Chapter 844

Time had unknowingly come to 6:40 PM.

As mentioned earlier, theoretically Japanese police work a nine-to-five eight-hour day, but in actual practice police overtime often far exceeds that, with people generally still around at seven or eight PM, and the Special Investigations Unit is no different—aside from earning about 3600 yen in overtime pay for working an extra hour, and logging hours, when Uesugi Muneyuki has other matters preventing normal duty, everyone simply takes compensatory leave based on accumulated overtime.

By contrast, many local police precinct koban offer only 200–300 yen for an hour of overtime—barely enough to buy a half-priced bento at the supermarket.

The corridors of the Metropolitan Police Department headquarters building were filled with a unique pre-quitting-time laxity. The lights were still the same lights, the walls still the same walls, but the air carried a kind of "today's nearly over" languor, like a rubber band stretched taut all day finally beginning to slowly retract.

Footsteps slowed, voices softened, the queue at the elevator entrance lengthened, and every face bore the same expression—"Hurry up and close up, I want to go home."

Date Nagamune and Maeda Toshihide had already fled, while Nango Yui still needed to return to the Metropolitan Police Department to deliver a document; today he wore his navy-blue suit, white shirt, dark blue tie, and polished leather shoes, immaculate from head to toe, and even among the elite of the Special Investigations Unit, his attire was among the sharpest.

After all, he had been well-educated from childhood and was undoubtedly of the affluent class, and had graduated from Kyoto University, that bastion of old-left academic atmosphere which has produced numerous Nobel laureates.

He pressed the elevator's up button and waited about ten or so seconds.

The elevator doors opened, and inside was empty.

He stepped in, pressed the button for the eighth floor—the Special Investigations Unit's floor—and then leaned against the inner wall, closing his eyes slightly.

The day's fatigue slowly welled up from his shoulders and waist, like rising tidewater, not hurried but unstoppable.

Off work, off work—going to work is just for getting off work; class over, class over—attending class is just for getting out of class!

Life and death, life and death—living is just for dying! Oh yeah!

Nango Yui encouraged himself inwardly and had already imagined how he would persuade Nakamoto Himeta to later join him in participating in the Special Investigations Unit's team-building and dinner, celebration, and year-end party activities.

The elevator stopped at the eighth floor, and Nango Yui instinctively moved to exit.

But the sound from the corridor surged in—a powerful presence!

Only see, led by Metropolitan Police Superintendent General Watanabe Eiji, a large group of Metropolitan Police Department high-ranking officials' voices surged into the corridor. Not the ordinary clamor of quitting time, but that kind of "something big is about to happen"—oppressive, with dense but orderly footsteps, like the solemn stillness before a military muster.

Nango Yui had originally intended to pass through a section of the corridor and enter the Special Investigations Unit from the other end via a passageway, but upon seeing this scene he was instantly frightened, immediately turned around, took two steps in one motion from beside the elevator, pulled open the fire door of the emergency stairwell, hid inside for a while, confirmed these people had all boarded the elevator, and then emerged from within.

Strange—it's already this time, why are these people holding a meeting?

Compared to others, Nango Yui's thoughts are more meticulous and cautious; he is considering a meeting of officials at the rank of Superintendent or above, with no internal notice issued, no prior notification to各部门, no media follow-up, and no public information whatsoever.

This means this is an "extremely secret"-level meeting.

What matter would cause these police high officials to be so solemn?

Major case details?! A major mass incident?! A massive terrorist attack?! Large-scale personnel reshuffling?

Or perhaps————the civil servant salary increase plan?

Nango Yui arrived at the Special Investigations Unit, pushed the door open, and at this moment everyone was still present; Uesugi Muneyuki, upon seeing Nango Yui return, instinctively glanced at him.

Nango Yui pulled out a chair and sat down, his legs feeling somewhat weak: "Hey, Mina-san, guess what I just encountered?"

"What?" Minami Ojou-sama was looking at the budget spreadsheet.

"I just saw Watanabe Director, and all the department heads, officials above Superintendent rank altogether gathered, as if they were going to hold a meeting!" Nango Yui said softly, using a tone internal to the Special Investigations Unit—between report and casual chat—to recount everything he had seen in the elevator.

Nearly everyone instinctively turned their gaze toward Minami Ojou-sama, she being Watanabe Eiji's daughter and also his daughter-in-law.

"If they're holding a meeting now, it will likely take at least two hours. Today is Friday, they want to finalize the plan before quitting time and issue the notice on Monday." Minami Ojou-sama was in good spirits; she paused slightly: "Some people this weekend won't be able to sleep."

Everyone: "???"

Only Uesugi Muneyuki and Okada Masayoshi raised their eyebrows; Uesugi Muneyuki knew Watanabe Eiji would be promoted to Police Commissioner next April, while Okada Masayoshi had heard from his father rumors that Chief Cabinet Secretary Onoda Kimiaki was in cahoots with Finance Minister Hanzawa, preparing to run for Prime Minister, and one of Onoda Kimiaki's major cards was the political achievements of Watanabe Eiji and Onoda Kimiaki over these years; if the Japanese police world could form a "Watanabe-Onoda pairing," it would give Onoda Kimiaki tremendous support.

As a Vice Minister of Finance, Okada Masahide advised his son to be cautious but not afraid, for Japan's political environment has no tradition of exterminating opponents, and no matter who rises, someone will always be needed to solve cases.

"Both sides will have major moves ahead." Okada Masahide told his son thus: "The specifics are still unclear, but you don't need to pick a side—just stick close to Uesugi."

, 7

Okada Masayoshi shook his head.

"So this is the pattern." Uesugi Muneyuki said with a smile: "Back when the last emperor of the German Second Empire, Emperor Hongxi Kaier—Waerde—Fuente—Yuandesutande, to enable parliamentary elections and pass his new constitution, deliberately kept delaying parliamentary sessions, surrounded the parliament with troops outside, and inside gave neither water nor food, driving legislators to exhaustion, thirst, and hunger, until they finally passed Emperor Hongxi's new constitution."

"Not only that, back when the emperor of Hairanxi, Napoleon, did likewise—first he forced parliament to make him Paris Commander-in-Chief, then claimed he had been assassinated, declaring this was no longer an ordinary national person, requiring heavy measures! He ordered Murat to lead a cavalry output force! and engage in unrestricted combat with the unarmed parliamentarians, ultimately convincing everyone to appoint him First Consul, then Consul for Life, then Emperor of the People, and thus Hairanxi Republic became Hairanxi Empire." Okada Masayoshi continued.

"An emperor in a republic?" Kai Toru clicked his tongue, he wasn't very cultured, but everyone has probably still heard of Napoleon.

"As the Koreans say, the three greatest commanders in human history: Caesar, Napoleon, Li Sun-sin."

"This is, what does it mean?" At this moment, Yamada Nanase truly couldn't understand; she didn't grasp what Uesugi Muneyuki and the others were saying, so she could only weakly ask the person beside her, Eirina.

"One meter waga nai." Eirina also didn't understand.

"Actually the meaning is very simple: perhaps there is a difficult resolution or bill that needs everyone to vote through, so they deliberately chose this time just before quitting time, and hard-pressed everyone into compromise due to external factors."

"Ah, so that's it!" Yamada Nanase thought, not bad for being in the Special Investigations Unit, compared to the General Affairs Section where female officers spend all day engaged in palace intrigue, domestic scheming, comparison, and calculation—this environment is quite different.

"Ah, originally it was like this!" Yamada Nanase thought, not bad for being in the Special Investigations Unit, compared to the General Affairs Section where female officers spend all day engaged in palace intrigue, domestic scheming, comparison, and calculation—this environment is quite different.

Metropolitan Police Department, Grand Conference Room.

Metropolitan Police Superintendent General Watanabe Eiji sat at the main seat of the oval long table, with a thick document spread before him.

Seated below were respectively.

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Metropolitan Police Department Communications Director, Matsushita Ichiro.

Metropolitan Police Department Regional Director, Suzuki Mitsuhiko.

Metropolitan Police Department Security Bureau Director, Idete Saneatsu.

Metropolitan Police Department Public Security Bureau Director, Haruko Yoshikazu.

Metropolitan Police Department Criminal Investigation Department Director, Uchimura Kanji.

Police University College President, Jimon Sosuke.

Metropolitan Police Department General Affairs Department Head, Tanaka Yasushi.

Metropolitan Police Department Traffic Department Head, Tsuruoka Kotaro.

Metropolitan Police Department Livelihood Safety Director, Miyake Sadamu.

Metropolitan Police Department Organized Crime Control Department Head, Kawakami Hiroyasu.

Metropolitan Police Department Deputy Superintendent and Police Affairs Department Head, Hasegawa Soun.

Senior officials of the rank of Superintendent Commissioner and above filled both sides of the long table, the cherry blossom insignia on the shoulders of those in uniform glowing under the lights and merging into a solid wall-like expanse. The badges on the chests of those in suits were scattered like stars across the dark fabric.

The air in the conference room was heavy, like the oppressive drop in pressure before a storm—breathing labored, skin prickling with gooseflesh. Everyone knew what today's discussion would be about.

They had debated for twenty minutes with nothing to show for it, Watanabe Eiji's expression grim as he conceded to Onoda Kimiaki, meaning someone here would suffer a loss of interest, but there was no choice—positions were limited.

The atmosphere in the conference room grew ever more沉.

At that moment, the smoke alarm outside suddenly blared to life, startling everyone in the conference room.

"What's going on? Is there a fire?!"

"Is it on fire out there? How could that happen?"

The door was suddenly shoved open.

Not the kind of push after knocking—"please come in"—but a direct, full-body slam from outside, fueled by weight and rage, like a battering ram. The wooden door slammed into the wall with a deafening blast, like an explosion.

All eyes turned simultaneously to the doorway.

A man stood in the doorway. About forty, with a middle-parted, slightly greasy hairstyle as if he hadn't washed it in days. A tuft of goat beard on his chin, two patches of stubble running from the philtrum to the corners of his mouth, making him look like a destitute, life-worn ronin, all sharp angles, as if he'd just materialized from nowhere!

His hand gripped a black New South Wales compact revolver, and he raised it—bang!

In the corner of the ceiling, the wreckage of the surveillance camera was falling, its plastic shell bouncing twice on the floor before rolling to rest at the feet of a Superintendent Commissioner.

The scene before them left everyone frozen in shock!

Over a dozen people, all frozen stiff.

"Nobody move!!!" the man shouted, striding in, slamming and locking the door behind him, then jamming his compact revolver hard against Watanabe Eiji's temple: "Don't move! Or I'll kill the Superintendent General! Hands up!"

Watanabe Eiji did not move. From the moment the man burst in until now, his body hadn't shifted a centimeter. The barrel pressed against his temple, the metallic sensation transmitting through skin to his brain, the force so great it felt like the gun barrel would be driven into his skull.

"Everyone—hands up!" the man's voice was hoarse and piercing, like the screech of a rusted iron door being forced open.

Others began raising their hands one by one, and taking advantage of the moment, Watanabe Eiji shifted his gaze, glanced at the man's face—and his pupils snapped shut.

Is it you?!?

At the same time, Special Mission Division.

"Uesugi-san, I heard 《Hand of God》 is being introduced to South Korea—but everything's got to be renamed?" Kai Toru said, joking with Uesugi Muneyuki: "I heard Mai-sama is becoming White善 Clothing? Little Cherry Blossom is being renamed Korean Cherry Blossom, and you're to be called Kim Jeong-seol?"

"Yes, Fuji TV is in talks with SBS and MBC." Uesugi Muneyuki nodded.

"Kim Jeong-seol sounds so weird—feels like some sun descendant, wouldn't it invite unnecessary associations?" Nanxiang Yui couldn't help but say.

"Exactly, I realized that too—I told Fuji TV to say as much to them, and they replied, if that's the case, then Suginoki, Park—both mean 'tree'—so perfect, let's just call it Park Jeong-seol." Uesugi Muneyuki laughed.

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"But how does that still sound like a sun descendant?" Nanxiang Yui retorted: "Didn't expect my little peninsula to have double suns in the sky?"

"Hahahaha~~"

"Friendly reminder! All Korean dramas are filmed at night!"

"Hahahaha~~ahahahahahahahahaha~~"

While everyone was laughing and joking.

"Bang."

Gunfire came from some floor above.

The laughter stopped.

"Gunfire?!?!?!" the Special Mission Division team froze in place.

"Inside Sakuradamon?!?!? Is this for real?"

Uesugi Muneyuki and Uesugi Minami exchanged a glance, both sensing something unusual.

Incident occurred!