Chapter 28: Damn it! Am I the unlucky one? (Thanks to the Alliance Leader, Chen Eleven, the Last Hidden Official)

Noguchi Matsuo’s home was in Minato Ward, known as a wealthy district. That was why Section Chief Aoi had requested that they avoid a shootout if possible, as the repercussions in such an area would be far from ideal.

His place of residence alone made clear that Noguchi Matsuo was not short of money; after all, the saying goes that those who commit murder and arson earn golden belts. Considering there might be corrupt officers in the police headquarters who had been bought by Noguchi Matsuo, this arrest operation was kept secret from the Metropolitan Police Department, relying instead on the element of surprise.

Aoyama Hidenobu, a man greedy, lecherous, and fearful for his life, sat in the car putting on a bulletproof vest—should a gunfight break out, at least his chances of survival would improve somewhat.

As a man aspiring to be prime minister, any harm to him would be a loss for all of Japan. Thus, even if not for his own sake, he had to bear responsibility for the citizens, for the nation.

“Is it really necessary to be this cautious? Just trick Noguchi Matsuo into opening the door and pin him down right then—he wouldn’t even have a chance to resist,” Azai Aya, who was driving, remarked sarcastically.

Aoyama Hidenobu smiled coldly, retorting, “A comment as fitting as your cup size.” Truly, she was the kind of person who would dare sneak into the Sakura Society’s drug den with her predecessor—brave, but not terribly bright.

Azai Aya was momentarily taken aback by the jab, but could only seethe quietly, unable to talk back. Her heavy chest, tightly bound under her blue uniform, rose and fell, as if the buttons might snap at any moment.

Ring, ring! Ring, ring!

Just then, Aoyama Hidenobu’s phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Deputy Director, Noguchi Matsuo’s people have arrived to pick him up. It looks like he’s about to head out. What should we do?” Nakamura Shinichi’s voice came through, low and tense.

“What?” Aoyama Hidenobu was startled, cursing silently. Heading out so late at night—what irregular habits! After a moment’s thought, he replied, “Follow them and act as the situation dictates, but prioritize your own safety.”

He was not like Sato, who cared nothing for his subordinates’ safety and refused to accept responsibility.

“Understood!” Nakamura Shinichi responded.

Aoyama Hidenobu hung up, then used his communicator to contact Azai Takehiko in the command vehicle. “Aoyama calling Chief, just received news that Noguchi Matsuo is heading out. I’ve instructed my people to tail him.”

“Is he trying to flee?” Azai Takehiko asked.

Aoyama Hidenobu answered, “I doubt it. If he were really escaping, he wouldn’t wait for someone to pick him up.”

Before the operation, he’d had Matsushita Junichi call Noguchi Matsuo to reassure him, so it was impossible Noguchi Matsuo suspected the police were on their way to arrest him.

“Alright, have your people keep a close eye and report any developments immediately.” Azai Takehiko ended the call.

Noguchi Matsuo indeed had no inkling that the police were coming for him, nor was he planning to flee. He simply needed to deal with some trouble at the Matsudo headquarters.

Although Noguchi-kai’s main territory was now in Shinjuku, it had originally been an outsider group, so the headquarters remained in Matsudo. Tokyo was fiercely competitive; should they ever be driven out, at least there would be a fallback.

Coincidentally, both Matsudo and Narita—the city where Narita International Airport was located—were in Chiba Prefecture.

When Nakamura Shinichi realized Noguchi Matsuo was headed toward Chiba, he suspected he might be leaving the country, and called Aoyama Hidenobu again. “Deputy Director, Noguchi Matsuo is heading for Chiba. Should I intercept him?”

He’d already thought it through: if ordered to intercept, he would have to risk crashing into them and cause an accident.

“Hold on,” Aoyama Hidenobu said, then called Azai Takehiko. “Chief, Noguchi Matsuo is heading towards Chiba. If he’s not going to the airport, he must be headed for Noguchi-kai headquarters. I think the latter is more likely. Should we intercept?”

“Your people are outnumbered, and Noguchi Matsuo’s car may have firearms. We can’t risk their safety, but we also can’t let him reach the airport or headquarters, or the arrest will be much harder.” Azai Takehiko paused, then continued, “I’ll contact the Chiba Prefecture Police Headquarters to set up a roadblock ahead. If Noguchi Matsuo has guns in his car, he’ll have to ditch them to get through smoothly. Without guns, he’s a tiger without fangs—we’ll apprehend him directly.”

As for why the officers at the roadblock shouldn’t just arrest him under the pretense of an inspection—wasn’t it obvious? With such a grand operation from Shinjuku Station tonight, there was no way they’d let another precinct take the credit.

“Understood, Chief! Brilliant!” Aoyama Hidenobu sincerely praised him, and after the call ended, he said to Nakamura Shinichi, “You heard the Chief. Keep the line open.”

“Yes!”

Azai Takehiko called Chiba Prefecture Police Headquarters, requesting they dispatch officers to set up a roadblock on the highway to intercept Noguchi Matsuo’s car, using the excuse of assisting Shinjuku Station in apprehending a thief.

After all, if they said they were capturing the leader of a violent gang suspected of drug trafficking, Chiba Police might try to claim the credit themselves—then Shinjuku Station would have no stake in the matter.

……………………………………………

Inside the speeding Mercedes sedan, Noguchi Matsuo, clad in a suit, sat in the back seat, expressionless as he stared at the landscape racing past his window. The roadside lamps occasionally flashing by were like falling meteors.

He was in a foul mood.

His home had been robbed.

An hour earlier, he’d received a call from Matsudo headquarters: one of Noguchi-kai’s casinos had been hit by armed robbers, with losses exceeding one hundred million yen.

And that was just the direct loss—the compensation to guests would cost at least two hundred million more.

For Noguchi-kai, this was no small sum.

It wasn’t enough to break the bones, but it certainly meant bleeding and loss of flesh.

Noguchi Matsuo was furious now. Someone dared rob him? A death wish! He would dig them out from the earth itself and bury them again!

“Boss, there’s a roadblock ahead,” the driver’s voice pulled Noguchi Matsuo from his drifting thoughts.

He turned to look forward. Through the windshield, he could vaguely see red and blue flashing police lights. He frowned. “Pull over. Bury the guns by the roadside.”

“Yes!” The driver pulled over, and the subordinate in the passenger seat grabbed two guns and three fully loaded magazines, jumped out, vaulted the highway barrier, and buried them in the wilds, marking the spot with a stone.

The car started up again, and after less than two minutes, was stopped by a roadblock formed by two police cars across the road, with spike strips laid out.

“Good evening, sir. We are officers from Chiba Prefecture Headquarters. Please turn off the engine and have everyone step out for inspection.” A policeman came forward, saluted, showed his credentials, and requested cooperation.

Though Noguchi Matsuo was in a hurry, he knew there was no point in rushing. He stepped out with a sullen expression, watching the two officers search his car inside and out.

Wailing sirens suddenly pierced the air.

The sound grew nearer and nearer.

Noguchi Matsuo instinctively turned toward the noise. At the edge of the dark horizon, a dazzling flash of red and blue slashed through the night sky. Dozens of police cars sped in, their sirens sharp and overwhelming, warning lights flashing madly, like a pack of beasts charging through the darkness towards their prey—a sight that shook the soul.

Such a grand spectacle.

He wondered which unlucky soul they were going to catch.

Noguchi Matsuo felt a twinge of schadenfreude.

The four Chiba officers at the roadblock, having been notified and seeing this scene, were dumbfounded.

Was this really just for a thief?

The four of them turned in unison to look at Noguchi Matsuo.

Had he stolen the Emperor’s wife?

Feeling the odd glances, Noguchi Matsuo, no fool himself, felt his face freeze.

Damn!

That unlucky soul turned out to be him!