Chapter 454

Kai Toru brought a shocking piece of news.

The Ota Ward Police Station reported that the wife of Special Mission Unit Chief Inspector Okada Masayoshi, Okada Miki, was found dead at home, and the bartender from the nearby nightclub bar Parcival, Koizumi Ryosuke, was also found dead alongside her!

Okada Masayoshi was spotted lingering at the scene by a patrol officer from the koban and refused arrest, fleeing the scene, making him a major suspect in the crime!

Inspector Kashiwagi Jin of the Third Section of the Investigation Division has already been deployed, and the news is spreading like wildfire!

As more news came in, the Special Mission Unit went on high alert, with even Ikeda Erena turning off her solitaire game.

"Murder, how could it be?" Special Mission Unit Management Officer Watanabe Minami jumped up from her seat directly; among the people in the Special Mission Unit, she had known Okada the longest and had always treated him like a brother.

"Well, according to the investigation results at the scene, the bartender Koizumi Ryosuke and Okada Miki……had been maintaining an improper relationship, and the autopsy at home revealed that Koizumi Ryosuke and Okada's wife had congestion in the lower body, and there were still unused Okamoto at the scene, so Inspector Kashiwagi inferred on the spot that Okada-san, upon returning home, discovered his wife in the act of adultery……so in a fit of rage he took action and killed her."

Kai Toru had sweat on his forehead: "Management Officer, Uesugi Chief, what should we do?"

Uesugi Muneyuki immediately recalled the phone call he had just received, his expression turned grave, and he immediately turned to ask Minami: "Minami, do you think Okada is capable of doing something like this?"

"... I, I don't know." Minami furrowed her brows, her sweet apple face filled with anguish and confusion.

Minami truly could not understand why Miki……would cheat.

Okada Brother had almost fallen out with his biological father for her sake!

Now Okada Brother is a national hero, a national idol, wearing the Purple Medal, receiving special allowances, with a bright future ahead—why would Sister Miki commit adultery and have an affair at this time?

It's really incomprehensible.

"What do you mean by 'I don't know'? Is it that Okada wouldn't do this, or is it possible the headquarters' investigation is mistaken? For example, could it just be a misunderstanding?" Uesugi Muneyuki pressed on.

"I……I don't know if Okada Brother would kill someone over this." Watanabe Minami said with a grim face: "If it were something else, I could be certain Okada Brother is not the culprit, but only with this matter……gentlemen, you should know, Okada Brother fell out with his father to marry Miki, a supermarket clerk, and not a single person from the groom's side attended the wedding."

"I have also heard something about Okada-san's situation." Kai Toru's face looked very grim; Okada Masayoshi had been the standard "someone else's child" in his father Kai Mineaki's mouth since childhood, a Tokyo University graduate elite, who passed the national civil service exam at 25, a professional elite—this guy is so perfect that his father constantly uses him to criticize and satirize himself.

In a sense, he is another "older brother" to Kai Toru.

I never expected that one day he would also follow in his older brother's footsteps!

"Okada Brother gave everything for this matter; if he really came home and found Sister Miki cheating with another man……I don't know, I really don't know." Watanabe Minami muttered.

"What should we do now?" Ikeda Erena couldn't help but say: "Although Section Chief Okada is currently on leave……"

"But he is still a member of our Special Mission Unit……Special Mission Unit, it's over!" The defeatist strategist Date Nagamune said very dejectedly: "Freeze!"

As if in response, the entrance of the Special Mission Unit immediately saw the appearance of Metropolitan Police Department Police Affairs Department Chief Supervisor Okochi Haruki, Police Superintendent.

"Special Mission Unit Management Officer Watanabe Minami, and Chief Medical Examiner Uesugi Muneyuki, headquarters emergency strategy meeting!"

"The remaining Special Mission Unit members! Please stay where you are, do not move, until……the matter is resolved!"

"Before this matter has a result, I announce on behalf of the headquarters that the activities of the Special Mission Unit are temporarily frozen!"

Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters Building-Top Floor Emergency Strategy Room

Outside the thick bulletproof glass window, Tokyo's clear sky remained azure, but reflected on each person's face in the meeting room, it only showed a kind of cold and oppressive deathly gray. The air felt so heavy it seemed one could wring water from it, mixed with the burnt scent of high-grade tobacco and the aura of despair.

Police Superintendent General Watanabe Eiji sat at the main seat of the long table, his usually immaculately groomed hair now slightly disheveled, he rested his forehead on his crossed hands, his finger joints whitening from the pressure. The emergency report spread before him resembled a death sentence——"National Hero Okada Masayoshi's Residence Double Corpse Case, Okada himself suspected as the perpetrator, at large!"

Criminal Investigation Department Chief Uchimura Kanji sat to Watanabe Eiji's left, his face ashen, his eyes sharp as a hawk's, yet with a hint of not easily noticeable agitation. He slammed the table hard, his voice exploding in the silent meeting room:

"Shame! This is the greatest shame since the establishment of the Metropolitan Police Department! A career police inspector, our painstakingly crafted hero benchmark, in the blink of an eye became a wife-and-husband-killing demon?! The media will devour us! The public will despise us! Those old men in the National Diet will seize the opportunity to trample us into the mud!"

He scanned the room, his tone cutting like iron and nail: "Watanabe Director! Now is not the time to hesitate! We must immediately, right now, conduct the most thorough severance! Call an emergency press conference, announce Okada Masayoshi as a major suspect, revoke all his duties, strip all honors! Simultaneously, mobilize SAT! Blockade all major routes in Tokyo! Issue the highest-level wanted notice! Spare no expense, to apprehend him as quickly as possible! Alive, we want to see the person; dead, we want to see the corpse! Only this can prove to the public, to the Cabinet, and to Director Shouei our determination to clean house and show no mercy! Self-preservation, this is the only way out!"

His words were like hail, striking each person's heart.

On the faces of everyone present, there was indeed an unstoppable hint of contempt.

This old fogey, is justice severance really this fast?

Moreover, the news sent back by Inspector Kashiwagi Jin from the frontline is indeed that Okada Masayoshi has strong motive and sufficient physical evidence and corresponding witnesses, but currently it is still impossible to confirm whether he has sufficient time to commit the crime, meaning Inspector Kashiwagi believes that currently only Okada's great suspicion can be confirmed, but it cannot yet be 100% confirmed that he is the murderer.

But in such a short time, Department Chief Uchimura has already devised a whole method of justice severance.

Indeed, sitting opposite Uchimura is Investigation Division Chief Sugishita Ukyo, who finds this very displeasing.

This detective, known for his calm wisdom and meticulous logic, now has his brows tightly furrowed, the light behind his lenses deep and worried. He spoke slowly, his voice not loud, yet carrying a penetrating power through the chaos:

"Department Chief Uchimura, severance and apprehension are necessary procedures, I agree with that. But before 'spare no expense', 'apprehend as quickly as possible', should we first ask: is all this really as simple as the report presents?"

Sugishita Ukyo picked up a copy of the preliminary report: "The initial physical evidence at the scene points to Okada, and his fleeing behavior is also highly suspicious, this is undeniable. However, Inspector Kashiwagi's preliminary dissent report is also here——the examinee upstairs heard the noise and fighting downstairs from 9:48 to 9:50, while Okada appeared at the apartment main gate at 9:55, which seems to deviate from the time of the incident, and more importantly, Okada Masayoshi as a person…"

Sugishita Ukyo paused, seeming to choose his words,"He just saved two children with his life, bearing serious injuries. Would such a person, in just a few days, due to public pressure and possible emotional entanglements, completely lose rationality and become a demon who massacres his wife and a stranger? Logically, there is a huge leap. I suggest that while pursuing, we must also deploy the most elite forces to conduct a parallel investigation! We cannot abandon the exploration of other possible truths just because of panic and pressure! The 48-hour golden time cannot be used only for encirclement, but must also be used to dig up clues that might have been buried!"

Sitting beside Sugishita Ukyo is Okada Masayoshi's direct superior——Investigation Division Special Mission Unit Management Officer Watanabe Minami, and Investigation Division Chief Medical Examiner Uesugi Muneyuki.

Minami's face was pale, her eyes filled with shock, pain, and disbelief, she clenched her fists and placed them on the table, trembling slightly.

When Sugishita finished speaking, she almost immediately responded, her voice carrying suppressed excitement and a hint of hoarseness: "Section Chief Sugishita is right! I…I cannot believe Inspector Okada would do such a thing! We have watched him uphold justice without regard for his own safety! Just a few days ago, he was still using his body to block a knife at the nursery school gate! Such a person, how could he…how could he suddenly turn into a cold-blooded killer?!"

She looked toward Watanabe Director and Department Chief Uchimura, her eyes pleading: "Public pressure? Emotional entanglements? Yes! These pressures are great! But Yoshida-san……he……is fundamentally an extremely resilient, intensely responsible person! He understands self-control! He absolutely will not……absolutely will not……"

Minami's voice choked, he could not find more favorable evidence to refute the mountain of ironclad evidence before him, the immense sense of powerlessness made him painfully lower his head: "Uesugi, you also say something!"

Uesugi Muneyuki sprang to his feet, his posture still upright, but his eyes equally complex: "As Management Officer Watanabe said…I also feel that Yoshida-kun……is not that kind of person. There must be……something we don't know here!"

"I request to go to the scene for the autopsy!"

Uesugi's words are full of contradiction, he knows that Inspector Kashiwagi, with such a strong sense of justice, could not possibly frame someone, yet he retains the last shred of trust in his comrade, whether Okada is innocent, he wants to see it with his own eyes!

Watanabe Eiji slowly raised his head, his face showing unprecedented caution and gravity, Uchimura's radical severance, Sugishita's cautious questioning, Minami and Uesugi's defense based on personal feelings……each voice carried immense pressure crashing down on him.

He knows Uchimura is right, severance and thunderous apprehension is the most direct way to quell the public opinion storm and save the Metropolitan Police Department's face.

But Sugishita and Minami's words are like a thorn, piercing his heart——what if……what if we are wrong? What if Okada truly is being framed, and the Metropolitan Police Department itself pushes him into the abyss? That would be a greater disaster than now!

However, time waits for no one. The wail of police sirens outside the window comes and goes, symbolizing the unfolding dragnet of pursuit. The media's phone calls have probably already blown up the Promotion Department. Director Shouei's fury could descend at any moment.

Watanabe Eiji took a deep breath, as if using all his strength, and finally made his decision. His voice low and hoarse, carrying undeniable authority, yet also revealing a hint of deep helplessness and sorrow:

"Enough!"

The meeting room fell silent instantly, all eyes focused on him.

"Department Chief Uchimura, issue the wanted notice, temporarily suspend Okada's duties, coordinate SAT deployment, you are fully responsible! Act quickly! But pay attention to the method!" Watanabe Eiji particularly emphasized the last few words,"The apprehension operation must prioritize control, and not use lethal force unless absolutely necessary! Understand?" This is a weak response to the opinions of Sugishita and Minami.

"Section Chief Sugishita!" Watanabe Eiji turned to Sugishita Ukyo:"You immediately draw out the most core, most reliable, competent forces, form an independent investigation team! Led by you personally! I give you 48 hours! I want you to discard all preconceived notions, give me a thorough investigation of the crime scene, the victims' relationship network, all backgrounds of Okada and Miki, including that deceased lover, dig three feet deep! I want to see overturning evidence, or……confirm irrefutable proof! Remember, your investigation is top secret, directly responsible to me!"

"Management Officer Watanabe, Chief Examiner Uesugi." Watanabe Eiji's gaze finally fell on the two, carrying a hint of complexity,"I know your feelings. But now, out of judicial justice and procedural justice! I announce the freezing of the Special Mission Unit! All Special Mission Unit members must remain on standby for questioning, utilize your knowledge of Okada, provide all possible leads, assist in analyzing his escape direction and psychological state! But remember, feelings cannot replace discipline! Before the truth is revealed, he……is a suspect!"

Watanabe Eiji stood up, slammed both hands heavily on the desk, leaned his body slightly forward, and scanned the senior officials present, his eyes filled with unprecedented pressure and resolve:

"Gentlemen! The Okada Masayoshi incident is no longer a simple criminal case! It concerns the Metropolitan Police Department's century-long reputation, it concerns the dignity of one hundred thousand police officers! Before things completely spiral out of control, we must apprehend Okada Masayoshi! Whether he is a hero or a murderer, we cannot let him continue to roam free! Otherwise, public outrage will burn us all to ashes! The Metropolitan Police Department... will truly be finished! Take action!"

The order was given, and the air in the conference room grew even heavier. Uchimura Kanji immediately picked up the phone, his voice cold as he began deploying the manhunt and arrest operation.

Sugishita Ukyo silently rose to his feet, his eyes sharp, and began contemplating the entry point for an independent investigation.

The Metropolitan Police Department supervision officers at the scene immediately took custody of Special Mission System Management Officer Minami, while Uesugi Muneyuki stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the several police supervision officers surrounding him, gesturing that you have no authority over me.

Oh, right, Uesugi Chief is essentially a University of Tokyo person at heart!

Several police officers subconsciously stared at Watanabe Eiji; seeing that the Superintendent General said nothing, they could only allow Uesugi Muneyuki to leave, but before departing, Metropolitan Police Deputy Superintendent Ooyama Ren specifically reminded him: "Uesugi-kun, you are a University of Tokyo person, so headquarters finds it difficult to manage you, but as a member of the Special Mission Unit, you must avoid conflict of interest, so you cannot go to the scene!"

"I understand." Uesugi Muneyuki nodded, slowly walked out of the conference room, and hesitated for a moment in front of the Sakuradamon Building.

A life-or-death race against time concerning the survival of the Metropolitan Police Department, personal fate, and the truth officially unfolded beneath Tokyo's clear skies.

Is Okada truly innocent?

He does not know, but he is certain to uncover the truth.

However, he must avoid conflict of interest, so he cannot participate in the on-site investigation! Even if he secretly went to the scene, based on the principle that "a poisonous tree cannot bear non-toxic fruit," even if he could reach a conclusion, it would not be accepted and would lack legal validity.

What should be done?

Uesugi Muneyuki pondered deeply, and suddenly, he recalled something.

The one in charge of investigating this case on the front lines for the Metropolitan Police Department is that guy, Kashiwagi Jin!

This guy has surely already prejudged Okada as the prime suspect.

But if I could exert sufficient influence over him……

Got it!

Acting Unit Chief of the Third Personnel Division under the Personnel Division of the Police Affairs Department, Kashiwagi Misa!

But before that…… Uesugi Muneyuki immediately dialed his grandfather Uesugi Kuninori's number.

"Hello, grandfather, it's Muneyuki. I have a matter—I need your help!"

(Chapter End)