Tokyo: I'm really not a killer

Chapter 83 The Scapegoat

Yuan Zhensheng replied, "Reporting to Section Chief Yamamoto, Chief Nishio notified me to come here at the last minute, saying that the police station is short-staffed and needs my help with the peripheral document organization and filing work. I just arrived and was about to go to the office to report for duty."

Upon hearing this, Yamamoto Koji waved his hand and casually said, "Alright, go ahead."

Yuan Zhensheng didn't leave immediately. He lowered his voice and asked, "Section Chief, the atmosphere seems a bit tense. Did something happen? I think I heard the Director getting angry when I passed by just now."

Yamamoto Koji clicked his tongue and gestured with his chin toward the interrogation room: "What else could it be? Yesterday afternoon's prison break case, the blind girl they brought back, Izumi is interrogating her in there, but he hasn't gotten a single thing out of her. The chief is watching from behind, getting really anxious."

Akio Yoshioka couldn't help but interject, "That's right! The boss told me to find out why she came to the police station today, who notified her, every single detail—I've asked her several times already, and she just said she received a phone call to come and give supplementary testimony, and that knocking over the thermos was purely an accident. She doesn't know anything else."

He paused, as if remembering something, "Oh right, she's blind, so I had to read the statement for her and get her to sign it."

Yuan Zhensheng's face showed an "I see" expression, then he asked casually, "Then—regarding the prison break, did she see or hear anything suspicious?"

"What can a blind man think?" Yamamoto Koji scoffed, exhaling a smoke ring. "She says she didn't. I think either she genuinely didn't know and was just unlucky to have stumbled upon it, or she's just tough-guy and stubborn. Anyway, we don't have any evidence right now, so detaining her is just going through the motions, showing the higher-ups that we're making an effort."

He clearly had little interest in this pretense, and turned to Yoshioka Akio, saying, "Alright, Izumi is keeping an eye on things here, just write the report as we agreed before. Hara-kun, weren't you going to organize the documents? Hurry up and go, don't just stand here."

""

Yuan Zhensheng obtained the information he wanted.

Ichigo Mitsuko is temporarily safe and keeping quiet; the police have no substantial evidence.

Hara Masaki bowed slightly: "Yes, Section Chief, Inspector Yoshioka, I'll get back to work now."

As he turned to leave, he caught a glimpse of the front-page headlines of several morning newspapers on the magazine rack at the end of the corridor.

As expected, what happened last night made the news.

The front-page photo shows the chaotic scene at the side entrance of the police station last night, with a striking headline: "Suspect escapes from Minato Ward Police Station in Tokyo!"

Suspected gangsters break prisoner, police lose face! "Hollywood drama unfolds inside police station? Suspect in congressional assassination attempt escapes under heavy guard."

The report detailed the chaotic events of last night: during Prosecutor Kurokawa's visit, smoke and a suspected explosion occurred inside the police station, causing several officers to inhale harmful gases and temporarily lose their mobility. Subsequently, key suspect Hideaki Shiraishi mysteriously disappeared from the third-floor detention cell.

A reporter quoted an unnamed police source as saying that the incident exposed a major security loophole within the police station and was "highly likely the work of external forces familiar with the station's internal structure." Some tabloids even suggested that this might be a blatant provocation and demonstration by organized crime against the recent crackdown by the police.

The news, like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, caused a huge social upheaval.

The morning news on television was rolling out, and the political talk show host was fiercely questioning the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's ability to maintain order. With the yakuza assassination and the shooting of a lawmaker still fresh in people's minds, the fact that even a suspect could be abducted from a police station quickly ignited public anxiety, with voices questioning whether the police "can't even protect their own neighborhood" becoming increasingly prevalent.

The chief's office was nearly overwhelmed with phone calls from high-ranking officials in the Metropolitan Police Department.

Initially, it was an inquiry from a section chief, then a questioning from a minister, and finally even the director himself called, coldly ordering the commissioner to "give the public an explanation as soon as possible and bring the fugitive back, or face the consequences."

The pressure weighed heavily on the director; his face was ashen, and he repeatedly bowed and apologized over the phone, his shirt back soaked with sweat.

Meanwhile, at the prosecutor's office, Prosecutor Kurokawa's anger was directly translated into action.

He not only told the media that he was extremely disappointed with the police department's serious dereliction of duty, but also put pressure on the Metropolitan Police Department through various channels, demanding that the relevant personnel be held directly responsible and that the reliability of all the evidence in the case be reassessed. This was almost tantamount to completely negating the police department's previous efforts and directly linking the failure to capture Hideaki Shiraishi to the erosion of the case's foundation.

After receiving several calls of accountability from senior officials and the media, the director walked out of his office with a grim face and went straight to the interrogation room.

Izumi Mari had just come out of the interrogation room, holding a recorder in her hand, her face showing a hint of helplessness and exhaustion.

Upon seeing the director, she quickly bowed slightly and said, "Director."

The chief glanced at the tightly closed iron door of the interrogation room, then at Izumi Mari, his voice low and suppressed: "How's the interrogation going? Has the woman spoken?"

Izumi Mari shook her head: "She's sticking to her previous story, and she's very cooperative, but—we can't get any more information out of her. She's probably innocent."

"Why did she have to come at this crucial moment—just when the prosecutor arrived and the prisoner was being taken away?! And now you're telling me she's innocent?!"

The chief's voice suddenly rose, sounding particularly jarring in the quiet corridor, causing several passing officers to shrink back and quicken their pace to leave.

Izumi Mari was taken aback by the sudden reprimand. She lowered her head and said, "Chief, I—I followed the procedure carefully and tried different ways of questioning her, but she—"

"Procedure? Questioning method?"

The chief interrupted her, his chest heaving with anger. "This is not the time to talk about this! The higher-ups, the media, the prosecutor's office—everyone's eyes are on us! Prosecutor Kurokawa has already stated that he will reassess the entire chain of evidence. Do you know what that means? It means that all the work we've done before could be overturned! Our entire police station could become a laughingstock!"

He took a step closer, his finger almost touching Izumi Mari's nose: "I need a breakthrough! I need someone to take responsibility for this, or at least produce a decent report of the investigation's progress! Not just listen to your reports here without getting any more information!"

Izumi Mari's face flushed red and then paled: "But, Komi Yui is blind and a relative of the deceased, her status is special. Without evidence, we—"

"I don't care who she is!" the chief roared, spitting almost onto Izumi Mari's face. "The most important thing now is to give the higher-ups an explanation! Go in and continue the interrogation! Try a different approach! If necessary—think of something! In short, I need to see results by today! Do you hear me?!"

After saying that, the director glared at her fiercely, turned around and strode away, his leather shoes slamming heavily on the ground, leaving Izumi Mari standing there with an embarrassed look on her face.

Inside the lounge, Yamamoto Koji watched this scene through the glass window, clicking his tongue and shaking his head in sympathy. Feeling a pang of pity, he drew the blinds shut.

Out of sight, out of mind.

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