Tokyo: I'm really not a killer

The neon signs on the street flashed densely, illuminating the night sky of the port area in a hazy crimson hue.

The streets of Roppongi and Akasaka were bustling with people. Hara Masaki, wearing a baseball cap, hurried to the station's vending machine to buy nearly three months' worth of the Metropolitan Police Department Gazette and the Asahi Shimbun.

He found an izakaya (Japanese pub), sat in a corner near the door, poured himself a drink, and looked down at the newspaper, using it to cover his entire face.

The Metropolitan Police Department, in a cunning move, deliberately released the address of the Yamakegumi's office, making the information accessible to anyone. Hara Masaki learned from the Metropolitan Police Department Gazette that the office address was 4-2 Senju-Akebono-cho, Adachi-ku.

There was nothing noteworthy in the Asahi Shimbun. Hara Masaki quickly flipped through the pages until he reached a newspaper from three months ago, where he finally found a report related to Kuwata Kenkichi.

"According to sources, Kenkichi Kuwata travels to the Minato Ward every month to have passionate encounters with his mistress..."

"The fierce tiger of Northeast China pinned the voluptuous beauty beneath him, who only let out soft whimpers and did not resist. He easily grasped the woman's two slender wrists with one hand and pressed them above her head, while his other hand roughly tore open the neckline of her pale yellow dress..."

Genshin turned the page, and the next item was a GG message: "For details, please purchase the Peach Blossom Newspaper."

"...Tsk."

Hara Masaki closed the newspaper, got up to pay the bill, and took a taxi to Adachi Ward. To avoid the driver seeing his face, he held the newspaper upright and pretended to read it.

If only we had "The Deceiver's Remains," that piece of equipment would be perfect for gathering intelligence.

The Senju-Sakuragicho area in Adachi Ward is also very lively at this time of year. The streets are full of thugs, walking arm in arm with each other in and out of izakayas. As far as the eye can see, there are low-rise apartment buildings and rows of factories.

"one two three……"

As Yuan Zhensheng passed through the main road, he glanced at Senju Akebono Town out of the corner of his eye. The building had three floors and exposed red bricks on the outside, making it look rather simple.

There were gangsters patrolling, so he didn't want to linger and went straight into the restaurant diagonally opposite. He'd barely sat down, and before he could even order, a familiar voice came from beside him:

"Tsk tsk tsk, isn't that Yuan Jun!"

Hara was startled, thinking that he could run into an acquaintance in this desolate place. He turned around and saw that the one speaking was none other than Shinomiya Rin.

She was wearing a cheap suit, her hair tied back in a bun, and she was grinning wickedly with a mocking expression on her face.

Oh right, this guy said he was going to investigate the case all night, so it's not surprising that he was staking out the office across from Kenkichi Kuwata's office.

Rin Shinomiya was in a good mood and seized the opportunity to mock me: "Hmph, you pretended to reject me verbally, but secretly came to investigate the case. You lowly senior are really dishonest!"

Unable to explain, Hara Masaki could only assume he was there to investigate. He tried to change the subject: "How did you know that Kuwata Kenkichi was the next target?"

This is really strange; he won't be sure until he finds out.

"Want to know? Beg me!" Rin Shinomiya said smugly, raising her chin and putting her hands on her hips. "You need to adopt a respectful attitude, like saying, 'Shinomiya-sama, please tell me.' Only then can I feel your sincerity—"

Before she could finish speaking, a scolding voice came from the restaurant counter: "Shinomiya! Go clear the tables right now! We don't pay you to sit here and chat with customers!"

"Hey!" Shinomiya Rin stood up, holding a rag in her hand, and said with a displeased look, "I'm going to work now, you keep monitoring..."

Yuan Zhensheng held up the menu and loudly interrupted, "Waiter, I'd like to order!"

Shinomiya Rin was taken aback and was about to explode in anger, but seeing the manager watching from the side, she could only grit her teeth and suppress her rage. She took out a pen and paper from her cheap suit and asked, "Welcome, what would you like to order?"

Yuan Zhensheng loved seeing her angry yet helpless expression, especially when she wore a uniform with her hair in a bun and looked disgusted. If this were in a doujinshi, she would immediately be given a lecture.

"What's with that expression? Don't you know you should provide smiling service? Honestly, it's ruining my appetite." Yuan Zhensheng put down the menu.

Shinomiya Rin angrily retorted, "Don't go too far—"

"Hey, Shinomiya!" the manager yelled from the side, "If you don't want to work here, get out! Don't ruin the business!"

Rin Shinomiya's face turned red, like a ripe tomato, and she was even snorting through her small nose. Even when she was angry, she was still very cute.

She silently told herself, "Don't be angry, don't be angry. Getting angry gives the devil room to maneuver..."

This was just a temporary job for her to use as a cover. Once her surveillance was over, she had to come to this store and spend lavishly, slapping the store manager's mercenary face with banknotes until he knelt down and loudly proclaimed, "I was blind and looked down on people; I shouldn't have treated service industry employees so poorly..."

Shinomiya Rin forced a smile and asked, "What would you like to order, sir?"

Yuan Zhensheng waved his hand, urging, "Let's have some yakitori first."

After Shinomiya Rin left, he observed the office through the curtain and found that five teams of yakuza members were taking turns on guard duty on the outside, leaving no blind spots in any direction. Everyone was full of energy and did not look sleepy at all.

In addition, there are reflective spots behind the windows, which are either snipers or observers; the patrol members all have bulging waists, obviously equipped with firearms; there are spikes in the front yard, and the glass is bulletproof. Most outrageous of all, they are well-disciplined and will go in groups of three to chant slogans when changing shifts.

Isn't this a mafia gang? How come their security is better than the White House? In my last life, even during a presidential speech, a sniper sneaked out to eat a donut!

Yuan Zhensheng was in a bit of a dilemma.

Under normal circumstances, performing a task of this difficulty would take at least a year.

It takes a lot of time to observe the target and patiently wait for a year or even three years. Sooner or later, you will be able to wait until the security forces relax.

But the financial bubble is going to burst in a year, at which point hitmen will be laid off and unemployed, and they might not even be able to rob anyone on the street.

Now is the golden age to make money. If he can only earn 100 million yen a year, he might as well become a male escort! Maybe he'll meet a soft-hearted Ms. Uesugi in the first month and she'll reward him with 100 million yen in spending money.

To put it bluntly, being an assassin and going into prostitution are the same thing.

If it weren't for making quick money, who would sell their body?

While eating the yakitori served by Shinomiya Rin, Genma secretly decided to take a risk.

He firmly believes that fortune favors the bold, and that whether it is a business or a government, it is always the weak who pursue stability and the strong who bear the risks.

Hara Masaki threw down the wooden stick, ignored Shinomiya Rin's murderous glare, paid the bill and left, taking a taxi to the Bunkyo Ward Clinic in Tokyo.

This hospital is the only forensic autopsy institution designated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office. All homicide cases in Tokyo must be autopsied here; it is the only one of its kind.

Hospital security was not tight, and wandering around wearing a mask would not attract attention. Yuan Zhensheng easily slipped into the morgue and found the freezer with the nameplate "Shino Miki".

Ordinary suicide cases are never sent for examination, but since a gun was involved in the case, an autopsy must be performed in shooting deaths according to mandatory regulations.

Hara Masaki opened the cabinet, and a cloud of cold mist billowed out. A white sheet covered the corpse. He lifted the top of the sheet, revealing Akiyama Miki's face, and the system subtitles popped up again before his eyes:

"Should we collect the remains of the person who became unstable?"

"Yes"

There was no flash of white light, nor any unusual phenomenon. Miki Akiyama's face disappeared little by little out of thin air, and the whole process took less than three seconds.

When the progress bar finished, the system prompted "Equipment extracted". Akiyama Miki's face was left with only exposed muscle tissue, with bulging eyeballs and exposed teeth, making her look particularly terrifying.

A mask icon has been added to the system inventory.

Yuan Zhensheng covered the refrigerator with the white sheet again, but when he pushed it, the rollers got stuck, making a dull thud. The motion-sensor light outside the door turned on, and the security guard shouted sternly, "Who's in there?!"