More than half a month had passed since Xiu Xin last met with Aoyama Xiu Xin and made the deal with Miyashita Naoyuki.

Yatada Haojie was initially quite nervous and restless.

However, as business went on as usual without any interference, his anxiety began to settle, convincing himself that surely Miyashita Naoyuki's clout had come into play.

Although Aoyama Xiu Xin was not overly polite to Miyashita Naoyuki over the phone, it ultimately wasn't necessary for them to come into direct conflict over a trifle like himself.

Yatada Haojie was certain of it.

That's why he grew increasingly brazen, deciding to stock up and ship out large quantities, seizing the opportunity to make a killing while the police crackdown on gun trafficking was in full swing. After all, the market vacated by other unprotected gangs would now be his for the taking, wouldn't it?

And then there was that so-called Titan Gang, a bunch of Americans trying to compete with him—dead men walking!

At this moment, Yatada Haojie, who was sitting in his office sipping coffee and dreaming about the future, was still unaware that the police's net was already closing in on him.

The past indulgence was simply to create the false impression that the police no longer dared to touch him, to intentionally let him become overconfident so that he would reveal more flaws.

In a certain izakaya, a fat man with disheveled beard, pale skin, and severe dark circles was savoring his lunch. Despite dining alone, he had ordered enough dishes to fill a large table.

He was one of the core members of Yatada Haojie's gun trafficking gang, usually in charge of dealing with suppliers. Indifferent to lust, his sole weakness was gluttony; even eating alone, he had to order every dish he craved. Whether it was wasteful to leave food uneaten didn't concern him.

"Whoosh!"

Suddenly, the private room's Changzi Gates was violently pulled open.

"Idiot..." The startled fat man turned around, enraged, ready to hurl insults, but before he could, he was forcefully pinned down onto the table by the police who rushed in, his face pushed straight into a plate, while chopsticks, sake cups, and spoons clattered to the floor. "Idiot jerks! Let go of me!"

"xxxx, we are from the Criminal Department at Hokkaido Police Headquarters. You are suspected of trafficking guns. We are arresting you according to law, and anything you say from now on will be taken as court evidence, take him away!"

Every key member of the Yatada Gang not present at the company was being apprehended by the police at various locations.

At the same time, in an unspecified seafood processing factory in the Sapporo East District, vehicles were busily entering and exiting.

A flurry of police cars screamed down the street, screeching to a halt at the factory gate. One after another, armed officers jumped out; the first two immediately seized control of the gatehouse while the rest stormed the main entrance, making a beeline for the targeted building.

"Bang!"

A police officer used a battering ram to violently breach a door.

The rest of the officers poured in one after another, startling five men playing cards inside into a panicked frenzy.

"Nobody move! Police!"

"Call quickly... Ah!"

"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!"

"Report to commander! We've secured the area. There were a total of five criminals; two have been shot dead, and three apprehended alive!"

After a brief but intense exchange of fire, police had completely secured the scene, opening up various wooden crates in the warehouse to reveal they were filled with all sorts of firearms.

This was Yatada Haojie's warehouse. All incoming shipments were stored here, and all outgoing supplies were dispatched from this location. As for the seafood processing factory, it existed solely as a cover for the warehouse and had no legal connection to him on the surface.

Yatada Financial Corporation.

Inside the president's office, the same Yatada Haojie who had been envisioning his bright future now picked up the phone to contact the fat man responsible for procuring goods, intending to urge him to acquire more.

But he couldn't get through.

He didn't sense anything amiss, assuming the other party had gotten drunk the previous night and hadn't woken up yet, knitting his brows before trying to call his secretary—and again, couldn't connect.

Yatada Haojie made two more calls to other trusted associates, but still, nobody answered.

"Idiot jerks, what did these guys do last night, did they all pass out drunk at a dinner gathering?" he muttered to himself in annoyance.

Though he said that,

a growing sense of unease had begun stirring within him.

Just then, an argument erupted outside.

"Hey! What are you doing! You can't go in there!"

"Move aside! Police business!"

"Damn it!" Yatada Haojie's face paled as he cursed under his breath. He hurriedly grabbed the phone, dialing Miyashita Naoyuki's number at breakneck speed. He could already see figures approaching his office through the glass door. Once connected, with a rush of urgency in his voice, he spoke, "Mr. Miyashita, save me! The police are here to catch me, it must be Aoyama Xiu Xin; he's not targeting me, but slighting you!"

"Crash!" The door of the office flew open, and Nakamura Shinichi rushed in with the police, pointing at Yatada Haojie and shouting, "Hang up the phone! Catch him!"

Two officers pounced on him like hungry wolves, pinning Yatada Haojie against the desk; the phone in his hand dropped but remained off the hook.

"Save me!" Yatada Haojie screamed hysterically as he struggled violently. "Let go of me!"

"Beep—beep—beep—"

The call was disconnected.

"Even Amaterasu couldn't save you now," said Nakamura Shinichi as he walked up to Yatada Haojie, lightly patting his face with a contemptuous smile, "Yatada Haojie, we've been watching you for a long time. Your warehouse has been found, your men have been arrested, and someone has already turned on you. Begging for help is no use—better pray to our Minister Aoyama for mercy."

Yatada Haojie remained silent, clenching his teeth and glaring fiercely at Nakamura Shinichi. Despite the dire situation, he still clung to a sliver of hope.

"Slap!" Nakamura Shinichi raised his hand and viciously slapped Yatada Haojie, then grabbed his cheek and enunciated each word, "I don't like the look in your eyes."

After a cold snort, he let go and ordered, "Take him away."

"Move!" Two police officers lifted Yatada Haojie, cuffed his hands, and pushed him out. If he walked too slowly, they'd kick him.

Elsewhere, in his personal residence, Miyashita Naoyuki stood motionlessly with the already disconnected phone in hand, his breathing grew rapid, his chest heaved more and more violently until he suddenly burst in rage and smashed the phone, cursing loudly, "Idiot!"

He then raged on, smashing whatever he could see until finally calming down after turning the living room into a complete mess.

"Aoyama Xiu Xin!" Miyashita Naoyuki gasped, squeezing these four words through gritted teeth. Yatada Haojie's words had struck a chord: Aoyama Xiu Xin wasn't targeting him; he was targeting Miyashita Naoyuki!

Recently, the police hadn't made a move on Yatada Financial Corporation, and Miyashita Naoyuki had believed Aoyama Xiu Xin was just all talk, giving him face in reality. Satisfied with this thought, he had decided to magnanimously forgive Aoyama Xiu Xin's rudeness.

But out of the blue, Aoyama Xiu Xin had slapped him in the face, a stinging rebuke.

This was something he couldn't ignore.

He had already sold the guns to Yatada Haojie, and at a high price at that, with the extra money implicitly serving as protection fees. With Yatada Haojie treating him well daily, and their close association widely known, if he could not protect Yatada Haojie now, who would trust him in the future?

Besides the matter of loss of profits, he couldn't stomach this blow to his prestige.

Miyashita Naoyuki glanced at the broken cordless phone on the floor, then picked up the landline to call Aoyama Xiu Xin. As soon as the other party answered, Miyashita Naoyuki launched into an accusation, "Aoyama Xiu Xin, what do you mean by this?"

"Miyashita Naoyuki?" Aoyama Xiu Xin addressed him by name, "What do you mean 'what do I mean?'"

"Don't play dumb with me!" Miyashita Naoyuki's impatience flared and his tone rose sharply as he questioned forcefully, "Why did you arrest Yatada Haojie?"

"How interesting," Aoyama Xiu Xin laughed mockingly, "I wasn't aware when Mr. Miyashita started working at the police department. Are you now in a position to dictate how I enforce the law? Yatada Haojie is suspected of weapons trafficking with definitive evidence. How could I, as a police officer, not arrest him?"

"Arresting him is picking a fight with me!" Miyashita Naoyuki ground out, threatening word by word.

Unperturbed, Aoyama Xiu Xin responded, "Do you have a share in his gun trafficking case? Are you confessing?"

As he spoke, Aoyama Xiu Xin pulled out the recording pen he always kept in his drawer and casually pressed the record button.

"Yes! I'm involved! Want to arrest me, huh? I dare you, come and get me now!" Miyashita Naoyuki yelled.

Aoyama Xiu Xin spoke calmly, "One can eat messily, but words should not be spoken carelessly, Mr. Miyashita. Before you speak, I hope you'd consider Mayor Miyashita and Councilman Miyashita."

"I don't need your lectures! And don't use them to pressure me! All I'm asking is will you release him or not?"

Aoyama Xiu Xin simply hung up the phone.

"Beep~Beep~Beep~"

"Damn it!" Miyashita Naoyuki fumed at the busy tone tin the receiver. He switched to contacting police officers he was familiar with, trying to rescue Yatada Haojie through back channels.

At first, they all expressed an eager willingness to help, but as soon as they heard it was a case of the Criminal Department's First Division, they all pleaded incapacity. After all, everyone knew Nakamura Shinichi was Aoyama Xiu Xin's protégé.

If Nakamura was handling the case, it was quite possibly at Aoyama Xiu Xin's behest. Who would dare to meddle and court trouble?

.............

While Miyashita Naoyuki sought ways to save Yatada Haojie and salvage his own face, Aoyama Xiu Xin had already taken his recording pen to Sapporo Medical University Hospital.

"Mayor Miyashita, I'm sorry to disturb your rest," Aoyama Xiu Xin bowed deeply with an apologetic expression as he entered the hospital room.

"I'm just bored by myself anyway. You've come at a good time to chat, Mr. Aoyama," Mayor Miyashita Hidekatsu waved the medical staff away, invited with a smile, "Mr. Aoyama, don't stand there, have a seat."

"Sure!" said Aoyama Xiu Xin, taking a seat, "The mayor seems to have recovered well recently. I believe you'll be discharged soon."

"Yes, the doctor mentioned that too," Mayor Miyashita nodded, "Is there something you needed to see me about, Mr. Aoyama?"

"This..." Aoyama Xiu Xin seemed to hesitate before biting the bullet, "You're not in the best of health, and I really shouldn't trouble you with upsetting matters, but this involves Mr. Naoyuki, and I felt I had to tell you."

As he spoke, Aoyama Xiu Xin stood and bowed.

"Naoyuki? What's happened to him? Has he gotten himself into trouble?" Mayor Miyashita frowned.

Aoyama Xiu Xin explained slowly, "Since you were shot, our police force has been working hard to crack down on gun trafficking within Hokkaido. We had recently begun to focus on a major gun trafficking gang. While we were still in the early stages of the investigation, Mr. Naoyuki interfered to stop me."

"I took it as him acting on someone's behalf and didn't think much of it. However, today, after we rounded up the gang, Mr. Naoyuki called me in a fit of rage, demanding I release them. He was very aggressive in his wording and openly admitted his involvement in the gun trafficking. I thought you should be informed, it could potentially impact you."

After finishing, Aoyama Xiu Xin stepped forward, offering the recording pen with both hands before retreating to his previous spot.

Miyashita Naoyuki, oh Miyashita Naoyuki.

Prepare to feel the wrath of fatherly love.

Of course, Aoyama Xiu Xin's plans extended far beyond this. If he was going to be thoroughly offended, then he was going to retaliate thoroughly.

He just needed to apply different methods based on the person's status, with those lacking influence being easily crushed by just the flick of a finger, but for someone like Miyashita Naoyuki, a more complex approach was required.

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