Chapter 167: Incompetent Rage!

The open-plan office area of the Japan Metropolitan Police Department was shrouded in the pale, cold light of fluorescent lamps, and the air was thick with the heavy scent of ink and instant coffee.

Dozens of gray partitioned desks were arranged in a honeycomb pattern, each piled with mountain-like stacks of files of varying heights—the edges of the kraft paper case files were curled and yellowed, colorful sticky notes covered them like scales, and unsealed search warrants were pressed under metal paperweights; Police Sergeants in navy uniforms hunched their backs, the blue light of LCD screens reflecting in their bloodshot eyes, while the sound of keyboard clacking and the buzzing of fax machines wove into an incessant white noise.

Superintendent General Watanabe Eiji was, as always, still at the Metropolitan Police Department headquarters; when a thunderous cheer erupted from downstairs, Watanabe Eiji knew the matter had been resolved.

Before he could react, a call from Chief Cabinet Secretary Onoda Kimiaki arrived: "Eiji, this matter was handled well. Listen, the University of Tokyo has confirmed that Professor Tsuda will take full responsibility for all crimes. What you need to do is stop here. Do you have the confidence to persuade that Uesugi?"

"Yes, Chief Cabinet Secretary, I guarantee the mission will be accomplished."

"Very good." The Chief Cabinet Secretary paused, then said with a hint of a smile: "Soundman."

"Although forcing Tsuda Daisuke to confess was not our original intention, you at least avoided further intervention from the District Public Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Department and the United States." Chief Cabinet Secretary Onoda was quite satisfied with Watanabe Eiji's performance this time: "That thing you set up, it's truly excited! Is it called the Special Mission Unit?"

"Yes!" Watanabe Eiji said cautiously: "My daughter is serving as the Unit Chief, and the son of Financial Services Agency Commissioner Okada Masahide, Masayoshi, is serving as the Acting Unit Chief..."

"In any case, the success of this case relied on that Uesugi Muneyuki, right? I've noted it—a descendant of Uesugi Kenshin, the grandson of senior Kuninori, hahaha~" Chief Cabinet Secretary Onoda interrupted Watanabe Eiji's introduction: "In short, if there are any troublesome major cases in the future, I may still have to rely on you. If something like this happens again, you can report directly to me."

"Yes, our Metropolitan Police Department will do our utmost to serve the Cabinet and the Chief Cabinet Secretary! To serve the citizens!"

The call ended, and Watanabe Eiji could not contain his excitement; he threw a set of wild, flailing punches right where he stood!

Handling this matter well had brought him an incredibly precious opportunity: he had obtained authorization for a channel to report directly to the Chief Cabinet Secretary!

For Watanabe Eiji, who still aspired to keep climbing, this was too important!

Some are happy while others are sad; just as the Metropolitan Police Department was cheering for victory, in Kasumigaseki, at the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office headquarters.

The Special Investigation Department had no gains today. Because Headquarters Chief Kirekawa had not found evidence, he was forced to withdraw from the University of Tokyo first and readjust the plan. After all, that was the University of Tokyo; even if the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Department was lawless, they knew what it meant to specifically invite the University of Tokyo President, half the School Board Members, and the Dean of Agriculture and Forestry to come over only to end up with nothing.

It not only meant the other party would not easily agree to let you come to the scene for a search again, but it also meant that if you failed to find decisive evidence next time, the University of Tokyo could rightfully refuse to cooperate with the Special Investigation Department thereafter.

After all, that was the University of Tokyo! The University of Tokyo that monopolized half of Tokyo!

Impossible!

Nani? The intelligence was fake?

Headquarters Chief Kirekawa's face was ferocious. He had thought this time was a guaranteed victory. Due to information asymmetry, he had mobilized much faster than the Metropolitan Police Department. Besides immediately notifying the designated testing agency to conduct tests, he had also sent people to seal off the waste warehouse in advance, and then invited TBS Television for a live broadcast on-site.

The result was a live broadcast of nothing!

Not only were there no gains, but this live broadcast had affected at least two factions. One was the TBS live broadcast production team; the team leader had already been slated for demotion and transfer to the MBS Television local station!

The other was, naturally, the Special Investigation Department. The public's impression of the Special Investigation Department had always been very good, but this time the live broadcast yielded nothing, and the citizens in the Kanto region began making all sorts of sarcastic remarks.

"Is this some kind of prank show? They even managed to invite the District Public Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Department!"

"This isn't an investigation, it's a daily observation, right?"

"Truly hilarious, what on earth are they doing?"

"Eh, isn't that the new Legendary Forensic Uesugi from last time? Why is he at the scene too? Could it be that the Metropolitan Police Department and the District Public Prosecutors Office are cooperating?"

"(Replying to the above) The Metropolitan Police Department and the District Public Prosecutors Office cooperating? Are you kidding? Have you ever seen the Army and the Navy cooperate?"

"In the past, compared to the Metropolitan Police Department, I always felt the District Public Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Department was more reliable. I didn't expect it to be the other way around, haha~"

"The moon has its waxing and waning, well~ compared to the University of Tokyo case, I'm more concerned about what happened to the Odaiba Building. I really want to go ghost hunting!"

"Yeah, I really want to go ghost hunting!"

This was practically splashing a layer of miso soup on the gold-plated signboard of the District Public Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Department!

Headquarters Chief Kirekawa angrily brewed himself a cup of coffee. He then planned to readjust his thinking; since he couldn't make a breakthrough on the missing persons case, he would change his approach and start with the PT project and Professor Tsuda's financial situation.

Just as Headquarters Chief Kirekawa was gathering his team, the landline on his desk rang.

It was Chief Prosecutor Nishikawa of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office.

"Hello, Chief Prosecutor?"

"Kirekawa! You idiot!!!!" Chief Prosecutor Nishikawa's roar pierced his eardrums, making Headquarters Chief Kirekawa's head numb: "The situation has changed! The Metropolitan Police Department found the key evidence! Professor Tsuda has been arrested! He confessed that he killed his wife, Tsuda Takako! Now the Metropolitan Police Department has already taken the person away. All our previous efforts are completely muda!!!"

"Do you know what the key evidence is? The key evidence was in that pile of iron barrels you were live-broadcasting! It was right inside! After you left, that forensic doctor named Uesugi Muneyuki directly fished Mrs. Tsuda's bone fragments out of the waste liquid!"

"Did your Special Investigation Department's brains do an international exchange program with the alpacas at Ueno Zoo? The key evidence was right in front of you, and you spent your time fishing around for what? If you don't know how to fish, don't fish; look at how others do it! Are everyone's eyes just bull testicles? You stupid pig!"

"Now the University of Tokyo has admitted to this matter, and the person has been taken away by the Metropolitan Police Department!"

"Watanabe Eiji even specifically called to thank our District Public Prosecutors Office for our assistance. I thank his ******, I ******!"

After finishing, a series of vibrating sounds came from the other end of the phone.

"Chief Prosecutor, I..."

"Beep~ beep beep beep~" The Chief Prosecutor had already hung up.

The muscles on Headquarters Chief Kirekawa's face twitched wildly. He slowly put down the receiver, and just as it was about to land on the phone, the Special Investigation Headquarters Chief picked up the receiver and smashed it fiercely against the desk!

"Ahhhhhh!"

"Bang!" The receiver hit the phone and bounced into the air. Headquarters Chief Kirekawa's face was beet red. He grabbed the entire phone with both hands and smashed it against the walnut desk in a fit of rage; the shattered phone and flying debris splashed onto his suit.

"KUSO!!!!" Headquarters Chief Kirekawa screamed and kicked away the executive chair behind him, only to end up hopping on one foot in pain. With his face twisted, he swept his arm across the desk, throwing everything on it flying, then brought both fists and his head down onto the desktop together, roaring toward the outside: "Everyone! Get in here!"

There was a moment of silence outside, followed by faint sounds of response. Then, the Public Prosecutors, Deputy Prosecutors, and Prosecutorial Investigation Officers who were still organizing data filed in.

They saw Headquarters Chief Kirekawa lift his head from the desk, a red mark imprinted on his forehead, staring at everyone present with a terrifying expression.

"Headquarters Chief?" The Special Investigation Department members realized something was terribly wrong.

"You bunch of idiots!!!!" The Headquarters Chief's roar pierced their eardrums, making everyone's head numb: "The situation has changed! The Metropolitan Police Department found the key evidence! Professor Tsuda has been arrested! He confessed that he killed his wife, Tsuda Takako! Now the Metropolitan Police Department has already taken the person away. All our previous efforts are completely muda!!!"

"Do you know what the key evidence is? The key evidence was in that pile of iron barrels you were live-broadcasting! It was right inside..."

Subsequently, Headquarters Chief Kirekawa repeated everything Chief Prosecutor Nishikawa had scolded him with, word for word. The difference was that he was even angrier and more deranged.

The District Public Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Headquarters was stunned. An indescribable sense of shame and frustration caused them immense pain.

Just a little bit! Just a damn little bit, the decisive evidence was right in front of them, and they had actually missed it!

"Who went with me to inspect the waste warehouse today? Stand out!"

Under the Headquarters Chief's order, dozens of Public Prosecutors and Prosecutorial Investigation Officers slowly stood out.

Headquarters Chief Kirekawa did not hesitate in the slightest; he walked up and delivered a slap.

"Slap!" "Yes!"

Slaps landed on their faces; these Special Investigation Team Prosecutors, who were usually arrogant and overbearing in front of others, dared not make a sound, and even after being beaten until their faces were swollen, they still had to loudly respond, "Hai!"

"Slap!" "Hai!" "Slap!" "Hai!"

After more than a dozen consecutive slaps were dealt, Headquarters Chief Kirekawa gestured to the Prosecutors who had been slapped, signaling it was their turn to slap him.

"No strength! Do it again!"

"With this kind of force, you still want to be Prosecutors?"

"Soft and weak, are you really Special Investigation Team Prosecutors? Use some strength!"

"Good, very spirited! Just like that, slap me hard!"

Under the mandatory order of the Headquarters Chief, every Prosecutor who had been slapped gave Headquarters Chief Kirekawa a slap in return, slapping him until his left cheek was as swollen as a pig's, and until blood flowed incessantly from the corners of his mouth and his nostrils.

Headquarters Chief Kirekawa intended to make himself remember today's humiliation forever.

But after being slapped dozens of times, Headquarters Chief Kirekawa felt he had forgotten something.

What was it?

……………………

At the same time, an uninvited guest arrived at the office of the Superintendent General.

Director of the Commissioner's Secretariat Onoda Kimiaki, the younger brother of Chief Cabinet Secretary Onoda Kimiaki, pushed the door open and walked in directly without greeting.

"Onoda? What is it?" Watanabe Eiji felt instinctively displeased.

"You've done an amazing thing, Superintendent General Watanabe Eiji, so we have come to help as well." Director of the Commissioner's Secretariat Onoda Kimiaki smiled and tossed a Kingston memory card onto Watanabe Eiji's desk.

"Want to know who leaked the information inside the Metropolitan Police Department? Our great Superintendent?"

(End of this chapter)