Chapter 445 - 435: Bagayarou!
"Speak!"
With a shake of his head, Gao Qi cleared his thoughts, swallowed hard, and answered the call.
"Chairman, the Metropolitan Police are here! They’re demanding to see you immediately. Their attitude is extremely forceful!" the voice on the other end reported urgently.
"Damn it! Let them wait. If they have the guts, let them try to force their way up. Those damn Japanese devils, let’s see if they dare!" Gao Qi snapped, his voice thick with irritation.
"Chairman, they’re all carrying live ammunition! This is a serious situation!"
"Then let’s go down and meet them," Qin Fan said calmly, shaking his head. He had overheard the entire conversation and spoke before Gao Qi could respond.
Gao Qi glanced at Qin Fan and Hua Xiaotian, took a deep breath, and nodded. "I’m coming down now," he said into the phone before hanging up.
"Master Hua, Master Qin, the men from the Metropolitan Police Department are here," Gao Qi announced, even though he knew they had already heard.
"Lead the way," Qin Fan replied with a nonchalant nod.
「In the lobby of the Hua Sheng Group.」
A contingent of nearly a full squad of heavily armed officers had surrounded the entire lobby, a formidable display that clearly broadcasted the assertive stance of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.
"What do you think you’re doing? What in the hell is this? People of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, do you have any idea what you’re doing?! Hua Sheng Group’s business is worth hundreds of millions a minute. If you disrupt our normal operations, can you bear that responsibility? You bastards!"
Gao Qi didn’t speak Chinese, knowing these "devils" wouldn’t understand. He refused to speak Japanese, his unyielding pride forbidding him from using what he considered a "bird language." So for years in Japan, he had stuck to either Chinese or English, with his only foray into Japanese being a single, venomous curse.
With a chorus of sharp clicks, the armed officers surrounding the lobby raised their guns in unison, aiming them all squarely at Gao Qi.
"You bastards! What is this? You dare point your guns at me?" Gao Qi roared, utterly fearless in the face of dozens of gun barrels.
"Mr. Gao! Please compose yourself!" the team leader, Suzuki Chishiy, said sternly, his face an emotionless mask. He did not order his men to lower their weapons.
"Compose myself? Ha! Suzuki Chishiy, do you have any idea what you’re doing? Do you know how much tax revenue Hua Sheng Group contributes to your government each year? How many jobs does Hua Sheng Group provide for the people of Tokyo? If I, Gao Qi, were to give a single order, do you honestly believe Tokyo wouldn’t erupt in chaos overnight? And now you have your men aiming their guns at me while telling me to compose myself? You son of a bitch!"
His fluent English was punctuated by the harsh curse, a clear and deliberate attempt to humiliate the police officers, and Suzuki Chishiy most of all. His audacity stemmed entirely from the immense leverage he held over Tokyo. In the past, the city’s government had overlooked Hua Sheng Group’s expansion, giving it the time and space to grow into a behemoth, secretly bolstered by support from Huaxia. Now, if Gao Qi ordered a halt to all of the conglomerate’s operations, it would be catastrophic for Tokyo—a disaster that would undoubtedly incite massive public outrage against the government.
Although the Tokyo government was sure Gao Qi would never actually dare to do it, they couldn’t risk it. More accurately, they couldn’t afford to lose that gamble.
"Mr. Gao, watch your tone!" Suzuki Chishiy seethed through gritted teeth, glaring at Gao Qi. If he could, he’d shoot this damned Huaxia man on the spot!
"Your men are pointing guns at me, and you’re telling me to watch my tone? Fuck! Are you an idiot, or am I the one who’s lost his mind? You son of a bitch!"
Another curse nearly sent Suzuki Chishiy over the edge. He forcibly suppressed his rage and waved his hand.
Only then did the gun barrels lower.
"Mr. Gao, is this satisfactory now?" Suzuki Chishiy asked, his voice tight with restrained anger.
"Damn it, these Japanese devils are so fucking spineless," Gao Qi muttered contemptuously in Chinese, before switching back to English. "If you have something to say, spit it out! You son of a—"
He cut himself off from the habitual curse and shot Suzuki Chishiy a look of pure disdain.
"Mr. Gao, regarding the earlier shootout and homicide on Tokyo Avenue, traffic surveillance footage shows that the Rolls-Royce you were in and your two guests here were primary parties. I must now request that you and your guests accompany us for questioning," Suzuki Chishiy said, his face grim.
They weren’t being forcibly arrested. That was only due to Gao Qi’s extraordinary influence in Tokyo, coupled with the inhuman combat abilities Qin Fan and Hua Xiaotian had displayed on the surveillance footage.
"Fine, just fine! Now that you mention it, I’d almost forgotten. Every resident of Tokyo has a rough idea of how much Hua Sheng Group has invested in this city! Yet I was ambushed on the street with AK-47s, nearly all my bodyguards were killed, and I almost died myself. And now you want to take *me* in for questioning? You son of a bitch! And another thing, are you blind? Or is everyone at the Metropolitan Police Department blind? Huh?! Since you’ve seen the surveillance footage, don’t you know my guests were acting in self-defense? Take them in for questioning? Ha! Fine! You want us to cooperate? Then you’d damn well better give me an explanation for the attack first! Your police department, your Tokyo government, must account for the ambush against me! Otherwise, Hua Sheng Group will immediately suspend all its services in Tokyo! I mean *all* of them! You hear me, you son of a bitch?!"
Gone was any trace of a refined gentleman. From start to finish, Gao Qi had adopted the posture of a rabid dog. The ridiculous part was that this mad-dog act had actually cowed Suzuki Chishiy. In a country like Japan that prided itself on democracy, the authorities lacked the iron-fisted resolve of their Huaxia counterparts. Qin Fan and Hua Xiaotian had indeed been acting in self-defense, a fact witnessed by countless bystanders. If this incident caused Hua Sheng Group to retaliate, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police would undoubtedly face a tidal wave of public fury. After all, with the company’s deep roots, countless Tokyoites depended on it for their livelihood.
Facing Gao Qi’s furious roar, Suzuki Chishiy screamed hysterically in his mind. You son of a bitch! He had never imagined Gao Qi would be this intractable. He’s as stubborn and foul as a rock in a latrine! It was just a routine request to assist an investigation. How could it provoke such a violent backlash?
"Mr. Gao, this is merely a procedural step! I assure you, the department will give you a satisfactory explanation for what you experienced," Suzuki Chishiy said through gritted teeth, suppressing his murderous rage.
"Get lost! Cooperating with your procedures is out of the question. If you have evidence, then come and arrest us!" Gao Qi shot back arrogantly.
"Let’s go."
Watching this farce, where the official acted without authority and the civilian without deference, Qin Fan chuckled with deep irony. He shook his head and began to walk right through the armed cordon.
Hua Xiaotian gave a slight nod and followed closely behind him.
Walking right up to Suzuki Chishiy, Gao Qi furiously threw one last parting shot. "Don’t use taxpayers’ money for foolish things and foolish words! Your department’s priority right now is to find out who those attackers were and give me an explanation. Give Hua Sheng Group an explanation! Understand?"
With that, he turned and quickly followed Qin Fan and Hua Xiaotian, leaving the stunned officer in his wake.