In the Sequoia Capital office, Donald stared at the constantly fluctuating data, feeling an unprecedented sense of helplessness.
He had initially believed Silicon Valley Online was merely a cash-burning scheme to buy traffic. As long as Sequoia held the purse strings, Frank would eventually have to yield.
But now, the machine was beginning to generate its own revenue.
"Donald, the offer needs to change," his assistant said, entering with a grim expression. "Goldman Sachs is already spreading word that they're willing to extend a $50 million credit line to Silicon Valley Online, without taking any equity."
Donald crumpled the newspaper into a ball and tossed it into the waste bin.
"And those guys at KPCB, though they were slow to react, are still shareholders. They've already contacted Frank." He stood up and buttoned his suit jacket. "Go to Sega Headquarters again. This time, we must secure the contract, no matter what. At the very least, our equity stake can't be lower than KPCB's."
He realized that Weblog was no longer just a diary.
This was a new kind of media taking shape, one unbound by traditional rules.
And the entry ticket to this institution was rising in price by the minute.
While Donald of Sequoia Capital was locked in negotiations with Frank of Silicon Valley Online and Sega North America Headquarters over Silicon Valley Online's Series B funding and IPO plans, Takuya Nakayama had no interest in North America.
Director Yoshikawa, who handled communications with government and public sectors, had summoned him regarding a matter involving the Metropolitan Police Department.
The police needed Sega's cooperation on a case.
This brought to mind Sega's Ace Attorney series of visual novel adventure games.
Though the Ace Attorney series might not have been among Sega's top-selling titles, its fanbase was remarkably loyal.
The game had pioneered the visual novel adventure genre, quickly capturing a devoted following in Japan, a country with a strong culture of mystery and deduction.
To surprise players, starting with Ace Attorney 2, the development team had taken player suggestions to heart and proactively sought cooperation with the Metropolitan Police Department.
The developers incorporated real cold cases into the game, even weaving clues from long-unsolved mysteries into branching, open-ended side plots.
Initially, the industry dismissed this approach as a cheap gimmick to grab attention, but the results were unexpected.
Thanks to their accumulated knowledge from mystery novels and dramas, these deduction-loving players demonstrated astonishing professional competence.
They meticulously scrutinized the case files and clues, as if they were dissecting the game's logic.
Many players, by comparing in-game details with real-world terrain and local rumors, even provided the police with multiple valid leads.
Some long-dormant burglary cases were even solved indirectly when players, searching for "hidden easter eggs," stumbled upon similar methods used in real life. While these cases remained unsolved, the players' findings inadvertently helped the police identify suspects in other cases.
This gave the vast community of [ Ace Attorney ] fans a profound sense of involvement, making them feel personally invested in solving the various cases.
For generations of Ace Attorney releases, searching for clues to unsolved mysteries has become a cherished tradition among Japanese mystery enthusiasts.
With Ace Attorney 4 in development, the development team grew even bolder.
They set their sights on the White Smoke Incident that occurred in Tokyo in July 1993.
At the time, an unidentified white smoke billowed from a building, causing over two hundred nearby residents to fall ill.
Traces of prohibited chemical gases were detected at the scene, but the investigation stalled, and the case remains unsolved to this day.
The Ace Attorney development team regularly receives letters from players.
They've even set up a small office where enthusiastic mystery experts on the team filter these clues before forwarding them to police departments across the country.
Though the volume of letters and packages can be substantial, the team embraces the task with unwavering enthusiasm and genuine pleasure.
The Metropolitan Police Department's attitude has shifted from initial skepticism to extreme seriousness.
In particular, a special task force has been established in Tokyo to investigate this suspected organized chemical terrorism incident.
After receiving player-submitted clues from Sega, the Task Force recalled the numerous cases in recent years that the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department had solved thanks to seemingly inexplicable leads. Realizing this might be a valuable source of information, they approached Sega to request their assistance and asked the company to compile all clues that appeared to be related to such cases for the Task Force.
Whether it was a whim or an excess of energy, the development team applied to have a dedicated member accompany the Task Force for a period. The stated reasons were to cooperate with the investigation and gather material for their game. To everyone's surprise, the Task Force agreed, though with strict confidentiality requirements: no data could be taken out, no details of the Task Force's work could be disclosed, and any content related to the Task Force's methods would require review before being incorporated into the game's development.
"President Nakayama, to be frank, we're under immense pressure right now."
Chief Inspector Iwata was waiting at the entrance of the Metropolitan Police Department early in the morning.
He wore a crisp, sharp uniform, but his expression betrayed fatigue.
Takuya Nakayama stepped out of the car and exchanged a glance with Director Yoshikawa.
Yoshikawa was responsible for government relations and regularly dealt with the police, but today's elaborate reception clearly indicated this was no ordinary inspection.
"Mr. Iwata, I heard there's been a development in the White Smoke Incident?" Takuya Nakayama asked directly.
Chief Inspector Iwata led them inside, his leather shoes echoing crisply on the terrazzo floor. "The Task Force has re-examined the clues you provided. A chemical's trail mentioned by one of the players matches a lead we've been tracking. This could be a breakthrough."
The three walked down a corridor to an office marked "Special Investigation Team."
The room was piled high with paper files, and several computers hummed softly. The walls were plastered with dense crime scene photos and organizational charts.
"The player who provided the key clue is here today," Iwata said, gesturing to a reception room next to the interrogation chamber.
A high school student in a school uniform sat there, his name was Sakurai Masami.
He was from Matsumoto City in Nagano Prefecture. His school had granted him leave to cooperate with the investigation, and to protect him, they had even altered the official record to show it as sick leave.
In the reception room, Tetsuo Toyama, the Task Force Team Leader, sat opposite the restless high schooler, a unlit cigarette dangling between his fingers. His gaze was fixed on the student.
Sakurai Masami, an ordinary high school student from Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture, nervously tugged at the seams of his school uniform pants.
On the table were two transparent evidence bags, each labeled. One contained a few slightly withered blades of grass, while the other also contained grass, but its color was completely different from normal withered grass.
"Don't be nervous. Tell us again in detail what you said earlier," Tetsuo Toyama said, tapping the table. "Especially about the part concerning the color-changing lawn."
Please Support me by becoming my patreon member and get 30+ chapters.
[email protected]/Ajal69
change @ with a
Thank You to Those who joined my Patreon