Chapter 522: Let Them Come

The two walked a distance along the deck toward the stern.

The Highlander had sailed quite far.

Looking back, the outline of New York was still clear, but it no longer weighed on the field of vision as it did when they had just left the dock.

The wind blew in from the sea.

The silk scarf on Satsuki’s wrist that Graham had just given her fluttered gently along with it.

There were indeed far fewer people at the stern.

Only a few scattered guests were leaning against the railing chatting, and they were quite far away.

Kissinger stopped by the railing, pulled a box of cigars from his pocket, and put them away as if remembering something.

"Sorry, I forgot you might not like the smell of smoke."

"It’s fine," Satsuki said.

"Then never mind," Kissinger put the cigars back into his pocket. "Brooke already complained once just now. If I lit one up, she’d probably throw me off the boat later."

Satsuki couldn’t help laughing.

Kissinger also chuckled, then looked out at the distant sea.

"You must have other arrangements besides Salomon when coming to New York this time, right?"

"A few," Satsuki said. "Energy assets, cooperation with Carlyle, and several projects currently in progress."

"Sounds busy."

"Not too bad."

Kissinger leaned against the railing and looked into the distance for a moment.

"Miss Saionji, you seem to have been very concerned about the Soviet Union lately."

This remark actually surprised Satsuki a little.

She tilted her head.

"Why do you say that?"

"People from Saionji have been running between Finland and Leningrad much more diligently than before during this period."

Kissinger said casually.

"And Moscow. You all seem to have retained some financial arrangements there as well."

The smile on Satsuki’s face faded a bit.

It wasn’t tension.

She seriously looked at the old man in front of her again.

These things were not all top secret.

As long as one was willing to spend time investigating, traces could always be found.

But for a former Secretary of State who had left the government for many years to casually mention it at a yacht gathering, it felt completely different.

"It seems that after leaving the State Department, you are still very well-informed."

"Sometimes leaving the government makes it easier to hear what people really want to say."

Kissinger smiled.

"Are you Japanese all waiting for something to happen in Moscow now?"

"The Japanese government might be waiting."

Satsuki looked toward the sea.

"I just feel that a lot of cheap things will appear there soon."

Kissinger glanced at her.

"Including people?"

The smile on Satsuki’s face recovered a bit.

"Especially people."

This time Kissinger genuinely laughed.

"It seems what I heard is correct."

"It seems you’ve heard quite a bit."

"After getting older, one always needs something to pass the time..."

The two chatted about the Soviet Union for a while longer.

Kissinger was obviously very interested in why Satsuki was so certain that the Soviet Union would continue to deteriorate, but Satsuki did not explain too deeply, only attributing her judgment to fiscal matters, union republics, and political out-of-control directions that anyone could see.

After this topic came to a close, Kissinger suddenly changed direction.

"By the way, regarding that incident that happened in Tokyo in June—"

He turned his head and looked at Satsuki.

"How is your investigation going?"

The sea breeze happened to blow over.

A lock of hair blown to the side of Satsuki’s face fluttered gently.

"Why ask this all of a sudden?"

"Because I recently learned about a person you might be interested in."

"His name is—Arthur Vance."

After Kissinger finished speaking, he looked at Satsuki’s face.

He was probably expecting some kind of change in her expression.

Surprise.

Confusion.

Or at least seriously asking who this person was.

But Satsuki only blinked her eyes.

"Presidential Special Assistant Arthur Vance?"

This time it was Kissinger’s turn to be stunned for a moment.

"You know him?"

"I do."

Satsuki nodded lightly.

"And I’ve known him longer than I’d like."

She leaned against the railing, her tone still very relaxed.

"He investigated Saionji back when he was at the SEC, and later withheld a sum of money from us under a special directive from CFIUS. After June, the SIS put him back on the investigation list."

The look on Kissinger’s face showed a bit more interest.

"How far have you investigated?"

Satsuki thought for a moment.

"Arthur Vance, current Presidential Special Assistant. Last year he was still at the SEC, then entered the White House policy circle. He now lives at 1642 Thirty-First Street, Northwest, Georgetown, in a three-story townhouse."

"It takes about twenty-five minutes to go back from the White House normally. When there are no official duties, he is more used to driving himself on Wednesdays and Fridays, and most other times he is picked up and dropped off by a driver..."

"You’ve investigated to this extent..."

Kissinger was somewhat surprised.

"And, Miss Saionji."

"I think at least a few of the things you just mentioned have touched upon the privacy rights of American citizens."

Satsuki tilted her head slightly.

"Then are you going to bring me to justice?"

"I’m afraid that’s not up to me."

Kissinger waved his hand.

"Legal matters haven’t been under my jurisdiction for a long time; I’m just a retired old man now."

After saying that, he pulled the topic back.

"So, all in all, what is your conclusion now?"

Satsuki looked toward the sea.

"As for whether June 27th was directly pushed by him, there is no conclusion yet."

She smiled slightly when she said this.

"However, if you are prepared to tell me that he has connections with that group of people, then we already know this."

Kissinger fell silent for two seconds.

Then he laughed helplessly.

"It seems that what I originally prepared to give you is not as valuable as I imagined."

"You can’t put it that way."

Satsuki shook her head.

"At least now I know that Dr. Kissinger also feels this person is worth noting."

Kissinger looked at her, the expression in his eyes turning complicated.

"Miss Saionji, how old are you this year?"

"Eighteen."

"Eighteen years old..."

He repeated the number, with a few touches of emotion in his expression.

"When I was eighteen, I had already lived in New York for three years. That was also the year Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, and the US began fighting a war with Japan."

Satsuki’s eyebrows lifted slightly.

"That being said, isn’t it a bit inappropriate for me to stand beside you now?"

"Fifty years too late."

Kissinger waved his hand.

"And if we really had to decide who to sit at a table with today according to the relationship of 1941, the party on this boat would probably be very hard to hold."

Satsuki thought for a moment, and lowered her head to glance at the direction of the card table just now.

"At least today we still lost one hundred thousand dollars together."

"So the times have indeed progressed."

Kissinger said solemnly.

"In the past, the two countries used fleets to resolve differences; now they just need to send money to charity together."

He turned his gaze back to the distance.

"Since you almost know what kind of underwear Arthur wears, let me change to something you might not know yet."

Kissinger turned around, leaning his back against the railing.

"Recently, some people in Washington have started asking about Saionji frequently."

Satsuki didn’t interrupt.

"Some are asking to what extent Saionji and Salomon have talked, and others are starting to discuss how governance and regulation should be handled if a major American financial institution accepts large-scale foreign capital."

"Some are also reorganizing the investments you’ve made in the US over the past few years."

Kissinger turned his head to look at her.

"Finance, real estate, technology, communications, and some things not too far from the defense system."

The expression on Satsuki’s face slowly calmed down.

"Do you feel someone is preparing to do something?"

"I don’t know."

Kissinger answered very crisply.

"At least not yet."

"Nor can I tell you that these people have formed some organization, sitting at a table deciding how to deal with Saionji next."

"Things are usually not that simple."

He paused here.

"However, some of them have held a fairly strong vigilance against Saionji in the past."

"Now you suddenly came to New York and are preparing to get involved in Salomon."

"I don’t think these changes are just a coincidence."

After listening, Satsuki chuckled softly instead.

"So they’re coming again?"

"I think so."

Kissinger looked at her.

"But it probably won’t be the same way as in Tokyo."

Satsuki agreed with this point as well.

After June 27th, Saionji’s security level in the US was completely different.

Not to mention she was now in New York.

If another assassination attempt against her happened on US soil, and it still had a connection with that group from June...

By then, Saionji probably wouldn’t be the first to have a headache; the White House would likely have to live a lot of overtime life for a while.

"Then what do you think it will be?"

"If I knew, I wouldn’t just be reminding you here."

Kissinger smiled.

"However, since they’ve already discovered that killing you is not a smart way, next time they should choose game rules that are more in line with the US domestic context."

"Politics?"

"Maybe."

"Regulation?"

"Also possible."

"Finance?"

Kissinger turned his face to the side.

"You just said three yourself."

Satsuki smiled, but stopped quickly.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Kissinger turned his head, thought for a moment.

"Probably because I don’t like someone dealing with a guest in this way without my knowledge."

He said very plainly.

"And—"

He glanced at the still brightly lit yacht.

"Today there are quite a few people on this boat who hope Saionji can continue doing business in the US. If you are dragged down by that group, it’s not good news for anyone."

After listening, Satsuki slowly nodded.

"I understand."

"That’s good," Kissinger said. "I’m just giving you a reminder; how to deal with it specifically is up to you to decide."

He paused.

"However, if you need help in the future—"

He pulled a business card from his pocket and handed it to Satsuki.

"You can contact me."

Satsuki took the business card and glanced at it.

It only printed a name and a string of phone numbers, without any company or title information.

She put away the business card.

"Thank you, Dr. Kissinger."

"You’re welcome," Kissinger smiled. "I just mentioned it by the way."

He turned around, ready to leave.

After taking a few steps, he stopped again.

"Right, there is one more thing."

Satsuki raised her head.

"If Saionji decides to deal with Arthur in the future—"

Kissinger turned back and looked at her.

"I might be able to provide help."

Satsuki was silent for a while.

"What kind of help?"

"I cannot guarantee others, nor is it possible to dismantle the entire opposition for you," Kissinger seemed to just say casually, "but if the target is just Arthur Vance alone, I have a way to make the political relationship protecting him now cease to function."

After listening, Satsuki stared at him for several seconds.

She immediately understood the true weight of this sentence.

The SIS could investigate Arthur, check his connections, and look for evidence, but it was hard to directly influence the network inside the White House that decided "whether to continue protecting this person" like the US domestic establishment.

And Kissinger’s words just now were equivalent to directly placing this path in front of her.

"Why?" Satsuki asked.

"Because if Arthur really participated in June 27th, what he did has exceeded the scope of normal political gaming."

Kissinger’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"I don’t like this way, many people don’t like it, and they don’t want anyone to think this way can continue to be used in the future."

"What they did is already crossing the line."

He paused.

"So if you confirm he participated and decide to deal with him—"

He looked at Satsuki.

"Tell me in advance."

Satsuki was silent for a few seconds.

"I don’t need it for now."

Kissinger raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"Because Arthur still has one last value of utilization," Satsuki said softly, "Since this new action against Saionji is already brewing, he is likely to participate more deeply than last time."

She turned around and looked at New York in the distance.

"Let him continue doing it, continue contacting, and continue bringing out the people behind him."

Kissinger stared at her for a while.

Then, he slowly laughed.

"Understood."

He nodded.

"Then I’ll wait for your news."

After speaking, he nodded to Satsuki and turned to leave.

Satsuki stood in place, watching his back disappear on the other side of the deck.

The evening breeze blew in from the sea, carrying a bit of salinity.

She turned around, resting her hands on the railing, looking at the gradually clear New York coastline in the distance.

Lights lit up one by one, outlining the contour of the entire city.

The laughter of Buffett and others could still be heard not far away.

The corners of Satsuki’s mouth slowly curled up.

Arthur.

The opposition.

The new action.

She was originally wondering how long that group of people would remain silent after June 27th.

Now it seemed they couldn’t wait any longer.

Very good.

Last time in Tokyo, she could only passively defend.

This time in the US, she wanted to see what method the opponent was prepared to use to make a move.

Satsuki raised her head and looked at the brightly lit Manhattan in the distance.

"Let them come."

She said softly.

"No matter what it is, Saionji will accompany you to the end."