Tokyo Unnatural Forensics

Chapter 497, Shocking Changes at the Imperial Palace!
In June in Tokyo, the rainy season has not yet fully taken hold, but the outer gardens of the Imperial Palace are already shrouded in a layer of damp mist in the early morning. The air is thick and stuffy, carrying the unique scent of grass, trees, and ancient stone walls.

The disappearance of an employee of the Imperial Household Agency did not affect the daily routine cleaning. An elderly gardener was pruning along the pond. He has worked here for thirty years, tending to the trees of the Imperial Palace day after day. The thick rings of his trees bear witness to his dedication and craftsmanship.

As usual, I cleared away the leaves and branches that had been knocked down by the night rain along the lakeside path.

The morning mist enveloped the tranquil lake, and the beautiful scenery of the royal garden made Tanaka feel a strange sense of oppression.

He noticed a strange object floating on the water not far from the shore, entangled in dense aquatic plants, its color dark.

Ok?
At first, he thought it was a garbage bag blown away by the wind or a package that someone had accidentally dropped. He sighed, picked up a long net, waded a few steps closer, and tried to retrieve it; keeping the imperial garden clean was his duty.

The moment the net touched the object, the weight and texture made his heart skip a beat.

That's definitely not trash.

He pulled with all his might, the seaweed scattered, and a face swollen and deformed from prolonged immersion, deathly pale, suddenly surfaced, its eyes staring blankly at the gray sky. The soaking wet, dark uniform bearing the Imperial Household Agency crest clung tightly to the stiff body…

people!
It's people!

dead???!!!
"Ugh... Ah...!!!"

A piercing scream, almost tearing a throat, suddenly erupted, shattering the deathly silence of the Imperial Palace in the early morning. The old gardener dropped the net from his hand, and he collapsed to the ground as if all his bones had been ripped out. He frantically crawled backward, trying to get away from the horrific sight in the lake. His stomach churned, and fear pierced his heart and marrow like ice picks.

There was a corpse in the pond at the Imperial Palace?

The body was found in the very symbol and sacred place of this nation?

Impossible! I've worked here for thirty years, a full thirty years!

The piercing screams attracted the attention of the palace police patrolling nearby.

Two young police officers rushed over and saw the gardener slumped on the ground, pointing incoherently at the lake. Following the direction of his head, they saw the body in the water. Their professionalism was instantly overwhelmed by immense horror.

One person suddenly turned around and grabbed a tree trunk, retching. The other person, pale-faced and barely suppressing his trembling, pressed the emergency call button on the walkie-talkie in an almost distorted voice.

"Emergency! Lake Nishinomaru! A body has been found! Repeat, a body has been found! Suspected to be... suspected to be one of our employees!" The Imperial Palace Police officer's voice was sharp and distorted, filled with disbelief and panic.

The Imperial Palace Police are under the jurisdiction of the National Police Agency, but have always been a separate entity because they are responsible for the security, protection, and ceremonial work of the Imperial Palace. The head of the Imperial Palace Police is a Superintendent of Police. Although theoretically under the jurisdiction of the National Police Agency, they are actually under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Household Agency.

Palace police have always been in a rather awkward position within the police system. On the one hand, their work is easy, with no KPI pressure and no responsibility for solving cases or handling paperwork, making it a well-known desirable place to work.

On the other hand, this place is also a place to coast along. There's a saying that the closer you are to the center of power, the more power you have. But theoretically, all the administrative power that the Imperial Family possessed after the war has been stripped away by Emperor Wu of the Five Stars. If there is any left, it is firmly held in the hands of the Imperial Household Agency, and it has nothing to do with the Imperial Palace Police.

Therefore, the palace police do not have any extra power or room to maneuver. Once they enter, they just wait out their years and don't expect to achieve anything or get promoted. It is also a gathering place for all kinds of cronies and slackers. If you really want to make a difference, who will be a palace police officer?

Having enjoyed peace for so long, the palace police had never seen such a scene or a real corpse before.

One policeman vomited violently on the spot, while the other policeman kept repeating the same thing, his face pale with fright, his legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground, writhing on the ground, tears and snot streaming down his face.

The news spread like a thunderclap along the internal communication network of the Imperial Palace Police, instantly reaching the highest levels of the Imperial Palace Police Headquarters.

Immediately afterwards, in a very short time, the information was relayed directly to the office of Nakajima, the Vice-Minister for the Secretariat of the Imperial Household Agency, through the highest level of security.

The atmosphere inside the Imperial Household Agency instantly escalated from unease to utter terror.

"Is it confirmed?! Is the identity confirmed?!" a bureau chief roared into the phone, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

"The uniform...it's confirmed to be that of an Imperial Household Agency employee. The face...the features are hard to identify, but...but the build and hair color are similar to...similar to Ishimuro who went missing this morning..." The voice on the other end of the phone was also trembling.

With a "bang," it seemed someone had accidentally knocked over a teacup.

Inside the office, the senior officials looked ashen-faced, and some unconsciously loosened their ties as if they were suffocating.

The news spread silently and rapidly down the corridor like a deadly virus. Wherever it reached, all the staff froze, their faces drained of color, exchanging horrified glances. It wasn't an accident, not a sudden illness, but death! Within the Imperial Palace grounds! Among the staff of the Imperial Household Agency!
problem occurs!
"Something terrible has happened!!!" The chief shouted, almost hoarse. "Immediately, immediately notify Maeda, the commander of the Imperial Household Agency, and Gondo, the head of the Imperial Palace Police Headquarters!"

"Yes!!!"

It was unclear how much time had passed, but the entire Imperial Palace and its surrounding gardens finally activated their emergency response mechanism again after an unknown period. The head of the Imperial Household Agency hadn't arrived at work yet, but the vice minister and all bureau chiefs immediately rushed into the underground emergency command center. Everyone's expression was so grave it could be dripping with worry.

Vice Minister Nakajima issued the first order almost without hesitation, which was also the resolution with the strongest consensus: absolutely block the news!

All those with inside information were strictly ordered not to divulge a single word to anyone outside the Imperial Palace (including family members) in any form. All internal communications were monitored. Absolutely no information could be allowed to reach the media, especially those ubiquitous weekly reporters.

During the emergency meeting, the royal family's concerns were repeatedly raised.
"We must do everything in our power to prevent this matter from alarming His Majesty and the Imperial Family, and to avoid tarnishing the sacred image of the Imperial Family!!!" Vice Minister Nakajima shouted almost hoarsely at the emergency meeting: "We await further instructions from Commissioner Maeda of the Imperial Household Agency and Chief of the Imperial Palace Police, Gondo!"

"Yes!!!"

The entire palace hall seemed to be shrouded in an invisible, enormous "silence".

"Mobilize all personnel, seal off all areas, and announce to the public that the Imperial Palace is under renovation and all tourists are prohibited from entering. As for His Majesty... if necessary, please consider temporarily relocating to another location!"

"Yes!!!"

The Royal Palace Police Headquarters immediately mobilized its maximum force, establishing a multi-layered cordon with a radius of over 100 meters centered on the lakeside where the body was found, prohibiting anyone from approaching.

The uniformed police officers looked stern, as if facing a formidable enemy. They were not only on guard against external threats, but also filled with a tense atmosphere of mutual scrutiny among themselves.

What exactly happened?

The palace police attempted to investigate the scene, but these people, having lived in peacetime for so long, actually had no experience whatsoever, and even their professional equipment was outdated, dating back many years.

The surrounding area was filled with ancient and solemn city walls and tranquil gardens, but the air was thick with silent dread and palpable panic. The eyes of the palace police and officials of the Imperial Household Agency were complex, a mixture of vigilance, fear, and a hint of humiliation.

The scene had been completely cordoned off. Palace police forensic personnel, wearing shoe covers, began their work with extreme caution, each step feeling like walking on a minefield. Taking photos, measuring water temperature, examining traces on the shore… everything was carried out in a suffocating silence. The body, pulled from the water and covered with a white sheet, lay silently on the stretcher, like a huge, ominous black hole, swallowing all the surrounding peace and order.

The patrolling police officers and high-ranking officials from the Imperial Household Agency stood a short distance away, huddled together, watching the Metropolitan Police Department personnel work with grim expressions, exchanging opinions in hushed tones, every subtle discovery keeping them on edge.

They knew this was just the beginning; a massive storm sweeping through the imperial palace was only just beginning to reveal its ferocious nature.

Inside the palace, although no explicit orders were issued, the invisible gaze and anxiety from the highest point weighed on everyone like heavy leaden clouds, making it hard for them to breathe.

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

Meanwhile, at 8:20 a.m., in the Sakuradamon Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, the Superintendent General's office.

As soon as Superintendent General Eiji Watanabe arrived at his office, his secretary brought him a cup of hot coffee. He smiled and said thank you, then opened the window, closed his eyes, and enjoyed the tranquility of the morning before officially starting work.

It feels so quiet.

There haven't been any major incidents in Tokyo lately, a stark contrast to the frequent shocking cases that broke out after I took office.

Perhaps all the potential crimes were suppressed by my lovely adopted son-in-law, Uesugi Muneyuki, the towering white jade pillar and purple gold beam of the Sakurada Gate?
But it doesn't matter anymore.

Eiji Watanabe was in a good mood.

With the Special Missions Division cracking major cases one after another, the public's support for the Metropolitan Police Department has been rising. There are already calls both inside and outside the government to upgrade the Special Missions Division to the Special Missions Section. Cabinet Secretary Onoda approves of him, the Financial Services Agency Commissioner supports him, and even the newly appointed Minister of Justice Setouchi has extended an olive branch, expressing his willingness to guide him in the future.

Zong Xue is working so hard, I need to work harder too!
As long as we keep moving forward, the road will continue to extend. The position of Superintendent General of Police will never be, and cannot be, my final destination!

But before that, let's enjoy this feeling of being in charge of Sakurada Gate!
As Watanabe Eiji took a sip of coffee, pondering how to advance the reform of the Special Missions Department, the landline on his desk rang.

Oh open?

Is this good news?!
(End of this chapter)