Hokkaido Police Headquarters.

"Ding~"

The elevator doors slowly opened, and a group of uniformed police officers filed out with solemn expressions. After exiting the elevator, they bowed on both sides, and a moment later, Aoyama Xiu Xin, clad in a suit and looking stern, walked out. Once he reached the front, the officers who had been bowing stood up and swiftly followed behind him.

They moved hurriedly, their frantic and noisy footsteps echoing in the not-so-spacious corridor.

Along the way, all the officers stopped to salute.

Arriving at the door of an interrogation room, two officers guarding the door saluted and then pushed it open. Aoyama Xiu Xin strode in, where Mitsuo Mutou, his face swollen and bruised, sat handcuffed behind the interrogation desk.

"Why did you attempt to assassinate Mayor Miyashita? Is there someone behind you giving orders?" Aoyama Xiu Xin pulled out a chair and sat down abruptly, getting straight to the point.

Truth be told, he had been prepared for Mitsuo Mutou to slip through any gaps in the encirclement, but he had never imagined he would attempt to assassinate Miyashita Hidekatsu.

He was on good terms with Miyashita Hidekatsu personally, and even more so with his beloved daughter, Miyashita Ryouko. If Miyashita Hidekatsu died, a new mayor would come in and he'd have to start over with building relations, which he did not want to see.

Aside from being annoyed with Mitsuo Mutou,

he could only pray for Miyashita Hidekatsu's successful resuscitation.

Mitsuo Mutou's face had been scraped on the ground during his capture, and the face that was once somewhat handsome now looked haggard. With a mix of helplessness and frustration, he answered, "It wasn't me who killed him."

"Slap!" Aoyama Xiu Xin slapped the table hard, causing it to shake, and scolded loudly, "Your sins are too deep to escape death, yet you still lack the courage to admit to your own actions? You were caught red-handed when you fired the gun, and now you're saying you didn't do it?"

"I did shoot, fired three times, but I didn't hit any vital parts! Someone else was shooting besides me," Mitsuo Mutou argued his point.

He then voluntarily described the situation at the time.

Around one o'clock, he mingled nearby the hospital, waiting for Miyashita Hidekatsu to arrive. As reporters approached for interviews, he edged closer and took the opportunity to fire three shots while Miyashita was speaking to them. However, due to poor aim, only one of the three shots hit Miyashita Hidekatsu's left shoulder.

Just as he was about to fire a fourth shot, someone else shot before him, hitting Miyashita Hidekatsu in the chest. This stunned him, and he instinctively turned to find the location of the other shooter, only to see a suspicious man blending into the crowd and running away. During that brief moment of shock, he was pinned down by the police.

Seeing that Mitsuo Mutou did not seem to be lying, Aoyama Xiu Xin turned and said, "After the hospital removes the bullet, immediately compare it with Mitsuo Mutou's gun."

Bullets fired from different handguns vary.

"Yes, sir!" someone responded from behind.

Aoyama Xiu Xin believed Mitsuo Mutou.

After all, any of the crimes he had committed were enough to put him to death, so even if he were cleared of killing Miyashita Hidekatsu, he couldn't escape his fate. Hence, there was no need to lie. Now, having witnessed the face of the other shooter, he had become an important witness.

"What did the man who might be the shooter look like?" Aoyama Xiu Xin asked in a grave tone.

Immediately, someone behind him opened a folder they were carrying, ready to sketch a portrait based on Mitsuo Mutou's description.

Mitsuo Mutou pursed his lips, harboring resentment towards the person who had stolen his target and managed to escape. Thus, he was all too willing to cooperate with the police to apprehend him. "He was wearing a black baseball cap, around twenty-three or twenty-four years old, with dark skin and lots of acne on his face, and a conspicuous mole on the left eyebrow."

"Why did you want to kill Mayor Miyashita?" Aoyama Xiu Xin then asked about Mitsuo Mutou's motive for murder.

Since he hadn't killed the man himself, the reasons he had prepared couldn't be voiced. Mitsuo Mutou confessed truthfully, "Because I knew I couldn't escape, I thought I might as well kill a bigshot to take down with me. That way, at least many people will remember me even after I'm dead."

An infamous legacy is also a form of enduring fame, isn't it?

"That's quite a pure motive," Aoyama Xiu Xin commented, and then asked, "Then why kill so many innocent civilians?"

"I don't know, does killing people necessarily require a reason?" Mitsuo Mutou replied as he frowned and pondered briefly, adding, "If I must have a reason, then it's because I had the ability to kill them. Since that's the case, why not kill?"

"What a fantastic reason." Aoyama Xiu Xin smiled and nodded, then stood up and punched him in the face. Stars burst before Mitsuo Mutou's eyes, and blood gushed from his nose. Shaking off his hand, Aoyama Xiu Xin said, "Don't ask me why I hit you. I have the ability to hit you, so why not?"

He didn't punch Mitsuo Mutou because he was angry about the innocent Japanese citizens he had killed. If Aoyama could intentionally create an opening to let Mitsuo Mutou escape to set up Chief Zhongshan Runmei, it proved he didn't really care about the lives of those citizens.

The reason he punched Mitsuo Mutou was purely out of anger for nearly killing Miyashita Hidekatsu, because no matter how many ordinary citizens died, it wouldn't affect Aoyama Xiu Xin's interests, but he would suffer a loss if Miyashita Hidekatsu died.

"Ptooey!" Mitsuo Mutou spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, glaring fiercely at Aoyama Xiu Xin. Clearly, having the same logic applied to himself was infuriating.

Facing his vicious gaze, Aoyama Xiu Xin smirked with disdain and turned to walk out, "Take good care of him."

"Yes, sir!"

"Shinichi, you and your team will take full charge of this case. Be sure to catch that shooter as quickly as possible."

"Yes, sir!" Nakamura Shinichi responded earnestly.

Just as he stepped out of the interrogation room, a police superintendent rushed over, bowed, and said, "Minister Aoyama, Director Zhongshan and his team will arrive soon."

"Oh," Aoyama Xiu Xin had intended to visit Mayor Miyashita Hidekatsu, but suddenly changed his mind and chuckled, "Then let's go welcome the Director together."

About seven or eight minutes later, the motorcade that had gone to pick up the Director stopped at the entrance of the police headquarters. Habamoto Youko got out of the car first and then went to help Zhongshan Runmei.

Zhongshan Runmei gestured for her to back off and then got out of the car herself, frowning, to be greeted by a large crowd descending from the steps of the headquarters building.

Among these people were those in uniform and those in suits, men and women, young and old. However, the most eye-catching figure was undoubtedly Aoyama Xiu Xin, walking in the lead, wearing a neat silver suit with a smile playing at the corner of his mouth.

His pace was unhurried, and a radiant confidence and sharp aggressiveness hit her straight in the face.

Zhongshan Runmei had to admit that Aoyama Xiu Xin was quite a sight. Without knowing his character, anyone's first impression of him wouldn't be bad.

She knew all too well how important good looks could be.

"Arrogant and contemptuous," she muttered to herself, squinting slightly.

Aoyama Xiu Xin was openly walking ahead of all his peers and superiors, clearly positioning himself as the de facto ruler of Hokkaido Police Headquarters while making no secret of his intention to vie with her for power.

She had thought that even if Aoyama Xiu Xin wanted to sideline her, he would do so covertly, at least to confuse her on the surface. But now, he openly displayed this intent, which not only showed arrogance but also a confidence that allowed him not to hide.

This confidence not only came from his godfather Yanchuan Shilang but probably most importantly from the support of the Hokkaido Police and the tacit approval of the local bureaucrats.

The situation seemed worse than she had expected.

"Director Zhongshan, Minister Aoyama and all the colleagues from the headquarters have come to welcome you. Let's hurry inside," suggested Ezaki Yinguang with a smile as he approached.

Habamoto Youko, full of contempt, glanced at him and said coolly, "The Director is a superior; it is not proper for her to be the one walking up to greet others. Don't you understand basic hierarchy?"

"Yangzi, you mustn't be impolite," reproached Zhongshan Runmei at Habamoto Youko, then smilingly said, "Minister Aoyama and all the colleagues have kindly come out to greet us; what's a few extra steps for me? Let's meet halfway."

After she finished speaking, a warm and friendly smile appeared on her face as she took the initiative to walk towards the crowd on the opposite side.

Faced with this disconcerting start, Zhongshan Runmei quickly adjusted her strategy—to show weakness to the enemy.

She could imagine that, once tomorrow's news broadcast about the traffic disruption caused by the police escort for her, leading to Mitsuo Mutou slipping through the cordon and shooting Mayor Miyashita Hidekatsu, her authority as the new Director would be completely undermined.

Given the circumstances, there was no need to try to maintain any façade of dignity and authority. If Aoyama Xiu Xin couldn't be bothered to confuse her, then she might as well feign weakness to confuse him first.

The saying goes, it's hard to slap a smiling face. If she repeatedly showed weakness as a superior, and Aoyama Xiu Xin still persistently troubled her, he would only give ammunition to critics.

So, after showing weakness, he would at least not trouble her overtly, and she could use this time to closely examine the local situation and secure her footing, waiting for Habamoto Youko's beauty trap to take effect before planning her next move.

"Director Zhongshan, the journey must have been tiring. On behalf of everyone at Hokkaido Police Headquarters, I welcome the Director's appointment!" Aoyama Xiu Xin greeted her with a cheerful smile, offering his hand.

By etiquette, he was supposed to bow or salute.

But he was disrespectful.

Zhongshan Runmei inwardly cursed his arrogance but did not show it outwardly. With a benevolent smile, she took his hand, "Thank you, Minister Aoyama, and thank you to all my colleagues for the trouble of coming to greet me. I've long heard of Minister Aoyama's renown as Heisei's No.1 Detective. Seeing you today, you truly are extraordinary."

"You flatter me, Director; it's all just exaggerated fame that others accredit to me," Aoyama Xiu Xin humbly shook his head, then praised her in return, "But the 'Iron Maiden' reputation that precedes you, Director, that I'm well-aware of! Hokkaido hasn't been safe this year, and we need someone like you with a firm hand to take charge. I believe under your leadership we will totally cleanse all the evils and give back to the locals a peaceful sky."

"Those are stories from my younger days; I'm old and not up to it anymore. It still depends on the methods of you young people," Zhongshan Runmei said with a wry smile, shaking her head.

"Old? I don't think so. I see the Director as energetic as ever, with a charm that endures," Aoyama Xiu Xin teased impudently, then swiftly changed the subject, "Are you satisfied with the arrangements today?"

"Very satisfied, but I feel terribly sorry for causing such a fuss just because of me," Zhongshan Runmei said through gritted teeth, while maintaining a smile.

The adult world is that complex.

"This is what we all should do for the new Director's arrival," Aoyama Xiu Xin smiled radiantly and harmlessly, then turned to introduce Yamashita Kogoro to her, "This is Yamashita Deputy Minister, your future partner. Let him show you around the headquarters and introduce you to the personnel. I have other matters to attend to and must leave first."

Yamashita Kogoro smiled and gestured to Zhongshan Runmei.

"Minister Aoyama, please go ahead with your business; don't let it be delayed on my account," said Zhongshan Runmei, nodding and turning to Yamashita Kogoro, "I'll be troubling the Deputy Minister, then."

"Not at all, it's the least I could do. We will be long-term partners in our work hereafter; there's no need for such formality, Director," said Yamashita Kogoro with a cordial tone.

Aoyama Xiu Xin let go of her hand and walked past her with his head held high, deliberately glancing at Habamoto Youko. She was even more attractive than her photo.

What a figure, indeed. The tailored suit and trousers outlined her body with grace and allure, curves and edges in all the right places, reminding one of a juicy and ripe peach.

Habamoto Youko felt his gaze. Although tasked with seduction, she remembered the instructions from her future mother-in-law and did not immediately seek to cozy up to him. Instead, she subtly glared back at Aoyama Xiu Xin.

Aoyama Xiu Xin returned the smile and strode away.

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