Chapter 112 Rage

Around noon, outside the bar.

"Beihu Automobile Factory," a short, stocky middle-aged man said gruffly to the taxi driver as he sat in the back seat. His breath reeked of alcohol, indicating he had drunk quite a bit.

"There's road construction ahead, you'll have to take a detour, it's quite a distance!" the driver warned. As is well known, taxi fares in Japan are extremely high.

"Hmph! Don't be so talkative, just focus on driving." The man was getting drunk and started to doze off against the back of the seat.

This avoids the trouble of awkward small talk.

The driver started the car and discreetly switched the radio to a news channel, even turning the volume down a bit.

"It has been reported that a male body was recovered from a pier in Tokyo Bay yesterday. The deceased was estimated to be between 25 and 40 years old, and preliminarily determined to have been dead for more than two weeks. The identity of the deceased is unknown. Anyone with information is urged to contact the police immediately..."

"Hey, turn that thing off! It's so noisy!" The passenger in the back seat sat up and roared angrily.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to! It's just that I always feel uncomfortable when I'm driving, otherwise I feel really uncomfortable," the driver said apologetically.

The drunk passenger glared at the driver, barely managing to suppress his pent-up anger and refrain from grabbing the annoying long hair. He threatened fiercely, "If you don't turn it off, I'll make you feel uncomfortable all over!"

"Hey—" the driver deliberately dragged out his words, "Sir, please watch your words and actions! Everything you say and do in the car will be recorded on the dashcam."

"How dare you threaten me?! Do you believe I'll file a complaint against you? Which company do you work for?"

"Oh dear, I'm just a talkative driver. Please don't be angry! I mean, since you won't let me listen to the radio, can't you at least chat with me?" The driver winked amicably.

This request came as a complete surprise to the man, who was wide awake after all the commotion. The taxi driver was truly unpleasant; in fact, the man didn't like any taxi drivers: they were all just people making small talk. Unfortunately, the area was remote and difficult to hail, so he reluctantly agreed: "What do you want to talk about?"

"You work at the Beihu Automobile Factory?"

"Um... I'm going to take care of something near the car factory," the passenger lied. Although he was a little drunk and not thinking clearly, he hadn't completely lost his mind: he didn't look like he was going to work at all!

The driver, however, was very interested in the destination and didn't want to give up the topic: "Hey, I remember something big happened at the beginning of the year at that car factory. I heard that the chairman died, which happened around the time of the Winter Olympics."

"Uh, yes... I've heard about it too."

"What a pity, such an important person is gone just like that. This car of mine was even made by Beihu Automobile Factory..." the driver sighed regretfully.

"But the chairman is quite old, and with age comes more health problems. There's nothing to be alarmed about," the passenger shrugged nonchalantly.

"But I heard that Chairman Kenzo Masuyama did not die of illness, but rather from a violent death, and the murderer has not yet been apprehended," the driver said meaningfully.

The passenger asked skeptically, "Where did you know that?"

"Because I'm a talkative taxi driver, I hear a lot of stories every day. Speaking of which, I also know some details about the unidentified corpse that was just mentioned on the radio."

"Oh? Then why don't you go tell the police?" the passenger asked, trying to appear calm and conceal his unease.

"I'm just taking you to the car factory!" The implication was that the driver would call the police after this fare was over.

The passenger leaned forward and asked in a low voice, "What do you know?"

"Tsk tsk, there's a lot more to this than meets the eye! I'm afraid it might be dangerous if I tell you." The driver deliberately created suspense, whetting the appetite of his audience.

"You said I wouldn't divulge a single word!" the passenger assured him confidently.

"It's said to be related to gang warfare." The driver lowered his voice, deliberately creating a tense and mysterious atmosphere.

"What gang?" the passenger asked, sounding somewhat flustered.

"I think it's called... the Woodpecker Society?"

The passenger stared in astonishment, while the driver, beaming with pride, launched into a long story: "The Woodpecker Gang has quite a history! Apparently, one of their members was a notorious arms dealer who was wiped out by the police many years ago and disappeared for a time. But somehow, he resurfaced a few years later, absorbing and merging with numerous smaller gangs. It's a mixed bag, with all sorts of people..."

The driver stopped at the intersection to wait for the traffic light, cleared his throat, and continued, "Although I don't know who the Woodpecker Society's backer is, it is said that their connections are very strong, so their methods of winning people over are also very clever: not just with money or force."

"What do you use?" the passenger asked, feigning interest.

“They can turn black into white.” The light turned green, and the driver turned right, his mouth still running. “Take that bar you just went to, for example. That’s also Woodpecker Gang territory. A few years ago, their boss was arrested by the police, and some of his underlings took the opportunity to join the Woodpecker Gang. They got a powerful backer, laundered their money, and turned the nightclub into a bar. Sigh! To put it bluntly, it’s just a change of skin. The people behind it are still the same group; only the boss has changed.”

The passenger complimented with a forced smile, "I never knew the driver knew so much!"

"This is nothing! I not only know the bar owner's background, I know you too!"

"What do you know about me?" The passenger was startled.

"You've taken it, haven't you?"

"How did you know?" That was a direct admission of guilt.

"It's obvious from your face! I'm guessing you haven't been doing this for very long?"

The passenger broke out in a cold sweat. He suddenly noticed that the driver's face looked familiar, and he desperately tried to remember. By the time he remembered, he was mostly sober: "You're a cop?!"

"Oh my, so I'm already that famous?" The driver's smile grew even more smug. "But you don't need to be so nervous! I'm no longer in that line of work. Now I'm just an ordinary taxi driver."

Why did you quit?

"Isn't it because defusing bombs and stuff is too dangerous? It's a thankless task! Look how easy it is to drive a taxi, you can even chat with people."

The passenger thought about it and agreed: in his mind, the bomb disposal unit was responsible for defusing bombs, and had nothing to do with plainclothes police officers. Besides, he had never been involved in a bombing case before, so he felt relieved.

But he quickly realized something was wrong and shouted, "Where are you taking me?! This isn't the way to the car factory, is it?"

The driver replied innocently, "But you were the one who told me to keep driving!"

"Damn it! Stop right there!" he said, pulling a sharp dagger from his waist. "If you don't do as I say, I'll stab you a few times."

"Oh dear, what are you doing? I resigned from the Metropolitan Police Department just to live a peaceful life. Can you put the knife down first? I'm scared."

"If you're scared, then stop the car!"

"Okay, okay, I'll stop. But there are no parking spaces here, and I'll be in trouble if I violate traffic rules."

"Stop talking nonsense, stop right here. Now! Immediately!"

"Why are you so agitated? How about I drive back? I won't charge you for this part of the trip, and we can re-meter the route, okay?"

"You still want money? Go ask that guy who drowned in Tokyo Bay!" The passenger's eyes flashed with murderous intent.

"Beep beep beep—"

Just as the taxi slowed down and was about to stop, a sharp car horn sounded from behind.

"Oh dear, a car is coming from behind. This is a one-way street, it's too narrow for him to get through. Should we drive to the intersection ahead first?"

The Mazda driver, who was getting impatient waiting in the back, leaned out and yelled, "What's wrong with you up there? Can't you drive?!"

The driver leaned out of the car window and apologized, saying, "I'm sorry, I'll be right there."

"Drive faster, I'm in a hurry!" The curly-haired guy wore sunglasses and looked like a thug, not someone to mess with.

Seeing this, the passenger frowned and said, "Hurry up and let him pass! If you try anything funny, I'll stab you to death!"

"Brother, you've really wronged me. I just wanted to chat with you a bit more, so I took a longer route. It wasn't a reason to use a knife!"

"Enough with the nonsense, drive faster! One more word and I'll cut your tongue off!"

Hearing this, the driver was terrified and slammed on the gas pedal. The passenger yelled, "Are you crazy? Why are you driving so fast?!"

"You're the one who told me to drive faster! I believe in the principle that the customer is king and I will do my best to meet all your needs."

Just as the taxi driver was boasting, the Mazda driver, who had developed road rage, caught up from behind, made a disdainful gesture at the driver, and spat viciously, "Ugh—Pah!"

"Hey, that's not quite right. I didn't mean to upset you!" the driver explained loudly.

"I think you're just deliberately picking a fight! You're full of bad intentions! You bastard! Trash!"

"Hey! I've been driving for so many years, and I've never seen such a shameless scoundrel as you!"

You call me shameless? I think you're the shameless one!

The two cars drove side-by-side at high speed, neither giving way. The Mazda even started ramming the taxi, preventing it from stopping or overtaking.

The bumper car game was making the passengers' blood pressure soar. Still feeling the effects of the alcohol, he couldn't take it anymore and joined in the shouting match, angrily waving his fist and yelling, "You brat, shut up!"

The man in sunglasses showed no fear, instead raising his voice: "Old man, who are you trying to scare with a toy knife? Has it been sharpened?"

"This is a real knife, it's been used to kill! I can kill him, and I can kill you!"

"The taxis and Mazdas ahead, please pull over immediately! I repeat, the taxis and Mazdas ahead, please pull over immediately!" Suddenly, sirens blared from behind.

"Oh no! The police are really here now. My excellent driving record of so many years is going to be ruined," the taxi driver sighed.

"Stop dawdling and get going!" The passenger finally came to his senses and threatened him with a knife.

"Isn't it a bad idea to sneak away right under the noses of the police?"

The passenger was furious and was about to steal the car and escape when the Mazda blocked his way: "You bastard! You broke the traffic rules first, and you think you can get away? No way!"

Date and Takagi arrived at the chaotic scene of the car accident, knocked on the car window, and asked, "Could you come out for a moment?"

As the passengers reluctantly stepped off the train, Date feigned surprise and said, "Oh? Isn't this Mr. Onuki? It's been two years, how have you been?"

Two years ago, this person was arrested by the police in a nightclub, but was eventually released without charge due to insufficient evidence.

"Officer, please don't look at me with prejudice. I am now a law-abiding citizen," Da Guan said, straightening his back.

"Then what are you doing with this knife?" Takagi asked, examining the dagger closely.

"I...I carried this for self-defense."

"With a physique like yours, you don't need self-defense?" Takagi teased. "Excuse me, this is a controlled knife. You'll have to come with us."

"Officer, you've misunderstood. I didn't do anything."

Hagiwara blurted out, "Officer, this man is threatening me with a knife and trying to kill me!"

“Yes! I can testify, I saw it too!” Matsuda echoed.

Date said sternly, "All three of you, go to the police station! Takagi, notify the transportation department to deal with these two vehicles and get the dashcam footage. I want to see what really happened."

Da Guan was on high alert, but the two drivers laughed.

As night fell, Jingguang received an encrypted email from Manager Kuroda. He read the email with a grave expression, hesitated for a long time, and then dialed his partner's number: "Zero, I need your help."