Tokyo Detective

Chapter 394 The Great Purge is in Preparation
On the night of the arrest of the Renwa Group, based on Hirono Inomata's confession and video confession, Naoki Hanyu formally applied to establish a special task force to investigate. He could mobilize detectives from the entire Criminal Investigation Department and even the entire Metropolitan Police Department. Unbeknownst to him, he had grown into a big shot who could mobilize thousands of police officers.

The Metropolitan Police Department also announced that Minamino Souichi's case was a murder case. Shiratori Ten'ei revealed the arrest operation and some evidence at the press conference. Although some of the content was not in accordance with regulations, it was necessary to appease the increasingly angry public. Of course, the reputation of the police was also slightly improved.

Just as Naoki Hanyu mobilized hundreds of police officers to investigate Hirono Inomata, the intermediary, and even Jennifer's interpersonal relationships, and went to Hokkaido to search for Jennifer's body and various possible hidden evidence.

Unexpected changes still occurred.
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Before being charged, prisoners are held in detention centers managed by the Metropolitan Police Department, and after being charged, they are sent to criminal detention centers managed by the Ministry of Justice.

Inside the criminal detention center, Naoki Hanyu frowned as he looked at the dead Inomata Hirono in front of him, then turned to question the director, who was an official from the Ministry of Justice.

"Chief Abe, are you telling me the prisoner committed suicide?"

The director, named Abe Tadashi, nodded helplessly.

"Indeed."

"Where did the knife used for suicide come from?"

“The inmate was helping out in the kitchen today, so he must have taken it at the time. It was due to our detention center’s negligence, and I, as the warden, cannot shirk my responsibility.”

Abe looked ashamed as he spoke, feeling responsible for what had happened, while Hanyu Naoki watched coldly, finding the death too coincidental.

"Even if the prisoner commits suicide, you will find out too late."

"The power went out that day because the wires were chewed by rats. By the time we restored the power, it was already 10 minutes later, which was too late."

"hope so."

The forensic team quickly gave Naoki Hanyu an answer.

"The angle at which the knife was inserted into the heart matches the angle of the force used in the suicide, and no other abnormalities have been found so far."

"Thank you for your help. I will arrange for a forensic autopsy later."

"Yes."

Naoki Hanyu leans towards the conclusion that Hirono Inomata was "forced to commit suicide," suggesting that the murderer's methods were highly sophisticated, perfectly mimicking the angle and force of the knife used to commit suicide.

It's impossible that it was truly suicide, because Hirono Inomata also wrote a statement claiming that he was tortured into confessing by the police and committed suicide because he had no will to live.

Naoki Hanyu knew that someone wanted to harm him.

As Naoki Hanyu predicted, the case continued to unfold. Hirono Inomata's suicide in the criminal detention center was already highly suspicious, and then Abe, while facing a media interview, uttered those last words.

"There were indeed such words left in the room where he died, but we and the police do not rule out tampering."

In an instant, online public opinion began to put pressure on the Metropolitan Police Department again. First, some people jumped out and claimed that the police were killing him to cover up the crime, so that there would be no way to prove it. They believed that Hirono Inomata's confession before the indictment was a forced confession.

Just as Naoki Hanyu was about to continue his investigation, the Metropolitan Police Department, in order to avoid any appearance of impropriety, prevented him from continuing the investigation and instead assigned the newly established Public Security Department to take charge of the case. This was a swift and decisive move, and now the case had nothing to do with Naoki Hanyu.

The following news became increasingly unfavorable to Naoki Hanyu. First, the forensic doctor proved that the deceased committed suicide. Second, the Ministry of Public Security demanded that Naoki Hanyu hand over the evidence he had previously used to suspect the Jinwa Group, which Naoki Hanyu could only refuse on the grounds of protecting his informant.
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In the Metropolitan Police Department corridor, Naoki Hanyu originally planned to go and talk to Ten'ei Shiratori, but his intuition told him that someone was following him. This was the first time he had ever been followed in the Metropolitan Police Department.

Naoki Hanyu turned to look at the police officer who was pretending to drink a beverage not far away, then walked over and questioned him directly.

"what's your name?"

The police officer was clearly startled and stammered out a name.

"Reporting to Vice Minister Hanyu, I am Goro Hattori from the Living Environment Section of the Living Safety Department."

"You're from the student life department, I have high hopes for you."

"."

Naoki Hanyu patted the other person on the shoulder and left, leaving the still-shaken policeman to quickly report to his superior.
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In Shiratori Ten'ei's office, Naoki Hanyu said with a displeased expression.

"Uncle Tianrong, I'm being followed by people from the Life Safety Department."

"What, stalking?"

Shiratori Ten'ei was startled; this was the Metropolitan Police Department, after all.

"Could there be a mistake?"

"There's no mistake. It seems someone wants to know my whereabouts in the Metropolitan Police Department. Let's get back to your higher-ups. What happened that led to the Ministry of Public Security taking over the case? Why couldn't the Security Department handle it?"

Shiratori Ten'ei gave his answer with a solemn expression.

"The Minister of Justice personally intervened in the case, hoping that it would not cause a public opinion crisis. Therefore, Kenichi Kitano suggested that the Ministry of Public Security take charge, and the Director General did not refuse."

"Is this so?"

Naoki Hanyu was surprised by the newly established Ministry of Public Security. This department was supposedly brought together by Superintendent General Koichi Uemura and separated from the previously neutral Security Department.

Given the Security Department's consistently neutral stance, it's unexpected that things would turn out this way.

Against this backdrop, it's astonishing that Kenichi Kitano managed to snatch the prize and promote one of his own people to the new ministerial position; it was a truly exhilarating victory.

Naoki Hanyu couldn't help but ask, thinking of Kenichi Kitano.

"Uncle Tianrong, do you think the person behind the Life Department is Kenichi Kitano? After all, the head of the Life Safety Department is his man."

"It's hard to say, but one thing I'm sure of is that Kitano Kenichi is becoming increasingly aggressive towards the director."

Kenichi Kitano already had powerful backers, and having gained control of the Public Security Bureau, he was now on par with the Director-General. Now, he wanted to extend his influence into the Criminal Investigation Department, so he recommended his own administrative officer for the position of new head.

"The new Minister of Criminal Investigation, huh?"

Naoki Hanyu couldn't help but sigh, realizing that the enemy was actually inside.

Just as the two were about to continue their conversation, Miyuki Kobayakawa, the administrative officer, called.

"Minister, people from the Ministry of Public Security came and said they want to hand over all the evidence, not a single piece can be left. Our people don't agree, so we're in a standoff."

Naoki Hanyu hung up the phone and said goodbye to his boss.

"Uncle Tianrong, did you hear that? Someone is causing me trouble."

"As long as it's not illegal, I'll stand behind you."

The subtext is that you can break the rules, but you can't break the law.

In the Criminal Investigation Department office, the head of the First Public Security Division, seeing that he and his colleagues were being watched by dozens of criminal police officers, softened his tone.

"Everyone, I'm just following my boss's orders, please don't make things difficult for me."

First Councilor Rikuo Fukuda, who was retiring in January, stepped forward.

“Even backup files cannot be left in the Criminal Investigation Department. Section Chief Shida, don’t you think that’s against the regulations?”

The section chief, named Shida Shinpachi, had no choice but to explain.

"The Ministry of Public Security was assigned to handle this case, and everything is decided by our minister. Now the minister says that this case has a great impact, so to be on the safe side, we should not leave any backup loopholes."

This was the first time in decades that Rikuo Fukuda, a detective, had heard such words. "You're not leaving any loopholes; you're slapping the Criminal Investigation Department in the face."

I was already annoyed that you stole the credit halfway through the investigation, and now you dare to come here and mock me. Fukuda Rikuo was furious.

"Heh, the Criminal Investigation Department handled the case, but you didn't even leave a file for them. You guys are pretty good."

"Counselor Fukuda is not what you think."

Just then, a group of more than thirty people walked in. It was the newly appointed Minister of Public Security, Ryunosuke Akutagawa, a handsome 44-year-old minister with an air of arrogance.

"Section Chief Shida, where are the files and evidence? We need to start the investigation as soon as possible, without wasting a single second."

Shinpachi Shida was speechless. "Can't you, the newly appointed minister, realize what's going on?"

Ryunosuke Akutagawa looked at Rikuo Fukuda.

“Counselor Fukuda, you should have heard that the Safety Committee is also urging us to close the case. We can’t drag this out any longer.”

"The files and evidence are ready and can be sent to your Ministry of Public Security at any time, but you cannot take the backups."

Ryunosuke Akutagawa sighed.

"Why bother? This case isn't just being investigated by the Security Council, but also by the Cabinet. What good are these files? You might as well..."

Suddenly, a voice interrupted Ryunosuke Akutagawa, and Naoki Hanyu walked into the office with a cold face.

"Minister Akutagawa, do you have the documents above that require me to provide you with a backup as well?"

"I have documents here stating that the Ministry of Public Security is fully responsible."

Naoki Hanyu's voice interrupted again.

"I asked whether it was clearly written down."

"."

Naoki Hanyu adopted the gaze of an outlaw, a look few in the world dared to meet. As a result, the newly appointed minister couldn't help but take a few steps back in fear.

Naoki Hanyu didn't care about any of that. In fact, he had heard of Ryunosuke Akutagawa's identity as the only son of the Deputy Chief of the National Police Agency.

Although he is only the deputy minister, in the entire police system, he is only lower than the Commissioner General of Police and the Superintendent General of Police. He is the third most important person in the police force.

"You'll have to move the files yourselves. If you take even one extra item, I won't let this go."

Ryunosuke Akutagawa was speechless, as more and more detectives began to surround them.

You might think criminal police officers have no temper, but after hundreds of people wasted several days and were about to get the credit, a Ministry of Public Security suddenly jumped out and snatched it away. Some hot-tempered police officers even wanted to take down these so-called elites.

In the end, Ryunosuke Akutagawa gave in. Although he was arrogant, he was not stupid. If it weren't for the higher-ups insisting that Naoki Hanyu not be given the opportunity to interfere, he would not have done such an overstepping act.

"Move all the documents back."

Before leaving, Ryunosuke Akutagawa suddenly left a message.

"It's not that I wanted to, it's just how things were arranged from above."

Naoki Hanyu simply nodded in agreement.

“It’s all part of the case handling process, which is understandable.”

The reason why Ryunosuke Akutagawa said he wanted to back down was ultimately because he didn't want to offend the most prestigious police hero, the man in front of him, who was also known by many as the strongest dragon.

Yes, the strongest dragon, a title that's the epitome of chuunibyou (a Japanese term for someone with delusions of grandeur).

There was already some buzz when he killed Isshin Sakura, but after the video of the King of War incident was exposed again, Naoki Hanyu's reputation had become world-class.

Its strength is so great that it is called the strongest dragon by the Japanese, and many people abroad also agree, after all, no one has ever seen such a shocking real battle.
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Just as Ryunosuke Akutagawa began working on the case, Deputy Chief Inspector Kenichi Kitano approached him again.

Actually, the two had a good relationship. Kitano Kenichi was a friend of the deputy director of the National Police Agency and later they were in the same circle within the police system.

"Ryunosuke, what do you think of the Metropolitan Police Department's Dragon?"

"He's a terrifying person; his eyes alone make me afraid to look him in the eye."

"He is indeed a terrifying young man."

As Kitano Kenichi spoke, his expression turned strange. He didn't want to mess with such a terrifying young man, but unfortunately, their positions had already made it clear that they were not on the same side.

Since the other party has become an obstacle, we should find a way to remove them, such as by kicking them out through the security committee or the cabinet.

Meanwhile, Naoki Hanyu's life returned to normal, at least there were no major cases to investigate, so he had time to gather some alternative information.

As for the negative online opinions, they are gradually diminishing, mainly because someone is paying money to whitewash the situation.

Good heavens, the investigation almost turned him into a villain; Naoki Hanyu was so angry he was ready to kill someone.

Then, fueled by someone, another viewpoint emerged online: the Agricultural Cooperative hired a hitman to kill Minamino Souichi, and later killed those involved to silence them, deliberately squeezing out the investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department's Dragon. This also included speculation about the stance of the Metropolitan Police Department's three top officials.

Such public opinion, which is prevalent online, will naturally be restricted, and thus another round of the contest between money and public power begins.

The discussions even escalated into attacks on the dark side of the Metropolitan Police Department's top brass, and the banning of many discussion accounts could not stop them.

Despite this, Kenichi Kitano still dared to approach Naoki Hanyu, because he was the most criticized among the three, and the barrage of insults was unbearable.

They said he used to be a member of the ruling party, and that the ruling party had close ties with the agricultural cooperatives, implying that he was the one who was stirring up trouble and obstructing things behind the scenes. This made Kitano Kenichi feel terrible, since he wasn't the mastermind.

"Hanyu, I know you are a very good young man. Now that the Metropolitan Police Department's reputation is being questioned, I hope you can stand up and say a few words."

Looking at Kenichi Kitano's slightly dark-circled eyes, Naoki Hanyu couldn't help but laugh. Did he think everyone was a fool after playing so many dirty tricks?

Honestly, I find this old guy disgusting. He's both suppressing me and trying to win me over. Does he think I'm made of clay and have no temper?

"I don't know what the deputy director is talking about."

"Yuzuru, I know you were probably upset a while ago, but avoiding suspicion is necessary. The bigger picture is important. Don't worry, we won't forget your contributions, and we'll make it up to you many times over in the future."

Then a series of tempting offers were presented, leaving Naoki Hanyu looking quite interested.

"I need to go back and think about it. I'll give you an answer tomorrow."

"Alright, I hope you can do it as soon as possible. After all, it wasn't easy to build up the Metropolitan Police Department's credibility. The Metropolitan Police Department will belong to you young people in the future, so I hope you will cherish it."

Kenichi Kitano finally breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the young man leave.

A few days ago, when he learned that he had been implicated, he had already put the Cybersecurity Countermeasures Division of the Department of Life Safety into action, but it was impossible to block it. He had to ask two other official organizations for help to barely contain it. Unfortunately, similar videos still suddenly appeared and were blocked, making it impossible to prevent.

As for what Naoki Hanyu was thinking, he actually developed murderous intent after the other party's series of actions, but he needed to plan ahead in order to achieve a permanent victory.

That evening, several fully armed teams split up and went to the homes of the Metropolitan Police Department's three top officers, while the rest of the armed personnel rushed to the homes of various department heads.

Tonight is definitely going to be a sleepless night.

(End of this chapter)