Chapter 51: Time To Think About Myself And My Family Members
Cao Weida nearly laughed like a pig, damn it, when it comes to being shameless, it really has to be the little devils.
“Matsui-kun has racked his brains for the Empire and blazed the trail through hardships, which truly fills this subordinate with endless admiration.”
“I believe with Officer Matsui as an example, no one so blind would dare to pretend to obey but disobey in reality.”
Matsui Koji was flattered into beaming with joy, patted his shoulder, and said:
“Do a good job, we are extremely generous to our friends, and we will absolutely not forget the meritorious officials who contribute to the Great Japanese Empire!”
Heh heh, it sounds even better than singing, I really fell for your nonsense.
“Thank you for Matsui-kun’s trust, this subordinate will certainly bow and exert himself for all the officers, unto death!”
Matsui Koji was even more satisfied; whether they were loyal to the Empire or not was none of their business—what he liked most to see was loyalty to them.
“Yōshi, Cao Sang, don’t forget tonight’s action.”
“Yes! Matsui-kun, rest assured, everything has already been arranged properly!”
That night, a transaction involving a full two hundred thousand silver dollars was quietly underway.
There were no surprises during it, just like the first transaction; Fujita and the others had already arranged everything perfectly.
After the transaction was completed, Cao Weida quietly hurried home, and unexpectedly ran into two little devils who were on their own on the road.
Cao Weida’s eyes turned green right then—this was KPI, and he hadn’t completed tonight’s KPI yet!
But in the end, he held back the temptation; this road was his way home, and if something happened to these two little devils, Fujita and the others would definitely suspect him.
Once suspected, no matter how agreeable things were before or how much they called each other brothers, Fujita and the others would absolutely no longer trust him, and might even directly want to dispose of him.
After all, an obedient dog and a starving wolf that could turn and bite at any time were essentially different.
After returning home, Cao Weida felt more and more that he was at a loss; lying in bed tossing and turning sleeplessly, without completing a KPI, he felt the loss no matter how he thought about it.
He rolled over and got up, skillfully took out the night-walking clothes that he had ‘lived and died with’ for a long time from the space, and quietly slipped out under cover of night.
Two hours later, Cao Weida returned feeling refreshed, glanced at the system that had gained another ten slacking points, and couldn’t stop smiling.
Ever since the little devils no longer dared to act alone, he had used his position to note down quite a few little devil residences; any little devils who did evil deeds had been marked by him, and as long as his KPI wasn’t completed, this bunch of beasts were his source for filling the KPI.
But as the saying goes, walk the night road too much and you’ll eventually run into a ghost.
Before, Cao Weida had infiltrated little devil residences to kill more than once, but because he used the space to store corpses, each time directly twisting the neck without leaving any bloodstains or traces, plus he erased traces and didn’t pick targets in the same area.
So, even if they went missing, others wouldn’t know the specifics—maybe they went to another place, or returned to the homeland?
But this time, an accident happened.
It wasn’t that Cao Weida left any evidence, but this devil’s son worked in the Military Police, and would come back every few days.
The next day after Cao Weida left, the little devil from the Military Police went back to visit his parents again, only to find them gone!
Being from the Military Police, he naturally knew that little devil soldiers had been vanishing without trace alive or dead from time to time during this period.
After questioning the neighbor but getting nothing, he immediately sensed something was wrong and ran straight back to the Gendarmerie Headquarters to report the matter to the officer.
The Commander officer naturally knew the seriousness of the matter, so he immediately began a census of the little devils settled in Beiping.
This census revealed that, besides the families of Gendarmerie Headquarters soldiers, twelve other households were missing.
Later follow-up investigation showed that three households had gone to Shanghai, one had returned to the homeland, and the remaining eight had unknown whereabouts.
Seeing this report, Gendarmerie Headquarters Commander Miyamoto Ichiro flew into a rage instantly.
“Baka!”
Slap slap slap~~
“Bakayaro!!”
Slap slap slap~~
“Such a big incident has happened, and you all knew nothing about it—you’re simply trash! Trash!!”
Slap slap slap~~
Gendarmerie Headquarters Commander Miyamoto Ichiro slapped left and right at Police station Chief Consultant Tada Naoyoshi’s cheeks.
Tada Naoyoshi stood ramrod straight; not only did he not dare dodge the slaps, he even had to ‘meet the slaps head-on’, quite like a hero going to his death without return.
Ono Shiota stood by with eyes downcast and obedient, turning a blind eye to it all.
Anyway, it wasn’t him getting slapped; his cheeks didn’t hurt, and his heart was still basking in the joy of making a fortune from last night’s spoils division.
Tada Naoyoshi was his superior, holding the title of Beiping Police station Chief Consultant; logically, seeing the officer punished should make him nervous—after all, if the superior got vented on, he would definitely take it out on subordinates like them.
But in reality, Tada Naoyoshi didn’t have much background; being able to sit in this Chief Consultant position was just because their group of second-gens pushed him out as the lightning rod.
If achievements were made, they took the lion’s share of the benefits, but if there was blame, his immediate superior would take it.
Just like now, with such a big incident, Miyamoto Ichiro went straight for Chief Consultant Tada Naoyoshi first, while they little ones watched the show from the side.
At this point, Tada Naoyoshi’s head was already swollen, his heart full of panic; his face was numb from the slaps, blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, but he could no longer care.
Eight households of little devils settled in Beiping had gone missing, plus the previous missing patrol team members and ronin types, all added up to a full twenty or so people!
The key was, they hadn’t found the slightest clue!
Miyamoto Ichiro stopped, panting with rage, shook his numb palm—forces were mutual, slapping Tada Naoyoshi’s ears had made his own hand numb too.
“Tada Naoyoshi, transferring you from the military department to the police station was because I valued your ability!”
“But is this the result you give me?! Are you worthy of my trust in you?!”
“My Great Japanese Empire’s soldiers and people didn’t die on the battlefield but in enemy assassinations, and after so long, you haven’t even figured out how the opponent did it!! Don’t you feel ashamed?!”
“Hai!” Tada Naoyoshi bent at the waist in fear, his slapped-swollen face pulling at the wounds, making his words mumbled:
“Tada Naoyoshi has failed your trust, this subordinate is extremely terrified; please give me a little more time, Commander, I will surely arrest the culprit!!”
While speaking, his eye corner couldn’t help glancing at Ono Shiota, resentment brewing in his heart.
Why!
I get little share of the good stuff, but I have to take the blame!
But immediately, he deeply buried this resentment.
Ono Shiota had a huge background and a solid backer; for him, risen from commoner stock, to these nobles, the Chief Consultant title was nothing!
“How long do you need? Give me a definite time!”
Tada Naoyoshi opened his mouth, his somewhat dazed brain from the slaps frantically turning.
One week?
He had no confidence at all.
One month?
Miyamoto Ichiro could kill him!
Half a month?
Hope that damn culprit shows a flaw!
“Commander, please give me half a month’s time, I will surely track down the real culprit!”
“Not only must you catch the culprit, you must also find the missing soldiers and nationals!!” Miyamoto Ichiro breathed rapidly, “No body alive, no corpse dead—this is the shame of the Great Japanese Empire! Shame!!”
“You are the Empire’s appointed police station Chief Consultant, bearing the Empire’s glory on your shoulders! The Emperor’s gaze is always watching us!!”
“Hai! Please rest assured, Commander, I will surely find the culprit and the brave soldiers and nationals!”
Miyamoto Ichiro’s face darkened, clearly not satisfied with his answer—not even guaranteeing seppuku if he failed, what a waste!!
His gaze swept over Ono Shiota and a few sub-bureau consultants, but in the end he didn’t force the other to say those words.
Although Tada Naoyoshi had shown great incompetence in this matter, choosing him as Chief Consultant was partly to have someone take the blame, and partly because the other did have some skills.
If in the end the culprit wasn’t caught, would he really make the other commit seppuku?
Then who to pick next to take the blame?
“Enough, get out; remember, you only have half a month!”
“Hai!”
Tada Naoyoshi respectfully backed out until he exited the room.
After leaving the Gendarmerie Headquarters, the respect on Tada Naoyoshi’s face vanished instantly, his eyes full of venom as he got in the car.
He had deliberately not said he would commit seppuku; he was a smart man—if not smart, with his commoner background, he couldn’t have reached this position.
Precisely because he was smart, he knew all too well what his future held.
Sitting in this Chief Consultant status, bearing the Colonel title, was basically the peak for someone of his origins.
To rise further, besides unattainable great merit, the only way was to latch onto a towering tree and become the other’s retainer.
Nicely put as retainer, bluntly put as slave!
He didn’t mind being a slave—little devils, servility was tradition.
Unfortunately, too many wanted to be slaves; it wouldn’t be his turn.
As for great merit… since it’s unattainable, where would he seek it?
He was no longer a hot-blooded youth; his hot blood had long been boiled dry.
Loyalty to the Emperor, bullshit Empire glory—all crap in his eyes!
Now he only wanted to preserve his status and enjoy his wealth and honor.
“Drive, to Yan Dai Xie Jie.”
“Hai!” The driver stared straight ahead, showing no emotional fluctuation, as if blind to the officer’s pig-headed face.
The car slowly started moving; Tada Naoyoshi looked at the receding scenery outside the window and slowly said in a voice only he could hear:
“I’ve lived and died for the Empire all these years, and in the end I’m just an unlucky bastard to take the blame; I’ve already done enough for the Empire—now it’s time to consider myself and my family members.”
