Chapter 406

"Try to capture him alive?"

Hearing Uesugi Muneyuki's request, the SAT on scene and the frontline commander, Superintendent Ichijo, couldn't help but hesitate.

Yes, Uesugi Muneyuki stopped Superintendent Ichijo and expressed his hope of being able to capture the Ghost Guest alive.

If this were the United States, the US SWAT would probably just laugh it off; in SWAT's view, being able to leave the Ghost Guest with a whole corpse is already giving him face, not to mention blasting his skull and entire face to pieces with a single shot.

But here in Japan, the environment is different, and there is a problem: indeed, the police organization still doesn't know what the Ghost Guest's name is, where he's from, why he has such superb skills, or why he killed the Sato family.

Even the Japanese police still can't confirm whether he is truly the perpetrator of the Toshima ward mass murder case, or if he's just someone with suspicious movements who panicked and fled when Uesugi Muneyuki shouted at him because he had a gun on him, a violent gang terrorist organization member?

As the saying goes well, to catch a thief you need the stolen goods, to catch a traitor you need double evidence.

Naturally, capturing him alive would allow us to gain the greatest merit and achieve the greatest victory.

But, is that possible?

"Let's try our best!" Superintendent Ichijo's expression wasn't good; he naturally also wanted to capture him alive, but this Ghost Guest has already taken the lives of two Metropolitan Police Department officers in succession! He seriously injured one person!

Moreover, in the nationwide live broadcast, he almost had the Ghost Guest take a child hostage! If it weren't for Police Inspector Okada risking his life to save people, our Japanese police would have become an international laughingstock by now!

If, because we wanted to capture him alive, we instead let him escape, this result would be unacceptable to the Metropolitan Police Department no matter what; the only thing we can explain to the outside world is: produce the body if alive, produce the corpse if dead!

"Let us participate." Seeing Superintendent Ichijo hesitate, Uesugi Muneyuki spoke up proactively.

"Impossible! What a joke!" Superintendent Ichijo finally couldn't hold back: "The other side has a gun! And it's a M1911 pistol with far greater power than the small revolvers our detectives carry! This guy has already used a pistol to kill two of our officers!"

"According to Metropolitan Police Department orders, each of us is equipped with a 4A1 or MP5! And shooting permission has been granted, snipers are already in position—what can you people do?" Superintendent Ichijo was quite flushed with anger: "All of you, get back! No more deaths! The rest is left to our SAT! You Special Mission Unit have already seriously injured one person—isn't that enough?"

"Now, immediately, leave the scene—this is an order!"

Superintendent Ichijo almost shouted, gesturing for Uesugi Muneyuki's Special Mission Unit to scram.

Uesugi Muneyuki's face was very grim; although Superintendent Ichijo spoke rudely, he knew this was also for their own good.

The perpetrator has a gun! Moreover, it's said to be a high-caliber pistol, the kind that can shoot through a bulletproof vest with one shot.

He himself isn't too afraid of bullets, but Eirina Igarashi—"Move aside, I'll repeat this one last time!" Superintendent Ichijo gestured for you to scram quickly, then glanced at Uesugi Muneyuki and still said in a low voice: "I will order, try to capture him alive."

"Thank you." Uesugi Muneyuki finally nodded.

As the Special Mission Unit withdrew, under the gaze of countless onlookers, the SAT's strong assault began.

A helicopter hovered in low altitude, monitoring, its strong beam tightly locked onto the area where the Ghost Guest last disappeared,

while another hovered in a relatively safe flank, cabin door open, the barrels of two SAT snipers like the hands of the god of death, firmly locking onto any possible gap where the Ghost Guest might appear in the infrared scope.

Once a technological holy land, now it is a cold grave of steel and concrete, the great dome glass long shattered, only the twisted skeleton remains, thrusting into the gray sky.

Abandoned concept car skeletons, collapsed exhibition booths, scattered building material pipes and twisted metal billboards, forming a three-dimensional labyrinth full of death traps, the sea wind carrying saltiness and dust, wailing through the breaches.

The Ikebukuro Phantom Guest, like a wounded lone wolf, desperately weaves through this concrete jungle, the wound inflicted by Inspector Okada burning fiercely, the heavy frame of the M1911 reminding him of his remaining seven bullets.

Above, two Metropolitan Police Department helicopters loom like vengeful vultures, the massive rotor wash pressing on the eardrums, the strong searchlights like the eyes of divine judgment, sweeping back and forth through the ruins, tearing apart his hiding shadows time and again, the red dot of the infrared electro-optical turret like a snake's tongue, coldly gliding between broken walls and ruins.

The exhibition center isn't very large, and it's been abandoned for a long time, almost nothing usable can be found.

Sirens blare from all directions, SAT pours in from all directions, carefully searching for the Ghost Guest's position, soon forcing him to flee deep into the ruins.

"Toshima ward Ghost! You are completely surrounded! Immediately lay down your weapons and surrender! This is the final warning!" The helicopter's loudspeaker voice, after refracting through the ruin structure, carries a metallic resonance, coldly pouring into the Ghost Guest's ears.

The answer is the deathly silence from deep within the ruins.

The Ghost Guest curls up behind the overturned skeleton of a hydrogen energy concept car, panting violently, sweat and dust condensing on his helmet face shield. He removes the helmet, revealing a face with obvious mixed-race features, now twisted by madness and despair, his dark brown curly hair soaked with sweat, sticking to his forehead. Those eyes scan the heavy M1911 in his hand, then glance at the remaining magazine. Bullets are his countdown to death.

Is there any way to escape?

The Ghost Guest pondered for a long time.

Suddenly, he seemed to see something.

The Ghost Guest moved! And as soon as he moved, SAT immediately detected the target!

"Target confirmed! Repeat, target confirmed!"

Superintendent Ichijo immediately ordered: "Alpha Team, Bravo Team, force entry! Charlie Team, fire support! Delta

Team, authorized final judgment! Gas, shock grenades, deploy!"

"Whoosh one one! Whoosh one—! Whoosh one—!

Several cylindrical CS tear gas grenades were precisely thrown into the area where the Ghost Guest was fleeing to hide! Immediately after, several high-intensity shock grenades!

This is the final arena, the dance of the mad beast and the grinding teeth of the state machine, which will soon unfold in this desolate concrete jungle, the final life-and-death showdown, the sun at nine o'clock on the Emperor's birthday personally witnessing this judgment delayed fifteen years, descending in the most tragic manner!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The shock grenade exploded in midair! Instantly releasing blinding light exceeding 100 million candela and terrifying noise above 180 decibels!

Even if the Ghost Guest covered his ears and tightly closed his eyes, that all-penetrating strong light still pierced his eyelids, burning his retina into a sheet of fierce white!

The massive sound wave struck his skull like a heavy hammer, instantly depriving him of balance and sense of direction! The world reduced to sharp tinnitus and a blinding white!

"Puff——!"

Tear gas simultaneously spread! The pungent, irritating smoke like a living thing drilled into his mouth, nose, and eyes! His respiratory tract and eye membranes instantly felt as if scalded by boiling oil, the burning pain making him unable to breathe, unable to see! Violent coughing and vomiting surged like a tidal wave! Tears, mucus, saliva uncontrollably gushed! He felt as if thrown into a boiling poison gas hell!

"Cough·cough cough cough!" The Ghost Guest let out a beast-like painful howl, his curled body violently convulsing. Consciousness teetered on the brink of collapse under the assault of strong light, noise, and excruciating pain.

"Target confirmed! Southwest area! Exhibition hall ruins courtyard rear!"

"Charge! Charge!"

Trained SAT members, enduring the lingering tear gas smoke and strong light residue, surged in from multiple directions like a black tide!

The Ghost Guest's survival instinct made him struggle to raise the M1911, firing wildly in the direction of the remembered entrance, blindly shooting based on feeling!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Several gunshots echoed in the ruins, bullets striking concrete and metal, sending up strings of sparks.

"Puff!" A SAT member who rushed forward the fastest was hit in the thigh, he cried out in pain, the flying blood mist causing him to stumble and fall to his knees, luckily not hitting bone, only piercing the thigh muscle, and this gunshot disrupted what was supposed to be an unstoppable charge; almost instinctively, SAT members immediately sought cover, daring not to advance further.

Japan has enjoyed peace for so long that even the most elite SAT lacks much gunfight experience, impossible to match the US SWAT

Moreover, the previous incident of continuously shooting through bulletproof vests to kill two police officers also made SAT wary, so SAT members immediately stopped, then launched another wave of shock grenades and tear gas toward where the Ghost Guest was located.

The Ghost Guest's hiding place again transmitted a burst of violent coughing and muffled groans, obviously hit.

"Ready!" The SAT's Fifth Squad Leader raised his hand to signal wait a moment, while the rear SAT members immediately used infrared night vision devices and thermal imaging devices to penetrate the smoke, intending to confirm the opponent's silhouette when.

Through a thick haze of smoke, the ghost who had originally been hiding in the courtyard had actually vanished without a trace!

"Team leader! The ghost is gone!" SAT members bellowed shrilly.

"What?!?!?!"

The remaining SAT members, no longer hesitating, charged into the courtyard despite the lingering tear gas smoke and the residual bright light from the stun grenades.

Gone! Really gone!

All that was left for the SAT was a manhole cover.

The Ghost Guest had fled into the sewers!

Staring at the pitch-black manhole cover, the SAT members looked at each other, but not a single person dared to go down.

The other side has a gun! Going down like this straight away is about as useful as the Calabash Brothers rescuing their grandfather! Who knows how many bullets the other side still has on them?

But if we just let the Ghost Guest escape like this, wouldn't the SAT and the entire Japanese police become a laughingstock to the whole world?

This is trouble!

SAT immediately reported to their superiors.

"The target has escaped into the sewers! Repeat! The target went through the manhole cover and escaped into the sewers!"

"Pfft!" A certain superintendent from the front command center, furious, slammed his fist hard into the back seat of the armored vehicle.

West Mata!!!

At the same time, in the long-neglected sewers.

The Ghost Guest's vision remained a blur, filled only with distorted, swaying light and shadow, sharp tinnitus, and his lungs felt as if they were being pulled by bellows, each breath bringing searing, burning pain.

Motherf**ker, the stun grenades and tear gas this time really filled him up!

The Ghost Guest cursed inwardly, "Once I get out of here, it's not over!"

But can he really get out?

Despair, like a cold tide, completely engulfed this ghost who had committed heinous crimes.

To this day, he still doesn't understand how he was discovered,

he had merely happened to be ashore at Tokyo Bay after many years, heard it was popular, and watched that episode of Fuji TV's "Hand of God" program, never expecting to see his own case, and in his confusion, he found it extremely amusing, then hearing that a 15th-anniversary flower offering ceremony would be held there, his heart filled with mixed emotions, he decided to go and watch, to enjoy the beautiful sight of police bowing and apologizing.

The numb crowd, the inept police, a sense of overseeing everything and looking down on all beings arose spontaneously—he was the true protagonist of this cold case, the victor hidden in the darkness.

Greatness, no need for many words!

As for the risk? Not worth mentioning!

His appearance had already changed with the passage of time.

The original address had been completely demolished and turned into a park.

His mixed-race features were nothing remarkable in today's diverse Tokyo.

The physical evidence from back then (shoes, clothes) had long been destroyed.

Moreover, he had been very careful, merely watching from afar.

Even this could be discovered? Really, it's like seeing a ghost!

Having tried to escape while enduring wave after wave of stun grenades and tear gas to his fill, the Ghost Guest could barely see anything beyond three meters; after taking a few steps, he kept dry heaving, coughing, unable to stand steady, the world spinning, and the tinnitus in his ears felt like it had exploded, making him dizzy and blurred in vision.

But he still had to escape! He did not want to be captured alive, did not want to face trial, and certainly did not want to die under a hail of police gunfire!

And just as he was running and charging around a corner.

"End! (It's over!)" A cold voice echoed from one side of the sewer.

Several figures, like vengeful spirits leaping from the edge of hell, burst out from behind a collapsed concrete pillar on the side! Not fully armed SAT members, but people in uniform suits from the Criminal Investigation Division 1 Special Mission Unit of the Metropolitan Police Department!

Uesugi Muneyuki coldly gazed at the Ghost Guest.

Hmph~ Want to escape?

Come, let's tally up your sins!