Tokyo: From Lawless Madpolice to Minister
Chapter 487 - 424: Can a bad person be as bad as us two? Knocking and Probing (Request for Monthly Pass)

Chapter 487: Chapter 424: Can a bad person be as bad as us two? Knocking and Probing (Request for Monthly Pass)

Hokkaido’s snow usually starts melting in March.

So even though it was already mid-February, snowflakes would still occasionally drift down from the sky towards the ground.

On the rooftop terrace of a building in Sapporo Central District, the cold wind howled with flurries of snow, causing people’s clothing to flutter wildly.

Nozaki Cangjian stood at the edge, his hair blown messy by the wind. He slightly bowed his head to light the cigarette in his mouth with a lighter, but the wind was so strong that he failed to ignite it several times. Finally, abandoning dignity, he crouched down beside the wall for shelter to finally light it and took a satisfying drag.

"Hu—"

As if his life had finally been extended.

"Mr. Nobita, are you very cold?" Aoyama Xiu Xin came up and saw him huddled in the corner smoking, almost indistinguishable from a homeless person, looking rather pitiful.

One might have thought he was dumped the night before.

Hearing the voice behind him, Nozaki Cangjian hurriedly pinched out the barely smoked cigarette and stood up, "Senior Police Director, no, the wind is just too strong, I was trying to light a cigarette."

"You went through all that trouble to light it, and now you’ve put it out?" Aoyama Xiu Xin shook his head, speaking while reaching into his pocket to pull out his own cigarette and offering it to him.

Nozaki Cangjian quickly took it, "Thank you."

Seeing Aoyama Xiu Xin take out a lighter to help him light the cigarette, he immediately felt humbled and anxious, "Senior Police Director, I can do it myself, it’s too much trouble for you."

"Are you going to squat in the corner again?" Aoyama Xiu Xin blocked the wind with one hand and struck a flame with the other.

The cigarette in Nozaki’s mouth was lit in an instant.

Then it was Nozaki’s turn to help Aoyama Xiu Xin light his cigarette. After doing so, he casually pocketed the lighter and said, "Senior Police Director, thanks to your brilliant strategy, Jing Shang now regards me as a trustworthy confidant and plans to take me with him for the negotiations and subsequent deals with the Shimada Group."

Jing Shang currently lacked capable individuals, and last night’s lesson made him realize the urgent need for loyal supporters. Regrettably, the Miyazaki family was full of duds, leaving Nozaki Cangjian as the only choice.

"Excellent, be sure to record the entire negotiation process. If possible, use a miniature camera to capture footage, and inform me ahead of time about the transaction location and time when it’s confirmed," Aoyama Xiu Xin said, overjoyed.

Nozaki Cangjian nodded and said, "Yes! The negotiation will take place tonight. Both parties are eager to forge cooperation; if successful, the trade will follow promptly."

The Miyazaki family couldn’t wait to distribute the new type of ice out of Hokkaido, and the Shimada Group was likewise eager to get their hands on the new stock to turn a huge profit. Both were hurrying towards mutual collaboration.

"Be careful." Aoyama Xiu Xin cautioned.

"Yes!" Nozaki bowed deeply, then tentatively added, "Senior Police Director, I believe Jing Shang is catchable, but there’s no need to rush to completely crush the Miyazaki family. After Jing Shang is arrested, I could take over the Miyazaki family, then contact more drug trafficking gangs for deals, and arrest them one by one on the spot. When the Miyazaki family has no more value to us, we can uproot them entirely, and it would not be too late."

In other words, it was an entrapment strategy.

"Yoshi! Mr. Nobita, you’re getting smarter by the day. That’s an excellent idea, and I will consider it seriously," Aoyama Xiu Xin laughed heartily as he helped refine the plan, "Afterward, our police can easily claim someone from among our ranks was an undercover in the Miyazaki family, which makes you a victim sold out and forced to flee, clearing you of any suspicion of collusion with the police, allowing you to continue undercover work."

One could exploit a newly established Miyazaki family.

They could claim credit multiple times.

"Yes! Chief, you are wise!" Nozaki Cangjian bowed and looked up to meet Aoyama Xiu Xin’s eyes.

Both men simultaneously revealed sly smiles.

And then they burst into hearty laughter together.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha..."

Who says those bad guys are worse than the two of us?

Nozaki Cangjian was no longer in such a hurry to end his undercover work quickly because he could not only earn accolades but also make money. Aoyama Xiu Xin never inquired about the whereabouts of the money he made during his undercover period.

It was clearly an implicit acknowledgment that those were his fringe benefits.

It was as if he could legally earn money through illegal criminal means, and once he had enough, he could end his undercover career and transform into a police officer adorned with honors.

Where else could one find such a deal?

Expanding one’s thinking, even bad things could be turned into good.

Not to mention, just by joining the Miyazaki family, he had already banked tens of thousands of dollars, in US Dollars.

"Cough, well, I have to get to work, so I’ll be leaving now. Keep in touch," Aoyama Xiu Xin said, reigning in his smile and glancing at his watch before turning to leave.

Nozaki Cangjian bowed in escort, "Please take care!"

It was only after the footsteps faded and the clicking heels were out of sight did he slowly raise his head, turn, and walk to the edge of the rooftop, leaning on the wall and looking down at the tiny people below, like ants.

He was filled with deep emotion.

It was all thanks to Chief of Police Aoyama choosing him that his future held such glamorous possibilities.

Otherwise, he would have been just one of them.

He absolutely could not let down Chief of Police Aoyama’s trust and high expectations; he had to commit crimes more diligently... cough, that’s wrong, he had to fight crime more vigorously through committing crimes!

...

At nine o’clock in the morning, at Hokkaido Police Headquarters.

"Good morning, Deputy Chief Aoyama."

"Deputy Chief Aoyama, you look in good spirits today!"

When Aoyama Xiu Xin walked through the headquarters’ doors, everyone who encountered him greeted him proactively and kindly.

Although they had always treated him with respect, there was a sense of aloofness hidden within their warmth, but now they fully regarded him as one of their own.

Aoyama Xiu Xin responded to everyone, regardless of their rank, sometimes taking the initiative to shake hands or stop to chat.

This approachable demeanor greatly endeared the rank-and-file police officers to him; any officer who had shaken his hand could proudly boast about it to colleagues all day long.

Although he had only been there for half a month, he was already recognized as the most approachable leader in the department, second only to Deputy Director Yamashita Kogoro. After all, in Japan, where the social hierarchy is pronounced, most leaders are aloof from their subordinates, with a clear line drawn between them.

In this context, Aoyama Xiu Xin’s behavior was exceptionally rare.

"Senior Police Director." Mikuriya Shouta encountered Aoyama Xiu Xin at the elevator entrance and reported in a low voice after they exited together, "Uesugi Nobunaga’s body has been encased in concrete and dumped into the sea. All surveillance footage of the tea house that day has been destroyed; I personally oversaw the entire process."

Although he had previously pledged his loyalty to Aoyama Xiu Xin, and Aoyama had accepted him, it was only after yesterday’s cleanup of Aoyama’s murder scene that the two were truly bound together.

This was exactly what Aoyama Xiu Xin intended, which is why he called Mikuriya instead of Nakamura Shinichi yesterday.

Can someone really be called a confidant if they don’t know their boss’ dark secrets or haven’t done any dirty work for them?

"Mm, I represent the Japanese government in thanking Mr. Yonekura for his contributions to the land reclamation project," Aoyama Xiu Xin said with a slight smile, patting his shoulder.

Aoyama Xiu Xin was a staunch supporter and implementor of Japan’s land reclamation projects. After all, Japan’s territory was too small. Once he took power, all the ghosts opposing him would be dumped into the sea to create land.

Years later, Japanese history books might even record how much he expanded Japan’s territory during his term in office, earning merit for the country.

Mikuriya Shouta bowed deeply and stood in place, not following further but waiting for Aoyama Xiu Xin to walk away before turning towards his own office.

Just as Aoyama Xiu Xin reached the office door, he found the secretary of Fujimoto Takayoshi waiting for him and called out, "Mr. Chunye, why not wait inside?"

"I just arrived too," Haruno Takayoshi turned around with a smile and approached proactively, "The Director wants to see you, Deputy Director Aoyama. Please come with me."

"How is the Director’s mood?" Aoyama Xiu Xin casually asked as he followed him toward the elevator.

"It’s alright," Haruno Takayoshi replied with restraint.

Aoyama Xiu Xin was relieved to hear this and smiled, saying, "I heard Mr. Chunye comes from a well-read family and has a fondness for calligraphy and painting. I happened by chance to acquire a few authentic works by Chinese masters. I, a crude fellow, don’t understand them, and it’s a pity for these artworks to gather dust at my place. I’ll send them to you someday."

His short-term goal was to replace Oda Take as the Director of Criminal Affairs Department, and his long-term goal was to become the actual controller of the Hokkaido Police system by overriding Fujimoto Takayoshi.

For these two aims, it was important to foster a good relationship with Haruno Takayoshi, the confidant of Fujimoto Takayoshi.

"This... this isn’t right," Haruno Takayoshi was clearly tempted but still quickly declined out of rationality.

"What’s not right about it? It’s just friends exchanging gifts. Don’t you consider me a friend?" Aoyama Xiu Xin pretended to be displeased, taking advantage of the other’s hesitation to pat his shoulder, "It’s settled then."

He didn’t actually have any authentic works by Chinese masters in his possession.

But as long as he wanted them, they could be acquired at any time.

"It’s hard to decline such generosity, truly hard to decline. Since this is the case, I’ll shamelessly accept," Haruno Takayoshi was already quite moved, and with Aoyama Xiu Xin’s insistent offer, he agreed in stride, and then returned the favor by saying, "Mr. Aoyama, the Director is looking for you because of your involvement in the internal affairs of the Beihai Family, but rest assured, he’s not really angry. He just wants to knock some sense into you."

"Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Chunye." Aoyama Xiu Xin smiled and patted his shoulder. They had reached the Director’s office door by then, and Haruno Takayoshi hurried to knock on the door for him, his attitude clearly much warmer.

"Knock knock knock!"

"Come in."

Haruno Takayoshi opened the door, and after Aoyama Xiu Xin entered, he closed it and waited outside.

Aoyama Xiu Xin approached the desk and bowed deeply, "Good morning, Director. Please, give your orders."

Fujimoto Takayoshi, sitting with his back to him, revealed part of his corpulent body from both sides of the chair’s back.

"Orders? I dare not," Fujimoto Takayoshi, still facing away from Aoyama Xiu Xin, turned around with a dark expression and a smirk that barely looked like a smile, "I’m afraid that Deputy Director Aoyama might slam my head into the table if I displeased you."

Pointing out this incident was an indirect way of telling Aoyama Xiu Xin that he was aware of every move in Hokkaido and to think thrice before acting.

"The subordinate dares not!" Aoyama Xiu Xin replied.

"Hmph," Fujimoto Takayoshi scoffed coldly, scolding with irritation, "As a Senior Police Director, over a thirty-something woman who has a child, you actually meddle in the affairs of a violent gang, kill a man on the spot, and then have your subordinates clean up. Do you still have any respect for the law as an enforcer? Do you wipe your ass with the legal code?"

No, even for wiping my ass, I would find it too rough.

"Please calm down, Director, it’s not that the subordinate was confused for a moment, it’s just that Qingshui Yasuko was so alluring! It made me a bit impulsive," Aoyama Xiu Xin looked up and said with a playful grin.

He made no attempt to hide his lecherous nature.

Fujimoto Takayoshi’s expression softened a bit as he said earnestly, "Mr. Aoyama, it’s fine to play with women, but never let a woman play you. The thing you did this time was absurd; let it never happen again."

Scolding Aoyama Xiu Xin today had one purpose.

The second purpose was to probe whether Aoyama Xiu Xin meddled in the affairs of the Beihai Family out of sheer lust or for some other reason.

But seeing Aoyama’s indifferent, lustful demeanor, he knew he had been overthinking.

It was merely a matter of lust controlling reason.

Why not be a lord enraged for a beauty’s sake?

"Hey! Thank you for the advice, Director. There won’t be a next time!" Aoyama Xiu Xin hastily assured, then added, "That woman is indeed salacious."

"There’s no need to emphasize that," Fujimoto Takayoshi pulled the corner of his mouth speechlessly, then brought up the main issue, "Tonight there’s a gathering organized by local political and business elites; many would like to meet you, Heisei’s No.1 Detective. Clear your schedule in advance and make sure to attend."

He picked up an exquisite invitation and handed it over.

"Hey!" Aoyama Xiu Xin accepted the invitation with both hands and replied.