Tokyo: From Lawless Madpolice to Minister
Chapter 362 - 328: A Knife Over the Head for Lust, a Man’s Rage (Vote for Monthly Ticket!)

Chapter 362: Chapter 328: A Knife Over the Head for Lust, a Man’s Rage (Vote for Monthly Ticket!)

"What exactly is the matter? Please speak, Mr. Ito."

After entering the office, Aoyama Xiu Xin first poured a cup of tea for Ito Shanmu, then sat on the sofa nearby, crossing his Erlang legs as if ready to listen attentively.

"Thank you." Ito Shanmu took the teacup and expressed his gratitude, then bowed sincerely with both hands on his knees and said, "Actually, it’s not my trouble, but my father’s. Nevertheless, I still wish to brazenly ask for the chairman’s help and that of the Xiongcheng Association colleagues."

Aoyama Xiu Xin grew even more excited upon hearing this. What was his purpose in getting close to Ito Shanmu if not for the fact that his father was the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Land Guard?

Now he had a chance to have the other party owe him a favor.

Why not seize it?

This was an opportunity to establish good relations with the Land Guard.

He straightened up immediately and considered his words carefully, "One of the principles of the Xiongcheng Association is to provide aid to one another in times of trouble. If your esteemed father’s trouble inevitably affects you, then we are naturally willing to offer help within our means. So please elaborate on the cause, and I will take everything into consideration before deciding."

He then added another question, "But I’d also like to know whether your father is aware that you have come to me?"

"He does not know. I haven’t told anyone about the Xiongcheng Association." Ito Shanmu quickly responded, then added, "The chairman is right. My father and I share honor and trouble alike; his affairs will surely affect me. So even though he doesn’t expect me to be able to help, I cannot just stand idly by."

The reason why he hadn’t told his father in advance that he intended to help was that he feared the Xiongcheng Association didn’t have the strength to find Kudou. It would be better to wait until they really found Kudou, and it would also be a great surprise for his father.

"Mr. Ito, your filial piety is commendable. Your father must be proud of you." Aoyama Xiu Xin complimented.

"You flatter me, Mr. Chairman." Ito Shanmu replied modestly. He then started to speak of his father’s troubles with some difficulty, "To not embarrass you with laughter, my father is involved in misappropriating military funds through false reporting and fraudulent accounting. This has been common practice for a while, and every officer from the rank of lieutenant and above gets a share."

"It’s always been fine until now; however, after the Chief of Land Staff assaulted the secretary’s wife, Hashimoto Miho, during a visit to her husband Kudou’s home, Kudou didn’t show any reaction at the time. But now he and the secret accounts guarded by the chief have both disappeared. If the ledger gets out, it would cause a massive upheaval in the entire Ground Self-Defense Force, and both the Staff Chief and my father would be inescapable trouble."

"They are already looking for Kudou, but they can’t mobilize all the soldiers secretly to search for him without causing an uproar. I know that you are always resourceful, so I am asking for your help to find this guy and retrieve the ledger in his possession."

The shameful act of risking the entire group’s interests for the sake of assaulting a woman made him, a military family member, feel dishonored.

He couldn’t express the depth of his shame as he explained the situation and asked Aoyama Xiu Xin for help.

That old man truly deserved to commit seppuku!

"Ah! This really is a troublesome matter." Aoyama Xiu Xin rubbed his temples, almost speechless about the Chief of Land Staff—it’s damn messed up to even get handsy with a confidante’s wife.

He truly deserved to be betrayed.

Even a philanderer like him wouldn’t do such a thing.

Ito Shanmu bowed deeply, "I beseech you!"

"Now it depends on whether Kudou wants to publicly take revenge by exposing the ledger to hurt the Staff Chief, or if he intends to use the ledger to seek benefits as a means of limited retaliation," pondered Aoyama Xiu Xin, speaking solemnly.

Because of such an absurd reason that led to the loss of the ledger, even if it was not disclosed in the end and was successfully retrieved, the Staff Chief would have to leave his current position. Otherwise, those below him wouldn’t agree.

After all, who knows what kind of reckless act you might commit next time? Not every time can be so lucky.

And if the Staff Chief steps down, then Ito Shanmu’s father would definitely be promoted.

Thus, the Ito family is the one who least hopes the ledger is made public because then they would obtain no benefits and would also be subject to investigation.

Ito Shanmu pursed his lips, optimistically thinking, "Kudou is a rational man..."

"He lost his rationality the moment he chose to steal the ledger," Aoyama Xiu Xin interrupted.

From this moment on, Kudou’s subsequent actions could no longer be predicted by common sense.

Ito Shanmu sighed and lowered his head.

Aoyama Xiu Xin asked, "What about Mrs. Kudou?"

"She’s also disappeared. According to Kudou’s neighbors, his wife was already out of sight before he vanished, which suggests he had planned ahead and arranged for his wife’s departure first," Ito Shanmu answered.

Aoyama Xiu Xin asked further, "Does he have any other family members?"

"No, his parents are deceased, and they have no children; he only has his wife," Ito Shanmu replied.

This statement confirms there are no vulnerabilities to exploit.

That means he is currently invincible!

Aoyama Xiu Xin was deep in thought, silent for a moment before saying, "Alright, I will call for an internal gathering of Xiongcheng Association members this evening. I’ll ask everyone to mobilize their connections to search for Kudou, and the rest we leave to fate."

"Sure, but please consider the reputation of the Land Guard," said Ito Shanmu, somewhat shamefacedly.

Aoyama Xiu Xin nodded, "Don’t worry, I won’t reveal the reasons; I’ll just ask them to find the person."

After all, it’s impossible to keep complete secrecy within the Xiongcheng Association; not too many people can be in the know about this matter.

"Sure! Thank you, Mr. Chairman," Ito Shanmu bowed again with genuine gratitude. Outside of military base actions, Aoyama Xiu Xin was much more formidable than the Land Guard.

Suddenly remembering something, Mr. Ito curiously asked, "Chairman, didn’t you say we meet every month on the first? I’ve been waiting for it; did we switch to the eleventh?"

"I was very busy this first of the month," Aoyama Xiu Xin replied with a nonchalant smile; in reality, the writer just forgot.

After confirming the meeting that evening, Aoyama Xiu Xin had Hashimoto Miho notify all the members. After work, he changed into a black kimono, pinned the Xiongcheng Association badge to his chest, and headed straight for the Wind Lotus Elegance Garden.

That evening, all attendees, both men and women, wore a uniform outfit. When Aoyama Xiu Xin entered, everyone kneeling along the corridor bowed at the knees.

"We welcome you, Chairman!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, no need for such formalities; please, rise," said Aoyama Xiu Xin as he strode down the long hallway and took his place at the head of the table, speaking cordially.

Everyone had only just straightened up their bodies, hands pressing down on their knees, backs erect, eyes looking ahead.

It was reminiscent of an Emperor holding court.

First came the insubstantial opening remarks, and then Aoyama Xiu Xin introduced the new member, Ito Shanmu, "This is Division Chief Ito Shanmu, son of the Deputy Chief of Staff for the Ground Self-Defense Force, currently serving as the Division Chief of the Police Security Bureau at Police Headquarters. Let’s welcome his join."

"Clap clap clap clap clap clap!"

A vigorous round of applause broke out in the hall immediately.

"Hi! I am Ito Shanmu, I look forward to your guidance!" Ito Shanmu stood up and bowed deeply.

There were many here he did not recognize, but just seeing a few familiar faces, he knew that joining the Xiongcheng Association meant finding a powerful backing, and his future prospects were certainly promising.

As Aoyama Xiu Xin raised his hand, the applause stopped.

He looked around slowly and said, "Mr. Ito is currently facing a tricky problem, he is looking for Land Commander Kudou’s secretary, but the man has gone into hiding, and we hope everyone here can help find him."

Ito Shanmu bowed again, then distributed the information about Kudou he had prepared in advance to everyone.

Everyone had received a copy and was carefully examining it.

"It’s vital for Mr. Ito to find Kudou; I hope everyone here can work together in solidarity, consider it a welcoming gift for Mr. Ito joining us," Aoyama Xiu Xin said, his gaze sweeping over each person present.

In unison, everyone bowed and responded, "Hi!"

Ito Shanmu sincerely expressed, "Whether we succeed or not, I will always remember everyone’s kindness."

If he failed to stop Kudou, resulting in the ledger’s exposure and a scandal within the Land Guard, then he would no longer have his family to rely on and would have to fully depend on the Xiongcheng Association members present, so he was genuinely earnest.

...

After the gathering concluded, Ito Shanmu returned home.

Seeing his father, with his temples turning gray, sitting on the sofa with a frown, massaging his brow, Shanmu couldn’t help but feel a surge of pity and bowed, "Father."

His father had indeed broken his heart over matters concerning the Land Guard.

To him, his father’s embezzlement of military funds was not a significant issue. After all, war was an impossibility in Japan. It was pointless to spend military funds on weapons and training those big-headed soldiers; they might as well enjoy the money.

And wasn’t this, in a way, an act of anti-war? Weren’t they maintaining peace in their manner?

This was the enlightenment of a second-generation Land Guard family member!

"Oh, it’s Shanmu." Ito Sei only then noticed his son’s return, perked up, and squeezed out a strained smile, asking, "Didn’t you go to a gathering? How was it? Did you enjoy yourself?"

"I enjoyed it very much," Ito Shanmu answered, because having seen the many virtuous members of the Xiongcheng Association, he felt more confident about the organization. Hence, he decided to reveal this to put his father at ease, "Father, I sought help from Police Chief Aoyama regarding the Kudou matter. All the police in Tokyo and the violent gangs will give him face. With his assistance, I believe we will soon find Kudou."

"Is that so? Shanmu has grown up and can share the family’s worries. I hope so," Ito Sei appreciated his son’s kindness but did not hold much hope.

He was prepared for the ledger to be exposed and for himself to fall from grace and end up in prison. Now, he was just struggling in the face of imminent demise, doing his humanly best and leaving the rest to fate.

Because if Kudou dared to steal the ledger, he must have lost his mind and certainly intended to set off the bomb.

Although Ito Sei had already arranged for people to watch over the houses and offices of all monitoring department heads, he couldn’t possibly deploy the entire military, and there was always a chance Kudou would find a loophole.

Meanwhile, Kudou, who was closely affecting the hearts of all the mid and high-ranking officers in the Land Guard, was squatting in front of a low grave mound, nibbling bread, his eyes empty and lifeless.

The grave was where his wife was buried.

After his wife was violated, he had promised to avenge her. He had been bearing the indignities and biding his time for an opportunity, but what he came home to a week ago was his wife, who had already taken sleeping pills to end her life.

Clearly, because he had not taken action, his wife didn’t believe his promises of revenge and didn’t want to rush him, ultimately choosing to commit suicide in despair.

He was nearly on the verge of a breakdown as well. His parents had passed away, and his wife was his only family and emotional support.

After the mourning period, he calmed down, packed his wife’s body into a suitcase, transported it, and buried it here.

He told the neighbors that his wife had gone on a trip.

Then, he returned to the Staff Office as usual, working alongside that bastard, the Chief of Staff, as if nothing had happened.

Eventually, taking advantage of his oversight, he stole the secret ledger.

The ultimate reason behind his seemingly irrational and incomprehensible behavior was that his wife was already dead, and he had nothing left to lose or care for.

"Wife, I promised to avenge you. I will make the entire Ground Self-Defense Force pay for your burial," Kudou muttered to himself while touching the grave mound.

He was in a difficult spot himself, knowing that there were surely Land Guard people watching outside every regulatory agency.

But the material he had could only make a difference if handed over to someone absolutely reliable.

Otherwise, it was useless thievery.

As someone who had served in the military for a long time, he didn’t know many such people; he just heard of one.

He was Nakamura Tatsuyuki, the Prosecutor known to all Japanese as the most righteous and upright.

Kudou believed that as long as he successfully delivered the ledger to Nakamura Tatsuyuki’s hands, the Chief of Staff, that old thing, and the other officers in the Staff Office would all pay a terrible price.

As for handing it over to the media? He hadn’t even thought about it.

While the media pursued big news, he did not believe any media would dare to publish such a horrifying event.

The news was too big for the media to handle.