Chapter 945

A National Diet member was beaten to death!

A symbol of the pinnacle of national power, the representative of all citizens in an entire electoral district, a figure who petitions for the people and enjoys multiple privileges as a symbol of the nation's democratic rule of law and justice, was beaten to death in his own home!

The release of this news was equivalent to another earthquake for all of Japan!

Hmm? Why did I say "again"?

When the news of National Diet member Kouhito Gokoku being beaten to death spread, several meetings underway in Nagatacho were almost simultaneously interrupted. Diet member Shigeru Ishiba of Tottori Prefecture was on stage angrily declaring that the vast majority of Diet members' second and third secretaries were now their own children, family members, or associates, eating empty pay.

Everyone present heard the content of the note passed up by the assistant.

No one spoke loudly; it was a silence heavier than any words, spreading from one meeting room to another, from one end of the hallway to the other, as if the entire street of Nagatacho had been pressed pause on by something at that moment.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Onoda Kimiaki immediately issued a formal statement, its wording unusually using a tone close to "declaration of war": "The violent killing incident against incumbent Diet member Kouhito Gokoku that occurred today is the most serious challenge facing the nation's rule of law system. The perpetrator is challenging the bottom line of the law, and also challenging the cornerstone of national safety. The Cabinet demands the Metropolitan Police Department apprehend the perpetrator and bring him to justice in the shortest possible time."

"This is not a suggestion, it is an order!"

The directive from the National Police Agency followed closely, with Watanabe Eiji's wording even more direct: "The entire national police system has entered an emergency state. All officers currently on vacation or preparing for vacation shall, in principle, have their leave canceled on the spot and report for duty. The Metropolitan Police Department shall immediately establish a Special Investigation Headquarters and devote all efforts to solving this case. No department or individual may use any excuse to shirk responsibility or delay."

Within tens of minutes of receiving the order, the Metropolitan Police Department initiated full-system mobilization.

The hallways were filled with people; some were putting on bulletproof vests, some were checking police equipment, some were organizing gear, some were moving evidence collection equipment onto vehicles, all available personnel were dispatched, the residence of Kouhito Gokoku was sealed off, witnesses were interviewed, surveillance was checked, communication records were retrieved, and all possible individuals with grudges against him were investigated.

Superintendent General Shinzou Kamiya stood in the command center on the fourth floor, before him a huge surveillance screen, the picture divided into many small grids, each grid updating in real time with footage from different locations.

His collar was slightly askew, his sleeves rolled up, his tie knot loosened, but he did not notice these details. His gaze shifted between the different screens.

He did not come from the criminal investigation division, so he was not skilled in these investigative matters, and could only hope for the professional criminal detectives under him.

"Special Mission Division? Uesugi Muneyuki?" Superintendent General Shinzou Kamiya's voice was not loud, but carried a low, urgent pressure.

"The almighty Uesugi Muneyuki, quickly use your miraculous scalpel to think of a solution!"

Criminal Investigation Department Chief Uchimura Kanji stood beside him: "Uesugi Muneyuki is currently on Hachijo Island, encountering a winter storm, the ferry service has been suspended, and the earliest he can return is the day after tomorrow. Other members of the Special Mission Division are on standby at headquarters."

Shinzou Kamiya's face darkened.

"Storm! The fucking timing!"

"What storm hero?!"

"Then let them stand by for now. We'll talk when Uesugi returns. But this case cannot wait until the day after tomorrow. Start investigating now. Where is Sugishita Ukyo?" Shinzou Kamiya said in a muffled voice.

"The Investigation Division 1 Chief is already at the scene. Kouhito Gokoku's residence has already been sealed off, and he is directing the preliminary inspection."

"Have him come see me. No, I'll go find him. Now."

Shinzou Kamiya had only been Superintendent General for three months! He hasn't had enough yet!

"Ukyo! Ukyo! Look, considering I was once the second-in-command of Public Security, the sole person Onoda designated as his successor, pull a brother a favor! I'll thank you for it! I won't transfer you to a regional headquarters! I'll send you to the Cyber Security Division to continue as a section chief, I promise! Or you can pick any Police Superintendent rank bureau director from all of Tokyo!"

When Shinzou Kamiya came out, he happened to see Criminal Investigation Bureau Director Mouri Takayoshi and Deputy Superintendent-General Ootori Gen discussing something, followed by a large group of National Police Agency officials behind them.

His expression looked even worse.

"These people could all replace me!"

"But only one can be Superintendent General!"

"Meanwhile, in the Special Mission Division office, the atmosphere was a bit quieter than usual."

"Several people gathered together, a freshly printed news brief lay on the desk, its headline reading 'Diet member Kouhito Gokoku homicide, police attribute it to the Dark Knight'."

"Kai Toru stood by the window sill, holding nothing in his hands, his gaze falling toward the Imperial Palace outside the window."

"Nango Yui leaned against her workstation, slowly reading aloud the content of the news brief, her voice echoing in the quiet office: '...... The scene revealed characteristics consistent with previous Dark Knight incidents, including blunt force trauma, no signs of intrusion, and a black knight helmet card, preliminarily identified as the work of the same individual......'"

"Nango Yui put down the brief: 'The Dark Knight killed someone. His previous four incidents were all serious injuries, this time he directly killed a person, why?' 'Yeah, why?' Everyone was also puzzled, Public Security's Hikawa Makoto said: 'It's definitely due to some change.' 'What change? Did Kouhito Gokoku possibly commit something worse than that feces nurse?' Kanjou Wataru casually said: 'She committed three counts of manslaughter and more serious long-term injuries, and in the end was only beaten until her limbs were broken, suffering serious injuries.'"

"Kouhito Gokoku indeed has some not-so-good rumors..." Tsugawa Shouichi searched via Google: "But most are just suspicions of corruption, abuse of power, lining private pockets, serving as high-level consultants for private companies, eating at fancy restaurants every day, etc. If we follow this standard, we would lose dozens of Diet members......"

"Possibly hundreds." Ozawa Sumiko suddenly said.

"Then looking at it this way, this person is truly the Knight San! Come on, Dark Knight, hit!!!" Igarashi Hayato excitedly said.

"Immediately, a chorus of agreement and suppressed laughter rang out in the Special Mission Division, voices saying 'I agree with you but I can't say it openly'."

"Only Kai Toru's expression was not good, his hand lightly pressed on the edge of the window sill, then released: 'Now is not the time to joke, what do you think? The Dark Knight originally did not kill. He set his own rules to punish those who escaped legal sanctions, but did not take lives. If this rule is broken, would that not indicate one thing—that person is no longer the Dark Knight?'"

"Batman, right?" Obviously Nango Yui has seen Nolan's Batman trilogy: "Batman, this kind of vigilante, is essentially no different in nature from that kind of vigilante thief, the Joker, so the two are quite similar, and the only thing Batman can do is 'not kill', to distinguish himself from the Joker? Once he crosses that line, he and the Joker have no essential difference."

"That's the reasoning." Kai Toru nodded.

"Okada Masayoshi turned his head from the window: 'That is to say, the perpetrator of this act is not the Dark Knight, but someone impersonating him? Or is it saying the Dark Knight himself has changed?'"

"Any vigilante, or so-called revolutionary pioneer, is essentially just an unspoiled canned yellow peach." Ozawa Sumiko sneered: "Just as the first purpose of any ruler is to maintain his ruling position... we Public Security have also received news, requiring all personnel to cooperate with your criminal deployment...... you guys think, if someone else had an incident, would Nagatacho's reaction be this intense?"

"But this is too fast." Kai Toru's voice carried an unignorable certainty: "The Dark Knight does not kill, this is a rule. Once a person starts killing, his name is no longer 'Dark Knight'. As for who did this...... we'll find out by investigating." Nango Yui's gaze lingered on his face for a moment: "How are you so certain the Dark Knight does not kill?"

"I am not certain." Kai Toru did not avert his gaze, did not pause: "Because in his first four incidents, he did not kill. The difference between killing and serious injury is not a matter of degree, but of nature. A perpetrator who has persisted in not killing for four times, if he truly wanted to kill, would he suddenly change his behavior pattern on the fifth time? Unless his motive changed, or he himself is not the same person."

"Moreover, in the cases of the first four individuals, I have examined them, they all had indirectly or directly caused deaths and were proven unable to be legally punished, whereupon the Dark Knight finally acted, but this Diet member Kouhito Gokoku...... feels like he does not have such serious offenses."

"Indeed, this place really is a bit strange." Everyone nodded.

"Minami's voice came from her workstation: 'It's no longer just a public opinion issue now. A Diet member was killed, Nagatacho over there has already exploded. The Cabinet directly issued orders, the National Police Agency is also applying pressure. Our time is limited. If Muneyuki is delayed too long on the island, this case might really be dragged into a more complicated situation. But Muneyuki cannot return now, we can only do what we can do first.'"

"Everyone, stand by for now."

"Yes!"

"Nango Yui stood up from her workstation and walked toward the door: 'I'm going to look for some materials. The detailed files of the previous few incidents, plus background information on Kouhito Gokoku. If there are any clues related to the Dark Knight, I will organize them first. I hope these materials are sufficient to support until Uesugi-san returns.' In the temporary meeting room of Investigation Division 1, the whiteboard was already filled with timelines and arrows."

"The name Kouhito Gokoku was written in the center, surrounded by five lines circled in red."

"Beside it were the names of several other victims who had been attacked by the Dark Knight—four people, each with 'serious injury' and 'attempted' noted below their names. In the lower right corner of the whiteboard, four characters were written in black ink: 'The Mystery of the Chivalrous Shadow'."

"Sugishita Ukyo stood before the whiteboard, holding a marker that had run out of ink."

"There are several doubtful points in these incidents."

"First doubt: How does the Dark Knight lock onto targets? He has no police authority, no legal investigative power. He can grasp each target's criminal records, trial process, and judgment results, and is synchronized with the police. This indicates his information channel likely comes from within the system—court? prosecutor's office? Metropolitan Police Department? Or some foreign-funded force? Support from opposing factions?"

"Second doubt: What is Kouhito Gokoku's criminal record? As a Diet member, the previous incidents targeted criminals who escaped legal sanctions, but this time it's a politician. If the Dark Knight consistently focuses on those the law cannot touch, why would he suddenly turn to a politician? Unless Kouhito Gokoku's crimes are more concealed and harder to hold accountable than those of those criminals."

"Kashiwagi Jin sat below, he muttered: 'Uesugi once said, the corruption of politics far exceeds simple killing or......' 'Kashiwagi! We are police! We only deal with things within the law!' Shiratori Sho retorted beside him."

"However, Sugishita Ukyo gave Kashiwagi Jin a meaningful glance, slightly nodding as if in agreement, but did not respond and continued: 'Third doubt, the Dark Knight's method of killing is highly consistent with the previous four, but the outcome differs. Blunt force trauma, fixed location, leaving no fingerprints or DNA. This looks like the work of the same person, but a person who insists on not killing suddenly killing, unless something has changed, cannot be explained.'"

Sugishita Ukyo put down the marker pen: "There is another possibility—Overbought's death was not done by the Dark Knight. Someone is imitating the Dark Knight's methods, using his name to kill. If this hypothesis holds, then what we are looking for is not a 'changed Knight of Justice,' but two different people. One has already disappeared, and one is continuing to act by borrowing his name."

"Even possibly, an entire gang, and even... an entire organization!"