Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes.

Chapter 186, Section 184: Will Evil Have Consequences?

"The president is so heartless, making us come to a meeting at a time like this."

"It seems like anyone who doesn't come today will be fired."

"I heard it's about retirement handover?"

"I'm not sure, but it's always safer to stay in a hotel, right?"

The employees at the Eagle Hotel headquarters, who had arrived on tenterhooks, were quite resentful.

The monster disturbances that occurred throughout Kyoto yesterday continued until the afternoon before the situation was brought under control, but small groups of monsters are still roaming around.

The authorities issued a notice advising all residents to stay home and forcibly closed schools.

However, companies do not mandate holidays.

For safety reasons, many companies have adopted the work-from-home model. It is rare for companies like the Takatsukasa Group to not only not give holidays but also hold large meetings.

They really should install streetlights.

The employees made a wish that the president would be hanged by the supernatural as soon as possible.

"A meeting at this hour?"

In the hotel lobby, as she listened to the staff's complaints, Genji frowned slightly while checking in.

She didn't come here simply to stay; more importantly, the Takatsukasa Group is now one of the suspects, which is why she came to gather intelligence.

Despite the fact that the Extraordinary Countermeasures Department seems to wield absolute power and can execute anyone they suspect, it still cannot sever the complexities of human relationships and social interactions.

Even though the Kanto Group is currently dominant, it does not mean that the Kansai Group has no say.

In particular, many of the suspects identified in this investigation are high-ranking officials and tycoons within the Kansai Group, so a surprise arrest of these individuals would face considerable resistance.

Not to mention that the Extraordinary Countermeasures Department and Muramasa Takii are just cooperating partners.

If it is enforced, and if the Kansai side also gains control of some supernatural power in the future, does that mean they can also enforce it against the Kanto Group? If that happens, everyone will be in danger, the upper order will be in chaos, and no one wants to suffer such treatment.

A high-ranking official should not be punished!

This is a tacit political inertia that stubbornly persists even as the world begins to move towards the extraordinary.

On a deeper level, the Kansai Group might not see this as a bad thing. If that unknown supernatural being is indeed one of their people, then it would be a perfect counterbalance to the Kanto Group, which nominally possesses supernatural power, so as to prevent them from gradually losing their already limited influence.

They planned to find out the person's identity first through the Extraordinary Countermeasures Department and try to win him over to their side.

It was just a few civilians and police officers who died; compared to the extraordinary, what is that?

Even the local police system is dragging its feet and unwilling to cooperate actively.

Therefore, Genji only brought one assistant to the other party's headquarters to conduct investigations and surveillance. As long as further evidence is found, even if the Kansai side is unwilling, they cannot object.

There were quite a few investigators arranged in this way, which basically covered the entire list of suspects.

"Please keep your room key safe. We are having an internal celebration today, and to thank you for your support, the restaurant on the seventh floor will be offering complimentary à la carte service from 9:00 to 11:00. Please be sure to attend."

"What kind of celebration is it about?"

"It's President Takatsukasa's retirement and the appointment of a new president."

"Okay, thank you."

Genjiko told her assistant to stay in the lobby while she went inside the hotel to take a look.

"I just checked, and it really is all free, even the drinks are free."

"Is it really that exaggerated? Then you must be making a profit from that meal, right?"

"Definitely, I'll invite more friends over."

Inside the elevator, several guests were talking excitedly, feeling quite lucky.

Stepping out of the elevator, Genji pressed her earpiece: "Has anything unusual happened in Kyoto?"

"No, there are just a few escaped monsters that haven't been caught yet. Those areas have been sealed off, so we should have results soon."

Genjiko didn't say anything and prepared to explore all the open areas of the hotel.

Eight fifty.

Tadashi Takatsuya suddenly appeared in the hotel's security room, covered in sweat and looking slightly flustered.

"Close the gates immediately! No one is allowed to enter. We've just received word that a monster has appeared nearby!"

Upon hearing this, the security guards panicked and immediately complied, closing the hotel's iron gate.

"No one needs to stay here. Grab your equipment, everyone follow me. Move everyone else to the upper floors of the hotel for refuge. No one is allowed on the lower floors." "Yes, sir!"

The guards didn't doubt Takatsukasa Tadaya's words at all. After all, he was the president's son and the head of the security department. How could he lie to them?

"What?! A monster is coming this way!"

"Please move to higher floors as soon as possible. We will seal off the area below to ensure that monsters cannot enter. Please rest assured!"

"Top floor! Let's go to the top floor!"

"Wait, I didn't receive any information about any monsters nearby!"

Genji's assistant sensed something was wrong. If a monster appeared nearby, she would receive an alert within a minute. The fact that everything was calm now could only mean that the other party was lying.

She couldn't possibly distrust her own people and trust a stranger.

"Can you afford the consequences if any casualties occur? Seize her, take her into custody—"

Takatsukasa Tadaya stopped speaking. The other person clearly wanted to pull something out. Was this a policeman?
He immediately lunged forward, grabbed her hands, pinned her down, and threw a gun at her.

"I've got her under control! This person might have been possessed by a monster! Quickly, have two people escort the guest to a safe floor!"

"Yes Yes!"

Everyone was surprised; compared to staying here, it was clearly more reassuring to enter the intricate interior of the hotel.

Zhong also covered her mouth, took off her hidden earphones, and put them in his own ears.

“...Mingli? Mingli! I’m coming down now. If there’s any danger, you can listen to him for now. Please don’t hurt her. We’re just ordinary people.” In the second half, Genji had already guessed that the earpiece had been discovered, and immediately changed her tone.

So they really are police officers.

Zhong did not believe the nonsense spouted by the other party, who was just an ordinary person.

"Lock all the emergency exits and entrances from the inside." Tadashi took off his earpiece, crushed it, and ordered the remaining guards.

I turned to look at the elevator and saw that we had reached the top floor. So I patted my chest, where there was a button hidden. After pressing it, the elevator immediately stopped.

They tied the woman up with something and gagged her.

"Minister, everything is locked!" Several security guards came running up, panting, to report.

"Okay, give me the key. Thank you."

Taking the key, Zhongye indifferently pulled out his pistol and fired in a split second, hitting them in the abdomen with precision, much to their astonishment.

"Ah, Minister!"

"Help! Spare me! Spare me, Minister!"

Zhong ignored the injured men, picked up the gun that originally belonged to the woman from the ground, and fired two shots at her leg.

"Woo!"

Blood stained her dress, and Mingli was in so much pain that her face turned deathly pale and her body trembled.

In this way, the hotel's lockdown is now complete.

I glanced at the time; it was 9:05.

Since there are police officers here, the other party will have less time to react and even less time to spare.

After checking that Akari had no other suspicious items, he walked to a certain spot in the lobby, moved the mouth of the lion statue aside, revealing several stone buttons.

Pressing the buttons in sequence opens the pillar beneath the lion, revealing a pile of equipment inside.

The firearms, explosives, and bulletproof vests made it look like a mini armory.

He was sent to a mercenary training camp by the Eagles when he was very young, so he was quite familiar with these things.

The lobby doors are made of glass, which means they offer little in terms of defense.
He took out a can of gasoline and poured it all over the entire glass curtain wall.

After doing all this, he tied up the security guards and then hid below the front desk, observing the situation outside through the monitor.

His arrangements went beyond these.

His father seemed to have anticipated this day and had prepared many things for him in advance.

He spent a long time setting things up outside last night.

The sole objective is to delay as much time as possible.

Tadashi suddenly looked up and stared silently at the ceiling.

咚咚
It sounds like... a heartbeat is coming from up there?
(End of this chapter)