Chapter 904

In the live news broadcast, Souda Sosuke couldn't withstand this kind of pressure and was soon forced to open the door.

The Kansai police were simply the most straightforward in terms of numbers, coming up and giving him a blow to the head, not even giving him a chance to speak. When Souda Sosuke was escorted out of the building by two Hyogo Prefectural Police officers, his hair was disheveled, he wasn't wearing glasses, he was wearing a dark gray loungewear, and on his feet were a pair of slippers. He was shoved into a police car with a hood over his head, and at the moment the car door closed, flashlights blazed from all directions. Reporters surged out from every corner, microphones, cameras, mobile phones—everyone's target was that black, unmarked police car.

Someone was pounding on the window, shouting, "Mr. Souda, do you have anything to say?" "Did you kill someone?" "Where are those four kids?" The Kansai police car didn't stop, slowly driving out of the crowd and merging into Tokyo's morning rush hour traffic.

The police cars behind followed, their emergency lights still flashing, but the sirens had already been turned off.

The voice of the Asahi Shimbun anchor came from the television, carrying that unique tension of breaking news—speech much faster than usual, yet every word carefully enunciated for clarity.

"Asahi Shimbun, Asahi Shimbun, urgent breaking news! The Hyogo Prefectural Police have apprehended today morning a suspect in a murder case in Kobe City—a professional baseball player of the Seibu Lions, Sosuke Souda!"

"Sosuke Souda is currently in a vehicle of the Hyogo Prefectural Police!"

"Wait, wait, we've received word! The Metropolitan Police Department announces they were not previously notified by the Hyogo Prefectural Police about this cross-prefecture search. The National Police Agency takes this matter highly seriously and demands a detailed report be submitted!"

"The fastest legend on the field! This arrest speed. Evidence hasn't been solidified, yet they've already arrested the person. After arresting the person, they slowly look for evidence. That's how Kansai people do it—more aggressive than Kanto people." Uesugi Muneyuki couldn't help but say: "They solved the case without evidence?"

I thought only I did things like this!

But I can communicate with the deceased themselves—what the hell are you Kansai people doing?

Can you also make a death soul contract?

And you actually dare to intrude on my Kanto-managed Uesugi territory—this is you starting a war!

Okada Masayoshi picked up his cooled coffee and took a sip, urgently saying: "The problem is, can they find evidence? If they find it, they're heroes. If they don't, everyone from top to bottom at the Hyogo Prefectural Police Headquarters will have to bow and apologize."

Minami Ojou-sama leaned back in her chair, arms crossed over her chest: "Is an apology useful? Sosuke Souda is a public figure; the fact that Hyogo Prefectural Police dared to arrest him like this means they must have some degree of solid evidence. Surveillance footage, transfer records, the box. Individually, these things aren't enough, but together, plus public pressure, plus that Kansai 'we must win' spirit—it's enough for them to storm into Tokyo and make the arrest." "White trousers, winter strike! (Sitting and speaking is not as good as standing and acting)" Uesugi Muneyuki finally couldn't help but stand up: "Let's go to the scene!" "Sosuke!" Minami Ojou-sama called after him, seeing Uesugi Muneyuki completely ignore her, she immediately gestured: "Special Mission Division, deploy! 'GIG!'"

Okada Masayoshi went first, followed by Nanxiang Yui, Kai Toru, Date Nagamune, Maeda Toshihide, then Ikeda Erena—this group swarmed out, leaving only Minami Ojou-sama and Yamada Nanase behind.

"Um..." Yamada Nanase said weakly: "Section Chief, is it okay for us to stay here?"

"Staying here is actually the best." Minami Ojou-sama leisurely sipped her coffee: "For this kind of thing, not adding chaos for Sosuke is the best help—he handles the case, we'll handle everything else."

"That's great." Yamada Nanase's face was full of envy.

"Good, next is..." Minami ignored Nanase's little karami and dialed Shinzou Kamiya's number. The phone rang twice, then connected.

Shinzou Kamiya's voice came from the handset—the new Superintendent General's voice carried that low, calm rumble like the earth trembling slightly before a volcanic eruption, with a hint of sulfur in the air.

"Hello? Superintendent Watanabe?"

"Superintendent Kamishiro, the Special Mission Division has already deployed. We're now heading to the Shuto Expressway. But that side is Hyogo Prefectural Police, cross-jurisdiction enforcement—we have no authority. Forcibly intercepting would mean procedural issues..."

"Procedures?" Superintendent Kamishiro's voice suddenly rose: "They came from Kansai to Tokyo, arrested people on my turf without notifying the Metropolitan Police Department, without coordinating through the National Police Agency, and just moved in. And you're talking to me about procedures?"

On the other end of the line came the sound of paper being flipped, like someone sweeping their whole palm across a desk.

I'm the desk-cleaning master!

"Megure come! Call Megure over!!"

Minami Ojou-sama heard someone running on the other end of the phone, multiple sets of footsteps approaching from different directions at once.

The dignity of the new Superintendent General has been offended!

Someone must pay the price!

Megure Management Officer is one of the aces of Investigation Division 1—though he's not a genius type like Uesugi Muneyuki, he's the kind who's spent decades grinding through the grassroots, having etched every blind spot in Tokyo's metropolitan surveillance into his mind—a practical operator.

"Megure, take Division 1 and SIT onto the expressway. Stop the Hyogo Prefectral Police vehicle. I'll handle the procedures, I'll take the responsibility. You just need to do one thing: don't let the Kansai people take Sosuke Souda out of Tokyo Metropolis."

"Yes!" Superintendent Megure said from the other end.

Superintendent Shinzou Kamiya said this and then hung up the phone.

"Ah oh!" Minami Ojou-sama's face looked a bit grim.

My father just took office, and already this big of a thing happened!

And now he's the National Police Agency Director General—he no longer purely represents Tokyo's interests!

This time, we'll have to rely on Sosuke again!

Shuto Expressway Inner Circular Route, 10:15 a. m.

The Hyogo Prefectural Police convoy has already entered the expressway.

The lead vehicle of the entire formation is a white Toyota Crown, no emergency lights, no markings, but the several buzz-cut heads exposed behind the windshield reveal its identity.

In the middle is that black Nissan carrying Sosuke Souda, its windows coated with dark reflective film—nothing can be seen from outside.

Bringing up the rear are two Toyota Sea Lions, filled with Hyogo Prefectural Police officers wearing bulletproof vests. The four vehicles maintain a distance of under fifty meters, speed under 100 km/h, nimbly weaving through the post-holiday morning rush hour traffic.

They want to exit the Inner Circular Route onto the Hanshin Expressway, head west all the way, straight to Kobe.

Once they leave Tokyo Metropolis and enter Kansai territory, the Metropolitan Police Department won't be able to intervene so easily.

Ikematsu Toshiaki said over the phone to the convoy commander only one sentence: "Once you leave Tokyo Metropolis, it's our turf. They won't be able to catch up."

The convoy encountered its first wave of interception near the Miyakezaka junction on the Shuto Expressway Inner Circular Route.

The television helicopter has arrived!

Two helicopters appeared simultaneously from different directions above the convoy, rotor sounds transmitted via the broadcast signal into thousands of homes. One helicopter bore the marking "Hikumoji," the other "TBS." The camera focused on the four Hyogo Prefectural Police vehicles speeding through traffic, the screen flashing a bold news headline: "East Army vs West Army."

The TBS commentator, using that excited tone only heard during the Koshien finals, said live: "Now we can see the Hyogo Prefectral Police convoy driving west on the Shuto Expressway Inner Circular Route! Speed is very fast! What's the situation behind? The situation behind—wait a moment, there's a new convoy coming up! It's the Metropolitan Police Department's vehicles! The Metropolitan Police Department's vehicles are approaching from behind!"

TBS's broadcast feed switched to another helicopter's angle, looking down from high altitude—two convoys chasing each other front to back on the expressway. Up front: four Hyogo Prefectral Police vehicles; behind: six Metropolitan Police Department vehicles—Investigation Division 1's plainclothes vehicles and SIT's black armored vehicles. SIT's vehicles have no paint, but that thick bulletproof body and the dense array of antennas on the roof are more distinctive than any paint job. Fuji TV's beautiful anchor Tei Reiji, during a broadcast break, quietly said something she shouldn't have—but the microphone wasn't off.

"Simply, simply like a gangster movie! Police arrest suspects, police arrest police. Is it East Army or West Army? Today we're here to see whether justice lies in the East Army or the West Army."

This statement exploded online.

On Twitter's trending list, "East Army vs West Army" shot to first place within minutes, second was "Police vs Police," third was "Sosuke Souda." Netizens' excitement could be felt even through the screen.

"Kanto Army vs Kansai Army, fight! Fight!"

"I bet East Army wins. The Metropolitan Police Department's SIT is the strongest in the nation."

"What do you know? Those Hyogo Prefectral Police guys chase speeders on the expressway every day—their driving skills aren't worse than SIT's."

"Is anyone concerned about Sosuke Souda's feelings? He must be confused in that car, right?"

"Souda: I'm just a baseball player—why am I getting dragged into East Army vs West Army?"

"Isn't the Kobe Da Lily case a Kansai matter? Why are Kanto people sticking their noses in?"

"Kantou people: You're arresting people on my turf—did you even ask me?"

"Great, better than the Battle of Yiling, better than the Great Flood drowning the Dragon King Temple, better than one family fighting another—this is top-notch, you damn duck!" Online arguments erupted, and even the guests on the livestream were shouting.

A retired Kantou National Police Agency senior official banged the table in NHK's studio, declaring, "This is the biggest scandal in Japanese police history," while a serving Kansai advisor of Police Superintendent rank on another TV station said, "Hyogo Prefectural Police procedures are flawless—emergency arrest is legal." Ratings on both sides surged, and advertisers grinned ear to ear.

Souda Sosuke, we on TV thank you for your contribution!

And just then, Tei Reiji of Fuji suddenly spoke on the channel: "Wait a minute!"

"We've received word—the Special Mission Division has been deployed! Uesugi Muneyuki has been deployed! The two vehicles of the Special Mission Division are racing here with emergency lights flashing, coming down from above the Shuto Expressway!"

"Excellent!!!" The entire Kantou region erupted.

"Awesome! This is exactly what we want to see—this is exactly what we want to see, that tooth-clacking sound!"

"Let's do the Deep Sea Phantom Guest chase again! Uesugi Chief, we're willing to do anything!"

Inside the black Nissan sedan, Souda Sosuke sat in the rear seat, with one Hyogo Prefectural Police officer on each side. His hands were bound behind his back with plastic zip ties, and a black cloth covered his eyes. He couldn't see the chase outside the window, but he could hear it. Police sirens, engine roars, tires screeching on the pavement, and the rotor noise of the news helicopter.

"It wasn't me who killed her—I didn't kill Reika!"

He was still defending himself.

"You know deep down whether you killed her or not!" the Kansai tough guy beside him, a fifty-something veteran officer, growled low in his ear: "If you can't remember right now, it doesn't matter."

"When you get to Kobe, we'll make you recall every single detail."

"I promise!"