Chapter 735: The Final Confession

At the same time, Uesugi Muneyuki also sensed the fleeting energy reaction from below.

Hironaka Mariko returned to tell Uesugi Muneyuki that she could sense that person… if he could still be called a human, he could almost effortlessly sweep away the thugs downstairs without even blowing off dust, and she herself dared not approach.

This allowed Uesugi Muneyuki to confirm two facts: first, Takakura, led by the Red Goldfinch, indeed obtained power from the New God in Kansai, which is why he had no fear of detonating explosives to blow himself up, because even if he exploded and the building collapsed, he would not die.

Second, the Japanese police system, and even deeper within the higher echelons of the Cabinet, indeed harbored entities controlling supernatural power, but such power would only be deployed in the most critical and urgent moments, and Superintendent General Watanabe Eiji was unaware of this power.

So who controls this power? The Security Bureau of the National Police Agency? The Cabinet Crisis Management Bureau? Or even… Committee Chairman Nankōtarō of the National Public Safety Commission?

There is still no clear answer, but Uesugi Muneyuki has already tested out a little something.

This is why he chose to act only at the very last moment of the three-day deadline.

Would the bigwigs of the Cabinet be willing to produce something real if improper pressure were applied?

The afterglow of the crimson spiritual light slowly dissipated in the air, leaving only a layer of ash and a faint, elusive scent of purification. In the vast space of the 36th floor, the crackling of burning flames and the distant clamor from downstairs seemed to be separated by a layer.

Uesugi Muneyuki retracted all his outward power, returning to the appearance of a merely fatigued young scholar.

Honda Atsuhito leaned against the pillar, his face pallid, the wound on his leg and the supernatural spectacle he had just witnessed pushing his mind and body to the brink of extinction. A silence spread between them, broken only by heavy breathing.

This silence was not awkward, but rather a sense of having survived a calamity, coupled with utter bewilderment and deliberation after their cognition had been completely overturned.

Uesugi Muneyuki checked Marie's condition; she had been shot in the shoulder, lost too much blood, and was exhausted, causing her to faint, but it was not serious—she just needed prompt treatment.

As for Honda Atsuhito… in fact, these two people had secretly met once during the three-day deadline, and Uesugi Muneyuki had even brought Asuka along, confirming through her that Honda Atsuhito genuinely wished to cooperate with him.

Now that this lingering concern had been completely resolved, it was not bad; as for his abilities being exposed before Honda Atsuhito…

"Mr. Honda, everything that happened here tonight, regarding Takakura's 'final appearance,' and my 'way of handling things'…" "I understand… I am already over sixty."

Honda Atsuhito gazed at Uesugi Muneyuki's back as he checked Marie's wound, then lowered his eyes to look at his own blood-stained leg, his gaze violently struggling. Finally, he seemed to have made up his mind, using his uninjured hand to tremulously reach deep into the lining of his old work uniform, fumbling for a while before pulling out something.

It was an old-style, mottled olive-green lacquered aluminum military thermal water bottle, its body still bearing faint traces of a red five-pointed star, its design at least several decades old, the mouth tightly wound with thin rope.

Honda Atsuhito gripped the water bottle, took a deep breath, a flash of deep reluctance crossing his eyes, but knowing rescue was on the way, he extended it toward Uesugi Muneyuki, the motion carrying an almost solemn ritualistic feeling.

Uesugi Muneyuki had just finished applying a simple hemostatic bandage to Marie, turned around, saw the water bottle being offered before him, blinked, and instinctively waved his hand: "I'm not thirsty. Mr. Honda, you've lost a lot of blood—keep it to replenish your fluids; rescue will arrive shortly."

Honda Atsuhito did not retract his hand, merely shook his head, and due to pain and weakness, his voice was pressed low yet unusually clear: "It's not for you to drink."

He paused, his clouded eyes locking tightly onto Uesugi Muneyuki, filled with pleading, despair, and a trace of the old江湖's final shrewd probing. He drew even closer, his voice almost inaudible, yet like a heavy hammer striking the air between them: "For this… spare my daughter."

Uesugi Muneyuki's gaze shifted from Honda Atsuhito's face to the water bottle in his hand, his eyes narrowing slightly, his expression showing doubt.

He did not immediately respond, merely staring silently at the other.

What does it mean?

Could it be C4? A real bomb?

Honda Atsuhito still maintained the posture of offering the water bottle, his hand steady, the pleading in his eyes nearly spilling over.

After a few seconds, Uesugi Muneyuki extended his hand and still took the military water bottle.

The moment he took hold, his brow twitched almost imperceptibly.

So heavy! So burdensome to the hand!

Abnormally heavy!

An ordinary, even somewhat worn military water bottle, even if filled with water, should not have this weight!

This feeling is less like a bottle of water and more like…

Uesugi Muneyuki rubbed his fingers over the icy, mottled surface of the bottle, then unscrewed the lid wrapped in thin thread.

No water flowed out.

Using the gradually dimming firelight outside the window and the faint glow of dawn, he peered into the bottle's interior.

Uesugi Muneyuki's eyes widened suddenly, and his pupils instantly contracted.

Wow! Golden Legend!

Although the inner wall seemed deliberately aged and covered with a layer of inconspicuous dark substance, when the light hit at the right angle, one could still clearly see the unique, heavy dark gold luster belonging to precious metal.

The interior of this bottle was not hollow, but completely filled with solid gold!

Only at the center remained an extremely small gap, disguised as a water channel!

The entire inner lining of the bottle was a meticulously cast, disguised-as-a-container super-large gold ingot!

This is not just some old thermal water bottle—it is a pure gold block weighing over 12 kilograms!

Gold!

It is gold! This heavy metal, which can almost only be formed in the Big Bang and supernova explosions, has been repeatedly proven by thousands of years of human history to be hard currency!!

Even though Uesugi Muneyuki is well-traveled and knowledgeable, at this moment he also sucked in a breath of smoke and fire, falling silent for several seconds.

He weighed it in his hand, knowing this was part of Honda Atsuhito's major capital for returning to Japan this time, and even for believing he could rescue his daughter! This is no small sum, especially decades ago, when it could have been part of the hard currency looted or raised during the heyday of the "Red Goldfinch"! "Are you trying to bribe me?" Uesugi Muneyuki looked at Honda Atsuhito, his expression unreadable.

"This is what you deserve, and also my 'gratitude' to you." Honda Atsuhito's facial muscles twitched a few times, and he suddenly said: "Without you, tonight here… I don't know, but at least Marie… you promised you'd spare her, right? This is the advance payment." "Promise me, spare her, spare my daughter, let her live on as a 'victim,' a 'coerced one.' All the sins, I will bear!"

Uesugi Muneyuki said nothing, merely using his fingers to lightly weigh that heavy gold water bottle.

The cold sensation traveled from his fingertips, mingling with the smell of gunpowder, blood, and dust.

He glanced at the unconscious Marie, her brow furrowed, face pale, then at the aging man before him who was willing to surrender his last lifeline for his daughter, even to bear all guilt.

Uesugi Muneyuki finally nodded, wrapped the water bottle around his tactical waist belt beneath his suit, secured it skillfully, and softly said, "Understood."

Honda Atsuhito's tense body finally relaxed, he leaned back against the pillar, exhaled a long, silent breath, closed his eyes, as if suddenly aged ten years, but the heavy shackles in his brow seemed to loosen slightly.

Finally, I can… for Yuka, for Marie…

Finally… finally…

The two stood in silence for over ten seconds, then Uesugi Muneyuki suddenly spoke: "Come to think of it, Mr. Honda, why did you return to Japan? With such a huge sum, you in Brazil…"

"In my thirty years in Brazil, I thought a lot, saw a lot, and understood a lot." Honda Atsuhito shook his head weakly, seeming both self-mocking and helpless: "Doctor Uesugi, with your erudition, you should know Che Guevara, right?"

"Of course." Uesugi Muneyuki nodded.

"After going to South America, I followed his path, and I… I discovered that the so-called Cuban Revolution was essentially, in some aspects more successful, in others less so, a 'All-Campus Joint Struggle Committee,' and the split between Che Guevara and Castro was exactly our example of radicalization after the All-Campus Joint Struggle Committee… identical in every way, everything nearly identical." Honda Atsuhito sighed: "No wonder Che Guevara became irritable and depressed in his later years, often locking himself away, thinking no one could understand him—I was the same, in my first few years in Brazil, I lived every day in this emotion."

"After Che Guevara left Cuba, he indeed became radicalized, and someone in another country criticized him, saying the so-called 'spark' doesn't mean you go to a place and just set fire to burn hospitals and schools." Uesugi Muneyuki seemed to understand: "But he remains a very great man, he once directly contacted and cared for leprosy patients like Mother Teresa, which is not something a living saint and strong faith can achieve—it's unattainable, precisely because he was so pure, he suffered so much."

"He died at just the right moment, so he became a totem, while I am nothing but an alienated Guevara who chose to abandon his wife and daughter at the moment he should have died, choosing to cling to a miserable existence, living in memories." Honda Atsuhito sneered, shaking his head repeatedly: "It was from him that I learned that relying on violence, fear, and slaughter cannot truly change the world. As for what comes after, I am not that pure—I can only believe in the wisdom of future generations, but at least before I die, I must……must……"

He looked at Marie, unconscious on the ground: "At least I must make amends for my failings toward Yuka and Marie."

"This is my final wish as a husband, as a father."

Honda Atsuhito looked at his daughter on the ground and smiled.

A father's love, heavy as a mountain, yet also as reliable as a mountain.

But this father's love came a little too late.

Uesugi Muneyuki felt the weight of that "father's love" at his waist, and said nothing more.

As Honda Atsuhito finished speaking, rapid and orderly footsteps came from the stairwell entrance; the figures of the SAT Assault Team appeared at the door, followed closely by the EOD Expert and medical personnel.

"Uesugi Chief! Uesugi Chief, are you all right?" Date Nagamune squeezed through the crowd and rushed in, shouting loudly.

"I'm fine." Uesugi Muneyuki nodded: "Where is the ANFO explosive?"

"We've already got it under control!" Date Nagamune said: "We've already thrown it into the explosion-proof bucket!"

"Very good."

At that moment, Date Nagamune finally noticed Honda Atsuhito and Miss Marie lying on the ground.

"This is Honda Atsuhito, who provided crucial assistance. That is Hayase Mary, an injured hostage requiring immediate medical aid. There is also a small amount of black powder firework residue at the scene, which needs careful inspection by EOD."

Uesugi Muneyuki immediately stepped forward and, in a clear and professional tone, gave his report, describing Honda Atsuhito as "a stained witness who provided key information at the critical moment, helped stabilize the emotions of suspect Takakura, and pointed out the approximate location of the bomb," while Hayase Mary was "a victim kidnapped by the Takakura Group and used to blackmail her father, and who was injured in the process."

"Understood!"

His account was clear, concise, and in line with all logic and scene evidence.

The on-scene commander, Superintendent Ichijo and others, having no doubt, immediately commanded the EOD team to approach carefully and handle the "ANFO explosive," while the SAT continued to search for remaining risks, and medical personnel swiftly carried the injured downstairs.

This skyscraper bombing crisis, woven from long-standing hatred, newly born conspiracy, greed and desire, and unexpectedly involving non-human entities, after paying the price of blood, flame, and supernatural power, finally……seemed to have lowered its curtain.

Thus, the Red Goldfinch ceased to exist.

As Honda Atsuhito was lifted onto the stretcher, he cast one last glance at Mary, being carefully tended to by another medical team, then another glance at Uesugi Muneyuki standing amidst the wreckage and police, his waist bearing that old water flask, calmly conversing with the commander.

And so, it was well.