Chapter 560

Although Watanabe Eiji repeatedly emphasized that there would be no preferential treatment, the Special Mission Unit still received preferential treatment. Under the leadership of Captain Godai Yusuke, the SAT members at the scene cleared the way ahead, and they adopted a very tough attitude, not allowing Uesugi Muneyuki and others to approach the dangerous zone. Only the areas they had searched were permitted for the Special Mission Unit to approach. On the other hand, Inspector Shiratori Sho of Investigation Division 1 and Inspector Kosaka Shinichiro were also dispatched to search more suspicious and difficult-to-access areas, leaving the easier paths for Uesugi Muneyuki and others.

Moreover, exceptionally rarely, in this operation, the Special Mission Unit was allowed to be equipped with a rifle—an M4A1—now held in the hands of Date Nagamune. After all, among the people present at the scene, only he had Self-Defense Forces experience and knew how to use a rifle.

Towering ancient trees shaded the sky, so even during the day, the forest appeared dim and gloomy. The helicopter's sound became distant and muffled, the surroundings filled with an unsettling silence, except for the "shasha" sound made by stepping on years of fallen leaves and volcanic rock. The air was filled with the unique scent of soil and rotting plants.

After advancing for about twenty minutes, Date Nagamune, who was walking on the flank, suddenly stopped. His face appeared somewhat pale under the faint light of the tactical flashlight.

"Unit Chief, Chief!" he shouted hoarsely, pointing his finger toward a dense thicket behind him: "Come quickly, you guys look at this!"

Everyone immediately became alert, quickly forming a tactical formation and spreading out. However, there was no expected trap or enemy there. Pushing aside the tangled bushes, a female skeleton, severely decayed and almost fused with fallen leaves and moss, lay silently leaning against a large beech tree.

"So many skeletal remains." Okada Masayoshi stood with his hands on his hips, wrinkling his nose. Since entering the tree sea, the SAT had at least discovered over a dozen corpses ahead, all marked with fluorescent pens. However, this corpse might have been hidden more discreetly, or perhaps died very peacefully and naturally, so the SAT had not noticed it.

"This is the tree sea—of course there are corpses, what's strange about that?" Kai Toru came over to take a look, sighing helplessly: "Every corpse here has a story."

"Huh? How do you know that?" Igarashi asked curiously.

"Because those who commit suicide... you see~ Okada-san and Nanxiang-san not knowing is understandable, but how come you, Igarashi, also..." Kai Toru stood with his hands on his hips: "You see?"

"It's a suicide note." Nanxiang Yui also stood with her hands on her hips.

Based on the backpack left at the scene and the not-yet-fully-weathered small items, they quickly confirmed the identity of the deceased—it was not the fugitive they were pursuing.

Bold Ikeda Erena discovered, beside the corpse, a small envelope carefully wrapped in plastic film, relatively intact. Inside was a letter with neat handwriting, yet revealing endless fatigue and relief—a suicide note.

"... I divorced Tatsuya, scumbag... shameless, enough, I've had enough too, however, I finally won custody of my son..."

"... Being a mother is the proudest thing in my life, however, I must raise Isamu to be a decent person, cannot let him be ruined in that scumbag's hands, however, however I must persist..."

"... No money, that scumbag refuses to pay child support, my parents told me they're already struggling just to survive, let them go, but, who will let me and Isamu go? I worked two jobs, still not enough, far from enough, so I still called that number..."

"... Finally I had money, but when he discovered the truth and looked at me with that gaze that day, I knew I had to persist until he no longer needed me... Now he got into a good university, has a bright future. I, this unbecoming mother, it's time to disappear. Please don't blame him, he knows nothing. This is my own choice, for him, and so I can finally put down this burden... I have no regrets."

"... Finally I have money, but from the day he discovered the truth and looked at me with that kind of gaze, I knew I had to persist until he no longer needed me... Now he has entered a good university and has a bright future. As his unseemly mother, it is time for me to disappear. Please do not blame him; he knows nothing. This is my own choice—for him, and so that I can finally lay down this burden... I have no regrets."

Ikeda Erena tightly clenched her fists, turned her head away, unable to bear looking at the skeleton any longer.

The experienced Kai Toru silently squatted before the corpse, took a deep sigh, and muttered under his breath: "This damn world..."

Okada Masayoshi felt his eye sockets heat up, struggled to maintain professionalism, and softly said: "She, this mother... tidied herself up very neatly, her clothes also very orderly."

This is a way of maintaining final dignity at the end of life, this is this mother's final pride.

Acting Unit Chief Nanxiang Yui had a blank expression, but his tightly pressed lips and slightly rising and falling chest betrayed his emotions: "Actually, this woman could apply for many kinds of assistance, but... some people are just like this, they don't want to trouble others, don't want to go back and forth with Ministry of Health and Welfare officials over whether many clauses are negotiable, for them this is a great humiliation, they would rather end their own lives, but this is not their fault, the old society turned people into ghosts, while our society forces the good into prostitution."

The rest of the words Nanxiang Yui did not say, but everyone present knew this woman definitely went into the sex industry, possibly even that kind of door-to-door call girl, and then one day was accidentally discovered by her own son, when she was looked at by her son with shocked eyes, she persisted until her son entered university, then quietly disappeared so that her son's classmates, friends, and future coworkers would not know his mother had engaged in these professions, becoming this mother's only choice.

The remaining words were not spoken by Nango Yui, but everyone at the scene knew this lady definitely went into the sex work industry, even that kind of door-to-door escort, and then one day was inadvertently discovered by her own son; when he looked at her with shocked eyes, she persisted until he entered university, then calmly disappeared so that his classmates, friends, and future colleagues would not know his mother had engaged in such professions—this became the mother's only choice.

In her youth, a sex industry once offered her a monthly salary of 2.3 million yen, ten times the normal rate, but she beat them up badly, and they didn't even dare call the police.

Uesugi Muneyuki silently stood before this proud mother, he clasped his hands together, bent his noble spine, and bowed deeply.

Uesugi Muneyuki stood silently before this proud mother, he clasped his hands together, bent his noble spine, and made a deep bow.

The Special Mission Unit members also all clasped their hands and bowed.

To great maternal love.

Uesugi Muneyuki deeply gazed at this remains for a moment, thought it over, and still decided to follow this mother's last wish—she did not say her name, meaning she did not want people to know, so in that case, he also would not investigate further.

Since this is your choice, I respect it, I hope your son Isamu can understand your sacrifice, and live healthily and happily onward.

Friends who often commit suicide know that every year many people in Japan choose this way to disappear quietly. Japan has no household registration system and no ID cards, only personal health insurance cards and driver's licenses, so theoretically anyone can change their name and surname as long as they abandon their current identity and start life anew elsewhere. But similarly, some people do so to avoid burdening relatives and friends, and also do not want others to see their embarrassing aspects, choosing to quietly end their lives for the sake of final dignity.

And with Uesugi Muneyuki's call, forensic personnel immediately came forward to examine the corpse, Uesugi Muneyuki merely said softly "It's suicide," and gestured for everyone to continue following him.

"Alright, they'll handle the rest, we keep moving forward." Okada Masayoshi's voice was lower and more hoarse than usual, he scanned the Special Mission Unit: "Remember what we've seen now. We want to catch those bastards who trample life at will, while here... someone voluntarily walked into this forest to protect what matters most. This is why we must stop the former."

"Alright, they will handle the aftermath; we continue forward." Okada Masayoshi's voice was lower and hoarser than usual as he scanned the Special Mission Unit: "Remember what we have seen now. We must capture those bastards who wantonly trample life, while here... someone voluntarily entered this forest to protect what matters most. This is why we must stop the former."

Thus, along the way, the Special Mission Unit members saw many corpses, each bearing a heavy story—those suffering from serious illness, despair, weariness of life, abandoned by family and friends. In the tree sea's depths where light cannot reach, there were the murdered, the suicides, the lost explorers, and... possibly dumped corpses.

Thus, along the way, the Special Mission Unit members saw many corpses, each bearing a heavy story—those gravely ill, despairing, weary of life, abandoned by kin and friends; in the Tree Sea's depths where light cannot reach, there were the murdered, the suicidal, lost explorers, and... possibly abandoned bodies.

Uesugi Muneyuki sensed the emotions attached to each corpse, the eyes of the Wisdom King Love-Stained on his forehead opened, the Wisdom King's wrath was burning.

Beside him, Ikeda Erena could sense Uesugi Muneyuki's emotional changes, she actively squeezed his hand to show I am always by your side.

Uesugi Muneyuki gave an apologetic smile, thinking no wonder this tree sea environment makes people develop a death wish.

Sometimes, just living is already exhausting, especially in Japan's highly repressive society.

Japan's suicide rate has long ranked fifteenth to twentieth in the world.

The world's first is South Korea.

Seeing this scene and environment, the Special Mission Unit members also lost their initial joking and ease, becoming silent many times over.

However, just at this moment, a message came from ahead!

The advance SAT special team discovered traces of someone living! Possibly found the Sakikawa Restoration Army's base!

"Go!" Uesugi Muneyuki, Okada Masayoshi, and Nanxiang Yui exchanged glances, then immediately headed toward the signal's direction!

Two hours after the large-scale encirclement operation began.

Such a massive search finally yielded results!

When Uesugi Muneyuki arrived, the dense canopy split the sunlight into fragments, the air filled with the scent of moss and rotting plants.

Fully armed SAT members surrounded the shaky, abandoned wooden hut in the forest clearing like facing a great enemy, the red dot laser of the sniper rifle swaying on the door and window.

"People inside! Come out immediately with hands on heads!" The megaphone's voice echoed in the silent forest.

"We've locked onto your position!"

"Don't hide, we know you're there!"

"Come out now, otherwise we'll just break in directly!"

The hut's rotten door was pushed open with a "creak."

However, what appeared was not the imagined terrifying terrorist, but a thin man with white-streaked hair, wearing work pants stained with chemical pollutants, looking about sixty years old, his face etched with the grooves of time and the wind and frost of long-term isolation, but his eyes burned with a strange fire, mixed with madness and calm.

However, what appeared was not the imagined fierce terrorist, but a thin man with white-haired work pants stained with chemical grime, looking about sixty, his face etched with the ravages of time and long isolation, yet his eyes burned with a strange fire mixing madness and calm.

Huh?

The Public Security Bureau Management Officer Ichijo Keishi and the Criminal Investigation Department Investigation Division 1 Management Officer Megure Keishi, who were in charge of command at the crime scene, were both stunned.

Old man?

How could it be an old man?

Th-this isn't right, is it? A name as chuunibyou as the Sakikawa Restoration Army is obviously something only young people would come up with, right?

Could there be a mistake?

However, Uesugi Muneyuki, who had rushed to the crime scene, widened his pupils the instant he saw this old man.

This feeling? Could it be???

"Correct, it's him!" he exclaimed involuntarily.

"What?" Both Ichijo Keishi and Megure Keishi were startled.

"Yes, the person we're looking for is this person!!!"

(Chapter End)