Chapter 85: The Nation is Shaken

The Director of Security at the National Police Agency, holding the rank of Assistant Commissioner, although appearing lower in rank than Watanabe Eiji, who is the Superintendent General, holds a position that has always been very special.

The position of Director of Security originally carried two implications: protecting the safety of major political figures and managing important weapons and equipment; for instance, if detectives wish to obtain authorization for weapons beyond a handgun, such as the MP5 Submachine Gun used by the Special Assault Team in the Fuji TV Case, they must obtain permission from the Security Department.

The Security Planning Division and the Foreign Intelligence Division under the Security Department are the backbone of national security and the essential source of the various investigative privileges held by the Public Security Police.

Controlling the security work of major political figures from above and controlling the guarantee of weapons and national security from below, the position of Director of Security has gradually become the leader of the Public Security Police.

Kudo Tsuyoshi has a very cheerful appearance.

Yes, few people would associate this guy with a Public Security leader when they see him; he is not tall, around 168-169 cm, claims to be 172 cm, has a slightly plump build, a slightly receding hairline but still a fair amount of hair overall, and a pair of small, round eyes; when he smiles, he is very approachable and infectious, like a Maitreya Buddha, a good man with the air of an elder.

Kudo Tsuyoshi is 3 years older than Watanabe Eiji, 53 years old this year, which is considered the prime of life in Japan's environment; moreover, compared to Watanabe Eiji, Kudo Tsuyoshi had very rich experience in the Security-Public Security departments early on, and before the appointment of this current Superintendent General, Kudo Tsuyoshi had always thought it would be him.

The times have changed, my friend; with the changes in the international situation after the eighties, it became increasingly difficult for the Public Security faction to become Superintendent General, and the Criminal Investigation faction gradually gained the upper hand, especially after the Fuji TV Case, when, after insisting on sealing the building and finally achieving unimaginable success, Kudo Tsuyoshi realized that there was no hope for him to be the current Superintendent General, and he could only pin his hopes on the next one.

Therefore, he was the one who insisted on arranging this case in Chiba Prefecture.

As a result, he is now caught in the middle and is no longer himself!

Damn it, how did the Japanese police become like this?

What are the police in Chiba Prefecture doing? A murder case involving the dismemberment of an elementary school student has already occurred, so why is there another one?

Picking up the phone, Kudo Tsuyoshi paused for a moment and immediately said obsequiously: "Commissioner Kaneko, this is Kudo Tsuyoshi, I am very terrified to have caused you worry!"

"This is National Police Agency Commissioner Kaneko Takuro... Director Kudo!" National Police Agency Commissioner Kaneko Takuro started off complaining profusely: "What on earth are you doing?"

"The dismemberment case in Chiba Prefecture was already a huge issue; it was you Public Security police who said this matter was related to a Violent Group, so I helped you suppress it, but look, a second case has broken out, another elementary school student murdered and dismembered; you, what are you trying to do?" Commissioner Kaneko was a bit exasperated: "Didn't you say the case was handled? Now the United States Disneyland side has even sent a protest letter; if this continues, our country will become the laughingstock of the international community!"

"I am extremely terrified to have the Commissioner personally inquire about this matter; this, we are not yet certain that there is no clear connection between the second case and the first, Commissioner." Kudo Tsuyoshi was also under great pressure, and facing the questioning of the National Police Agency Commissioner, he could only downplay the issue: "Please rest assured, we will intensify the investigation."

"I don't care about that, Director Kudo, the Cabinet is also paying attention to this matter!" Commissioner Kaneko said through gritted teeth: "Establish a Special Joint Investigation Headquarters now, and have the Metropolitan Police Department pull out their key personnel to handle it jointly!"

"This... please forgive my bluntness, but I don't think this is necessary yet, Commissioner; having the Metropolitan Police Department of Tokyo interfere in local affairs will damage your authority, and Watanabe Eiji should just stay in Tokyo." Upon hearing the Metropolitan Police Department, Security Director Kudo felt as if he had been pricked, and his tone became a bit firmer: "We in Public Security will handle it well; it is ultimately not good for the Metropolitan Police Department to interfere in local affairs."

"Really? Director Kudo, are you sure you can handle it well? Don't cause any more trouble; NHK and the five major commercial television stations all know about this news, and Chiba Prefecture is already in chaos; if you can't solve the case as soon as possible..."

"The matter in Chiba Prefecture was caused by the negligence of the Chiba Prefectural Police themselves; we in Public Security will handle it properly, please rest assured, Commissioner, you will definitely hear our good news in a few days."

"Fine, since you have already guaranteed it to me, I will believe you once." Commissioner Kaneko finally passed the buck and breathed a sigh of relief: "Director Kudo, please don't act without authorization next time; otherwise, even if I can forgive you, the National Public Safety Commission and the Cabinet will not forgive you!"

"I am deeply grateful!"

After saying a few more words, Kudo Tsuyoshi put down the phone, his expression uncertain.

Like Watanabe Eiji, he looked down on this "Kantei Puppet" superior from the bottom of his heart.

Someone from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries should just go and do aquaculture or plant trees in an orchard; what else can this guy do besides pushing away responsibility, hiding from trouble, and being afraid of things when he doesn't understand anything?

However, unlike Watanabe Eiji, as a Public Security leader, Kudo Tsuyoshi knew more.

Although Commissioner Kaneko was a Kantei Puppet, as a scholar-bureaucrat who graduated from the University of Tokyo, he had strong connections in the Cabinet, especially a very deep relationship with the Chief Cabinet Secretary.

"Change the plan!" Security Director Kudo said in a low voice.

"What?"

"Raise the alert level to the highest and enter a state of readiness!"

"Mobilize all personnel to conduct a comprehensive cleanup of the Violent Groups and extremist organizations in Chiba Prefecture! Issue weapon permits to the Special Assault Team; if they encounter resistance, they are allowed to open fire directly!"

"Yes!"

……………………

On Saturday night, Superintendent General Watanabe Eiji proactively reported his assessment to National Police Agency Commissioner Kaneko Takuro and proposed that the Metropolitan Police Department pull out key personnel to form a Special Joint Investigation Headquarters together with the Chiba Prefectural Police Headquarters to ensure the two murder and dismemberment cases of elementary school students were solved as soon as possible.

However, this proposal was flatly rejected by the Public Security Department.

Uesugi Muneyuki was helpless; on Sunday, he proactively went to Chiba alone, wanting to try if he could obtain some information through illegal investigation or get close to the bodies.

Unfortunately, while the Japanese Public Security is not good at other things, their ability to seal off and keep secrets is indeed very strong; Uesugi Muneyuki could not find any opportunity to get close to the scene at all, and he couldn't even figure out where the bodies were being stored by Public Security.

This trip to Chiba returned without success.

He had originally wanted to try illegal investigation, but fortunately, Miss Minami had warned this guy in advance; previously, when he and Eirina conducted illegal investigations, the Metropolitan Police Department still had the ability to clean up after them, but if they provoked the Public Security Department now, it wouldn't be a matter of fishing them out if something happened, but a matter of holding their funeral.

That is Public Security! Not us detectives!

Uesugi Muneyuki knew this well; after searching repeatedly to no avail, he did not dare to force his way into the place guarded by Public Security; if the other side fired a burst and killed him, who would he go to for his life? Detectives don't dare to shoot at will, but Public Security doesn't care about that much.

Despite this, Uesugi Muneyuki had also been closely following the development of the situation.

The bodies were discovered and reported on Saturday afternoon; starting Sunday, the entire Chiba Prefecture already knew the news.

Another elementary school student had been murdered and dismembered!

How cruel and perverted is this? How crazy?

What on earth are the police doing?

By Monday, in the entire Kanto Broadcasting region, except for TV Tokyo, NHK and the four major commercial television stations and newspapers were all reporting the second case of the Chiba Prefecture serial murders on their front pages; this time the case began to ferment violently, and 2CH and Yahoo were discussing it like crazy.

If in the first case, the Public Security police could still use "involving a Violent Group" as an excuse, the outbreak of the second case directly led to mass panic; even though the Chiba Prefectural Police Headquarters repeatedly stated that it could not be explained that there was any inevitable connection between the first and second cases, the atmosphere of panic in Chiba Prefecture still could not be controlled.

The case was not solved.

On Tuesday, cancellations for Shinkansen train tickets and flight tickets to Chiba Prefecture reached 40%, and Narita International Airport suddenly became much more desolate.

The police still had not solved the case.

On Wednesday, half of the elementary schools and kindergartens in Chiba Prefecture were closed, and the remaining half forced parents to pick up and drop off their children in person; the Chiba Prefectural Police Headquarters dispatched thousands of police officers to patrol the entire prefecture, especially Chiba City, 24 hours a day, and also cooperated with many local associations and autonomous organizations to conduct voluntary searches, but to no avail.

The police still had not solved the case.

On Thursday, public opinion escalated further; because the matter involved the area near the warehouses and factories of the Nissin Group, the Nissin Group publicly offered a reward for possible clues about the murderer, with a maximum reward of 30 million yen.

That afternoon, the Kikkoman Group, the largest soy sauce manufacturer in Japan with a 350-year history and its headquarters in Chiba, also joined the reward, and the maximum reward amount rose to 55 million yen.

The police still had not solved the case.

On Friday, a protest broke out in Chiba Prefecture; 28,000 parents took to the streets to protest, demonstrating in front of the Chiba Prefectural Police Headquarters and demanding that the police catch the murderer as soon as possible; the Chiba Prefectural Police Chief led many high-level officials of the headquarters to apologize, stating that they would do their utmost to catch the murderer.

All public celebration activities in Chiba Prefecture were cancelled, and local autonomous organizations and chambers of commerce raised another sum of money to increase the reward to 100 million yen, seeking to find the murderer.

Affected by the second murder and dismemberment case of an elementary school student, the passenger flow at the Tokyo Disneyland Theme Park located in Chiba Prefecture decreased by 70%.

This matter began to attract the attention of the United States, and the BBC television station also reported on this matter with a gloomy filter.

The legal department of Disney in the United States sent a letter of protest, demanding that Chiba Prefecture resolve this matter as soon as possible.

The entire police force began to feel unimaginable pressure; the Prefectural Police Chief of Chiba Prefecture turned white-haired almost overnight, and Police Inspector Yukinoshita Hachiman and the others in charge of this case moved their bedding entirely into the Special Investigation Headquarters, pursuing the investigation day and night, sleeping only when necessary.

It was also by Friday that the Public Security investigation finally began to show some leads.

First, handwriting analysis experts discovered that the situation in the second case was significantly different from the first.

In the second case, the killer left behind handwriting; although it was evident that the killer had intentionally written the characters in a crooked manner, the handwriting analysis experts still discovered that the killer's level of education was likely not very high—for instance, the word choice was relatively low-end, the strokes of the kanji were incorrect, and some hiragana were not simplified into kanji, leading to the conclusion that the person who left the handwriting was not a highly educated individual.

After going door-to-door to have residents "voluntarily cooperate with the investigation," some residents stated that around the time of the incident, they saw a suspicious man, approximately 30 years old and about 175 centimeters tall, riding a motorcycle past the vicinity of the weather station; however, because there was very little surveillance nearby, only other witnesses also indicated they had seen the motorcycle.

In addition to this, other witnesses stated that during the time period between the cases of Doi Junpei and Kawanishi Ayaka, they discovered a black car from out of town lingering near the victims' school; the people in the car had crew cuts and were physically strong.

Relying on this important intelligence, the Public Security Department drew a portrait of the killer.

Height approximately 175 centimeters, physically strong, crew cut, age 25-40, with a Yakuza background, possibly a Yakuza member, with extremely rich experience in killing and disposing of bodies.

Based on the circumstances of the two cases, the killer was clearly very familiar with the terrain of Chiba City and the surrounding areas, tending to be a member or former member of a Violent Group associated with the local Violent Group, Futaba-gumi.

By this time it was already November, and the Public Security Police finally had leads, so under the orders of Security Department Chief Kudo Tsuyoshi, the Public Security Investigation Squad was dispatched! And they were all armed!

All Violent Groups and extremist organizations throughout Chiba Prefecture were targets of the Public Security Police's search, and during the search of the first hideout, because someone resisted, the Public Security opened fire on the spot.

To actually dare to resist our Public Security search—these are no longer ordinary citizens; we must strike with a heavy fist!

At this moment, the matter began to reach its peak; not to mention within Japan, other countries even began to report on this matter.

The Governor of Chiba Prefecture announced: The entire prefecture is under martial law.

Aragaki Yui is at least 172 centimeters tall, but she always reports 169, haha~

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(End of this chapter)