu couldn't help laughing.The body is rusted, this is purely a metaphor, isn't it? "In very preliminary experiments, we gave mice a diet rich in antioxidants and nearly doubled their lifespan." Although Takezaki's voice was weak, it always had a teacher-like tone.People who have a sense of superiority in knowledge are like this, Guanmu speculates, and finds it quite ridiculous.In short, the more he talks, the more his knowledge will increase, which should also be helpful for future plans.But time is of the essence, and while most things have been resolved, it's not quite over yet.Especially in order to wrestle with an opponent named Zhensheng outside the court, no amount of preparation is too much. Takezaki was still chattering and babbling, but the only thing Kanaki could understand was that Shimizu hadn't died. "If Zhishui is not dead, then what kind of state is he in now?" When asked this question, Takezaki licked his swollen lips. "Probably Cryptobiosis, a state of dry suspended animation." "Is there a simpler way of saying that we ignorant people can understand?" Guanmu pretended to ask kindly.Takezaki took a breath in embarrassment, and began to explain. Cryptobiosis originally meant "potential life" and was named by researchers at the University of Cambridge in 1959.Several species of bacteria and invertebrates have experienced near total dehydration and suspended animation.That suspended animation state is called Cryptobiosis.Once in such a state, the life of the creature can be significantly extended.If it is applied to humans, theoretically, the life span may be extended to three thousand years. Not only that, but beings in that state will also abnormally improve their physical defense capabilities.Not only can it withstand high and low temperatures, but even the lethal dose of radiation has increased from the usual 500 roentgens to 570,000 roentgens.And if you want to get rid of the state of suspended animation, you only need to give water. "Oh, so if you pour water on Shimizu, he will come back to life and return to his original form?" Guanki muttered to himself as if he was amused.Takezaki didn't even have the strength to put on a social smile, his face was pale, and he was enduring the pain of breaking his fingers.Guanmu stroked his chin, looked at the sky and fell into thought. A gunpowder-like feeling rushed into the brain from the depths of the nostrils.It was a feeling that Guanmu would only experience when there was a real danger approaching, and the accuracy was quite high, and such an example rarely occurred once a year. Action happens.Due to the sudden incident, even Guanmu was caught off guard.The seemingly weak Takezaki, like a clown in a magic box, threw himself at one of Kanaki's subordinates.The circle around him was missing a corner, and Takezaki's rash escape plan seemed to be on the verge of success. However, his sense of victory only lasted for less than a second.Several hands grabbed his collar and belt, and exerted force in a different direction from his target. Takezaki's body was slammed against the wall.An inarticulate howl sounded, and Takezaki slid from the wall onto the floor.Guanmu's subordinates rushed forward, grabbed his collar and lifted him upwards, giving him a punishing beating.The abnormal sound that the abdomen makes when the toe of the shoe is kicked in deeply is probably the sound of the stomach wall breaking.Blood and gastric juice spurted out with indescribable yells, and Takezaki knelt down on the floor.A moment later, a column of blood dripped from the nostrils and fell to the ground. One of the subordinates who looked at each other stretched out his hand towards Takezaki's body.It shrank back in only five seconds or so. "Breathing stopped." "……Humph." Guanmu stood up with a bored expression on his face. "The layman is really weak! He doesn't even have the strength to endure pain. The education in our country really needs to be changed a little bit." Stern eyes swept over his subordinates. "You too, have accumulated so much experience but still often make mistakes. Can't you be a little lighter?" "I'm sorry. But if we keep him alive, it will be bad if we tell about us." "It wouldn't be as bad if the body was found." There is only one conclusion, and that is to move the corpse into the flying ship.Anyway, after the flying ship exploded and caught fire, a large number of corpses, and mutilated corpses, would be scattered into the Pacific Ocean.This is equivalent to adding a tree to the forest.Most importantly, they couldn't waste their time disposing of dead bodies. Director Moore of the Anchorage International Airport felt a little relieved that the huge flying ship ASUKA was safe and sound during its stay.The majesty of the giant whale floating in the white night amazed Moore and Sheriff Jiang Shidun. However, in the stomach of the giant whale, there were many kinds of friction incidents, but it was not obvious from the outside. According to the clock on the ship, the arrival time in Anchorage was 7:00 pm on May 20th, and the local time was 1:00 am on the same day. "I really don't want to land in such a place. I hate the cold the most." There is only one way to complain, but there is no other way to do it.Since it was absolutely impossible to return to Tokyo, we had to compromise reluctantly and landed in Anchorage.But this is the rhetoric of the industry after all. Dissatisfied voices began to emerge among the passengers.Isn't it so frustrating that your sightseeing schedule has been disrupted?I'm a busy person, what should I do with my company responsibilities?How much travel expenses have to be refunded?Under the pressure of these passengers, the room service staff couldn't hide their confusion. "It's ridiculous. The leisurely journey is the selling point of the airship. It seems that the Japanese really like to be busy." Hearing such a voice, Wutong Shunsuke couldn't help smiling bitterly in his heart.Although Shunsuke himself didn't have any particular urgent matters to do, he also reflexively had the thought of "being late for the schedule is really nerve-wracking".On the whole, the stinginess of the Japanese about time is clearly all true. In any case, since it is a foregone conclusion, there is no other way.Besides, Junsuke has no authority or reason to prevent the flying ship from landing in Anchorage, so he can only let go of his mind and look forward to this unplanned trip to Anchorage.That being said, if you haven't enjoyed the outdoor life for many years, there is really nothing in Anchorage that can arouse Shunsuke's interest. The disaster site of the 1964 Alaska earthquake is said to have been preserved in the form of an "earthquake park".It's just that Shunjie still doesn't quite understand how Americans feel about that matter.This seems to be a bit different from the mentality of preserving Hiroshima's dome destroyed by the atomic bomb. The owner of the ship, Ben Taizao, who decided to land in Anchorage, was being viciously protested by the wealthy people among the passengers. "Mr. Yuben, we are all busy people. You shouldn't delay us for too long." "I'm really sorry to trouble everyone." Youben entertained back unceremoniously.It's pathetic for a guy like this who doesn't know how to pass the time all day long and only spends time on the golf course.Although I thought so in my heart, I didn't say it out loud after all.He called Captain Masukura and Chief of Staff Kuwahara to his room and told them his thoughts. "Several things happened that forced the airship to land in Anchorage. In other words, someone must be plotting something in Anchorage." Smiling so hard that his gums showed, a warlike smile floated on Youben's face.The captain and the purser looked at each other in confusion, while Yomoto folded his hands behind his waist and began to walk back and forth in the room. "It must be planning to take advantage of the time of landing. Hehe, because when the 'Asuka' is flying in the air, no one can attack it no matter where it is." In the eyes of the captain and the purser, the boss's wide open mouth is like an active volcano vent leading directly to hell.The captain gave a false cough. "But boss, the authorities have issued instructions, there is no reason for us not to land in Anchorage." "Landing is a must. The focus is on the next part." Youben is most concerned about who did the bombing threat at Anchorage Airport. "Do you think it has anything to do with that strange threatening letter?" "I can't judge that." Not daring to express his attitude easily, the captain was very careful to avoid making judgments.Yumoto looked at the chief purser's face with terrifying eyes, and the chief purser shook his head quickly. "I-I don't know either. I'm just a simple clerk, and I don't know anything about crime. It's true." Kuwahara strongly emphasized that he is a kind citizen, and Arimoto snorted roughly. "There must be a relationship. The question is, in what form is the relationship between the two? Don't you use your brain cells a little bit?" The chief purser who was reprimanded was quite panicked, but Arimoto was not really angry.There was never a time when Ben had to rely on the opinions of others.Although the detailed technical content is handed over to his subordinates, all kinds of plans, ideas, and the center of the organization all come from his own mind and wrist. Kuwahara, who was terrified by the boss's scolding, immediately used his brain cells honestly and made a proposal. "Go to the dead passenger's room to investigate and see what should be fruitful. What do you think, boss?" This is an uninspired but quite useful idea.This is also the meaning of existence of people like Kuwahara.The autocratic boss nodded his head in agreement and showed a gesture of readiness. "Okay, then I'll go and see for myself. Because there must be absolutely no omissions." When a problem occurs and becomes bigger and bigger, Youben becomes more energetic.He is indeed a man in troubled times. Of course, as a result of the search, no valuable clues were found in the passenger's room, Shimizu.Because Ben does not have the ability to see through, he has no way of knowing that the valuable thing is in the stomach of the deceased... These are all things that happened before the "bird" landed in Anchorage. The person who examined Shimizu's body in Anchorage was the exclusive doctor at the international airport, a middle-aged man named Brem.He is not incompetent, but he has been unable to completely shake off the shadow of defeat after he and his colleagues failed to compete for the position of president of the State University Hospital.I am not the type to do this kind of thing in this kind of place.Under the excitement of this idea, he only made the minimum test.After taking off the mask, he said to his assistant. "If the deceased is really thirty-three years old, then his birth year must be half a century late. How, in your opinion, is this old man younger than eighty years old?" "It's relatively young, but it's seventy-nine years old." Telling an unsuccessful joke, the assistant couldn't help but blush.Ignoring the assistant's reaction, the doctor fell into deep thought.The sloppy mentality made the doctor draw the least troublesome conclusion.The deceased was originally an old man. If it was not a mistake in the age registration, or he used someone else's passport as an impostor, it must be so. "It's not something we can handle." The doctor muttered unhappily to himself.For him, this is not the time to exercise the obligations and curiosity of being a doctor, but the negativity that more things are worse than less things should be the priority.What's more, the Japanese person in charge named Arimoto seemed to want to frustrate the doctor's enthusiasm, and kept using all kinds of tricks from the sidelines. "Since we know it's aging, then there's no need to do a forensic autopsy. For the sake of the family members, I think it's better to take a gentle approach." Eastern Buddhists headed by the Japanese are quite taboo about destroying the remains.Uriben's perfunctory rhetoric was accepted by Dr. Bream because it was in his own interest.At Ben's request, Dr. Bream issued a death certificate.However, the reason why I deliberately copied and kept the bottom may be because I still can't let go of certain places. As for Shimizu's remains, although they could stay in Anchorage and send them back to Japan, they finally decided to put them on the airship.For Arimoto, transporting directly by airship can not only save the trouble of additional transport, but more importantly, he does not want this maiden voyage to cause a commotion in the Japanese media before the return to China ends. "The deceased got on the ship because he liked to fly, so I really can't bear to unload him. Let him take this last journey." One pretended to be solemn and said this.As far as the Alaska police are concerned, now that Dr. Bream has issued a death certificate, there is no intention or necessity for them to meddle.In this way, Shimizu was still a passenger of the flying ship after his death. There is still one month until the summer solstice.Anchorage, which is located at 62 degrees north latitude, just entered the white night period.As soon as the double curtains of the guest room windows were pulled open, pale gray light immediately spilled into the room.Since it is completely integrated with the lighting of the airport, it should be slightly different from the pure white night light or color. There was a knock on the door, and a girl in a sun hat called out to Shunsuke Goto. "Big brother, do you want to go outside? Everyone has gone for a walk outside." That was a bit of a misnomer, for he saw only about a hundred passengers stepping out of the ship to breathe the Northland air.Accepting his niece's invitation, Shunsuke decided to go outside to breathe the air of Alaska. "Alaska should be cold, right?" Under this preconceived notion, Shunsuke took a coat before leaving the room.Mixed with the crowd of other passengers, headed towards the cabin door.On the way, the diary said in an excited tone: "I don't know if I can see the aurora." "I think the aurora can only be seen further north." Although there is no definite basis, Shunsuke still said so. As soon as he stepped out of the boat, the cold air hit his face immediately.The temperature is only two degrees Celsius, which is about fifteen degrees less than the refreshing early summer.The young uncle and niece shivered and only breathed the Alaskan air for about a minute before quickly retreating into the cabin.Most of the passengers also returned to the ship one after another.Anyway, they couldn't go outside the airport, and the cabin of "Asuka" was more comfortable and pleasant than the waiting room of the airport. In the end, the two decided to go back to the bar to drink coffee and enjoy the fun of ordinary citizens looking at the white night scenery.The diary ordered a cup of hot lemon tea.The surrounding tables were also occupied by other passengers with similar thoughts. "It's not enough to just dress up the places you can see. Even the places you can't see have to keep up with the trend. Underwear is very important." This high-spirited talk came from about three tables away. A fat, fair-skinned man was chattering endlessly at several guests. "The boxer pants that King Kong wears are out of fashion now. If you want to be feminine, you can't do without briefs or thongs." "Who is that person?" Shunsuke asked the passing waiter. "Looks like a critic of men's underwear. Occasionally on TV talking about underwear trends." "Oh……" There are so many careers in this world.Some people like to dig stone tools out of the earth, and some people tell the latest trends by commenting on other people's underwear. Because the diary raised the question of "how the white night was formed", Shunsuke changed the thinking channel. Although Shunsuke is proficient in related aspects such as earthenware, stone tools, relics, etc., his knowledge in natural science stops at the level of university education.No, not just stopped, but even regressed.And it's obvious that even a high school student can't compare.Therefore, even if you want to pretend to understand in front of the diary, there is a certain limit.Fortunately, he still has a way to deal with such a trivial matter as Bai Ye's principle.He started with a brief explanation of the positional relationship between the sun and the earth. Of course, there are also people who have nothing to do with the entertainment of ordinary citizens.Alaska police officers who searched the boat were among them.Although their search range is limited to the power part of the flying ship, this part is not only quite large, but also has to avoid causing uneasiness to the passengers, so it is very laborious.幸亏上级早有指示，若要避开日本人的话，只要操着一口英语就行了。 当州警方面完成了大致的搜索工作之后，紧接着飞行船建造公司方面的技术人员也将进行正式的检查，一脸若无其事的表情将身份证明书交给船东的人，正是冠木伸吾。 “哦，是吗？呵，就是你呀，体格挺不错的嘛。” 有本以睥睨的眼神仔细打量着冠木的全身上下，冠木则泰然自若地接受视线的洗礼。无视于有本的眼神，冠木煞有其事地报告道。 “将船舱整体检查完毕需要二小时的时间。” “可能的话，越早检查完越好。” “我们会尽力而为。能不能请您将证明书还给我呢？” 不发一语地，有本将证明书还了回去。 这些身份证明文件，平时早就准备好了，只要加上照片和姓名便大功告成。价格虽然贵，却拥有与价值相当的制作工夫及技术。也就是“专业水准”。 对于这类与肮脏事业挂勾的人们而言，在技术面的自我满足就是他们最终的依靠。我们不是业余的外行人、光是“拼命努力”还不够、最重要的是成果、只要能够确实地做出成果的话，中间过程都是其次。这就是冠木的哲学。 两点四十分，安克拉治市内的三个地方发生爆炸事故。地点分别在阿拉斯加大学的正门附近，诺斯壮百货公司的后方，以及苏华德公路。虽然都是小规模的事故，但因为接到了在反美活动上恶名昭彰的回教激进份子的犯罪声明电话，所以阿拉斯加州警丝毫不敢掉以轻心。 不用说，这当然是冠木等人的所为，目的是利用定时炸弹来掩护他们的真正行动。 “我们都是辛苦工作的人。惟有不浪费时间，才称得上是出色的日本人呀。” 淡淡地笑着，冠木将必要的对策全部讲述了一遍。阿拉斯加州警的应变能力并不差，但是却有人力上的限制。一个地方戒备森严的话，其他地方的警力就会变得薄弱。在这个道理之下，他们不得不削减布置于机场的州警人员。冠木等人的行为就是在为自己制造趁虚而入的空隙。 就这样，冠木团队成了飞行船“飞鸟”不请自来的客人。 “为了后续的责任问题，希望您能同意让我们一起同行到温哥华。” 冠木提出这个请求的时候，有本的目光闪烁了一下，并未立即回答。 “从温哥华到安克拉治的回程事宜我们会自行安排，绝对不会为您添麻烦。而且必要的经费将会由建造公司来负担，您大可放心。” 或许是这句话奏效了吧，有本这才答应让他们同行到温哥华。冠木九人就像是活生生的特洛伊木马一样，钻进了猎物的腹部里面。 在准备起飞的飞行船中，冠木等九名职业恐怖份子默默地进行着自己的作业。大致完成的时候，正好是起飞的前一刻。如果此时下船，日后将可能遭到怀疑。所以干脆继续留在船上。 “老大，所有的设定都完成了。这艘飞行船，想必会成为今年温哥华的天空中最大的一枚烟火呢。” “没问题吧。” “做这一行最重要的就是信用呢。” 丝毫不关心被牵扯在内的九百条生命，完全公事化的对答。其实他们对于夺取性命并不是特别地感兴趣，然而在工作需要的情况下，还是能够轻易跨过这一道线。情感的一部分，似乎已经明显地干枯，甚至已经磨灭。 “降落伞也确实检查过了吧。” 当然，属下如此回答。在温哥华岛的北方跳伞的话，一到地面就会有协助犯罪者逃亡的其他专业集团迎接他们。 “很好。那么在那之前，大伙儿就好好享受一下这趟难得的飞行船之旅吧。记得装出认真工作的样子哟。” 冠木笑了。他经常笑。虽然他不认为这世界上有任何事情能够靠着笑来解决。生与死，国家的灭亡与革命的挫败，企业的倒闭与事业的失败，全部都是笑话。就连冠木自己，总有一天也会毫无价值地死去吧。那将会是他生涯之中最高潮的一出喜剧。 ※※※ 莫尔从办公室的窗户，眺望着匆忙进行起飞准备的“飞鸟”之庞然巨体。一手端着纸杯，廉价咖啡的刺激性香气扑鼻而来。 “需要先谈谈阿拉斯加州警的名誉，或者面子吗？” 姜诗顿警长如此说道。他来的目的是向场长报告船内并无爆炸物之结论。 “那也是没办法的事情呀。” “要同意起飞呀？” “既然找不出爆裂物，就只要同意起飞了。” 莫尔本想做出洒脱的耸肩动作却没有成功，只好假咳几声清清嗓子。 “这本来就是一件恶作剧吧，我想。有本先生甚至没有让乘客疏散避难不是吗？总之一切平安无事就好了。” “说得也是。包含死者在内，半个下船的人都没有。如果炸弹是乘客中的某人所放置的话，那么那个人应该会在这里下船才对呀。” "Well……" 莫尔一脸难喝的表情啜饮着难喝的咖啡。事情就到此结束了。 当然，此刻的莫尔根本无从得知这件事情。距离安克拉治市中心约五十公里南方的山中，有辆小型巴士被弃置在路上。而且，真正的维修技术人员全都被捆绑起来，扔在里面…… 莫尔非常希望巨大飞行船快点离去。然而，对于搭乘飞行船的人们而言，离开安克拉治以后才是问题的开始。 紧紧跟在俊介身旁的日记，看着身穿作业服在船内来来去去的男人，不禁疑惑地问道。 “发生什么事情了，大哥哥？” “大概是吧，总觉得吵吵闹闹的。” 虽然是没什么意义的对话，不过在这样的时候，说话本身就是一种具有精神安定效果的行为。得到的回答似乎让日记相当满意。 “嗯，真的很吵呢。” 学着舅舅说话的日记挽起双臂，一本正经地点着头。一名身穿作业服的男人在经过他们面前时，移动视线瞥了他们一眼。 俊介皱起眉头。不知为何，他突然有种不只是奇怪、而且不祥的可疑感觉。但是他又无法明确地指出究竟是哪个地方的哪个部分出了问题，只能以一种模糊的预感来形容。也因为如此，他根本无法单凭感觉就说出口。 借由明确的事实目击到那份不祥、可疑的人是俊介的外甥女。日记虽然无时不刻都黏着“大哥哥”，但是也有例外的情况，那就是上厕所的时候。 舅舅独自在沙龙附近的长椅子坐了下来。那张椅子，正好是离奇死亡的志水曾经坐过的地方。之所以没注意到的缘故，全是因为心不在此。这种时候不抽根烟的话实在不知道该怎么打发时间，俊介边想着边等待日记。 这个时候，一步步完成工作的冠木和部下们，全都进到了一间客房里面。这个房间当中，并没有阻碍他们行动的局外人。客房的主人被盖上白布放在床上。 那是生前名为志水秀治的一具男人尸体。将尸体移入装满干冰的箱子里的作业，正好由冠木等人负责。 不用说，这具尸体早晚也会从空中被扔到海里。依冠木的行事原则，他绝对不会做那种无谓的双重工夫。 “这个男人的尸体可以变成金钱呢。” 对于死者的亡灵毫无半点敬畏之意地，冠木指出重点。 “不但如此，还能成为我们的防身武器。把这个拿到那个傲慢的针生面前去炫耀一番的话，那位大爷肯定会脸色发青呢。” 冠木继续补充道： “为了慎重起见，先将尸体照个相，然后再剪些指甲、头发保留起来。由几个人分别保管。” 部下们目送着做完指示便暂时离开现场的冠木背影离去。其中一人夹杂着苦笑评论道： “老大真是个思虑周密的人呢。要是我的话，就绝对不会想与他为敌。” “这就是老大值得我们信赖的原因呀。” 不再继续多说，男人们默默地开始执行首领的命令。当然还戴上了手套口罩，避免直接碰触尸体。 切下死者的一只耳朵或手指头当成工作证据之类的事情，冠木在过去已经做过太多次了。东南亚的某个国家曾经以污水会破坏环境为由，发起拒绝日本工厂进驻的反对运动。把那个领导人“处理”掉，就是冠木的工作。 前往进行工作报告的冠木，看见态度傲慢的雇主靠在沙发上，手里拿着一杯加水的白马威士忌。小小的水声啵地响起，雇主手上的玻璃杯中悬浮着某样东西。冠木以精准手法投进去的东西，是一根被切下来的人类左手小指。雇主尖叫地将玻璃杯扔了出去…… Back to the topic.此刻“飞鸟”船上的尸体并非只有志水的一具而已，因为他的同僚兼共犯竹崎的尸体也被运了进来。两人终于在死后达成重逢的心愿，至于他们究竟高不高兴就没人知道了。因为他们原本的目的是活着海捞一笔。 冠木等人打算把竹崎的尸体藏在放置志水事态的床铺底下。只要在爆炸之前的那段时间禁止其他人进入房间的话就没事了。然而，就在冠木走出房间之后，一名手下慌慌张张地跟了上来，在他耳边低声说道。 “老大，事情不好了。我们把竹崎的尸体搬进去的时候，好像被一个戴着遮阳帽的小孩看到了。” “竹崎吗……那家伙是怎么回事，老是惹你们犯下身为职业好手所不该犯下的错误。甚至连死后也一样。” “实在太丢脸了。不过现在该怎么办呢？！要堵住小鬼的嘴吗？！” “别管了。” 冠木丢出结论。与其说是从容不迫，一种更近似务实的表情充满双眼。 “未必真的被看见。就算被看见了，一个小孩子也不见得能够理解。纵使跟什么人说了……” 冠木斜着一边的脸颊把话说完。 “总之小孩说的话大人是不会相信的。” "That's right." “只要是有常识的大人都不会相信的。” 口气虽然肯定，却还是有那么一点担心。不受常识规范的人，无论在什么地方，说多少就有多少。如果真有异想天开的大人对小孩所说的话认真看待的话该怎么办？事情是否会变得棘手？心里是有这么一个担忧，但是冠木立刻就将它一扫而空。 飞行船早已从安克拉治起飞，朝温哥华前进。就算遇上最坏的情况，只要立刻按下爆炸的按钮就能够解决了。 “唉，到时候再看着办吧。这种事情应该不会扰乱到整体的计划才对。” 对冠木而言，他可不希望这场难得的喜剧观摩被中途打断。 另一方面，小目击者不顾一切地穿越长长的走廊跑回到舅舅身边。 "Big brother……" 叫出声音后却无法顺利说出接下来的话，心脏和肺脏都无视于日记的意志。 “冷静一点，发生什么事了？” 在舅舅轻拍背部的动作下，日记总算可以开口说话。 “尸体呀。我看见尸体了。” “……尸体？” 两手抓住惊愕的俊介的右手腕，日记猛然地点头，眼神中充满着认真与拼命之诉求。疑问与常识如可乐的气泡般，在俊介的体内爆开。完全理不出头绪的俊介问道。 “日记，你看见尸体了吗？” 虽然是毫无意义的问题，但日记并未放弃提出这种问题的舅舅。以全身的力量点头之后，日记再一次重复目击内容。说话条理清晰，这就足以证明这个少女确实是聪明之极。 俊介困惑了。尸体被运上飞行船，而负责运送的是那群自称是技术人员的男人。防水袋的某个部分，由于被强行塞进东西而使得钮扣爆了开来，所以从开口的地方看到了淤青的死人脸孔。 这实在是非常难以置信的一番话。然而，好比说俊介发现了某样异于过去学界常识的事情，并因此遭到嘲笑或漠视的话，他一定会感到非常地受伤、挫败，甚至会对其他人产生不信任感吧。因为这世上再也没有比事实得不到相信更伤人的事情了。大人尚且如此，更何况是小孩子。 一想到这里，俊介只剩下一条路可以选择。 仅限于这件事情，梧桐美奈子比弟弟更是个常识派。听完弟弟的话之后，美奈子沉默地对他耸了耸肩，意思大概是不值得相信吧。 “她是你的女儿不是吗？你就相信她吧。” 俊介激动地强调道。美奈子目光一闪，似乎不打算轻易说出“就因为她是我的女儿”这句话。形状美好的指尖捏住下巴，美奈子反问道： “你不认为，她是为了引起别人的注意，所以才编造出这种故事来吗？” “日记是个聪明伶俐的孩子。若真要编故事的话，她一定会编出更好的故事才对。” 俊介的逻辑令姐姐忍不住苦笑。 “你的意思是，现实比小孩子编的故事还不如吗？” “如果把目前日本的政治家当成主角写成小说的话，你能说，那种过分的家伙不存在于现实中吗？” 尽管不是个巧妙的比喻，但美奈子似乎接受了。 “唉，毕竟是我的女儿呀，无益的谎言她应该是不会说的。” 结果虽然和俊介的期望有些出入，不过能够得到姐姐的支持也算是一种信心上的鼓励。当然不是鼓励俊介，而是鼓励日记。 “总觉得好像发生了许多奇奇怪怪的事情，不妨就确认看看吧。” 如此喃喃自语的美奈子把视线转移到弟弟脸上，同时加强语气说道： “如果让我发现日记说谎的话，我就决定放弃那孩子了。” 只不过，这句话在俊介的耳里听来，却像是一种掩饰难为情的说辞。 俊介当然无意陷姐姐和外甥女于危险之中。他只是希望日记和母亲之间，能够暂时保有信赖关系而已。也因为他并没有充当冷酷冒险家的意思，所以决定采取最合乎常识的行动。 嘱咐美奈子和日记一起待在房间之后，俊介独自前往求见飞行船的主人。 费了好一番工夫，俊介终于在三十分钟之后与有本会面。当他在限制的十分钟里，急急忙忙将事情说明完毕之后，有本一脸无趣地挥了挥手。 “我没时间理会小孩子的梦话。事实上，我也收到过飞行船被放置炸弹的报告，可是却没发现炸弹呢。不过是无聊的恶作剧罢了。我劝你最好别引起无谓的骚动。” “如果炸弹是在搜查完毕之后才被放置的话又如何呢？” 看来这个主张确实出人意料，因为有本的表情整个都变了。品评般的眼神，扫过了年轻考古研究者的全身上下。 “就一个不懂人情世故的学者而言，说起话来倒挺透彻的嘛。呵，这点我倒没想过呢。” 受到赞赏并不特别地让俊介感到高兴，他只希望有本能够认真地看待这件事情就好。有本以手帕擦着脸，脏兮兮地被揉成一团的东西，就是意大利生产的丝质手帕的悲惨下场。 “说来说去，还真教人不放心呢。这种时候还是确认一下比较好。你要不要一起来呢？” “那么我就一起去吧。万一有什么事情的话，我一定会负起责任。” “做决定的人是我。要别人来负责任那种卑鄙事情，我从来不做！” 明确地说出这番话的样子，果然充满着身为枭雄的气概。对于这个原本以为只是个贪得无厌商人的对象，俊介不禁有点刮目相看。果然不错，无论是好是坏，大人物毕竟是存在的。 就这样，年轻的考古研究者和存在世界完全不同的有钱暴发户，为了确认尸体问题一同出发。这是“飞鸟”从安克拉治机场起飞之后大约一小时的事情。