Chapter 547

One second ago, the entire square was still immersed in the wild joy of surviving the ordeal. Police officers patted each other's shoulders, wearing relieved smiles; media reporters faced the camera, excitedly announcing the crisis was over.

Even in the distant crowd of onlookers, sporadic applause could be heard. As Akimoto Shōta was helped into the black Toyota Century symbolizing absolute power and safety, everyone assumed this urban nightmare lasting nearly seven hours had finally ended.

However, no one imagined that behind this illusory victory lay the most brutal climax yet to come.

The solemn Toyota Century drove smoothly out a hundred meters, about to merge into the main road traffic—

"Boom!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Without warning, without alert, a massive fireball mixed with flames and thick smoke erupted violently from within the vehicle! The explosion's roar sounded like an ancient beast's bellow, instantly drowning out all noise in the square. The sturdy Toyota Century, like a paper toy, was torn apart and hurled into the air, forming a brief, terrifying "firework" of flames and debris, then crashed heavily back to the ground, becoming a twisted wreckage burning wildly.

The shockwave spread like a solid wall, causing people a hundred meters away to feel ear pain, nearby office building glass curtain walls shattered instantly, turning into a shower of bright, deadly glass. Flying metal fragments struck several nearby cars, triggering shrill alarm cries, while unfortunate pedestrians caught in the blast screamed and fell to the ground.

Silence.

A brief silence, as if time had frozen.

At the scene, whether it was Ikeda Erena grimly pressing down on Ishihara Kumiko, or Nango Yui, Kai Toru, Igarashi and others who rushed to assist in the arrest but were hesitant due to the suspect being female, or Date Nagamune and others discussing with the bomb disposal expert, all were stunned by what they saw.

Bomb... bombed???

Uesugi Muneyuki stood frozen in place, his gaze vacant as he stared at the soaring flames.

Bombed???

Tokyo University Forensic Medicine Clinical Research Physician, descendant of the old nobility Yonezawa Uesugi clan, Chief Medical Examiner of Investigation Division 1, the sole designated core of the Special Mission Unit, the last line of defense of the Metropolitan Police Department, the ace and final redemption of the police organization, the founder of the Watanabe Uesugi clan, Uesugi Muneyuki stood motionless, following with his "spirit vision" eyes, the Toyota Century soaring into the sky, the fireball rising, reflected in the glass of the office buildings on both sides, resembling a grand fireworks display.

(Firework sounds)

Uesugi Muneyuki tried to open his mouth, wanting to say something, but he could utter nothing; the only thing he could do was pull Minami Ojou-sama into his embrace, turning his back to the soaring flames.

"Muneyuki!" Minami Ojou-sama exclaimed, but did not resist, allowing Uesugi Muneyuki to hold her in his arms; besides surprise, she felt a hint of sweetness, knowing Uesugi Muneyuki feared she would be hurt.

(Firework sounds)

"Hahaha! Hahahahahaha ahahahahahahahahaha!" Amid the explosion, the first to react was one of the victims, Ishihara Kumiko, this female officer laughing loudly on the ground: "Good riddance! I'll open champagne!"

"................" The scene remained utterly silent; finally, after Ishihara Kumiko's hysterical laughter, Okada Masayoshi, with a complex expression, squeezed out a few words from between his teeth: "Send... send off!!!"

Indeed, Akimoto Shōta was a second-generation elite, also a thoroughly despicable person, and had previously committed several suspected rape offenses, but no matter what, he did not deserve to die! Let alone being blown to pieces on the spot!

The impact of this matter is extremely bad, extremely evil, and it has set a very bad precedent!

Okada Masayoshi almost instantly thought of what would happen next.

This explosion does not signify the end of everything, but represents the beginning of something even more terrifying!

Indeed, immediately followed was a fear-induced scream more thorough and primal than any before.

The expressions of those who had just been cheering froze on their faces, then were replaced by utter terror; the crowd, like an exploded ant nest, fled wildly backward, scene order completely collapsing. The live broadcast lens shook violently, the anchor's voice completely distorted, leaving only desperate cries like "Explosion! Another explosion! Oh my god!"

Inside the scene command vehicle, Investigation Division 1 Chief Sugishita Ukyo, whose nerves had just relaxed, instantly snapped; he shouted into the walkie-talkie, his voice distorted by shock: "Seal the scene! Expand the perimeter! EOD confirm if there are secondary explosives! Medical team! Prioritize treating nearby wounded! Quick!"

Under the shock of the sudden change, everyone's reaction was somewhat delayed.

The fastest to react were the public security police; Watanabe Eiji, chief of the National Police Agency Security Bureau, almost immediately signaled everyone to rush over and inspect the situation, himself being the first to kick open the roadside firefighting equipment.

However, it was already too late; only the wrecked Toyota Century remained in the middle of the road, along with four charred bodies from inside the vehicle.

He watched helplessly as the four charred corpses on the vehicle lay before him, his heart filled with icy cold. This was not a mistake, it was mockery; at their moment of greatest success, that gang of bandits gave the entire Japanese law enforcement system the loudest slap.

Leading the SAT, Metropolitan Police Department Public Security Division Superintendent Ichijo Keishi also rushed over with his SAT team, face ashen.

"West Marutower!!!"

Akimoto Shin'ichirō, on the screen in the official residence, personally witnessed the flames that devoured his son and his ministerial vehicle. The flush on his face from his son's "rescue," mixed with joy and relief, faded in a thousandth of a second to utter ash-white.

His body shook violently, his cane "clang" falling to the ground.

From the despondent sorrow of deciding to "abandon the pawn," to the peak-turning extreme joy, then to this ultimate destruction of bones and flesh before his eyes—this back-and-forth between heaven and hell in just a few minutes completely destroyed Akimoto Daijin's sanity.

That is my son! My most beloved and cherished son, the only one I had with my former wife!

I have never abandoned or given up on him, treating him as a precious treasure!

Damn! What Metropolitan Police Department, what Public Security, what Mobile Unit SAT, what so-called ace Special Mission Unit? Trash! All of you damn trash are nothing but a bunch of trash!!!

Watanabe Eiji! I'm not done with you!

Shōta! My Shōta!!!

He grabbed the red phone directly connected to the Superintendent General, no longer maintaining any politician's restraint or calculation, only remaining as a father who had lost everything, on the verge of madness, letting out his most primal roar:

"Watanabe!!! You bunch of trash! Idiots! How are you doing things?! Wasn't the bomb already defused?! Huh?! Wasn't it already safe?! Why! Why did my car explode! Shōta! My Shōta is inside! It's you! It's you bunch of useless police who killed him! Second time! You let him die twice!!"

At the same time, the Metropolitan Police Department Emergency Command Center.

On the other end of the phone, Watanabe Eiji, Superintendent General, also witnessed the explosion, the Superintendent General's face ashen, but his voice remained terrifyingly calm; this calm, to Akimoto, was undoubtedly the greatest provocation: "Akimoto Daijin, please remain calm, based on the scene footage and frontline reports, preliminary judgment is that the bomb disposal experts have successfully removed all explosives from Akimoto Shōta's person; the explosion source may not come from the device removed from Shōta-kun, the situation is very complex..."

"Complex my ass!" Akimoto Shin'ichirō violently interrupted, saliva nearly spraying onto the microphone, "All excuses! Shifting blame! It's your Metropolitan Police Department's dereliction of duty! It's your incompetence from start to finish that has brought things to this point! If you had caught those rats earlier! If your bomb disposal had been more thorough! Shōta wouldn't have died! You must take responsibility for all this! I want you to apologize at the Cabinet meeting! I want the entire Metropolitan Police Department to pay the price for this!!"

He wildly flung all blame toward the Metropolitan Police Department, not daring to think, nor wanting to think, why the bomb appeared on his vehicle that should have been heavily guarded.

At this moment, he needed an outlet to vent his grief and anger, and the nearby, "incompetent" Metropolitan Police Department was the perfect target.

"Eight gar! You, Sakuradamon, all are eight gar! Trash junk!"

You saved my son, that's a good dog, but you harmed my son, that's an incompetent stray dog!

I don't care, I don't care!!! Return my son, return my son!!!

Shōta! Dad will definitely avenge you! Definitely!!!

And on the other end of the phone, hearing the foreign minister so insult himself and the entire police organization, Watanabe Eiji's tone suddenly turned icy and sharp, like a drawn samurai sword: "Akimoto Daijin! I understand your grief, but please watch your words! Thousands of Metropolitan Police Department staff risked their lives handling this, successfully removed the explosives from the target, prevented on-site detonation! As for your vehicle exploding after leaving the scene, during movement, the cause must be strictly investigated! Before evidence emerges, all your accusations are irresponsible speculation!"

"Speculation?! My son is dead and you tell me it's speculation?! Watanabe Eiji, you wait! This matter I'm not done with you!"

"Bang!" Akimoto Shin'ichirō slammed the phone down hard.

Watanabe Eiji gently put down the handset, the command center fell silent, everyone felt the icy anger radiating from the Superintendent General.

He knew, this war with Akimoto Daijin had already begun.

And even more terrifying, those enemies hidden in the shadows are coldly laughing, enjoying this power struggle and internal conflict within the law enforcement apparatus.

The flames burning at the scene have not yet been extinguished, while the massive explosion flames and chaotic scene just occurred, like a virus, instantly devoured all mainstream television channels.

The NHK anchor's expression was unprecedentedly grave, his tone heavy as iron: "Emergency insertion. Just as the Minato Ward hostage crisis appeared to be resolved, the vehicle transporting Akimoto Shōta suffered a violent explosion. Based on the on-site situation, the possibility of survival for personnel inside the vehicle is extremely low. This has evolved from a hostage crisis into an extremely vicious terrorist attack targeting a national VIP. The police are investigating further."

The report was steady and measured, but the wording had already elevated the nature of the incident to the level of "national terrorism."

NTV: "Second explosion! Hell descends after hope!"

TBS: "Target thoroughly destroyed? Minister Akimoto's son feared dead!"

And Fuji Television's on-site anchor Tei Reiji screamed: "Heavens! I'm right at the scene, I can already smell the burnt odor! This is a direct challenge to the Japanese police and the nation! What will become of this country's future, only heaven knows!"

The invited guest, former Police Commissioner Kaneko Takuro, sat stunned in the studio, nearly incoherent; Fuji TV repeatedly played the car explosion in slow motion, analyzing the yield and possible causes of the explosion, a mood of panic spreading through the screen.

TV Asahi: "How could a bomb detonate again under the police's heavy protection? A security loophole or something else hidden?"

At that same time, TV Tokyo.

"Spe~Ray~O~Beam!!!"

About one minute after the explosion occurred, the "Ultraman Orb" series it was currently airing happened to reach the scene where Ultraman Orb (Shining Form) gathered energy, crossed his hands, and fired his finishing beam; the giant monster exploded with a boom at the center of the screen, turning into a gorgeous fireball in that instant...

The footage was cut off in a rare sudden interruption! It switched to an emergency news broadcast, the characters "Breaking News" appearing along with on-site photos of the fireball rising from the Minato Ward explosion (not live video); the TV Tokyo anchor's voice carried a hint of haste: "Apologies for inserting an emergency news item; just now, a large-scale explosion incident occurred in Tokyo's Minato Ward, details are still being confirmed..."

"Even TV Tokyo cut away!"

At this moment, almost all Japanese netizens following the event simultaneously let out the same cry of shock on social media.

Something happened, something major happened!!!

(End of Chapter)