Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes.

Chapter 84, Section 82: Reporting to a Higher Level

Minister Iwaki moved the expensive crystal ashtray on the table.
Then he tapped his index finger lightly on the table a few times, put down Ping Shenglong's report, took a deep breath, and stared at his capable subordinate with an as calm expression as possible.

The slight temper that had been building up finally subsided when she saw his dark circles under his eyes, and she sighed again.

He took out a pack of cigarettes, lit one for himself, and then threw it, along with the lighter, in front of Ping Shenglong, before moving the ashtray to the middle.

Iwaki took a deep drag, slowly exhaled the smoke, shook off the ash, and looked at Pyeongseong Ryu, who had just lit a cigarette, in a gentle tone.

“Shenglong, I know you’ve been busy these past few days and haven’t had much rest.”

"Here's what I'll do. I'll give you two more days. Give me a report that's 'convincing' the day before America's foreign visit. Even if it's the middle of the night, I'll hold a press conference to announce that the case has been solved and can be closed. Everyone's happy, another ending that satisfies everyone."

Ping Shenglong understood the meaning behind Minister Iwaki's words; otherwise, he would have had no reason to rise to his current position.

"Minister, after so many days of working overtime to investigate, all the evidence at the scene indicates that no outsiders entered the old teaching building during that time period. So now we only have two conclusions."

"First, this is the work of the supernatural."

"Second, all of them experienced memory problems simultaneously."

“I have written all the evidence and logical chains in the report, and I personally lean more towards the first point. As for the other possibilities, they are completely unsupported by any trace, evidence, or logic.”

Iwaki silently finished his cigarette, his brow furrowed.

As the head of the Criminal Investigation Department, he was naturally aware of the direction of the First Investigation Division's investigation these past few days.

There's nothing wrong with this; he would have done the same, though perhaps not as thoroughly as Pyeongsung Ryu.

He had looked at the logical chain and the evidence, and it was barely plausible.

but.
"No one will accept either of these explanations."

Iwaki felt he had hinted at things clearly enough, so he might as well make them even clearer.

“I heard that a few days ago, a victim’s parent accused one of the teachers at Komagome Academy of having a motive for the crime, and that you had arranged for someone to monitor him. We’ll handle this as a special case. Just tell me what kind of information you need; you should know how to do it.”

After listening calmly, Ping Shenglong finished his cigarette, stubbed it out, put it in his pocket, and looked up at Minister Iwaki seriously.

“Minister, we only make special exceptions for certain hardliners when there is evidence pointing to them, in order to buy time.”

"But there is currently no evidence pointing to that teacher named Ikeda Rui; all we have is the parent's side of the story. This isn't rape; you can't just rely on a word—"

"Pyeongseong Dragon!"

Iwaki interrupted him, his tone turning serious. He suddenly realized that this usually sensible subordinate had changed inexplicably today.

But he couldn't quite put his finger on what the specific changes were.

"Have you been eating too much Kang Sheng? Are you mentally confused and starting to get delirious?" Pan Cheng said heavily.

Ping Shenglong remained unmoved, his expression still blank: "Perhaps, but Minister, I stand by my judgment, and..."

Ding ding ding.

The internal phone on the desktop rang. Iwaki stopped Heisei Ryu from speaking, glanced at the caller ID, coughed twice, and answered the phone.

"Good afternoon, Director. Is there any instruction?"

".Um."

His grip on the microphone tightened suddenly, and he turned to look at Ping Shenglong in disbelief, his eyes wide as if he were looking at a stranger.

"I understand. I will pay attention. Yes, thank you, Director."

Minister Iwaki silently hung up the phone, the shock in his eyes slowly fading, replaced by a surge of anger.

Flames of extreme rage.

Boom!
With lightning speed, he grabbed the ashtray on the table and smashed it hard on Ping Shenglong's head.

With a muffled thud, Ping Shenglong took the blow with his skull.

Blood gushed out instantly.

But Iwaki showed no regret or pity, and continued to stare intently at Pyeongseo Ryu.

"Why do this?"

“Because I have my reasons for doing this, Minister. Please allow me to continue.” Ping Shenglong, with blood staining half his face, suppressed his dizziness and nausea, and looked directly at Minister Iwaki. “I stand by my judgment and have submitted the report to the Superintendent General of Police.”

This is why Minister Iwaki is angry!

The fact that his trusted confidant, whom he had personally promoted, was now resorting to reporting to higher authorities without his consent completely enraged Iwaki.

"What right do you have to talk about perseverance! If you were this persistent, you wouldn't have become a section chief in the first place, and I wouldn't have promoted you! Do you really think you can become a section chief just by solving a few cases?! Then why didn't I use Tianjin AI as the section chief of the First Investigation Division?!" "Ping Shenglong, you have disappointed me greatly. Now, you are suspended. Get out! Get out of the Criminal Investigation Department!! Get out of the Metropolitan Police Department!!"

Iwaki was panting heavily, his face flushed with anger and blood. One hand gripped the blood-stained ashtray tightly, while the other pointed to the door, rising and falling with his heavy breathing.

As if he had expected this, Ping Shenglong took out a police handbook from his pocket and placed it on the table.

Then he slowly stood up, walked unsteadily to the door, opened it, and left.

Outside the office, people watched in shock as Ping Shenglong emerged from the detective minister's office covered in blood, and several acquaintances rushed over to help him up.

"Quick! Hold on to this for a moment, I'll go get the car and bring it to the door!"

"Make way, clear the path, don't block the way!"

"Go to the elevator entrance in the underground parking lot, don't go through the main entrance!"

No one asked how this happened, or rather, just as they were about to ask, they wisely kept quiet after remembering that Pyeongsung had come out of the minister's office.

Just as the effects of the medication wore off, Ping Shenglong felt the drowsiness that had accumulated over the past few days begin to overwhelm him, and his body slowly lost its support.

"Section Chief Ping?!"

"Quick, put him on my back!"

"Tsk, concussion, minor fracture, open wound. That's enough for minor injuries, right? Can't you prosecute? Is the bullying in your criminal investigation department this severe? Your position isn't exactly low, it feels like you're worse off than an ordinary company employee."

The next night.

Inside the hospital, Kurosaki Chimei was there to accompany him.

Ping Shenglong, who had been unconscious for a day and a night, had just woken up half an hour ago. He was currently wearing bandages and receiving an IV drip, staring at the empty ceiling.

"Hey, I've only been a consultant for a few days. Does this count as automatic resignation and mean I won't get paid?"

"No, you still hold your consultant status. You've just suspended me from my position, but haven't fired me yet." Ping Shenglong's voice was somewhat hoarse.

Kurosaki suddenly perked up and sat up from the stretcher: "So what you're saying is that I can get paid without going to work?"

"almost."

"Bingo! So this is the job I've always dreamed of—being a consultant. No wonder so many people become consultants after they retire."

Kurosaki went back to sleep comfortably.

"But I still can't understand it. Your actions make no sense at all. Reporting to a higher level without authorization? What were you thinking? Don't you know that this is the thing these official departments hate the most?"

"Moreover, the content of your report, which bypassed your superiors, was the truth. I can almost understand how the minister who hit you felt at that time."

"Thank goodness he still had some sense and didn't draw his gun. You're not planning to take the bullet head-on, are you?"

Kurosaki shook his head and sighed.

"It's only because I firmly believe in the existence of ghost stories, otherwise—"

Ping Shenglong suddenly spoke up: "Do you really think you know me well?"

Upon hearing this, Kurosaki opened his mouth, then fell silent again.

He initially wanted to say it was alright, but upon closer reflection, he suddenly realized that during their time together, Ping Shenglong hadn't really shown much of his personality in front of him; he was mostly calm, serious, and focused on his work.

The only time I saw him show any emotional fluctuation was in Muto's secret room, when we were fighting and retracing the scene to make deductions.

He laughed from the bottom of his heart at that moment.

Yes, Kurosaki finally came to his senses. It seemed that the only side of Heisei Ryu he knew was the one that he was willing to show.

If I had to give an analogy, it would be the first thin layer of ice on the frozen lake.

The real undercurrents, the buried reefs, and even the sunlight distorted by the ice crystals are all lurking in the deeper, dark blue.

"So, Hira-san, is this the 'gambler' you mentioned to me before?" Kurosaki seemed to understand.

Ping Shenglong did not answer the question directly, but just stared at the ceiling.

"What I want is something I can't get through normal means. This position is the highest I can reach in my life. For the rest of my life, I can only look at the towering cliffs ahead helplessly."

"Unless the mountain collapses by itself to create a path."

"A path that no one has ever walked before."

　We're almost there! I'll finish writing the perfect ending and rewards in the next day or two, and then I'll start causing trouble!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)