You have arrested the wrong person, I’m not XXXX, I’m an innocent citizen... These arguments, the Magistrate’s Office officials who have dealt with criminals for years have grown tired of hearing.

"Shut up!" The Dōshin violently punched the young man who kept shouting "I’m not part of the Anti-foreigner Group," saying, "How many times do you think I’ve heard this before?"

Facing the overwhelmingly superior number of the South Division’s "Three Times" officials, most members of the Anti-foreigner Group showed no desire to fight.

They fled in panic, only to be caught one by one by officials who had already surrounded them.

The few with fierce demeanor, who drew their swords to fight to the death, were quickly subdued by the officials who had both superior numbers and equipment.

In less than ten minutes, the band of robbers that had intruded Ryogoku-dori and attempted to loot shops there was fully captured, with no one escaping the net.

A Yoriki from the South Division’s Temporary Patrol triumphantly looked at the robbers now pressed to the ground in various positions, showing a sense of relief on his face.

He looked up and glanced at the surrounding shops.

If not for a tip-off alerting the Magistrate’s Office in advance, the businesses on Ryogoku-dori could have suffered a calamity tonight.

Thinking of this, the Yoriki couldn’t help but feel a chill down his spine.

"Humph!" The Yoriki withdrew his gaze from the shops around, mocking a middle-aged man still pressed to the ground and tied up like a dumpling, "What ’Anti-foreigner Group’... what a joke, a nice name, but in the end, you’re no different from those so-called ’Anti-foreigner Warriors’ who often cause trouble."

"Waving the ’Anti-foreigner’ banner while engaging in despicable acts of bullying your own kind."

The Yoriki originally thought that this middle-aged man would display resentment and anger after hearing his mockery, then lift his head to argue with him—after all, the Yoriki had seen similar scenes many times before.

As long as you questioned the so-called "Anti-foreigner Cause" of some "Anti-foreigner Warriors," they would immediately get agitated like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, ranting about "You don’t understand anything," "Everything we do is for this country," "You government lackeys can’t comprehend our patriotic ambition"...

But who knew—the middle-aged man, upon hearing the Yoriki’s piercing ridicule, showed an expression the Yoriki never expected.

This middle-aged man... lifted his head with a puzzled face, casting a bewildered look at the Yoriki: "Anti-foreigner Group...? Wait, wait! You’ve got the wrong people! We have nothing to do with the Anti-foreigner Group! We’re with the Celestial Loyalty Faction!"

"Celestial Loyalty Faction...?" The Yoriki furrowed his brow.

The Yoriki’s earlier mocking voice also reached the ears of several robbers still pressed to the ground nearby.

These people also raised their heads at this time, shrieking:

"Yes, yes! We are not with the Anti-foreigner Group!"

"We have nothing to do with the Anti-foreigner Group! We are with the Celestial Loyalty Faction! The Celestial Loyalty Faction!"

...

If a person claimed he wasn’t a member of the Anti-foreigner Group, the Yoriki would only see it as a denial and wouldn’t care at all.

But so many people all claimed in unison that the organization they belonged to was an unfamiliar "Celestial Loyalty Faction" with no relation to the Anti-foreigner Group... this made the Yoriki start to feel a bit uneasy.

The Yoriki’s frown deepened, confusion and bewilderment slowly appearing on his cheeks...

...

...

Edo, somewhere—

"...Mr. Kamino."

"What is it?" Shinno, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, squinted at the one-armed warrior beside him.

"The scout we sent to Ryogoku-dori to gather information has returned—our plan was very successful."

"The fools in the Celestial Loyalty Faction foolishly ran into the ’big net’ laid by the Magistrate’s Office on Ryogoku-dori, and they’ve now been completely captured by the officials from the Magistrate’s Office."

Shinno opened his eyes further as the one-armed warrior finished speaking,

"...Heh." Shinno let out a cold laugh, then assumed a mocking tone, "The plan... went much smoother than we imagined."

"A big thanks to the Magistrate’s Office’s officials for removing an annoying enemy for us."

"Mr. Kamino. Is it about time for us... to start taking action?" The one-armed warrior stuck out his tongue and licked his lips.

"...Hmm." Shinno pondered for a moment then nodded slightly, "Pass down the order—the operation officially begins."

The one-armed warrior let out a light-hearted laugh and replied with a cheeky "Understood" before quickly retreating, his figure disappearing into the darkness.

...

...

Edo, North Guard Station, a certain room—

"Haaah..." Hosoi opened his mouth so wide that an apple could fit in.

"Hosoi." South Division Magistrate Houkawa glanced at Hosoi beside him, "Would you like to rest for a bit now?"

"Haha..." Houkawa let out a dry laugh, raising a hand to rub his large belly, "As people age, their bodies sure start to deteriorate..."

"No need for rest, I’m not that tired yet."

With that, Hosoi took out a Western-style pocket watch from his chest.

This Western pocket watch was a gift from Hosoi’s eldest son a few months ago.

He found it a bit awkward to use at first, but over time, Hosoi gradually realized how convenient the Western clock was; just open the case to know the time without having to guess by looking at the sky.