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“Yasumoto loves technology. He has all the latest high tech to protect his residence, and pretty much everything is controlled by the residence’s main system. If we take control of the main computer, we have control over everything in the Temple: the cameras, the doors, the entire security system.”
“Sounds like a nice new toy for Loir to play with!” squealed the hacker, excited.
“So your plan is to hack the residence instead of attacking it?” asked Dante, raising an eyebrow.
“We will have to do both simultaneously,” sighed Eden, focusing on the Map to avoid his gaze. “Their system is a closed circuit; we can’t hack it remotely, no matter how good we are. I will need to be physically inside to control it.”
“Now I’m not fond of your plan,” whispered Jack behind her.
“So you’re saying if we barge in from the front...”
“He’s going to put his whole residence into a full lockdown,” nodded Eden. “Everyone will be killed as soon as they take one step into the garden.”
“And that’s a big garden,” nodded Loir.
He zoomed out on the Map, showing the whole area around the main residence. Similar to the traditional concept of many Asian-inspired architectures, the Red Temple was a tall building surrounded by a square garden, with several smaller residences scattered around, and the entire residence was enclosed by a large wall with a similar design. Upon seeing this, many of the Italians exchanged glances, suddenly worried.
“...Anything else you know about their security?” asked Rolf, who had crossed his arms and had his usual serious expression on.
Unlike the rest of Dante’s men, Eden could tell his second-in-command was already trying to pinpoint the weaknesses in the Japanese defenses. However, the response came from Loir, who suddenly let out a very strange screech, making half the room jump.
“Thiiiiiiiis baby!!”
He quickly typed something on his keyboard, and suddenly, the Map of the residence was replaced by a large image of what looked like a gigantic Chinese dragon, with a long body like a snake, long whiskers, and four clawed legs.
“...What is that thing?”
“It’s called Seiryu,” said Eden, walking closer to it. “In Asian folklore, Seiryu is a mythical Azure Dragon akin to a protective deity. This thing is Yasumoto’s favorite toy and the equivalent of his guard dog. According to the rumors, he specifically requested a dragon to try and piss off Old Man Long, meaning he thought he deserved the spot as the Zodiac’s Dragon, but of course, it had no effect at all. However, that thing is still in his garden, acting as the main opponent to its intruders.”
“But what is it? …Some sort of robot?”
“According to the rumors, it’s one of the latest versions of animatronics,” said Eden. “An entirely tech-engineered creature. It was one of the side results of the creation of the first Artificial Intelligence. Rivals of the Architect came up with poor results at trying to reproduce human intelligence in a machine, so instead, they sold it as what could be used to power up intelligent electronic pets. However, it turned into a contest of who could do the craziest or more dangerous thing, and eventually, we ended up with results like this thing. It is crazy expensive, but it does work as an intruder-killer.”
“...How are we supposed to get past that thing?” whispered George. “Animatronics are fast and almost as smart as humans!”
“From what I know, Seiryu works under one rule: it doesn’t kill the guests that come into the residence through the main door,” said Eden. “Anyone who tries to come in any other way gets killed on the spot.”
“So no matter what, we have to go through that main door,” nodded Rolf.
“Exactly. Unfortunately, the main door only opens under Yasumoto’s command, and all the guests are strictly approved and monitored beforehand.”
“So even if we want to try and sneak in a small group of our people first to take control of the residence, we need an excuse for him to let us in...”
“Exactly.”
A few seconds passed in silence, everyone frowning about the situation. Loir suddenly slammed his desk, making them all jump again.
“I have an idea!”
“Loir...” sighed Eden.
“Let him speak,” whispered Jack. “Ya never know, the craziest ideas are sometimes the best ones...”
“We could try knocking! We tell them we are selling girl scout cookies!”
“...Nevermind,” sighed Jack.
However, after hearing Loir’s idea, Rose and Eden’s eyes met. The two women had reached the same conclusion long before any of the men in the room did, making the redhead chuckle.
