boyutpedia Chapter 90 The Main Artery
Chapter 90 The Main Artery
In April, the night wind in Hokkaido still carries the lingering chill of winter. This chill isn't just low temperature; it's mixed with moisture, seeping straight into your bones.
The nights in Tomakomai Port are not quiet.
The air was filled with the roar of diesel engines, the muffled thud of heavy truck tires rolling over speed bumps, and the distant crashing of waves against concrete breakwaters. The air was thick with the stench of burning heavy fuel oil, mingled with the salty, fishy smell of rotting seaweed.
"Clang!"
A vending machine gleaming with white light dispensed a can of hot coffee.
Satsuki bent down and took the slightly hot can from the delivery slot. She didn't open it right away, but first covered the can with her hands to draw out some heat.
She wore a dark cashmere coat today, with the collar turned up to cover her chin. Although the coat was well-tailored and made of excellent fabric, it still looked a bit flimsy on the dock where the sea breeze was unobstructed.
If it weren't for safety reasons, Satsuki actually wanted Fujita and the others to stand in a row to shield her from the wind.
"Give."
Satsuki tossed in another coin, pressed the button, and handed the second can of coffee to the person next to her.
Amy took the coffee, shivering. She hunched her shoulders, burying half her face in her scarf, leaving only her glasses visible. The lenses of her glasses were fogged up due to the temperature difference, so she had to take them off, wipe them haphazardly with the corner of her clothes, and then put them back on.
"It's so cold..." Amy stamped her feet, the soles of her shoes making a clattering sound on the concrete. "It's even colder here than at the ranch in Bessai Town."
"Hmm...the humidity is high at the beach, so the perceived temperature will be even lower."
Satsuki pulled the tab on the can, and with a soft "hiss," steam escaped.
"Be patient, Amy. We're observing the veins of this empire; it would be a shame to miss it."
She took a sip, and the taste of cheap instant coffee spread in her mouth, cloyingly sweet, but at least it was hot.
"This tastes awful... Why aren't there any coffee shops here...?"
Amy, holding a hot coffee, followed Satsuki's gaze.
A huge white ship was moored in the berth in front of them.
The ship was adorned with a red sun emblem and the words "SUNFLOWER." It was a massive vessel with a high freeboard, and the lights on its decks illuminated the surrounding sea. A huge gangplank at the stern had been lowered and placed on the dock, connecting the land to the ship's interior.
"Is this... a passenger ship?" Amy asked, squinting.
"It's a roll-on/roll-off ship belonging to Mitsui O.S.K. Lines."
The person who answered her was a middle-aged man wearing a yellow hard hat. He was wearing a reflective vest, holding a walkie-talkie, and stood somewhat nervously two steps behind Satsuki. He was the head of SA Logistics' Hokkaido region, named Tamura.
Tamura wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead, unsure whether they were cold or hot, and continued to explain, "This type of ship is specifically designed for transporting vehicles. Not only can it carry people, but more importantly, its vehicle deck is very high, allowing large trucks to drive right in."
As if to confirm his words, a deep and rapid engine sound came from the port entrance.
A convoy of white refrigerated trucks came into view.
The trucks looked brand new, their white paintwork devoid of any superfluous decorations, except for a simple black logo—"SA"—printed on the side. The convoy stood in a neat single file, their headlights drawing beams of light in the night.
"They're here," Satsuki said softly.
Without the slightest pause, and without the tedious reversing, unloading, and reloading that occurs at ordinary freight stations, the convoy drove straight to the giant ship, and one after another, they drove into the ship's hull via the lowered steel gangway.
The whole process was smooth and quick, without any unnecessary movements.
"This is our 'sea highway'."
Satsuki held the coffee can in her hand, her fingertips gently tapping the can.
"Starting from here, we cross the Tsugaru Strait and head south along the Pacific coast, all the way to Oarai Port in Ibaraki Prefecture."
She turned around and looked at the red taillights disappearing into the depths of the ship's cabin.
"If we travel by land, the journey from Hokkaido to Tokyo crosses the entire island of Honshu. We have to pay expensive tolls and fuel costs, bear the risk of driver fatigue, and deal with uncontrollable traffic jams. Every unexpected event increases our costs and reduces our efficiency."
“But here,” Satsuki pointed to the ship, “all they have to do is drive the car on. The driver can go to the cabin, take a hot shower, have a hot meal, and then get some sleep. When they wake up tomorrow morning, the ship will have already reached Kanto.”
Amy looked at the vehicles.
"So... the truck is moving even when it's sleeping?"
"That's right." Satsuki nodded. "This is the art of utilizing time differences."
She finished the last sip of coffee, threw the empty can into the trash can next to her with a loud "clatter".
"Mr. Tamura."
"Yes!" Tamura immediately stood up straight.
"What's in this batch of trucks?"
Tamura didn't need to look at the list in his hand and immediately replied, "It mainly consists of the engineering equipment for the return trip, about two tons of trial-produced fresh milk samples, and seed potato samples that were just received from Tokachi."
"For testing purposes?"
"Yes. It's mainly to test the stability of the cold chain unit while sailing at sea, and to record the temperature change curve throughout the entire process. We placed a temperature recorder in the compartment and recorded data every ten minutes."
Satsuki nodded, a satisfied look on her face.
"Very good. This is just a drill."
She turned to look at Amy. Amy was holding a half-finished cup of coffee, the lights of the dock reflecting off her glasses.
"Amy, don't you find this strange? Our potatoes haven't even grown yet, and the cattle have only just entered the pen. The yield is almost zero. Why are we in such a hurry to make this empty trip? It looks like we're just burning money."
Amy nodded honestly: "Yes, a little... If it's just for transporting those samples, air freight or regular courier seems cheaper."
"Because we cannot follow in other people's footsteps."
Satsuki's voice was soft and slightly dispersed by the sea breeze, but it still reached Amy's ears clearly.
"If we use land transport, we have to go through the distribution centers controlled by the agricultural cooperatives. If we use rail, we have to rely on JR Freight."
Satsuki walked to the edge of the breakwater and looked down at the black seawater.
"Once our production increases, if those people just obstruct us slightly in the transportation process, such as setting up a checkpoint at this intersection or delaying the departure time at that station, our fresh milk and vegetables will rot on the road."
She stretched out her hand and pointed to the dark sea to the south.
"But this part of the sea is none of their business."
"The ship will arrive at Oarai Port early tomorrow morning. After our convoy disembarks, it will only take an hour to drive into our 'abandoned warehouse' in Chiba Prefecture."
Amy paused for a moment. She remembered the real estate investment that had once puzzled her. Six months ago, Satsuki had bought a seemingly worthless old warehouse site in Chiba Prefecture.
"That place is now the pre-preparation base for Saionji Foods' central kitchen."
Satsuki turned around, her back to the sea, and looked at Amy.
"From now on, nothing shipped from here will go directly to supermarket shelves."
"Potatoes will be steamed and mashed there to become croquette filling; onions will be sliced and fried to become curry ingredients; beef will be thinly sliced and cooked into a rich broth."
"They will be turned into rice balls, bento boxes, and ready-made meals."
"This is called 'de-chefization,' also known as 'industrialized catering.'"
Satsuki's lips curled into a faint smile.
"While the agricultural cooperative members were arguing heatedly over the wholesale price of a few radishes in the field market, our products had already been transformed into hot, semi-finished products, bypassing their market and being delivered directly to consumers' mouths."
"Right now, we are laying pipes."
"Next year, when Tokachi has a bumper potato harvest and Betsukai's milk stores are overflowing, this pipeline will be a continuous flow of cash."
"Waaah—"
A long whistle blew, interrupting Satsuki's words.
It was a deep, resonant sound that made one's chest resonate slightly.
The massive gangplank began to slowly retract, emitting a heavy metallic clang. Several seagulls perched on the breakwater were startled and took flight, circling under the lights.
The ship trembled slightly, and the propeller at the stern churned up the black seawater, creating white foam.
The giant ship named "Sunflower," carrying dozens of test trucks, slowly sailed away from the dock.
It didn't take away Hokkaido's coldness, but it took away the most fertile nutrients here.
Amy watched the giant ship gradually disappear into the distance.
On the dark sea, the red signal light at the stern cast a long, trailing shadow, rising and falling with the waves like a weak but tenacious heart beating in the cold waters of the North Pacific.
"Let's go, Amy."
Satsuki tightened the collar of her coat.
"The testing here is over. This wind is giving me a headache."
Amy quickly drank the last sip of her now lukewarm coffee, threw away the empty can, and jogged to catch up with Satsuki.
The two walked toward the black sedan parked by the roadside.
The car was heated, and as soon as I sat in, the warmth instantly enveloped my entire body, making me shiver involuntarily.
Satsuki leaned back in the leather seat and closed her eyes.
"Where to next?" Amy fastened her seatbelt, took off her glasses, and carefully wiped them with a cleaning cloth.
"Let's go see a 'great artist'," Satsuki said with her eyes closed.
"An artist?" Amy paused, looking puzzled. "In a place like this?"
"Yes. In this world saturated with the stench of money, someone has to be responsible for creating dreams, right?"
Satsuki opened her eyes and took one last look at the giant ship that was sailing away through the car window.
It has turned into a small dot of light and disappeared at the horizon where the sea meets the sky.