Tokyo: From Lawless Madpolice to Minister
Chapter 245 - 238: Collude for Wealth, Totally Clueless (Vote for Monthly Ticket!)

Chapter 245: Chapter 238: Collude for Wealth, Totally Clueless (Vote for Monthly Ticket!)

It was past eight in the evening.

The night had fallen, and the first of the city lights began to sparkle.

Inside a luxurious private room at the Heaven Club.

Aoyama Xiu Xin was already there, chatting with Tangong Huizi, who was clad in a black strapless evening gown.

"Following the death of Han Suwen, I managed to secure her empty board seat on the condition that I would not take part in the distribution of her inheritance. But my rise to the position was largely thanks to you. Those old fools have no idea we set Han Suwen up together. They only know that, through you, I repeatedly resolved the crises she brought to the Civilian Corps."

Tangong Huizi curled her fingertips through her burgundy hair and wore a faint sneer on her lips as she leaned into his embrace.

"By joining the board, I guess I’m among the top echelons of the Civilian Corps now, and through me, your conciliatory approach has proven to be the right one. Your supporters within the corps should have surged by now. At this rate, it won’t be long before you become the president," said Aoyama Xiu Xin, his hand caressing her flat belly, his tone nonchalant.

"It’s not that simple," Tangong Huizi turned slightly to face him, her arms wrapping around his neck as she lay against his chest, looking into his eyes. "My father has a son, Cui Yuanzhe. He is the heir the old geezers have in mind. Us illegitimate daughters are just dogs in their eyes, keeping watch and protecting the yard for his son."

"While we work in Japan, Yuanzhe has been sent back to South Korea by my father. It keeps him safe and allows him to build connections there. A substantial part of the Civilian Corps’ funding actually comes from our domestic base."

"So, as his big sister, are you not going to send your little brother on his way?" Aoyama Xiu Xin asked with a sly smile.

Tangong Huizi let out a giggle, planted a kiss on his cheek, and said, "The time isn’t right yet. He’s the old man’s pillar. If he dies now, the old man would collapse. And I don’t yet have enough prestige or power to control the entire Civilian Corps. I must wait a little longer."

"Wow, no way! Are you really going to kill your own brother? Talk about a woman’s deadly nature," Aoyama said as he exaggeratedly and playfully pinched what he called her ’conscience’.

"Ah! Stop it, that really hurts," Tangong Huizi cried out in pain, shooting him a coquettish glare. "If I don’t kill him, I can’t become the president. And if I’m not the president, how can the Civilian Corps be of use to you? So, I’m turning into a heartless witch for your sake. How can you bear to talk about me like that?"

"Heh, guess whether I believe your sob story or not."

Just then, the door to the private room opened.

"Chief, please come in."

Four men entered, one of them being Yagyu Tomon. The other three, in their thirties and forties, had flushed faces and an air of distinction about them.

"Mr. Yagyu, you’re here," Aoyama Xiu Xin said as he quickly rose to greet them with a smile.

"Mr. Aoyama, let me introduce you. This is Chief Oda Seisui from the Maritime Security Bureau," Yagyu Tomon said enthusiastically as he pointed to the oldest and most portly of the middle-aged men.

Aoyama Xiu Xin promptly shook his hand, "I’ve long heard of you, Chief Oda. Mr. Yagyu often speaks of your great reputation. It’s an honor to finally meet the guardian deity of Japan’s waters. Please, take a seat."

"You flatter me too much, Police Chief Aoyama. It’s your name that echoes like thunder. Our country is fortunate to have young people like you," Oda Seisui laughed heartily and took the center spot on the sofa.

Yagyu Tomon then pointed to another middle-aged man, thin and scholarly looking with gold-rimmed glasses, and said, "Mr. Aoyama, this gentleman is Deputy Director Matsushima Nobutake from the Maritime Security Bureau."

"Deputy Director Matsushima," Aoyama Xiu Xin reached out his hand.

"Mr. Aoyama," Matsushima Nobutake said with a smile as he shook his hand and sat down to the left of Oda Seisui.

The last one, a pudgy and jolly middle-aged man with large ears, didn’t wait for Yagyu Tomon to introduce him but spoke with a beaming smile, "Mr. Aoyama, I am Adviser Beihai Yongwu from the Maritime Security Bureau. I’ve long admired your reputation, and seeing you in person today, you truly live up to the name of a young elite. Just this physique is rare in our country."

"You overpraise me, Adviser Beihai. You are the pillars of the state, please take a seat," replied Aoyama Xiu Xin as they shook hands. He then turned to Tangong Huizi beside him, "President Tangong, please make yourself comfortable."

"Hey, have a good time, gentlemen. Call me if you need anything." Tangong Huizi bowed slightly with a radiant smile, then leaned in to kiss Aoyama Xiu Xin on the cheek, "You’re really heartless, aren’t you?"

She then turned to leave.

That bastard didn’t even bother to introduce her to the Maritime Security Bureau chiefs.

"Mr. Aoyama, you’re quite fortunate with ladies," Chief Oda remarked with meaningful winks and a sly grin.

Aoyama Xiu Xin wiped the lipstick from his face, looking resigned, "Can’t help it, being good-looking is a curse."

The room burst into cheerful laughter.

"Come, come, since it’s our first meeting, allow me to toast everyone," Aoyama Xiu Xin lifted his glass to invite a toast.

Because there was serious business to discuss, they hadn’t brought women to accompany them. After a few drinks and the atmosphere warmed up, Aoyama Xiu Xin put down his glass.

"Gentlemen, before we get tipsy and while our minds are still clear, let’s talk business," he suggested.

Everyone set down their glasses.

"Please speak, Mr. Aoyama. We’re all ears," replied Oda Seisui with a hearty laugh.

Aoyama Xiu Xin said, "Mr. Yagyu must have already discussed the matter with the three of you. Since you’ve come tonight, you are not here just to give me face but because you are interested in this matter, which comes down to the issue of profit sharing."

The three of them remained silent, by default accepting his statement. After all, none of them were gentlemen; no need for pretense.

"Thirty percent," Aoyama Xiu Xin raised his finger.

Oda Seisui immediately frowned upon hearing this.

Beike Yongwu said with a smile, "I know Aoyama is leading this project and will also put in a lot of effort, but in the end..."

"Mr. Beihai, please let me finish," Aoyama Xiu Xin interrupted, continuing before Beike could react, "Thirty percent goes to the Maritime Security Bureau, twenty percent to Customs, and Yagyu and I each take twenty percent. The remaining ten percent will go to those who help us with our business. This distribution is very fair."

He had to take care of the interests of all parties.

Oda Seisui and the other two exchanged glances.

"Mr. Oda, your party only needs to be responsible for dealing with other competitors and protecting our ships. The actual operation of the company will be managed by my people. Thirty percent, I have already shown great sincerity."

"I am not short on money; my involvement in this matter is purely to make friends with the Maritime Security Bureau, so I don’t want to squabble over the division of benefits."

After his words fell, Aoyama Xiu Xin picked up his glass again for a self-serving drink, giving them time to think.

The room fell silent, with no one speaking.

Yagyu Tomon was very nervous, fearing that the deal would fall through and that his money-printing machine would fly away.

"Alright!" Oda Seisui slapped his thigh and stood up, extending a hand towards Aoyama Xiu Xin, "Since Mr. Aoyama has shown such sincerity in wanting to bring us wealth and is also a friend of Mr. Yagyu, we at the Maritime Security Bureau gladly accept this friendship. Here’s to a pleasant cooperation."

They normally relied on taking bribes from smuggling ships or finding ways to extort legitimate vessels to fill their wallets, but what was that compared to smuggling for profit themselves? The bold thrive, and the timid starve.

Aoyama Xiu Xin had the capital and the connections; they just had to offer some convenience on the sea and they would reap the lion’s share of the profits. Why not?

Thinking this over, Aoyama Xiu Xin did seem very generous.

The Maritime Security Bureau had to maintain a close cooperative relationship with him, for if he chose not to play anymore, where else could they find such a generous collaborator?

"Mr. Oda, to a pleasant cooperation," Aoyama Xiu Xin grasped his hand, smiling, and raised his glass to shout, "Congratulations to us all on making a fortune this year!"

"To this year’s fortunes! May we all prosper together!"

Beike Yongwu, Yagyu Tomon, and Matsushima Nobutake all rose, glass in hand, to clink with his.

"Now that business is done, it’s time to relax."

With those words, Aoyama Xiu Xin walked out of the private room.

Moments later, he returned with over a dozen slender, beautiful young women, scantily clad, making the atmosphere in the room even livelier.

It got so heated that everyone started helping the ladies undress.

The room was a blur of mosaics.

...

Two days had passed since the explosion case occurred.

But Aoyama Xiu Xin had yet to receive any report on investigative progress from Chi Ben Xinzhang, which forced him to summon Chi to his office for inquiries.

"Police Chief, it’s not that I don’t want to report, there just hasn’t been any progress," Chi Ben Xinzhang said with a distressed look facing Aoyama Xiu Xin’s questioning, "We’ve investigated the recent interpersonal relationships of the deceased and their family. They didn’t have any intense conflicts with anyone, no financial or emotional disputes, and even those who had significant conflicts with the deceased in the past were checked—either they had emigrated abroad or they simply didn’t have an opportunity to commit the crime."

"What about the surveillance footage?" Aoyama Xiu Xin asked again.

"We’ve looked over the surveillance footage many times, but we didn’t spot any suspicious individuals. The cameras showed that only a plumber visited their home that day. We checked and the person was indeed a plumber responsible for inspecting the pipelines in that area on that day, with no conflict with the deceased and no motive for committing the crime. He also wouldn’t know how to make a bomb."

Aoyama Xiu Xin was left speechless, his face impassive. The incident took place in the quiet of the night with no witnesses, no suspicious individuals caught on camera, and no suspects identified among the deceased’s social connections—it was an investigation with nowhere to start.

"I know it’s difficult, but it is precisely because of the difficulty that solving the case would underscore your ability even more, so think of something else, I refuse to believe there are no leads," Aoyama Xiu Xin was originally prepared to criticize, but instead found himself consoling and encouraging Chi.

Chi Ben Xinzhang responded with a "Yes!"

"Go on, get back to work," Aoyama Xiu Xin waved him off.

Watching Chi Ben Xinzhang leave, Aoyama Xiu Xin furrowed his brow—who could the murderer be? To resort to such an extreme method as bombing to kill Tsunoda Shinro and his entire family suggested deep and grave enmity.

Why couldn’t any suspects be identified from the social connections?

The explosion case was still unsolved, while on the other side, the deadline for the five men with Big Black Moles and braids to collect money for Ashida Jiubao was upon them, prompting them to start pressing for debt collection one by one.