“Currently, the synchronization rate with the human world is ninety-seven percent and stable, and harmonics and all other values are within normal parameters. This result is beyond what we expected, and even I’m a little surprised. Of course, there are no major bugs being reported in the logic analyzer now that it’s in actual use. Since Nicola Tesla’s system is 8-bit, though, there is a question of how much modern technology we’ll be able to incorporate in it.”
The rows of men leaned forward, eager to hear what Takasu had to say. They were looking at the data on the big screen above his head and muttering to themselves.
“These wonderful numbers are a direct result of Dr. Hashigami’s unpublished paper, ‘Time and the Spiritualizing World.’ After acquiring the paper, we gave it a detailed analysis and succeeded in solving the problems we had with synchronizing with absolute time. It’s no exaggeration to say that he is the man responsible for the creation of the New World System. His loss was a great one.”
“It was a very occultic incident, wasn’t it?” Hatoyama joked, and the rest of them let out a dry laugh.
Even Takasu curled his lips up into a slight grin and shrugged a little. “There are some things in the world it’s better not to learn too much about.”
“So, what about the bugs reported during the first phase?” Matoba raised a hand to get the discussion back on track.
“There’s no issue with that, either. Even after the second phase began, we’ve continued our tracking, but there was a great difference in the amount of scandium in each. Of course, we’ve upped the sensitivity and are continuing to track the orphan receptors, but even if a signal surpasses base values, that is, if anything, evidence that the synchronization values are increasing.”
“Then the second phase is a success, too?”
“Yes, it was.” Takasu nodded.
“Which means at this very instant, the 256 astral bodies are synchronized to the same absolute time that we are?” Now it was Hatoyama’s turn to ask a question.
“Correct. At this point, it’s simply a question of whether you have a body, or not. The synchronization of the spiritual and human worlds has brought our New World System to the level of actual use.”
The men smiled, satisfied with his words. The several-months-long delay had only made their desire to hear of the system’s completion stronger.
“Is the report on our success ready, then? It will make the business discussions go far easier.”
“I’ll explain the New World System’s business plan once more.” Takasu answered, and the data on the big screen disappeared, replaced with the logo of the Bavarian Illuminati and the term “New World System.” “In every era, it’s been mostly the rich and those with high positions in society, like company heads, who have wanted eternal life. And we will sell them the New World System, where we inject them with scandium and bathe them in special electromagnetic waves, to make that possible. Even if their body dies, their personality and memories will remain. That is what they want. And by offering them their heart’s desire, we will be able to climb to a greater position than they had.”
As Takasu spoke, images of microchips appeared on the large screen. “The microchip plan. The plan to control human society by implanting everyone with chips was one recognized by even Rockefeller, but in addition to the cost and risk, issues with the implantation process made it impossible to realize. And so—”
An image of the alpha-type scandium isotope appeared on the screen. “We turned our attention to scandium. This material, which is used in everything from fuel cells to ICBMs, is extremely versatile. Microscopic scandium, preloaded with information, has little effect on the human body and can even be injected into newborn babies in some cases. Once it’s administered via any method except orally, it passes from the blood to the brain, where it takes over the corpus callosum and can never be removed. It’s expensive, but allows us extremely low-risk human guinea pigs.”
The video on the screen displayed a simple, easy-to-understand diagram of scandium multiplying once it was inside a human body.
“Scandium is highly responsive, both in terms of electrical resistance rate and magnetism, so it has no choice but to respond with a high degree of sensitivity to the EM waves put out by the New World System. In other words, we can transmit our orders directly to the brains of recipients.”
Hatoyama interrupted. “Don’t forget that that’s why we went forward with plans for terrestrial HD broadcasting, to free up the analog spectrum.”
“We’re very grateful to the government for their help with that.” Takasu smiled at the proud Hatoyama and continued. “I’m sure you understand this already, but we’re going to sell the New World System to the wealthy and elite with promises of eternal life. And then we’ll be able to control the minds of everyone who purchased it. By controlling the elite, we’ll be able to develop an incredibly lucrative business at no risk whatsoever. And... we’ll be able to do it forever.”
The men broke into applause.
“Amazing.”
“Truly, a wonderful plan.”
The somber, dimly lit room was swept with a strange fever.
Even Takasu himself was a little flush with his success. “Now then...”
Takasu coughed once as a signal to stop the applause. Several photos and profiles appeared on the screen. It was a list of the most important figures in Japan’s political and business world.
“We already have reservations for the first 150 people who want to use the scandium required for the New World System. Eternal Life is a very compelling product.”
One of the seated men—Matoba—spoke up. “One hundred million yen for the scandium. Twenty million yen yearly for an administration fee. Multiply that by 150 people, huh? Not a bad start.”
“Some people have too much money. Just what you’d expect from the chosen people.” Hatoyama had told several jokes today, making it clear that he was in a better mood than usual. “Running the business through the Hachifukushin Circle was a good decision. If we make it look like people in dire need of salvation have donated huge amounts of money to a religion, no one will blame them.”
“So the religion is a cloak to hide our true intentions? Clever.”
“Takasu here is one of the leading figures in Japanese medicine. It’s not the sort of idea you’d expect him to come up with.”
Takasu grinned when he heard that. “The final goal of medicine is to reach a place beyond the death of the body. I am simply seeking to take medicine to its final frontier.”
And then...
Suddenly, the list on the screen was erased, and the symbol of the Bavarian Illuminati appeared on the screen. A voice, clearly different than Takasu or the other men’s, filled the room.
“The final frontier of medicine, huh?”
Everyone in the room froze. Then, they all stood up from their chairs. As the tension in the room rose, they all bowed their heads in the direction of the screen.
Of course, Takasu did as well. He lowered his head and stared at the floor. It felt to him like the temperature of the room had dropped several degrees.
“Master!” Even Takasu could barely keep his voice from shaking.
The master of the Bavarian Illuminati. The man who had controlled Japan’s medical world ever since the end of the war. A living legend who had created all the plans that Takasu and the others were advancing.
That was the person Takasu called “Master.”
“Takasu, what is the final frontier of medicine that you seek?” The voice was flat and monotone, and a normal person would have found it strange.
There was a strange static mixed in with it, as if a machine, not a human, were speaking.
Takasu tensed up his whole body as he spoke, the complete opposite of the easygoing way he’d spoken to the men a moment ago. “If medicine so far has been the struggle against death and disease, then isn’t accepting even death and rising to something beyond it the final frontier of medicine... the ultimate salvation?”
There was a pause, and then the voice spoke again. “Then you think that saving people is a good deed?”
“Yes,” Takasu said, still looking at the floor.
“You’re wrong.”
Surprised, Takasu shivered.
The voice continued. “Saving lives that should die and souls that should be destroyed, in violation of the laws of nature... That is an unforgivable act of blasphemy that goes against the source of life formed by the Sephirotic Tree. However, this ‘evil’ is what has advanced society and brought the world to the future. In other words, ‘evil’... is the final frontier of medicine.”