Chapter 161: Intervention

“Are you Ayano Eiko?” In the parking lot of a building, four men suddenly blocked a female police inspector just as she was about to close her car door. One of them, with eyes as cold and piercing as a snake’s, asked the question in a tone that was anything but polite.

“Who are you?” Eiko regarded the men with a frosty, emotionless gaze as they surrounded her.

“We’re Public Security. There’s a case that requires you to come with us to give a statement.” One of the men pulled out a black badge from his jacket pocket and flashed it briefly in front of her.

In Japan, the Public Security Bureau—also known as Public Security Police—is entirely different from regular police. They are not under the jurisdiction of the National Police Agency or the Metropolitan Police Department but are part of the National Public Safety Commission, which falls under the Cabinet Office. This organization wields far greater authority, with powers to oversee and even directly command the police system. Its responsibilities include managing national security policies, coordinating the national police system, and overseeing major criminal investigations across jurisdictions.

Eiko sneered coldly. “I wasn’t aware of any case important enough to warrant Public Security’s involvement. Besides, isn’t investigating cases the responsibility of the Metropolitan Police Department?”

“That’s not for you to worry about. For now, you’re coming with us immediately.”

“And if I refuse?”

“You don’t have a choice.”

“This doesn’t seem like it’s just about taking a statement. If that’s the case, I’d like to see a warrant.”

“When we’re on official duty, we don’t need a warrant. Come with us now, or don’t blame us for using force.” The man suddenly grabbed Eiko’s arm.

“Let go of me. I’ll go with you.” Eiko looked at him with undisguised disgust.

“That’s better.” Despite his words, the man didn’t loosen his grip.

As they approached the car parked on the other side of the lot, Eiko suddenly shouted loudly to her left, “Mr. Ikeyama! Please help me!”

Instinctively, the men glanced toward the direction she had called out.

“You wretched woman!” At that moment, the man holding Eiko’s arm let out a loud cry of pain.

It turned out that Eiko had used her high-heeled foot to stomp hard on his instep.

The other three men didn’t spare a second to check on their companion. They immediately gave chase as Eiko darted away, already several meters ahead.

Despite her reputation as part of the “desk-bound” professional cadre—often mocked for doing little more than writing reports and attending meetings—Eiko’s disciplined and consistent training had left her in excellent physical shape, on par with frontline officers who rose through the ranks as patrol officers, handling constant fieldwork. That said, running in high heels was an entirely different matter.

After about 50 meters, Eiko cursed the inventor of high heels under her breath.

Glancing back at the three men closing in on her, she silently vowed that if she escaped this ordeal, she would get herself a gun from the black market to carry for self-defense.

Contrary to popular belief, police officers in Japan don’t carry firearms 24/7. They are only permitted to carry a gun while on duty. Once their shift ends, they must return their firearm to the station for safekeeping. However, the recent spate of bizarre “vampire” incidents was an exception. Due to the unpredictable nature of the crimes, officers ranked as patrol captains or higher were granted special permission to carry firearms even off-duty.

Although Eiko was a black belt in both judo and karate, she wasn’t confident in her ability to take on three men simultaneously. If these men truly were trained operatives from Public Security, even one of them would be a formidable opponent. But if they caught up to her, she’d have no choice but to fight.

As she prepared to abruptly stop and kick the fastest pursuer, a white sedan suddenly sped toward them from the far end of the parking lot.

The men’s expressions shifted as the car charged straight at them, forcing them to scatter.

“Get in the car, quickly!” A man sitting in the back seat of a white sedan shouted to Ayano Eiko as he opened the door.

Although the three men in the car wearing sunglasses seemed to be helping her, Eiko’s heightened sense of caution—triggered by the four men claiming to be Public Security—made her unwilling to trust any strangers. Ignoring the man’s shouts, she continued running toward the parking lot exit.

Seeing this, the man had no choice but to instruct the driver to turn the car around and follow her.

The four men claiming to be Public Security, witnessing the situation, ran back to their own vehicle to give chase.

Once out of the parking lot, Eiko immediately headed for a nearby crowded plaza. She believed that as long as she blended into the crowd, she could escape her pursuers.

The white car, however, was now less than five meters behind her.

“Listen to me, we were sent by Mr. Outsider to help you!” The man in the back seat shouted through the open window.

“You really know Outsider?” Eiko suddenly stopped upon hearing this. “Outsider” was the prefix of the email address used by a certain individual.

“It’s true! Get in the car quickly—they’re almost on you!” the man urged, glancing nervously at the car exiting the parking lot.

After a brief hesitation, Eiko opened the car door and got in.

“Drive!” she said after closing the door.

Once the car had been driving for over ten minutes and they had confirmed they had shaken off their pursuers, the man in the back seat turned to Eiko, who had been observing him closely.

“We were indeed sent by him to assist you. He told us that if someone gave you trouble, we were to help you get out of it—and to deliver this package to you.” He handed her a black bag as he spoke.

Eiko opened the bag and found a sleek, ultra-thin laptop inside.

“Why would he give me this?” Eiko asked, eyeing the man, who still hadn’t removed his sunglasses. Neither had the two men in the front seat. It was clear they didn’t want her to see their faces too clearly.

“He said if anyone is trying to capture you, it means they’ve discovered your investigation. To prevent them from tampering with your computer, he wants you to use this laptop to communicate with him from now on.”

Eiko hadn’t expected this individual to be so meticulous.

“Who exactly are you people?”

“Sorry, we can’t disclose that.”

Eiko wasn’t surprised by the answer. She had expected these men to remain tight-lipped. While the mysterious individual had provided answers to many of her questions and even sent people to help her this time, the feeling of being kept in the dark deeply unsettled her.

“Are those men really from Public Security?” she asked another question.

“We can’t confirm that yet, but we’ll investigate their identities. To prevent them from targeting you again, we’ve rented an apartment near your police station. It would be best if you stayed there for the time being.”

“No, I live with my mother. I can’t just leave her behind.”

“You can bring her with you. If you live near the station, whether or not those men are Public Security, they likely wouldn’t dare act so brazenly.”

“Is that also his idea?”

“Yes.”

“Fine, I’ll seriously consider it. For now, please take me home.”

“You’ll need to wait. Our team hasn’t arrived yet. We can’t leave until everyone is here.”

Eiko grew increasingly frustrated with the feeling of being manipulated. It was clear these men had been monitoring her for days. Her confusion about the mysterious man’s identity also deepened. Based on what they had said, it seemed that he had significant power backing him.

Who exactly was this man?

A thought suddenly came to her, but she quickly dismissed it. Even if that individual had such capabilities, he would never involve himself in something like this—and he had no reason to do so.

***

“Got it. Thanks for your help this time.”

After hanging up the phone, Lei Yin’s expression darkened.

He was furious. There was no way those people should have discovered the woman’s investigation so quickly—someone must have made a mistake or leaked information. It was likely that woman had done something reckless, despite his warnings to stay cautious. Lei Yin regretted entrusting such a headstrong person to act as his proxy.

Given the situation, there was no time for a slow, methodical investigation to unmask the mastermind. He needed to locate their laboratory and expose the truth before they became more vigilant.

If possible, he didn’t want to utilize the Black Dragon’s white-collar network. Those connections had been carefully cultivated over years, and while they could provide more accurate intel, their use might draw suspicion if the truth came to light later.

It seemed he had no choice but to handle matters personally. Thinking this, he silently cursed the woman again.

When Lei Yin returned to the stairwell, he addressed the three young men waiting for him. “Let’s go.”

“Why did you walk so far just to make a phone call? Was it your girlfriend?” Takeda asked curiously.

“No, and stop asking. Let’s go.” Lei Yin didn’t want to talk about it further.

As they left the campus, Yoshikawa suddenly asked, “I heard you caused a scene at the basketball club yesterday?”

“Did I? I don’t remember.”

“I don’t mean anything by it; I’m just reminding you to be careful. From what I know, Haruko can be pretty temperamental. She might come looking for trouble again.”

“Sometimes, I don’t understand why you’re into someone like her.”

“I don’t know either. Maybe it’s because we always want what we can’t have.” Yoshikawa smiled wryly.

“Still, I can’t believe how loyal you are.”

“Is that supposed to be a compliment?”

“If you think it is, then sure.”

When they were just a turn away from Lei Yin’s apartment, five men in their thirties or forties suddenly emerged from the corner and blocked their path.

“They don’t look like salesmen,” Takeda muttered quietly.

“Stay out of this. It looks like they’re here for me,” Lei Yin said, glancing back at his friends.

“Don’t worry. We weren’t planning to step in anyway,” Yoshikawa replied matter-of-factly.

“My bad for stating the obvious.”

One of the men, the tallest of the group, couldn’t hold back and spoke first. “You’re Gennai Masashi?”

“If there’s no one else nearby with that name, then yes, that’s me. What do you want?” Lei Yin’s mood was already sour, and he hadn’t expected someone to serve themselves up as a convenient outlet for his frustration. These guys were downright considerate.

“Nothing much. We just heard you’re quite capable, so we thought we’d have a friendly spar.”

“A fight’s a fight—don’t dress it up as a spar. Times must be tough if guys your age are still out here playing enforcers. Quite the pitiful sight.”

“You arrogant little punk!” The man shouted, delivering a powerful kick aimed at Lei Yin’s head.

The kick was strong enough to floor an ordinary person.

Unfortunately for him, Lei Yin caught it effortlessly with one hand. Twisting the man’s ankle with a calculated motion, Lei Yin redirected the force and slammed him to the ground.

Not wanting the fun to end too quickly, Lei Yin didn’t go all out. As a result, the man was able to get back on his feet without any significant injuries, though his eyes no longer held the same arrogance they had moments ago.

“One isn’t enough. Come at me together.” Lei Yin beckoned to the group with a taunting gesture.

The five men exchanged glances before rushing at him all at once without saying a word.

A few minutes later, sitting inside a luxury sedan, Seimura Haruko lowered her binoculars with a look of shock.

How could this happen?

Those five men were professional bodyguards she had specially brought from home. Yet, that guy had taken them down with just a few moves, leaving them sprawled on the ground, unable to get up.

She had heard rumors about him single-handedly taking on the boxing club, karate club, and other school groups before, but she always assumed those stories were exaggerated. Still, as a precaution, she had arranged for these five bodyguards to teach him a lesson. She hadn’t expected this outcome at all.

To defeat five professionals with such ease—was he even human?

Haruko sat in the car for a while, trying to calm her emotions. Eventually, she spoke to the middle-aged driver, “Drive.”

“Yes, Miss.” The driver immediately started the car.

The vehicle hadn’t gone more than two minutes when it suddenly came to an abrupt halt, the brakes screeching loudly.

The sudden stop nearly sent Haruko flying into the seat in front of her due to inertia.

“What happened?” she snapped angrily at the driver.

“Miss, someone suddenly ran out in front of the car.”

Haruko looked out the window and, sure enough, saw someone standing right in front of the car.

When she recognized who it was, she gasped in shock.

“Hey, what are you doing? Get out of the way!” The driver stepped out and yelled at the person.

The man ignored him and instead walked toward the back seat where Haruko was sitting.

“What do you think you’re doing? I’m calling the police!” Sensing trouble, the driver quickly took out his phone.

As Gennai Masashi approached the window, Haruko instinctively locked the car doors out of self-preservation.

“What do you want?” the campus beauty queen demanded coldly through the window.

“Nothing much. I just want to have a chat.”

“I have nothing to say to you. Get lost!”

“Is that so? Well, that’s unfortunate. You might want to move back a bit,” Lei Yin said with a faintly troubled expression.

“What are you trying to do?” Haruko asked, a sense of foreboding creeping over her as she saw his smile.

“Nothing, really. I just want to have a face-to-face conversation.” With that, Lei Yin punched the car window, shattering the glass.

Thankfully, the safety glass broke into small, blunt pieces instead of sharp shards, sparing Haruko from injury. However, the sound of shattering glass made her scream in terror.

The driver, who had assumed they were just talking, froze in shock at the sudden escalation.

After breaking the window, Lei Yin calmly reached his unharmed hand through the opening and unlocked the car door.

“D-Don’t come any closer!” Haruko cried, clutching her chest and retreating to the far side of the car.

Lei Yin didn’t reply. He brushed the shards off the leather seat with his hand before sitting down beside her.

Turning to look at Haruko, whose face was pale with fear, he said in a calm voice, “I only wanted to say one thing. Unless absolutely necessary, I don’t like using force against women. Don’t make me do something I’ll regret.” With that, he slowly got out of the car.

Watching his figure recede into the distance, Haruko’s eyes filled with tears of humiliation. She wanted to wipe them away, but her hands were trembling so badly that they wouldn’t obey her.

Outside the car, the driver stood frozen, fumbling indecisively over whether or not to call the police.