Chapter 928

The news was incredibly explosive.

The emergency meeting of the Hyogo Prefecture Police Headquarters was convened less than thirty minutes after Uesugi Muneyuki's press conference ended!

Ikematsu Toshiaki sat in the main seat at the long table, a notebook computer spread before him, the screen showing a replay of the Special Mission Division's press conference broadcast. His fingers pressed on the desk surface, watching from the first to the third time, only stopping after the third viewing.

No one spoke in the meeting room; the fluorescent lights outside the window were especially glaring in the afternoon light.

It was cold outside.

It was even colder inside the room.

Especially after more identification results came out from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Kyoto University, such as the detection of specific metal particles in the sample, whose composition highly matched the electric saw blades found during the search of Kashiwada Ken's residence.

At the same time, a rare brand of lubricant was detected in the adherent substances on the sample surface, its composition completely matching the lubricant found in Kashiwada Ken's garage—these are actually all pieces of evidence taken to find proof.

But now they have all become ironclad evidence.

"DNA matches. Electric saw blade matches. Lubricant composition completely consistent. These pieces of evidence……where did they get them from?" The Forensic Identification Division Chief's voice sounded somewhat abrupt in the quiet meeting room, like a stone thrown into deep water.

Ikeda Department Chief did not answer.

He shifted his gaze from the screen to the Kobe Port outside the window, where several cargo ships were slowly moving on the sea surface.

Ah, I seem to be, doomed!

"Ikeda Department Chief, if this evidence is true……" The Criminal Investigation Department Chief did not finish his sentence.

Ikeda turned to him: "If we admit our mistake now, how will Souda Sosuke pursue us? If we don't admit our mistake, how will the evidence pursue us? You weigh these two matters on the scales."

The meeting room remained silent for a long time.

What should we do?

At three o'clock that afternoon, the formal order from the National Police Agency arrived at the Hyogo Prefecture Police Headquarters.

The order was personally signed and issued by Police Commissioner Watanabe Eiji, with simple and clear wording: "In consideration of the evidence already obtained and the search results of the Special Mission Division, it is hereby decided that the detention procedures for Souda Sosuke shall be taken over by the Special Mission Division today. The Hyogo Prefecture Police Headquarters must, within one hour of receiving this order, hand over Souda Sosuke to the Special Mission Division! No mistakes allowed!"

Ikeda Department Chief looked at the order stamped with the big red seal of the National Police Agency, placed it on the desk, neither signing for it nor refusing it. I seem to really be doomed.

Why not just take a plane to Hokkaido right now and flee to Russia?

Souda Sosuke was taken out of the interrogation room by Uesugi Muneyuki around 4:30 in the afternoon.

He was detained in the temporary detention cell of the Hyogo Prefecture Police Headquarters, and he does not clearly remember the process of waiting to come out of the interrogation room, as he spent most of the time in a half-asleep, half-awake state.

He heard someone calling his name in the hallway, the sound approaching from far to near, like a stone falling from a height into the water, the water surface rippling outward under the impact of the sound.

He lifted his head and saw Uesugi Muneyuki walking over from the end of the hallway, followed by Okada Masayoshi and a policeman he did not recognize. "Souda Sosuke, you may leave." Uesugi Muneyuki stood outside the iron gate of the detention cell, looking at his face through the bars.

I'mf**kingcoming!

Souda, I've come to save you, this is a man's promise!

A promise between true men!

Souda Sosuke's eye sockets reddened at that moment, his lips trembled, but no tears fell.

"Mr. Uesugi… I……" His voice was hoarse like sandpaper: "I thought I would never get out again. I thought they would lock me up here until I confessed. I thought……"

Souda Sosuke gripped the iron bars, his fingers trembling: "Mr. Uesugi, you are a good person. You are Sugiyama Qing Tian. I will never again say your detective work is like James. You say I play ball like whatever, I'll accept whatever you say I am like, you say I play ball like Yang Hansen, I'll accept it!"

Uesugi Muneyuki did not smile.

Although Souda Sosuke came out, unfortunately, his professional career is already doomed.

Completely doomed, Japan has a strong habit of "autonomous avoidance"; even if Souda Sosuke's innocence could be proven, he caused such a big incident, and moreover, he had an affair with the married Yamada Rinka before marriage and continued it after marriage, even involving the issue of non-paternity of a child, so no team would dare to take him.

"You are free now, but your professional career is not necessarily secure. Your family, your teammates, your fans—they all need an explanation. If you want to explain things clearly to them, you can start now."

Souda Sosuke wiped his face, said nothing.

He knew.

That evening, Souda Sosuke, facing the camera during a media interview, spoke with a hoarse but clear voice: "The Hyogo Prefecture Police did many things to me……that they shouldn't have. They made me unable to sleep for two consecutive days and nights, wouldn't let me drink water, wouldn't let me see a lawyer, wouldn't let me see my family. They forced me to confess. I confessed, because I couldn't hold on anymore. I didn't kill anyone. I was forced. They gave me rotten goose legs in the interrogation room. Those weren't goose legs, they were duck legs, they used duck legs as goose legs, passing off inferior goods as good. This is not only harm to me personally, but also a betrayal of trust for everyone who believes in the police. I demand a thorough investigation."

"They even gave me rotten duck legs to eat! And insisted they were goose legs!"

"I used not to understand what 'pointing at a deer and calling it a horse' meant, but now I understand!"

"I will file a complaint against the National Police Agency, I guarantee!!!

Eto Miyabi was also released that night.

She was detained in another interrogation room, a place independently set up by the Hyogo Prefectural Police for "cooperating with interrogation." When she was released, she was much quieter than Souda Sosuke, did not speak to the camera about her torture experience, merely stood at the police station entrance for a moment, shook her head at reporters' questions, then got into the car that came to pick her up.

The car windows were tinted dark, so her expression could not be seen.

Because Eto Miyabi has always been innocent, she obviously needs to continue her career, continue being her female anchor, so at this time she says nothing, silently makes a fortune, this is zhuihou di.

By then, the entire national system and society will, and must also, compensate her.

However, in some unseen corner, Eto Miyabi's lips slightly curled up.

Although the process was not what she wanted, the result is very ideal!

Great! This is exactly what I wanted!

Public opinion completely reversed within a few hours after Souda Sosuke's interview was broadcast.

Unlike the habitual slow, gradual reversal in Japanese society, it was like a tide surging simultaneously from all directions, so fast as to catch people off guard.

Originally, those still cursing Souda Sosuke as "murderer," "scum," "not fit to be human," after seeing his interview video, unanimously shifted their tone.

"We were all deceived. Originally, Souda Sosuke was framed."

"The Hyogo Prefecture Police actually used torture to extract confessions, which is worse than murder."

"They still wanted the Special Mission Division to shut up, fortunately Mr. Uesugi didn't listen to them."

"I heard Souda Sosuke ate rotten duck leg rice in the interrogation room, the Hyogo Prefecture Police don't even give people decent food."

"Ducks raised in Kanto become rats, ducks raised in Kansai become geese!"

"So saying, 'external war looks to Uesugi,' it's truly not an empty title."

The phrase "external war looks to Uesugi" spread rapidly on Twitter, initially someone said in a forward "hearing you say, external war looks to Uesugi," then someone replied "internal war looks to Uesugi," then someone replied "horizontal and vertical all look to Uesugi," finally evolving into a phrase similar to the supporting and teasing lines in crosstalk: "Sugiyama Qing Tian! You are our god!"

Various major media also began a rapid reversal.

The Asahi Shimbun's headline changed from "Souda Sosuke Confesses" to "Souda Sosuke's Body No Evil Dragon, Dragon One One Hyogo Prefectural Police's Torture Room c Near Small Take 9 Investigation".

The Sankei Shimbun focused on the dereliction of duty of the Hyogo Prefectural Police, with the headline "Hyogo Fruit Police, Investigation's Major Suppression Error One One Souda Sosuke Apricot Improper Arrest".

NHK used seven minutes in its evening news program to report the entire course of the event, using a rare, obviously biased reporting method—placing Uesugi Muneyuki's photo in the center of the screen, with the note "Special Mission Division; Uesugi Muneyuki Chief Medical Examiner" beside it, and below, a line of small text: "True Evil Investigation Take) Celebration L Dragon Male".

But the most interesting thing was those commentators from the day before.

The commentators who had confidently analyzed on television the day before, saying "Souda Sosuke is absolutely the killer," "His alibi is too weak," "Those transfer records have already explained everything," appeared the next day on the same program with completely different faces.

"I said before, Souda Sosuke's confession is very suspicious!"

"I have always held reservations about the interrogation methods of the Hyogo Prefectural Police!"

"I have always highly recognized Uesugi Muneyuki's ability!"

"This kind of atmosphere in Kansai should have been regulated long ago!"

"Actually using torture to extract confessions, already not ordinary police, must use heavy fists! Ten thousand people petition Watanabe Commissioner to rectify the Kansai branch!" However, amidst the external world's chaos, there was a person who anxiously and panickily rushed toward the Ministry of Finance.

It was the Minister of Kozaka from the Cabinet.

"Okada Vice Minister! Come out for me!!!"

"What did your son do to my daughter???"

"?????????"