Ke Xue: I picked up a bottle of sherry at the beginning.

"The longer we delay, the stronger the enemy's defenses will become. Ultimately, not only will all the evidence be destroyed, but you and I will also be transferred overseas to serve as embassy secretaries."

Ryoko spat.

"Then we'll have to deal with those legislators who, under the guise of an inspection tour, are actually using the people's hard-earned money to travel around. We'll also have to help write 10,000 postcards to voters, introduce call girls, and cover their casino losses. Do you want this to happen?"

"I didn't say that!"

"In that case, we should strike first and annihilate the enemy in one fell swoop."

"I hear you keep talking about enemies, enemies, but now you still can't fully grasp the enemy's full picture, right?"

"As long as we go into the 'Three Days' detention center, everything will be revealed."

"That's way too hasty, isn't it? What if we go in and find nothing? You can't just write a letter of resignation and get away with it."

“Yeah, you have to write it too!”

At this time, Kishimoto suddenly interrupted.

"At this rate, neither of you will let the other go on forever, so I have a humble opinion."

"Asami? So what do you say we should do?"

Ryoko turned the conversation to Kishimoto, and Yukiko frowned slightly as she looked at him. Kishimoto rubbed his hands together and replied, "I think we should let Inspector Shiro, who has a near 100% case-solving rate, make the final decision. What do you think?"

"Someone with a crime-solving rate close to 100%..."

Yukiko murmured, then looked at Shiraizumi Masu with sudden realization.

Ryoko also looked at Shiraizumi Masaru: "By the way, how did you get such a close to 100% crime-solving rate?"

"It was just a fluke."

Yukiko and Ryoko looked at each other and decided to let Shiraizumi Masu make the decision.

Quick fight.

Shiraizumi Yoshi came to this conclusion because Ryoko threw four invitations on the table.

The content of the invitation letter is that at 6:30 this evening, the Ministry of Finance's Mita branch will hold a symposium. The organizer is the representative of the Ministry of Finance's retired officials association "Sakura Shinsha" Nakagami Shingo, and the invitees are several Ministry of Finance

Current young official.

“This is the real deal!”

Ryoko puffed out her chest, which was as perfect as her legs. After confirming that the content was not fake, Shiraizumi asked her how she got these invitations.

"A gift from the devil."

Ryoko didn't say that; her answer was that the invitation to those who weren't attending had been privately delivered to her by the Finance Minister's official secretary. Shiraizumi immediately understood what she meant: it was probably through the assistance of Jia Qi, or Wakabayashi Kentaro.

"We'll use this opportunity to infiltrate the Mita branch office and uncover evidence of an unforgivable crime. If all goes well, we can wrap this up tonight."

"That's true. It would be best if it could be resolved smoothly. I wonder what the symposium is about?"

"Ever since the Ministry of Finance was once the Ministry of Finance, officials have always liked to ask women to dress up in bizarre ways. New female officials are traditionally required to dress up as bunny girls and sing with their seniors. You can imagine the content of the performances isn't very serious."

"There is no basis for me to express my objection."

Kishimoto, who had been silently listening to the conversation between Ryoko, Yukiko, and Shiraizumi Masu, spoke.

"Excuse me, are Superintendent Muromachi and Superintendent Yakushiji Shoji really planning to infiltrate the enemy camp?"

"so what?"

"You two are alumni of the Tokyo University Law School. I'm sure everyone here is familiar. It would be bad if you were discovered."

"It is indeed possible..."

Yukiko rested her fingers on her chin.

"How about just saying she's the younger twin sister?"

Ryoko's suggestion really made people doubt whether she was a graduate of the University of Tokyo Law School. Yukiko's look at her was full of blatant contempt.

"If it's discovered that the name doesn't match the inviter's, it would give us away."

"The enemy won't investigate that much."

"We'll adapt to the situation when the time comes. There's no point in overthinking it now."

The four of them reconfirmed the names of the invitees on the four invitations and made their assignments. Ryoko was "Toyota Masami," Yukiko was "Kaori Kakitani," Kishimoto was "Mitsuhiro Nakai," and Shiraizumi Masu was "Okamoto Tsuneo."

It is possible that Masami Toyota and Kakitani Kaoru are actually men, but such names are also suitable for women, thanks to Jia Qi's carefulness.

But then I saw Kishimoto, who had a tights fetish, holding the invitation letter in his hand with a sad face.

"I think my personality is more suited to providing rear-line support, so I can wait outside and immediately call for reinforcements if I learn of any situation. This is more in line with the principle of force deployment...

Ryoko sneered, "Just let him do it, Yukiko. Look at how cowardly your men are. It would be a headache if they couldn't help but become a burden."

Yukiko also nodded with a slight regret.

"That's true. You don't have to force yourself to join us, Inspector Kishimoto."

"...No, I am not talented, but please allow me to serve you and be at your service."

Kishimoto also raised his head and shrugged, not wanting Ryoko and Yukiko to agree that he was a "loser".

Ryoko immediately changed the subject.

"Tonight at 8 o'clock, a shocking event is about to take place at the mansion with the sign 'Mita Branch' at Mita 4-chome in Minato Ward. Gather at the door and wait for the show."

Ryoko has already spread this information to the high school students' BB Call information network.

"At eight o'clock, hundreds of high school students will gather in front of the gate. This way, the enemy won't dare to do anything."

"It's not a good idea to involve high school students."

"Don't worry. I added a note in the message saying 'If you encounter danger, your life cannot be guaranteed.' It's a personal decision whether to go or not. You're already high school students, so you should be able to make this judgment. You're not kindergarteners."

Ryoko even posted information about the "Mita Branch" online. Honestly, fabricating information out of thin air easily piqued the curiosity of those who were curious. Ryoko's intelligence tactics were quite clear: the more the enemy tried to hide, the more she would expose it, letting everyone know.

"By the way, what equipment should we bring to our destination? Without a search warrant and impersonating someone else, it's impossible to get in with police ID."

"Just put our police IDs in the safe here. Your disguise is too exaggerated, so just wear some sunglasses."

"What if we get caught by the enemy and get beaten up? And we can't reveal our police identity, so we're just going to let them beat us up!"

Kishimoto raised cowardly doubts.

"What nonsense! Of course you should run away before you're caught! If there's no way to escape, you should fight back and take someone hostage to pave your own way. You don't even understand that."

Shiraizumi crossed his arms and looked up at the ceiling, feeling as if he were part of a violent plot.

Paper swimsuit

The entrance hall of "Mita Branch" is as magnificent as the Queen's Hotel the day before yesterday. The floors, walls and ceilings are all made of the highest quality imported marble.

Shiraizumi Mashi tried his best to pretend nothing had happened and looked around through his sunglasses. He did not see the man named Kaji who showed up the day before yesterday, nor did he see Inspector Hyoto. Perhaps they were hiding in the dark, watching over this place with gloomy and cold eyes.

Shiraizumi registered at the counter and pinned the cherry blossom-shaped ribbon that symbolized the club's name. After the formalities were completed, Ryoko whispered to me, "Did you write the fake name correctly?"

"No."

"I think I wrote it wrong, it shouldn't matter."

It's a huge deal! But it's useless to pursue it now.

There was a cloakroom at the venue, and I had thought about checking my coat in, but then I changed my mind. If Ryoko got into trouble, I didn't know if I would ever get my coat back.

"I heard that all the security personnel at the venue are believers in the Hyakume Kichan sect."

“Are there usually this many people?”

"Is today an exception?"

At this moment, two or three security guards were staring at us. They probably couldn't hear our conversation. Although each of them looked different, they all had the same, unspoken look in their eyes, which was disgusting.

“Wow—what is this…!”

Kishimoto let out a strange cry and quickly covered his mouth the next moment. I looked over and saw two huge pictures hanging on the wall in front of me.

It's no wonder Kishimoto screamed in shock, as the two paintings depicted a terrifying and eerie scene. One depicted a male, the other a female, with their heads trudging forward. How could one distinguish the genders without heads? One explanation is their clothing, but another, perhaps even slightly distasteful, is that they were holding their severed heads in their hands, allowing their features to be seen.

"The female one is Sanvalia and the male one is Santoni."

Ryoko explained.

"Both were Christian saints who were accused of being pagans and martyred, meaning they were brutally murdered. However, it is said that they carried their heads to their graves several kilometers away, shocking the pagans."

The so-called saints in Christianity might actually be aliens, so it’s not surprising that they run around holding their own heads.

"Does using this kind of painting for decoration represent some kind of religious meaning?"

"Really? I guess they just want to show off how incredibly expensive these paintings are."

Nearly a hundred attendees had already poured into the hall in front. They formed small circles, sometimes chatting and sometimes walking around. Ryoko saw a man who was busy coming in and out like a butterfly, and called out his name.

"Oh, Nanajo Xining is here too."

"Who is that person? The name sounds really impressive."

"Chairman of the National Public Security Commission, we just met at the Queen's Hotel a few days ago. Have you forgotten?"

"Oh, so this is his name. Why is he here?"

"Because he's from the Zhongshen faction, it's only natural that he should accompany the big boss. This makes things easier. If anything goes wrong, we can just push the responsibility onto him."

In order to avoid being discovered by acquaintances, several people quickly left the place and moved to the end of the venue. Ryoko also took the opportunity to scan the appearance of each attendee.

"I didn't expect so many people to be involved in serious cases. The total prison sentences for these people could be around 24,000 years."

"The 24,000-year sentence is just a random number, but there are indeed many suspicious points about this group of people."

It was rare that Yukiko also agreed.

"Quan Yi, remember the faces of those people. They are all promising individuals who could become 'suspects' or 'defendants' in the future. Every one of their smiling, walking around can be exchanged for a commendation and bonus from the Superintendent."

"Hyakume Kissan is here!" Yukiko reminded in a low voice.

Shirakuzumi Mashiko looked over and saw Hyakumeki, draped in a purple robe that looked indistinguishable from either Indian or Greek style, accepting the earnest greeting of the National Public Security Commissioner. Needless to say, he looked exactly as in the photo, though his physique was even better than expected. The small gesture of his saluting at a slightly lower angle than the National Public Security Commissioner's revealed the difference in their respective power positions.

He was the man who misused hundreds of billions of people's hard-earned money, treated public institutions as his own property, and conducted secret experiments in the heart of Tokyo. When it comes to sheer audacity and cunningness, his actions are truly unmatched.

"This guy is really grand."

Kishimoto muttered, and Ryoko scoffed.

"It's strange why these religious charlatans like to wear purple clothes, and the most tacky purple at that."

"Councilor Zhongshen should be here too."

Shiraizumi Masu said, and Yukiko nodded slightly.

"I've already looked for him, but I can't find him. I'm sure he'll come, maybe a little later."

Then again, where exactly is the winged man hiding in this building?

The four of them pretended to be nonchalant and kept referring to the floor map, looking for stairs or an elevator leading underground.

Descending the stairs, one finds a spacious lounge, its rococo-style tables and chairs inspired by someone's taste. A garish, unrefined chandelier hangs from the ceiling, and a glass partition overlooks the indoor swimming pool, designed not as a square but as a gourd, since it's not intended for sports. Beside the vast pool lies a bar, furnished with canvas lounge chairs and several potted tropical plants.

"Draining the pool reveals a portal underground, just like they do in the movies."

Kishimoto said. It was impossible for such a coincidence to happen, but since they had no other clues, they all went to the swimming pool to check.

I didn't notice it in the lounge just now, but when I walked over, I found that there was an ancient Roman marble statue of a goddess, carrying a water bottle on her left shoulder, with the mouth of the bottle pointing to the swimming pool.

Two women were peering beneath the surface of the swimming pool, and two men were about to investigate the inside of the bar, when—

Something unexpected happened.

A large amount of water gushed out of the water bottle in the goddess' hand. Hearing Yukiko's soft scream, Kishimoto and Shiraizumi Masu turned around and saw the two women were soaked and standing by the swimming pool. Even Ryoko was stunned and didn't know how to react for a moment.

"What on earth is going on..."

Kishimoto touched his nose, his eyes fixed on the two girls.

As soon as Kishimoto finished speaking, the goddess's water bottle sprayed out water again, soaking the two beauties again.

Without saying a word, Shiraizumi Mashi walked over and pulled Ryoko and Yukiko to the bar, and the goddess's water bottle immediately gushed out water for the third time.

Bai Quanyi's thoughts turned, and he checked his watch. It was exactly six o'clock. The goddess's water bottle stopped spraying after the third time, and he finally understood that the marble statue was actually the goddess of time.

In short, we can't just ignore Ryoko and Yukiko who are soaked to the skin. We have to find a way to get them to change their clothes.

Although she'd memorized the floor plan beforehand, the details weren't always clear, so it took some time to finally reach her destination: the room labeled "Dressing Room." There was a small control panel next to the door, requiring a password to open it. Ryoko's slender fingers pressed four buttons in quick succession, and the door swung open automatically, without even needing to shout "Open Sesame." Yukiko, who was standing nearby, remained silent, assuming it was the result of her hacking.