He couldn't understand why the other party had fired.

As he fell, his perspective lowered, and he clearly saw Mitsuo Mutou's face—it was this lunatic. Ten thousand curses raced through his mind, but it was too late for regrets.

Seeing their boss lying in a pool of blood, the two lackeys were stunned, bewildered, their faces a picture of confusion.

"Bang! Bang!"

Before they could react, two more shots rang out. Caught off guard, both were hit in the heart and fell alongside the tattooed youth.

The three bodies lay twitching on the ground, struggling to breathe heavily, as blood pooled beneath them.

Mitsuo Mutou then picked up his package and turned to leave.

Clearly, as the winds of liberal democracy blew into Japan, the culture of freebie grabs had risen alongside.

As he walked out the door, a waiter who had heard the shots came to investigate. Mitsuo Mutou didn't hesitate and shot the waiter dead on the spot.

"Bang!"

"Ah! Murder! There's been a murder!"

The waiters and customers in the hallway scattered in terror at the sight, screaming as they fled. They pushed and shoved one another, racing to escape and knocked over decorations, only to crowd the exit further.

Mitsuo Mutou watched this scene, his annoyance evident in his furrowed brow. He emptied his magazine in one breath.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang... Click!"

With one magazine spent, bodies lay scattered all over the floor, and his path was finally clear.

He strode out unimpeded, his head down as he reloaded a fresh magazine.

Because he wasn't watching the road as he looked down,

he almost ran into a pedestrian just as he stepped outside.

"Idiot! Watch where you're going!" the pedestrian yelled, startled. He pointed at Mitsuo Mutou's nose and cursed loudly.

"Bang!"

The gunshot sounded, and the pedestrian fell.

"Ah! Murder! There's been a murder!"

Surrounding pedestrians scurried away in panic.

Mitsuo Mutou approached a taxi.

"Don't kill me! Please don't kill me!" The driver had intended to drive away, but couldn't start the car in his panic. With a look of sheer terror, he kept begging.

"Bang!"

Mitsuo Mutou was unmoved. He shot the driver through the car window, opened the door to pull out the body and drop it on the ground, then got in the car and sped off with the accelerator floored.

"Vroom! Crash!"

"Ah, my leg! My leg!"

Pedestrians in the way were either knocked aside or run over. As his tail lights disappeared at the corner, only wails and screams remained at the scene.

"Waa-woo! Waa-woo! Waa-woo!"

Ten minutes later, the piercing sound of police sirens filled the air.

........

Aoyama Xiu Xin was at home doing prenatal education for his child.

Lying on his sister-in-law's plump yet sleek black silk legs, he was telling a story to his unborn son. As his conscience underwent a second growth, it seemed even more enormous, and Aoyama Xiu Xin's view was blocked to the point that he couldn't see his sister-in-law's chin while lying down.

In his line of sight, there was nothing but vast mountains.

"Little Red Riding Hood..."

"Ding-ling-ling! Ding-ling-ling!"

Just as he got to the part about Little Red Riding Hood stepping on mushrooms, the sudden ring of the telephone interrupted their moment of parental education.

"Annoying," Aoyama Xiu Xin sighed and grumbled as he stood up to answer the phone, "Moshi Moshi?"

"Minister, something terrible has happened!" Nakamura Shinichi said with an urgent tone, "Mitsuo Mutou, that lunatic, just killed thirteen people in broad daylight and injured several others. He's on the run now."

"What? Where are you? I'll be right there!" Aoyama Xiu Xin's face turned serious.

He could ignore it when only five people were killed, leaving it all to his subordinates, but now that thirteen had been murdered openly, he had to step in personally.

And he had to personally apprehend Mitsuo Mutou, not only for the sake of accomplishment but more importantly to preserve the police authority. This brat's behavior was a direct challenge to the police's power.

Nakamura Shinichi provided the address of the crime scene.

Hanging up the phone, Aoyama Xiu Xin hurriedly put on his jacket and headed out, saying to his elder sister without turning back, "I have to work overtime, you go to bed early."

"Hey! Take care of yourself, Xiu Xin!"

Once outside, Aoyama Xiu Xin made a beeline for the crime scene.

By the time he arrived, the scene was swarming with people—a large crowd of citizens and journalists had gathered.

His car couldn't make it through, so he had to get out and move towards the scene escorted by the police through the crowd.

"Look, it's Minister Aoyama!"

"Chief of Police Qing Mountain has arrived!"

"Minister Aoyama, did your police force anticipate the current situation…"

Seeing Aoyama Xiu Xin's arrival, the onlookers and journalists were all excited, especially the reporters who crowded forward like dogs to a bone.

Aoyama Xiu Xin did not respond to them and successfully passed through the police cordon into the first crime scene.

"Minister," Nakamura Shinichi approached with a solemn face, "Let me take you to view the surveillance footage."

Aoyama Xiu Xin nodded and followed him into the izakaya, all the way to the back where the surveillance room was.

"I'm not even this reckless when I play games," he commented after watching the surveillance footage.

Was Mitsuo Mutou treating this like a game of love?

It's true, only a devil knows how to catch one!

Nakamura Shinichi said seriously, "This man has gone mad, killing innocents indiscriminately; he's purely venting his emotions. We must catch him as soon as possible."

Ordinary criminals tend to avoid committing more crimes after killing someone, to not leave behind more incriminating evidence while evading capture or fleeing.

Mitsuo Mutou did the opposite; perhaps he didn't believe he could escape, so he wanted to enjoy himself before his end.

"Notify Yamashita Deputy Minister immediately to mobilize all police forces for a citywide manhunt. Once found, no need to capture him alive; he may be shot," Aoyama Xiu Xin instructed.

This was no ordinary criminal.

A strong response was necessary!

"Understood!" Nakamura Shinichi quickly went to carry out the order.

Aoyama Xiu Xin then turned to address the reporters waiting outside. With a stern demeanor, he declared, "After preliminary investigations, we have identified the perpetrator of tonight's tragedy as wanted criminal Mitsuo Mutou. Citizens, please rest assured, we will immediately launch a citywide manhunt to apprehend him as quickly as possible, to bring justice for the deceased, and to account for the living."

"I will personally oversee this matter, and I can publicly promise everyone that as long as Mitsuo Mutou is not captured, I will not take any promotion! So, I urge the public to trust in my determination to capture this criminal!"

The incident tonight was of such magnitude that a strong stance was necessary to quell tomorrow's inflamed public opinion. As for what to do if Mitsuo Mutou could not actually be captured... *cough cough,* of course, I still have to be promoted because I cannot be irresponsible to the citizens just because of one promise.

One must always consider the bigger picture!

"Good! We believe in Minister Aoyama!"

"Yes! We have faith in Minister Aoyama!"

"Please make sure to catch this man quickly!"

With Aoyama Xiu Xin's status and the hefty promise he had made, the citizens at the scene believed him because of the reputation he had built through countless actions.

Even though his zero-case-solving rate was not without its gimmicks.

But the average citizen didn't know that.

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