Chapter 292: An Ordinary Scientist (6)

[Alphonse Lofair, 81, who was recently under investigation for alleged genetic manipulation and human experimentation at a genomics lab at Groom Lake Air Force Base in Nicaragua, was found dead in his home, U.S. federal police said. The exact cause of death has not been determined, but federal police speculate that the food may have been poisoned based on the fact that he died while eating and the victim vomited before his death.]

‘Poison.’

One particular substance popped into Young-Joon’s head. The deadliest of all toxins on the planet.

‘Botulinum toxin type H.’

Young-Joon had asked Isaiah Franklin why she chose to develop botulinum toxin in the first place.

—It’s the worst poison in the world, but the notoriety is about type H. Other forms of botulinum toxin are also highly toxic, but not to the same extent. Plus, there isn’t an antidote for type H. You only need trace amounts of it, so it’s easy to transport, and it’s undetectable at airports. There’s no risk of spreading beyond the target, so it’s perfect for killing a specific target.

That was what Isaiah said.

—When I met Yassir, who had come back to Palestine with a PhD in botulinum toxin research from Europe, we created a plan to eliminate the arrogant leaders of the scientific community with botulinum toxin and increase Rosaline’s reach with the polyomavirus.

The serotype of botulinum toxin type H was not publicly available because of the viciousness of its toxicity. Only the Food and Drug Administration in the United States, a few other food and drug regulatory agencies around the world, and a few laboratories had that information exclusively.

If so, how did Yassir and Isaiah get that information? Serotype information was not available to the average scientist or company that submits a business plan for a botulinum toxin application. One had to be in the base field of studying botulinum toxin itself to have any chance at all. Yassir was one of those people.

—We obtained botulinum toxin type H, since Yassir was a pretty good scientist in that area.

Isaiah told Young-Joon.

Young-Joon mulled over her explanation as he read the article.

[Alphonse Lofair, who had been away from his mansion for extended periods of time in recent years, did not know the mansion’s caretakers well. Due to various recent misfortunes, there was a significant turnover among the staff, with many quitting or being newly hired. It is suspected that someone among the employees poisoned Alphonse Lofair’s meal.

[Federal police are considering the possibility that the perpetrator may be one of the victims of the Nicaraguan incident or an investor who suffered substantial losses from the drop in Chenover Bank’s stock price...]

That could be the case. Or, perhaps Alphonse was trying to squeeze out the last of his power and fake his death to escape.

But Young-Joon wanted to explore all the possibilities.

Philistines was effectively out of business, but not Yassir. He had already cut his connection to the Palestinian rebels and got out in advance, though it was unclear if it was relevant or not.

Yassir was an executive of Philistines who worked with Isaiah, so he likely knew quite a bit about Rosaline and a lot about Elsie as well. And by now, he may have guessed that Rosaline, the girl Young-Joon adopted, was

the

Rosaline, the next-generation organism who was omnipotent in the mysteries of life. She was an unknown magic beyond the microscope, but now she existed in the physical world within reach in the form of a nine-year-old girl.

—Ordinary scientists are bound to covet Rosaline.

The warning Isaiah gave resurfaced in Young-Joon’s mind.

What if Yassir was targeting Rosaline in some way? Alphonse Lofair would know that Elsie didn’t raise Rosaline, making him one of the people closest to the truth about her identity. From Yassir’s perspective, wouldn’t he see him as a rival and eliminate him preemptively? If that was the case, what could Yassir possibly do to Rosaline?

‘...’

There was nothing. How could anyone lay a hand on this superpowered girl who could knock out twenty armed soldiers in seconds?

But as Rosaline’s guardian, Young-Joon needed to be prepared for any situation.

Then...

*

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

“Doctor Ryu.”

“Ryu Young-Joon!”

Young-Joon saw Song Ji-Hyun on the other side of the airport terminal. And Rosaline was running toward him, arms wide open.

“You’re going to fall.”

Young-Joon laughed and hugged her.

“It was a long flight, right?” Young-Joon said as he kissed Rosaline’s forehead.

“You went through a lot of trouble to bring her here. Thank you so much,” Young-Joon thanked Song Ji-Hyun.

Song Ji-Hyun stared at the two of them.

“Well, it’s nothing. We’ve helped each other a lot before,” Song Ji-Hyun said. “It’s no big deal.”

“But what business do you have to do in Japan?” Young-Joon asked.

“We’ve isolated a bacterium that removes radioactive material from the volcanic soil in Nicaragua that you gave me,” she said.

“Really?”

“Yes. We’re going to test it in Fukushima.”

“I see. I hope it goes well.”

“Me too. Bringing your daughter here is my way of thanking you for getting me the microbes from the Nicaraguan volcano, so don’t worry about it,” Song Ji-Hyun said. “I have to go catch my next flight, so...”

“Wait,” Young-Joon said, stopping her for a moment.

Song Ji-Hyun looked back at Young-Joon with a bit of anticipation.

“Do you happen to know where Yassir went after the press conference with you in Washington?”

*

Young-Joon flew to Tokyo with Rosaline and Song Ji-Hyun. It was a seven-hour train ride from Fukuoka to Tokyo, so taking a plane was faster.

Young-Joon was worried that Song Ji-Hyun would be upset again because he hadn’t explained about Rosaline, but it seemed like she had given up and didn’t care anymore.

When the three of them arrived, Kakeguni had already gone home, and Professor Nobuhiro was waiting for Young-Joon alone. A dozen scientists from Cellijenner were also waiting for Song Ji-Hyun.

“See you next time,” Song Ji-Hyun said before leaving.

“Bye. Good luck with your decontamination research,” Young-Joon replied.

Song Ji-Hyun stepped out of the car and walked toward the hotel where her team was staying, then suddenly stopped. Young-Joon’s car was still at the light and hadn’t left. She hesitated for a moment, then walked over.

“Doctor Ryu.”

“Yes?”

“I’m not as brilliant as you, but I think ordinary scientists can sometimes do what you do.”

“... Pardon?”

“It’s just... If there’s anything you need to talk about, you can talk to me,” she said. “I’m sure even you get overwhelmed sometimes, so ask for help. We’re friends, right? This field is fiercely competitive, but we also cooperate with each other a lot.”

“... Yes, thank you.”

Young-Joon nodded.

*

“Is this your daughter that summoned you to Fukuoka?” Nobuhiro asked.

“Hello,” Rosaline said in Korean.

“Is it okay if we take her with us? She gets very anxious when she’s apart from me,” Young-Joon asked.

“Of course. Your daughter is very cute.”

The nuclear power plant in question was located in Okuma, a seaside town in the far eastern region of Fukushima Prefecture. Song Ji-Hyun traveled there with the Cellijenner scientists on National Route Six, while Young-Joon traveled further west, toward Koriyama.

Along the way, Nobuhiro gave Young-Joon an overview of the project.

“Recently, the antinuclear power movement in Japan has gained considerable momentum. The reasons vary, such as the cost of treating contaminated water from Fukushima, the acquittal of the TEPCO[1] executives, and the development of solar cells, but fundamentally, they all stem from the collision between politics and business,” Nobuhiro said.

“TEPCO is the largest electric power company in Asia and the fourth largest in the world, and it got that big because it had a monopoly on supplying Japan’s infrastructure, which was left in shambles after World War II. It practically took over the government’s business and did it alone.”

“And that’s why it developed strong links with the government?” Young-Joon asked.

“There are quite a few congressmen who are from TEPCO. They have a bigger voice than Toyota. And the Fukushima plant actually had many accidents, big and small, from 1976 until it was damaged by this tsunami,” Nobuhiro said.

He added, “One in particular was called a criticality accident, which is a serious accident where the chain reaction of the nuclear fuel grows, causing damage to the facility and radiation exposure to the workers.

“It should have been a major incident that sparked public outcry due to the radiation victims and the risk to safety equipment, but no one knew about it. It was covered up. If you think about how such a significant accident could be concealed despite government audits, the answer becomes clear.”

“Hm...”

“TEPCO has no intention of using solar cells right now; they have invested so much in nuclear power and need to recoup their capital. Moreover, their finances were devastated by the Fukushima incident, and half of their company has been nationalized,” Nobuhiro said. “But electricity is privatized in Japan. So, wouldn’t it be natural for newcomers to seize the opportunity and grow by focusing on solar cells while TEPCO is struggling?”

“That’s right.”

“But the government isn’t granting business permits. That’s because Prime Minister Atabe supports TEPCO. The public is furious about this situation. As an economist, I am too. It’s absurd that the government is blocking market order to somehow save TEPCO, a company that has caused international trouble and won consecutive awards from organizations like Greenpeace and Germany’s Enecon for being an environmentally harmful company.”

“That’s why you’re planning to build a solar power plant yourself to demonstrate its feasibility.”

“That’s right. It’s a research project done by the University of Tokyo, so we don’t have a lot of capital.”

That was why they chose a location in the mountainous area west of Koriyama for the power plant. The land was cheap because it was in a suburban agricultural area, and it was close to Okuma and Tokyo, giving it political significance in the context of the anti-nuclear movement.

“After discussing with the other professors, we thought that the area could support a small power plant,” Nobuhiro said.

“Alright.”

“Oh, and one more thing. Many of the nuclear reactors operated by TEPCO are in bad shape right now, and the possibility of a nuclear explosion keeps coming up in some places.”

“The possibility of explosions?” Young-Joon asked.

“It’s a little further north from here, a place called the Tohoku Nuclear Power Plant,” Nobuhiro said. “There was a pretty strong earthquake there not long ago, and the ground where the nuclear plant is located sank about a meter.”

“My god...”

“TEPCO says there’s no problem, but the people are anxious.”

*

“Our plant will not blow up.”

Masumoto, the chief executive officer of TEPCO, dismissed the news that had been circulating lately. He was sitting in the back of a luxury sedan, looking out the window at the protestors. There were certainly more protesters as they entered the Tohoku region, but Masumoto’s perspective remained the same.

“Do they know who made that plant? It’s never going to explode,” he said.

“But sir, the people are anxious. Don’t you think it would be better to announce a more detailed investigation?” asked his driver.

“Aside from everything else, my mother’s house is right next to Tohoku nuclear plant.”

“Really?”

The driver was surprised.

“Yes. I’ve taken multiple personal trips with you to the Tohoku plant. Why do you think I went there?”

“Haha... Well, I just take you wherever you need to go, sir. I didn’t think much of it,” replied the driver, a little embarrassed.

“Hm. You must have suspected I was hiding a mistress somewhere, but no. My mother lives there alone.”

“I see.”

“So Tohoku is safe. I would never let my mother die.”

“Of course, not, sir. You love your mother dearly.”

“My mother went through all kinds of hardships to raise me during the war when she was young.”

Masumoto smiled bitterly.

“She’s quite old now and has trouble getting around, but no matter how much we tell her to come live with us, she insists on living alone because she doesn’t want to be a burden to her daughter-in-law and grandchildren.

Sigh

...” Masumoto said, tapping his phone.

“But she must be happy that you visit so often. You’re there almost twice a week. I don’t think you would even meet your mistress that often.”

“I don’t know if it’s because she’s getting older, but she’s lonely and weak. I'm worried about her.”

Masumoto kept fiddling with his phone.

“She was so full of energy when she was younger, but seeing things like this makes me realize how old she is...”

Suddenly, he stopped. He had received an email from an anonymous person. He had gotten a lot of spam like this over the years, but the subject line of this one was a bit shocking.

[To Mr. Masumoto, regarding Isaiah Franklin’s possible cure for aging]

1. Tokyo Electric Power Company, the company involved in the Fukushima incident ☜