Japan, Hyogo Prefecture, Kobe.

A black Mercedes sedan was driving along the shimmering coastal highway curves and eventually came to a halt beside the black Lexus LM350 parked alongside the roadside convoy.

The car door opened, and a black low-heeled shoe stepped onto the pavement.

A woman wearing a black casual suit with long, flowing hair got out.

The woman had a strikingly handsome face for a female, and even the silver glasses on her nose exuded a sense of authority. She held a stack of files and entered the LM350.

"Here’s the information you wanted."

Inside the car, Abe Shigehide, dressed in a white suit with a retro slicked-back hairstyle, was resting his eyes. Upon hearing the cold voice, he slightly opened his eyes and received the documents.

Upon flipping open the first page, he saw the headline "Background Investigation of the Second Batch of Xia Kingdom’s Overseas Cooperation Officers."

"Gu Ji." Abe Shigehide pronounced the name with imperfect Xia language, subconsciously leaving a dent in the document with his fingernail, "Turns out Shao Liang was captured by him. Moriyama, find a way to take care of these people before they return home."

"That’s impossible, the Cabinet Intelligence Investigation Room has already taken action, and..."

At this point, the woman addressed as Moriyama suddenly paused, her glasses reflecting a cold, white light. "I’m not your subordinate. Speak to me in that tone again, and I might just take care of you first."

Moriyama Harumi showed no emotional fluctuation, but her words were icy, akin to a formidable queen.

In fact, she indeed had that capability.

The Japan Cabinet Intelligence Investigation Room, directly led by the Chief Cabinet Secretary, must attend and participate in cabinet decision-making meetings in case of major emergencies, providing intelligence products as references for the Prime Minister and all cabinet members. It is Japan’s top intelligence agency.

Such a team, influential enough to affect national leaders’ decisions, comprises only about 150 people.

Not only was she one of them, but she was also the head of the Intelligence Analysis Division. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Yet Abe Shigehide seemed utterly indifferent to her threat and continued:

"Any news on Tangben?"

"Still searching, the person who took him had a strong counter-reconnaissance awareness, not only altering all CCTV in the subway station but also destroying the power box, and it was during my guidance for Tangben’s retreat that they acted. I suspect the operation radio was counter-eavesdropped. Versed midazolam syringes were found on-site; it’s a common anesthetic used by US intelligence personnel, likely their doing."

"DIA..."

"I’ll initiate investigations on the Americans. The Police Headquarters Ministry of Public Security has already listed you as the highest-risk criminal and submitted it to the Investigation Room. The documents are now in my hands; you’d better not cause any trouble in the near future."

With that, Moriyama Harumi stood up and left.

The car door closed, and Abe Shigehide continued to stare at the file on Gu Ji’s information, silently tapping his fingers against the armrest.

"President, PM Company got back to us, saying they’re very interested in our product."

At this moment, a sweet female voice came from the front passenger seat. She turned her head towards Abe Shigehide in the back seat, sporting fox-like eyes under her double ponytails, with a somewhat eerie and sickly smile at the corner of her mouth.

It was Ito Meiyu!!

...

...

In the following days.

Besides resting in the hotel, Gu Ji and the other two were wandering around Tokyo.

Occasionally, they would receive escort missions.

This was mainly because Chen Zhiyu and her team needed to complete all the paperwork for the 9.17 case with the Police Headquarters before heading back the day after tomorrow and ensure victim Liu Meiling was safely escorted back home.

During this period, Jian Na also sent a message, stating that Zeng Dan and Chen Zhiyu were frequently engaging her in conversation, probing into the motive behind the Fusong Gang and Liangben’s abduction of her brother and mother.

Implicitly, they were actually trying to investigate her 7472 background identity, which Jian Na managed to muddle through.

After all, her current status was as one of the cabinet’s direct provincial officials, with both job and rank not being low. Moreover, Japan’s intelligence agency was constantly monitoring her, restricting Zeng Dan’s ability to overtly press for answers.

On the final evening.

With everything sorted, Hao Tongxi personally arranged for everyone to celebrate at a Japanese izakaya, essentially serving as a farewell for Gu Ji and his team.

Since tomorrow’s agenda was merely returning home without involving case work.

Thus, they could finally enjoy some drinks together.

Perhaps due to feeling a bit reluctant, Lang Shaobo drank glass after glass, imbibing much more than usual. Although the alcohol content of Japanese sake isn’t high, the bullet graze on his shoulder hadn’t fully healed.

Thus, Gu Ji couldn’t help but remind:

"Lang, take it easy on the drinks."

"If I don’t drink more with you today, I fear I won’t have another chance in the future." Lang Shaobo placed his hand on Gu Ji’s shoulder, his face flushed red, his breath reeked of alcohol, and his speech was a bit sloppy.

Hard to imagine, just days before, upon stepping off the plane.

He was still a diplomatic office scribe of apparent refinement.

"Mr. Gu, I’m a few years older than you, so I’ll be bold and call you Gu Ji directly. Truly, in my half a lifetime, these days with you trump all combined. So thrilling; seeing you at the forefront protecting civilians stirred the hot blood in my chest, and it just burst outward, puke..."

"Slow down, Lang."

"Sorry, I’m really bad at handling drinks." Lang Shaobo squinted, grinning foolishly like a child dreaming of the future, "Gu Ji, not afraid you’ll laugh, under your influence I’ve decided to pursue a career in policing, hoping one day I can also, like you, punish and eradicate evil!"

"None will mock you; becoming a cop is admirable."

Gu Ji gently patted Lang Shaobo’s back, his tone turning serious, "But Lang, I hope you’re truly motivated to protect the public by becoming a cop, not because of the ’excitement’ from these past days. The adrenaline rush indeed excites the brain, but it’s merely a fleeting illusion — it’s fake."