Takagi cried out in pain, a reflexive yelp. Fortunately, the surrounding crowd, enraged and denouncing the Prime Minister, paid them no mind, allowing the two plainclothes officers to slip away unnoticed.
"Focus on your work, Takagi, and stop thinking about such things," Sato grabbed Takagi and whispered.
Unlike Takagi's bewildered nature, Sato had been in the Metropolitan Police Department for years and knew precisely what could and couldn't be said.
They were on assignment, their earpieces connected, meaning anything they said was clearly audible back at the police headquarters. It was fortunate that Sato interrupted Takagi before he could finish his sentence, or Takagi's future days would likely have been difficult.
There were many other plainclothes officers like Sato and Takagi nearby. Their mission was to observe the crowd for the presence of terrorists.
Just as Sato finished speaking, he turned and saw a middle-aged man in a trench coat with a strange expression, glaring hatefully at the approaching Prime Ministerial motorcade.
As the motorcade drew nearer, the man slowly reached into his coat.
Sensing something was wrong, Sato didn't hesitate. He shoved Takagi aside and lunged forward, reaching the man. Before the man could react, Sato quickly subdued him.
As Sato reached for his handcuffs to arrest the man, the man, seeing that the situation was lost, pulled a homemade bomb from his embrace and threw it, shouting, "For the Island Nation!"
At these words, the crowd erupted.
The people were already dissatisfied with the Prime Minister, and with the man's instigation, several hot-headed youths lost control of their emotions.
A man with dyed yellow hair, looking like a thug, grabbed the bomb the man had thrown and, without looking back, charged towards the motorcade.
Seeing this, the surrounding crowd not only did not stop him but actively cleared a path for him.
"What are you standing around for! Hurry up and chase him!"
At this moment, Inspector Megure's angry voice boomed through the earpiece, jolting the bewildered Takagi back to reality. He quickly gave chase.
However, as if they had planned it, the people in the crowd all stood in his way, not blocking him, but simply obstructing his path.
By the time Takagi finally managed to push through the crowd, it was too late. The man holding the bomb was already heading towards the Prime Minister's car.
*Bang!*
Just as the man approached the car, ready to act, a gunshot rang out. The man holding the bomb collapsed, blood gushing from the bullet wound in his chest, staining the ground red.
"What are you doing!?"
The shot was fired by one of the Prime Minister's bodyguards.
However, the Prime Minister was clearly displeased with the bodyguard's actions; no, he was furious.
"But... Your Excellency, I was trying to protect you."
"Protect my foot! Don't you know this car is bulletproof?!"
It was no wonder the Prime Minister was enraged. Looking at the surrounding crowd, each one of them stared at him like an enemy, as if they wanted to devour him alive. As for the thug who had just been shot, the Prime Minister could already imagine tomorrow's newspapers, which would undoubtedly praise him as a patriotic youth who defied oppressive power, and simultaneously cast him in a negative light.
But it had already happened. Even though the Prime Minister was at the peak of his anger, reason told him he could not show it, not now at least. Otherwise, if captured by some unscrupulous media, it would only be more detrimental to him.
With this thought, the Prime Minister suppressed his anger, did not get out of the car, took a few deep breaths, and patted the driver's seat, saying, "Go."
The bodyguard who had been reprimanded by the Prime Minister did not seem angry but instead showed a strange smile.
As the motorcade departed, the crowd's anger intensified. Several irrational individuals already turned their fury towards Takagi and Sato, who were mingling in the crowd.
There was nothing they could do. Police officers were also human. Since the motorcade had left, for their own safety, Takagi and Sato quickly escorted the subdued bomb man away before the crowd could fully erupt.
Even arriving at the Prime Minister's official residence, entering the building took a considerable amount of time.
Finally reaching his office, he had barely settled into his chair when his secretary burst in, flustered.
Seeing the secretary enter without knocking, the Prime Minister, already in a foul mood, snapped, "What's wrong with you?! Don't you have any basic manners?!"
"Y-yes, I apologize, Your Excellency. It's because... it's because the Ambassador from the United States, Mr. Wells, wishes to see you."
"What? Wells? What is he doing here? No, when did he arrive? Where is he now?"
Before the secretary could answer, a hearty voice came from outside the door.
"Right here, my friend."
Then, a Caucasian man in a suit, his hair meticulously styled, pushed the door open and entered.
This man was Wells, the Ambassador from the United States Embassy in Japan.
Despite Wells's smiling face, the Prime Minister of the Island Nation felt no joy upon seeing him.
This Wells was a smiling tiger, one who devoured without spitting out bones. Ever since the United States began pushing for the matter of Kouzhidao, Wells had visited him three times in five days.
The Prime Minister could guess, with his posterior, what this man wanted today.
As expected, as soon as Wells sat down, he brought up the matter of Kouzhidao.
"Your Excellency, I don't mean to pry, but since you've already agreed to cede Kouzhidao to Kutor, why drag this out? It's making things awkward for everyone. I suggest you complete the handover swiftly and cleanly. This is also the President of the United States's wish."
Well, it seemed Wells's repeated rejections had made him lose patience. Before saying much, he had already invoked the name of the President of the United States.
However, this was somewhat unfair to Wells. After all, times were different now; the President of the United States was not someone a mere ambassador could invoke casually. The reason Wells dared to say it so openly was that he had received accurate confirmation.
Around five o'clock this morning, Wells had received a call from Nick Fury, who accurately informed him of the President's intentions and assured him that he had the backing of the United States, encouraging him to proceed with confidence.
Incidentally, before becoming the Ambassador to Japan, Wells had a period as a secret agent. During his training, Wells and Nick Fury were classmates. However, Wells's talent in espionage was extremely limited. Instead, his silver tongue and hypocritical smile gave him a more promising future in politics.
Thus, after some maneuvering, Wells was appointed Ambassador to Japan, adding to his political achievements. He was expected to be recalled in a year or two to continue his climb in the United States.
Therefore, to further his political career in the United States, Wells desperately needed a strong backer, and it was at this time that Nick Fury appeared.