Nishida immediately said, “Director Watanabe, my men are ready to surrender at any moment. I admit my actions were wrong and shameful to Japan, so I stopped them in time. Before they even encountered the American woman, I ordered them to retreat.”


    Turning to Takaoka with a fiery re, Nishida added angrily, “But that bastard Takaoka Machi blocked my men’s retreat! His people refused to let them leave. If anything happens tonight that disgraces Japan, it will be entirely his fault!”


    “You’re spouting nonsense!” Takaoka Machi snapped, anger ring in his voice. Having spoken to his men and learned the situation, he retorted, “Your people clearly arrived first to assassinate the American woman, and you probably seeded. You just wanted to flee quickly, but my men blocked your escape! They weren’t letting you get away—they were keeping you criminals here to face the police! My men acted with justice, punishing evil and promoting good!”


    “You… you…” Nishida Hirohiro stammered, shaking with rage. He couldn’t believe Takaoka’s audacity. Takaoka hade to steal the secret money, yet now imed to be upholding justice. Trembling with fury, Nishida spat, “Who do you think will believe your lies? You shameless bastard! The Inagawa Society has always been corrupt—since when did you care about social responsibility? Your men blocked my retreat, killing and injuring many of my people. Every death tonight is on your hands! This bloodshed could have been avoided, but your greed caused it! You let your men kill mine, forcing this standoff! If it weren’t for you, Director Watanabe wouldn’t have toe here himself!”


    “Baka!” Takaoka Machi shouted, his voice rising to a furious pitch. “You’re ndering me! It’s all nder!”<h3 style="background-color:DodgerBlue">


    The two continued arguing until their faces turned red. Furious, the Superintendent General strode forward, raising his hand. He pped Takaoka Machi across the face, then swung backhanded to strike Nishida Hirohiro. “Shut up, both of you!” he roared. “The me for tonight’s disaster is equally shared between your two organizations—50-50. Neither of you will escape responsibility! Over a hundred casualties have urred tonight. As the leaders of these violent gangs, you’ll both be sentenced to the maximum penalty short of the death penalty—life imprisonment! And when that happens, I’ll make sure you’re ced in the same prison, even the same cell, so you can argue all you want for the rest of your lives!”


    Hearing the extent of the casualties and the prospect of life imprisonment, both men were struck with despair. Their faces paled, and their bodies went limp.


    For years, they had distanced themselves from the gangs’ direct operations, delegating the dirty work to their subordinates. Even when trouble arose, it was always the underlings who took the fall. As bosses, they had avoided legal consequences entirely.


    But tonight’s events were too significant to ignore. The scale of the incident ensured that both leaders would be implicated. A life sentence was not just usible—it was likely. The thought of losing their freedom forever terrified them, and they realized they were powerless to change their fate. The police had already taken control, and it was only a matter of time before they were arrested, detained, and sent to trial.


    Choking back tears, Takaoka Machi stammered, “Director Watanabe, this has nothing to do with me! It was my subordinates’ idea—my confidants, led by our vice president, Itagaki. You should arrest him and hold him responsible for all of this!”


    Nishida Hirohiro quickly regained hisposure and added, “Yes, yes, Director Watanabe, it has nothing to do with me either. It was my subordinate Matsushima who orchestrated this. If you’re going to arrest someone, it should be him, not me!”


    The Superintendent of Police replied coldly, “Don’t worry. There’s no chance of only arresting your subordinates. With such arge-scale incident, the senior executives from both sides will be heading to prison!”


    At that moment, a heart-wrenching cry rang out: “Director Watanabe, where are my brother and niece? I need to see them!”


    Everyone turned to see Mitsui Yoshiyasu of the Mitsui family, running toward them in a frenzy.


    Takaoka Machi and Nishida Hirohiro exchanged nces, and in each other’s eyes, they saw deep despair.


    What did this mean?


    From Mitsui Yoshiyasu’s anguished question, could it be that his brother, Mitsui Yoshitaka—the head of the Mitsui family—was also involved?


    And that Mitsui Yoshitaka’s only daughter, Mitsui Shinmi, was there too?


    Worse, were they both dead?


    This… this was tantamount to shaking the very foundation of Japan!


    The Superintendent General’s next words were like a death sentence to Takaoka and Nishida.<fn9391> Chapters first released on Find[?]ovel</fn9391>


    With a heavy sigh, the Superintendent turned to Mitsui Yoshiyasu, whose face was twisted with grief, and said solemnly, “I’m deeply sorry, Mr. Mitsui. We’ve received confirmed reports that your elder brother and niece have been killed.”