Chapter 30: Admit Your Mistakes and Change, The Returned Fugitive (Vote for Us! Keep Reading)

The capture of Matsuo Noguchi went smoothly, but no one anticipated an unexpected incident midway. Fortunately, the explosion only killed the four men on the vehicle; there were no police fatalities, and only one officer suffered a leg injury from the blast.

The technical department has been assigned to investigate the exact cause of the vehicle explosion, and the results will be sent to the Shinjuku Police Station as soon as they are available.

The explosion changed the nature of the case. Takehiko Inoue hurried to the Metropolitan Police Department overnight to meet with the Chief Commissioner.

The interrogation of Matsuo Noguchi naturally fell to the Firearms and Explosives Division. Due to Noguchi’s special status, Division Chief Aya Asai personally led Hideyuki Aoyama in questioning him.

“Damn you! You bastard! I paid you thirty million, and now you’re coming after me?” Noguchi’s eyes burned with resentment as he glared at Aoyama, realizing he’d been played. Turning to Asai, he declared, “I want to report him for accepting bribes!”

Asai frowned, looking at Aoyama.

Aoyama slammed his hand on the table in anger, locking eyes with Noguchi and rebuking him loudly, “How dare you, Noguchi! Even now, you refuse to confess your crimes and insist on making trouble? I, Hideyuki Aoyama, have always acted with integrity and clean hands. You accuse me of bribery? What evidence do you have? I could sue you for slander!”

His indignation growing, Aoyama suddenly stood up and roared, “You can insult me, but you cannot insult my character, nor my professional ethics as a police officer of Japan!”

“I have a recording.” Noguchi, unfazed by Aoyama’s outburst, spoke calmly, raising his head with a malicious, mocking smile. “I always make it a habit to record when handing over money.”

Aoyama’s expression froze.

Damn it, you cunning fox.

He quickly regained his composure and burst into laughter. “Just joking with you. You really believed it? Surely you don’t think I’m a corrupt cop, do you? Surely not, surely not?”

“I took the thirty million to lull you into a false sense of security, to win your trust. Otherwise, how would you be sitting here now? That thirty million will add another bribery charge to your rap sheet.”

Asai silently rolled her eyes. Seeing Aoyama’s vigorous reaction, she actually thought Noguchi was making false accusations out of spite.

How naive of me, truly.

“Yes, he informed me about accepting the thirty million ahead of time,” Asai covered for Aoyama, despite knowing he’d accepted a bribe. “Noguchi, Junichi Matsushita is already in custody and has confessed everything. We have evidence of your drug trafficking. Even if you refuse to cooperate, we can still prosecute you. This is your chance to earn a lighter sentence.”

Now it was Noguchi’s turn to freeze. He glared at Aoyama, gritting his teeth, “Damn! You’re a good actor.”

Aoyama’s performance at the moment he accepted the money had fooled Noguchi completely, making him believe Aoyama was just another corrupt official like those he'd bribed before.

“You flatter me,” Aoyama replied without humility and smiled. His hard-earned thirty million was gone just like that, and he longed to curse in classic style.

Noguchi spat and turned to Asai, “I won’t say a word. If you want to prosecute me, do it. I demand a lawyer.”

“So you still hope for someone to save you? No one can help you now,” Asai scoffed coldly.

Noguchi closed his eyes and refused to answer.

“Inspector, please step outside. Let me talk to him alone and see if I can persuade him,” Aoyama said to Asai with a sigh.

Asai stood and left, closing the door behind her.

Noguchi opened his eyes and glanced at Aoyama with contempt, mocking, “You might as well give up…”

Before he could finish, Aoyama grabbed him and landed a heavy punch in his abdomen. Noguchi doubled over in pain like a boiled shrimp, about to scream when Aoyama covered his mouth. His features twisted in agony, and cold sweat rolled down his forehead.

Leaning close to Noguchi’s ear, Aoyama spoke slowly, “You bastard. You cost me thirty million. Do you know how hard I worked for that money? Matsuo Noguchi, how do you plan to pay me back, huh?”

With that, he struck Noguchi again.

Noguchi’s eyes widened in pain.

Aoyama released him and exited, smiling at Asai outside. “This guy is stubborn, not moved by my sincere punches. It’s late, let’s rest and continue tomorrow.”

Inside the interrogation room, Noguchi—unmoved but thoroughly beaten—curled up pale and trembling, struggling to breathe as sweat poured from his brow.

Officials covering for each other—utterly corrupt. Even more corrupt than the underworld.

“If you want to go further, don’t take money you shouldn’t,” Asai advised Aoyama seriously.

Aoyama promised, “Next time, definitely.”

It was his first time as an official, and he hadn’t mastered the core techniques or gained experience in corruption and bribery. After this, he would never make such a mistake again. In the future, he’d only take money on his own turf.

“Hand over the thirty million as soon as possible.”

“Yes!”

Asai took a few steps forward, then turned to Aoyama, “Why are you still following me?”

“Ma’am,” Aoyama bowed sincerely.

Asai’s face flushed with anger, glaring at Aoyama. Beneath her uniform, her chest heaved, as if mountains gathered and waves surged.

“I hope Inspector will grant this subordinate’s wish,” Aoyama bowed again, embodying the spirit of relentless persistence.

He might not yet be a proper Japanese, but he was already adept at courting her.

Asai’s pearly teeth nearly pierced her rosy lips, cheeks crimson as she shot Aoyama a fierce look, about to speak when her phone rang in her bag.

“Ring ring~ ring ring~”

Asai took out her mobile and answered.

“Hello?”

“Aya, come to the Metropolitan Police Department. The Commissioner is holding a press conference about the Noguchi gang’s drug trafficking and the highway explosion. I recommended you to speak.”

“Yes!” Asai hung up, looked up at Aoyama, “As you see, it’s not that I don’t want to accept your request, but I have a press conference to attend.”

“Inspector, have you forgotten whose efforts earned you the chance to attend the press conference?” Aoyama smiled faintly, stepped forward to touch her cheek, “I’ll book a room at the hotel opposite the Metropolitan Police Department and wait for you, eager and expectant.”

He stepped back, bowed to Asai once more, and strode away.

………………………

Under the night sky, a small town beside the Tokyo–Chiba highway welcomed an unexpected visitor.

He was a young man, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with a cropped haircut, dressed in sportswear, carrying two large bags over his shoulder.

He walked to a public phone booth, ensured no one was around, inserted a coin, and dialed a number.

“Hello, this is Imamura Cuisine.”

“This is Ichiro Takeda.”

“Ta…Takeda-kun!” On the other end, the person’s breath caught, swallowing nervously and lowering his voice, “Is there something urgent?”

“I’m in Tokyo.”

“What! How dare you come back? The police are still after you! Isn’t seven hundred million yen enough for you?”

Takeda was silent for a moment, then spoke coldly, “I’m here to take back my money.”

“What… what do you mean?”

“Arrange a car to pick me up,” Takeda Ichiro replied, gave the address, and hung up.