Holding the original shares, they fought all the way to the Korean War!

"Pick it up."

Kenzo Sato bent down, picked up the telegram from the ground, and looked it over.

His face turned even paler.

"Did you see that?"

Hata Shunroku's voice was still not loud.

"The headquarters said that the personnel arrangements for the East China Expeditionary Army Headquarters need to be reconsidered."

He took a step forward, less than a step away from Kenzo Sato.

Do you understand what this means?

Kenzo Sato's Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

"clear."

"Tell me about it."

"The General Headquarters was very dissatisfied with the East China Expeditionary Army Command."

"Very dissatisfied?"

Hata Shunroku repeated the word, then gently shook his head.

"Sato-kun, you underestimate these four words."

His tone suddenly turned cold.

"The headquarters is not expressing dissatisfaction."

"They are issuing a warning."

"I was warned that if I didn't handle this properly, I would be dismissed."

"I'm warning you, if you don't catch the culprit, you'll be dismissed as well."

He paused for a moment, his gaze falling on Kenzo Sato's pale face.

"It's not just about being dismissed."

Kenzo Sato shuddered violently.

"Commander..."

"you tell me."

Hata Shunroku interrupted him.

"It's been almost six hours since 4 p.m.

"What did you do during those six hours?"

Kenzo Sato's forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat.

"I've set up a blockade..."

"Checkpoints have been set up on all major streets, intersections, stations, and docks..."

"The search team is conducting a house-to-house search..."

"I know all of this."

Hata Shunroku interrupted him again.

"I'm not asking about these superficial things."

"What I want to ask is, what did you find?"

"Have you found any trace of the killer?"

Kenzo Sato's lips moved, but no sound came out.

Hata Shunroku stared at him for several seconds.

Then he spoke slowly, his tone carrying a chilling calmness.

There's nothing there.

"You found nothing."

"In six hours, you mobilized several thousand troops and sealed off the entire city, but you didn't even manage to touch a single one."

He walked back behind his desk, sat down, leaned back in his chair, and kept his gaze fixed on Kenzo Sato.

"Sato-kun, do you know what I'm thinking right now?"

Kenzo Sato shook his head slightly.

"I'm wondering if you're really conducting a thorough search, or if you're just going through the motions."

Hata Shunroku's voice was very soft, but every word pierced Sato Kenzo's ears like a needle.

"I'm wondering if your Special Higher Police (STPD) has already been infiltrated."

"I'm wondering if the sniper was able to succeed and escape unscathed because someone provided him with inside information."

Kenzo Sato's face turned from pale to ashen.

"Commander, I assure you, the Special Higher Police absolutely did not..."

"You have no right to promise me anything."

Hata Shunroku interrupted him, his tone remaining calm.

"The only thing you can do now is find the person for me."

"Three days."

He held up three fingers.

"Six hours have passed since 4 p.m.

You have two and a half days left.

"If the murderer is still at large two and a half days later..."

He paused for a moment, his gaze falling on Kenzo Sato's face.

"You don't need to come see me anymore."

"You know in your heart what you should do."

Kenzo Sato stood there, looking as if his bones had been removed.

But he remained standing at attention, his voice hoarse as he squeezed it out from his throat.

"Hi."

"Get out!"

Kenzo Sato turned and strode out of the office.

The door slammed shut behind him with a heavy thud.

The footsteps in the corridor quickly faded away.

The office fell silent again.

Hata Shunroku sat there alone, his gaze fixed on the closed door, and remained motionless for a long time.

His words were not meant to intimidate Kenzo Sato, nor were they intended to vent his anger.

Those words are true.

He did begin to have doubts.

They questioned the efficiency of the Special Higher Police and whether it had been infiltrated.

He knew even more clearly that the words in that telegram were also true.

That sentence was like a thorn stuck deep in his mind.

What he urgently needs now is a result.

Regardless of the outcome.

As long as there is a result, he can give an explanation to his headquarters.

And if after two and a half days there's still nothing...

He didn't think any further.

He simply sat back down at his desk, picked up the telegram again, and read it through from beginning to end once more.

He then put down the telegram, picked up the telephone on the table, and cranked the handle.

"Get me the military police."

The operator's voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Military Police Duty Room".

"I am Hata Shunroku. I order the military police to fully cooperate with the Special Higher Police in the search. There shall be no shirking or delay."

"Hi!"

He paused for a moment, then hung up the phone.

The office returned to quiet.

……

Kenzo Sato returned to the police station compound.

The lights in the courtyard were blindingly bright.

Dozens of Special Higher Police officers were moving back and forth in the courtyard.

Kenzo Sato crossed the courtyard, pushed open the door to the command center, and went inside.

Several group leaders were gathered around the map discussing something when they heard the door being pushed open, and they all turned around at the same time.

The moment their gazes fell on Kenzo Sato's face, the group fell silent almost simultaneously.

The already faint murmur of conversation inside the room vanished instantly.

Kenzo Sato remained silent.

He walked to the head of the table, sat down, and took off his hat, placing it on the table.

The people inside were still standing; no one dared to sit down.

"What are you all standing there for?"

Kenzo Sato's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling quality that sent shivers down one's spine.

"sit down."

The group quickly sat down in their respective seats.

Kenzo Sato's gaze swept across their faces one by one before he spoke.

"It's been six hours since 4 p.m. until now."

"Tell me, what have you been doing for the past six hours?"

No one answered.

The group leader sitting on the far left forced himself to speak.

"Section Chief, we have completed the door-to-door investigation of the three main streets within the Japanese Concession..."

"What are the results of the investigation?"

"Currently... no suspicious persons have been found."

No suspicious persons were found.

Kenzo Satoh repeated the sentence, his face expressionless.

He turned his gaze to the person in the middle.

"And you?"

"A comprehensive search has been completed in the eastern section of the Chinese-controlled area, and no suspicious persons have been found so far..."

Kenzo Sato didn't wait for him to finish speaking.

Suddenly he stood up, placed his hands on the table, and leaned forward.

"Are you telling me that we haven't caught a single person?"

"The sniper disappeared in less than ten minutes from the moment he fired the shot."

"He couldn't have vanished into thin air."

"You're telling me you haven't gotten a single useful piece of intelligence?"

……