After completing their operation, the special forces set up a periter around Tsukikage Island, ensuring that no one could escape in the ensuing chaos.
anwhile, the investigation inside the island was handled by detectives dispatched from the tropolitan Police Departnt.
Even the cleanup phase was proving to be anything but easy.
A thorough search of the island's interior was required.
Were there still drug dealers hiding among the civilians?
Who were the dozens of unidentified corpses beneath the drug lab?
The detectives worked tirelessly through the night.
"Haaah~"
Inspector gure Juzo let out a deep yawn, barely keeping his eyes open.
He was exhausted.
Interrogations, investigations, endless paperwork, he had been working through the night without rest.
I'm getting too old for this...
Back in the day, he could handle cases like this without breaking a sweat. But now, he couldn't keep up with the younger officers the way he used to.
At that mont, Chiba Kazunobu approached him with a report.
"Inspector gure, we've completed the preliminary interrogations and investigations."
"The captured drug dealers have admitted to their involvent in drug trafficking. Most of them have already confessed."
gure gave a slow nod. "And the corpses?"
"We've confird their identities," Chiba replied, his tone slightly heavy.
"All of them were civilians from Tsukikage Island."
gure's brows furrowed. "Were they just random targets?"
Chiba shook his head. "Not exactly."
"They were people who kept to themselves, villagers who rarely interacted with others. Because of that, their disappearances didn't attract much attention."
gure exhaled sharply.
As expected.
The drug dealers had deliberately chosen victims who were unlikely to be missed.
People who lived quietly, without close connections to their neighbors.
Inhuman bastards.
Even now, after all his years in law enforcent, gure still found himself disgusted by the depths of human cruelty.
"And the identities of the dead drug dealers?" he asked.
Chiba hesitated. "That... isn't fully confird yet."
Identifying the deceased criminals was far more difficult, especially for those without proper records.
gure wasn't surprised.
"If it's not done yet, keep working on it," he said, his voice steady.
"We need to confirm who they were. And more importantly, we need to find out if there are any other accomplices still out there."
Chiba nodded. "Understood."
"This is going to be a long process," gure continued. "So things won't be solved overnight."
"For now, compile the confird identities. As for the rest, we'll pass them on to the narcotics division."
"They have more experience with drug-related cris. Let them handle the deeper investigation."
"Yes, sir!"
Chiba felt a wave of relief at those words.
In all his years as a detective, he had never encountered a case this severe.
Just as he was about to leave, a thought occurred to him.
"Inspector gure, what about Takagi? Should we keep him on guard duty?"
gure barely hesitated.
"Let him stay."
Chiba was montarily taken aback.
gure sighed. "You know what level Takagi is at."
"In terms of investigative skill, he's not that different from Mouri Kogoro in his early days."
Chiba nearly choked at the comparison.
"But between the two, Mouri was the better detective."
gure rubbed his temples.
"Mouri may have made reckless deductions at tis, but he was still one of the most capable officers the departnt had back then."
"He wasn't a master detective, but when it ca to handling cases, he got the job done."
He let out another sigh, exhaustion creeping into his voice.
"The sa can't exactly be said for Takagi."
Aside from his lack of strong deduction skills, Mouri excelled in other areas, his ability to act, his physical capabilities, and his focus during investigations were all top-notch.
Moreover, he was an exceptional marksman. His shooting skills were second to none in the departnt.
Compared to him, Takagi Wataru was severely lacking.
During investigations, Takagi often struggled, his inability to control his words, his poor execution, and his lack of focus on cases frequently led to problems.
In the past, gure had believed that real-world experience would help Takagi improve over ti.
But after observing his performance in recent cases, gure was no longer optimistic.
At this rate, it's better to just have him stand guard during major cases rather than risk him ssing up a good investigation.
"This case is huge, and the higher-ups are watching closely," gure said grimly.
"We can't afford to let Takagi ruin things again."
"If he can't even handle standing guard properly, I won't be able to protect him this ti."
For minor mistakes in routine cases, gure could shield his subordinates.
But for an operation of this scale, involving drug cartels and multiple deaths, even he had limits.
That was why gure preferred to assign Takagi to guard duty rather than entrust him with any critical tasks.
"Also," gure continued, glancing at Chiba Kazunobu, "once we return, you'll be responsible for guiding him."
"If Takagi still can't adapt to the work of Investigation Division One, I'll report to Superintendent Matsumoto and have him reassigned back to traffic duty."
Chiba clicked his tongue slightly.
He knew that if Takagi failed this ti, it would be his last chance.
Once an officer was sent back to the Traffic Departnt, their career path was essentially sealed.
Most police officers started out as traffic cops before earning the chance to transfer to other divisions.
But if soone who had transferred out proved incapable of handling the work, they wouldn't get another opportunity.
Being sent back ant they would likely spend the rest of their career in traffic enforcent with little to no chance of further advancent.
For Takagi, this was a make-or-break mont.
"Yes, I'll talk to him later," Chiba said seriously.
gure nodded and gave Chiba a firm pat on the shoulder.
"Make sure he understands."
"Tell him to adapt to Division One's work as soon as possible. I don't want to send a young officer with ambition back to a dead-end role."
"Also, tell him to stop trying to impress Officer Sato."
gure sighed, shaking his head.
"Being a police officer ans staying grounded. He can't afford to get distracted by unnecessary things."
"If he can't even do his job properly, what right does he have to think about anything else?"
"If he really wants to catch Officer Sato's attention, he should start by proving himself as a competent officer."
gure frowned.
"But at the rate he's going now... I don't see that happening anyti soon."
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