Chapter 552

"Twice! Exactly twice! Akimoto Shōta always manages to escape legal punishment!"

In the interrogation room, Ishihara Kumiko angrily told Kashiwagi Jin and others about her two investigations into Akimoto Shōta's suspected rape case, but each time the evidence was insufficient, and Akimoto Shōta was a seasoned offender who left no evidence.

This also stems from Japan's female fist tax having been collected for over 70 years; since the late 1990s, false accusations by women in Japanese society have proliferated to an appalling degree, causing women to gradually lose all sympathy from men, with any claim lacking solid evidence and proof automatically dismissed as "petty writing," even reaching the point where when trouble arises, no one is willing to help, and seeking witnesses yields no one willing to testify.

Another classic example is a female athlete who suddenly suffered cardiac arrhythmia, heart failure, and collapsed during exercise, but when male paramedics arrived, they dared only to watch from afar, fearing that touching her body, visually assessing her need for emergency care at the chest, or cutting her clothes could lead to sexual assault charges, so they waited until female paramedics arrived to save her—by then, she was already dead.

Who to blame? Anyway, it's not these few male paramedics; they said it was hospital policy and in line with the spirit of court rulings, and not intervening meant they bore no responsibility—why should you help if you didn't cause the accident?

The so-called "Japanese indifference" stems from this; previously everyone mocked it, but now everyone should understand.

"So I went to find Akimoto Shōta! I was violated by that beast, Akimoto Shōta, in his apartment!" Ishihara Kumiko almost screamed this word: "I filed a report! Would a police officer lie? But what was the result?!"

Her body leaned forward from agitation, her hands clattering: "Evidence 'insufficient'? Testimony 'contradictory'? Then your public security people came! Not to help me, but to warn me! 'Inspector Ishihara, this concerns the minister's reputation and national image—please consider the bigger picture.' The bigger picture? Isn't my innocence and justice part of the bigger picture?! Then my family received money—a large sum, like handing alms to a beggar! They told my parents: 'Take the money, forget this matter, or else'"

My parents actually gladly accepted the money, saying they'd help settle things for me, and my husband too! He also urged me not to cause trouble or affect his current corporate work, then took the money and went to a bar, opening two bottles of champagne and ordering two hostesses!

Kashiwagi Jin and Itami Kenichi were hearing this for the first time, and their faces looked grim.

Meanwhile, behind the one-way mirror, Watanabe Eiji, Onoda Kimiaki, and Sugishita Ukyo stood together.

Sugishita Ukyo stared at Onoda Kimiaki, his eyes filled only with icy anger and questioning, while Onoda Kimiaki maintained his usual expression, thinking that for public security police, such matters were actually not even significant, but since it had been exposed, it still needed to be handled.

Watanabe Eiji remained silent; the Superintendent General knew public security had acted again.

This wasn't the first time, but there's nothing to be done—police are just such an organization; their existence has never been about upholding justice, but about guarding the existing order, and even more strictly, the police organization itself is the "guardian dog" of the nation's high echelons, inherently possessing sycophantic traits, though largely, guarding order and guarding justice overlap.

But not always.

Besides, everyone understands things like "cross-provincial," "order to delete posts," and "deep-sea fishing."

Of course, this refers only to Japanese police and has nothing to do with other countries.

As a criminal division officer, Watanabe Eiji previously knew nothing about public security affairs; he originally harbored hatred and disgust toward Ishihara Kumiko, but after learning these things had actually happened, the Superintendent General thought if true, then Akimoto Shōta being blown up would not be unjust.

It is we police organizations who owe Ishihara Kumiko an apology; we must find a way to save her, though the death penalty can be avoided, imprisonment is unavoidable—what we can do here is try to avoid letting her be sentenced to life imprisonment or over 20 years.

After all, she has deeply participated in terrorist activities, and strictly speaking, the bombing is directly related to her.

Outside the interrogation room, expressions varied; inside, Ishihara Kumiko, having poured out everything, breathed violently, tears finally uncontrollably streaming, but her gaze remained fierce: "From that day on, I knew this world has no justice! The law protects people like them! And people like me deserve to be sacrificed!"

Deputy Inspector Itami silently handed her a tissue, said nothing, and merely gazed at her calmly with those eyes accustomed to the world's ugliness.

This silent understanding, rather than feeling comforting, actually made Ishihara feel a sharper pain compared to Kashiwagi's procedural questioning.

After her emotions slightly eased, Inspector Kashiwagi continued questioning, his tone still rigid: "So, you joined the terrorists? Participated in the entire process from kidnapping to installing explosives?"

"No!" Ishihara Kumiko firmly denied, a hint of mockery on her face: "I said, I'm just a pawn. Kidnapping?

Installing explosives? I had no idea! How they caught that bastard, how they strapped the bomb to him, and how they placed the bomb under the minister's car—I know nothing about any of it!"

"Who are they?" Inspector Kashiwagi pressed relentlessly.

Behind the one-way mirror, that answer was already on the verge of emerging.

"Red Goldfinch." *2 Watanabe Eiji and Onoda Kimiaki exchanged glances, both whispering the name under their breath.

However, the response coming from the other side greatly surprised these two police heavyweights!

"Lianchuan Renewal Army."

Watanabe Eiji: "?"

Onoda Kimiaki: "??"

Sugishita Ukyo: "???"

Wait a moment!

Wasn't it the Red Goldfinch who did it?

Wait, what is this Lianchuan Renewal Army, and where does it come from?

Damn it, are we Japanese actually the terrorists' nest?!

"They are, the Lianchuan Renewal Army." Ishihara repeated the name, her eyes flashing with a complex light—hatred, and also a twisted recognition: "They contacted me through the internet, in an untraceable way. They knew my situation, knew my hatred. They said they would make Akimoto father and son, and all those high-and-mighty corrupt officials, pay the price. They want to declare war on this system rotten to the core!"

"How did they hand you the remote control?" Deputy Inspector Itami spoke for the first time, his voice hoarse, yet directly hitting the core.

"Express delivery." Ishihara's answer was unexpectedly simple: "An ordinary courier package delivered to my apartment.

Inside was only this remote control, and a printed slip reading '一一 When he stands in the center of the square, watched by all, press it, execute justice.' No sender information, source untraceable."

Inspector Kashiwagi furrowed his brows tightly; his professional mindset made it hard for him to accept such a loose yet hidden connection method: "In other words, you know nothing about them, yet out of hatred, you accepted this remote capable of taking multiple lives?"

"Taking lives?" Ishihara Kumiko looked at Kashiwagi as if looking at an innocent child: "Inspector Kashiwagi, in the world of that bastard and his father, people like me have already suffered 'social death'! What they take from us is far more than life! The Lianchuan Renewal Army may be extreme, but they are the only ones willing to help me, willing to lance this abscess!"

The interrogation fell into brief silence. Behind the one-way mirror, Watanabe Eiji and Onoda Kimiaki wore solemn expressions. Ishihara's testimony outlined an image of an extremely cunning, tightly organized terrorist group skilled in psychological manipulation. They used systemic victims as executors, while remaining perfectly hidden behind the scenes.

Not the Red Goldfinch?! But the bomb is the same!

What connection does this newly emerged Lianchuan Renewal Army have with that Red Goldfinch?

Inspector Kashiwagi noted on his notebook, then finally asked: "Regarding the 'Lianchuan Renewal Army,' besides this name and their purpose, can you provide any concrete information? Members, hideouts, any characteristics?"

Ishihara Kumiko shook her head, leaned wearily against the chair back, closed her eyes, and couldn't help but laugh: "No. They're like ghosts—or rather, they are this nation's bred, vengeful ghosts. This is just the beginning; I'm doomed, but you—watch and see!"

"Enough!" Kashiwagi Jin could bear it no longer, he roared: "Miss Ishihara! I understand your pain, and I know our police organization failed you when you were assaulted! If you need, I can apologize to you, but your revenge is excessive! Do you know, over a dozen people suffered injuries of varying severity from this explosion, two were disfigured! And dozens more sustained various injuries! And speaking of innocence, those in the car besides him may be excusable, but NPA SP Higashide Shou is innocent! You didn't just kill an innocent guard, you killed a husband and a father!"

"So what? Can it be the same? Compared to my suffering, what are a few deaths? This society has no innocent person, nobody!!!" Ishihara Kumiko roared.

"Damn it!!!" Kashiwagi Jin also exploded in anger.

"Is your pain pain, but others' pain not pain? Is your life life, but others' lives not life?"

"Stay calm! Inspector Kashiwagi! Stay calm!" Deputy Inspector Itami immediately lunged forward, tightly embracing Kashiwagi Jin: "Don't get excited!"

Kashiwagi Jin was eventually dragged out.

As expected, Kashiwagi Jin saw Watanabe Eiji and Onoda Kimiaki waiting outside, yet facing the criminal division head and public security division head, he still glared angrily and uttered: "Director General, Kanchoukanbou! Our police organization has retreated again and again, retreated repeatedly—how far must our organization retreat?!"

"Kashiwagi-san! Say less!" Deputy Inspector Itami wore a bitter face, thinking: Kashiwagi-san, how are your colleagues so hard to deal with?

Watanabe Eiji and Onoda Kimiaki both had ashen faces, but facing Kashiwagi Jin's questioning, they couldn't utter a single word.

First, how should we handle this "internal spy female officer"?

This is an extremely thorny situation. We must uphold the police organization's reputation while protecting a subordinate who is both victim and offender, and simultaneously respond to possible future pressure from Minister Akimoto.

"Seal all information, announce externally that Ishihara Kumiko, after multiple failed investigations into the Akimoto Shōta case, developed a twisted psychology of extreme resentment toward the wealthy and hatred of the powerful elite, and was thus exploited by the terrorist organization. Completely conceal her own victim status." Watanabe Eiji said very decisively: "Formally expel Ishihara Kumiko from the police force, then hand her over to the prosecutors."

"Hand over to the prosecutors? Watanabe Director, are you sure? The prosecutor's side has been unhappy with our police organization always taking the lead for a long time! This matter will be a major breakthrough for the prosecutors and a huge scandal for our organization; they will absolutely not let it go!" Onoda Kimiaki said subconsciously: "Those people at the prosecutor's office, iron-hearted and gallbladder black, pleading for mercy is impossible; they would love nothing more than to crush us!"

"Someone pleading for mercy has use." Watanabe Eiji replied calmly.

"Someone? Come on, no one will give face to the prosecutors, etc., you mean?" Onoda Kimiaki immediately realized.

Uesugi Muneyuki!

The prosecutors will give no one face, but Uesugi Muneyuki is absolutely an exception.

However, only the Watanabe father and daughter can command Uesugi!

"Hmm, let him secretly submit his victim background report to the prosecutors privately, requesting leniency and mitigation in sentencing." Watanabe Eiji thought, then continued: "Then, Sano Yoshio, you also let Akimoto Daijin 'know' that we police have grasped the fact that Ishihara is a victim, tell him that we police, to uphold the overall reputation of national institutions, this matter will be permanently sealed", but I hope he cooperates on what comes next; otherwise, for the investigation, we will have no choice but to publicly solicit clues from society.

"Good." Onoda Kimiaki nodded.

Indeed, to conquer the Metropolitan Police Department, one must first conquer Uesugi!

However, at this moment it is not yet time to relax, from the Imperial Palace to the minister's ANFO bomb, Lianchuan Renewal Army, Red Goldfinch, police internal spy, minister and societal pressure.

Case development, it's becoming increasingly complex!