2054, Part V: From Tokyo With Love

Zhao Jin solid an appraising look at Mohammad, who moved his meals round on his plate and mentioned, “He gained’t be a senator for for much longer.”

“No,” Zhao Jin answered. “He gained’t.”

“He’ll be within the White Home quickly.”

“It might appear so.”

“He gained’t take Lily Bao with him,” added Mohammad.

“Would Kennedy have grow to be president if as an alternative of Jackie he’d married a German? The daughter of Rommel or Guderian? The injuries of America’s final struggle stay open, and Shriver is an excessive amount of of a coward to danger his political profession for her. Additionally, there’s one thing else.”

“What’s that?” the elder James Mohammad requested impatiently.

Zhao Jin volleyed his gaze between them, as if he had been weighing whether or not to share this final bit of data. “The sequence of code on Widespread Sense. In your stories, you point out issues that it was stolen from an Okinawa-based researcher you’ve funded, a Dr. Yamamoto.”

“Sure,” mentioned Mohammad. “That’s my concern.”

“Earlier than Lily Bao set off on her personal, she labored for the Tandava Group. I assume you’re aware of them.”

Once more, Mohammad nodded.

“Though they’ve divested themselves of the asset, they as soon as had a major funding in Neutronics, a biotech firm. Lily Bao managed that account for the Tandava Group’s founder, Dr. Sandeep Chowdhury. At the moment, Neutronics was doing cutting-edge work in nanorobotics, quantum computing, and bioengineering, together with early-phase analysis of distant gene enhancing beneath the steerage of Dr. Ray Kurzweil. You’ve heard of him, after all.”

Each nephew and uncle nodded.

“He vanished some years in the past after leaving Neutronics,” added Zhao Jin. “It appears the corporate needed to show a revenue off his analysis, whereas he needed to go additional with it.”

“What does this must do with my nephew and Lily Bao?” grumbled the elder James Mohammad.

“Truthers in America are agitating for a fee to analyze President Castro’s dying,” mentioned Zhao Jin. “Perception is spreading that there was foul play—an assassination. The sequence of code that allegedly killed Castro, the one launched on Widespread Sense, what if that sequence of code wasn’t stolen from Dr. Yamamoto’s lab? What if it got here from Neutronics?”

“Are you able to show that?” requested Mohammad.

“Do I have to? If Shriver climbs slightly larger, to the vice presidency and even larger nonetheless, his ties to Lily Bao and Neutronics are leverage we’ll have over him, a method to train management. That can give us a useful edge over the Individuals.”

“So that you wish to blackmail Shriver?” requested Mohammad.

Zhao Jin scoffed. “That’s such an unsightly time period, and it gained’t be mandatory.” He requested if he would possibly share a parable from his nation. “As soon as there was a boy who was attempting to determine methods to earn the cash for a particular toy that he needed however couldn’t afford. On listening to his predicament, a good friend of his in school defined that the majority adults had at the very least one deep, darkish secret and that this made it very simple to get what you needed from them by merely stating, ‘I do know the entire reality,’ even if you happen to don’t know something. The boy thought this sounded prefer it is perhaps a method to get the cash he wanted out of his dad and mom. That day, when he got here residence from faculty, he determined to check out his scheme. He discovered his mom as she was making ready dinner within the kitchen and gave her a grave look, saying, ‘I do know the entire reality!’ His mom rapidly reached into her apron and handed him a 1,000-yuan word, saying, ‘Don’t inform your father.’ Happy that his scheme appeared to work, he waited for his father to get residence that night. Greeting him on the door, the boy mentioned, ‘I do know the entire reality!’ His father, glancing back and forth, took out his pockets and pressed 2,000 yuan into the boy’s hand, saying, ‘Not a phrase to your mom!’ Much more happy and nearer to affording his new toy, the boy thought he would do that trick on a stranger. The following morning, on his method to faculty, he noticed the mailman strolling up his entrance path. He regarded the mailman squarely within the eye and mentioned, ‘I do know the entire reality!’ The mailman rapidly dropped his mailbag, fell to his knees, opened his arms, and exclaimed, ‘Son! Lastly! Come give your daddy a hug!’”