Sapporo East District Open-air Stadium.

It was well past midnight, and the streetlights had already been turned off. Without the vitality of the daytime, the dark stadium seemed somewhat eerie. Looking around, the surrounding green playing fields and spectator seats resembled blocks of tombstones.

Miyamoto Ryou and two others made their way toward the stadium together.

A thin layer of snow had already been spread on the ground, and the three of them left footprints as they trudged through the snow, one step deep and the next shallow.

The snowflakes continued to fall.

"What the hell does Brother Zhongshan want us to do? And with guns?" Uesugi Shinryu, with his hands stuffed in his pockets and neck hunched, asked the other two beside him.

Hashimoto Yunhai breathed warmth into his hands and, with a sniffle, responded, "If it involves guns, it can't be something minor. We're supposed to collect money the day after tomorrow; hopefully, nothing goes wrong. The more we do, the more variables there are."

"Who cares what it's about. Whatever Brother Zhongshan says, I'll do," said Miyamoto Ryou, unconcerned, cursing as he spoke, "It's all Kato Gen's bastard's fault. Otherwise, we wouldn't have to come to this. If you ask me, he should have been blown up too."

The three of them chatted idly as they entered the stadium.

"Freeze! Police!"

In an instant, multiple spotlights shone from different directions, enveloping the three men, and police officers ambushing in the stands emerged from all around, their guns firmly trained on the trio.

Accompanied by rapid footsteps, a group of police officers blocked the entrance through which they had just entered.

The three of them were dumbfounded, looking around at the armed police and the gaping muzzles of their guns.

Their escape routes were sealed off, a net from the heavens and a trap from the earth.

"Idiot! Zhongshan Tetsu has betrayed us!"

Hashimoto Yunhai took a shivering glance around, clenching his fists with eyes red with rage and hate.

"Let's fight them," said Miyamoto Ryou, his face somewhat pale, but still gritting his teeth.

Uesugi Shinryu, his forehead slick with cold sweat and breathing rapidly, said, "Fight with what? Better to surrender."

"Da da da da da da!"

Before the three could come to a consensus, a burst of gunfire suddenly rang out. Caught off guard, they were riddled with bullets and fell to the ground dead, their eyes filled with astonishment and reluctance.

This was no arrest; it was outright murder.

"Why the shooting! Weren't we supposed to persuade them to surrender? You've gone back on your word! Why open fire in this situation!" Outside the stadium, a shocked and angry Zhongshan Tetsu yelled at Hashimoto Youko upon hearing the gunfire, then struggled to break free from the police officers' hold and run inside, "Stop! Stop it now!"

Hashimoto Youko watched his back in silence, took a deep breath after a long pause, closed her eyes, and waved her hand.

"Bang bang bang!"

Three gunshots later, Zhongshan Tetsu, who was running wildly, fell to the ground as if he had twisted his ankle. He wasn't dead yet, and he gasped for air while frothing at the mouth, tears rolling down his eyes full of regret.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

He had been deceived. Aoyama Xiu Xin had never intended to let them live. He had led his brothers to their deaths.

"Argh! Argh!"

Summoning some unknown strength, he struggled to lift his upper body and let out two hoarse roars before he fell to the ground, dead, his eyes wide open, staring emptily into the pitch-black sky, unable to close them in death.

Hashimoto Youko stood where she was, silent for a long time, her heart greatly unsettled. She had received such orders from Aoyama Xiu Xin.

Despite the pain in her heart, she dared not disobey.

"Report to Chief Hashimoto, at the hideout of the criminals, multiple telephones, automobiles, two homemade bombs, and a large amount of gunpowder and bullets have been found," reported the police officer responsible for searching the residence of Zhongshan Tetsu and the others as he briskly walked up to Hashimoto Youko, saluted, and reported loudly.

Hashimoto Youko nodded, then turned and picked up the phone to call Aoyama Xiu Xin, "Report, Minister, Miyamoto Ryou and the two others put up a desperate resistance and have been killed, Zhongshan Tetsu attempted to seize a gun and collude with the three, and has been killed as well, a large amount of evidence was found at their hideout, awaiting your orders."

"Hmm, well done, stand down," Aoyama Xiu Xin said indifferently before picking up the internal phone, "Notify all media to hold a press conference."

After hanging up the phone, he twisted his somewhat stiff neck and stretched lazily, exhaling deeply.

Kato Gen had to be dealt with, but as for Zhongshan Tetsu and the other two, he had never intended to let them live and face trial.

Not because they dared to threaten him.

But for fear they would talk out of turn in court, especially since Zhongshan Tetsu had his parents as a weakness, while Uesugi Shinryu and Miyamoto Ryou were lone wolves with nothing to lose.

If they became reckless in court and spilled the beans about the Hokkaido Police's organized collection of bribes, even without evidence, it would cause turmoil and public skepticism. Aoyama Xiu Xin did not want to disappoint the citizens, so the only option was death.

One hour later, Aoyama Xiu Xin strode into the press conference room filled with journalists. He took the stage and announced with a powerful voice, "Thank you all for coming to this press conference in the middle of the night. I have good news about the jewelry store bombing: one hour ago, the four criminals who planned and carried out the attack have been killed by the police, and a large amount of incriminating evidence was found at their residence."

The room instantly erupted into chaos, with voices of discussion rising from all corners.

"Minister Aoyama, how did you manage to find the perpetrator in such a short time? And why was the perpetrator killed instead of being captured and brought to justice?" asked an elderly journalist in his fifties, rising to his feet and speaking loudly.

Everyone fell silent, waiting for the answer.

With a solemn expression, Aoyama Xiu Xin said, "After the bombing incident, I received an extortion call from the criminal, claiming it was just an appetizer. He gave me three days to come up with one hundred million US dollars, or else they would bomb shopping malls, even police stations."

"Wow!" The audience was again in an uproar. To extort the police was truly brazen, arrogant, and wildly reckless. No wonder they dared to bomb and kill so many people at once.

Aoyama Xiu Xin continued, "Although the criminal was very cautious and neither surveillance nor passersby saw what the bomb-setter in the jewelry store looked like, I still managed to extract some information during our call, and I took the opportunity to record the audio."

At this point, he paused, took out a recording pen, brought it to the microphone, and played the recording.

After it ended, he chuckled self-deprecatingly, "The perpetrator thought I'd made at least a hundred million US dollars this past year in Hokkaido. He thinks too highly of me."

The reporters below all smiled knowingly. Naturally, no one took the criminal's words seriously. After all, Aoyama Xiu Xin had never been known to have economic issues.

Moreover, everyone also shared the thought that, given Aoyama Xiu Xin's status, he was not lacking in money and would not be interested in small amounts, so corruption was improbable.

Little did they know that Aoyama Xiu Xin was even greedier.

"Taking this recording to a meeting with the headquarters' top brass for collective analysis, we eventually came to suspect that the criminal might be a police officer, and moreover, one who had been punished for errors in the past—my management has always been strict, and they might have held a grudge against me."

"In the end, after an investigation, we apprehended one of four officers who had been dismissed for assaulting their superiors without cause, Zhongshan Tetsu. After his arrest, he confessed everything and even offered to help our police force draw out the other three culprits to atone for his crime."

"Considering that the other three criminals had high-powered bombs and their hideout was located in a residential area, a forcible arrest could have led to them setting off the bombs and killing themselves along with innocents, so I agreed to give Zhongshan Tetsu a chance to make amends. Indeed, he managed to lure the three to the open-air stadium I designated in the East District."

"Yet, unexpectedly, as we were about to apprehend them, he suddenly changed his mind, shouting loudly to warn the three to flee. He attempted to snatch a police officer's service pistol, and in the ensuing shootout, all four were fatally shot amidst the chaos!"

"We found a trove of bomb-making tools and materials in their hideout, as well as two completed bombs and a large number of bullets."

"Despite the fact that the four had been dismissed, they were once part of the police force, and I feel ashamed that such scum existed within the police system! We will strengthen the screening and education of police officers in the future and welcome oversight by all citizens to prevent such incidents!"

Aoyama Xiu Xin bowed deeply, his grief and indignation palpable.

"Clap clap clap clap clap clap!"

A thunderous applause broke out instantly across the room.

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

The next morning, as the news broadcast, all citizens learned of the resolution of the jewelry store bombing case.

"Simply brilliant! Minister Aoyama solved the case in just two days. I think we should call him the 'Case-Solving Sage.'"

"To think it was ex-police officers! Without Minister Aoyama, the case would have been very difficult to solve."

"Utterly heinous. It's good that such people were kicked out of the police force; otherwise, who knows how many innocent people could have been harmed with them wielding the power of law enforcement."

At this moment, Aoyama Xiu Xin was eating breakfast. Aoyama Haruko had finished eating; she was holding the child, clapping their little hands together, "Little Tianze, isn't daddy amazing? Clap for daddy."

Aoyama Tianze, not understanding a thing, just giggled and flailed his chubby little hands around.

Seeing his silly, plump son, Aoyama Xiu Xin's appetite improved, and he heartily enjoyed his food.

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

Suddenly, the ring of the telephone broke through.

"Little Tiantianze, be good," Aoyama Haruko said as she placed the child on the sofa, picked up the cordless phone from the coffee table, and walked into the dining room to hand it to Aoyama Xiu Xin.

Aoyama Xiu Xin thanked his sister-in-law with a grateful glance, then answered the phone, "Speak."

"Minister, this is Shinichi." At that moment, Nakamura Shinichi was sitting with a few subordinates eating breakfast in Asahikawa, none of them having slept the night before, all with deep dark circles under their eyes, "Last night, we interviewed over forty rank-and-file officers from Asahikawa Police Station. Some kept silent and dared not speak directly, but most reported incidents of their superiors skimming bonuses."

"Is it Asahikawa Police Station, not Kato Gen?" Aoyama Xiu Xin asked calmly after a sip of porridge.

"Yes, the whole Asahikawa Police Station has such issues," answered Nakamura Shinichi, then added, "It's just that the Criminal Investigation Division is especially bad, given that they have more power compared to other departments and receive the largest bonuses."

"Bring the Asahikawa Police Station officers of inspector rank and above to Sapporo to see me." As soon as Aoyama Xiu Xin finished speaking, he hung up, then immediately called Haruno Takayoshi, "Inform the chiefs of all police stations in Hokkaido to meet in Sapporo, meeting time at three in the afternoon, and the location is still Maple Club. No absences allowed."

Minister Aoyama was furious, and the consequences would be serious.

"Yes, sir!" Haruno Takayoshi replied respectfully.

After hanging up, Aoyama Xiu Xin lost his appetite for the delicious food. He wiped his mouth with a napkin, stood up, grabbed his coat and briefcase, and headed out, "I'm leaving now."

"Yes! Have a smooth day at work," Aoyama Haruko said, standing up with the child in her arms to see him off. Shaking one of Aoyama Tianze's little hands, she said, "Say goodbye to daddy, Tianze."

Aoyama Xiu Xin revealed a hint of a smile, returned to give each of them a kiss on the face, and then left.

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