No one understands the laws of Collider better than me.

A short while later, Inspector Megure called. Unaware that Masaki Kitahara had been monitoring the situation, Inspector Megure assumed that Kitahara was unaware of what had happened.

"Brother Kitahara, Ando's gang just attacked the safe house where Zhu Yinjing is!"

"I see! So what's the situation now? Are any of you injured?"

"Haha! Luckily, we were fortunate; most of us only suffered minor injuries."

"That's good. Inspector Megure, now go and ask that woman where Ando got his gun. If all goes well, you should be able to get her testimony, which will complete the chain of evidence in this case. Oh, and put it on speakerphone."

After receiving instructions, Inspector Megure immediately went to question the still-shaken Akane Shizuka. The woman was quite frightened during the firefight, but when Inspector Megure explained to her that Ando's Ueno Group was finished, her expression was captured by a drone outside the window.

She was very happy, but her happy expression looked somewhat cruel.

"Ms. Zhu Yinjing, could you tell us where the handgun that Ando used to shoot and wound the police officer came from?"

"Where did the gun come from?"

"Yes! Was that pistol from the Ueno Group? After all, Ando's yakuza group is from there."

Zhu Yinjing lowered her head and remained silent for a while, then quickly nodded vigorously and shouted:

“That pistol belongs to them! I’ve heard Ando brag to me about his gang before, and one of the things he talked about was guns.”

Hearing this, Kitahara Masaki sighed, not relieved, because Zhu Yinjing's words confirmed that she was lying! How could she not have told the police about such important information beforehand? Right now, she was just in the throes of a near-death experience, her adrenaline surging, so she acted without thinking, assuming she had thought it through, and fabricated a lie that could be easily exposed upon closer examination.

Kitahara Masaki paced back and forth in the room. If this woman wanted to close the case as soon as possible, then she must have a deep connection to it, or at least be guilty of an inescapable crime.

Thinking of this, Kitahara Masaki told Inspector Megure his speculation and asked him to press Zhu Yinjing, who was not quite clear-headed at the moment.

“Ms. Zhu Yinjing, where did that gun come from? Officer Kitahara has already found out that the gun did not come from the Ueno Group, but is related to you.”

As a veteran police officer, Inspector Megure immediately began interrogating Akane Shizuka after receiving Kitahara Masaki's deduction. Meanwhile, Kitahara Masaki was somewhat uncertain, as his investigation of Akane Shizuka's relationships, bank accounts, and call records yielded absolutely no clues. This yakuza mistress had no family; the money in her bank accounts was primarily transferred to her by Ando, ​​which she quickly squandered on various entertainment activities. The call records also showed no evidence of any contact between her and anyone else.

Even the possibility of buying guns on the dark web was ruled out after her computer was checked.

If she is the real culprit, how did she manage to contact the gun supplier?

When pressed for answers, Zhu Yinjing showed a flustered expression, but she didn't say anything like before and just remained silent.

"Ms. Zhu Yinjing? Please answer my question."

"I don't need it! You have no right to interrogate me! Besides, I don't understand what you're talking about. If you really have any evidence, show it to me!"

Although Kitahara Masaki really wanted to slap her in the face, he didn't have any evidence, which is why he asked Inspector Megure to bluff her. It seems this woman is not someone to be trifled with.

After Inspector Megure was kicked out, he held up his phone and asked:

"That woman doesn't want to budge, what do we do next, Brother Kitahara?"

Kitahara Masaki thought for a moment and replied:

"Tell her that even if there are still remnants of the Ueno Group that haven't been eliminated, the things they've done are enough to declare them dead. So the police will no longer provide her with shelter and will kick her out of the safe house!"

"This—this can't be—"

“It’s okay. As long as we do this, she will definitely contact the mastermind, and then we will be able to find out who provided the guns. Don’t worry, I will follow her from now on.”

"Alright, let's do it your way. For the sake of the Metropolitan Police Department's reputation, we absolutely must get this case sorted out. If anything goes wrong, the number of colleagues being shot in the future could very well increase!"

"Yes, so I'll take charge of the follow-up myself."

Kitahara Masaki hung up the phone, watching Zhu Yinjing being kicked out of the safe house, and smiled as he watched her drive back to her own home. After all, he didn't need to follow her at all; he only needed to rely on the transmitter on her to know that she had returned home.

He then turned on the surveillance camera installed in her home. For Kitahara Masaki, who had long been tracking and monitoring the entire situation through various means, this so-called violation was not worth mentioning at all.

What shocked him was that after Zhu Yinjing hurriedly returned home, instead of taking money and her passport to escape, she actually took out the VR headset at home, which is a VR glasses specifically for computers. After opening a certain software on the computer, she put the VR glasses on her head.

What's this? Playing VR games one more time before running away?

No, no, no, that's absolutely impossible. So, does that mean the so-called contact method is actually a VR social game?!

This way, no call or text message records are generated, and communication can be carried out even across thousands of miles.

It seems that not only do crime-solving methods increase with technological advancements, but even criminals' means of communication remain the same.

This truly broadened Kitahara Masaki's horizons; he was amazed that he could have face-to-face communication through a virtual platform provided by VR, without needing a telephone or computer.

So it seems those guys aren't ordinary criminals.

Chapter 338 Wouldn't it be better to obediently go to jail?

A short while later, Zhu Yinjing put down her VR glasses. Seemingly having found a way to protect herself in the virtual world, she left very quickly.

Now, Kitahara Masaki finally began to follow her, because Zhu Yinjing was likely going to meet someone who could help her escape, or rather, the person who provided the guns.

Following Zhu Yinjing, an ordinary person who had not received any counter-surveillance training, was effortless. Kitahara Masaki followed her with a yawn as she arrived at a place that was obviously a high-end establishment. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, one could see a group of wealthy people holding expensive tea sets. Zhu Yinjing walked toward a middle-aged man who was drinking expensive black tea and reading a newspaper. The middle-aged man from Japan exuded an aura of money that was soaked in, giving people a disgusting feeling.

Kitahara Masaki took out his eavesdropping equipment and quickly overheard their conversation.

“Mr. Kashi, I’m being hunted down by the Ueno Group. I don’t know if I’ll tell the police things I shouldn’t.”

"Hehe, Miss Zhu Yin, our game only exists in the virtual world. When you come to me offline, it means you're already out of the game."

"Really? If I had come to see you all by myself, I guess so."

The middle-aged Japanese man, posing as a British nobleman, frowned slightly. He looked around and, upon realizing Zhu Yinjing had indeed come alone, said impatiently:

"I thought you were a brave person, but it turns out you're playing the empty city trick on me?"

At this moment, Zhu Yinjing, like a gambler, pointed out the window and laughed:

"Looks like you still don't understand the situation? Just now, because the Ueno Group's attack failed, the police kicked me out of the safe house. I know this is a police tactic to get me to come to you."

Hearing this, Kitahara Masaki thought to himself that this woman was indeed extraordinary. She had recovered so quickly from being shot by machine guns and bombarded by grenades, and she was even able to figure out why Kitahara Masaki had kicked her out of the safe house.

"Hmph! You think you can throw mud at me? You're not qualified!"

“Oh, I’m not enough, but how about Kitahara Masaki? That police officer who has the backing of the Metropolitan Police Department and whose fiancée is a member of a major American conglomerate, he should be enough, right? Just now, he used completely legal means to get a member of Congress in jail.”

The middle-aged man finally couldn't hold back any longer and ordered his bodyguards to chase Zhu Yinjing away. Zhu Yinjing, who had been thrown out the door, smiled as she looked at the parking lot. If Kitahara Masaki was in charge of this case, she believed that the police would definitely be monitoring her closely.

"You're very confident."

Hearing the sudden sound behind her, Zhu Yinjing suppressed the urge to kneel down in fright. Turning around, she saw Kitahara Masaki, who was a whole head taller than her.

"Hehe, of course, everyone knows how powerful the Fiery Eagle is. Seeing it today—"

"You truly live up to your reputation, don't you? Want me to take you in for another storytelling performance? You've won this gamble. Now tell me, who was that middle-aged man you just met?"

Her words were abruptly cut off, and Zhu Yinjing had no choice but to accept it. If the man in front of her didn't protect her, she would definitely be silenced by the man inside.

“Kashi Osamu! His name is Kashi Osamu. He's the one who provided me with the guns, saying that if I used these guns to kill a policeman, he would give me 500 million yen!”

Kitahara Masaki nodded and immediately handcuffed her. Just as he was about to take her back to the Metropolitan Police Department, the middle-aged man inside came out. He was none other than Kashii Osamu, whom Zhu Yinjing had mentioned.

“Officer Kitahara, I don’t think we need to have such an unpleasant argument. There’s no evidence for anything that woman said.”

Whether what she said is true or not, our police will naturally investigate; it's none of your concern.

"Kitahara Masaki! I told you there's no need for us to have any unpleasantness!"

“That’s true. The councilor I had a falling out with last time has become an idiot who can’t control his bowel movements. So you’d better not cause me any trouble.”

Watching Kitahara Masaki leave with Zhu Yinjing, Kashiki Shumei trembled with anger, but the thought of Meida's current situation filled him with fear. Meida, who was originally from a prominent family, was now unable to even control himself when going to the toilet, making him even more miserable than a cripple.

After bringing Zhu Yinjing back to the Metropolitan Police Department, Kitahara Masaki personally interrogated her.

"Zhu Yinjing, do you have anything to say about the police shooting incident?"

“I am the criminal who shot that police officer. Ando thought I was his woman, so he used shooting the police officer as a way to brag about his own achievements. That day, I saw the police officer who was on his way to work. After seeing that there were no pedestrians or surveillance cameras around the road, I just shot him.”

"Where did the firearms come from?"

“It was provided by Kashi Xiuming! He told me to get the gun from a locker, and the key was on top of the locker.”

How did you two get in touch?

"By creating a VR social game, each interaction can be conducted in a separate room, allowing you to chat through the game's independent chat room."

Kitahara Masaki nodded. The current testimony was enough for them to arrest Kashiki Osamu. According to Ai's investigation, the VR social game was one of the products of Kashiki Osamu's internet company. In other words, he could play the game however he wanted. As for the connection with Akane Shizuka in the game, it was likely that it had been erased. At this stage, they could only trace the source of the firearms.

Just as Kitahara Masaki was about to arrest Kashiki Osamu, Director Hakuba suddenly called.

"Hello, Director Bai Ma, how can I help you?"

"For certain reasons, the arrest of Kashio Shigeaki had to be suspended."

If they wanted to find the source of the handgun, they had to start with Osamu Kashi. The period between arrest and prosecution could be up to 23 days. If they had arrested Kashi, they could have definitely determined the source of the firearm. However, the higher-ups have stopped them now, and not being able to find the source of the firearm has become a loophole for the police.

"Director White Horse, if we don't arrest Kashimi Shumei now, he might destroy anything that could be used as evidence."

“Officer Kitahara, I know your sense of justice won’t allow you to compromise with crime, but I can only tell you that Kasai Osamu’s money has already infiltrated the higher-ups, and I can’t do anything about it. Moreover, even if you forcefully bring him back to the station, he will be released in less than an hour.”

What could Kitahara Masaki say after hearing this? He could only wish him good health and all the best.

However, he didn't think it was a big deal. Kashi Osamu was nothing. If it was just about taking his life, Kitahara Masaki had plenty of ways to do it. But right now, he was thinking about how to bring Kashi Osamu to justice. After all, that damned zaibatsu had hurt his little brother Takagi. No matter what, he had to make this guy who thought he was superior pay the price.

Chapter 339 He was just bait

"What! She said she's going to change her testimony?"

"Yes, after her new lawyer arrived, she completely denied her crimes and intended to force the prosecution to agree to her request to change her testimony."

Just as Kitahara Masaki was pondering how to legally arrest Kashii Osamu, Zhu Yinjing suddenly caused this incident. Just as Kitahara Masaki was about to discuss it with the prosecutor, he received a call from Prosecutor Kujo.

"So, does your prosecution really intend to accept this kind of deal?"

"Sigh, this case wasn't assigned to me. I guess the higher-ups are wary of our relationship. Besides, the prosecutor in charge of the case agreed to her request."

"why?"

Kujo sighed and continued answering:

"It's simple, because it's troublesome. You haven't arrested Kashi Hideaki yet, nor have you found any evidence that he was involved in shooting the police officer. So if Zhu Yinjing's testimony contains such a troublesome big shot, the prosecution might as well remove the troublesome part of the testimony before the trial. After all, they're not going to prosecute Kashi Hideaki."

After learning why the prosecution had agreed to Zhu Yinjing's request, Kitahara Masaki was helpless. Zhu Yinjing's cooperative attitude suddenly changed after her new lawyer arrived. It seemed that she had reached some kind of shady deal with the new lawyer, and just one day later she overturned her previous testimony. Moreover, the prosecution, under pressure from higher-ups, went along with it without any hesitation and helped Kashi Osamu clear his name. Now Kashi Osamu is not even a person involved in the case.

With his collusion with higher-ups, he is now just an ordinary president of an internet company.

Kitahara Masaki was helpless about this. After returning home, he told Vermouth about the case, and she very considerately offered to help Kitahara Masaki forge an alibi again so that he would have time to deal with Kasai Osamu.

"No need. If we do that every time, the fun of punishing them will be diminished."

"So you're planning to use legal means to arrest him again this time?"