Tokyo Unnatural Forensics

Chapter 545, The Fireworks God of the Port Area!

One second, the entire square was still immersed in the jubilation of surviving a disaster. Police officers patted each other on the shoulder, revealing relieved smiles; media reporters excitedly announced to their cameras that the crisis was over.

A few scattered claps even rang out from the crowd watching in the distance. When Shota Akimoto was helped into the black Toyota Century, a symbol of absolute power and security, everyone thought that this urban nightmare that had lasted for nearly seven hours had finally come to an end.

However, no one expected that what lay hidden behind this illusion of victory was the prelude to the most brutal climax.

The dignified Toyota Century smoothly drove a hundred meters, about to merge into the traffic on the main road—

"boom!!!!!!!!!!!"

Without warning, without cue, a massive fireball, a mixture of flames and thick smoke, erupted from inside the vehicle! The deafening explosion, like the roar of an ancient beast, instantly drowned out all other sounds in the square. The sturdy Toyota Century was torn apart like a paper toy, flung into the air, forming a brief but terrifying "firework" of flames and debris, before crashing heavily back to the ground, becoming a twisted, wildly burning wreckage.

The shockwave spread like a solid wall, piercing the eardrums of people a hundred meters away. The glass curtain walls of nearby office buildings shattered, turning into a shimmering, deadly rain. Flying metal fragments struck several nearby cars, triggering sirens blaring. Unfortunate pedestrians caught in the blast screamed and collapsed to the ground.

Dead silence.

A brief, deathly silence, as if time had frozen.

At the scene, everyone was stunned, from Ikeda Erena, who was holding down Ishihara Kumiko with a complicated expression, to Nango Yui, Kai Kyou, Igarashi, and others who came to assist in the arrest but were hesitant because the other party was a woman, to Date Nagamune, who was discussing the problem with the bomb disposal expert.

It exploded...exploded??
Uesugi Muneyuki stood still, staring blankly at the towering fireworks.

It exploded???

Uesugi Muneyuki, a clinical research fellow in forensic medicine at the University of Tokyo, a descendant of the former aristocratic Yonezawa Uesugi clan, the chief inspector of the First Investigation Division, the only designated core member of the Special Missions Unit, the Metropolitan Police Department's last line of defense, the police organization's ace and last salvation, and the founder of the Watanabe Uesugi clan, stood motionless. Through his pupils, which possessed the ability of "spiritual vision," the Toyota Century soared into the sky, a fireball rising into the air, resembling a grand fireworks display under the reflection of the glass of the office buildings on both sides.

(Sound of fireworks)

Uesugi Muneyuki tried to open his mouth, wanting to say something, but he couldn't say anything. All he could do was pull Minami-sama into his arms and turn his back to the towering flames.

"Sōsetsu!" Minami exclaimed, but did not resist, letting Uesugi Sōsetsu hold her in his arms. Besides being surprised, she also felt a sweet warmth in her heart, knowing that Uesugi Sōsetsu was afraid that she would get hurt.

(Sound of fireworks)

"Hahaha! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!" Amidst the explosion, the first to react was one of the victims, policewoman Kumiko Ishihara, who burst into laughter on the ground: "Good riddance! I'll pop the champagne!"

"……………………" The scene remained deathly silent. Finally, after Ishihara Kumiko's maniacal laughter, Okada Masayoshi, with a complex expression, spat out a few words through gritted teeth: "Send...send them away!!!"

Yes, Akimoto Shota was a privileged second-generation rich kid and a terrible person who had committed several suspected rapes, but no matter what, he didn't deserve to die! Not to mention being blown up on the spot!
This incident has had an extremely bad and egregious impact, and it has set a very bad precedent!
Masayoshi Okada almost instantly foresaw what would happen next.

This explosion does not signify the end of everything; rather, it represents the beginning of something even more terrifying!
Sure enough, what followed was a more thorough and instinctive scream of terror than ever before.

The expressions of those who had just been cheering froze on their faces, then were replaced by extreme terror. The crowd scattered like an anthill exploding, fleeing in panic, and order completely collapsed. The live broadcast camera shook violently, and the anchor's voice was completely distorted, leaving only desperate cries like "Explosion! Another explosion! Oh my God!"

Inside the on-site command center, the nerves of Sugishita Ukyo, the head of the First Investigation Division, snapped the moment they relaxed. He roared into the walkie-talkie, his voice distorted with shock: "Seal off the scene! Expand the cordon! EOD confirm if there are any secondary explosive devices! Medical team! Prioritize treating the wounded in the surrounding area! Now!"

Shocked by the sudden turn of events, everyone's reaction was somewhat sluggish.

The police were the first to react. Inspector Toru Kinoshita of the National Police Agency's Security Division immediately signaled everyone to rush up and check the situation. He himself was the first to kick away the fire extinguishers on the roadside.

However, it was all too late. In the middle of the road, only a blown-up Toyota Century and four charred corpses remained.

He stared at the four charred corpses in the car, his heart turning cold. This wasn't a mistake; it was a mockery. At their most successful moment, the robbers delivered the most resounding slap in the face to the entire Japanese law enforcement system.

Superintendent Ichijo of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Public Security Bureau, who was leading the SAT squad, also arrived at a rapid pace with his SAT team, his face ashen.

"Simata!!!"

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

On the screen at his official residence, Shinichiro Akimoto witnessed firsthand the flames that engulfed his son and his car. The blush of ecstasy and relief that had appeared on his face because his son had been "saved" vanished completely in a fraction of a second, turning into a deathly gray.

His body swayed violently, and his cane fell to the ground with a thud.

From the heartbreaking decision to "abandon" his son, to the ecstatic joy of a miraculous turn of events, and then to the utter destruction before him, leaving no trace of his remains... these rapid shifts between heaven and hell within just a few minutes completely shattered Minister Akimoto's reason. That was my son! My most beloved and cherished son, the only son I had with my ex-wife!

I have never abandoned him, never given up on him, and cherished him as my precious son!
Damn it! What Metropolitan Police Department? What Public Security Bureau? What SAT SWAT team? What Special Missions Unit that's supposed to be the best? Garbage! They're all a bunch of damn useless trash!!!
Eiji Watanabe! I'm not done with you yet!

Shota! My Shota! ! !
He grabbed the red phone that went directly to the Superintendent of Police, abandoning all political restraint and calculation, revealing only the primal roar of a father who had lost everything and was on the verge of madness:
"Watanabe!!! You bunch of useless idiots! Morons! What kind of work are you doing?! Wasn't the bomb defused?! Huh?! Wasn't it safe already?! Why! Why did my car explode! Shota! My Shota was inside! It was you! It was you bunch of incompetent cops who killed him! The second time! You killed him twice!!"

Meanwhile, at the Metropolitan Police Department's Emergency Command Center.

On the other end of the phone, Superintendent Eiji Watanabe, who had also witnessed the explosion, was ashen-faced, but his voice remained chillingly calm—a calmness that Akimoto found utterly provocative: "Minister Akimoto, please calm down. Based on the footage and initial reports, the bomb disposal experts have successfully removed all the bombs from Shota Akimoto's body. The source of the explosion may not have come from the devices removed from Shota-kun. The situation is extremely complex..."

"Complex my ass!" Shinichiro Akimoto interrupted rudely, spitting almost onto the microphone. "It's all excuses! Shifting blame! It's the Metropolitan Police Department's dereliction of duty! It's your complete incompetence from beginning to end that allowed things to develop to this point! If you had caught those rats sooner! If your bomb disposal had been more thorough! Shota wouldn't be dead! You have to take responsibility for all of this! I want you to apologize at the Cabinet meeting! I want your entire Metropolitan Police Department to pay the price for this!!"

He frantically shifted all blame to the Metropolitan Police Department, completely ignoring and daring not to consider why the bomb had ended up in his supposedly heavily guarded vehicle.

At this moment, he needed an outlet to vent his grief and anger, and the Metropolitan Police Department, which was nearby and "incompetent," was the perfect target.

"Baka! You, and Sakuradamon, are all bastards! Useless trash!"

You saved my son, so you're good dogs, but you harmed my son, so you're useless stray dogs!
I don't care, I don't care!!! Give me back my son, give me back my son!!!
Shota! Dad will definitely avenge you! He will!!!
On the other end of the phone, hearing the Foreign Minister's insults towards him and the entire police force, Eiji Watanabe's tone suddenly turned cold and sharp, like a drawn samurai sword: "Minister Akimoto! I understand your grief, but please watch your words! Thousands of colleagues in the Metropolitan Police Department risked their lives to handle this matter, successfully disarming the bomb on the target and preventing its detonation! As for your vehicle exploding while moving after leaving the scene, the cause must be thoroughly investigated! Until evidence is available, all your accusations are irresponsible speculation!"

"Speculation?! My son is dead and you're telling me it's speculation?! Eiji Watanabe, you wait! I'm not done with you yet!"

"Bang!" Shinichiro Akimoto slammed the phone down, breaking it in two.

Eiji Watanabe slowly put down the receiver, and the command center fell silent. Everyone could feel the cold anger emanating from the director.

He knew that the war with Minister Akimoto had begun.

Even more terrifying is that those enemies lurking in the shadows are coldly enjoying this scene of infighting between power and law enforcement agencies.

The flames at the scene had not yet been extinguished, and the massive explosion and chaotic scene instantly engulfed all the major television channels like a virus.

The NHK anchor's expression was more grave than ever before, his voice heavy as iron: "Emergency news. Just as the hostage crisis in Minato Ward seemed to be resolved, the vehicle that picked up Mr. Shota Akimoto exploded violently. Based on the situation at the scene, the chances of survival for those inside the vehicle are extremely low. This has escalated from a hostage crisis into an extremely heinous terrorist attack targeting a high-ranking national figure. The police are conducting further investigations."

The report was fairly standard, but the wording elevated the incident to the level of "state terrorism."

NTV: "Second bombshell! Hell descends after hope!"

TBS: "Is the target completely destroyed? Minister Akimoto's son is likely dead!"

Fuji TV's live anchor, Remi Tsutsumi, screamed, "My God! I'm right here, and I can already smell the burning! This is a direct challenge to the Japanese police and the country! Only God knows what will happen to this country in the future!"

The invited guest, former National Police Agency Commissioner Tsuru Kaneko, was stunned in the studio, almost incoherent. Fuji TV repeatedly played slow-motion footage of the car explosion, analyzing the explosive force and possible causes, and a sense of panic permeated the screen.

TV Asahi: "Why was the bomb able to detonate again despite heavy police protection? Was it a security loophole or was there something else going on?"

At the same time, TV Tokyo...

"Spike~Leo~ Ray!!!"

About a minute after the explosion, during the broadcast of the Ultraman Orb series, which was playing, Ultraman Orb (Inner Light form) was gathering energy and firing his finishing beam with his hands crossed in a cross shape. The giant monster exploded in the center of the screen, turning into a dazzling fireball...

The footage was abruptly cut off, a rare occurrence! It switched to an emergency news broadcast, displaying the words "Breaking News" and photos (not live video) of the fireball rising from the Minato Ward explosion. The Tokyo TV anchor's voice was hurried: "Excuse me for interrupting the news with an emergency report. Just now, a large-scale explosion occurred in Tokyo's Minato Ward. Details are being confirmed..."

"Even TV Tokyo has been shut down!"

At that moment, almost all Japanese netizens who were following the incident simultaneously expressed the same exclamation on social media.

Something terrible has happened! A major disaster has occurred!!!

(End of this chapter)