3:15 AM.
As soon as Akechi came out of the server room, he saw Yoruichi Toyama still sitting in the management room outside, her eyes half-closed.
Hearing the noise, Yoruichi Toyama rubbed her face and sat up straight in her chair.
"How about it?"
Mingzhi almost laughed, but he held it in and looked around the room.
"Where is Inspector Shiratori?"
"I went to ask the hotel staff to make us some coffee." Yoruichi Toyama waved her hand, feeling truly awake. "We sent those two minors to bed."
Thinking of Hakuba Saguru and Hattori Heiji, who actually served as representatives of their fathers, Akechi nodded.
"Then I'll wait for this cup of coffee before taking any further action."
Inspector Shiratori returned quickly.
Following that came a small cart pushed by a waiter, which indeed contained steaming hot and fragrant coffee. For someone who stays up late, just smelling the aroma was enough to invigorate them.
Akechi glanced at Inspector Shiratori, but didn't ask anything, and simply focused on enjoying his coffee.
Ever since the case involving Chief Odagiri caused a rift between them, Akechi knew that he could no longer work with Inspector Shiratori.
Inspector Shiratori was the same age as him, but he was promoted a step later than him. That one step actually determined his future career.
Furthermore, given Akechi University's background, Inspector Shiratori had no way to compete with them.
Even so, even though Inspector Shiratori was already on par with Inspector Megure, this person still insisted on staying in the Third Division of the First Investigation Division and showed no intention of being transferred.
Objectively speaking, Mingzhi felt that it would be easier for him to get promoted if he were transferred to a department like the Second Division.
Elite police officers like them, who come from the national civil service examination, would likely be highly sought after in other departments, or at least receive special training.
The only exception is the Investigation Division, which, being a Major Crimes Division, places the greatest emphasis on frontline work capabilities.
It's not easy for someone who didn't start as a frontline criminal investigator and gradually climbed to a higher level to be able to take charge of a department independently.
There are already rumors that the next section chief will be Manager Kiyoshi Matsumoto.
Matsumoto, the manager, had far more seniority than Akechi, and Akechi never considered competing with him; he simply focused on building his own track record.
From the head of the sixth department to the administrator leading the sixth and seventh departments, Mingzhi has achieved remarkable feats, no less than many veteran police officers.
Inspector Shiratori, however, doesn't have as many impressive achievements.
Given this situation, the fact that he still clings to the position of head of the Investigation Division, and hasn't even managed to become the head of the Department of Investigation, makes one wonder if he has ulterior motives.
Of course, the most obvious possibility is the "Officer Sato Law," which is unspoken by all three departments.
It is said that all the male detectives in the three departments, as long as their resumes are decent and their age difference is not too exaggerated, are all under the spell of Officer Sato Miwako.
Inspector Shiratori makes no secret of his enthusiasm in this regard.
But it could also be the best cover for other intentions.
His thoughts came to an end as the coffee cup emptied. Mingzhi put down the cup and stood up.
"Let's get started."
Inspector Shiratori stared at him in surprise, his face full of bewilderment.
"W-what action?"
"Of course, it's an operation to capture the terrorists who planted the bomb at the Deep Blue Hotel."
Mingzhi smiled without explaining, but had already begun to make the arrangements.
Taking advantage of Inspector Shiratori's confusion, Yoruichi Toyama pulled Akechi aside.
"You really found the address of the hacker who broke into the hotel?"
Mingzhi pushed up his glasses, and the lenses reflected light.
"You really know a lot," he said sarcastically, but his tone was full of admiration and mutual respect.
This "address" does not refer to the physical address, but rather the IP address assigned by the network.
Experienced hackers will consciously conceal this information during a hack to prevent being traced back to the source.
However, the one who entered the DeepBlue Hotel Management System was not necessarily too careless; rather, compared to Mingzhi, he was simply a step behind.
These things are common knowledge to Yoruichi Toyama, who comes from the internet-rich 21st century.
But it seems quite advanced for the moment; at least, it can easily defeat someone like Inspector Shiratori, who only has a superficial understanding of computers.
In the end, Yoruichi Toyama didn't stand on ceremony and simply said with a fake expression, "I know a little."
...
Knowing the hacker's IP address does not mean you know their physical address.
However, network operators can still find it.
During the three-plus hours that Mingzhi spent in the server room, he finally located the terrorists, or at least the hacker who broke into the hotel, on Kambak Island.
It's in that small village where the indigenous people live.
In those days, it was extremely rare for villages to have internet access. The police followed what was practically the only internet connection they could find and went directly to the door.
At 5:11 a.m., while hotel guests and villagers were still asleep, the hacker and his two roommates were all apprehended.
This is a family of three, grandfather, grandfather and grandson. The grandfather's name is Shuicheng Longzhichen. His son died early, and he raised his only grandson, Shuicheng Longzhichen, alone day after day.
Another 15-year-old girl named Naguni Mukoto was adopted by Mizuki Ryujin and was also an orphan who had lost both her parents.
The identities and ages of these three individuals surprised the police officers who were blocking the entrance to arrest them.
But there was no doubt about the wise judgment.
The blue and white, high-tech computer tower placed in the middle of the room, which seems out of place in this home, already says a lot.
An hour later, after Mingzhi cracked the login password and retrieved the computer's contents, it was confirmed that this was the computer that had hacked into the DeepBlue Hotel Management System.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
