Chapter 50: The interrogation was conducted without suspicion or harm.
The police are being driven crazy by that old bastard Rum.
The Criminal Investigation Bureau was alright; after Rum was arrested, he was sent directly to the Public Security Zero Team. Besides them, only the Special Investigation Team would come by to check on him and help with the interrogation.
As Kitagawa Ryusei had predicted, several figures immediately began to probe Rum's identity, both openly and covertly, after his arrest. Several lawyers also stepped forward, demanding his release on the grounds that the police lacked clear evidence of a crime.
All the pressure suddenly fell on the police department.
The third day after Rum's arrest was also the third day that Rei Furuya and Team Zero had lost contact.
Even though Kazami Yuya had received the news in advance, he still couldn't help but worry about his boss and voluntarily worked overtime for several more hours with Rum.
In the blink of an eye, another night had passed at the police station.
After resting in the office for a while, Kazami Yuya put on his spare suit and went downstairs, full of energy, ready to complete the task assigned by Mr. Furuya.
You'd never guess he'd spent the whole night at work without going home.
Early in the morning, the police officers had already arrived at their posts. They were not surprised to see Kazami Yuya, who seemed to have stayed up all night again, and greeted him warmly as they passed by.
Kazami Yuya nodded in response to each of them.
As he walked out of the police station, he saw a peaceful old woman in a navy blue kimono carrying a small hand-knitted bag, peering inside.
She wore no makeup, and her attire was simple and understated, befitting her age, yet her every gesture exuded a charm that came with age.
Kazami Yuya glanced at the time and, seeing it was still early, stopped and asked, "Hello, is there anything I can help you with?"
The old woman was taken aback. Once she realized the other person was speaking to her, she politely smiled, bowed slightly, and said, "Thank you so much."
Kazami Yuya quickly dodged, saying, "No need, no need, it's my duty to help you."
“That’s right,” the old woman said in a gentle, elegant voice, “A few days ago, my son was involved in a gang fight and was detained by the police. Thanks to a police officer who intervened, he was able to escape danger. I have come here specifically to thank him.”
Kazami Yuya recalled that the police department hadn't handled any gang fight cases recently.
The old man probably wanted to go to the Metropolitan Police Department but went to the wrong place.
The old woman's gaze swept over the access card hanging on Kazami Yuya's chest, her tone unhurried: "He said his name is Rei-kun, does Mr. Kazami know him?"
"Rei, Zero-kun...?"
As he repeated the name, Kazami Yuya froze, then suddenly realized what he meant.
Mr. Fangtani.
His eyes instantly turned wary as he recalled the time when Kitagawa Ryusei tricked the FBI.
A sense of crisis crept into my brain little by little, like a spider web, light and sticky, clinging to my skin and causing an unbearable discomfort.
Whether they admit it or deny it, just by giving a response, you can glean a lot of information.
This statement is particularly relevant today.
Kazami Yuya's expression changed instantly. The old woman smiled and raised her hand to cover her lips: "Oh, it seems we've met..."
What should I do... how should I answer?
If Mr. Furuya were in this situation, he would definitely be able to handle it with ease... Kazami Yuya composed himself and his mind raced.
The kind-looking woman in front of him transformed into a venomous snake with its tongue flicking out.
"What are you saying?"
Before Kazami Yuya could find a suitable explanation, a voice interrupted his thoughts.
Not far away, a young man in a trench coat, carrying a briefcase under his arm, climbed the steps, one hand half-stuffed in his pocket, his legs appearing long and straight beneath his suit trousers as he took a step.
He said this with a slight smile.
They all turned their heads to look at the doorway at the same time.
Kazami Yuya felt a sense of relief.
The old woman's pupils dilated almost imperceptibly, and if I'm not mistaken, her skin showed faint signs of about to crack.
Kitagawa Ryusei stopped two steps away from them, his smile damnably familiar and gentlemanly, his tone gentle: "Were you looking for me?"
As he spoke, he extended his hand to the old woman: "My surname is Kitagawa, and my name is Kitagawa Ryusei. You just mentioned my name."
"..."
Kazami Yuya felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He wasn't stupid, and he immediately understood what Kitagawa Ryusei meant. He asked in confusion, "Ryusei-kun, have you been dealing with any cases of armed conflict lately?"
For some reason, the old man's behavior became somewhat stiff after Kitagawa Ryusei appeared, as if he had been hit from behind or shot in the back.
"Hehehe."
The old woman, barely managing to maintain her elegant demeanor, reached out and grasped the young man's hand, her fingertips icy cold: "Indeed, I've come to the wrong place..."
“It’s alright,” Kitagawa Ryusei smiled, withdrawing his hand after a brief touch. He then turned to Kazami Yuya and said, “The evidence against Wakita Kanenori has been submitted by the Criminal Investigation Bureau. I’ll interrogate him later.”
—Kaneya Wakita is one of the identities they discovered Rum commonly used, and they have been trying to use it as a breakthrough to find evidence of his crimes for the past few days.
For the past two days, Kitagawa Ryusei and his team have been running between the National Police Agency and the Metropolitan Police Department, digging through all the files and previously undiscovered cases to find clues.
Although they don't face the same pressures as the police force, their job is no easier than anyone else's.
They've done so many things and they still think they're idiots? Rum really thinks the Special Investigations Team has been doing nothing for the past two years.
"oh……"
Although he didn't know why this had to be brought up outside the police station, after hearing it, Kazami Yuya was completely relieved and replied, "Okay, Ryusei-kun."
Kitagawa-kun is just as reliable as Furuya-san… he thought sincerely.
Perhaps this is what outstanding people have in common.
After explaining all this, Kitagawa Ryusei asked the old woman, "You just mentioned your son. How is he?"
He looks like any model police officer who cares about the people.
“I can’t control him,” the old woman said, her gaze falling on Kitagawa Ryusei’s face, scrutinizing it inch by inch, like every mother who is disappointed in her son. “I’m old, so I might have misremembered the officer’s name.”
"Thank you for your concern, young master."
Kitagawa Ryusei nodded in understanding and then asked, "Would you like me to take you to the nearest station?"
"No need to trouble yourself, young sir, please go ahead with your work and don't worry about me." The old woman took a small step back, slightly flustered, and waved her hand in refusal.
Her gaze towards the young man was gentle, but devoid of any emotion.
Kitagawa Ryusei, however, seemed not to have noticed anything and smiled brightly at the man, saying, "Please be careful and stay safe."
The young man's expression only calmed down after the person turned and walked away.
Kazami Yuya has no plans to go out; nothing is more important to him right now than Rum and Mr. Furuya.
He said nervously, "Mr. Kitagawa, just now—"
“Yesterday, Inspector Morofushi of Nagano contacted us, saying that the Thousand-Faced Witch disguised herself as a Nagano police officer and found out about Zero Name.”
With no one around, Kitagawa Ryusei explained as he pushed open the door to the police station lobby: "Fortunately, their focus is on Kagemitsu."
However, what he had been worried about still happened, especially during this direct confrontation with the organization.
—Rei Furuya's unusually rare appearance and outstanding academic achievements during his time at the police academy would be a ticking time bomb if placed on an undercover agent.
The students in the Onizuka class are alright; in recent years, during class reunions and visits to their instructors, they have more or less guessed some of the inside story.
Kitagawa Ryusei had a basic understanding of these people's personalities, character, and places of employment.
However, Ling was able to speak twice in front of the whole school as a representative of the new students and an outstanding graduate.
Almost everyone in the school remembered him.
Hundreds of police officers of the same rank are scattered throughout Japan. If even one of them accidentally lets slip a secret about their police academy life and it gets overheard by the organization...
Kitagawa Ryusei had angrily denounced the unreliability of the security bureau in his mind for what felt like the umpteenth time.
"What should we do next?" Kazami Yuya asked.
Mr. Furuya is fighting alone in the organization, and he will lead Team Zero to provide all logistical support for Mr. Furuya!
The police have subconsciously trusted the people in front of them when Furuya Rei is not around.
Seeing his resolute expression, looking like he was about to work another day of overtime, Kitagawa Ryusei had had enough of working overtime. He patted Kazami Yuya on the shoulder and tried to lighten the mood: "How about we change your boss's name?"
"You can take my surname, Beichuan, so you don't need to change your given name. Zero is fine."
Just moments before, Kazami Yuya had been praising the other party's reliability, and he was about to agree when he thankfully stopped himself in time.
"ah???"
...
In the interrogation room, Rum sat leisurely in a chair, so composed that it was impossible to tell that his hands were chained to his sides.
Time is not visible here, but he has his own way of keeping track of time.
Rum thought that he would be able to leave soon.
As long as the police don't find any evidence to continue detaining him, and he doesn't reveal any information about the organization, the boss will get him out as quickly as possible to avoid any unforeseen complications.
The interrogation room door opened again, letting in a beam of light from the corridor before closing it again.
Hearing the sound, Rum squinted to look.
The young man walked in, his tone relaxed, a smile playing on his lips: "What, want to go home?"
That smile made Rum's heart sink.
Over the past three days, neither the police nor the criminal police have taken Rum, the interrogation expert, seriously.
But Kitagawa Ryusei was definitely the last person he wanted to see.
On the first day, he was still thinking about how such a promising talent had ended up becoming a policeman.
Rum didn't care about that anymore.
Kitagawa Ryusei didn't seem interested in the information Rum possessed; rather than asking questions, the young man's desire to share was surprisingly high.
He preferred to use known clues to dissect the clues in front of Rum, deducing information related to the organization, and then observing Rum's changes in expression to see if his deductions were correct.
Calm and mischievous, it was as if they were playing a game with him full of malice.
The person before me was not like a scavenging crow, but more like a corner of the night, with keen insight into the secrets hidden in the darkness.
Even if Rum remains silent when facing him, Kitagawa Ryusei can still casually reveal secrets that make people want to devour him alive.
"Is there anything you'd like to talk to us about today?"
The young man sat down opposite him and uttered his usual opening remarks.
Rum, however, remained silent, which was unusual for him.
—His eyelids kept twitching all day, and he had a bad feeling about it, so he simply closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.
Seeing that he was uncooperative, Kazami Yuya frowned: "We already have evidence of your crimes, and no one can let you out now."
Rum opened one eye, glanced at the policeman who had spoken, then closed it again, letting out a snort of laughter from his chest.
His other prosthetic eye had been removed when he entered the police station.
Knowing that Rum didn't believe him, Kitagawa Ryusei smiled and said, "Actually, I'm very curious. How come your organization, which is so big and powerful, doesn't even provide jobs? All the important members like to run around outside."
"Mr. Kanenori Wakita, I'm curious, do you usually put razor blades in your customers' sushi?"
It turned out that they had found his fake identity... Following the young man's words, Rum began to recall the cases he had committed as "Wakita Kanenori".
They all seem to have been there for some time, so searching for them suddenly will definitely not yield any clues.
Rum's mind raced, his eyes darting under his eyelids, waiting for him to say something more.
Unfortunately, Kitagawa Ryusei had already changed the subject: "At your age, you still have to go out and work for others. I'm afraid you've run into a heartless boss... You're very suspicious, aren't you? Moroboshi Dai wanted to find an acquaintance to drink with these past few days, but found that the place was already empty."
Among those who could currently provoke Rum, the "traitor" Ray, who personally tied him up, was definitely at the top of the list.
Sure enough, Rum, as if he'd heard a joke, finally spoke up: "He still has the mind to drink?"
They've probably already tucked their tails between their legs and run back home.
Kitagawa Ryusei could tell what he was thinking and said regretfully, "He seemed to be having a pretty good time. He even sniped at Gin twice before leaving, and only left after he had a good time."
"In comparison, you, sir, are more like a stray dog."
The young man sat relaxed in the leather chair with his elbows folded.
"We don't need you to believe how much evidence we have or whether we can convict you."
Kazami Yuya returned to the main topic, stating righteously: "All the evidence has been submitted, including but not limited to the 213 dismemberment case and the 705 shooting case."
Completely unfamiliar with the way the police named cases, Rum thought for a long time before he remembered which ones had died.
However, he remained unconvinced: "Hehehe, the most ridiculous thing about you police officers is that you always think about problems in such a naive way."
"It's important to understand that crime doesn't only happen where the police can't reach."
Wherever there are people, there will be crime, even among the police.
"Oh, if you mean you used your connections within the police department or bribed your superiors to pressure us into letting you out..."
Instead of playing riddles with him, Kitagawa Ryusei bluntly stated the matter, saying frankly, "Then you don't need to think about it."
Rum opened his eyes and sat up straight, his gaze fixed on the young man's face.
He believed this was merely a tactic used during interrogation.
No one knew better than him and that man how much information they had about the organization.
No one understood the old man's paranoia better than him.
If I don't get myself out of this mess, the boss probably won't be able to sleep right now.
But the policeman seemed far too confident.
It's as if he has some information that he didn't know.
The lack of intelligence was the thing Rum found most unbearable.
Before he could figure it out, Rum heard Kitagawa Ryusei change the subject again in the calm tone he least wanted to hear: "I heard that your organization was raided by the CIA a long time ago?"
How is your gem industry recovering?
"You guys are well-informed, no need to worry."
Having reached a certain age, Rum was so frustrated he could barely contain himself, almost wanting to grab Kitagawa Ryusei by the collar and demand an explanation for what he had just said.
Normally, he's the one interrogating others, but now even a lowly policeman can show off his clumsy methods in front of him!
The more visibly angry he became, the more amused Kitagawa Ryusei found it. He calmly tapped his fingers on the table, slowly dropping a bombshell:
"I think so too. Karasuma Group probably won't care about such a small loss."
"..."
Upon hearing this, Rum's neck seemed to freeze as if it were stuck in his spine, leaving only one eye moving across his face: "...What are you saying?"
The sound was distorted, as if fingernails were scratching the inside of a book's pages.
"Is it hard to understand?" Kitagawa Ryusei's gentle mask crumbled, gradually revealing a wicked smile like a cat toying with a mouse: "Back in that year, we found the Karasuma Group through the fluctuations in funds in the gemstone and money laundering industries, but we only started investigating today."
"If you do the math, it was exactly a few hours after you submitted the evidence of your crime."
"Mr. Rum, who's currently in enemy territory, what would your boss think?"
"..."
The clicking sound of clenched teeth was particularly noticeable in the interrogation room.
If looks could kill, Kitagawa Ryusei would have been torn to pieces by Rum long ago.
What will the boss think...?
Did he reveal the absolute taboo of the "Karasuma" organization to the police?
Even if it sounds incredibly ridiculous.
But Rum would never doubt the BOSS's almost insane paranoia.
Countless members of the organization have died because of his suspicions and Gin's gun.
Any member who threatens him will be purged.
Even rum.
Kazami Yuya pressed his advantage: "Just recently, members of the intelligence team under the surveillance of the Public Security Bureau have been disappearing one after another."
“We don’t know what orders these people received, but the Black Organization has already launched a large-scale operation.”
Rum's gaze never left Kitagawa Ryusei.
The young man's body language remained relaxed throughout: "Personally, I never really thought I could get anything out of you, Rum."
"But now it's your turn to pray that the police department is airtight and can keep you locked up until you're taken to court."
*
They were both in the interrogation room.
Furuya's situation is much worse than Rum's.
He looked as if he had just been pulled out of the water, his whole body dripping wet, and he took deep breaths during the breaks in the interrogation.
The incandescent light scorches the eyes and the sun's eye sockets; after a while, all that can be seen are scattered golden specks of light.
Since no evidence of his betrayal was found, and the BOSS instructed that it should not affect subsequent missions, the person in charge of the interrogation did not use torture.
But none of the necessary procedures can be omitted.
The interrogators were also extremely tense. They had been dealing with Bourbon for three days, administered two truth serum injections, and the questioning never stopped.
"That bastard Lei, I don't want to see him again."
"What does Rum's arrest have to do with me? Everyone in Hokkaido knows I'm on a mission..."
Truth serum is mainly composed of anesthetic drugs that interfere with higher cognitive functions in the brain. During his undercover training, Rei Furuya underwent a lot of similar counter-interrogation training.
Truth serum is not an intractable interrogation technique.
He had etched the phrase "Don't tell lies that will give you away" into his mind, and all his resentment towards the unexpected disaster welled up inside him.
The people in the observation room exchanged glances and unanimously agreed that there was no flaw in their assessment.
Until the incandescent light went out and the interrogator fell silent, Rei Furuya exhaled a deep breath of hot air without opening his eyes.
Sweat dripped down his golden hair, onto his collarbone, and slid into his collar as he lay there.
it's over……
Rei Furuya feels like he's in another world.
Someone came in and unfastened the iron shackles on his wrists and ankles.
The blond youth didn't want to stay in the interrogation chair any longer and forced himself to stand up.
After three days of intense stress and without food, he staggered forward.
Someone reached out and helped me up before I fell.
Rei Furuya forced himself to concentrate and see the person coming.
The woman had her hair tied in a low ponytail and a cold gaze. She turned her hand away as soon as he stood still.
Although they had never crossed paths, Rei Furuya happened to know her.
—Rena Mizunashi, who rose to prominence in the organization by investigating a CIA robbery case.
Although she failed to capture the CIA junior member who leaked the information and let him escape, her speed and methods in tracking down clues caught Rum's eye, and she was soon given a codename.
Kiel.
“The boss has a mission,” Kiel said calmly. “You and Vermouth are responsible for dealing with Rum’s safe houses and intelligence network.”
It's unclear what exactly happened, but the man who hadn't initially reacted to Rum's arrest almost adopted a lizard-like stance, demanding that all ties between Rum and the organization be severed as quickly as possible.
The intelligence team members are now living in fear, and each codenamed member is practically used in two.
...It seems that everything is going smoothly for Ryusei and Kazami, and Rei Furuya's anxiety has eased somewhat.
He struggled to lift his head, his voice betraying his weakness: "And what about you?"
The blue-eyed woman's gentle face held a hint of indifference, yet she still answered him:
"Investigate Yuya Kazami and Ryusei Kitagawa of the National Police Agency."
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