Solving Middle Age Crisis by Intelligence System-Chapter 566 - 380: Eight-footed Jade

Hatoyama Yuchi stared at Qi Yun’s departing figure, the fury in his chest suddenly doused, replaced by a more complex emotion.

That recording is undoubtedly his Achilles heel; once exposed, he will be accused of murdering his uncle.

Not only would it lead to a government investigation, but those old fogies in the Hatoyama Clan wouldn’t let him off either, likely preventing him from even having the chance to be imprisoned.

Thinking of this, a vicious gleam flashed in Hatoyama Yuchi’s eyes.

There’s no choice now but to follow Qi Yun’s instructions.

Resistance is clearly not an option; from the power Qi Yun showed, even without other matters, he alone cannot handle the Yamaguchi-gumi.

Hiring an assassin could be worth a try, but having seen the experts around Qi Yun, he knows the chances are slim.

Moreover, even if he could succeed in assassinating Qi Yun, could the recording be retrieved? Does he have backups? These are all uncertainties...

So he can only take one step at a time...

"Hatoyama Kiichi!!!" Hatoyama Yuchi snarled the name through clenched teeth...

...

Before they knew it, two days had passed.

Qi Yun spent these days in leisure, soaking in hot springs and enjoying beautiful scenery, though he also attempted to gather intel, none of which turned out valuable.

At four in the afternoon, in Chiyoda District, Tokyo City Center, a business van was parked by the roadside.

Inside the lead car, Qi Yun peered through the window at the grand complex across the street.

This is the residence of Japan’s Imperial Family and a national symbol of the country.

The entire complex is surrounded by a moat, covering an area of about ten hectares, though it doesn’t compare to Huaxia’s imperial cities, it still appears quite majestic.

The palace was initially constructed in 1590 by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate, originally serving as a shogunate castle, until Emperor Meiji moved the capital to Tokyo in 1868, transforming it into the Imperial Palace.

The palace is usually closed to the public, with strict security around, thus to steal the Eight-footed Jade Hook, it can only be achieved by someone from within.

Qi Yun raised his watch to check the time and asked Old Ghost beside him, "They change shifts at six, right?"

"Yes, I’ve followed him for two days, every time he comes out at six-ten," Old Ghost replied.

Qi Yun nodded, "He should make a move today, it’s up to you now."

Old Ghost said no more and, after tidying his wig and beard, pushed open the car door and got out.

Once the door closed again, Qi Yun asked Brother Quan, "Is everything arranged?"

Brother Quan turned and replied, "All set, I’ll personally command on-site shortly."

To intercept that Eight-footed Jade Hook, Qi Yun prepared two plans: firstly, to wait for Kojima Ichiro to succeed and have Old Ghost seize the opportunity to steal it from him;

If unsuccessful, then tail him and when he trades with the black market, have Brother Quan lead a team to forcibly snatch it.

The private jet at the airport is on standby; once the item is secured, they will immediately fly out, leaving no trace.

Even if the Imperial Family notices the loss, tracing it back to them would be difficult.

As time elapsed, the sky outside gradually darkened.

At six-ten, a man in a brown trench coat with a mustache appeared in the west side passage of the palace, his steps seemingly stable, yet his eyes unconsciously darting around, clearly betraying the guilty conscience of a thief.

This man is none other than the Deputy Secretary of the Japanese Ministry of the Interior—Kojima Ichiro.

With one hand holding a briefcase and the other stuffed in his coat pocket, inside the briefcase is a specially designed compartment, not only concealed but made of unique materials to block machine detection.

Inside the compartment rests one of Japan’s three sacred treasures—the Eight-footed Jade Hook.

Upon closer observation, you’d notice his grip on the briefcase is notably tight, with the veins on the back of his hand visibly protruding. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

After leaving the palace perimeter and arriving streetside, Kojima Ichiro’s taut nerves finally relaxed a bit, readying to hail a taxi to his prepared secret hideout, until suddenly hearing someone call him from behind!

"Kojima-kun!"

Kojima Ichiro’s steps halted abruptly, his heart racing to his throat.

He stiffly turned around only to see the caller was his relieving colleague, his face forced into a smile, "Tanaka-kun, do you need something?"

Tanaka hurried up to him, clutching a document, "Kojima-kun, why didn’t you sign today’s maintenance record?"

Hearing this, Kojima Ichiro secretly breathed a sigh of relief, his mind entirely on the jade-theft plan, having long forgotten about the signature.

"Ah... Sorry, sorry," he hastily squeezed out a smile to mask his anxiety, "I have a drink appointment with Aoki-san, left in such a rush I forgot to sign."

Tanaka thought nothing of it and handed him the document, pulling out a pen, "No worries, signing now is just as good, I need to submit it to archives tomorrow."

Kojima Ichiro reached for the document, but wouldn’t release the briefcase, awkwardly scribbling his name on it.

"All done, sorry Tanaka-kun, for the trouble," Kojima Ichiro bowed, returning the document.

Tanaka accepted it without much thought, waved him off, and strode toward the palace.

Watching Tanaka’s departing back toward the palace finally eased Kojima Ichiro’s heart, yet cold sweat had already soaked his shirt.

Not daring to linger another moment, afraid someone else might call his name, he abandoned the idea of waiting for a taxi and swiftly headed towards the nearby subway entrance.

It was Tokyo’s rush hour peak for public transit, the crowd densely packed, Kojima Ichiro melded in, following the flow forward, heart pounding violently, feeling everyone’s eyes were on his briefcase.

In the dimly lit underground passageway, as Kojima Ichiro approached the ticket gates, someone brushed against his elbow from behind, the size of the bump was small yet just enough to strike the nerve point, causing the briefcase to slip and fall.

Kojima Ichiro gasped, instinctively glancing back but saw no one.

Quickly coming to his senses, he turned sharply to look at the fallen briefcase.

Seeing it unharmed on the floor, he exhaled slightly, disregarding his aching elbow, hurriedly picked up the briefcase, and vanished again into the throng.

Two minutes later, inside the subway restroom, an unremarkable-looking man entered carrying a briefcase, glanced around then stepped into a stall.

After a short while, upon emerging, the briefcase was gone, and his appearance seemed different from just moments ago....