Tokyo Unnatural Forensics

Chapter 407, the noose falls to the ground, and the ghost is finally captured!
When the Special Missions Unit's report, carrying the damp chill of the sewers yet burning with excitement—"Ikebukuro Ghost Guest... Secured!"—exploded through the deathly silent command channel, the entire Metropolitan Police Department's headquarters command center felt as if a mental nuclear bomb had been dropped on it!
The Metropolitan Police Department headquarters experienced a frenzy of going from hell to heaven in an instant!

The news brought an instant of deathly silence; time seemed to freeze for a second. All eyes were fixed on the flashing blue cursor representing the Special Missions Unit on the main screen, and the heavenly voice echoed in their ears.

The next second, the torrent of ecstasy, which had been suppressed for eighteen years and accumulated for more than an hour under extreme pressure, burst forth!

"It's done!!! Yada☆ze!!!" The deafening cheers almost lifted the roof off! Inside the command center, the administrative police officers at headquarters threw the documents in their hands into the air, the papers fluttering like snowflakes of victory!
"Special mission! Special mission! Special mission!" The police officers at the scene shouted the name of the Special Mission Unit with abandon, pounding each other's shoulders, tears and sweat mingling on their faces, an extreme catharsis of surviving a disaster and getting revenge!

"Incredible! Forensic Examiner Uesugi!"

"Uesugi, you're the best, Daddy Duck!!!"

"Kai, you've had a tough time!"

Eiji Watanabe's tense body swayed violently. He clung tightly to the edge of the control panel to keep from falling. The Superintendent General, known for his iron-fisted and tough nature, now had red eyes and his lips trembling violently. He wanted to say something, but it ultimately turned into a long sigh filled with intense sobs.

He slowly raised his right hand, facing the blue cursor on the screen, and gave a perfectly standard, incredibly heavy, yet incredibly relieved military salute. Fifteen years of pent-up resentment, endless regret, and shame surged to the surface, and tears finally broke through the dam of his resolve, silently streaming down his face. He grabbed the microphone, his voice hoarse yet carrying unprecedented power, resounding across all channels:
"Well done, everyone in the Special Missions Unit!"

"The fallen Inspectors Yamada and Kikuchi... the critically wounded Inspector Okada... and the spirits of the Sato family who waited for fifteen long years... we have responded to them!"

"To all the officers and soldiers of the Special Missions Unit, I extend my highest respect and gratitude on behalf of the Metropolitan Police Department for the courage and dedication you have shown in this incident!"

"Operation successful!"

With Eiji Watanabe's official order, the entire command center was plunged into a sea of ​​joy!

The Special Missions Unit's actions not only saved the careers of everyone present, but also restored the prestige and honor of the entire Japanese police force!
Although two police officers were killed, and the operation was unsuccessful and the police were repeatedly outmaneuvered by the ghosts, with the traffic police, the police, and even the SAT all suffering setbacks, it was time for the traditional performance-based winning strategies of the three East Asian countries to come into play!
Tell me, has this unsolved case been solved or not?
You tell me, in the end, didn't they catch the person? And didn't they capture him alive, completely intact?

You tell me, wasn't it the police's active efforts that rescued the children in the nursery and prevented them from being kidnapped?

That's enough!

Applause, cheers, and sobs once again echoed through the hall! Fifteen years of gloom and more than an hour of agonizing torment were completely dispelled by the ecstasy of victory at this moment! The Metropolitan Police Department's pillar of shame was finally shattered by this achievement forged with blood, courage, and perseverance!

Watanabe Eiji cheered wildly in victory. Sugishita Ukyo, the chief of the First Investigation Division next to him, took off his glasses, covered his head, and let out a deep breath. Only then did he realize that his back was covered in sweat. Uchimura Kanji, the chief of criminal investigation, subconsciously touched his epaulets and the police superintendent badge on his chest.

Phew~ It's still there!
It was almost gone!
Only Chief Cabinet Secretary Onoda remained calm. Despite the fact that the Special Missions Unit had successfully apprehended the ghost, which eased Onoda's previously solemn and pale face, he immediately ordered the Metropolitan Police Department's Security Chief, Soichiro Kamishiro: "Immediately dispatch SATs into the sewers to assist the Special Missions Unit! High alert! I need this person back at the Metropolitan Police Department unharmed!"

"Yes!" Police Department Security Chief Kamishiro responded immediately.

Soon, the scene of the Odaiba ruins.

The heavy manhole cover was completely removed. Several high-powered searchlights illuminated the manhole as bright as day. Fully armed SAT team members, holding bulletproof shields and with gun barrels pointed menacingly, surrounded the manhole, making it impossible to pass through.

A Kawasaki BK117 police helicopter hovered at low altitude, its massive rotors whipping up fierce winds that made it difficult to open one's eyes. A specially designed, high-strength rappelling cable with a securing device was lowered from the cabin and precisely suspended above the wellhead.

Under the close watch of the SAT team, the man, covered in black, foul-smelling mud and looking like a ghost pulled from the deepest part of hell, was pulled out of the well by SAT Captain Godai and others. His hands were handcuffed behind his back with high-strength plastic straps (more secure than handcuffs), and his feet were also bound. The aftereffects of the tear gas and stun grenades had left him with unfocused eyes, violent coughing, and his body convulsing involuntarily, completely incapacitated.

Next came the Special Missions Division members, among whom Date Chomune was covered in mud, looking as if he had been pulled out of a swamp. He was injured, having been elbowed in the ribs by Ghost, and two SATs had to work together to pull him out of the sewer. However, Date Chomune himself was quite excited, grinning from the pain, but the stench emanating from him made everyone involuntarily back away.

Next to emerge were Erena, Igarashi, and Kai Takeru. Igarashi was just grinning foolishly, while Kai Takeru, though equally covered in filth and exhausted, stood ramrod straight, gripping the ropes binding the ghost tightly, his eyes shining!
He knew he had done a great service, a very great service!

Did you see that, Father? I can negotiate! I can achieve great things! Even in the non-professional group, even if I insist on fighting on the front lines, I can still show my value!
He knew his father, the Vice Minister of Justice, was watching, so he deliberately gave the camera a smug look.

Erena stood faithfully to the side, watching the prisoners warily.

Finally, Uesugi Muneyuki crawled out of the sewer. His face was as bright as a star and his eyes were fixed on the distant sky. He stared at the Ghost Guest he had finally caught and said to the SAT and Commander Ichijo, who came to meet him, "This time, we really can't let him get away again, Ichijo-san, Godai-san!"

"Absolutely impossible!" a police inspector said through gritted teeth. 56 SATs against 1 Ghost, with the advantage on my end, and he almost got away again! And one of the SATs was even hit in the thigh.

If the Special Missions Unit hadn't caught the person, the SAT would have become a laughing stock worldwide and been nailed to the pillar of shame in the SWAT community!
SAT team members quickly put the specially made restraint vests on the Ghost and secured him firmly to the hoisting plate of the rappelling cable. Without any delay, the helicopter winch started!

With the steel cable taut, the Ghost's filthy body, like a rotting fish being caught, was slowly and humiliatingly hoisted from the abyss that had swallowed him, rising towards the hovering helicopter under the watchful eyes of countless cameras. The searchlight beams, like spotlights on a stage, illuminated this "triumphant" scene with unparalleled clarity—this was the most public trial of the devil, and the most direct declaration of victory for the police!
Meanwhile, a tight security cordon had been set up on the ground! Several Type 96 armored vehicles roared to life, their machine gun turrets swiveling alertly, while dozens of SAT and SWAT team members formed multiple human walls. The road leading to the Metropolitan Police Department headquarters was completely cleared, and the highest level of traffic control was in effect. A helicopter provided aerial escort, while the doors of another helicopter carrying the Ghost were tightly shut. Inside, besides the pilot, were four fully armed SAT team members, their guns constantly locked on the Ghost!

The escort formation, consisting of helicopter squadrons and ground armored vehicles, roared over Tokyo Bay and the empty streets with a scale and solemnity rarely seen since the Showa era!

There is only one destination: the Metropolitan Police Department's underground interrogation center, which has the highest level of security. Along the way, elite police officers from all over Tokyo are on guard. This is a complete blockade of the ghost that cannot afford to make any mistakes!
At this moment, several major television stations, led by NHK, also broadcast the scene live, and a tsunami-like reaction came instantly!

When the ghost was lifted from the well by helicopter, and the footage of the massive steel escort team was broadcast live across the country, the entire Japanese society was plunged into an unprecedented wave of shock!
The NHK anchor's voice choked with emotion: "A historic moment! A 15-year-old cold case... The perpetrator of a family murder in Toshima Ward, the ghost in Ikebukuro, has been arrested!"

Fuji TV went so far as to suspend all programming and display a huge headline: "Cutting through the darkness of Tokyo! Uesugi's determination! The remaining Special Missions Unit personnel enter the sewers and brave the filth to drag the 'Ghost of Toshima Ward' out from underground!"

The news anchor nearly screamed: "Section Chief Okada was seriously injured, forensic officer Uesugi volunteered to enter the sewers and used his forensic skills to find the person, and there were also Kai-san, Ikeda-san, Igarashi-san, and Date-san from the Special Missions Unit! Every single one of them gave their all, getting covered in filth as they faced the armed ghost and finally captured him alive! The great Special Missions Unit, the omnipotent Special Missions Unit, they have once again protected the peace of Tokyo!"

"Of course, we must not forget the two police officers who sacrificed their lives. It is because of their dedication and sacrifice that we have the peaceful life we ​​enjoy today!"

"They are all our heroes, and they are also their own heroes!"

Offices, izakayas, and homes across Japan, which had been watching this scene intently, finally erupted in thunderous cheers and applause after an intense period of tension! Commuters on trains raised their arms and shouted without regard for their image! Social networks were completely paralyzed!
The hashtags "#IkebukuroGhostArrested", "#SpecialMilitaryDepartmentStrikesAgain", "#UesugiForensicOfficerSecondLockdown", "#RestInPeaceToYamadaKikuchi", and "#InspectorOkadaGetsASoonBackToRecover" dominated the charts, followed by a flood of "Thank you, police!"

And countless exclamation marks. The previous pervasive panic was replaced by an immense, almost exhausting sense of security, catharsis, and heartfelt respect for the police.

With the noose falling to the ground and the ghost captured, Tokyo, on February 23rd, the Emperor's birthday, finally saw a ray of blood-red, yet incredibly strong, dawn after experiencing its longest period of darkness.

From that day on, the name of Uesugi Muneyuki was promoted with greater pride among the people, as everyone witnessed it firsthand during the nationwide live broadcast. Even in the years that followed, the story of this epic chase in Tokyo was embellished and exaggerated, but every citizen agreed that on that day, the Dragon of Echigo, Uesugi Kenshin, and his descendant, the legendary forensic pathologist Uesugi Muneyuki, fought side by side.

Bishamonten has appeared! May all demons and monsters be banished!
(End of this chapter)