Chapter 40 Section thirty-eight

The winter sun is slowly setting. Mikami returned to the parking lot of the Embankment Stadium, stared at the road, and stared at the dark blue car. The moving line of Erdu was outlined in his mind.When I found him in the official residence, I thought he was visiting Minister Tsujiuchi.But in fact, maybe he came out from the official residence of the Minister of Criminal Affairs opposite.Maybe he was going to launch an assault on the enemy general Arakida and drop a shock bomb.Because there was still no point of focus, I had to expand the target to the retired minister.Or they have already realized the fact that the criminal ministers of all generations are inseparable from concealment, so they bravely declared war on the top people.

The moving lines are connected, but the opponent is the best figure among the criminal ministers of all dynasties.Although it is different from the aloofness of the special examination team, it is also an unreachable existence for the D county police.A normal person would never think of rushing into that man's house to ask what he found out.Is this person the type to take a gamble before talking about it?Or is it because of the habit of looking down on the elite thinking of other departments?No matter what kind of person he is, it should be true that Erdu had to take bold actions because of the imminent death.

——In any case, this person is nothing to be afraid of. Mikami glanced at the electronic clock out of the corner of his eye.Four forty.Fifteen minutes had passed since Erdu entered Osakabe's house.Just after counting the time, a car crossed the road in front of me.It's that guy.The side face that appeared under the streetlight in an instant did not escape his attention, and the expression was very serious.Did the two talk for less than ten minutes?Or did the Osaka department not allow people from the police department to stay in his house for too long? Mikami drove the car in the direction of Osakabe's house.He was going to expose Erdu's secret operation, and he also wanted to find out the purpose of the chief's inspection from Osakabu.Osakabe probably knew about it.Not only about Koda's Notebook, but he knows all the inside stories like the back of his hand.Perhaps it was because of this that Erdu went directly to Uesakabe.

Just as he was about to turn right at the intersection, the phone in his pocket rang.Mikami quickly turned the car around and parked it on the side of the road.It was Secretary Ishii, Section Chief.Mikami clicked his tongue helplessly and pressed the call button. Involuntary high-pressure tone. "What's the meaning?" He didn't expect to meet Erdu, causing him to completely forget about the matter he had to report to Ishii. "Sorry, I was a little flustered just now." "I'll pay attention to it in the future." Mikami was going to hang up the phone, but the other party didn't intend to let him go so easily.

Mikami listened absently.Ishii was not on the same chessboard as him. "There is no division between the criminal department and the police department." "I'll pay attention to it in the future." Mikami repeated it again, and then hung up the phone. "A small thing." He muttered in his mouth. Turning on the headlights, Mikami started the engine again.Turning the first corner, I saw that the bright red Photinia had already turned on the lights.Park the car at the place where Erdu parked just now, and speed up to walk around to the entrance.When the house number of "Osakabe" came into view, Mikami stopped moving forward, only feeling a thirst in his throat.He didn't make an appointment with the other party in advance, nor was he a direct subordinate of the Osakabe, so generally speaking, he couldn't rush to ring the doorbell.However, the current situation faced by the D county police is not ordinary.The police can go in, it makes no sense that people who have been rolling around in the criminal department for many years can't get in.After cheering himself up, Mikami rang the doorbell.

After what felt like a long time, the sliding door of the entrance finally opened, revealing an old woman's face from inside.The woman combed her white hair up very neatly, looking very elegant.This was the first time he saw Mrs. Osakabe. Madam seemed to recognize at a glance that Mikami was a member of the police, so she hurriedly bowed. "I'm really sorry for the sudden visit. I'm Mikami from the prefectural police." Mikami handed out his business card.Madam took it with both hands respectfully.Not too surprised by the second uninvited visitor who came rashly after Erdu.

"Are you... the broadcaster?" "yes." "What's the matter?" "I'm here because I want to ask the minister about something." Even after retiring, he will still be a minister. This matter will not change for the rest of his life. "I see. Just a moment, please, and I'll go and tell my husband." After the madam entered the room, she turned back immediately and invited Mikami to enter the room. "Please come in." Mikami stepped on the cold corridor and was brought into the living room.The legs became useless like sticks.

"Excuse me." Mikami was respectful, and his mood was like that of an inspector who just took office. Osakabe sat at the low table.It has been eight years since he retired and he is now 68 years old.The muscles around the cheeks and neck have become thinner with age, and the veins are prominent, but the eyes that look up at Mikami are still very sharp, and they still retain the majesty of the official era. "sit down." Mikami knelt down at his order.Carefully pushing away the cushion brought by his wife, he sat upright with his head held high.Osakabe folded his arms.Once face to face like this, immediately feel a strong sense of presence.

"Please forgive my rudeness, I am Mikami, the broadcasting officer. Before this spring, I was the second seat in the second investigation section of the headquarters..." "Get to the point." "Yes." Mikami searched desperately in his mind. "I'm here to ask the Minister, what is the purpose of Shinji Nidu, the investigator of the Police Division, visiting the Minister just now?" Mikami raised this question straight to the point, but Osakabe's eyes remained unmoved. "I think the minister should already know that the D county police are in chaos right now. The 64 Chief's inspection scheduled to be held in four days has created an off-the-table confrontation between the Criminal Department and the Police Department, and it is currently on the verge of breaking out."

He still couldn't read Osakabe's reaction.Osakabe's expression was like waiting for all his subordinates to report to a paragraph in a search meeting. "Chief Otsuka seems to be planning to make a statement that is not good for the criminal department. In order to clear the way for him, Erdu is currently moving around, trying to shake the hearts of the criminal department." "..." "So I wonder if he's here for the same purpose." "I told him I didn't know anything." Osakabe replied without any cadence.Immediately, Sanshang's mind went blank, and then a feeling of intimacy slowly surged into his heart.Osakabe's answer definitely put Erdu in a fog.From the looks of it, it seems that the dialogue between comrades from the criminal department can be established...

"May I ask what Erdu said?" Mikami mustered up the courage to ask, but Osakabe remained silent again. "To be honest, I don't really know what trick Tokyo is trying to play. If you know, please let me know." Osakabe remained silent.Can I show the "Koda Codex" card here?Since Osakabe was also an accomplice who assisted in concealment, would he walk away because of this? This is the only way to do it.Er Du must have had the courage to ask. "Did Erdu tell you about Koda's manuscript?" "As a broadcaster, why do you bother with this matter so much?" Mikami was overwhelmed by the question.Is this a rhetorical question in defense?Or is it necessary to clarify Mikami's position before getting to the heart of the conversation? "I told him that I don't know anything", Osakabe's words made him dizzy, and the strong criminal atmosphere pervaded the room, which made him lose his guard and completely forgot how to explain himself He also forgot that the other party would definitely ask. "I……" Sweat wet palms.No matter what Osakabe's real intentions are, since he has asked, if Mikami can't answer, there will be no further talk. "I am indeed a member of the police department, so of course I have to obey the orders of the immediate commander. Regarding this matter, although I don't know the real purpose of this department, I know that I have leapfrogged. The issue is……" I am not selling my soul.The next truth was not spoken.I don't know where it dissipated before it rushed to the throat.That could hardly be called the truth.If you really say it, it will become endless.If you swing back and forth between criminal and police affairs every time because of the emotions on the spot, it is tantamount to returning to the irreconcilable struggle between loving yourself and loving your family. Mikami put his inner entanglements aside, he didn't come here to repent or seek redemption. "As a publicity officer... as the person in charge of directing and inspecting the scene, I just want to know what I should know. This is my idea." "So what if I know?" "Keep it in your heart and do your best to complete the tasks assigned by your superiors." "Do you plan to be a criminal police officer in the police department for the rest of your life?" "No, I already..." When the words came to his lips, Mikami thought about it again.He obviously broke in here because he hated Er Du. It would be an idiot to insist that he is a police officer.Osakabe was right.The criminal police in his bones can no longer be erased.Even if he sold his soul, his flesh and blood is still a criminal policeman.Physiologically, he hopes that he is different from Erdu.Even if Erdu was rejected, he came because he believed that he would not receive the same treatment. "Perhaps you are right. I can't take away things that have been deeply rooted in my bones. No matter what position I take, it is impossible to completely give up on the criminal department." "Do you want to go back?" "I don't deny that, it's just..." "Do you just want to do light work?" "……easy?" "Interpol is the easiest job in the world!" Mikami couldn't believe his ears.Interpol is an easy job?Did he really say that?No, what he meant was that the criminal department is a very relaxed unit, where you can be yourself naturally, and every table is piled with achievements and pride that belong to that criminal policeman... Osakabe let go of the arms wrapped around his chest. "Go back to where you belong, it would be foolish to waste today for tomorrow." What? "Today exists for today, and tomorrow exists for tomorrow." Mikami was surprised.Waste today for tomorrow?Is that so?Gather information that is beneficial to the criminal department, with the wishful thinking that if everything goes well, maybe you can go back.Is this really how you see yourself?Then he didn't understand even more.That being the case, why should Osakabe wake him up?For the former Minister of Criminal Affairs who kept the secret of 64, it would be the best thing for the publicity officer to stand on the side of the Ministry of Criminal Affairs.Didn't he even think about giving Sanshang some sweets and making things develop in a direction that is beneficial to him?Did he not want the new police officer to see his weakness?Or are you unwilling to stand at the same height as the new police officer?No, maybe from the beginning, this sentence has no meaning at all.Osakabe just mechanically pulled a line, thinking that Mikami and Nito are both members of the police department. Since they are both enemies of the criminal department, they must be excluded. Osakabe was going to get up to see off the guests, and Mikami was forced to make up his mind. "Please wait a moment." If you want to change his mind, you can only say this sentence. "I think you should know the truth about Koda's Letter. Once this matter is made public, the Minister's reputation will be hurt." Osakabe looked down at Mikami with calm eyes.I don't know whether to be philosophical, or to put aside everything in the past. "Go back to where you belong. Sometimes a person's life is made by accident." "The Criminal Department may be destroyed." Even the last question was completely ignored by him. —Do you want to escape? Osakabe left the living room, and Mikami felt a slight gust of wind pressure on his cheek.Is this the rule of the Osakabe family?When the footsteps in the corridor faded away, the lady carrying the tea tray quietly walked into the living room. "Please have a cup of tea before leaving." Sounds like sympathy. Mikami felt his back and knees relax at the same time.Erdu must have also drank this cup of bitter and astringent tea in the living room where Osakabe left.