Tokyo: From Lawless Madpolice to Minister

The Police Headquarters held another press conference.

The venue was packed with people and there was no empty seat.

Under everyone's gaze, Nakamura Shinichi, dressed in a suit, walked onto the stage with a serious expression. After bowing, he faced the crowd but did not speak for a long time.

This appearance puzzled the reporters.

After a while, Nakamura Shinichi closed his eyes, took a long breath, opened his eyes, and said in a low, reluctant, humiliating, and angry tone: "Today, I am announcing only one thing. Due to insufficient evidence, and with Hatanaka Zizi and Ozawa Ichiro refusing to plead guilty, relying solely on the confessions and identifications of other suspects is not enough to indict them. Therefore, at nine o'clock tomorrow morning, the Police Headquarters will release both of them without charge."

Wow!

The announcement caused an immediate uproar in the venue.

No wonder he had that constipated expression earlier.

"Even if there is no evidence for now, with so many confessing people jointly identifying them, why doesn't the police continue the investigation and release them so quickly?"

"Has the police been subjected to some pressure, that's why they have had to abandon the investigation and release them promptly?"

"Minister Nakamura, does this truly mean that Mr. Hatena and Mr. Ozawa are innocent?"

Reporters asked one after another.

"Thank you for your concern, the police have not been under any pressure," Nakamura Shinichi said, looking very much like they were subjected to pressure, and added, "We were merely urged to act according to the law."

"In any case, that's the situation, I won't be accepting interviews today, please feel free."

With that, Nakamura Shinichi bowed and exited the stage.

"Minister Nakamura, a few more words, please!"

"Minister Nakamura, may I ask..."

The reporters swarmed forward but were blocked by police officers maintaining order at the scene.

That evening, the footage was broadcast on the evening news programs of major TV stations.

It sparked a huge discussion both offline and online.

"Baka! Minister Nakamura clearly looked unwilling! This is clearly someone forcing the police to abandon the investigation, it must be that way!"

"Yes, with so many confessing suspects simultaneously admitting they were masterminds, even if there is no evidence for now, they shouldn't release them directly, but rather apply for custody to investigate further—releasing them directly, I wouldn't believe it unless someone pressured them!"

"Urged to act according to the law? Minister Nakamura means he was ordered to release immediately, doesn't he? No wonder Director Aoyama did not attend the press conference; someone as upright as him is forced to bow. What kind of power do Ozawa Ichiro and Hatanaka Zizi have behind them! No wonder they dared to plot to assassinate the prime minister."

"Stop with the conspiracy theories! Since the police have said there is no evidence, that means Mr. Ozawa and Mr. Hatena are innocent! They're innocent!"

"Child, you're too naive; you don't know the darkness of society. The smart ones can see..."

The momentum was building up.

Early the next morning, just after eight, Hatanaka Zizi and Ozawa Ichiro were awakened by the sound of a door opening.

"Hey! You two, you can go."

The police officer who came to open the door said to the two of them.

They were both puzzled, exchanged glances, and looked at the police officer in confusion, "What do you mean by that?"

After being detained, outside visits were prohibited by the police, so they had no idea what had happened outside.

"Literally, you two have been released without charge due to lack of evidence. What, do you not want to leave?" The police officer said impatiently.

Hatanaka Zizi and Ozawa Ichiro exchanged bewildered glances, although they had no clear understanding of what had happened, they felt it would be better to leave first.

After a night's rest, their bodies had recovered a lot. They got up and followed the police officer out.

When they stepped out of the Police Headquarters' door, they were met with a sea of people, the flashing lights from cameras blinding them, causing them to cover their eyes with their hands.

Before they could react, waves of protests and insults surged towards them.

"Oppose the release! Punish the criminal lawmakers harshly!"

"Baka yarou! You two attempted to murder the prime minister, traitors trying to overthrow the country! Die!"

"Protest! Demand the continued investigation of the two of them!"

Hatanaka Zizi and Ozawa Ichiro stared blankly at the angry faces, and ferocious expressions of those people in the distance.

Both were momentarily at a loss.

"Hurry up," the police urged.

Hatanaka Zizi and Ozawa Ichiro's sons approached with a group of people, "Father, let's go home first."

The two nodded subconsciously and moved their feet.

"Let's all beat them to death!" Suddenly someone in the crowd threw an egg.

"Hit them! Beat these two bastards to death!"

Various objects rained down.

Even though Hatanaka Zizi and Ozawa Ichiro had security personnel escorting them, they were still in a very embarrassing situation.

They finally got into a car and left the scene.

The two sat in the same car, as if by agreement.

Hatanaka Zizi looked back at the crowd full of agitation behind the car, took the tissues handed by his son sitting in the passenger seat and gave some to Ozawa Ichiro next to him, wiped his face and asked, "What's going on?"

Ozawa Ichiro also looked at Hatanaka Ichiro.

"Father, Uncle Ozawa, here is today's newspaper," Hatanaka Ichiro, unsure how to explain, directly handed over two carefully prepared newspapers.

Ozawa Ichiro and Hatanaka Zizi each took a copy and began to read. After finishing, they finally understood the reason.

They exchanged a glance, and Ozawa Ichiro gave a bitter smile, "Even though we've been granted freedom, Yanchuan Shilang intends to politically kill us."

While their bodies were still alive, politically, they were dead.

"Father, Uncle Ozawa, now that things have come to this, you might as well resign and retire abroad," Hatanaka Ichiro sincerely advised.

"No!" Ozawa Ichiro revived his spirit, his eyes blazing with determination, "Resigning now would be exactly what Yanchuan Shilang wants. If both your father and I give up opposing him, who in Japan will oversee his governance, or prevent his excesses?"

This time, falling into a desperate situation yet able to escape, wasn't it heaven giving him the chance to continue standing up for the country and the people and fight against Yanchuan Shilang?

"Yes, the public is misled by Yanchuan Shilang because they are not positioned high enough, and since we've been elevated by the people to such heights, we can't let them remain misled." Hatanaka Zizi also spoke resolutely, with great righteousness.

If Ozawa Ichiro's words were seventy percent sincere and thirty percent feigned, then for him it was at least ninety percent feigned and ten percent real.

Ozawa Ichiro exhaled, "Even if we can't win re-election in the next election, at least in this term, we must fulfill our duties."

"But..." Hatanaka Ichiro showed a troubled expression.

Hatanaka Zizi interrupted, "Don't worry, we know how much stronger the enemy is now, we won't recklessly take any action. You just need to handle yourself well, don't create problems and drag us down."

Hatanaka Ichiro immediately shut his mouth and said no more.

Over the next week, demonstrations against Hatanaka Zizi and Ozawa Ichiro continued, with the slogan demanding their resignation and to plead guilty, but they endured in humiliation, paid no attention, and refused to see visitors.

Time passed day by day like this, and after the prime minister's assassination incident, Japan's political scene rarely settled down.

But this was just the calm before the storm.