Chapter 738

"Wow, Uesugi, you really are something!" Not long after Uesugi Muneyuki left Marie's house, Hironaka Mariko could no longer hold back, and she directly complained: "How can you be so stingy? That gold nugget Honda Atsuhito gave you must be worth at least 200 million yen, right? And you only gave her 1%?" Uesugi Muneyuki had sent Hironaka Mariko away in advance because he needed to first check whether there were any other bombs or terrorists inside the house. There was nothing to be done about it—human society's operation heavily relies on "consensus," and once it was confirmed that Honda Marie was indeed Honda Atsuhito's child, everyone would subconsciously avoid risk.

It's like if a standard glasses-wearing, tracksuit-clad, oily-haired, slightly chubby East Asian man casually threw a bag at someone, everyone would assume he was in trouble and asking for help, but if it were swapped for a bearded man with a white headband casually throwing a bag at someone, everyone's first reaction would absolutely be... run!

"One thing is one thing." Uesugi Muneyuki couldn't help but complain: "Gold is gold, and if Honda Atsuhito hadn't repeatedly asked me to help, I really wouldn't want to deal with these people. Besides, two million yen isn't a small amount—it's just enough for Marie to start a new life, without letting her suddenly become rich enough to raise suspicion from the public security side."

"Hah, is 2 million yen a lot? The male lead of 'Rent-a-Girlfriend,' Kino, spent over 3 million yen just to rent Mizuhara Chizuru, one after another!" Hironaka Mariko complained: "What can 2 million yen even do? Even if you gave it to me, it wouldn't be enough to last half a year! And the yen keeps depreciating—who knows how much it'll be worth in the future?"

Upon hearing this, Uesugi Muneyuki couldn't help but snort laugh, and this time he didn't object.

Rent-a-Girlfriend, right?

That's very yen-like!

Over 3 million yen... actually, that's already more than what many Tokyo office workers take home in a year. What couldn't the male lead do with that kind of money? And it seems the female lead, Mizuhara Chizuru, didn't just accept his nominations alone—I vaguely recall she accepted nominations from many people, raking in gold daily. Earlier she had to treat her grandmother, and after her grandmother passed away, she should have saved quite a bit... but considering the yen's pitiful state...

The yen has indeed been depreciating. Compared to the bubble economy era of 88–90, back then a bowl of ramen on Tokyo streets was only 500–700 yen, while now a famous Ichiran ramen bowl, even a regular one, has broken past the 1000-yen barrier, reaching 1080 yen (tax included). And compared to the wages back then, nearly 30 years later, Tokyo wages have basically not increased at all. Factoring in actual purchasing power, it's actually declined significantly, and Japan's per capita GDP has gradually been surpassed by Spain and even South Korea.

That's why Japanese people complain all day long—and there's a reason for it.

Who wouldn't want to earn London wages while enjoying Vietnam's prices?

After the bubble economy burst, unlimited quantitative easing and modern monetary theory guidance caused the yen to keep depreciating. Due to massive money supply increases and unlimited debt growth, no matter who comes into power, the only thing they can do is even more recklessly print money (to maintain spending and stimulate economic growth), and even more recklessly raise taxes (to withdraw excess circulating money from the market).

This is why Uesugi Muneyuki ultimately accepted the gold—after thousands of years of countless cycles of order and chaos in human history, it has finally been proven that gold possesses hard currency capability.

However, there's no need to overly belittle the Japanese economy, because Japan actually holds a large amount of overseas assets. GDP is calculated using US dollars and does not include overseas assets, so the continuously depreciating yen naturally ends up at a disadvantage in settlement. But if we look at the total share of assets in the global economy, Japan's economy has not been completely stagnant these years—it's just grown very slightly, so slightly that Japanese citizens only feel prices keep rising and life gets harder and harder. Although the yen is a pretty trash currency (constantly depreciating), it remains an emergency safe-haven currency, because theoretically, the yen can be exchanged for foreign currency without limit. Enterprises and organizations can exchange without limit, and individuals exchanging over 100 million yen in foreign currency at once merely attract attention from the foreign exchange management department. By contrast, in South Korea, if someone exchanges over 100 million won in foreign currency at once, the foreign exchange management authorities will immediately freeze and impose limits.

Human history is a continuous search for hard currency equivalents—before, it was shells; in the middle, it was gold; now, it's virtual currency, just as said—so-called virtual currency hasn't truly undergone the test of war and chaos, and virtual currency is more like an antique than gold. As Uesugi Muneyuki expected, although the Honda Marie incident caused a not-small, not-large accident, overall, facing the request from Chief Cabinet Secretary Onoda Kimiaki, Uesugi Muneyuki still largely fulfilled his demand.

Next time, I can't be this careless!

Uesugi Muneyuki warned himself: he can't let his guard down again because of various little essays and the need to empathize with victims!

And as follow-up events were processed, Honda Atsuhito's imprisonment and the destruction of the Red Goldfinch led to a quiet but important update in the organizational chart of the Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters.

Based on the outstanding performance in successfully handling recent major difficult cases such as the "Zhōngchéng dàshà Major Hazardous Materials and Terror Threat Incident" (official designation), and the long-term need to respond to new complex crime trends, after coordination and deliberation between the National Police Agency and the Cabinet Office, the proposal to upgrade the "Special Mission Unit" to the "Special Mission Division" was formally passed.

This change is not merely a name change—it represents a full expansion of authority, resources, and responsibility.

Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters: the newly allocated office area for the "Special Mission Division" occupies an entire half-floor, completely incomparable to the previous "Special Mission Unit," which was crammed into a corner at the opposite end of the Organized Crime Control Department office.

The spacious, bright open-plan office area is neatly divided, with brand-new desks and chairs, high-speed computers, and dedicated communication lines all in place. The walls display precise maps of Tokyo and a dynamic screen showing the latest crime data. Independent meeting rooms, evidence analysis rooms, and even small tactical briefing rooms are fully equipped.

The air still carries the scent of new furniture and paint, mixed with the aroma of document paper and coffee, forming an atmosphere of efficiency and solemnity. The innermost section is the Division Chief's office.

On the heavy wooden door, a brand-new brass plaque shines under the ceiling light, engraved with:

Metropolitan Police Department Criminal Investigation Department Special Mission Division

Division Chief: Uesugi Minami Police Superintendent

Uesugi Minami has become the youngest Police Superintendent in Japanese police history—without exception.

And she's even a woman!

To this day, no woman in Japanese police history has reached the rank of Assistant Commissioner or above!

Uesugi Minami's promotion has made the entire police world take notice, but considering her achievements and the two men behind her, everyone finds themselves with nothing to say—this Police Superintendent is yours, right?

That's for the man behind you—Watanabe Eiji and Uesugi Muneyuki—who have consistently solved problems through countless major cases!

So what? Giving it to father and Muneyuki isn't just giving it to me?

Uesugi Minami doesn't mind.

In the office, Uesugi Minami sits behind her large desk, wearing her fitted navy-blue police uniform, with the gold Police Superintendent insignia on her shoulders shining brightly.

She has just seen off a batch of Metropolitan Police Department colleagues who came to congratulate and report work, and now she finally has a rare moment of leisure.

Sunlight filters through the blinds, casting alternating light and shadow across her delicate side profile.

Hehe, the Investigation Division 1 Chief, Sugishita Ukyō, only became a Police Superintendent at age 58, while I'm only 26 this year!!

She gently strokes the smooth desk surface, her gaze sweeping over the room—vibrant green plants in every corner, and on the wall hangs her father Watanabe Eiji, Director General's calligraphy of "Political Clarity and Harmony." The bookshelf neatly holds the latest legal codes, case compilations, and the Special Mission Division's initial structural documents. A feeling of fulfillment mixed with great responsibility, professional achievement, and a hint of pressure fills her chest.

The Special Mission Division comprises four core subsystems, with clear functions and broad coverage:

Criminal Investigation First Division: responsible for specialized investigation and assault operations in murder, violence, kidnapping, and other serious criminal cases, staffed by reinforced core members from the original Special Mission Unit, serving as the division's sharpest "spear," led by Assistant Police Inspector Kai Toru as division chief, with Ikeda Erena as deputy chief.

Criminal Investigation Second Division: responsible for in-depth investigation and evidence preservation in theft, fraud, economic crimes, and other complex criminal cases, emphasizing technical and information analysis, led by Police Inspector Nango Yui (promoted via occupational organization management) as division chief.

Public Security First Division: responsible for investigating cases involving terrorism, extremist ideologies, threats to national security, and special political backgrounds, including intelligence gathering and internal surveillance, with authority directly reaching the National Police Agency Public Security Bureau, serving as the division's most hidden "shield," led by Police Inspector Ozawa Sumiko. The Prosecutor Liaison Subsystem (special designation): not a conventional "division," but a permanent liaison and joint case-handling unit directly connected to the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Department and Public Security Bureau, ensuring seamless and efficient progression from investigation to prosecution in major cases, led by Prosecutor Kansei Watari with a background in senior prosecution.

And the original Special Mission Unit Chief, Police Inspector Okada Masayoshi, thanks to his outstanding coordination ability, legal knowledge, and stable performance in multiple operations, has been promoted to Police Superintendent, appointed as Special Mission Division Supervisor, becoming Uesugi Minami's most important deputy, responsible for daily affairs management, interdepartmental coordination, and direct command of certain major cases.

Just as Uesugi Minami was browsing the new personnel roster, a knocking sound came from the door.

"Please come in."

The door was pushed open, and Uesugi Muneyuki walked in.

He still wore that well-tailored dark three-piece suit, his appearance fresh and handsome, but his chest badge had already been replaced, displaying his new identity. His full new title, after multiple considerations by the National Police Agency Personnel Bureau, the Scientific Police Research Institute, and the Cabinet Secretariat, was finally confirmed as: Metropolitan Police Department Special Mission Division-attached Chief Medical Examiner and Special Mission Case Special Analysis Officer

This is an unprecedented composite position.

"Division Chief?" Uesugi Muneyuki smiled faintly, his tone carrying familiar rapport and a hint of formality in the new environment.

"What did you say? I didn't hear clearly." Uesugi Minami smiled sweetly on her face.

"Uesugi Minami Division Chief! Police Superintendent! The youngest Police Superintendent in Japanese history, truly deserving of the unique—……" Uesugi Muneyuki spoke loudly on purpose. "Alright, alright, I heard you!" Uesugi Minami quickly gestured for us to keep it low-key—do I really need to say more about being the youngest Police Superintendent in police administration history? No way, after all, I'm still a woman, and this is still a new department established by law passed through the Cabinet! So as the 26-year-old Japanese history record holder, I don't need to keep emphasizing this over and over!

"Yes" is yes yes yes" Uesugi Muneyuki nodded with a smile: "Just saying hello, borrowing your Ikeda Erena for a bit."

"No, it's your Ikeda Erena." Uesugi Minami nodded to show she understood, then sat back down: "What are you going to do?"

"Going to Tokyo University for a trip." Uesugi Muneyuki glanced outside: "Grandfather, officially retired."