Chapter 390

In mid-January at Tokyo University, when the semester had just begun, the wind and snow had slightly subsided, leaving the world wrapped in a silent, silver-white blanket. The medical faculty was renowned for its immense pressure, with nearly one or two students each year meeting tragic fates like aerial performers, and the constant flow of students remained extremely busy. At Tokyo University, one could not find the leisurely atmosphere seen at other institutions—at least not near the medical faculty.

Uesugi Muneyuki held his senior Mai in his arms as they sat on the wide, long bench by the road, placing her warm, fragrant, soft jade-like form upon his lap.

Mai leaned into him obediently, her back against his solid chest, smiling as they discussed what they should do next.

Mai's meaning was simple: there were some things Uesugi Muneyuki was better off not knowing. First, if he remained unaware, he would appear natural and unforced during investigations, which would actually protect his safety. Second, if he did not know certain things, he would not bear immense moral pressure and would only need to trust that Mai had always acted in his best interest and stood on the side of justice.

This would also prevent Uesugi Muneyuki from falling into a "moral trap." He remembered that in his past life, when he was still a person of the Celestial Dynasty, celebrities like ancient Tianle would attend events and be constantly confronted by people holding up signs begging for help—helping or not helping left him utterly confused about what to do. By placing himself under the management of Minami Ojou-sama from the Metropolitan Police Department, he aimed to avoid such situations.

So, was Mai worthy of trust?

Uesugi Muneyuki couldn't help but curl the corner of his mouth—her greatest weakness and her most exploitable leverage were both firmly in his grasp. What reason did she have not to be trusted?

However, since Mai managed his inner world and Minami Ojou-sama his outer world, what was this talk of Empress Dowager Ni Ni listening from behind the curtain? As a descendant of the noble warrior house of Uesugi Kenshin, the Dragon of Echigo (whether Minamoto, Taira, or Fujiwara lineage), how could he possibly become the marionette of two women?

Without words, Uesugi Muneyuki embraced Mai's slender waist with one hand while the other naturally slid downward, gently slipping off her white satin water-diamond buckle high heel and grasping her pink silk-clad foot, encased in black matte, non-sheer pantyhose.

Without words, his warm fingers slowly and attentively played with Mai's silk-stockinged foot, his fingertips tracing the soft, smooth Wolford stockings, delicately outlining the bony prominence of her ankle, feeling the warmth and coolness of her dorsum, kneading her small arch with a touch of pity and admiration, and gently stroking her slender toes painted with light pink polish: "Walking in high heels must be tiring—let me rub them for you?"

Mai Shirakawa trembled slightly under this inner-world companion maneuver—not from discomfort, but from a full-body electric tingling sensation. Since the last time Uesugi Muneyuki had short-circuited her entire spiritual power circuit, she had lost all resistance to him. Thus, she relaxed her body, surrendering completely to his near-obsessive touch, resting her head on his chin.

Together, they gazed toward the distant, magnificent expanse of Tokyo University's campus. Beneath the field of vanishing presence, the world seemed to contain only the two of them.

And the lingering warmth of his fingertips tracing her silk-covered feet.

Though Uesugi Muneyuki did not say it outright, she knew he had silently acknowledged it.

This man—ultimately, I've got him completely under my control! I've got him firmly in my grasp!

Mai Shirakawa lifted her head proudly. All along, she had been secretly embroidering her return home at night, using her abilities to covertly uphold justice and eradicate evil. Yet before, she could neither share this with others nor speak of it, let alone boast about it. Though she had mentally prepared herself, now being able to share, speak, and boast felt truly wonderful!

Especially since the two of them functioned like a married couple running a black-market stall—one handling exposure, one handling investigation, one handling planning, one handling execution.

One handles life, one handles death—such grand national affairs, like Diet members deciding behind closed doors how to distribute three melons and two dates to neighbors, were as simple to them as a husband and wife whispering over tea. It brought Mai immense joy, boundless delight.

So having my own Yan Ni feels this good?!

After lingering in that ultimate tranquility, intimacy, and seamless harmony for a few minutes, Mai reached out and pushed him away, signaling they would continue later: "Let's go check on Suou Giin and his poor son first? Come to think of it, is this matter really just over like that?"

"On the surface, it seems settled, but in reality, it's not that simple. The Suou heir's case likely touched the bottom line of the modern bureaucratic government." Uesugi Muneyuki shook his head slightly—this point, Mai just didn't understand.

The bureaucratic system is a strange thing: it appears as a flawlessly precise machine, tightly woven and running smoothly, and any attempt to oppose this massive machine results in utter annihilation.

Yet trying to motivate and supervise this vast machine to operate normally, orderly, efficiently, and cleanly is extremely difficult. In ancient times, reliance was placed on the imperial system; in modern times, on the democratic system (though other systems exist). However, if such systems attempt to directly and forcibly interfere with the normal operation of the bureaucratic system, they often provoke retaliation from it. This retaliation does not happen immediately, because the bureaucratic system is slow to react—but once it does, the retaliation grows increasingly fierce and severe, for once the system activates its revenge mechanism, the process cannot be stopped.

The Suou Ryohei incident was precisely such a forced interference with the bureaucratic system. Its defining feature was that although a certain "big figure" above, through internal special lines, forced the entire bureaucratic system to foot the bill, the system as a whole still felt deeply uncomfortable.

The criminal investigators from the Metropolitan Police Department handling the case felt deeply wronged.

The Public Security Police from the National Police Agency bearing the blame also felt deeply wronged.

Watanabe Eiji felt wronged—did the Public Security Police leader, Onoda Kimiaki, not feel wronged too?

Thus, from top to bottom, everyone shared similar feelings about this matter.

Damn it, how did the country become like this?

Damn it, why is Japan so dark?

Mai doesn't understand this operational logic, but Uesugi Muneyuki does.

This is also why he agreed to pause for a step—because after similar nuclear-level incidents and forced interventions, would the police organization tolerate it the first time? What about the second or third?

Am I supposed to just lose face?

At this moment, the police organization hasn't yet reacted, but this act has already touched the bottom line of the bureaucratic system. And once the police organization reacts, they will tacitly begin planning retaliatory actions.

If it happens again next time, it will only explode more violently, more tragically, inviting even harsher retaliation.

By then, it will be my time to strike!

Thinking this, Uesugi Muneyuki's mood improved considerably. He gestured for us to go check on Suou Ryohei's condition and began humming a tune.

"Damn Faker, can't you spare me once? In my next life, I just want to be a child who wins the all-China championship—no big flying, no Zeus, no left hand—hell, even S14, which I once wanted to forget, is now just history~"

"Damn Faker, can't you spare me this time? Sometimes I'm clearly exhausted but don't know why I must persist~ failing to make the master tournament shattered nothing of Toba's city, the day my brother wins the world championship, I'll clean up the blacklings~"

"Stop singing, stop singing—it's horribly off-key!" Mai punched him lightly.

Tokyo University Hospital, ICU Critical Care Ward.

After enduring a full 36 hours of emergency treatment, Tokyo University Hospital finally snatched this person's life from the hands of death.

After the first stage—vascular ligation, pelvic external fixation, and bladder ostomy—Tokyo University successfully controlled the massive bleeding. Then, in the second stage, after the expert team devised a plan through sleepless nights, they continued with genital (harmonic) organ debridement and excision plus rectal repair, to prevent infection outbreak.

In the third stage, Tokyo University Hospital continued with secondary exploration, peritoneal lavage, and VSD negative-pressure drainage. This phase was also quite perilous, because if mishandled, it could easily lead to sepsis—something Tokyo University Hospital confidently claims has a mortality rate below 5%, whereas doctors elsewhere in Japan lack such capability.

The continuous 36-hour surgery also pushed the patient to the limits of physical endurance. During surgery, 56 units of blood products were transfused (equivalent to a full-body blood exchange 4.8 times), the heart fibrillated three times, and after defibrillation, sinus rhythm was restored.

Subsequent ICU observation remained a grueling ordeal. After repeated confirmations, doctors dared to administer epinephrine pumps to maintain blood pressure above 90mmHg. At this point, crush syndrome nearly caused acute renal failure, forcing continued full-body hemodialysis. Since the patient had overeaten and overdrunk the night before the incident, rectal fecal contamination triggered multiple drug-resistant bacterial infections, so Tokyo University adopted carbapenem antibiotics combined with antifungals.

This wasn't the end—Suruga Ryohei still had to face phantom limb pain from pelvic nerve damage and psychological trauma PTSD. Besides, respiratory muscle atrophy and gastrointestinal functional recovery would require a long time. Initial estimates suggest at least six months before discharge, possibly longer.

This drove Suou Masao nearly white-haired overnight. After repeatedly hearing emergency updates and signing consent forms, his son's condition finally stabilized.

But aside from that, everything else is bad news!

Nippon Life Insurance's investigation results were unfavorable. According to the findings of Team Three for Claims, led by Wu Youhongxin, since Suruga Ryohei's gym injury resulted from improper self-operation, intoxication, and his own request for increased intensity without extra charge, the originally projected 520 million yen payout,

Nippon Life Insurance was only willing to pay 250 million yen in basic medical benefits + VIP organ function loss rider + disability allowance, and stated that if Suou Giin had objections, he could go to court, and Nippon Life Insurance would respect the court's judgment.

But this wasn't the key point—Suou Masao actually wasn't short on these several billion yen. He merely felt this was a naked humiliation of himself, and from Nippon Life Insurance's arrogant, fearless attitude, he faintly sensed something was off.

Damn it! Why is Japan so dark!

And just then, news arrived from ahead.

The Public Security Police fully took over the investigation into the gym and ordered all evidence sealed, while also receiving word from above:

The gym case would be closed as an accidental incident! Other matters would proceed only up to the crackdown on illegal activities at Burning Bar!

And Burning Bar itself was also one of Suou Masao's businesses—just like the Ebisu Gym!

Thus, the investigation outcome became: Suou Masao not only lost his son's remaining half-life and the political heir he had painstakingly cultivated, lost the gym and exhausted his connections, incurred massive medical expenses, and lost Burning Bar as well—and in the end, even the question of who secretly harmed his son remained completely unanswered, as the case was abruptly terminated?

Upon receiving this news, the enraged Diet member fiercely smashed his Sony phone onto the ground, long absent from violently kicking open the corridor doors.

DAMN!!! JAPAN!!! HOW!!! SO!!! DARK???!!!!!!