"Inspector Megure, that, that Apache armed helicopter... seems to be here to help us."
Takagi swallowed hard as he looked up at the helicopter circling in the sky, his voice filled with relief.
The roar of the massive rotors was still deafening. The wind it stirred up made it difficult to keep their eyes open, forcing them to shield their faces with their hands.
Megure let out an awkward laugh and said, "Y-yeah, that's right."
No matter where this helicopter came from, or whether it was truly here to help the police...
The bigger issue was the unbelievable situation that had just happened in the suburbs of Tokyo.
Judging from the scale of the incident, it could already be classified as a terrorist attack. It technically had nothing to do with them.
But when they returned to write their reports, the reprimands from above would be unavoidable.
Both Megure and Shiratori glanced at the reporters not far away, who were still frantically taking pictures.
The two exchanged looks and sighed.
Their moment of surrender, hands raised upon seeing the helicopter, had already been captured.
Once those photos went online, the fallout would be massive.
Especially lately, the Japan police had been under heavy criticism.
Not only had serious murder cases surged nationwide, but the police relied on detectives to solve them, making their entire operation a joke.
Was taxpayers' money really being used to support this group of useless slackers?
Just thinking about the uproar online made Megure's head ache.
Even though he had a good relationship with the high school detective Kudo Shinichi, deep down, as an Inspector, it was still a blow to his pride. The rise of these detectives was a slap in the face to the police.
The Apache helicopter stirred up another cloud of dust as it slowly landed nearby.
Watching the armed chopper set down and seeing the blond, blue-eyed foreigner step out of it, all the officers exchanged glances, unsure of what to do.
The sight of that strafing from earlier was still fresh in their minds, and the collapsed building stood right before them.
Technically speaking, the pilot was also a suspect.
But in this moment, staring at the disguised Toru, the Japan police felt helpless and unsure. They didn't know how to respond.
Should they arrest him... or not?
"Inspector Megure, what do we do now?" Takagi whispered.
Megure glared at him.
My dear Takagi, are you trying to throw me under the bus?
No matter what I say now, I'll be held responsible. I can't shoulder this kind of thing!
Megure wasn't afraid of responsibility—he was a good cop. But some responsibilities were simply too much for any one man.
After years in the force, he'd grown sharp. He could feel every pair of eyes on him, waiting, and his scalp tingled. Without hesitation, he redirected the pressure.
"My dear Shiratori, what do you think we should do?"
Although Shiratori had risen quickly as a career-track officer and earned his Inspector title young, that was a title Megure had worked his whole life to obtain.
But Shiratori was still young and inexperienced. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "Inspector Megure, how about we call our superiors and ask?"
Megure wanted to give him a thumbs-up. Very nice. His dear Shiratori was starting to learn, and his reaction speed had improved.
He immediately responded, "Everyone, hold your positions. I'll call and report to the superiors."
As soon as he spoke, the officers let out sighs of relief.
There were dozens of them here. The other side had only one man, and he'd already exited the helicopter.
But this group of police officers was still paralyzed with fear. When Toru's gaze swept over them, every single one of them looked away, not daring to meet his eyes. Not one officer had the guts to step forward.
Just then, a car approached from the distance.
Already on edge, the officers tensed again.
A Ford sedan came to a stop not far from the police. Two foreigners stepped out.
They approached the group and asked, "Who's in charge here?"
Megure braced himself and stepped forward. "I'm an Inspector with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. May I ask who you are?"
One of the newcomers flashed his ID and said, "I'm with the United States Forces Japan Joint Command. This person here is from the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office."
"We received intel that armed operatives were planning a terrorist attack in Tokyo."
"We launched a preemptive strike and eliminated the threat. I'm here to retrieve our personnel and escort them back."
Without waiting for a response, he walked past the stunned officers and approached Toru.
"Mr. Wick, I've received orders to take you back."
"The Apache will be retrieved by another pilot."
The tall, broad-shouldered soldier beside him gave a salute to Toru and moved toward the helicopter.
Toru understood they were part of Spencer's cleanup crew, sent to tie up loose ends and classify the operation.
He didn't say much, just nodded and got into the car with the staffer.
The Japan police could only watch them leave, not daring to say a word.
Megure felt both relieved and humiliated.
He was relieved because the incident was being classified, and the involvement of the Joint Command meant this was no longer his responsibility.
He was angry because these people were utterly lawless. This was Tokyo, the capital of Japan.
They flew in on a helicopter, bombed the place, and left as they pleased and they couldn't even say a word?
Fine. Even if they felt wronged, the police had no choice but to accept it.
Megure sighed and tried to calm them down. "Alright, everyone, we're pulling back. With a case this big, the fact that we had no casualties is already a miracle."
Tokyo had seen a spike in serious crimes lately, and they were already exhausted.
But if given the choice, Megure would rather deal with a dozen serial killers than another crew like this, armed with heavy weapons.
The officers grumbled among themselves but still followed orders and withdrew.
Not far away, reporters from Nichibei TV were buzzing with excitement.
Fearing the footage might be censored, they immediately uploaded everything they'd shot to the internet.
With independent media so rampant these days, even if something went wrong, they could just blame the leak on social media.
And this scene, more explosive than a Hollywood blockbuster would be a disgrace to their profession if they didn't publish it.
Even the footage of the Joint Command staff scolding the police was viral material.
To the media, chaos was profit. They didn't fear disaster—they feared silence.
The officers set up a perimeter. Looking at the research institute reduced to ruins, with corpses scattered everywhere, even the most experienced ones felt their stomachs churn. Some young officers had already run off to vomit.
Megure had seen decomposed bodies before and was able to stay composed. But the number of mutilated corpses today was more than a hundred.
He shook his head and muttered, "It's going to be a long process identifying all the bodies. What the hell was this place researching that it drew terrorists here?"
In the ruined courtyard, the elite NATO mercenaries had already been forgotten.
Seeing that no one was paying attention, the team captain immediately ordered his men, "Fall back. Get out of here."
They considered themselves reckless enough, working warzones for money.
But after witnessing Toru's rampage, even they felt ashamed.
Not even their kind would dare launch an airstrike in the capital of Japan.
And the man responsible? Walked away fine, picked up by the US Joint Command.
It was obvious Toru held a powerful position.
...
About a kilometer outside the institute, Gin and Vodka climbed out of a manhole, looking absolutely wrecked.
Gin's black suit was torn, his hat was gone, and most of his long golden hair had been scorched.
They were lucky. The research institute had underground tunnels that no one knew about. Thanks to those, they had barely escaped the building's collapse during the C4 detonation.
Gin touched his burned scalp, his face dark.
Damn it. He was going to need a wig.
"Vodka."
Gin's voice was grim.
Vodka, still shaken from surviving, looked at Gin cautiously and forced a smile. "Yes?"
"Get me one too."
"Huh?"
"An armed helicopter."
Gin spoke through gritted teeth.
I'll fly a chopper and strafe Tokyo Tower! That bastard is even more arrogant than me!
"T-that's an Apache. It's not easy to get. The U.S. only has around a thousand in active service, and other countries have even fewer."
"Even a government would have a hard time getting one."
"I don't care. Go get it."
Gin's tone left no room for argument.
Seeing his bloodshot eyes, Vodka nodded quickly. "...Understood, Boss!"
"Sherry..."
Gin muttered with a grim face.
That kind of explosion probably left no survivors. Sherry was most likely nothing but a charred corpse now.
Still, dead or alive, he needed confirmation.
The Organization had enough influence in Japan. Once the police completed their investigation, they could get the report.
But with this many casualties, even if the police increased their efforts, it would take some time to identify everyone.
"Hmph. I'll wait. Even if you're dead, I need to see the proof."
Gin glanced at Vodka. Seeing Vodka still had his hat on, Gin narrowed his eyes.
"Give it to me."
"Boss, give you... what?"
"Your hat."
"Yes, yes!"
Vodka quickly took off his hat and handed it over.
He glanced at Gin's exposed scalp, patches of hair burned off. It was quite a sight, but he didn't dare laugh or even look for long.
Gin put on the hat and left with a dark expression.
He had never suffered such a loss in his life.
...
After a brief conversation with the Joint Command and the Prosecutors Office staff in the car, Toru got out and returned to his identity as Fujiwara Toru.
He opened Google Maps on his phone and studied the streets of Beika Town.
"Sherry escaped. She has nowhere else to go in Tokyo. The first person she'll think of is Shinichi Kudo, who also shrank like her."
"Kudo Shinichi and Dr. Agasa live here, and there are only two roads leading to this area."
"She won't take the main road. A kid wearing adult clothes would attract too much attention. If the police picked her up, she'd be in trouble."
"So she'll definitely take this side path... and she won't move during the day. She'll come at night."
Toru quickly identified the route Sherry would take.
Back home, he pulled out a black trench coat and fedora, slipped into them, and tucked an M9 pistol with a suppressor into his coat.
Standing in front of the mirror, he checked his look.
Anyone familiar with the Black Organization would probably think he was one of them.
Rumble...
The sky darkened. A bolt of lightning flashed, followed by a loud clap of thunder.
It looked like a heavy rain was coming to Tokyo.
...
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh..."
Late night, Tokyo. Rain poured from the sky in sheets.
Shiho, barefoot and wrapped in a white lab coat far too large for her, trudged forward under the eaves of buildings.
The downpour felt like punishment from the heavens, making her escape through Tokyo even harder.
She had walked barefoot all the way from the outskirts to the city center. If not for her usual resilience, she wouldn't have made it this far.
Just as she neared Beika Town, a sudden downpour hit.
The wind was strong, the rain even stronger. Her shrunken body swayed, like she could collapse at any moment.
The cold water streamed down her pale cheeks. No one could tell if it was rain or her tears.
At this hour, in this weather, there were few people on the streets.
Occasional cars sped by, none of them noticing the small figure under the eaves. Water splashed from the tires, soaking her even more.
"Almost there..."
Kudo Shinichi's house was just ahead.
Last time, she had checked it out and secretly left a spare key. She didn't expect it would save her now. At least she could hide from the rain for a while.
But just then—
Through the rain that blurred her vision, her eyes widened in terror.
Ahead, a figure appeared.
Dressed in black, wearing a black fedora, and holding a black umbrella, he stood motionless in the storm.
He seemed to spot her. Then, with a smile, she faintly heard his voice through the sound of the pouring rain.
"Sherry."
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)