When the investigation team first arrived, the ripples they caused had only stirred among the upper echelons and hadn’t reached the lower levels; the rank-and-file officers were essentially oblivious to the investigation team’s presence.
They continued with their work as usual.
For example, Police Chief Mikuriya Shouta from the first unit of the third section of the Criminal Departnt had been busy completing a task given to him by Aoyama Xiu Xin—finding a way to send Abe Ye Cheng, the secretary of the chairman of the Education Committee, to prison.
As it turned out, when the Japan Police put serious effort into a task, their efficiency could be quite high.
After all, Japanese people may not necessarily excel at doing good deeds,
but when it ca to misdeeds, they were certainly adept.
Fortune favors the diligent, and through continuous investigation and planning in recent days, Mikuriya Shouta had finally perfected every link in the chain to set up and fra Abe Ye Cheng.
He caught a habitual gambling organizer but offered him a chance for leniency—that was to hand over the ledger and identify Abe Ye Cheng as the real boss, while he would at most be considered an accomplice.
Turning from a principal offender into an accomplice, along with the opportunity for ritorious service, ant a much lighter sentence. The organizer couldn’t have asked for more and repeatedly assured his cooperation with the law enforcent.
With the testimony secured, it was ti for the physical evidence.
At this very mont, Mikuriya Shouta was standing outside Abe Ye Cheng’s ho with a group of subordinates, with so of them holding toolkits bearing the police insignia.
"Knock on the door," Mikuriya Shouta commanded.
A subordinate imdiately stepped forward and pressed the doorbell.
"Ding-dong! Ding-dong!"
Soon after, the door opened, and the still-charming Mrs. Abe appeared, her eyes filled with suspicion as she looked at the group of police outside, "May I help you?"
"I’m sorry to disturb you. Is Abe’s Secretary at ho?" Mikuriya Shouta asked politely.
"Who’s looking for ?" Before Mrs. Abe could reply, Abe Ye Cheng, who had heard the commotion from the living room, ca over. Startled by the group of police outside, he asked, "What do you need for?"
"Hello, Abe’s Secretary. I am Police Chief Mikuriya Shouta from the first unit of the third section of the Criminal Departnt at the Hokkaido Police Headquarters," Mikuriya Shouta introduced himself and then stated his purpose, "Soone has accused you of organizing gambling activities on multiple occasions, involving large sums of money. Now, by law, we need to search your residence. Please cooperate with our work, let us in, and search."
Several subordinates behind him were ready to enter.
"Wait a minute!" Abe Ye Cheng, having recovered from his shock, blocked the door and yelled furiously at Mikuriya Shouta, "This is a shaful slander! Do you know who I am? How could I possibly organize gambling? Tell who accused !"
His first thought was that it must be a political rival trying to sabotage him, never considering Naoyuki Miyashita as the perpetrator.
"Abe’s Secretary, whether it’s slander is not for you or to decide; the evidence will tell. If we find out that you’ve been falsely accused, of course we will hold the accuser accountable. But for now, please step aside, or I will have to treat this as obstruction of justice," Mikuriya Shouta warned sternly.
Mrs. Abe pulled at her husband a few tis, "They are just following the rules. If they want to search, let them search. After all, we’re innocent; there’s nothing in the house."
She emphasized the last sentence deliberately.
With an instant understanding that there was no hidden money in the house, Abe Ye Cheng was sowhat reassured, but his attitude didn’t improve, "Hmph, fine, you can search, but don’t ss up our things, or I won’t be polite!"
With that, he turned and walked towards the living room.
Mrs. Abe followed closely behind him.
"Search," Mikuriya Shouta watched the couple’s retreating figures and sneered softly, "Your house might not have anything now, but it’s going to have sothing very soon."
After all, Abe was the trusted secretary of the chairman of the city’s Education Committee, and the education sector wasn’t lacking in opportunities for making money, so his life was prosperous, living in a four-story terraced villa.
At this mont, the couple sat on the sofa while more than a dozen police officers, wearing shoe covers and gloves, conducted a thorough search inside and outside. anwhile, Mikuriya Shouta, with his hands behind his back, strolled around the living room, admiring the ornants and paintings on the walls.
"Police Chief Mikuriya, it’s really hard work to be out investigating so late. Please, have a seat, and I’ll make you a cup of tea," Mrs. Abe suddenly got up, inviting him to sit with a warm smile as she sashayed to the kitchen.
Mikuriya Shouta nodded slightly in thanks, sat on the sofa, and when Mrs. Abe approached with the tea, he stood up politely to receive it, "Thank you, madam."
"Don’t ntion it. It’s because of the dedicated police officers like you, Police Chief Mikuriya, that we can sleep soundly at night," Mrs. Abe handed another cup of tea to her husband and then sat down beside him, casually lanting, "Ah, I don’t know who made such a wicked false report, causing you all to work overti late at night and preventing us from getting a good night’s sleep."
She was trying to probe for the identity of the inforr.
"Report! We’ve found sothing!" Just then, a police officer ca downstairs with a notebook and presented it to Mikuriya Shouta, "Police Chief, we found this ledger under the mattress in the master bedroom. It details the tis, locations, and profits of the gambling activities. Apart from the exact amounts, everything else matches the inforr’s statents."
"This isn’t mine!" Abe Ye Cheng stood up imdiately, agitatedly saying, "I’ve never used a notebook like this! This is definitely not mine!"
"If it’s not yours, what, did it walk into your house on its own?" Mikuriya Shouta said with a smirk.
"This..." Abe Ye Cheng was at a loss for words, but even at this mont, he had not the slightest suspicion of the police officers before him, instead turning a questioning and uncertain gaze towards his wife.
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