Tokyo: I'm really not a killer

After treating his wounds, Yuan Zhensheng changed back into his patrol uniform, reverted to his own face, and hurriedly returned to the checkpoint.

Yusuke Nishio was frantically dealing with the long line of cars, his forehead covered in sweat. When he saw Masaki Hara return, he first breathed a sigh of relief, but then his brows immediately furrowed.

"Yuan Jun! You bastard!"

Yusuke Nishio pulled him to the side of the road, lowering his voice, his tone filled with barely suppressed anger and suspicion, "You've had diarrhea for over an hour?! I was really worried and went to the public restroom next door to look for you, but there was no one there! Where did you go?!"

Yuan Zhensheng had anticipated this question.

He immediately clutched his stomach, his face showing weakness and pain, and even beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Director... I'm so sorry..."

His voice was weak, and he was slightly bent over. "I...I was indeed in the restroom. The cold beer was probably too strong, and I stayed in the stall...I couldn't hold on any longer, and I felt like I was going to pass out, so I went to the vending machine next door to buy a bottle of water to calm down...But I had only taken a few steps when I threw up on the roadside...It took me ages to clean it up..."

As he spoke, he made a nauseous face.

Yusuke Nishio looked at him with suspicion, then at his slightly pale face—a natural reaction to blood loss and the intense battle—and remembered that Hara Masaki had always worked very hard and had been praised at the police station, and that he had indeed appeared to be in great pain before leaving.

"...Is that really all?" Yusuke Nishio's tone softened slightly.

"Absolutely true, Chief. How could I dare to run around at a time like this..." Yuan Zhensheng lowered his head, his tone sincere yet tinged with lingering fear. "I'm so sorry for causing you trouble! I promise I'll perform my duties diligently from now on and will never make a mistake again!"

Yusuke Nishio stared at him for several seconds before finally letting out a heavy sigh.

With manpower severely lacking, and the checkpoint missions continuing, he couldn't possibly do anything to his only subordinate. Besides, Yuan Zhensheng did seem to be in a bad mood.

"Sigh... whatever." Yusuke Nishio waved his hand irritably. "Get back to your posts! The convoy is jammed like this! Next time you're not feeling well, say so earlier, don't push yourself!"

"Yes! Thank you, Chief!" Yuan Zhensheng immediately straightened his back, walked quickly back to his inspection position, picked up the record board, and began to check the next car.

Yusuke Nishio watched his busy figure, shook his head, and turned to shout at the convoy, "Next! Hurry up!"

……

Meanwhile, Yamamoto Koji received a report that an arson had occurred in Adachi Ward, destroying a convenience store and finding two bodies at the scene.

"Damn it, they're making things worse at a time like this," Yamamoto Koji muttered, but his hands and feet didn't stop. He beckoned to Yoshioka Akio, "Let's go, let's go check out the scene."

"Yes, boss!" Akio Yoshioka replied immediately and followed Koji Yamamoto into the police car.

The two drove to Adachi Ward.

Along the way, Akio Yoshioka was somewhat excited. He couldn't help but ask, "Boss, is this case related to the Swamp Man? Could it be that he committed another crime?"

"How is that possible? A city-wide manhunt, and instead of hiding, they're committing crimes against the wind?" Yamamoto Koji scoffed. "Do they really think the Metropolitan Police Department's detectives are just for show?"

Akio Yoshioka thought it made sense, nodded, and didn't ask any more questions.

When they arrived at the scene, the fire in the convenience store had already been extinguished, but the air was still filled with the smell of burning and fire-fighting water.

The building's exterior was blackened by smoke, all the glass was shattered, the internal shelves had collapsed, and most of the goods were burned, leaving a scene of utter devastation.

The forensic team was already busy inside.

Yamamoto Koji, with an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips, stood at the doorway, glanced around briefly, and didn't go in immediately.

He first asked the patrol officers on duty around the perimeter, "What's going on? Who called the police? Has the deceased been identified?"

Police reported that nearby residents saw the flames and smoke and called the fire department. The fire department arrived and extinguished the fire. A charred male body was found near the cash register. It was initially identified as a convenience store employee. The specific identity and cause of death need further investigation.

Yamamoto Koji nodded, then put on gloves and carefully stepped across the puddles into the store; Yoshioka Akio followed closely behind him, holding a notebook to take notes.

The scene inside the store was even more horrific.

Yamamoto Koji walked to the body, squatted down and examined it briefly. The body was curled up in the corner behind the cashier, burned beyond recognition.

"Boss, this..." Yoshioka Akio looked at the charred corpse and felt a pang of pity.

Yamamoto Koji didn't speak. He noticed glass shards and overturned shelves near the body, suggesting it wasn't simply a case of being trapped in a fire.

He stood up, looked around, and his gaze lingered on the burned shelves and walls.

"Go ask the forensic department if they found any accelerant residue, and also, roughly where the ignition point was," Yamamoto Koji instructed.

"Yes!" Akio Yoshioka hurriedly went to find the forensic team.

Yamamoto Koji strolled slowly inside the store. He walked to the side of the convenience store and found that the glass of a window had been smashed from the inside, and there were dark marks on the window frame that looked like bloodstains.

He squinted and looked at the ground again; there were also some shards of glass on the street outside.

At this moment, Akio Yoshioka returned and reported, "The forensic department said that preliminary tests showed alcohol residue, and they suspect arson, using a high-proof alcohol or similar accelerant. There were several points of origin for the fire, mainly concentrated in the shelving area and near the checkout counter."

Yamamoto Koji clicked his tongue, walked to the broken window, and pointed to the marks on the window frame: "See this? And the broken glass outside, someone crashed through here."

Akio Yoshioka leaned closer for a look, then suddenly realized, "Boss, you mean... the deceased might not be a store employee? Or, there were other people in the store at the time?"

"Anything is possible." Yamamoto Koji exhaled the cigarette from his mouth. "Check the staff information of this store and see if there has been anything unusual recently, or if they have made enemies. Also, ask the nearby residents if they have heard any unusual noises at night, such as arguments, fighting, or seen any suspicious people."

"Yes!" Yoshioka Akio ran off to carry out the order with great enthusiasm.

Yamamoto Koji stood there, looking at the charred convenience store with a furrowed brow.

"Could it be... that it really has something to do with that guy?"

Yamamoto Koji muttered to himself, but then shook his head, dismissing the thought.

Don't make wild guesses without evidence, especially when it comes to swamp men.

He lit another cigarette, took a deep drag, and watched Yoshioka Akio's back as he spoke to the residents in the distance.

"Sigh, back to work."

The task has been assigned to me, and the necessary procedures still need to be followed.

Yamamoto Koji planned to wait until Yoshioka Akio finished questioning him, gather some preliminary information, return to the police station to write a report, classify the case as "arson and murder suspected of being caused by robbery," and then leave it to the local detectives to deal with.

Anyway, the Special Investigation Unit's main focus is on the Shinomiya Masakazu sniping case and the manhunt for the Swamp Man, so no one will investigate this kind of minor case.