Chapter 655

Cold rainwater hammered the dirty glass window of the cheap apartment, winding down the exterior wall, and under the dim glow of the streetlamp below, it looked like streaks of flowing tears.

Inside the apartment, Warehouse Stone Junxiong stared at the name Sakamoto Ryoma had replied with on the dark web screen, his brow furrowed tightly.

"Saito Asuka"

"Saito————Asuka?" Fujisaki Tatsuya leaned in, reading the name aloud, looking puzzled: "Who is this? I didn't see her on the previous 'national traitor' list. Is she a politician? Or some old tycoon from a zaibatsu?"

Fujisaki Kenji quickly searched on his phone: "Looks like————she's that underage female housemaid—or student? —taken in by Uesugi Muneyuki? Did Sakamoto Ryoma get the target wrong? What 'cleansing value' does someone like her have?"

"Oh right, I remember now! Correct, it's her from the Sakuradamon hearing!" Fujisaki Kenji held up his phone, showing a photo hailed as the "thousand-year-old beauty girl" Saito Asuka's super-cute little face and another of her in that JK uniform: "She's so cute!"

"Exactly! I remember now! Isn't she one of Uesugi Muneyuki's Metropolitan Police Department pervert harem in the Ooku? Why is it her?" Fujisaki Tatsuya was equally baffled.

Warehouse Stone Junxiong felt the same doubt in his heart.

This differed from the heroic scene he'd imagined of wiping out the "old-era crocodiles"—this name seemed too————ordinary, even insignificant.

But the long-drilled "absolute obedience" and blind trust in Sakamoto Ryoma's "far-reaching layout" quickly overwhelmed his doubts.

"Sakamoto Ryoma's plans aren't something we can fully comprehend." Warehouse Stone Junxiong closed the computer, his voice low yet firm: "Perhaps behind this Saito Asuka" lies a more important network, or she is some kind of symbol————just carry out the order."

"Massive precision calculations, better than you know, better than I know." Warehouse Stone said coldly: "Although based on current information, she personally comes from a poor worker family in Hokkaido, theoretically making her of the same class as us, but since she associates with Uesugi Muneyuki—this kind of aristocrat, big landlord, big capitalist—she is our class enemy; since she is an enemy, she is a non-national; since she is a non-national, eliminating her aligns with our action guidelines!"

"Oh oh oh!" The Fujisaki brothers still had doubts, but they responded vaguely.

Warehouse Stone also felt uneasy; they had previously killed obviously elderly, silk-clad politicians, seeing their Toyota Century and 3000-yen breakfasts, wearing kimonos worth 1.5 million yen—shooting at such people caused no psychological pressure, but the target changed to a two-dimensional-style beautiful girl—it really was hard to bring oneself to do it.

He stood up, walked to the window, and slightly lifted a corner of the curtain.

The narrow alley below was empty, only rainwater pooling on the uneven ground into turbid streams. The light from a distant convenience store corner blurred in the rain curtain into a hazy glow.

Everything seemed calm.

But for some unknown reason, a nameless unease like cold wriggling worms drilled into his spine.

It was too quiet; normally at this time, there would be some drunks or late-returning part-timers making noise downstairs.

In the living room, Fujisaki Tatsuya was playing a fighting game on his laptop, cursing under his breath.

Fujisaki Kenji was watching a new anime on his tablet, yet occasionally criticizing: "Tsk, this kind of soft-core porn anime that beautifies school life is pure spiritual opium for the petty bourgeoisie! It numbs the fighting will of the proletariat's descendants!"

"But Old Eight is really cute anyway————how did this kind of person become a defeated dog? I support Old Eight, I'm in the Old Eight faction!"

"Exactly! We should produce more meaningful works!" Fujisaki Tatsuya said while wildly pressing the controller, agreeing, his in-game character unleashing a gorgeous special move: "Support pirated versions! The money spent buying正版 games? During the Plaza Agreement, Takeda Noboru already handed it over to the Americans for us!"

"Hey! Eight Cups of Wine Style·Eight Wine Cups!" "Forbid Twelve Hundred Eleven Style·Eight Young Girls!"

————Warehouse Stone Tetsuo thought Street Fighter seemed like a Capcom game, theoretically it should count as our Japanese national enterprise?

No! The state is a violent tool of the ruling class! Ma Sheng Ensheng said it, we proletarians have no homeland!

But————really have to treat those Indian A San as compatriots————

Hmm wait, this seems not to be Street Fighter but King of Fighters————King of Fighters seems to be SNK Company's, and SNK is what country's enterprise? I remember it was sold to Koreans?

This dissonance between slogan and behavior made Warehouse Stone Junxiong even more irritable at this moment: "I'll go to the convenience store to buy a pack of cigarettes and something to eat, and meanwhile————get some fresh air."

He grabbed a hoodie, put it on, shoved a Glock 19 into his waist holster, and covered it with his jacket.

"Be careful, Junxiong Brother."

Warehouse Stone Junxiong nodded, pulled open the room door. The old building's voice-controlled stair light was broken, only the faint green glow of the emergency exit dimly illuminated the wet concrete steps.

He lightened his steps, going down level by level.

The smell of rainwater, mold, and a faint hint of————different from residents', carrying outdoor chill—moisture mixed in the air. His heartbeat began to quicken.

At the apartment building's downstairs stairwell, that rusted iron door was ajar.

He reached out to push—

Almost at the same moment, the iron door was silently yet forcefully pulled open from outside!

A blast of cold rainwater hit his face, along with it surging in were several silhouettes outlined sharply by raincoats!

Leading the two, one had a stern face, eyes sharp as surgical knives; the other had a resolute expression, his whole body tensed like a leopard.

Behind them, even more silent silhouettes flickered in the rain curtain, quickly spreading out to control the entrance and exit.

Time seemed to freeze for a frame.

Warehouse Stone Junxiong's pupils suddenly contracted.

The flash of shock, confirmation, and then erupting fierce determination in the opponent's eyes, alongside his own brain bursting with the "Police!" alarm, nearly synchronized!

Legendary Forensic Doctor Uesugi Muneyuki? Star Inspector Kashiwagi Jin?

Who in the world does not know you?

Oh no, the cops are here!

"Don't move! Police!" Kashiwagi Jin's fierce shout and the motion of flashing his police handbook were as fast as lightning.

"!" Warehouse Stone Junxiong's survival instinct and long-tense nerves made him react even more crazily—he didn't raise his hands, but instead violently slammed backward into the stair railing, simultaneously his right hand fiercely groped toward his waist holster!

"Bang!"

Not a gunshot, it was Warehouse Stone Junxiong hitting the railing with a dull thud and Kashiwagi Jin rapidly lunging forward colliding! Uesugi Muneyuki almost simultaneously with Kashiwagi Jin's movement sidestepped to the door edge for cover, his calm voice penetrating the rain curtain: "Confirm identity! Warehouse Stone Junxiong! There might still be accomplices inside the building!"

The narrow, dim, slippery apartment entrance was instantly filled with intense combat, shouts, chaotic footsteps, and rain sounds!

The meticulously planned encirclement, colliding with the criminal's unexpected breakthrough, in the freezing rain night, evolved into an unprepared encounter battle!

The narrow, dim corridor filled with moldy smell and damp water vapor instantly turned into a dangerous arena!

Warehouse Stone Junxiong, shoved down by Kashiwagi Jin's impact, saw stars, but his young body erupted in frantic struggle.

He bent his knees and thrust upward, trying to overturn the pressing Kashiwagi Jin, while his right hand wildly scratched and struck.

Kashiwagi Jin, experienced, used body weight and joint locks to deaden his main power point, but the slippery ground and narrow space restricted his movement, several times nearly being shaken off by Warehouse Stone.

Uesugi Muneyuki did not directly join the ground grappling, but quickly secured the stairwell turn, both preventing Warehouse Stone from breaking loose to flee up or down, and staying alert for upstairs comrades who might hear the commotion and move.

His gaze calmly swept over the two in combat and the surroundings, rainwater dripping from the strands of hair above his forehead.

"Okada! Bring people to seal all exits upstairs! Date, Kai, flank from the side fire escape and neighboring unit! Igarashi, hold downstairs, evacuate unrelated residents! Quick!" Uesugi Muneyuki issued low-voice commands at extreme speed via earpiece.

Outside, the rain and building structure to some extent muffled the indoor commotion, but every second must be fought for.

"Understood!" The police scattered around the apartment perimeter immediately moved, like a silent tide surging to key points throughout the building.

Kurashi Junxiong's combat ability was clearly far inferior to Kashiwagi Jin, who had undergone professional training, and he was quickly subdued to the point of being unable to breathe, taking a heavy punch to the face, with hot fluid surging from his nasal cavity.

Despair and ferocity clouded his mind. In the moment he was once again choked by Kashiwagi Jin's arm lock, he let out a wild roar and, without hesitation, drew the Glock 19 he had always concealed at his waist.

"Be careful!" Uesugi Muneyuki's warning and Kashiwagi Jin's instinctive retreat from danger were almost simultaneous.

"Click!" Kurashi Junxiong violently flicked the safety off with his thumb, the dark muzzle pointing at Kashiwagi Jin within arm's reach under the dim green emergency lighting, also vaguely aimed at Uesugi Muneyuki by the stairwell corner.

Indeed, there was a gun!

Kashiwagi Jin's movement froze instantly, his body tensed like a bow, his right hand flashing to his holstered sidearm in a standard tactical motion, but he did not immediately draw it, for at such close range, a rash draw might provoke the other side to fire directly.

Time seemed to stretch.

The sound of rain striking the exterior wall, heavy breathing, and the thundering heartbeat were infinitely magnified in the cramped space. The green safety exit indicator light cast eerie light and shadow on the faces locked in stalemate.

Kurashi Junxiong's gun-hand trembled slightly, whether from overexertion or fear, he did not know.

He leaned against the cold wall, the muzzle shifting between Kashiwagi Jin and Uesugi Muneyuki, his eyes wild and chaotic.

"Put down your weapon! You are surrounded!" Kashiwagi Jin's voice was low and oppressive, attempting to overwhelm the opponent with presence.

Kurashi Junxiong seemed not to have heard, his self-light fixed dead on Kashiwagi Jin, then swept over Uesugi Muneyuki's stern face, a terrible thought like a poisonous snake burrowing into his mind.

This place is so concealed, the plan flawless, how could the police possibly pinpoint this location with the precision of a prophet foreseeing the future? Unless "———— it's him, right?" Kurashi Junxiong's voice hoarse, laced with incredulous despair and boundless hatred: "Is that old bastard — — the one who betrayed me?! Does he just want me to die?!"

Who this "he" refers to goes without saying.

Kashiwagi Jin's eyes were sharp, catching the moment something in Kurashi Junxiong's eyes collapsed — not just the madness of desperate resistance, but the deep anguish of betrayal by kin.

He immediately seized this psychological opening, shouting sternly: "We have met Kurashi's association president! He begged us, before his son makes a grave mistake, to stop you! He hopes you can live, have a chance to start anew! Put down the gun!"

"Start anew — — hahaha — — hahaha — —" Kurashi Junxiong's laughter was worse than crying, his gun-hand trembling more violently. His father's face, mixed with rage and helplessness, the occasional gentleness glimpsed in childhood, now collided with the reality of "betrayal," shaking his mind to its core.

The underworld father, the deceased mother, the revolutionary son, the innocent her.

It was this very moment of wavering and distraction!

"Whoosh—bang!"

A figure like a leopard swung down from the upper railing, precisely Date Nagamune, who had rapidly descended via rappel rope from an upper window! He accurately kicked the wrist of Kurashi Junxiong's gun hand!

At the same time, Kai Toru surged out from the stairwell corner below, coordinating with Kashiwagi Jin's second lunge, the three like a well-rehearsed hunting team, instantly slamming Kurashi Junxiong hard to the ground!

"Ah!" The Glock 19 flew from his hand, striking the wall with a dull thud.

Kashiwagi Jin smoothly twisted Kurashi's arm behind his back, Date Nagamune quickly searched him and applied handcuffs, Kai Toru picked up the gun on the ground, removed the magazine, and checked the chamber.

"Target secured!" Kashiwagi Jin barked into his earpiece.

However, almost as his words ended—

"Bang! Bang bang!"

Downstairs, clear and brief gunfire pierced the rain curtain and building structure, faintly transmitted upward!

Everyone's faces changed instantly.

Indeed, accomplices?!

They heard the commotion, exchanged fire?

"Gunfire downstairs! All units proceed according to plan! Watch your safety! Prioritize control, try to take alive!" Uesugi Muneyuki's voice rapidly transmitted via earpiece, still calm, but speech faster.

He glanced at Kurashi Junxiong, pressed face-down on the ground with vacant eyes, and told Kashiwagi Jin: "This is yours to handle. I'm going down to look."

The gunfire downstairs was sparse but piercing, each report making the tension in the air surge to a new peak.

Having said that, Uesugi Muneyuki moved, melting into shadow as he swiftly and cautiously descended the stairs.

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