Chapter 310: Action Against the Akasha Terminals
Ai Haibara joined the applause, her small hands striking together in a steady, measured rhythm. She tilted her head toward Conan, who had just slipped away from Kamisato Ayato's side to rejoin their group. "It looks like a highly successful marketing campaign, doesn't it?" she murmured over the roaring crowd.
"Using a massive, high-profile competition to expand their visibility, while simultaneously providing the technical support to ensure the match runs flawlessly. It forces the public to trust the Jade Chamber's technology. Then, they strike while the iron is hot and launch their upcoming product." She paused, her ice-blue eyes sweeping across the cheering spectators. "With a setup like this, there will be a stampede to buy it. I would wager that at least eighty percent of the people sitting in this arena today will purchase an Akasha terminal simply because they now believe in the absolute strength of the Jade Chamber. Once tomorrow comes and the footage of this match spreads across the internet, those numbers will skyrocket. Give it a few days, and the Akasha terminal—along with its R&D company, the Jade Chamber—will be household names across all of Japan."
Conan gave a slow, heavy nod. His brow furrowed deeply behind his oversized glasses. He understood the unspoken implications lingering beneath her assessment. If the functions of the Akasha terminal were truly as convenient and efficient as Ningguang claimed, it would trigger a massive, unavoidable shift in modern society. The flow of information, privacy, daily life—everything would change. Whether that outcome would be a blessing or a curse remained to be seen. More, he wondered if the Jade Chamber, and the elusive Teyvat Organization pulling the strings from the shadows, possessed the sheer power required to withstand the inevitable, vicious backlash from the corporate giants whose interests they were about to crush.
Just as the young detective predicted, the moment the announcement dropped, the journalists and eager audience members in the stands had already whipped out their phones. Fingers flew across screens, desperate to be the first to break the news of the Akasha terminal's distribution.
Fortunately for the organization, the entire venue was currently enveloped within the subtle, unseen dreamscape controlled by Nahida. While the Dendro Archon could not outright block their actions without raising suspicion, she gently manipulated the flow of data within the dream. Messages hung in the outbox, loading bars stalled just a fraction of a second longer than usual, creating a crucial, invisible time gap for the real world to prepare.
Backstage, the heavy velvet curtains fell shut, muffling the roar of the arena. Ningguang and Ganyu walked briskly down the dimly lit corridor. Both women reached up, securing their sleek, headset-style Akasha terminals over their ears. Ningguang glanced at the glowing digital clock projected onto her retina, then smoothly pulled up the encrypted data streams compiled by the artificial intelligence, Noah's Ark. The holographic text scrolled rapidly, detailing the hostile movements of rival tech corporations reacting to the press conference.
"Ganyu," Ningguang said, her voice cool and authoritative. "How are things proceeding?"
Ganyu lifted her right hand, pressing a slender finger against the side of her terminal. She listened intently to the rapid feed of information buzzing in her ear before giving her report. "So far, twelve rival companies are preparing to sabotage the public sale of the Akasha terminals. Out of those twelve, three have already initiated their operations."
She tapped the air, pulling up a secondary screen. "The first is attempting a smear campaign. They are deploying bot farms to spread rumors online, claiming the terminals possess severe security risks and will leak user privacy. Noah's Ark has already intercepted the data packets and restricted the flow of those specific keywords. The comments are being shadow-banned as we speak."
Ganyu took a breath, her steps matching Ningguang's steady pace. "The second company dispatched a corporate espionage team to the Jade Chamber's main headquarters. They planned to steal our core R&D data while you were away from the office, assuming our security would be lax. However, Keqing remained on-site. She has already apprehended the entire infiltration team. Once she finishes interrogating them for the necessary use, they will be handed over to the local authorities."
Ganyu hesitated, her voice dropping a fraction. "As for the third... they have hired professional assassins. Their objective is to eliminate you, Miss Ningguang."
A deep crease formed between Ganyu's brows. She looked up, her lilac eyes filled with genuine concern for the woman walking beside her. "Miss Ningguang, just in case... perhaps it would be best if you refrained from making any public appearances for the time being—"
"Ganyu." Ningguang cut her off smoothly, her tone leaving no room for argument. She turned her head, offering her secretary a look that was simultaneously gentle and unyielding as bedrock. "Trust me. I have this handled."
Ganyu swallowed her remaining words. Looking into those sharp, crimson eyes, she found it impossible to doubt the woman's judgment. This was the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing. Ganyu knew better than anyone that beneath Ningguang's elegant exterior lay a mind of terrifying intelligence and decisive ruthlessness. If she was walking into the crosshairs of an assassin, she already had a countermeasure prepared.
Nodding silently, Ganyu accepted the arrangement. She pushed her personal worries aside and returned to the cold, hard data provided by Noah's Ark. "Understood. As for the remaining nine companies currently in the planning phase, we have already dispatched our operatives. Ayaka, Xiao, Albedo, Kaveh, and Tartaglia are currently paying their respective executives a visit to deliver a formal warning. That should ensure their silence for the foreseeable future."
A faint, dangerous smile played at the corners of Ningguang's lips. "Excellent. Regarding the foolish executives who decided to hire assassins—have Noah's Ark compile a complete dossier on their financial vulnerabilities. I want their stock shorted and their assets frozen. We will acquire them by the end of the fiscal quarter." She adjusted her terminal, her gaze sharpening into blades. "As for the assassins themselves... I will be waiting for them."
"Understood, Miss Ningguang," Ganyu replied, her posture straightening.
Back in the stands, Ai Haibara watched the stage. The moment Ningguang and Ganyu vanished behind the curtains, the ambient lighting of the entire arena seemed to dim for a fraction of a second. Then, the massive overhead floodlights flared back to life, bathing the stadium in a harsh, realistic glow.
Haibara blinked, rubbing her eyes. A strange, fleeting sense of vertigo washed over her. She could not quite put her finger on it, but there was a distinct discordance in the air, a subtle shift in the atmosphere that made the current environment feel slightly different from the one they had been sitting in just moments ago.
More peculiar was her own physical state. Sitting through a high-stakes, hours-long competition should have left her drained. Instead, a strange vitality coursed through her limbs. She felt completely refreshed, as though she had just woken up from a deep, restorative nap. Glancing to her side, she noticed the Detective Boys exhibiting the exact same phenomenon. Despite the late hour, Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, and Genta were bouncing on their heels, chirping away with boundless energy about the spectacular performance.
Haibara subtly pressed two fingers to her wrist, checking her own pulse. Steady. Normal. She had not consumed any food or drinks provided by the venue, ruling out chemical stimulants. Finding no logical explanation, she let her hand drop, chalking the bizarre sensation up to a trick of the mind.
A few seats away, Sera Masumi stood with her arms crossed, completely immersed in her own swirling thoughts. Even during the most dazzling moments of the stage performance, the tomboyish detective had kept a watchful eye locked on Conan. She had tracked his every movement, naturally catching the exact moment he had sneaked away to whisper with Kamisato Ayato.
Tracking Conan's line of sight had led her to scrutinize the people surrounding him. That was when a glaring, bizarre detail finally clicked into place in her mind—a detail she had somehow been overlooking this entire time.
She narrowed her eyes, scanning the VIP section and the stage below. The Kamisato siblings, the enigmatic Yae Miko, and even the martial artists who had performed the explosive opening act on stage... every single one of them wore a glowing, gem-like accessory clipped to their clothing. They were the exact same elemental jewels that Natsume had casually referred to as 'Visions.'
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