Tokyo: From Lawless Madpolice to Minister
Chapter 51 - 47: The Enlightenment from the Takeda Case, Different Paths to the Same Destination (Subscribe! Monthly Tickets!)

Chapter 51: Chapter 47: The Enlightenment from the Takeda Case, Different Paths to the Same Destination (Subscribe! Monthly Tickets!)

"Rob a bank?"

Mr. Xiaolin spoke deliberately.

"Rob a bank?" Noda was taken aback. Wasn’t this the very business venture he was planning? He repeated in bewilderment, "Rob a bank?"

How could robbing a bank ever be foolproof?

Even if they planned to act at the time when Takeda Ichiro had just been captured, it would only slightly increase the likelihood of success. The risk was still very high.

What made Mr. Xiaolin so sure he could guarantee a risk-free robbery?

He voiced this question.

"Indeed, under normal circumstances, robbing a bank is very risky," Mr. Xiaolin nodded, his face breaking into a suggestive smile, "But what if the branch manager, the deputy manager, and the seniors were all in on it?"

In Japan, many refer to sub-branches as branches and the sub-branch managers as branch managers.

"This...this is impossible!" Noda instinctively denied the suggestion, thinking Mr. Xiaolin was talking nonsense, "Why would those elites risk committing such blatant self-theft? If discovered, they could lose their jobs and end up in prison—not to mention, it’s unlikely that all the seniors would agree."

Those who could work in a bank were already among the better-off common folks, and the senior management of a branch were the elites.

In these economically gloomy times, how important was a secure job that was well-paying and respectable?

Besides, these people were not exactly short on money.

It would be madness to think they would commit such collective self-theft.

"Hehe, Noda-san, you’re right, but what if by not doing so, they end up losing their jobs and going to prison anyway?" Mr. Xiaolin laughed and asked.

Noda was completely confused and sat upright, putting down his glass of wine. "What’s really going on here?"

He felt an itch on his scalp, as if his brain was growing.

Well, it could be a tumor.

"If it were someone else asking, I naturally wouldn’t reveal the truth, but to you, Noda-san, I withhold nothing," said Mr. Xiaolin, putting down his glass and growing serious. "After all, my trust in you Noda-san has never wavered, otherwise I wouldn’t seek your partnership."

"By the grace of the great Amaterasu! I swear, Mr. Xiaolin, I will not reveal a single word you tell me!" Noda raised his hand solemnly as a guarantee.

It was clear that the two were genuinely close friends.

After all, it was one of life’s strongest bonds.

"This matter is also tied to the current economic downturn in Japan," Mr. Xiaolin sighed and began, "At the moment, many banks’ financial statistics look good on paper, but the reality is a facade of prosperity with underlying turmoil. Beitu Bank may seem nearly a hundred billion US Dollars strong in market value, but many branches are suffering from bad debts due to various factors..."

"Mr. Xiaolin, you..." Noda was stunned. Had his former cellmate, who used crude language liberally, become so high-end?

Was this even within their league to understand?

"Cough, cough, cough!" Mr. Xiaolin interrupted somewhat awkwardly, "I’ve heard it from others."

Noda breathed a sigh of relief, then I’m relieved.

After all, one’s own failures were painful enough, but a friend’s success could be even more distressing! Now, realizing his friend was still on the same level as him felt good.

"Our target is the Beitu Bank Tokyo Shinjuku Branch," said Mr. Xiaolin, knocking on the table and pouring himself another drink, which he downed in one gulp. "The business manager of the branch is a relative of mine. He knows I’ve spent time in prison for robbing a cash transport vehicle and that I have the experience and connections, so he approached me for collaboration."

"According to him, the idea was inspired by Takeda Ichiro’s robbery of Changxin Bank’s Osaka Branch. Due to the economic downturn, the head office was about to conduct a major audit of all the branches, and their branch had severe issues that could not be resolved."

"As for how the deficits occurred, there are many factors, but I suspect internal embezzlement is one of them. It used to be covered up when the economy was better, but now the cover is about to be blown."

"If discovered, everyone from the branch manager to the business manager would lose their jobs and be taken to court. So, they thought of hiring a crew to rob the branch, using it as a chance to balance the books."

Noda listened, dumbfounded, amazed at the ingenuity.

Holy shit! Can this even work?

Indeed, these cultured degenerates are the worst!

But then he got excited, because if it was as Mr. Xiaolin described, they might indeed pull off a foolproof robbery. Noda asked the question he cared about the most, "We take the money, and they balance the books?"

"Of course not," Mr. Xiaolin shook his head and held up two hands, "The money taken is split seventy-thirty."

Those bank folks are greedy for money; having taken the risk, how could they merely balance the books without taking a cut?

"Why only seventy percent?" Noda was unsatisfied.

Mr. Xiaolin rolled his eyes, "Noda-san, seventy percent is theirs; we only get thirty percent."

"What!" Noda exploded but quickly lowered his voice, realizing the soundproofing in the room was poor, and gritted his teeth, "They’re way too greedy! Even with their cooperation, robbing is risky, and we’ll be the ones wanted afterward. And we only get thirty percent for all that?"

"They have more people; they need to split it, and as long as we take enough, thirty percent isn’t small. The key is that with insider help, the success rate is high!" Mr. Xiaolin tried to persuade his friend, then laughed meaningfully, "Besides, we’ll have the money. Who decides how much we actually took?"

"Hahahaha, Mr. Xiaolin, you’re still as cunning as ever! Extremely cunning!"

"Noda-san, come on, let’s toast to our reunion and to our forthcoming successful and splendid venture. To friendship and wealth, please!"

"Mr. Xiaolin, please!"

.........

Tonight might be particularly suitable for a gathering.

On the other side, Tanaka Noriaki had also invited some people for drinks at an izakaya, specifically those colleagues who had once conspired with him against Aoyama Xiu Xin.

Initially, the three had gotten along quite well while working under Aoyama Xiu Xin, but their relationship had turned somewhat distant after betraying their old boss, despite still working in the same department and consciously avoiding each other.

This was their first gathering since betraying Aoyama Xiu Xin; all three silently drank, none speaking, yet each knew what the others were thinking.

Finally, not wanting to be overpowered, Tanaka Noriaki broke the silence. He slammed his cup down forcefully, his gaze shifting between the two, "Did you really come here just to drink? That guy is coming back, and he will not let us go! Do you really think Police Chief Sato’s death by his hand was an accident?"

"That guy..." a young man around thirty with a side-parted haircut reluctantly covered his face, "Who would have thought he’d come back?"

"This is divine punishment on us. There’s nothing we can do but wait," sighed another, this one about twenty-five or twenty-six with a middle-parted haircut.

"Enough! Have you two really given up?" Tanaka Noriaki slammed the table and stood up, then grabbed the collars of the two men and shouted, "Yao Yamamoto, Zhongshan Valley, pull yourselves together! Are you already scared when he hasn’t even returned? We will win!"

"Win? How can we win?" Yao Yamamoto, with his side-parted hair, shrugged off Tanaka Noriaki’s hand, grasping his hair and yelling, "I can’t see any hope of winning!"

In Japan, hierarchy is exceptionally strict.

This is true in the workplace and even more so in the official field.

And without any backing, it would be too easy for Aoyama Xiu Xin as their direct superior to deal with them.

"With no Police Chief Sato, we are but fish on the chopping block to Aoyama Xiu Xin," Zhongshan Valley utterly lacking any fighting spirit, instead trying to persuade Tanaka Noriaki, "Give it up, Mr. Tanaka."

"No! I will never give up!" Tanaka Noriaki, determined to protect his wife, clenched his teeth and said, "Actually, I have already thought of a way."

Zhongshan Valley and Yao Yamamoto were startled, exchanging glances before looking incredulously at Tanaka Noriaki.

"Mr. Tanaka... you... what are you saying?"

"You aren’t joking, are you?"

"Of course not." Tanaka Noriaki looked at the two men in front of him, annoyed. After all, if these two could be spirited, he wouldn’t want to use this method, but now he had no choice but to say after taking a deep breath: "This is how we do it... like this..."

Yao Yamamoto and Zhongshan Valley listened, their eyes brightening and their spirits lifting as they saw hope.

"Mr. Tanaka, thank you so much, you are really my savior. I will definitely coordinate with this plan!"

"Same here!"

The two quickly expressed their support.

"As long as the three of us work together, what is there to fear from Aoyama Xiu Xin? This time, we will make sure he can’t rise again!" Tanaka Noriaki’s eyes flashed fiercely as he poured three cups of wine, raising one and saying, "This cup is for unity, please."

"Please!" × 2

After downing the drinks, Yao Yamamoto put down his cup and looked at his watch, "It’s getting late, I have to go home and put my child to bed, I must take your leave. Now that I have peace of mind, I can finally sleep well tonight."

"I should be going too, thank you, Mr. Tanaka, for tonight’s hosting," Zhongshan Valley set down his cup and took his leave.

Watching as these two men hurried to leave after he had offered a solution annoyed Tanaka Noriaki, but there was nothing he could do.

All he could do was smile and say, "Please, go slowly."

Zhongshan Valley and Yao Yamamoto bowed and left.

"Mr. Zhongshan, have a good sleep."

"Mr. Yamamoto, you too."

The two men smiled and said farewell at the doorway of the izakaya.

They got into their cars and drove in opposite directions.

But in less than half an hour, they saw each other’s cars in front of the Aoyama family’s house.

The two looked at each other through the windshields.

The situation suddenly became very awkward.

"Cough... Mr. Zhongshan, what a coincidence," the slightly older Yao Yamamoto, with a somewhat thicker skin, was the first to get out of his car and walked toward Zhongshan Valley, cracking a joke to ease the awkwardness, "Looks like the earth really is round."

"Ending up at the same destination by different routes," Zhongshan Valley forced a laugh and chimed in a few words before casually closing his car door.

The two then fell into silence again.

It was Yao Yamamoto who broke the ice first, "Since we’ve already come here, no need to pretend anymore, it seems we thought of the same thing, so let’s do it together."

"Hi!" Zhongshan Valley responded.

The two walked simultaneously toward the Aoyama family’s courtyard gate.