Chapter 434: They've come to collect the debt!

Meanwhile, in Japan.
The House of Councillors election was a fateful day for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
In the past, such an election would have been a foregone conclusion; they could have won with their eyes closed.
But this time, things were different.
The opposition parties, under the banner of "judging the LDP," amassed unprecedented strength, launching an offensive far more ferocious than expected.
They had pushed them to the brink of defeat.
However…
[Breaking News! The LDP ultimately won a landslide victory, securing 141 out of 248 seats!]
"We won!!"
Inside the LDP headquarters, cheers nearly lifted the roof off.
However, amidst this sea of ​​jubilation, Prime Minister Yoshida's face showed no smile.
In the end, no miracle occurred.
No, perhaps it should be said that this itself was the greatest miracle.
He knew better than anyone that if it weren't for the former prime minister's death, those celebrating victory in the official residence right now would be the opposition parties, sharpening their knives!
Fate had chosen them.
An election that could be described as the most dramatic in the history of Japanese politics had come to an end.
"The question is, who exactly is this 'fate'?"
Prime Minister Yoshida's tone held no joy, only a deep chill.
"If it weren't for Fang Huan's investment... his intervention, we'd probably be the ones crying now."
"Yes, it was incredibly close. But then again, using such extreme measures against a former prime minister who represented the nation's face, wasn't that a bit..."
Hearing his aides' discussion, Prime Minister Yoshida's brow furrowed deeply.
"Shut up, all of you! Watch your words!" he hissed,
"If outsiders hear this, they'll think we paid Fang Huan to invest in and hire someone to kill former Prime Minister AB!"
"Y-yes, we're so sorry! We're extremely sorry!" Everyone immediately fell silent, trembling with fear.
“Besides, hasn’t the murderer already confessed?
He said he had a deep-seated hatred for a certain cult, and former Prime Minister AB seems to have close ties to that cult.”
“Yes. He’s supposedly a pitiful man whose family was destroyed because of the cult.
As for whether former Prime Minister AB is truly connected to the cult, that’s still under investigation.
But there are rumors that our political circles do indeed have intricate connections with that sect.”
“What about Fanghuan Investment? Is it related?”
“Our people subtly questioned the suspect, but he looked completely blank about the name Fanghuan Investment, utterly clueless about what we were asking.
At the same time, this man is extremely paranoid, convinced that the religion destroyed his family.
And our Liberal Democratic Party is the biggest backer behind that cult.”
“So, it really is a personal grudge?”
“Yes. As of now, we can’t find any clues related to Fanghuan Investment. Perhaps… this really was just an accident?”
Hearing this, Prime Minister Yoshida slowly shook his head.
"Am I the only one who thinks this is... a bit too bizarre?"
"Huh?"
"If it's really because his family was destroyed by a cult, and he wants revenge, he should go after the cult leader and fight him to the death, or simply storm into their stronghold and carry out a revenge attack."
"That makes sense, but he deliberately went around in circles, pointing his guns at former Prime Minister A and B for no apparent reason?"
"..."
"Even more coincidentally, our Liberal Democratic Party just sought help from Fanghuan Investment, and then this huge commotion happened. It's all too much of a coincidence."
Initially, when news of the assassination attempt on the former Prime Minister arrived, everyone's first reaction was to assume it was Fanghuan Investment.
But as the perpetrator's confession was revealed, their thoughts wavered.
Perhaps it really was just an unfortunate, but perfectly timed, accident?
But now, listening to Prime Minister Yoshida's analysis, everyone felt a chill run down their spines.
This whole thing just didn't feel right; the coincidences were chilling!
"The most crucial point," Yoshida's gaze swept over everyone,
"After the incident, Fanghuan Investment immediately sent their vice chairman over."
He ostensibly came to deliver a wreath, but his real purpose was to finalize a deal with us!
This isn't negotiation; it's reaping the rewards of victory!
"Then...what should we do?"
"If those guys really orchestrated the assassination of former Prime Minister A and B, shouldn't we hold them accountable?"
A young official indignantly protested.
Prime Minister Yoshida gave him a cold glance:
"Hold them accountable? How? Do you have any evidence?
That assassin still insists that our Liberal Party colluded with a cult, causing his family's ruin.
We're taking the blame for this!"
"..."
The crowd suddenly realized; they finally understood.
This was Fanghuan Investment's consistent modus operandi!
They finally understood why Fanghuan Investment had never been involved in so many earth-shattering events in the past!
Why everyone knew there was an invisible hand manipulating things behind the scenes, yet they could never find a single clue.
This time, they experienced it firsthand!
"This is their 'traceless' method!
They used this method to demonstrate Fang Huan's capabilities to us—
They can kill a former prime minister of a country without leaving any evidence!"
"These people... are simply devils."
"That's right." Prime Minister Yoshida's eyes became incredibly solemn.
"They're using the former prime minister's life to flex their muscles:
If they wanted, they could make any one of us disappear without a trace at any time!
Therefore, we absolutely cannot reveal a single word that this matter is related to Fang Huan Investment.
Because from the moment we asked them for help, we were already 'accomplices'!"
Although they didn't ask Fang Huan Investment to kill anyone, they were the ones who proactively reached out for help; this stain can never be washed away.
The truth of this matter must remain forever buried!
"Then... how do we deal with the people Fang Huan Investment sent?"
"How else can we deal with them?" A flicker of fear and humiliation flashed in Prime Minister Yoshida's eyes.
"All the conditions we previously offered, word for word, will be fulfilled! Tell them that all projects will proceed as planned!"
"W-What? But Prime Minister, didn't you say before that we should try to stall for time and renegotiate..."
Prime Minister Yoshida slammed his fist on the table, growling, "Do you want me to meet my maker like the former prime minister?"
"..."
The meeting room fell into a deathly silence.
Those conditions were incredibly harsh! Almost all of them were humiliating and detrimental to Japan!
For Japan, it was a huge loss.
But now, no one dared to utter a single "no."
Because they all knew that the other side hadn't come to negotiate at all.
They had come to collect a debt!
To use the corpse of a former prime minister to collect that blood-written... blood pact!