Tokyo: From Lawless Madpolice to Minister

After some simple bandaging at the hospital, Panasonic Junichi was taken back to the police station by Aoyama Xiu Xin for interrogation.

"Panasonic Junichi, we've already grasped your situation," Deputy Chief Aoyama said with a stern face. "Those two who just attacked you were sent by Nozaki Masao to silence you, right? Even so, do you still intend to cover for him?"

By now, Panasonic Junichi had calmed down, and although he also believed that the two assassins were sent by Nozaki Masao—after all, it was within the man's capabilities—he was both angry and resentful towards Nozaki Masao. But even so, reason told him he still couldn't betray the man, because his wife and child were still out there, and he had to swallow his anger.

The most crucial point was that he didn't believe the police had already fully grasped the evidence of his drug trafficking. If he adamantly denied it, he might be able to regain his freedom.

Humans are like that.

Until the very last moment, we always harbor hopes of getting lucky.

Thus, in the face of Aoyama Xiu Xin's interrogation, Panasonic Junichi was very resistant, "I don't understand what you're talking about. I'm even baffled as to why I'm sitting here right now. What crime have I exactly committed? I demand to contact a lawyer, right now."

"If that's the case, then let's talk about something you'll understand," Deputy Chief Aoyama said with a slight smile, leaning back in his chair, and said lightly, "After we noticed you had run off, our police force has secretly placed surveillance around your house. We just received a message that several unidentified individuals were loitering near your home. Guess who they are? What do you think they want to do?"

Panasonic Junichi's expression flickered, and his hands resting on the table unwittingly clenched slowly, but he remained tight-lipped, not saying a word.

"Then try guessing this," Deputy Chief Aoyama leaned forward gradually, the corners of his mouth upturned in a smirk as he locked eyes with him. "What if we release information that you, out of resentment for having been targeted by Nozaki Masao, have agreed to cooperate with all of our investigations, and then we pull back some of the protection on your wife and daughter? What do you think a Nozaki Masao, raging with anger, would do to your wife and child?"

This was pure bluff, as only three people knew and participated in tonight's operation: him, Fujimoto, and Nakamura.

"Idiot!" Panasonic Junichi, who knew Nozaki Masao well, became both shocked and furious upon hearing this, struggling fiercely to stand up. "You can't do this!"

"Ha ha ha ha ha!" Aoyama Xiu Xin laughed as he stood up, continuing to provoke him with a cheerful spread of his hands, "Do you guess he'd kill your wife and child to vent his anger? Or would he trust that you wouldn't betray him even if you were targeted for elimination? I'm quite curious about this myself. How about we make a bet?"

"I bet your mother's head!" Panasonic Junichi cursed loudly, his eyes red with rage as he cried out hysterically, "You can't do this! What you're doing is murder! You're a policeman! Don't you have any professional ethics? You're playing with people's lives!"

The accompanying auditor, Nakamura Shinichi, was dumbfounded.

Why did it feel like Deputy Chief Aoyama was the real villain?

And Panasonic Junichi appeared so pitiful.

"Oh dear, murder sounds like such a horrible crime," Aoyama Xiu Xin exaggeratedly acted terrified, then revealed a fearless smile with a shrug, "Who knows? Who cares? Who has the evidence? Who will hold me accountable? Ah, of course, sometimes I might dream about it, but what of it?"

He took a few steps forward, resting his hands on the tabletop as he looked down at Panasonic Junichi with a mocking gaze, "Will it make me eat a bowl less each meal? I'm really curious, let's try it."

"No! Please, no!" Panasonic Junichi wailed, continuously banging his head against the table, his voice choked with sobs, "Take it out on me, my wife and child are innocent; they don't know anything, they really don't know a thing, please spare them."

"Slap!" Aoyama Xiu Xin slapped him hard across the face, grabbed his hair to lift his bowed head, and said with a chilling gaze, "Innocent? Their luxury is funded by the drug money you made. That's not innocent! I'll give you one last chance, speak up! Will you, or won't you!"

"Uh uh uh uh uh..." Panasonic Junichi just cried incessantly, not uttering a word.

"Damn it! No appreciation for generosity!" Aoyama Xiu Xin's eyes shone with malice, firmly pressing his head down against the table, "Panasonic Junichi, since you don't care about the lives of your own wife and daughter, then I have even less reason to care, Nakamura!"

"Hi!" Shinichi Nakamura quickly got up.

"Arrange someone to leak the news to Masao Nozaki that Panasonic Junichi, holding a grudge for nearly being silenced, has chosen to cooperate with us, the police..."

"No, no! I'll talk! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!" Before Xiu Xin Aoyama could finish his sentence, Panasonic Junichi could no longer hold out. His psychological defenses completely collapsed, and he grabbed Xiu Xin Aoyama's arm, crying and pleading, "Please don't, I'll tell you everything."

"If only you had been this cooperative earlier, you wouldn't have had to be forced," Xiu Xin Aoyama snorted coldly, shook off his hand, and sat down again, "You've been with Masao Nozaki for more than a day or two, haven't you? You must have evidence that could drag him down, hidden somewhere."

Panasonic Junichi looked conflicted, hesitating to speak.

"Slap!" Xiu Xin Aoyama banged on the table, "Speak!"

"It's... It's buried under the tree in my backyard, in an iron box. Inside, there are ledger books and recordings of my conversations with Masao Nozaki." Panasonic Junichi was so frightened that he let it slip without thinking, and then he looked up desperately pleading, "Please, you have to catch Masao Nozaki, you must, I beg you!"

Without a doubt, he was now the person who most wanted to catch Masao Nozaki, even more so than the police.

Otherwise, his family would really suffer.

"We don't need you to tell us that." Xiu Xin Aoyama picked up a mobile phone and called Ryosuke Fujimoto, who had been surveilling Panasonic Junichi's house, "He says the stuff is buried under the tree in the backyard. Dig it up and check."

"Okay!"

About seven or eight minutes later, Ryosuke Fujimoto's call came back. As soon as the call connected, he said excitedly, "Found it, it's enough to make an arrest!"

"That's the spirit, bring it back immediately." Xiu Xin Aoyama hung up the phone, turned to look at Panasonic Junichi, and slowly let a smile spread across his face, "Chunyi, there's something you would eventually find out, so I might as well tell you now. Those two hitmen weren't sent by Masao Nozaki. He probably doesn't even know you've been caught yet, still waiting for your safety check-in."

The expression on Panasonic Junichi's face instantly froze.

He just sat there, foolishly staring up at Xiu Xin Aoyama for a moment, then suddenly flew into a rage, banging on the table and screaming hysterically, his neck strained, "Idiot! You bastard! This is misconduct! I'm going to sue you! I'm going to report you!"

He had never expected to be played!

His heart was as frustrated as his anger was intense.

"Heh heh, best not," Xiu Xin Aoyama shook his head, grinned, flashing his white teeth in a sinister warning, "You're going in, but someone's still out there, think of your wife and kids."

"Ah!!!" Panasonic Junichi could only scream out in impotent rage, tears streaming down his face as he desperately cursed, "You don't even deserve to be a cop!"

"Yeah, I feel the same way," Xiu Xin Aoyama agreed, nodding thoughtfully, then asked seriously, "So, how do you think I'd do as Prime Minister?"

"Idiot! If that day ever comes, it'll be a disaster for all of Japan," Panasonic Junichi gritted his teeth.

"Is that so?" Xiu Xin Aoyama considered it seriously for a moment, then said, "Then I'm even more determined to become one."

He then burst out laughing and walked out of the interrogation room.

Leaving behind Panasonic Junichi, who continued to curse and yell.