No one understands the laws of Collider better than me.

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"I'm so tired. And so bored. Do police officers have to endure this kind of suffering? Being crammed into such a small car, listening to a bunch of old men bragging."

A day later, high school detective Hattori Heiji sighed. He had expected that guy to fall into Kitahara's trap, but he hadn't expected him to be so calm and composed, not making a move all day.

"Haha, you're already tired after just one day? Hey, Takagi, how long did it take you to stake out that human trafficker?"

"One week, Kitahara-senpai. In the end, the culprit couldn't hold back and tried to commit another crime, but we caught him red-handed."

Kitahara Masaki, with his feet propped up on the passenger seat, rested his chin on his hand and looked towards the entrance of the Fourth Investigation Division, while Hattori Heiji beside him seemed much more anxious. Seeing that the Osaka shrew looked like he wanted to rush into the building, grab the suspect by the collar, and interrogate him, Kitahara Masaki tapped him on the head and said:

"How long do you think this relationship of covering for each other and accepting bribes has lasted?"

"The duration should not be short."

"Do you think they'll take action so easily? If it were that simple, I'd think we were the ones who were exposed first. But that officer named Yoshiaki Ono is really someone who can't keep a secret."

"Huh? What do you mean???"

“Think about it yourself. We just talked about two cases yesterday, and if we solve the drug trafficking case, the contribution will be significant. But this guy spends all his time at the police station doing nothing except going home to sleep. He’s obviously thinking about how to take away the evidence I sent him, which is so close to it.”

"Take it away? Isn't he afraid of being exposed?"

Kitahara Masaki smiled and replied:

"How many drug dealers still have any humanity left? Those people will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. Yoshiaki Ono may not want to be exposed, but those people don't care. They only care about whether their business can continue."

Thinking of this, Kitahara Masaki took out his phone and asked his scattered subordinates about the situation. However, in such a short time, there were naturally no constructive results, only the discovery of several secluded bars.

Smelling the aroma of alcohol but only able to drink ordinary soda water, it must have been tough for these middle-aged men.

"I've already sent you the plan. Now, take the rest of the people and find a bar to begin."

"Yes!"

Takagi, who wasn't eavesdropping, asked with great interest:

"Kitahara-senpai, what are the plans for the others?"

"Hehe, it's simple, I'll have them add fuel to the fire."

The kind of fire that's so intense it's like a fire burning your eyebrows.

Chapter 27 Are you qualified? Maybe not.

"Ono, do you know what's being talked about on the streets right now?"

"Um, Mr. Ito, I'm not quite sure."

"It's about our new deal!"

The person on the other end of the phone was yelling, seemingly not taking Officer Ono seriously at all.

"This...how is this possible!? Those police officers..."

"Heh, the head of that group of police officers is decisive enough to have his officers spread information about our new business."

Ono immediately thought of the decisive and efficient Inspector Kitahara. He had initially thought Kitahara was just a mascot pushed out by the Metropolitan Police Department, but he never expected Kitahara to be so tough. Such methods of handling cases could easily lead to punishment!

However, since they are all elites who have returned from overseas, even if they lose their police jobs, they can still become managers in large companies.

However, now that Ono Yoshiaki has been given leverage, Kitahara Masaki's actions all indicate that he intends to thoroughly investigate the case and will not hold back in any way.

"Mr. Ito, what should we do now?"

"Can you track down Kitahara Maki's whereabouts?"

Yoshiaki Ono remained silent for a long while before answering:

"I'll try my best to find out."

"Useless! What can you do besides open and close the door? Now you need to find out how much information Kitahara Masaki has about us. If you don't want to bring up your past misdeeds after we arrest you, you'd better go ask him now!"

After hanging up the phone, Yoshiaki Ono felt a headache coming on. He was just a nobody, so what right did he have to ask about Masaki Kitahara's whereabouts?

Thinking of the tape that unlocked the case, he didn't think Kitahara Masaki would be so careless as to not have a backup of the evidence, but he always clung to the sliver of hope that the tape was in the evidence storage area and he could retrieve it himself under the pretext of investigating the case.

However, it now seems that Kitahara Masaki's relentless pressure on the two drug-dealing gangs, especially the local Japanese gang that produces new drugs, is like the rope around his neck being tightened.

Meanwhile, Kitahara Masaki, who was eavesdropping on the investigation, was unaware that Ono Yoshiaki had already given up the struggle and was even fantasizing that things would end so simply. He patted Takagi on the shoulder and said:

"Today happens to be the day we arranged to exchange information with the Fourth Investigation Division. Go and bring my police car over first. We'll go help Officer Ono, who's in trouble, later."

Although the crackdown on drug trafficking gangs was brought into the open, Kitahara Masaki did not consult the head of the Fourth Investigation Division about investigating the identities of corrupt police officers within the division. After all, it remained to be seen whether the nearly sixty-year-old head of the division was incompetent or also a member of the criminal gang.

Kitahara Masaki didn't believe that a Japanese yakuza could infiltrate the Fourth Investigation Division to this extent, so figuring out how many corrupt police officers there were was no longer the key. The key was whether they could catch Mr. Ito, who had spoken to Ono Yoshiaki on the phone, and then use Mr. Ito as a starting point to find out who was hiding behind all this.

The case grew larger and larger as the investigation progressed, and Kitahara Masaki lost the idea of ​​seeking help from the organization. After all, when such a case was closed, even the police leadership and the Public Security Bureau would be paying attention to it, so he absolutely could not allow anyone to find any signs of a connection between himself and the organization.

"Inspector Kitahara, you've come at the right time. I've already led my men and found some clues."

When the officers in charge of the Fourth Investigation Division, Sakaguchi Kirimasa and Inspector Tajima Kei, saw Kitahara Masaki arrive, they couldn't help but exchange a few more polite words because of the young man's sharp and assertive aura.

I wonder how they would feel if they knew they were suspected of treason.

Looking at these middle-aged men, whose edges had been smoothed by the hardships of life, Kitahara Masaki returned the greeting:

"Thank you all for your hard work. It was clearly my idea to propose this joint action, but it is you who have done the hard work."

"Haha, Inspector Kitahara is joking. We didn't even notice such a serious crime. If Inspector Kitahara hadn't come to inform us, we old folks would have lost all face."

Upon entering the conference room, numerous photos were already posted on the whiteboard, including those of Japanese and Russian people, with all contacts and corresponding names clearly marked.

After taking their seats, everyone stopped being polite and immediately began to sort out the case.

"After several days of investigation, we have identified the following suspects who are connected to the new drugs. This is thanks to Inspector Kitahara's actions. In recent days, our colleagues in the First Investigation Division spread rumors related to the new drugs, disrupting the plans of the Japanese yakuza who were originally planning to quickly seize the black market. They sent out several gang members to suppress the rumors. Through our tracking, we discovered that the Japanese yakuza involved in this new drug transaction is a recently emerged gang—the Noguchi-gumi."

The photos of the Japanese people on the bulletin board were all of Noguchi-gumi members, but judging from their attire, they were probably just ordinary low-level personnel.

"We also found several Ross bars that received the goods. Most of the owners of these bars are Russian immigrants, and some of their employees are even illegal immigrants. In short, the situation of the people in these bars is quite complicated, and it is difficult to confirm exactly how many people are involved."

The Ross people on the billboard mostly have fierce faces and muscular builds, making it almost impossible to tell that they are bar owners. It is estimated that their bars were built to cover up their criminal activities.

The Russians who crossed the ocean remained unruly, as evidenced by their abduction of a little girl on the street that day, demonstrating their recklessness and disdain for the Japanese police.

While the Japanese police may not be very competent, the Ross gang's modus operandi is nothing short of suicidal. The police may have some reservations, but the unscrupulous public security bureau will naturally not tolerate such behavior.

After Superintendent Sakaguchi Kirimasa announced the tasks of each group in the Fourth Investigation Division, the meeting adjourned. Kitahara Masaki then made a suggestion to Sakaguchi Kirimasa:

"Inspector Sakaguchi, our intelligence exchange volume is gradually increasing. I'd like to request a liaison officer from you, what do you say?"

"Of course, no problem. I'll go find you a clever one right now."

"No need for that. I think it's fine to have Officer Ono serve as the liaison officer."

And so, without knowing why, Ono Yoshiaki unwittingly became Kitahara Masaki's liaison officer with the Fourth Investigation Division. Kitahara Masaki's whereabouts became readily available.

However, in his joy, he didn't realize that he was the unluckiest person.

Chapter 28 Be more careful in your next life

"Ito-kun, I know Kitahara Masaki's whereabouts!"

"What! You actually... Never mind, tell me what happened."

After Yoshiaki Ono finished recounting what had happened, Ito smiled and said:

“A liaison officer basically just makes and answers the phone, and I guess he can tell you're a useless guy. Heh, it seems being useless is your greatest strength. And what you need to do is tell me every detail of the whereabouts of the cop who wants to arrest us.”

After Yoshiaki Ono said he understood, he hung up the phone and walked out of the restroom, where he bumped into Masaki Kitahara.

"Officer Ono, we will need you to accompany us from now on and become the liaison between our First Investigation Division and the Fourth Investigation Division."

“No problem, Inspector Kitahara, I will write down everything you want to convey, word for word.”

Yoshiaki Ono was secretly pleased with himself. In his opinion, Masaki Kitahara didn't take him seriously at all, and he was determined to make this arrogant young man pay the price.

Kitahara Masaki expressed his doubts. The fact that Ono Yoshiaki, now middle-aged, was still just a patrolman suggested he lacked ability, and even his emotional intelligence seemed low. He hadn't managed to climb the ranks, no wonder he resorted to bribery.

Using the pretext that the liaison work is two-way, Kitahara Masaki sent Takagi, a rookie, to assist their work in the Fourth Investigation Division, while Hattori Heiji sent him to see how the police conduct tracking and investigations, specifically to the supervising officer Sakaguchi.

Both of them were sent to the supervisor. Yoshiaki Ono originally thought that recording Masaki Kitahara's whereabouts would not be difficult, but Masaki Kitahara took Yoshiaki Ono out of Toriyama Town.

"Officer Ono, our next operation must be kept secret. Please hand over your phone first."

"Uh, this..."

Is there anything inconvenient?

"No, no, it's just that I don't feel ready for such a quick action."

After taking his phone and checking that no listening device was installed, they put it in a cell phone signal jamming bag.

"You don't need to be prepared to arrest people, you just need to be prepared to get beaten up."

Kitahara Masaki took out a stun gun and pressed it against his neck. The crackling sound of the electric shock made the fool, who thought he had escaped, stop thinking again and pass out.

After a bumpy ride, the dizzy Yoshiaki Ono finally woke up. He opened his eyes blankly, then remembered what had just happened and looked incredulously at Masaki Kitahara in the distance, who didn't even bother to pretend.

"Inspector Kitahara, what are you doing! Attacking a colleague is a serious crime!"

"What crime did that policeman commit by assisting a gang in drug trafficking?"

Upon hearing Kitahara Masaki's words, Ono Yoshiaki's already bloated body trembled slightly. He had thought countless nights about what excuse he should use to get away with being caught as a corrupt cop, how he should seize an opportunity to turn the tables, and how he could eventually leave Japan to spend his later years on the West Coast of the United States.

But when it came to actually dealing with all of this, he felt he couldn't even utter a complete sentence. The tie was so tight he could hardly breathe, and just as he tried to raise his hands, he found himself bound like a dumpling, forced to accept Kitahara Masaki's judgment in a comical pose.

Ono Yoshiaki's weak psychological defenses were basically destroyed by Kitahara Masaki. When Kitahara Masaki did not play by the rules, he had already given up the struggle.

“Very well, it seems you have realized the crimes you have committed. Now—confess to the plans that the two gangs have been plotting, and you may still have a chance to be spared.”

Ono Yoshiaki had initially intended to remain silent, gambling that Kitahara Masaki lacked concrete evidence, but upon seeing the various 'interrogation tools' Kitahara Masaki had produced, he immediately spoke up:

"I'll tell you! Just ask me anything you want to know!"

Kitahara Masaki took out his recording equipment, sat down opposite Ono Yoshiaki, and asked:

"Who is Ito?"

"He is the leader of the Noguchi-gumi, but I really don't know his real name. We only communicate by phone and have never met in person. The Noguchi-gumi always pays me in cash. Basically, all they ask me to do is tell them the patrol locations and times of the Fourth Search Division so they can transport drugs. That's it. I have never been involved in drug trafficking. I'm just a nobody. Inspector Kitahara, no, Lord Kitahara, please let me go. I'll go back and turn myself in myself. Don't worry about me."

Kitahara Masaki organized the scattered information into a coherent whole. After thinking for a while, he took out a newly bought cell phone and tossed it to Ono Yoshiaki.

"Use this phone to call Ito and tell him I'll be at this bar alone. Call him now."