bookbashuk Page 78
Page 78
The bank manager provided an offline laptop. A USB drive containing encrypted spreadsheets and scanned documents was inserted.
The content corroborates the paper documents.
But it is more detailed and spans a longer period of time, a full ten years.
One of the folders contained a large number of audio files, with filenames labeled with dates and vague initials of names.
Yuki Takada clicked on a recent one.
First came a brief noise, then a slightly aged but authoritative voice rang out (processed, but with a clear tone):
"...The needs over there must be prioritized. It's election season, and our friends need ammunition. Let's keep the accounts clean, and as usual, go through that infrastructure project in Southeast Asia."
Another voice, humble yet familiar, belonged to Yoshihiro Nakamura:
"Hi, Mr. Kuroiwa. But... Chairman Ryunosuke has been investigating very closely lately. The project's profit margin wasn't high to begin with, and withdrawing so much money at once might get discovered..."
The aged voice turned cold:
"Don't worry about Ryunosuke, I'll talk to him. Just do your job, Yoshihiro Nakamura. Don't forget who promoted you to this position. The money must be paid on time."
The recording ends.
"That's Toshio Kuroiwa's voice!" Yusuke Mishima exclaimed. "Father's right-hand man, one of the real behind-the-scenes manipulators of the group! My elder brother has always wanted to weaken his influence, but his roots within the group and in the political arena are too deep."
Yuuki Takada clicked on another audio file. This recording was of even worse quality, seemingly recorded remotely. The conversation was blurry and intermittent, but the key information was still there:
A background noise: "...Deputy Director Sawai...it's all been taken care of...the next surprise inspection will be announced in advance..."
Yoshihiro Nakamura's voice: "What about the price? The amount he asked for last time wasn't small..."
The background noise continued: "...take it...from the special fund...this is Elder Mishima's order...to ensure everything goes smoothly..."
Finally, Yuki Takada picked up the notebooks.
Upon opening it, one finds a work log personally recorded by Yoshihiro Nakamura.
It's less of a log and more of a detailed crime memo.
He used a hybrid method that only he could fully understand to record every gray transaction he had handled over the past decade.
On a recent page of his journal, he wrote:
"Chairman Ryunosuke intends to reform and clear up old grievances."
"Lord Black Rock has signaled his obstruction, but he is outwardly compliant while inwardly defying him. I am caught in the middle, walking on thin ice. If the old grievances are brought up again, no one will be spared."
"Mr. Ryuichi's attitude is ambiguous. He seems to tacitly approve of Ryuichi, but also seems to be indulging Kuroiwa... Should I leave myself a way out? I'm afraid it's too late."
On another page, a week before his death:
"They found out? That overseas remittance was a trap?" Why did Lord Kuroiwa put me in charge of that inexplicable sum of money? Was he sacrificing a pawn to save the king? Fear... I have to do something. The memory card has been backed up, and the original has been hidden. If anything goes wrong, I hope Mr. Yusuke can... at least he still retains a shred of conscience."
The last page of the log contained only a few hastily written words:
"They're coming."
Upon seeing this, both Yuki Takada and Yusuke Mishima felt a chill run down their spines.
Yoshihiro Nakamura had long sensed his fate, and what he left behind was not a simple piece of evidence.
It was a bomb powerful enough to shatter the entire Mishima Group and its vast network of connections!
Chapter 99 Arresting People at the Mansion
“This evidence…” Yusuke Mishima exclaimed, his voice dry, “It’s enough to overturn the entire Mishima Group. Yoshihiro Nakamura… he actually recorded so many details!”
Yuuki Takada quickly and carefully put all the items back into the file bag and carefully stored all the evidence to prevent any further accidents.
"We must go back immediately!" After dealing with the evidence, Yuki Takada said in a deep voice, "Every minute this evidence stays outside increases the danger. In addition, Yoshihiro Nakamura is still a member of the Mishima Group. If we leave it in the bank, they will still take it away."
He glanced at the tense-looking bank manager and administrator beside him.
Yusuke Mishima nodded heavily; at that moment, he fully understood Yoshihiro Nakamura's predicament.
No wonder Yoshihiro Nakamura entrusted these things to me a week before his death; it seems that Yoshihiro Nakamura was aware of his final fate.
Therefore, this crucial evidence was placed here in advance for future use.
Yuki Takada and the others quickly completed the formalities and, under the close protection of plainclothes police officers, left the bank with the heavy document bag.
Once inside the police car, Yuki Takada immediately contacted the Metropolitan Police Department's deputy commissioner's office via encrypted line, briefly reported the situation, and requested that the next step be to begin a comprehensive investigation and surveillance of the Mishima Group and related individuals.
Yuki Takada put down the encrypted phone, the cool touch of the communicator's metal casing still lingering on his fingertips.
“Deputy Director Hakuba has approved it,” Yuuki Takada said softly.
Breaking the silence in the car, Yuki Takada looked at Yusuke Mishima beside him and the two plainclothes detectives in the front row, and said, "Initiate a full-scale investigation and surveillance of the Mishima Group and its core members immediately."
"Given the extreme urgency of the situation and the extreme measures the other side might take, he authorized us... to take coercive measures if necessary."
Yusuke Mishima swallowed hard, his hands gripping the file folder on his knees tightly. Inside lay secrets that could unleash a storm, but now there was no turning back.
“Father… Ryunosuke Mishima, they will not sit idly by and wait to die.”
“Of course not.” Yuuki Takada’s sharp gaze swept across the rearview mirror outside the window. A black sedan had been following them for two blocks at a distance.
"It seems the hounds have already caught the scent. We need to hurry."
He abruptly pressed the communicator: "Attention all units, plan changed!"
"The original route back to the Metropolitan Police Department is cancelled. In accordance with Plan B, we will proceed directly to the Mishima family mansion area to conduct preliminary surveillance!"
"Repeat, proceed directly to the target area! Upgrade action level to maximum!"
The sirens ripped through the night sky, the convoy accelerated abruptly, tires screeching against the ground, and it veered sharply onto another side road.
Almost simultaneously, the black sedan behind also accelerated suddenly, forcefully squeezing through the gaps in the traffic next to it and tailing it tightly.
"They really are going to stop us!" the officer in front growled, maneuvering the police car through the traffic.
Yuuki Takada calmly directed through the encrypted channel: "Interception team, stop them! Light force is permitted, but make sure the evidence is secure!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than two seemingly ordinary vans suddenly sped out from the intersection ahead, blocking his way completely.
At the same time, seven or eight masked men dressed in black combat uniforms, wielding samurai swords, and some holding pistols rushed out from the alleys on both sides. They were swift and well-trained, and rushed directly towards the police car!
"Enemy attack! Protect the evidence!" Yuuki Takada shouted, quickly drawing and cocking his gun.
Gunshots rang out instantly!
Bullets clanged and clattered against the police car, instantly sending sparks flying.
The plainclothes police officers reacted swiftly, using the car door as cover to return fire.
A fierce firefight suddenly broke out on the narrow street, and the smell of gunpowder mixed with the acrid smell of tire friction filled the air.
Yusuke Mishima bent low, clutching the file folder tightly, his face pale but his eyes resolute.
While accurately firing short bursts to suppress an attacker trying to approach the car door from the flank, Yuuki Takada roared into the communicator, "Backup! We need backup immediately! The location is..."
One of the attackers rushed to the car without fear of death, grabbed his samurai sword, and slashed fiercely at the car window.
Spiderweb-like cracks appeared instantly on the car window.
Another attacker seized the opportunity to raise his gun and aim it into the car!
"Watch out!" Yuuki Takada suddenly turned to the side and pulled the trigger.
"boom!"
The attacker fell to the ground, but more enemies surrounded him.
The scene became extremely chaotic.
Just then, the sound of sirens grew louder and louder in the distance.
The backup that Yuuki Takada called for has finally arrived!
Several police cars recklessly broke through the obstacles, and a large number of fully armed police officers jumped out of the vehicles, instantly suppressing the attackers with firepower.
Seeing that things were going badly, the attackers began to retreat while taking turns providing cover, quickly disappearing into the intricate alleyways, leaving behind the bodies of several of their companions and a wrecked vehicle.
"Inspector Takada! Are you alright?" A police officer in charge of the team ran over and asked anxiously.
Yuuki Takada opened the car door, checked the situation, and said with a cold look in his eyes, "I'm fine."
"Leave some people to clean up the scene, arrest all suspicious individuals, and cordon off the area for a search! The rest of you, come with me immediately!"
"Target: Mishima's residence!"
……
Deep within the Mishima family mansion, in a Japanese-style room filled with incense.
Ryuichi Mishima remained almost unchanged, kneeling with his back to the door, like an unyielding statue.
But the air inside was almost condensed to the extreme.
Ryunosuke Mishima sat at the lower end of the table, his head bowed even lower, sweat soaking the hair on his forehead.
He had just reported that Yuki Takada and Yusuke Mishima had successfully retrieved the items from the bank's safe deposit box.
"Failed?" Ryuichi Mishima's voice was unreadable, but every word pierced Ryunosuke Mishima's ears like an ice pick. "One time after another... Ryunosuke, you have disappointed me greatly."
“Father, I…” Ryunosuke Mishima tried to explain, “That Yuuki Takada is more difficult to deal with than we expected, and Yusuke…”
“Yusuke has made his choice.” Ryuichi Mishima interrupted him, slowly turning around.
His face was etched with the lines of time, but his eyes were terrifyingly sharp, gleaming with a cold and cruel light. "He chose to betray his family and side with the police."
"Then he is no longer a member of the Mishima family."
Ryunosuke Mishima felt a chill rise up his spine.
Ryuichi Mishima's gaze swept past Ryunosuke and landed on the figure vaguely visible outside the paper door.
It seemed as if the figure outside the door was conveying some message.
“Things have come to this point, and it’s no longer a simple matter of covering up a scandal.” Ryuichi Mishima’s voice was low and resolute. “What Yoshihiro Nakamura left behind is enough to bring us all to ruin.”
"Takada Yuki must be stopped, and that evidence must be destroyed, no matter the cost."
He paused slightly, then uttered a chilling command:
"Use all resources and take all necessary measures."