Chapter Twenty-Nine: Joey Brody

“So, are you on your own now?”

“Yeah, that’s right. This time, it really is a solo battle. But tell Taisei not to worry—I’m not backing down. This isn’t just his family’s problem anymore!”

Even through the phone, Kyouji Hakudo could hear the barely suppressed anger and determination in Takayuki Yagami’s voice.

Yet it was this very attitude that made him all the more uneasy.

“Hey, hey, hey, the last time I saw you this serious was when you were investigating that far-reaching ‘new drug case’! Is it really that bad this time?”

“No, Kyouji. There’s really no comparison anymore.”

Standing just outside the nuclear power plant, Takayuki Yagami was shrouded in the deep shadows of an alleyway.

Beyond the narrow street, lush trees, flowering bushes, and the flutter of birds and insects painted a picture of vibrant life—a scene where humanity, through advanced energy technology, coexisted harmoniously with nature.

But in Yagami’s eyes, beneath this clear sky, the peaceful nuclear plant in the distance was already cloaked in an invisible storm.

“The so-called new drug ADDC9, which claims to treat dementia, is nothing more than a feast of capital and a battlefield for pharmaceutical giants and various powers. As much as I dislike grand narratives, let’s be honest, how many people could that actually harm? But this nuclear plant incident… Kyouji, I don’t even dare to estimate a number! Not even a rough count of potential victims!”

Hearing this, Kyouji Hakudo straightened in his seat, a stiffness settling over him.

“Are you sure, Yagami? Tokyo Electric is an old powerhouse—they wouldn’t really let things get out of hand to this extent…”

“Kyouji, do you know?” Yagami cut him off, shifting to what seemed an unrelated topic.

“The biggest syndicate in Fukushima Prefecture—the Tooyama Clan—is going all out to relocate its base. Besides ‘Red Sand’—that group of yours extending its reach into Tokyo—they’re even spending a fortune and manpower to fight for a new foothold in neighboring Gunma Prefecture. That’s also why the bounty they put on you through the Wu family is set so low.”

Hakudo nodded on the other end—this did explain why someone as sly as Hideki Tooyama, clearly intent on killing, was holding back.

“Because of this nuclear plant, Tokyo Electric’s influence now runs through every level of Fukushima Prefecture. You know the Tooyama Clan better than I do—no doubt! They’re Tokyo Electric’s black-gloved hands, the loyal hunting dogs! But now, those dogs are leaving the master’s side without being told?”

Yagami was asking, but Hakudo could only feel his throat tighten, the words stuck on the verge of spilling out. A terrifying suspicion was forming, but its brutality made it hard to voice.

Yet Yagami said it, his tone dry, like sandpaper scraping together, but he said it all the same.

“There’s only one reason.

—For a hunting dog who knows the inside story, survival matters more than any bone or whip the master offers! To stay alive, they’re not just leaving the city around the nuclear plant—they’re abandoning Fukushima Prefecture altogether!”

Both ends of the line fell silent, only their faint breaths echoing back and forth.

After a long pause, Kyouji Hakudo spoke first, his voice so calm it was as if he’d never heard such dreadful news.

“Taisei doesn’t need to know all this. I’ll keep it simple—just reassure him. As for you… I’ll transfer ten million yen to you. Don’t even think about refusing—it’s your action fund, consider yourself hired. Find out the truth about Tokyo Electric, and give your findings to Genda-nii, let the world know! After all, I live on this island too, and nuclear radiation is the last thing I want to mess with.”

“Tch—” The tension in Yagami’s voice eased, and he let out a derisive laugh.

“Anyone else would take the money and move abroad, right? Here you are, wanting to stop the disaster, but you have to make it sound so unpleasant. You… Only at times like this do you act your age—like a stubborn sixteen-year-old.”

“Enough talk! Do your job now that you’re paid! No wonder a second-rate detective like you never makes money! Beep—”

Takayuki Yagami stared blankly at the darkened phone screen, then a faint smile broke on his lips.

At least, he wasn’t truly alone.

There were still friends by his side—kindhearted, like-minded companions.

“Ten million yen! The most generous action fund I’ve ever had; now I can afford all the equipment and even pay for help…”

As Yagami calculated how best to make use of the windfall, a disheveled old white man, clutching a device that looked like a detector, poked his head into the alley from a side street.

Yagami’s position was deep in the shadows, and the old man, focused on his readings, failed to notice the young man standing right behind him.

Yagami caught the old man muttering excitedly in English.

“Yes! This is the reading! I’ve found it! I knew they’d hidden something! I knew they hid something 17 years ago! Ford, you should see this! Your mother died because of this! This damned shockwave!”

The old man’s English tumbled out in a rush, almost incoherent. If Yagami weren’t a top-class professional who could pass a bar exam in Japan, he wouldn’t have understood a word.

Luckily, he did.

“This guy… Is he connected to the nuclear plant?”

Yagami lightened his steps, scrutinizing the old man.

At first glance, he’d thought the man was just another environmental conspiracy theorist—an image all too familiar from Hollywood films.

But in reality, could such a person really be the key to saving the world? Ridiculous. And yet, as soon as the old man spoke, Yagami quickly pieced together a wealth of information from his words.

Seventeen years ago? A similar shockwave? A nuclear accident?

That would be 1999.

A nuclear plant accident… the Jakira Nuclear Power Plant in Chakuro City!

Yagami’s pupils contracted sharply.

If Hakudo, born in the new millennium, had heard this, he probably wouldn’t even recognize the names.

But Yagami, now in his thirties, remembered it all too clearly.

Back then, it was broadcast across the country as “the crown jewel of human energy and engineering,” “the future of humanity jointly crafted by Japan and the United States.”

Commissioned as early as 1999, the nuclear plant carried countless hopes and honors.

That was why, when the celebration gave way to tragedy, the blow was even greater.

The catastrophic collapse of the Jakira plant destroyed more than just a city and a supply of power—it shattered people’s faith in the future of mankind.

And this old white man before him—he was connected to that disaster?

A wave of shock made Yagami’s breath catch.

Meanwhile, the old man, though clearly agitated, still possessed enough presence of mind to realize someone stood behind him.

“Who?!” he barked in clumsy Japanese, and, demonstrating considerable experience, bolted without a backward glance.

“Wait! Hold on! You’re investigating the plant too, aren’t you? We’re allies here!”

Yagami grabbed the old man’s collar. As the man struggled, Yagami switched to English to make himself clear.

Hearing this, and unable to break free from a man clearly trained in martial arts, the old man finally caught his breath and calmed down.

“Huff—you said you’re also here to investigate the plant?”

“Who would lie about something like this?” Yagami let go of his collar and offered his hand. “Takayuki Yagami, a detective hired to investigate the nuclear plant.”

“Detective? Hah!” The old man snorted, glancing at Yagami’s outstretched hand, as if he harbored a grudge against the profession. But after a moment’s hesitation, he shook it.

“All right, you certainly have no reason to lie about this. Joey Brody—former engineer at the Jakira Nuclear Power Plant. Now just an old man with nothing left.”

“Looks like our partnership is off to a good start.”

“That remains to be seen, young man. You might think I’m mad once you hear my theory.”