Mr. Nobita did not continually dwell on his hatred for Tsunoda Shinro and his two companions. Too much deliberation could easily backfire. Instead, he reminisced about the past with Fujimoto Takuya.
Old friends reunited, fueled by alcohol, listening to Mr. Nobita ticulously count past experiences on his fingers, mourning the loss of a brother, Fujimoto Takuya’s eyes filled with hot tears.
After not seeing each other for several years, the two n opened their hearts over drinks, quickly drawing closer once again.
anwhile, at the Tsuchi family ho.
Night had fallen, the lights were off, and the moonlight from outside provided scant illumination. Nakamura Shinichi and a subordinate were hiding in the bedroom, waiting for the possible arrival of Xiao Chiyexiong.
They had already been on watch for a full day and night.
"Deputy Director, this is the second day. If that guy doesn’t show up, we can’t just abandon our jobs and squat here indefinitely," the subordinate yawned.
Nakamura Shinichi, shelling peanuts and throwing them into his mouth, answered indistinctly, "Xiao Chiyexiong is a felony serial killer of twelve people. If squatting for a month could capture him, it would all be worth it. Go pour a glass of water."
"Okay!" The subordinate got up to head to the living room.
"Zzz... Zzz... Calling the Deputy Director, a strange man wearing a mask and a hooded cap has appeared outside Mr. Tsuchi’s door and is attempting to pick the lock. Please be alert."
The voice of another subordinate, responsible for observation from the second-floor café across from the Tsuchi ho, suddenly ca through the communicator.
The night was deep; the café had long been closed, but by communicating with the owner as a police officer, the subordinate responsible for surveillance had been residing in the café for the past two days.
The subordinate who was going to pour water froze in place.
"Quick! Hide, in the closet!"
Nakamura Shinichi swiftly packed the peanut shells into a bag and tossed them into the trashcan, then grabbed the communicator and squeezed into the closet, simultaneously ordering his subordinate across the way, "Have the rest co over for support imdiately."
The subordinate followed suit and hid in the closet as well.
"Click!"
A light sound ca from the living room, and the door was slowly pushed open a crack by soone outside. Then, a man wearing a hoodie and a mask, of dium build, squeezed in and closed the door behind him.
He didn’t turn on the lights but instead put on shoe covers, then turned back to wipe away the footprints at the door.
He then began searching for the bedroom.
This man was Xiao Chiyexiong. His past experience of killing twelve people told him all the information about his target on BBS wanted posts was reliable.
So he did not conduct additional investigations on his own.
Only in the evening, pretending to be a passerby, he walked past the target’s ho once, confirming no one was ho. Now he ca to break in, intending to hide in the bedroom and wait until the target returned late at night to rest, and then to kill them in their sleep.
He had always done it this way. With his skills, he was more than capable of directly killing most ordinary people, but he preferred a stealth attack: foolproof, silent as a ghost.
After pushing open two doors, Xiao Chiyexiong finally found a bedroom that clearly looked used. He glanced around, seeing only the closet as a suitable place for soone to hide.
So, without hesitation, he opened the closet.
The mont the closet door opened, he saw a face and was startled, his heart skipping a beat. Before he could react, Nakamura Shinichi in the closet kicked out first, landing a foot on his chest.
"Bang!"
Caught off guard by the surprise attack, Xiao Chiyexiong felt a pain so intense it left him breathless, tumbling backward onto the bed and then with a roll, falling off to the other side to evade further strikes.
"Police! Don’t move! Hands up!"
Nakamura Shinichi bellowed, giving his subordinate, who had just erged from the closet, a look, indicating him to stay put while he himself jumped onto the bed. But on the floor, he did not see Xiao Chiyexiong, who had just landed there.
No good, under the bed!
Just as Nakamura Shinichi realized this, Xiao Chiyexiong hiding underneath the bed kicked the leg of the policeman in front of the closet. The force was so great that the policeman collapsed to the ground, and simultaneously, Xiao Chiyexiong swiftly slid out from under the bed on one hand, standing up and dashing for the bedroom door to escape.
The entire process was smooth as flowing water, completed in the blink of an eye, showcasing grace and lightning speed.
"Bang!"
A gunshot resounded; Xiao Chiyexiong, who had just dashed out the bedroom door, was shot in the leg, stumbling and falling to the floor.
People trained in martial arts all know that beyond seven steps a gun is faster.
But within seven steps, a gun is not only fast but also accurate.
Just as Xiao Chiyexiong tried to get up, Nakamura Shinichi rushed out of the bedroom, stepping on his wounded leg with his foot.
Szz~
A stream of fresh blood spurted out several inches high, splashing across the floor in dense droplets.
"Ah ah!"
Xiao Chiyexiong threw his head back in an agonizing scream, veins in his forehead bulging, his facial features twisted in tornt.
"Run, you bastard! Run again for !"
Nakamura Shinichi, looking down from above, continually pressed his foot against Xiao Chiyexiong’s gunshot wound with renewed force, grinding it rcilessly, his face revealing a hint of cold cruelty and a mocking sneer.
The police officer kicked down by Xiao Chiyexiong limped out, handcuffed Xiao Chiyexiong’s hands, and then swung a powerful punch at him.
"Idiot! Son of a bitch! How dare you kick !"
Xiao Chiyexiong had his nosebleed fanned out; the serial killer adept and ruthless, skilled beyond asure, was now utterly helpless and in disarray.
"Bang!"
The door to the Tsuchi ho opened, and a group of ard police rushed in, relieved to see that Nakamura Shinichi had successfully subdued Xiao Chiyexiong without injury.
"What’s your na!" demanded Nakamura Shinichi.
Xiao Chiyexiong clenched his jaw and remained silent.
Nakamura Shinichi ground his heel into Xiao Chiyexiong’s gunshot wound.
Sizzle ~ Crimson blood kept bubbling out.
"Ah! Xiao Chiyexiong! Xiao Chiyexiong!"
Xiao Chiyexiong howled in pain, his face twisted grotesquely.
"I fucking thought you were mute, bastard!"
Nakamura Shinichi lifted his foot from Xiao Chiyexiong’s wound, then stepped on his back, scrubbing off the bloodstains on his shoe sole before ordering, "Take him away."
Two police officers imdiately approached, dragged Xiao Chiyexiong up roughly, one on each side, and started dragging him out.
They needed to take him to the hospital to treat his gunshot wound first.
anwhile, Nakamura Shinichi returned to the bedroom, found his cell phone, and called Aoyama Xiu Xin with the good news.
"Police Headquarters, Xiao Chiyexiong has been captured, got a shot in the leg. I’m sending him to the hospital to get the wound treated."
"Yo-shi! Well done, Shinichi, you did not disappoint ," Xiu Xin praised, then hung up and called Asai Youki to report the matter.
Asai Youki then reported to Renping Kuniaki.
Finally, Renping Kuniaki called an overnight press conference to announce this new type of internet case, declaring that Police Headquarters would establish a Cybersecurity Departnt, warning netizens not to think they could commit cris online without consequence, the internet is not a lawless realm!
............
"Japan debuts new type of cri, victim count reaches seventeen, the internet is not a lawless realm!"
"bbs becos a platform for evil trades, Police Headquarters announces the formation of a new Cybersecurity Departnt."
"Shocking! A yearlong spree of twelve murders! The Heisei Era’s number one killer, Xiao Chiyexiong finally apprehended!"
By the next morning, news of the new type of cri and Xiao Chiyexiong was dominating the headlines of all major dia outlets, eclipsing the interest in the two explosion cases.
The dia chases hot topics and traffic; when a new point of interest erges, they’ll quickly shift focus, even if the previous news they were tracking is still unresolved.
The public is forgetful; they discuss whatever the dia reports, and the community’s lively debates over the explosion cases gradually shifted to discussions of internet cri.
This was precisely the effect Police Headquarters wanted since, although the new type of cri was shocking, it was already solved.
But the bombing murders were still unsolved, and if the dia kept focusing on them, it would put great pressure on the police.
Using one hot topic to divert attention from another.
This tactic had proved reliable year after year.
On the rooftop of a skyscraper, in the cool morning breeze, Aoyama Xiu Xin, dressed in a black suit, stood at the edge, leisurely smoking a cigarette, looking down at the scurrying ants below, his tie flapping and his coat billowing.
"Da~da~da~"
Hearing footsteps, he turned slowly around.
"Why et on the rooftop? It’s damn cold this early in the morning," complained Nozaki Cangjian.
It was mid-September, and the temperature had dropped.
Mornings and evenings were starting to feel a bit cool.
"Learned it from a yellow dog," Aoyama Xiu Xin flicked his cigarette ash, a puzzled look on the other person’s face, but he didn’t explain further. Instead, he asked, "How did it go yesterday with first contact? All smooth?"
"Pretty smooth, he hasn’t changed," answered Nozaki Cangjian, nodding with a sowhat wistful and sentintal expression.
Aoyama Xiu Xin stepped forward and gently patted his shoulder, saying, "You haven’t changed either, still as just as ever, or else you wouldn’t have done this."
This was his forte when it ca to the Cybersecurity Departnt’s subordinates.
Upon hearing this, Nozaki Cangjian imdiately shed his wistfulness and his eyes hardened with resolve. That’s right, how could friendship compare to justice? He mustn’t waver!
He couldn’t afford to let down the Police Chief’s painstaking efforts and cultivation!
"Speed up the pace a bit. I suspect once San Dao Yifu returns to the country next Wednesday, they will make their move. Once the grudge is settled, if they stop there, it’ll be hard to catch them," said Aoyama Xiu Xin gravely.
"Understood!" replied Nozaki Cangjian, standing at attention.
"Mr. Nobita, the file recomnding your promotion to Assistant Inspector is in my office desk drawer. I hope I haven’t written it for nothing," Aoyama Xiu Xin said and then passed him by.
Nozaki Cangjian turned and bowed deeply in farewell.
After leaving the rooftop, Aoyama Xiu Xin went to a restaurant on the seventeenth floor of the building; he had arranged to et soone, which is why he chose this place to et with Nozaki Cangjian.
"Good morning, sir, do you have a reservation?"
A waiter ca up with a smile.
"I’m eting soone," Aoyama Xiu Xin pointed to a spot by a window in the corner and then walked over.
Panasonic Jiezi was sitting there, frowning in thought about why Aoyama Xiu Xin had suddenly asked to et him. When he heard the approaching footsteps, he ca back to his senses and hurriedly got up to greet him as Aoyama Xiu Xin approached.
"Mr. Aoyama, you’ve arrived."
"Sorry, got held up with sothing. Seems I’m the one who’s late despite making the arrangents," Aoyama Xiu Xin glanced at his watch and apologized with a courteous smile.
"It’s understandable, Mr. Aoyama, you have a lot on your plate. I just got here myself," hastened Panasonic Jiezi.
"Please, have a seat, Mr. Panasonic. I hear the breakfast here is good, join ," said Aoyama Xiu Xin.
Panasonic Jiezi bowed slightly, "Yes!"
Aoyama Xiu Xin remained focused on his al, occasionally chatting about gossip within the circles of heirs, which soon helped the initially tense Panasonic Jiezi relax.
After finishing his al, Aoyama Xiu Xin set down his cutlery.
Panasonic Jiezi knew the main event was about to begin.
Reviews
All reviews (0)