The Inoue Family's Heirloom

I burst into laughter, and the driver thought I was a bandit planning to rob Tsugio Inoue. Amidst the laughter, I opened the door, leaped out of the car, and the driver immediately sped away.

I looked up the road; it was long but smooth and serene. I crouched in the roadside bushes.

After waiting for about twenty minutes, a large "Hiritsu" car approached from Tokyo and turned up the mountain road at the intersection.

I saw Tsugio Inoue reading a newspaper in the car.

Though I had never seen Tsugio Inoue in person, I had seen countless photos of him.

In that instant, I noticed how similar he was to his pictures, as if born to be admired, exuding an aura of dignity. As the car passed, I leaped out of the bushes, reached for the car's rear safety bar, and swiftly used a lily key to open the luggage compartment, then slipped inside and closed the lid.

From leaping out to snugly hiding in the luggage compartment, it took less than half a minute.

These actions were part of the curriculum for mobsters during the Prohibition Era in America. Those adept at it could find themselves in a car's trunk within a minute, no matter how fast the car was moving. Due to the standard construction of cars, the actions were almost uniform and unchanged.

I had no intention of teaching car-jumping; hence, I skipped the detailed descriptions of those movements.

As I hid in the compartment, I began to contemplate how I would meet Tsugio Inoue. I knew that if I requested to see him, even his secretary might not grant me an audience; his family members would likely intercept me. To see him, I had to be assertive. When the car stopped, apparently in a garage, I rolled out of the luggage compartment, subdued the driver with a hook, knocked him out with a kick, then leaped up and stood before Inoue.

He immediately recognized that I was not his driver!

At that moment, I took a step forward, opened my palm to show him the small dagger I held, and then moved my hand close to his back, whispering, "Mr. Inoue, don't make a sound. Take me to your study; I want to talk to you alone."

Tsugio Inoue's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure.

Glancing at the three bodyguards at a distance, he knew that if he made a sound, he would be the one at a disadvantage!

He forced a smile and said, "Alright, follow me."

With just one sentence, he turned and headed towards the stone steps. I followed closely behind him, and the bodyguards didn't sense anything wrong. They probably thought Mr. Inoue was in a good mood today, hence the driver's request for a raise.

I followed Inoue closely, and soon we reached the second floor. From his briefcase, Inoue took out a key and opened a door.

At that moment, I felt extremely nervous.

My safety depended on Tsugio Inoue's fear of death. But now, he appeared calm. It was an entirely unfamiliar place for me; even though I had the upper hand at the moment, it could change any time.

If I made a mistake, even though I had the document Mr. Nelson gave me, I might not escape. Tsugio Inoue was a significant figure in Japan, and his influence was substantial.

As Inoue opened the door, I felt slightly relieved. It was a spacious study, much more luxurious and comfortable than I had imagined.

Stepping onto the soft carpet, I closed the door behind me. Tsugio Inoue walked to the desk and placed his briefcase on it, then went to open a drawer. I immediately raised the dagger in my hand and said, "Mr. Inoue, my throwing knife is faster than your pistol!"

Tsugio Inoue just stared at me, seemingly paralyzed in his chair, but he didn't utter a word.

I pressed my hand on the table, sat on it, and said, "Mr. Inoue, I don't want money, not even a single yen. I'm not here for that."

Tsugio Inoue's expression changed genuinely; he reached for the drawer with his right hand.

But I was faster; before his hand reached the drawer, I had already taken out his pistol from it and aimed it at him.

Tsugio Inoue seemed paralyzed in his chair, just staring at me without a word.

I played with the gun and said, "You once commissioned a factory to make an extremely hard metal box for you, didn't you?"

A strange expression appeared on Inoue's face as he said, "So, it's you."

He paused abruptly and said, "I don't understand what you want." I said, "I just need your answer!"

Inoue said, "Okay, yes."

I said, "That hard metal box is sealed, and it's not something ordinary metal cutting techniques can open."

Tsugio Inoue said, "Indeed, the factory did an excellent job, meeting my requirements because I never intended to open the box."

I leaned forward and asked, "Mr. Inoue, I want to ask you now, what is inside the box?"

Tsugio Inoue looked at me and said, "Do I have to answer?"

I told him straightforwardly, "I came here for that purpose." Tsugio Inoue hesitated for a moment before saying:

"Then I'm afraid I might disappoint you."

I raised my gun and asked, "Are you?"

He quickly responded, "No, what I meant is that I don't know what's inside the box either."

I said coldly, "Mr. Inoue, I believe at your current position, you shouldn't lie to me."

Tsugio Inoue stood up and said, "If you came to find out what's in the box, you might be disappointed. I have no way to answer you. If the box were still here, we could cut it open, and if you could tell me what's inside, I would be grateful. Unfortunately, the box has been stolen."

Tsugio Inoue's words puzzled me even more.

After a moment of thought, I said, "Mr. Inoue, I think you should know what's inside the box."

Tsugio Inoue replied, "I know its size, its shape, but I don't know what it actually is."

I asked quickly, "Then can you describe its shape and details?"

Tsugio Inoue said, "It's a hexagonal sphere with a diameter of forty centimeters. Each side looks like glass with many fine threads and some mysterious symbols, along with some unknown text. There are two sides that seem to emit a flashing light..."

The more I heard, the more confused I became, and I exclaimed, "What is it exactly?"

Tsugio Inoue replied, "As I said, I don't know."

I took a deep breath and asked, "Then how did you obtain it?" Tsugio Inoue replied, "It's our Inoue family's heirloom, passed down from our ancestors."

I asked, "Is it an antique?"

Tsugio Inoue shook his head and said, "It doesn't seem so. I've had many experts look at it, but they couldn't figure it out. The chief engineer at the precision instrument manufacturing plant said it's a highly sophisticated device, probably used for navigation. He asked me to let him dissect it for research, but I refused; I thought he was delusional."

I asked, "Why didn't you take his advice?"

Tsugio Inoue replied, "This item has been in the Inoue family since the earliest generation, over a hundred and eighty years now. Back then, even simple gliders didn't exist, and humanity was still in the era of hot air balloons. How could there be such a sophisticated device?"

As Tsugio Inoue explained, I realized that the chief engineer's imagination was too rich, which explained why Inoue rejected his request.

Up to that point, my conversation with Tsugio Inoue had not helped unravel the mystery but rather pushed me further into confusion.

I asked again, "So why did you put that thing in a hard metal box?"

Tsugio Inoue explained, "It's because I recently ordered someone to organize the family documents and found an ancestor's will. The will instructed future generations of Inoue to hide that thing in the best possible way, bury it underground, and keep it from being discovered."

I hurriedly asked, "Who wrote that will?"

Tsugio Inoue replied, "I can show you the will."

I nodded, and Tsugio Inoue opened a file cabinet, took out a clip, and handed it to me. I kept my gun pointed at Inoue while looking at the paper clipped in the file. The paper had turned yellowish, indicating its age.

The handwriting was very rough, indicating that it was written by an old man near his death, stating: "The extraterrestrial object brought by extraterrestrial visitors must be preserved properly. It must not be dampened by water or destroyed by fire. It must be buried underground, waiting for its original owner to reclaim it. Any violation by descendants will be considered extremely disobedient." The name below was Shiro Inoue.

Tsugio Inoue explained, "The Inoue family originally were fishermen from Hokkaido. It was only from Shiro Inoue onwards that we gradually became well-known wealthy individuals nationwide."

I asked curiously, "How did you know that 'extraterrestrial object' refers to that thing?"

Tsugio Inoue replied, "Before this will was discovered, that thing was considered a family heirloom, a symbol of prosperity passed down from generation to generation, and was called 'extraterrestrial object.'"

I fell silent. Tsugio Inoue had told me everything, but I still couldn't understand.

Tsugio Inoue then asked, "Do you have any more questions?"

I said, "Yes, so how did you lose that extraterrestrial object and even the box?"

Tsugio Inoue rubbed his hands and said, "This matter is even stranger. The hard metal box was quite large. I saw it once at the instrument factory and ordered them to transport it to the airport. I have a private plane and planned to transport the box to our Inoue family's ancestral tomb and bury it underground. But at the airport, the box disappeared!"

I asked, "Didn't you call the police?"

Tsugio Inoue replied, "Of course, the chief of the police station at the foot of the mountain is my good friend." When he said that, he emphasized his tone, as if warning me that there would be no benefit if I offended him.

I smiled, got off the table, paced back and forth a few steps, and said, "Mr. Inoue, this is the last question."

Tsugio Inoue's expression immediately became tense, apparently not knowing how he would deal with me after I asked the last question. He licked his lips and said, "Go ahead."

I said, "Mr. Inoue, I believe you truly don't know what the 'extraterrestrial object' is. But have you ever considered that it might be something very important, important enough for international spies to have a need to seize it?"

Tsugio Inoue was silent for a few seconds before saying, "I don't understand what you mean by saying that."

I said firmly, "I once saw that hard metal box in an embassy of a certain country, but now, I have no idea whose hands it's fallen into."

Tsugio Inoue shook his head and said, "No one knows what the 'extraterrestrial object' really is. It's indeed a very mysterious thing, but I don't think it's as valuable as you think."

I stared at him and asked, "Why not?"

Tsugio Inoue replied, "Perhaps it's because I've seen this thing since I was a child."

I sighed and said, "I really wish I could see that 'extraterrestrial object'."

Tsugio Inoue said, "I once took pictures of it. Would you like to see?"

I exclaimed, "Yes, yes, yes! Please show me."

Tsugio Inoue said, "Then I'll have to get up and move around a bit." I stepped back and said, "Please do, but don't alarm anyone else. It won't be beneficial to you."

Tsugio Inoue suddenly laughed and said, "Do you think I'm a child who can't live without protection? "As he spoke, he stood up and went to a file cabinet, rummaged for a while, and took out two large photos, saying, "Here they are."

I took them, raised my gun, and said, "Please return to your seat." At that moment, my vigilance towards Tsugio Inoue was not as tense as when I first arrived because I believed he was intelligent and had discerned my purpose for coming – simply to clarify some questions about the 'extraterrestrial object', not to harm him.

So, while I asked him to return to his seat, I looked at the two photos. I only glanced at them, but my full attention was drawn to what was in the photos.

Tsugio Inoue had a strong ability to summarize. His description of the 'extraterrestrial object', though simple, was accurate. It was a hexagonal prism with twelve faces. From the photos, it appeared silver-gray, like a highly advanced alloy.

Two faces were green granular protrusions, somewhat resembling 'electronic eyes' on a camera. And more faces appeared to be instruments, with many delicate markings.

What shocked me even more was that on one face, there were characters. I was shocked because I didn't recognize a single character, but I had seen them before – in Fontaine's diary! The inexplicable twist of those characters had many similarities, clearly the same script.

I was completely absorbed by the two photos. Fontaine's diary was still with me, and I was about to take it out to compare the characters on the 'extraterrestrial object' with those in the diary when suddenly, I felt the atmosphere change.

It was purely an intuition cultivated over many years of adventurous life. I raised my head abruptly and saw that Tsugio Inoue was no longer behind his luxurious writing desk.

It was at that moment that Tsugio Inoue's voice came from behind me, and I felt a hard object pressing against my waist. Tsugio Inoue said, "Drop your gun and raise your hands."

In that instant, I felt extremely frustrated!

I had to drop my gun and raise my hands.

I took a deep breath. I had put in so much effort, taken so many risks, and had just gotten some results, based on the similarity of the characters on the 'extraterrestrial object' to those in Fontaine's diary, suggesting a connection between the 'extraterrestrial object' and Fontaine.

But just because I found this out, felt excited, and was completely absorbed in it, Tsugio Inoue had managed to get behind me!

I hadn't even considered that someone as successful as Tsugio Inoue wouldn't tolerate failure. Success was fun for him, and he always wanted to resist me. No matter what my purpose was, he couldn't allow himself to be subordinate to me, to listen to my orders!

And I had overlooked this important aspect of his character! As a result, he completely turned the tables on me!

I laughed bitterly to myself. At that moment, I really couldn't think of a way out. I dared not move because if I died at Tsugio Inoue's hands, it would undoubtedly be considered 'self-defense'. He would have no charges against him!

And precisely because he could kill me without any consequences, he could kill me at any time, so I had to be extremely cautious, to prevent him from acting!

I held up my hands, trying to make my voice sound calm, and said, "Mr. Inoue, things have changed so quickly!"

Tsugio Inoue burst into laughter and said, "Move forward, stand in the corner, and keep your hands up!"

In that situation, I had no choice but to obey his orders. When I reached the corner, Tsugio Inoue said again, "Have you ever thought that if I killed you now, there would be no charges against me?"

I felt a chill in my heart and thought for a moment before saying, "Of course, I've thought about it, but I'm not afraid." Tsugio Inoue asked, "You're not afraid of death?"

I shrugged and said, "No one isn't afraid of death. What I mean is, you won't lay a hand on me."

Tsugio Inoue said, "You dare to trust me like this?"

I said, "I firmly believe that you know why I came to see you, and it's not with ill intent. I just want to clarify some doubts. Do you know, if I didn't use this method, it might take a year or more to see you? And if you kill me, legally, you'll have no responsibility, but morally, will you be at peace?"

Tsugio Inoue was silent for a while and said, "It seems you're not an ordinary criminal." I immediately said, "I'm not a criminal at all!"

Tsugio Inoue said, "Okay, turn around."

I didn't understand what he meant by asking me to turn around, but I had to obey. When I turned around, he waved his hand. In that moment,

 I couldn't help but laugh and cry.

It turned out that what Tsugio Inoue was holding in his hand wasn't a gun, but a pipe! Just now, I had been subdued by a pipe, which was truly a laughable matter.

Tsugio Inoue saw me freeze in place, and he chuckled triumphantly. I lowered my hands and said, "Mr. Inoue, although it's a dramatically failed attempt, it could be said to be the only failure in my life."

Of course, I've had numerous failures in my life, definitely more than just this one incident. But my statement gave Tsugio Inoue a sense of pride, as if I had given him a "high hat".

Indeed, Tsugio Inoue chuckled triumphantly again and said, "Who are you?"

In such a situation, I saw no need to hide my identity anymore. I reached out, pulled down the mask covering my face, and said, "My name is Wesley, and I'm Chinese."

I couldn't believe I had become a "well-known figure". As soon as I spoke, Tsugio Inoue's hand trembled, and the pipe in his hand fell to the ground. He exclaimed, "Wesley! If I had known it was you earlier, I wouldn't have dared to play this trick on you!"

I smiled and asked, "Why?"

He shrugged and said, "No particular reason, but I know some of your deeds. How could I play tricks on you?"

At this point, I understood the reason for Tsugio Inoue's success. His success stemmed not only from his family background but also from his own personal qualities. I reached out my hand, and he shook it. I immediately said, "I apologize for what just happened."

Tsugio Inoue said, "No need. You came for the 'extraterrestrial object,' which could greatly benefit the prosperity of our Inoue family. But how did you become interested in this matter?"

I replied, "It's a long story. If you're interested, I can tell you all about it, but first, please have your driver released, and I'm willing to apologize to him."

Tsugio Inoue chuckled and rang the bell, instructing someone to release the driver. He also ordered coffee to be brewed. In his study, I detailed the sequence of events to him.

Naturally, I also brought out Fontaine's diary and compared the characters on the 'extraterrestrial object' with those in the photos. Sure enough, the two strange twisted characters were obviously of the same category.

After listening to my story, Tsugio Inoue stood up, pacing back and forth, and said, "The news of Dr. Sasaki's assassination has shaken the whole country. Originally, Dr. Sasaki and the Inoue family could have been connected through marriage, but we learned that his daughter's behavior was highly questionable."

I defended the daughter, saying, "It's not that her behavior was questionable, but she loves Fontaine!"

Tsugio Inoue snorted and furrowed his brows, then after a moment of thought, said, "Have you ever considered this point?"

I couldn't help scratching my head and asked, "Which point?"

After thinking for a moment, Tsugio Inoue said, "The heirloom in our family is the 'extraterrestrial object'. I think Fontaine might be the 'extraterrestrial person' mentioned in the will!"

I couldn't help but laugh and said, "So, you're saying Fontaine is over a hundred and eighty years old?"

Tsugio Inoue also laughed, but while he laughed, I felt that there was some truth in what he said! After listening to my description, Tsugio Inoue believed that Fontaine was the 'extraterrestrial person' mentioned in his ancestor's will, which was not entirely unfounded.

His belief was based on the fact that the characters in Fontaine's diary were the same as those on the 'extraterrestrial object'.

However, this alone couldn't prove that Fontaine was the 'extraterrestrial person'. Moreover, the Inoue family's will had been around for almost two hundred years, which was somewhat unbelievable.

So, both Tsugio Inoue and I laughed off this speculation without delving deeper into it. Tsugio Inoue asked, "What are your plans next?"

I smiled bitterly and said, "The Moon Society thinks I can fly, and the embassy of a certain country thinks I deceived them. It seems I'm at a dead end." Tsugio Inoue encouraged me, saying, "Are you at a dead end? Absolutely not!"

I said, "Now, I want to meet the chief engineer of that precision instrument factory."

Tsugio Inoue chuckled and asked, "Why? Do you also think that the extraterrestrial object could be a precision instrument?"

I shrugged and said, "So far, I've only seen the object in photos. It's hard to draw conclusions. I want to hear his opinion."

Tsugio Inoue said, "That's good. I'll contact him first. He also has an extraordinary interest in this thing. I believe he'll talk to you in detail."

He picked up the phone, dialed the number, and spoke to the engineer. Meanwhile, I paced back and forth on the soft carpet. Half an hour ago, this magnificent study was tense and tense! But now, there was no such feeling at all. I couldn't help but laugh at myself. I never expected to meet Japan's richest man, Tsugio Inoue, in this way.

Before long, Tsugio Inoue hung up the phone and said, "I've made an appointment for you. Tonight at ten o'clock, at his home. Shall I send you to Tokyo?"

I smiled and said, "No need. If your driver doesn't abandon me in the wilderness out of spite, I saw a motorcycle in your garage earlier. I would greatly appreciate it if I could borrow it."

Tsugio Inoue said, "Of course, you can."

I extended my hand to him and said, "Well, I'll take my leave then!"

Tsugio Inoue shook my hand firmly, then suddenly said, "There's one more thing. After considering it, I think it's better to tell you, but I must ask you to keep it a secret."

Tsugio Inoue's expression was very serious when he said those two sentences. I was surprised and said, "Please go ahead."

Tsugio Inoue lowered his voice. Clearly, he wasn't afraid of anyone eavesdropping here, but the fact that he lowered his voice indicated that what he was about to say was very important to him.

He said, "Earlier, you mentioned your contact with the Moon Society. It's necessary for me to tell you a secret unknown to outsiders, that is, the Moon Society has a very strange relationship with the Inoue family."

Upon hearing Tsugio Inoue's words, I couldn't help but be deeply moved.

The people in the Inoue family are either prominent or wealthy. It's hard to imagine how they could be connected to such a sinister cult as the Moon Society!

I hesitated and said, "I still don't understand what you mean."

Inoue Tsugio said, "To understand this matter, we need to go back to distant relatives. My direct ancestor was Inoue Shiro, but Inoue Shiro had a younger brother, Goro, who was one of the founders of the Moon Society. His descendants have been in leadership positions in the Moon Society for generations."

At first glance, this might seem very complicated, but upon closer inspection, it's quite simple.

The two brothers, Inoue Shiro and Inoue Goro, went different paths. The elder brother became wealthy, and his descendants are the well-known Inoue family. However, the younger brother founded the Moon Society, and his descendants have been elders in the society for generations. There is nothing strange about this.

The reason for Inoue Tsugio's secretive attitude is, of course, the Moon Society's notorious reputation. If this secret were to be revealed, it would naturally damage the reputation of the Inoue family.

As I pondered, I nodded to indicate that I understood Inoue Tsugio's meaning.

However, a question immediately arose in my mind: What did Inoue Tsugio mean by telling me about the relationship between the two branches of the Inoue family? Why did he disclose this information to me?

I looked up, intending to ask Inoue Tsugio, but as soon as I raised my head, I understood.

The Moon Society's followers spread the words of the society's founder, claiming that they believed in a happy and fulfilled life on the moon because they saw someone coming down from the moon. Assuming that the "seeing someone coming down from the moon" is true, then Inoue Goro would be among those who witnessed it.

However, coincidentally, Inoue Shiro's will also mentioned the "extraterrestrial person"!

Both Inoue Tsugio and I looked at each other without saying a word. Obviously, both of us harbored the same absurd and unimaginable thought. It seemed that during the time Inoue Shiro and Inoue Goro were alive, someone had truly come from outer space!

Of course, neither Inoue Tsugio nor I could believe it. This was because the situation was too bizarre, surpassing our imaginations!

I smiled bitterly at Inoue Tsugio and said, "I understand what you mean. As soon as I have any clues, I will report the results to you." Inoue Tsugio didn't say much more, just saying, "Nice to meet you. I have some matters to attend to, so I won't accompany you."

He accompanied me out of the study, and the driver who had glared at me followed us to the garage. I rode the exceptionally high-performance motorcycle, revved the engine to its full power, and sped away.

By the time I returned to Tokyo, the city was brightly lit.

I checked the time; there was still an hour until my appointment with the chief engineer. First, I called the hospital to try and contact Mr. Nelson.

However, the hospital's response was that Mr. Nelson had already been discharged, and his whereabouts were unknown. I also contacted the Tokyo police, but they claimed they had no information about this person.

Certainly, Mr. Nelson's identity was extremely confidential, and the police couldn't casually disclose his whereabouts over the phone. I decided to try and contact him after meeting with the engineer.

Riding the motorcycle, I arrived near the factory and ate a full meal at a small restaurant.

Since I returned to Tokyo, I resumed being vigilant. But so far, I hadn't noticed anyone following me.

I felt that in these past few days, although every moment was spent in great tension, the feeling was not very comfortable. However, when I thought that among those tracking me were top-notch international spies and the Moon Society with such extensive influence, and yet I could escape them, I felt extremely proud. Such a sentiment was something that only those who were not used to a mundane life could appreciate.

After filling my stomach at the small restaurant, I walked to the front of the factory. The factory operated day and night, brightly illuminated, and when I explained my purpose at the reception, someone politely came to accompany me into the factory. This was undoubtedly because the chief engineer had already given instructions.

The factory specialized in casting precision instruments, so there was no sound of roaring machinery.