Tokyo: From Lawless Madpolice to Minister
Chapter 228 - 221: I Really Can’t Tell the Difference! The Shock of Yanchuan and Old Deng

Chapter 228: Chapter 221: I Really Can’t Tell the Difference! The Shock of Yanchuan and Old Deng

In the interrogation room, a faint haze of smoke lingered.

The smell of smoke permeated the narrow space.

Aoyama Xiu Xin flicked the ash from his cigarette and met Hasegawa Ze’s scornful gaze, "Mr. Hasegawa, always beside Takai, have you heard of Nozawa Financial Corporation?"

Hasegawa Ze’s eyes flickered. Although Takai Baoyu never discussed business matters with him, he often heard the name of this corporation from calls Takai Baoyu made to others, knowing that it was Takeda Fuji’s major rival.

"It seems Mr. Hasegawa is aware," Aoyama Xiu Xin confirmed this from his reaction, took another drag on his cigarette, and continued, "I’m a member of Nozawa Financial Corporation. I invented the automated loan machine, Mr. Takai once came to see me intending to talk about patent authorization."

Hasegawa Ze, as Takai Baoyu’s personal bodyguard and ever-present shadow, naturally remembered Takai visiting Aoyama Xiu Xin. Still, he had waited outside in the car and truly did not know the purpose of their meeting.

But he did remember, when the boss left the Aoyama family’s place, his face was ashen. Now, it seemed obvious that the matter of patent authorization had fallen through at that time. If Aoyama Xiu Xin was indeed from Nozawa Financial Corporation, then there were fundamental conflicts of interest between him and the boss.

So, the boss’s death...

"Given that, you must have ordered Yoshikai Youzai to kill my boss!" Hasegawa Ze’s gaze was ice-cold.

Indeed, you’re correct.

But of course, Aoyama Xiu Xin would not admit it. He frowned and removed the cigarette from his mouth, "Why would I kill him? In the conflict between Takeda Fuji and Nozawa Financial Corporation, we’ve always been unbeatable. Do we need to resort to murder? Besides, he was already cornered, laden with blood on his hands, and if captured, he would never be able to turn his life around. Was there any need to kill him?"

Upon hearing this, a hint of perplexity crossed Hasegawa Ze’s face. Indeed, Aoyama Xiu Xin had always been the winner, and with the boss on the verge of prison, he had no real motive to kill the boss.

"Then why did my boss die? Don’t tell me some crap like he was killed by a stray bullet in a shootout, as stated in the official reports! When I left, the men Director Yokoyama Ryohi sent had already withdrawn, the shootout was over!"

"Accidental discharge," Aoyama Xiu Xin uttered two words.

"Accidental discharge?" Hasegawa Ze seemed to hear a joke, almost frantic, "Do I look like an idiot?"

"Yoshikai Youzai said it was an accidental discharge. As to whether it’s true or false, who can be sure?" Aoyama Xiu Xin shrugged.

Hasegawa Ze sensed a different implication in those words and frowned, "Isn’t he your man?"

"In name, perhaps, but in reality, who can be certain of completely controlling another person? After all, as a police chief, what I can offer him, others can offer even more," Aoyama Xiu Xin said with a self-deprecating smile.

He was deceiving the honest man again, deliberately leading the suspicion to the idea that Yoshikai Youzai was bribed by Yokoyama Ryohi, which would then implicate Yokoyama as the killer of Takai.

Hasegawa Ze’s expression changed, and he remained silent.

Aoyama Xiu Xin continued, "After the incident, the story of his accidental discharge was suppressed, and Police Headquarters released reports that Takai Baoyu died from a stray bullet. Do you think that’s something I could have orchestrated?"

Hasegawa Ze couldn’t possibly imagine that this was a decision made by the police to avoid national panic, conceal the existence of a third-party gunman, and preserve their own dignity.

So, listening to Aoyama Xiu Xin putting it that way, he became even more convinced that Yoshikai Youzai was likely bribed by Yokoyama Ryohi to silence Takai Baoyu.

"No, that’s not right! If Yoshikai Youzai was Yokoyama Ryohi’s man, then why, after he’d already captured me, did those gunmen who came to snatch me appear? Whose people were they?"

Hasegawa Ze abruptly looked up and demanded an answer.

"They were also Yokoyama Ryohi’s men, of course," Aoyama Xiu Xin had prepared his explanation, extinguishing the cigarette butt, he said, "Yoshikai caught you, all right, but there were other cops in the car too. He couldn’t have just handed you over to Yokoyama, could he? Therefore, the only logical explanation is that you were taken away by others en route. If no one had tipped them off, why do you think those gunmen appeared so promptly at that spot to snatch you?"

"Additionally, at that time, amidst the hail of bullets and the fierce battle, Yoshikai Yoshitsune didn’t get injured at all, did he? That’s too lucky."

Aoyama Xiu Xin didn’t actually believe that Yoshikai Yoshitsune was just lucky; rather, those gunmen never intended to kill him since their goal was to kidnap someone. Things had already escalated, and killing a police officer would have only made matters worse.

Yokoyama Ryohi still wanted to control the situation as much as possible.

This was almost a common failing among all bureaucrats, who always want to keep conflicts within their grasp.

Hasegawa Ze’s look of skepticism gradually faded.

Yes, he had been captured, and right after that, those gunmen arrived; surely someone had tipped them off.

And indeed, Yoshikai Yoshitsune hadn’t been injured at all through the entire ordeal.

"Tell me, or it’ll be too late. Yokoyama Ryohi won’t sit idly by. If he lets a higher authority intervene under the guise of your involvement in other classified cases to request your transfer, I can’t refuse."

Aoyama Xiu Xin began to exert pressure on him while lifting his wrist to glance at his watch, his facial expression growing more severe.

Hasegawa Ze pursed his lips, deeply conflicted.

Reason told him that Aoyama Xiu Xin’s recent analysis was logical, but his intuition signaled that something was definitely amiss, although he couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

"Mr. Hasegawa! Don’t you want to avenge Mr. Takai? Yokoyama Ryohi is our common enemy! Please, I implore you to help me bring him down!"

Aoyama Xiu Xin suddenly stood up, leaned forward with his hands braced on the table, and beseeched him earnestly.

"The item is in the Kyoto Lower City District... in the toilet tank of the main bedroom’s bathroom on the third floor of villa 124."

Hasegawa Ze blurted out, then let out a long breath, closed his eyes, and leaned his head back against the chair, his chest heaving with breaths.

"Thank you, Mr. Hasegawa!"

Aoyama Xiu Xin, overjoyed, turned and walked away, issuing orders to Yoshikai Yoshitsune, who had been waiting outside the door.

"Yoshikai, you head to Kyoto immediately..."

Through the door, Hasegawa Ze’s eyes filled with rage upon hearing that, realizing he had been deceived. A surge of fury rushed to his crown, and veins bulged on his neck.

"Ah, you idiot! Aoyama Xiu Xin! Ah!"

The intense anger from betrayal caused him to struggle fiercely to free himself from his restraints, his face turned ferocious and he let out a hysterical roar, his voice piercing and shrill.

Just whose side was Yoshikai Yoshitsune really on?

How much of what Aoyama Xiu Xin said was true and how much was false?

Who was really working for Yokoyama Ryohi?

He couldn’t tell, he just couldn’t tell!

Listening to the roar behind him, Aoyama Xiu Xin admired his loyalty and stepped back inside.

Hasegawa Ze glared at him, grinding his teeth in fury.

"I just lied to you, but there was one thing I didn’t lie about—I procured those things to deal with Yokoyama Ryohi. Mr. Hasegawa, I admire your loyalty, which is hard to come by in this society."

"Anyway, I really appreciate your help!"

Having said this, Aoyama Xiu Xin bowed deeply to him with great solemnity before turning to leave.

Hasegawa Ze’s emotions gradually stabilized. Although he was still angry about being deceived, at least Aoyama Xiu Xin was indeed aiming to confront Yokoyama Ryohi, so he felt he had avenged Mr. Takai to some extent.

"Mr. Takai, may you rest in peace."

Hasegawa Ze closed his eyes and murmured to himself.

.........

The office of the Minister of Home Affairs.

Yanchuan Shilang was annotating a report.

The silver-haired, seventy-year-old man didn’t crave the joys of common old age but still held his post, unwilling to relinquish his responsibilities, tirelessly serving the citizens—truly touching.

"Knock knock knock!" The sound of knocking echoed.

Without lifting his head, he said, "Come in."

"Lord, Director Yokoyama from the Cabinet Legislative Bureau is here to see you," his secretary reported as he entered.

"Oh?" Yanchuan Shilang paused his writing, a look of puzzlement crossing his face, then said with a smile, "Please bring him in."

"Yes!" The secretary turned and left.

Then Yokoyama Ryohi walked into the office and, without a word, prostrated himself on the ground.

"I implore Lord Yanchuan to have mercy on the struggles of my life and, on the account of my modest contributions to the country, to extend your magnanimous hand! From now on, I will follow your lead unquestioningly!"

Yanchuan Shilang was utterly perplexed.

At his age, what had he not seen?

But such a scene was definitely a first for him!

Although Yokoyama Ryohi was not yet a Cabinet member, it was only a matter of time, and at his prime age of around fifty in the officialdom, his future was boundless.

Yet now, he suddenly presented himself in such a supplicant manner.

What had happened?

"What is this all about, Director Yokoyama?" After collecting himself, Yanchuan Shilang immediately helped him up and urged, "Please stand up and speak."

"Lord Yanchuan! I beg you to save me, you must save me!" Yokoyama Ryohi refused to get up.

He had come prepared to risk everything.

Yanchuan Shilang sighed, "You have to tell me what happened; I’m still in the dark."

"Yes!" Yokoyama Ryohi spilled everything without holding back because Yanchuan Shilang could find out the truth by simply asking Aoyama Xiu Xin.

After finishing, he wept bitterly, full of regret and self-reproach, "I know I was seduced by the heavy rewards offered by Takai Baoyu and committed a grave mistake due to greed, but now I’ve seen the light and I beg Lord Yanchuan to pull me up a few notches, considering we both have worked for Heavenly Locust!"

"If Lord Yanchuan is willing to lend a hand, all of us will be eternally grateful to you, and forever we will follow the Yanchuan Family’s lead, and obey your commands!"

Yes, he had switched sides.

It was a bid for survival.

Rather than waiting for Aoyama Xiu Xin to use Takeda Fuji’s secret account books against him, it was better to take the initiative and ally himself with the Yanchuan Family.

With his own leverage in hand, the Yanchuan Family should trust and accept him—after all, both he and his clout were still quite valuable to court.

As Aoyama Xiu Xin was a hound raised by Yanchuan Xianyou, he certainly wouldn’t dare to disobey the Yanchuan Family’s orders, right?

With his status and power, joining the Yanchuan camp would mean a much larger role than Aoyama Xiu Xin, becoming one of the core members of the Yanchuan Family. Eventually, he would find an opportunity to settle all accounts with Aoyama Xiu Xin!

Additionally, the reason he came alone today to surrender and beg for mercy was to unite the bureaucrats under him by enduring the humiliation alone, so they would support him in the Yanchuan Family in the future.

Yanchuan Shilang seemed calm as an old dog on the surface, but inside he was facing a storm, struggling to find words.

He was familiar with Aoyama Xiu Xin, who was the right-hand man of his grandson Yanchuan Xianyou and someone he also admired.

But he had never imagined that a police chief could unsettle a group led by the Director of the Cabinet Legislative Bureau to the point that they felt compelled to seek asylum with him.

This... this was simply... absurd.

If it weren’t for Yokoyama Ryohi kneeling before him at this very moment, he would barely believe it was real.

If anyone had told him about this before, he would’ve slapped them for daydreaming.

Now...

Aoyama Xiu Xin, a talent! A great talent!

"In that case, Director Yokoyama, there are some things I still need to understand. You go back first. As we both serve in the government, where I can help, I naturally will," Yanchuan Shilang replied, once he regained his composure, without directly accepting his plea and speaking in a friendly manner.

Yokoyama Ryohi understood that the other party wanted to further understand the situation and weigh the pros and cons, so staying would be pointless. He stood up and replied, "Yes!"

After bowing deeply, he turned and left.

Things had come to this point.

He had done what he could.

All he could do now was endure the agonizing wait.

Watching Yokoyama Ryohi leave, Yanchuan Shilang immediately picked up the phone and called out, "Xianyou, invite Aoyama Xiu Xin over to our house. I’ll come back right away."

He felt it was time to meet Heisei’s No.1 Detective, the snake that swallowed the elephant, Police Chief Aoyama.