Tokyo: From Lawless Madpolice to Minister
Chapter 392 - 349: Making a Choice, As the Dao Rises One Foot, the Demon Rises Ten

Chapter 392: Chapter 349: Making a Choice, As the Dao Rises One Foot, the Demon Rises Ten

The arrest location was an abandoned factory.

The murderers from both the third and second groups turned off their sirens and police lights two kilometers from their destination and quickly sealed off all entrances upon arrival.

As usual, they called for a surrender first, but the only response to the police was gunfire, and Asai Ayumi issued an order to storm the place.

She personally led a team to command from outside the factory while Edogawa Renju and Heize Tian’an each led a team into the building to search and arrest.

Upon entering the building, Heize Tian’an found an opportunity to slip away from his subordinates and meet alone with Edogawa Renju in a workshop of the factory, under the latter’s meaningful gaze.

"What’s wrong, Mr. Edogawa? You’ve seemed out of it since that call in the car. It’s easy to get distracted during an arrest and get hurt," Heize Tian’an said as soon as they met.

Edogawa Renju sighed, his eyes complex as he looked at him, "Aoyama Xiu Xin wants me to kill you."

"What?" Heize Tian’an was utterly baffled.

Edogawa Renju said with resignation, "We miscalculated. We thought he’d pretend not to know once he discovered your undercover identity in order to turn the situation to his advantage. But we didn’t expect that he would want to kill you directly, to eliminate any future troubles."

If it weren’t for the fact that there were too many people in the car at the time and fearing to raise Aoyama Xiu Xin’s suspicions, he would have wanted to persuade Aoyama Xiu Xin to hold off with the reason of turning the situation to his advantage.

"Idiot, he... how can Aoyama Xiu Xin be so impulsive! And so bold, I am a national public official!" After hearing this, Heize Tian’an was both shocked and angry, shocked by the ruthlessness and angry at the audacity.

Edogawa Renju gave a bitter smile and shook his head, "Just from the extent of his rampages, you can see how harmful Nozawa Financial Corporation is. If even he dares to brazenly kill public officials with official positions, not to mention the people behind him. Mr. Heize, we must eradicate this cancer!"

"That’s correct!" Heize Tian’an nodded strongly agreeing with the statement, but then furrowed his brow again because of the predicament in front of him, "But what do we do now? If you don’t kill me, Aoyama Xiu Xin certainly won’t trust and reuse you, and the undercover plan will be ruined."

"Yes, that’s right." Edogawa Renju nodded forlornly, a flicker of struggle and pain in his eyes, pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back, seemingly thinking of a strategy. He quickly walked behind Heize Tian’an.

"Perhaps..." Just as Heize Tian’an was about to turn around to say something, in the next second, he was choked by an oil-stained rope. His eyes widened in a fierce struggle as he heard Edogawa Renju’s voice trembling yet gritting his teeth behind him, "So, I’m sorry Mr. Heize, but I have no choice now that it’s come to this. For the nation, for justice, I must impose this on you, please rest assured, I will definitely send Aoyama Xiu Xin to join you!"

Edogawa Renju had already made his choice.

"Heh— heh—" Heize Tian’an’s back was turned to Edogawa Renju; he couldn’t see his expression, his eyes full of despair and unwillingness. His hands kept trying to tear the rope off, but his strength gradually waned until it dropped completely, his breath cut off along with it.

But even so, Edogawa Renju still didn’t feel reassured, he continued to exert force with both hands to maintain the posture for several more seconds before suddenly releasing his hands.

"Thud!"

Heize Tian’an’s body fell to the ground.

"Huff— huff—"

Edogawa Renju gasped heavily, glanced at the oil stains on his gloves, quickly crouched down to rub them on the ground, then slumped to the ground.

"I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry..."

He kept muttering these words to himself.

Crocodile tears streamed from his eyes.

Not killing Heize Tian’an meant that everything done before was in vain, and that he would certainly become suspect to Aoyama Xiu Xin. If he could feel murderous intent toward Heize Tian’an, who was undercover, it was possible he could harbor the same intentions toward Edogawa Renju.

Edogawa Renju was not afraid of dying, but he feared dying without any value. He had to take down the gigantic Nozawa Financial Corporation, take down Aoyama Xiu Xin.

He had to live, gain Aoyama Xiu Xin’s absolute trust, so he could only follow the orders, ruthlessly killing Heize Tian’an.

Regardless of the reason, personally killing a colleague with whom he had shared life and death, brought Edogawa Renju immense internal torment and pain.

"I will avenge you. I promise I will."

Edogawa Renju chalked up this blood debt to Aoyama Xiu Xin; as his words fell, he got up and stumbled out of the workshop.

What he didn’t notice was a surveillance camera working in an inconspicuous corner the entire time.

The whole scene had been recorded.

Anticipating that Edogawa Renju and Heize Tian’an would mention him during their meeting, Aoyama Xiu Xin, for safety’s sake, had specifically used an old model of the camera that could only record video and not sound.

After killing Heize Tian’an, Edogawa Renju felt foggy in his mind, an indescribable emotion wanting to be released, and naturally, the target for venting that emotion could only be the crime suspects they were to arrest tonight.

Thus, he charged ahead, leading from the front in the arresting team, disregarding his subordinate’s advice, always entering rooms first to check.

It was this very reckless approach that led him to be the first to encounter the "criminal suspect."

The "criminal suspect," who had been paid off, also recognized Edogawa Renju. Despite having the chance to shoot first while the other was disoriented, he deliberately delayed, giving Edogawa Renju the chance to pull the trigger first.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

Three consecutive shots and the "suspect" died on the spot.

"There’s gunfire over there!"

"Quick! Over here!"

Hearing the gunfire, other officers rushed from all directions to reinforce, and when they burst into the workshop where the gunfire had erupted, they saw Edogawa Renju standing at the doorway with a gun in hand, with a body on the floor.

"Police Chief Edogawa, are you all right?"

A subordinate came forward with concern to ask.

"No, it’s nothing." Edogawa Renju took a deep breath, holstered his gun, and forced himself to ask despite the pain, "Have you seen Heize Chief?"

"No." "Didn’t see him."

"He told us to go about our business as soon as he came in."

Everyone exchanged glances and shook their heads, all harboring a bad premonition. After all, the factory wasn’t large, but Heize Tian’an hadn’t come despite hearing the gunshots—could something bad have happened to him?

"Start searching," Edogawa Renju ordered.

"Yes, sir!" The officers responded and scattered to search.

Moments later, Heize Tian’an’s body was discovered, and the urgent report came in, "Report to Edogawa Police Chief, Heize Chief has been strangled to death."

"What? What did you say?" Edogawa Renju was both shocked and angry, hastening forward to grab the officer’s collar. "Where is he, lead me there quickly!"

Guided by the officer, everyone arrived at the workshop where Heize Tian’an had died. Edogawa Renju stood quietly at the door, looking at the body for a long time before eventually saying, "I’ve avenged you."

Everyone understood what he meant. After all, besides them, there was only one suspect in this abandoned factory. Heize Tian’an’s death was certainly the work of the other party, and Edogawa Renju had killed that suspect—wasn’t that avenging Heize Tian’an?

"Alright, get the bodies out of here."

With Edogawa Renju’s command, he turned and left first, stepping out of the factory to face Asai Ayumi and saluted, "Report to the Police Chief, there was only one armed individual inside, who has been neutralized. And Heize Chief... he was tragically killed during the operation."

"What!" Asai Ayumi, who was not privy to Aoyama Xiu Xin’s plan, was truly astonished. The death of a chief during an operation was a serious matter.

Edogawa Renju pursed his lips, his voice deep as he said, "He was attacked from behind and strangled with a rope. Judging by the many oil stains on the rope, it must be something from this factory."

"This... this..." Asai Ayumi opened her mouth as if to say something but ended up just sighing, "Withdraw."

Heize Tian’an was known for his bravery. He was attacked and strangled by criminals on the second day of his job at the Police Headquarters. She thought this was just too unlike his reputation. "If you were that incompetent, say it earlier and I wouldn’t have brought you along, now it’s making me take responsibility."

If it weren’t for the fact that Heize Tian’an was already dead.

She would have cursed someone out.

Less than five minutes after the police withdrew, a white sedan drove out of the darkness and stopped at the factory entrance.

Then two people got out of the car and entered the factory, and half an hour later, they came out carrying a bulging bag.

It was filled with dismantled surveillance equipment.

........................

With such a large operation underway, Aoyama Xiu Xin, the division head, certainly couldn’t leave work early.

He waited in his office for news.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

Hearing the knocking, Aoyama Xiu Xin, who had been drowsy, instantly became alert and called out, "Come in."

Asai Ayumi and Edogawa Renju entered.

"Report to Police Chief Aoyama, thanks to the intelligence you provided, we successfully apprehended an armed suspect at the scene. Whether he is the serial rapist and murderer still needs further confirmation," Asai Ayumi said with her head high, looking sharp and spirited as she saluted.

"Very good." Aoyama Xiu Xin nodded, then glanced at Edogawa Renju with a smile, "It seems tonight’s operation went smoothly."

Asai Ayumi’s face fell, and her head slowly lowered, "Well, it wasn’t completely smooth. We had one casualty; Heize Chief was unexpectedly strangled from behind by the criminal."

"What?" Aoyama Xiu Xin looked shocked, he stood abruptly, his expression changing several times before he let out a heavy sigh, "Ah, the vicissitudes of life are unpredictable. I never imagined the brave Mr. Heize would fall here and that I would lose such a valiant officer!"

"It’s all my responsibility." Asai Ayumi pursed her soft, reddened lips, her voice gentle as she made the admission.

"Enough, no one wishes to see such things happen." Aoyama Xiu Xin shook his head, casually brushing off the matter, then continued, "Go ahead, Asai Chief, Edogawa Chief, stay a moment."

"Yes, sir!" Asai Ayumi turned and left promptly.

Once the office door closed, Edogawa Renju stepped forward and bowed deeply, "Police Chief."

"Yoshi!" Aoyama Xiu Xin instantly regained his smile, walked around his desk forward, and slapped his shoulder heavily, "Edogawa Chief, you truly didn’t disappoint me. I was worried you might let your past feelings hold you back, but it seems you can distinguish what is more important. I’ll feel even more confident giving you important tasks in the future."

"Everything for the Police Chief!" Edogawa Renju declared emphatically, clenching his fist as he fought the guilt rising within him and forced a smile, "He may have had ties with me in the past, but since he stood against you, there’s no more common ground!"

"Ha ha ha ha! Good! Good! Good!" Aoyama Xiu Xin laughed heartily, saying ’good’ three times, yet a mocking look flashed in his eyes. He was truly curious how broken Edogawa Renju would be when he learned the whole truth.

He continued, "That old man Nakamura Tatsuyuki, trying to meddle in my affairs – he clearly has a death wish. Tomorrow I’ll also share this delightful news with him, since shared joy is doubled joy."

He said this deliberately to prod Edogawa Renju into personally telling Nakamura Tatsuyuki that he had killed Heize Tian’an. Not only would this deeply torment Edogawa Renju, but it would also harm Nakamura Tatsuyuki psychologically.

"He dares to oppose you, he’s simply overestimating his capabilities," Edogawa Renju complimented.

His fingernails were nearly digging into his palms.

Aoyama Xiu Xin observed every subtle reaction, feeling immensely satisfied, then turned back to his desk, "Alright, you should go and take care of things too."

"Yes, sir!" Edogawa Renju really didn’t want to face this scoundrel any longer; after bowing, he hastily left.

Watching his departing figure, Aoyama Xiu Xin picked up his cup and took a sip, his eyes filled with mockery and derision.

Heh, dare to fight me? I’ll play you to death. Do you have any idea what it means when they say ’the magic rises a foot for every foot the path grows’?

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