Chapter 663: Collapse and Forgiveness!

"Click."

The old wooden door swung inward, opening a crack.

Damp night wind, carrying threads of rain, surged in.

Outside the door, Uesugi Muneyuki lifted his eyelids, his gaze calm as he looked at the young, pale face inside — a face written with panic and forced composure. Rainy night, a visitor arrives.

Hunter and trapped beast, for the first time in the real mud and mire, facing each other directly.

"You... came?" The moment young Sato Liang saw Uesugi Muneyuki, his complexion instantly turned ashen; he knew, he was done for. Uesugi Muneyuki — every case solved, every debt repaid!

Since he appeared here, then the previous "Sakamoto Ryoma" skin, the "Waseda Normal Social Science Activities" pretext, the "Dark Web" — all of it, all of it, simply didn't exist!!

Between heaven and earth, it seemed only Sato Liang himself remained, and Uesugi Muneyuki appearing before him, and the night rain outside the window!

"Yes, I came, I came to find you, 'Mr. Sakamoto Ryoma'." Uesugi Muneyuki's expression was complex; his three-piece suit was spotless, looking at this young Waseda University student who couldn't stop trembling before him, he nodded with a hint of mockery: "Won't you invite me in to sit?"

"Is it me inviting you, or you inviting me?" Sato Liang subconsciously glanced outside the door.

"Don't bother looking, just me alone." Uesugi Muneyuki said coldly: "Otherwise the ones knocking would be SAT's breaching ram."

"You shouldn't have come." Sato Liang said with some hostility.

"But I still came." Uesugi Muneyuki glanced at the room's furnishings — very simple, quite a lot of trash, but not many bento boxes or instant noodle buckets; looks like only he lives here.

"I have a gun." Sato Liang probed.

"I don't have a gun permit, and I didn't bring a gun." Uesugi Muneyuki's answer was calm; according to intel, all three Glocks have already been found, Sato Liang couldn't possibly have a gun left... and even if he did... want to test if my Spirit Sphere explodes? My fists aren't vegetarian either!

My fists also aren't vegetarian!

"Is that so, understood, please come in." Sato Liang stared hard at Uesugi Muneyuki for a while, finally nodding.

On the not-so-new but cleanly swept tatami mats, Uesugi Muneyuki and Sato Liang sat facing each other on the floor, silently gazing at one another. "Uesugi-san, are you here to catch me?" Sato Liang had been panicked before, but now he calmed down again; he had imagined countless times his own heroic, unyielding, generous martyrdom, his magnificent scene of baring his neck for execution — now, the dream may be coming!

Draw the sword and cut in one stroke, not failing the youth's head!

"I'm here to talk with you." Uesugi Muneyuki's eyes flickered; he reached out and picked up a book from the table.

"I have nothing to talk about with you, this kind of big feudal family, wealthy household origin, family doing cultural academics responsible for turning money into paper!" Sato Liang said coldly: "Especially you, willing to be the system's running dog! I'm not the same as you, I know your business, you went to university without working a single day! You're not the same as us!"

"Jewish People." Uesugi Muneyuki suddenly said.

"What?!" Sato Liang didn't understand.

Uesugi Muneyuki tapped the cover with his finger, smiling: "He is a Jew."

"He was born into a top-tier middle-class family; his father Henryk was a barrister, a Jew; his mother Henriette-Pressburg was the wealthy household you speak of, a Dutch Jew; her family later founded the Philips brand; maternal grandmother Nanette; Salomons; Cohen came from the prominent Cohen family; British financier Levy; Barent; Cohen was his mother's uncle; the family through Levy's children intermarried with the Rothschild and Montefiore families, thereby establishing connections with almost all prominent British Jewish families."

"..." Sato Liang stopped speaking.

"His wife, Jenny von Westphalen, was of Junker nobility, and a named Prussian baron family — undeniably a big feudal family."

"That is..." Sato Liang's voice was somewhat strained.

"Can't say he never engaged in production; he contributed to the New York Daily Tribune and others many times, total income about 230-250 pounds, but the vast majority of his income came directly from friends' support and money from his parents and inheritance living."

Uesugi Muneyuki said calmly: "His mother once mentioned in a letter to him that he spent 700 thalers a year at university and still complained it wasn't enough, while at the time the wealthiest family's son spent only 500 thalers a year at university, and frugal work-study 200 was enough, but he couldn't; you must know a skilled worker in Prussia at the time earned only 100-150 thalers a year; converted to now, his university year cost 200,000 US dollars; you should know his father as top-tier middle class had a clearly recorded annual salary of 1500 thalers."

Sato Liang was rendered speechless.

This guy, actually knows this much?

"So, by your class-analysis method, every element you hate most he occupies." Uesugi Muneyuki held back a laugh: "Just who is more like whom?"

"..............." Sato Liang didn't speak; he fell silent for a long time, then gritted his teeth: "You grew up in luxury since childhood, unlike him, and not qualified to compare with him! You know he for the sake of......."

"3125 pounds, over 5500 pounds in 20 years."

"???"

Uesugi Muneyuki continued: "According to reliable historical materials, during his 1851-1869 residence in London, over 20 years he received a total of 3125 pounds in unpaid assistance from friends; besides that, from his parents' inheritance and his mother's private allowances, he obtained over 1500 pounds total; adding his 250 pounds in manuscript fees and other unrecorded but certainly existing income, in 20 years he spent over 5500 pounds." "5500 pounds at the time converted to now equals 120 million to 150 million yen; you should know a skilled worker in Liverpool at the time earned only 60-80 pounds a year; over 250 pounds a year could let him live an ordinary middle-class life."

"But he always lived in extreme poverty; he owed money to landlords, bakers, butchers, milkmen, greengrocers, even doctors; his and Jenny's clothes, shoes, and household items, including Jenny's wedding dress, were frequently pawned."

"His life was a mess; although poor, he couldn't change his habits; he most liked drinking French imported red wine, once he had money he'd buy large quantities; clothes too, once he had money he'd definitely have new ones made; when friends' support arrived, they'd immediately resume middle-class social life — like throwing parties for their daughters, hiring carriages, buying wine, etc."

"And when the money ran out, he'd immediately continue writing letters to friends crying poverty; in fact the vast majority of the two great mentors' letters were asking for money, asking for money, asking for money, including between him and his mother — only asking for money."

"1856, his mother died, leaving him an inheritance of about 120 pounds... some say more, maybe 150 pounds; and what he did besides paying debts was take the whole family to the Isle of Wight to stay in a vacation apartment, enjoy feasts, walk on the beach; after a continuous month of vacation, he returned to London and immediately rented a better apartment, then... he fell into extreme poverty again; Jenny's wedding dress went into the pawnshop once more; he had to continue writing letters to his friends crying poverty, asking for money."

"What exactly are you saying?!" Sato Liang interrupted Uesugi Muneyuki's words; he completely couldn't accept that such a great person actually... "Even if it's true, you can't say it!"

But reason told him, everything Uesugi Muneyuki said was true!

"Very good, then let's get to the real stuff." Seeing Sato Liang finally understand that miracles and magic aren't free, Uesugi Muneyuki began speaking of similar matters: "That's his source of money; as for you lot."

"'Hope Foundation', registered in the Cayman Islands, ostensibly engaged in environmental tech and cultural innovation investment." Uesugi Muneyuki spoke, voice steady as if reading a corpse examination report, "Over the past three years, through four layers of shell companies, invested approximately 86 million yen into three shell companies in Kanagawa Prefecture including 'Three Leaf Clover Creative Consulting'. Most of this money, under names like 'project research allowance', 'special activity funds', flowed into bank accounts linked in Waseda University enrollment records belonging to Kurashi Toshio, Fujisaki Tatsuya, Fujisaki Kenji, and you — one by one — Sato Liang." Sato Liang's breathing grew increasingly rapid, his face turning from white to greenish.

These details... how could the police possibly in such a short time...

"Wake up! The days of the Restoration are over!"

"Aaaaaah!!!"

Sato Liang collapsed.

He clutched his head, let out an inhuman, piercing howl, and violently swept everything off the desk onto the floor!

Books, notes, computer, water cup... clattering and crashing all over the floor.

Like a trapped beast in the cramped room he staggered, spun in circles, frantically pounded the wall with his fists until his knuckles were bloody pulp. "Scammers! All scammers! Bastards! Sons of bitches!!" He cursed incoherently, tears mixing with snot flowing freely; his originally clear, refined student face twisted into something hideous and terrifying.

"Kill me!" He suddenly turned, lunging at Uesugi Muneyuki — not attacking, but as if seeking release he screamed, "Arrest me! Shoot me! Send me to the gallows! Me! This kind of! Played with in the palm of their hand without knowing! What meaning is there in living!!" He collapsed on the ground, curled up, shoulders heaving violently, letting out suppressed, whimpering cries like a young beast.

Uesugi Muneyuki quietly watched his entire collapse process; his face held no victor's pleasure, no hatred for a criminal, only a deep weariness and complexity.

"I..." Sato Liang's howling gradually turned into intermittent sobs; only then did he slowly speak:

"I won't arrest you."

Sato Liang abruptly lifted his head, bloodshot eyes full of bewilderment and incredulity.

"On the contrary, this time I choose to forgive you." Uesugi Muneyuki walked to the window, gazing at the continuous night rain outside: "You think I've always been some 'brainless battle rabbit system running dog'?"

He turned around, his gaze once more falling on the dazed Sato Liang: "I know better than anyone, the darkness in certain corners of this system is enough to swallow any light, and grind the bones of resisters into powder."

Sato Liang opened his mouth, but couldn't make a sound.

Uesugi Muneyuki's words shook him more than if he had arrested him directly.

"I'm letting you go, not forgiving your crimes. Akiyama Tadashi's death, the deaths of the Mikami father and son, the fright Saito Asuka suffered — the law will settle these accounts one day." Uesugi Muneyuki's tone turned cold and hard again: "But compared to throwing you into prison and letting those behind the scenes who truly manipulate the board and suck human blood continue to sleep soundly... I think letting you live, carrying this clarity after your 'faith' has completely collapsed, might... make them feel a trace of unease."

He walked to the door, hand on the doorknob, and glanced back one last time at Sato Liang, who looked as if his soul had been sucked out.

"Before the police's dragnet fully closes in on you, disappear. Leave Tokyo, find a place to start life anew."

"This was also the final wish of your ex-girlfriend Alice..."

"You and your Restoration Army, disband as soon as possible. Otherwise... once Public Security moves, everything will be too late."

Finished speaking, he pulled open the door, his figure merging into the shadows of the hallway outside and the pattering rain.

Inside the apartment, only Sato Liang remained, slumped on the cold damp floor, the surroundings in disarray. The rain outside the window continued as before, but the world in his ears had already turned deathly silent.

After the anger, madness, and collapse came an unprecedented hollowness and chill.

He, what is he to do?

And in the rain curtain, Uesugi Muneyuki looked back toward the direction of Sato Liang's safe house, eyes closing slightly.

Goodbye, my former self.

Goodbye.