Tokyo Unnatural Forensics

Chapter 541, in full swing!
When Uesugi Muneyuki returned to the yellow line, everyone gathered around him.

"What did he say?" Sugishita Ukyo, the head of the First Investigation Division, and Kinoshita Toru, a member of the Public Security Police, couldn't help but ask. Behind them, the criminal police and public security police were glaring at each other and cursing each other as useless.

“He was kidnapped.” Uesugi Muneyuki wiped the sweat from his forehead. In fact, after gaining the power of the village flower, he was no longer afraid of the cold, but he was still afraid of the heat. “Akimoto Shota said that he arrived at the underground parking lot of the apartment around 2:40 a.m. yesterday, which is today. He was attacked when he got out of the car, and when he woke up, he found that he had a bomb on his body.”

"Is that so?" Sugishita Ukyo nodded politely. "Does he know who attacked them?"

“He didn’t say, but judging from his expression, he probably doesn’t know.” Uesugi Muneyuki then gave the address that Akimoto Shota had mentioned.

"The families of these rich young masters usually own many apartments in Tokyo, especially those who are very ruthless when it comes to women. They usually have multiple burrows. I once met a young master who always offered to drive his female companions home, not as an excuse, but because he owned property in every direction of Tokyo," Kai Toru said nonchalantly, hands on his hips.

Kai Kyou's words caused many police officers present, especially the Fifth Division Chief Itami Kenichi, to glare at him and mutter curses under his breath. He was over forty and still didn't have a wife, which was incredibly frustrating.

"That's not important. What we need to do now is to investigate who kidnapped Akimoto Shota as soon as possible. If we can find the kidnappers through this opportunity, then we'll have a way to solve the bomb problem." Kashiwagi Jin put his hands in his pockets, his expression sinister: "Otherwise, this can't go on. Our Metropolitan Police Department has become a plaything for terrorists. We have to do whatever they tell us to do. If this continues, what will become of the department's reputation? What will become of the public's confidence?"

“There’s one more detail.” Uesugi Muneyuki generally agreed with Kashiwagi Jin: “Did you guys notice it?”

“When I spoke with Shota Akimoto earlier, the indicator light on his chest didn’t go off when we were about 12 meters apart. However, after we talked for a short while, the indicator light started flashing,” Uesugi Muneyuki said in a deep voice. “Therefore, without a doubt, there are surveillance agents from the other side at the scene!”

"It could be in the crowd nearby, in a nearby high-rise building, or there could be surveillance cameras set up at the scene." Uesugi Muneyuki looked around. "I'd appreciate it if you could all check it out."

“Even though you say that, but…” Shiratori Sho looked around, his expression somewhat awkward: “This is the port area!”

Everyone looked grim. This was the port area, surrounded by large commercial districts and office buildings, a dense gray forest of steel, concrete, and steel. A search would take several hours to complete.

It's already 1:40 PM, only about 5 hours away from the 7:00 PM message they gave us. There's simply not enough time. Moreover, because the minister's son's matter is affecting normal business and economic activities in the surrounding area, the Metropolitan Police Department is under immense pressure.

Police officers are inherently prone to taking the blame, not to mention the other party's demand for a live, uninterrupted broadcast!

"Then let's split up. Those in the Public Security Bureau, I'll leave it to you to investigate and evacuate the surrounding crowd. Those in the First Investigation Division, immediately begin investigating based on Akimoto Shota's connections and the apartment's location; see what you can find. As for the Special Missions Division, Chief Uesugi, please use your imagination." First Investigation Division Chief Sugishita Ukyo immediately assigned tasks: "We must act quickly; the people are watching us!"

"Yes!"

The police officers at the scene scattered in a panic, and the remaining more than one hundred SWAT officers surrounded Shota Akimoto, who was located in the center of the square, in layers. On the top of a nearby high-rise building, SAT snipers were also ready.

The Special Missions Unit members gathered again, temporarily requisitioning a nearby Hong Kong-style tea restaurant. While connecting to the computer, Date Chomune said sarcastically, "Wow, it's good to be the son of a minister! Being strapped with a bomb can attract two or three hundred policemen! How wonderful! I wonder if this will happen when I'm kidnapped?"

“If you were kidnapped, Grandpa Date Munerei would definitely call the Kasumigaseki Kasumigaseki Kaikan for help.” Uesugi Muneyuki said with a sigh, “Alright, the life of the minister’s son is also a life. Putting aside any possible past misdeeds, kidnapping, planting a bomb, and using terrorism and threats to achieve one’s political goals are all serious crimes. So let’s not think about that too much. Whether Minister Akimoto and his son are guilty or not is not our concern right now. What we need to focus on right now is solving the problem at hand.”

“Uesugi is right.” Minami interrupted Date’s grumbling. She looked at the Special Missions Unit members present with amusement, thinking to herself, apart from the silly Ikeda and Muneyuki’s beloved Ishihara, which one of you, including me, isn’t a second-generation rich kid?
"Okada, you and Kai Igarashi go together to investigate the surrounding area and suspicious persons, and see what you find."

"Nango, you'll be in our group. We're all eyewitnesses to the Imperial Palace case. We'll investigate the apartment's security footage to see if we can find any valuable clues. As for Uesugi and Ishihara, you two will stand by with Ikeda."

"Yes!"

And so, the Special Missions Division began its activities. Although Uesugi Muneyuki was not of any use for the time being, the existence of the Special Missions Division served as a bridge between the criminal faction and the public security faction!
Within minutes of the Metropolitan Police Department being forced to allow the live broadcast to continue, apart from the famously calm "King of Calmness," all major Japanese television stations cut off their original programs and began emergency special reports. On the screen, Shota Akimoto's desperate figure and the flashing red lights became the most thrilling visual spectacle of that hot afternoon.

Shota Akimoto stood motionless under the scorching sun, his body contorted in despair and tearing at his hair in a frantic struggle. The scene was quite gruesome. Seeing this, Sugishita Ukyo, the head of the First Investigation Division, could only try to calm him down, calling out to him from afar, "Akimoto-kun, don't worry! Your father will definitely save you! We're trying to find a way! Please hold on, hold on, there will be a way!"

"..." Shota Akimoto forced out a smile that looked more like a grimace, and said nothing.

And so, the Metropolitan Police Department hastily began its investigation.

By this time, all the major television stations had arrived.

NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) was the most "restrained" in its report, but the headline was sensational enough: "Extreme incident occurs in the heart of the Minato district; the son of the Foreign Minister straps himself with a bomb and makes a shocking request."

The anchor, in a somber tone, quickly reviewed several controversial foreign policies spearheaded by Minister Shinichiro Akimoto (such as the harsh economic sanctions and refusal to forgive loans against a certain African country, and the exchange and secret talks between the "Zheng He" ship of a certain country across the sea at the Etajima Naval Academy), and cautiously commented: "No organization has yet claimed responsibility, but the political intent of the incident is extremely clear, and it cannot be ruled out that it is an extreme act of retaliation against Minister Akimoto's political line. The police are facing an unprecedented challenge in handling this situation!"

NTV's report was even more direct: "Bomb Threat During Live Broadcast! Son of Foreign Minister Becomes Suicide Bomb!"

The anchor and special guest (former National Police Agency Commissioner Tsurugi Kaneko) were stunned in the studio. Kaneko, in his analysis, spoke with a touch of absurdity: "This is like a Hollywood script! The kidnappers are not only technically proficient, but also deeply understand the laws of media dissemination. They're not just extorting an individual, but judging a political family, even challenging the entire system. Demanding the father confess his crimes live on air... this is too surreal!" TBS ran the headline, "A Tragedy of a Political Family? Shota Akimoto's 'Final Lament'."

The report took a slightly sentimental angle, interspersed with old photos of Shota Akimoto during his student days, dressed in designer clothes and attending parties, creating a stark contrast with his disheveled appearance on the screen. The anchor remarked meaningfully, "What kind of shadows lurked within the family of a minister who presented a clean public image and promoted 'values-based diplomacy', leading to this tragedy worthy of being written into textbooks?"

As for Fuji TV? It's as shameless as ever, with the title "Victim or Perpetrator? The Two-Faced Life of 'Generous Young Master' Shota Akimoto".

They quickly conducted street interviews with several young people who claimed to be Shota Akimoto's "ex-girlfriends" and "friends." On camera, these men and women all praised Shota's "generosity":
Ex-girlfriend Matsushima Kaede (pseudonym): "Shota-kun is very gentle and never stingy. His birthday gift was a limited edition bag, and he took me to the best restaurants."

Friends Sky Bro and Chongchong Bro (pseudonyms): "He's just too loyal! He always insists on paying the bill at every gathering, and he never hesitates to help his friends solve their problems. We all call him 'the timely rain of the port area'."

My friend Yunxiao (pseudonym) said: "Even if Shota-kun may have made mistakes in the past, he is truly a good friend! Such a generous and loyal person, how scared he must be now! Those kidnappers are despicable! Minister Akimoto, please save your son!"

TV Tokyo is airing "Keroro Gunso," where a frog squad from outer space is plotting to invade Earth! Dream Growth Promoter Gun, fire! KERO Ball, activate!!!

Earth is in grave crisis!!!
Japanese society as a whole seemed to have been thrown into a giant information vortex. People sat in front of their televisions and mobile phones, feeling both fear and a sense of morbid curiosity, as if watching a real-life political thriller.

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police Department, after spending some time investigating, quickly made a discovery around 4 p.m.

Date Chomune placed the notebook in front of Uesugi Muneyuki and the others: "Everyone, look at this!"

Minami Uesugi, Erina Uesugi, and several others immediately surrounded them.

After extensive searching and networking, the police finally obtained the surveillance footage from the apartment's basement. Through comparison, they finally found Shota Akimoto.

Around 2:35 a.m., Shota Akimoto, who had just finished a party alone, drove to the apartment's underground parking garage. He looked somewhat tired, wearing a mask, a baseball cap, and a long-sleeved shirt. He got out of the car and walked directly towards the elevator door in the underground parking garage.

At this point, everything seemed normal.

However, at that very moment, Uesugi Muneyuki suddenly gestured: "Wait!"

"Huh?" Date Nagamune was taken aback. "Chief Uesugi, the crucial moment hasn't arrived yet!"

"Wait! Stop, stop!" Uesugi Muneyuki frowned and gestured for Date Nagamune to reverse: "Get off here!"

Date Chomune had no choice but to turn back.

Just as Shota Akimoto opened the door to get out of the car, Muneyuki Uesugi signaled to stop.

Looking at the figure getting off the car, Uesugi Muneyuki felt a strong sense of déjà vu.

No, that's not right!

This wasn't the first time he'd seen that figure!

He was certain he had seen this figure somewhere before, and that it had left a deep impression on him!

But where is it?

Uesugi Muneyuki's strange behavior drew everyone's attention. Ikeda Erena tentatively asked, "What's wrong, Muneyuki? Did you know Akimoto Shota before?"

"Hey, Muneyuki, you're not going to tell us that you used to hang out with this guy, are you?" Ishihara Mikoto found it a bit funny. She stared at Uesugi Muneyuki, thinking that Uesugi wasn't the kind of person who liked to go out and fool around!
At that moment, Uesugi Muneyuki suddenly remembered something, and he rummaged through his memories again, suddenly finding himself facing a certain figure.

The figure wearing a mask, the careful movements, and that voice.

The man's pupils dilated suddenly.

Could it be that? !

(End of this chapter)