Chen Fan ignored the fiery fox's shock, left the alley, met up with Shadow, and drove away.
Half an hour later, their car stopped outside a high-end residential area.
"Wang, will there be clues here?"
Chen Fan said, "Maybe, let's go in."
Shadow nodded in agreement.
The two quietly blended into the residential area, and Chen Fan, relying on memory, arrived at the bottom of a building.
Shadow had already obtained a key card and opened the security door.
Taking the elevator to the twenty-fifth floor, Chen Fan confirmed the location and rang the doorbell.
The door did not open. A woman's voice, tinged with caution, came from inside, "Hello, may I ask what you need?"
Chen Fan glanced at the peephole on the door and smiled, saying in a gentle tone, "Hello, my name is Ye Ancheng. I'm from the Great Xia Kingdom, an old friend of Inspector Fujiwara."
*Click*, the door opened.
A gentle-looking woman bowed and said, "Hello, Ye-sang. Hideye isn't back yet. Please come in for a cup of tea."
"Okay, thank you."
Chen Fan smiled, his expression mild, and after changing his shoes, he sat down on the tatami.
Inside, a little girl watched Chen Fan and his companion with curiosity.
"Madam, Inspector Fujiwara must be very busy with his work. I mentioned to an old friend that we should have a drink, and he invited me to his home."
"Yes, the police department has had too many cases recently..."
The woman replied with a smile, brewing tea for Chen Fan and Shadow.
It wasn't that she lacked vigilance, but under Chen Fan's deliberate presentation, he didn't seem like a bad person at all.
His demeanor and bearing were extraordinary, so the woman naturally wouldn't make unwarranted associations.
Even Shadow, despite his lack of presence, was hard to associate with the word "bad guy."
Chen Fan chatted with the woman intermittently, occasionally teasing the little girl, creating a harmonious atmosphere.
Half an hour later, the sound of a door opening was heard, and a man in his late twenties or early thirties pushed the door open.
"Hideye, you're back. Our guests have been waiting for you for a long time," the woman said kindly, taking the man's briefcase.
The man who entered wore glasses and had a refined appearance. Upon seeing Chen Fan, his body stiffened, and his face turned pale with terror.
"Hideye-kun, it's been several years, my friend."
Chen Fan smiled, stood up, and stepped forward to give an enthusiastic hug.
In Chen Fan's embrace, Fujiwara Hideye trembled as if he had seen a ghost.
Chen Fan whispered, "Inspector Fujiwara, there's no need to be nervous. You survived five years ago, and you will now. Let's talk in your study. Don't scare your wife and child."
"Ye... why are you still here?" Fujiwara Hideye said feebly.
"Haha, I just happened to be back in Tōō, and I wanted to see an old friend."
Fujiwara Hideye took a deep breath and said, "Let's go to the study."
The three entered the study. Fujiwara Hideye slumped into a seat and said, "You demon, you've come again. How many people did you kill five years ago?"
Chen Fan laughed, "You can't blame me for that time; some people were looking for death. Besides, aren't you still alive and well?"
"What do you want this time?" Fujiwara Hideye's eyes showed a trace of fear.
He had not forgotten the scene of bloodshed when Chen Fan had arrived in Sakura Country five years ago, which had also resulted in the loss of many personnel from their police department.
It was also on that occasion that he, as the sole survivor of the pursuit team, was promoted as a model of bravery. Over the years, he had risen from a patrol officer to an inspector.
The position of inspector in Sakura Country was considered mid-level within the police force. Crucially, he was still young and was considered to have a promising future by his colleagues.
However, in reality, he knew that his promotion was a stroke of luck.
"It's nothing important, really. I just want to look at the archives of your police department, primarily those from the last one or two years."
Chen Fan said, "This request, for Mr. Fujiwara, an inspector, shouldn't be too difficult, right?"
"You... this is impossible! Outsiders cannot access the police department's archives. This is against the rules!" Fujiwara Hideye protested.
"Is that so?" Chen Fan smiled and looked at Shadow.
Shadow understood, his hand moved, and a small knife appeared in his hand. He walked towards the study door.
"Don't be so hasty."
Chen Fan smiled, "Inspector Fujiwara, I really don't want to frighten your wife and your lovely child, do I?"
"You..."
Large beads of sweat appeared on Fujiwara's forehead. He looked at Shadow holding the knife and gritted his teeth, "I'll take you to the police department."
"That's more like it!"
Chen Fan smiled and waved his hand, saying, "If it can be resolved peacefully, why resort to violence? Then let's leave now!"
This was a demon!
Looking at Chen Fan's smiling face, Fujiwara trembled as he stood up.
Looking at the archives wasn't a big deal, but if people found out he was involved with this demon who had caused chaos five years ago and killed more than a hundred people, he would be finished.
But he had no choice now.
The three went out. Mrs. Fujiwara looked at them in surprise and said, "Hideye, are you going out again so late?"
"Yes, Chieko, I'll be back very late, don't wait for me." Fujiwara Hideye said.
"Alright, come back early and be careful," the woman said.
Fujiwara Hideye pushed open the door and left.
Chen Fan waved goodbye with a smile and even hugged the little girl before stepping out.
"Hideye-kun, you're living a happy life now!"
Fujiwara Hideye stammered, thinking to himself, *If you hadn't appeared, I would be very happy.*
He wondered what had happened to make this demon return to Sakura Country.
Chen Fan got into Fujiwara Hideye's car, while Shadow followed in their own car. They arrived at the police department one after the other.
"Your archives are still here. Are you sure you want to go in with me?" Fujiwara Hideye asked as their car stopped outside the police department.
"It's been five years. No one recognizes me except for you, Hideye-kun. Don't worry," Chen Fan said.
Fujiwara Hideye gritted his teeth and led Chen Fan into the police department.
Even though it was late at night, many police officers were still busy inside the department.
Chen Fan smiled and nodded at the Sakura Country police officers, greeting them with a smile.
As an inspector, Fujiwara Hideye used the excuse of urgently needing to check archives to bring Chen Fan into the archive room.
As for Chen Fan, Fujiwara Hideye claimed he was a lawyer friend who needed to review some police files, and no one questioned it.
"They're all here."
After finding the files for various cases in the Shibuya district police department from the past two years and placing them in front of Chen Fan, Fujiwara Hideye said, "You won't be able to read them all by yourself."
"Help me unpack the files. Oh, and open the criminal files first. Don't worry about the others for now," Chen Fan instructed.
Fujiwara Hideye complied.
Even for just one district's police department archives in Tōō City, the criminal files accumulated over two years were enormous.
Chen Fan started with the most recent ones, reading at an incredibly fast pace, glancing at each page as he went.
The Sakura Country language posed no difficulty for him.