Shanghai Financial Tower outskirts – January 24, 2013, 12:30 a.m.
A man in a faded janitor's uniform rolled up on a second-hand motorbike. His engine softened as he stopped in the shadow of the towering skyline. At thirty-six, he looked like an ordinary guy getup: glasses low on his nose, cap pulled down, a fresh bandage across the bridge of his face. His wary eyes flicked upward.
Before him loomed the Shanghai Financial Tower, a hundred and one floors of steel and glass that stretched like a bottle opener into the night sky. Even so, it was dwarfed by its monstrous neighbor, the Shanghai Tower, rising a full 128 stories. The guy clicked his tongue. Be it fortune, or irony, he had his mission in the 'second-tallest' one.
He parked in the queue, touched the fresh bandage over his nose and sighed. Then he walked into the security lane as if he belonged there.
The scanner swept over him. The guard on duty gave him the same half-knowing, half-bored look as always. A month of repetition had bred familiarity, if not trust. The guy returned nothing but silence.
He scratched his neck and walked to the reception. The clerk asked for his card; he handed it over. The scanner confirmed: Riku Hayashi.
Riku smiled, took the card back and let the staff elevator whisk him up. He pressed the button for the hundredth floor and waited. It took time and turns, but he reached the level.
When the doors opened, a figure was already there. A bald, short height American, might be in early thirties with a grin plastered on his face.
"Welcome, brother. We've been waiting," the man said.
Riku knew him as Richard Hexon, who had been with him on the core team since the day he joined.
His eyes went to the jacket — black, with the logo stitched across the chest: a samurai's head, sword forming a sharp V, 'the Shinra Vanguard.'
Shinra Vanguard was, in fact, a mercenary outfit registered as import and export business in Japan. However, their handles took on dirty technical jobs for powerful clients and did the ugly work in the shadows. Tonight they'd been hired by Chinese interests for a technical heist on their own land mark tower that carried NATO's secret project.
The brief was simple on paper but complex in practice. The "asset" they were targeting was U.S. tech being tested in Shanghai — the Chinese side had secured a role in the project for localized data training. The CCP had their own agenda; hence the contract was signed with Shinra Vanguard.
This floor was staff-only: the service area where the cranes and rigging for high-rise cleaners were stowed. Riku grinned and nodded toward Richard's jacket. "Why the company jacket?"
Richard feigned offense. "Like I had a choice — boss wanted it for the portfolio. Still, looks good." He led Riku toward the changing room. "Come on. We've prepped the gear you'll need."
Before entering, Richard glanced at Riku's bandaged nose.
"What the hell happened to you?"
Riku shrugged and ducked inside. "I tripped."
Inside, the room was bare: one table, a bench, a humming water purifier, harsh tube lights overhead. Two duffel bags sat on the table. And leaning against it,while grinning like a devil, was Anton Volkov.
The Russian giant seemed six-foot-four. He tilted his head at Riku's bandage. "You got balls, bratan. Captain did that, yeah?"
Richard blinked. "Wait.. seriously? The boss broke your nose? Holy shit. What'd she say?"
Anton shrugged. His English was clumsy but cutting. "You absent, you lose, little American."
Richard bristled. "What did you just say, you oversized vodka barrel.."
While they bantered, Riku shed his cap and glasses and peeled off the janitor's uniform to reveal the layer beneath: a simple undergarment that showed a lean, muscular frame. He opened one of the bags and pulled out a black tactical suit , which was flexible, tight fitting, and dark, the kind most suited for night operations, with the Shinra Vanguard emblem stitched on the chest.
Despite the chatter around him, Riku's mind drifted a beat into memory. A small smirk hovered at the corner of his mouth as the present blurred into a flashback.
In flash back:
There was a dark room, lit only by the glow of a projector. A young woman stood at the front, wearing a fitted top and a short skirt as she directed the beam of light onto the board. Her name was Ayane Sakamoto
She had a striking appearance, with a well-toned figure, about five-foot-six in height, and around thirty-two years old. Being a retired officer from the JSDF(Japan Self-Defense Forces), she still carried the sharp, commanding presence of someone used to discipline. Her eyes were focused and intense as she brought the screen to life.
The slide showed a cuboid core encased in a glass cylinder. Tendrils of cabling and node-ports sprouted from its surface like a mechanical heart.
"This," Ayane said, pointing with a laser, "is the engineering marvel of the century. A processor-storage core built from millions of nano-chips. It thinks. It learns. In civilian terms: an advanced CPU with adaptive intelligence. In military terms: an autonomous decision engine."
She keyed the name on the slide. "They call it ELOS which stands for Electromagnetic Linguistic Operational System."
A familiar voice floated from the dark. "So we steal that?"
Ayane stared into the darkness and replied, her tone carrying a clear warning."I'm not done yet, Anton."
The room fell silent. No one spoke. It was not because they respected her, but because they were afraid. Ayane knew exactly what each team member disliked, and she used that knowledge to her advantage. She exploited their weaknesses, using them as leverage to maintain control, regardless of how difficult the mission was.
But there was still someone who liked to challenge her authority. It was Riku, the newest member of the team, who spoke up."Is it AI? The artificial intelligence everyone's talking about.. the one rumored on the dark net that can replace human creativity and take automation to the next level?"
Ayane exhaled, the faint annoyance of someone used to managing personalities as much as missions. "Yes. It's AI. A military-grade system — ELOS. More than automation: defensive and offensive cyber capabilities. In time downgraded versions may go public, but this iteration is for elite use. That's why it's being field-tested in China."
She turned back to the team, her voice steady and sharp as she explained.
"China's leadership is deeply concerned about this technology. They want to sabotage it—not destroy it, but gain remote access without being detected. Their goal is to clone the source code, reverse-engineer it, and use it for their own development."
She paused, letting the weight of her words settle.
"Any questions regarding this?"
A man with a distinct Chinese accent spoke up.
"But Captain, aren't the NATO members too arrogant to share something like this with non-allies for data training and testing? Wouldn't they have already calculated the risks and prepared for something like this?"
The speaker was Li Wei, a 28-year-old operative from Taiwan. His tone was respectful, but skeptical.
Ayane replied, "Good observation, Li. I know it's a trap—that's why we're being hired. However, they're too arrogant to take China lightly. For your information, China holds a thirty percent stake in this project. What they're aiming for isn't to destroy it, but to secure space and gain admin rights to regulate and monitor. That's likely how they plan to bypass NATO's protocols and justify bringing the system into the Shanghai Financial Tower."
Riku leaned forward, asking, "Which floor, Captain?"
Ayane folded her arms, irritation flickering across her face. "Coming to that part. Kieta, change the slide."
Kieta, the youngest and brightest tech on the team—the quiet type, except when buried in code—clicked the projector.
The display shifted, showing the building's layout. The 94th to 100th floors were observatories and non-rental spaces. The 73rd to 93rd belonged to Park Hyatt Shanghai Hotel. JP Morgan Securities occupied the 63rd floor, where the core lab was located.
She explained, "Security is extremely tight, so no one can simply walk in. However, we have been given blueprints of the ventilation ducts. Through these ducts, it is possible to bypass the main entrances and enter the core room undetected.
The real challenge lies in getting in and out. The corridors are filled with CCTV cameras and guarded by NATO personnel. Even if we manage to avoid detection at the doors or elevators, our movements would still be traced from start to finish."
She pointed at the screen. "To solve this, someone must enter from outside. Best idea is using the high-rise cleaner rig to reach the maintenance room. That's our infiltration point. For extraction, though, the cable route is off the table. Once a member infiltrates, the rest of us will be forced to evacuate. If alarms go off, the entire building will lock down immediately."
She raised three fingers. "So we have three exit options:
first, Hijack a lift, get our infiltrator to the ground floor, then slip him into janitor cover from Room Six.
second, Use a grappling gun to cross to the neighboring building—Anton will prep that with Li.
and last the third, Helicopter extraction from the 100th floor. The rooftop is clear at night, and our company will arrange the chopper from nearby towers."
The projector clicked off. Lights came on, revealing their so-called "briefing room"—a cramped hideout that doubled as Ayane's temporary apartment.
She immediately narrowed her gaze at the dining table. "You took the last one."
Riku, spoon in hand, licked the final scoop of ice cream. "Oops. Didn't know it was the last."
She rolled her eyes, ignored him, and moved on to assign roles. Richard, who had been absent earlier, would act as the "sweeper": he would get into the maintenance room and send the flash signal to mark which door to use. Anton and Li would rig the grappling hook on the neighboring building. Kieta would handle the hack; he already had the Chinese officials provided codes to breach the tower's systems. Ayane herself would run the operation from the control room of tower.
Finally, they decided Riku would be the assault point man: he'd infiltrate via the high-rise cleaner rig at night.
Riku threw up his hands. "Why me? Last time, you forced me into a cross-dresser act. Before that, you made me ride a bike off a moving trailer. And now you're pinning everything on me?"
Ayane planted a hand on her hip, her voice firm. "Look, Riku. We need someone technical—someone who can run the sabotage software while inside. Kieta is young, handling his part remotely. That leaves you."
Riku squinted, muttering, "Or maybe it's because you're still pissed I ate your ice cream."
The room burst into laughter.
"Serves you right for crossing the line. Captain's revenge," Li chuckled, leaning back on the bed and chewing his gum.
"Sad, bratan. Always you," Anton sighed, finishing his beer.
"Captain is best. Thank you, Captain," Kieta added loyally, still fiddling with the projector.
Riku groaned, throwing up both hands. "Fine, but what's my compensation if I fall off the 100th floor? I've never been that high in my life."
Ayane gave a smug smile as she leaned forward, her deep cleavage pressing into view from her round bust. With a playful air, she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and spoke mischievously, "Riku-kun, you always wanted a date, right? How about one after we finish this job?"
"Ha! Same bogus trap," Li muttered with boredom.
"Here comes, invisible carrot," Anton muttered with a disappointed shake of his head.
Riku thumped the table, refusing to back down. "Fine. But this time you can't dodge it. Every time you break your promise, I want something more..more than just a date and a kiss in advance. My life's on the line here."
Li's jaw dropped in shock. He stared at Riku in disbelief before breaking into a grin. "He actually said that?… lol.. that's the spirit..Goal's the hole, yeah…" he joked, earning groans and laughter. But soon the laughter died down as Ayane became furious.
"Bratan is dead, Rest in peace," Anton muttered, making a cross sign with his hands.
Keita shifted nervously. "Control… captain, control."
This time, Ayane was genuinely angry. Teasing was one thing, but being mocked in front of her crew was another. She cracked her knuckles into her palm and fixed Riku with a menacing glare. "Ajhussi, what did you just say? or will you apologize now?"
Riku gulped, leaning back in his chair but forcing himself to stay calm. "What Ajhussi? I said what I said… Christmas cakes like you should be glad to still be in dema.."
("Christmas cake" being the Japanese slang for unmarried women over 25, seen as past their "best before" date.)
He didn't even get to finish. Ayane grabbed his hair and slammed his face onto the table in a flash, sending the others into a roar of laughter at his misery.
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Author's Note:Sorry, everyone! My proofreader friend has been offline lately, so I'm feeling a bit less confident about releasing this. Please forgive any mistakes.