Chapter 626

Within one hour of Ōsumikawa's death.

Japan's major media, like a detonated arsenal, with unprecedented force and a unified accusatory stance, pushed Akimoto Shin'ichirō onto the gallows of public opinion.

NHK reported with the utmost solemnity: "An extreme abnormal situation has occurred at St. Luke's Hospital. The perpetrator of the Minato Ward bombing, Ōsumikawa Minoru, died immediately after Foreign Minister Akimoto Shin'ichirō's visit. Authoritative doctors at the hospital preliminarily judged the cause of death to have major doubts, pointing to strong external stimulation. Police have intervened, and the Cabinet has announced the establishment of a special investigation committee."

The report used restrained wording, but terms like "extreme abnormal," "major doubts," and "strong external stimulation" were like heavy bombs.

As Japan's national broadcaster, NHK's use of such language already revealed everyone's opinion.

TBS Television ran the headline: "The Black Hand of Politics? A 'Final Murder' Completed in the Hospital Ward?" The host, emotionally charged in the broadcast studio, said: "This is no longer a scandal; it is a crime! An ultimate trampling of the judiciary, medical neutrality, and even humanity! We cannot help but ask, what kind of deep hatred and great grudge would make a dying old man not find peace in his final moments, even forcing him to end his life in such a 'coincidental' way?"

Fuji Television was even more direct: "On-site doctor roars: 'Death by stimulation!' Akimoto Daijin's 'final visit'."

They repeatedly played the contrast between Akimoto's brief smile as he left the hospital and the subsequent alarm sound, accompanied by a voiceover full of suspense and accusation.

Of course, there was also Tobu Television's beautiful anchor, and her active call for Uesugi Chief to come perform the autopsy.

NTV focused its gaze on previous incidents, especially those involving Ōsumikawa's remarks, absolutely certain this was a shocking grand conspiracy! This old man must know something! Recalling the possibly involved Sakikawa Restoration Army, NTV even suspected this was a play put on by the Public Security Police (they didn't dare say CIA) to silence him!

Asahi Television, as a well-known elderly-oriented channel, focused entirely on Ōsumikawa, repeatedly reporting his decades-long consistent work, his love for life, family, and daughter. The media had unearthed Ōsumikawa's past from Showa Chemical, and when sepia-toned old photos surfaced, and when his photo with his daughter appeared before the public, elderly viewers in front of their TV sets also involuntarily felt nostalgic for the Showa era—truly, the sight brought sorrow to the eyes and tears to the ears.

TV Tokyo: "Why do young people all like going to Shimokitazawa? Just how spicy is this one ramen shop's 30x spicy level? I can't wait—hurry up and serve it!"

The internet and social media exploded: "Akimoto Shin'ichirō, get out of politics! Murderer!"

"This is no longer incompetence; it is demonic! After his son died, does he want to drag everyone down with him?"

"What are the Public Security and Police doing? Why did they let him in?!"

"Request INTERPOL intervene to investigate Akimoto Shin'ichirō!"

"The darkest moment of Japanese politics!"

The people's anger was like a tsunami; the previous sympathy for Akimoto's bereavement had vanished completely, replaced by extreme hatred of power's arrogance and cold-bloodedness.

Akimoto's residence and the area outside the Foreign Ministry gathered protesting crowds, demanding he resign immediately and submit to investigation.

Inside the hospital, the atmosphere had likewise dropped to freezing point.

The arriving National Police Agency Director of the Commissioner's Secretariat, Onoda Kimiaki, and CIA Officer Smith stood silently opposite each other.

Both sides could feel the extreme rage, each blaming the other for mishandling the matter.

Onoda Kimiaki decided to strike first, picking up the wooden box wrapped in silk cloth in his hand and placing it on the desk: "This is a melon."

Then he produced a folded A4 sheet: "This is a loss statement!"

Opening the white paper, it read: Japan's Public Security demands compensation of 10 million US dollars from the CIA!

10 million US dollars!

You still dare to ask me for money? CIA Officer A. 0. Smith fumed, closing his eyes.

You're treating me like a Japanese person!

However, the Public Security Police's procedures were indeed complete, and moreover, the incident occurred within the CIA, the person died at CIA hands—on this point, CIA had nothing to say.

"Give it to him." Mr. Smith gestured to his side, Officer Judy.

"Mr. Onoda, there is also a statement here." Officer Judy likewise produced an A4 sheet.

"————" Onoda Kimiaki opened the A4 sheet, which read: CIA demands compensation from Japan's Public Security and Foreign Ministry of 1200

ten thousand US dollars.

The muscles on his face twitched several times.

That's 2 million US dollars more than the previously estimated 10 million!

"This, this we really cannot afford." Onoda Kimiaki pursed his lips, thought for a moment, and immediately moved the melon on the desk slightly toward Officer Smith: "Please, by all means, use this to offset the debt!"

Officer Smith suppressed his anger; he also knew that fish dying and net breaking was meaningless, merely extending his hands with slight mockery to take the melon box: "They say Japanese melons are expensive, but I didn't expect they could be expensive to 2 million dollars each! Is your melon rind made of gold, or the melon seeds made of gold?"

"Well, recent harvests have been poor." Onoda Kimiaki lowered his head, lacking confidence: "You see, where are there melons now, Mr. Smith? These are all greenhouse melons—you complain they're expensive, I complain they're expensive too!"

"Is this melon ripe?" Officer Smith weighed it in his hand.

"Produced by the Agricultural Association, it must be premium.

The sense of oppression given by Americans is too strong, especially for Japanese people.

"Well, I'll take this melon for now; if it's not ripe, you know the consequences." Officer Smith ultimately accepted the melon, um, a 2-million-dollar melon.

Onoda breathed a sigh of relief.

But this only solved one problem.

"Mr. Onoda." Officer Smith's voice was icy: "In my professional career, I have never experienced such a————absurd and infuriating security loophole. Your political figures, like a North American bison barging into precision instruments, have destroyed everything. The foundation of this 'Special Guardianship Agreement' no longer exists."

Onoda's face turned ashen; he knew any explanation would be pallid: "Mr. Smith, I understand your anger; this is equally a disgrace to the Japanese police. Now, the only remedial measure is to investigate the truth thoroughly, no matter where it leads."

"Truth?" Smith snorted coldly, "You Japanese politicians and doctors—I now cannot believe anyone. I need an absolutely neutral, and with flawless capability, 'arbitrator'."

Almost simultaneously, the two, as well as Watanabe Director and Shinchou Bureau Chief participating online, thought of the same name.

"Let Uesugi Muneyuki come." Smith and Onoda said in unison.

"Immediately have the Ambassador to Japan send a formal diplomatic note to the Cabinet!"

"Call Uesugi! Call Uesugi!!!"

The second hour after Ōsumikawa's death.

Summoned by the CIA and Public Security Police, Uesugi Muneyuki finally arrived as scheduled at St. Luke's International Hospital.

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Under everyone's gaze, he walked into the mortuary of St. Luke's Hospital.

CIA's Officer Smith, Public Security's Onoda Kanbocho, Metropolitan Police Department's Watanabe Director, and others stood tightly watching from outside the glass wall.

Uesugi Muneyuki said little; he immediately gestured for Ishihara Mikoto to change his clothes, prepare various tools, put on gloves, and tightly grip the surgical knife in his hand.

The Qinghui Stone was glowing.

It was time.

Just decided it was you, Mr. Ōsumikawa, my fourth wheel! My Wisdom King vessel!

When Kongō Yasha Myōō infused the refined "Nirvana Origin" into Ōsumikawa Minoru's spirit body, the former chemical engineer Ōsumikawa Minoru did not passively accept it like a traditional practitioner.

His consciousness, amid the vast torrent of energy, instinctively began "analysis and reconstruction."

Within Uesugi Muneyuki's introspective "domain," the serpent deity energy coiled by Mahācakra Vidyārāja was no longer merely a mythological construct, but was deconstructed into strands of high-energy, highly toxic, and unstable energy streams.

Using his will as a "distributed control system," he precisely guided these streams, as if conducting fractional distillation and catalysis within a virtual "reactor."

During the energy purification, Uesugi Muneyuki regarded the "death" within the Lord of Shitōrin's origin as a toxic byproduct needing neutralization, separating, compressing, and sealing it within the crystal lattice traps of the energy structure.

He then optimized the Wisdom King's traditional coiled serpent form into a dynamic, adaptive coiled defense structure, like the most efficient heat exchanger piping, capable of both defense and instantaneous release of massive energy.

When the final stream of energy was precisely "positioned," the new Mahācakra Vidyārāja formally manifested — its coiled venomous snakes were no longer flesh and blood, but energy conduits shimmering with metallic and lapis lazuli gloss, snake pupils were calm sensors, and snake bodies entwined with a fluid radiance both sacred and dangerous.

Afterward, Uesugi Muneyuki spoke.

"Ōsumikawa Minoru, open your eyes, I am Uesugi Muneyuki! An existence of the world's reverse side, the master of the Death Soul Contract!"

"Sign a contract with me, become my Cursed Grudge! Mr. Ōsumikawa!"

Ōsumikawa Minoru's dead soul gradually awakened under Uesugi Muneyuki's exchange, he abruptly opened his eyes, looking around in shock: "Here, where is this? Wait, wasn't I already, wasn't I already dead?"

"This is the world after death, also the world of the living, a world I control, and also my secret as a Legendary Forensic Doctor!"

Ōsumikawa stared at Uesugi Muneyuki with a face full of shock, and after a long time, he finally processed it: "Bastard! Uesugi, you bastard! You NBA me?"

"Yes, that's right, I did indeed AMS you, but, Mr. Ōsumikawa, don't you want to witness that moment?"

"You need me, and I also need your power!"

"Don't you want to see your daughter again?"

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