The inquiry meeting ended in chaos amidst a riot.
A group of assemblymen, some bruised and battered, others disheveled, walked out of the National Assembly Hall with grim expressions, surrounded by their respective secretaries and assistants.
Clearly, these were the ones who lost the fight.
The members of the Liberal Democratic Party were strutting around with pride, and as the party’s lead powerhouse, Aoyama Sosuke, even though his shirt was torn, walked with a commanding presence.
Yanchuan Shilang wore a poker face; he hadn’t expected that after a year, there would still be so many in the parliament who dared openly oppose him. He began to reflect on whether he hadn’t purged thoroughly enough and whether his methods were too gentle.
Simply driving those opposing me out of the Cabinet is not enough; they need to be expelled from the parliament. These laggards only hinder my construction of Japan.
Japan should only have my voice!
"Prime Minister! Look here!"
Suddenly, a loud shout echoed.
Already at the entrance of the National Assembly Hall, and preparing to get into his car, Yanchuan Shilang heard the voice and instinctively paused, turning towards the direction of the crowd.
"Heavenly punishment upon the traitor! Banzai!"
With a vehement shout, a young man in the crowd, with a cloth band tied around his head featuring a rising sun pattern, pulled out a handgun from his chest and fired at Yanchuan Shilang.
"Bang bang bang!"
He fired three shots in one go.
Before Yanchuan Shilang could react, he was already hit. His security personnel, evidently more professional than Mr. Abe’s, immediately sprawled him onto the ground, while the others charged at the assassin.
"Ah! A murder!"
"There’s an assassin! Protect the Prime Minister!"
The assembly members at the entrance, the onlookers, and journalists screamed and fled in all directions.
"Prime Minister! Are you alright?"
"The Prime Minister has been shot! Take him to the hospital quickly!"
A group of people rushed to Yanchuan Shilang with concern, only to find that his chest was already drenched.
"Catch... catch him alive."
Yanchuan Shilang, pale-faced, struggled to articulate his words.
"Bang!"
At this moment, another gunshot rang out.
A moment later, a security personnel ran over and reported, "The assassin has shot himself."
As they rushed over, the assassin decisively pointed the gun at his own head and pulled the trigger.
"You protect the scene and wait for the police; escort the Prime Minister to the hospital immediately," an assemblyman ordered.
"Ring ring ring! Ring ring ring!"
The phone at Xiu Xin’s office rang.
"Hello?" He answered casually, then suddenly stood up with a horrified expression, "What did you say?"
"The Prime Minister was shot just outside the National Assembly Hall, hit by one bullet, and is on the way to the hospital," Aoyama Sosuke hastily reported.
Xiu Xin immediately asked, "Which hospital?"
"Japan University Hospital," Aoyama Sosuke replied.
"Understood." After hanging up, Xiu Xin immediately arranged for someone to go to the shooting scene, while he himself took his secretary to Japan University Hospital.
On the way to the hospital, he called Yanchuan Xianyou, the current mayor, to inform him of the terrible news.
Along the way, he thought about many things.
If Yanchuan Shilang died or couldn’t regain consciousness soon, power would temporarily fall into the hands of Deputy Prime Minister Yamahana Shigeru, and in the long run, a new Prime Minister election would undoubtedly take place.
Even if the Liberal Democratic Party still had a high chance of winning, Xiu Xin would not be as comfortable as he is now, and would certainly face revenge from various enemies in the future.
Hence, he prayed that it was just a false alarm, and hoped that Yanchuan Shilang could return to his post after recuperating for two months.
Of course, he also prepared for the worst.
By the time he arrived, Yanchuan Shilang had already been taken into the emergency room, and a crowd of officials were blocking the hallway. Yanchuan Shilang’s chief secretary Kudaka Kaon proactively greeted him and pulled Xiu Xin into the stairwell to update him on the situation.
"By the time the Prime Minister arrived at the hospital, he was already unconscious. The Deputy Prime Minister and other ministers went back to deal with the consequences of this incident. Mr. Aoyama, before fainting, the Prime Minister asked me to tell you not to waste time at the hospital, and to investigate the mastermind quickly and catch the killer."
"Got it." Xiu Xin nodded solemnly, then added, "Please inform me immediately about my grandfather’s condition once the surgery is over."
"Yes!" Kudaka Kaon nodded vigorously.
Xiu Xin took another look at the crowded corridor outside the emergency room, then turned around and left in a hurry.
After leaving the hospital, he went to the shooting scene.
The police lines had already been established, and Nakamura Shinichi was leading his subordinates in the investigation. Upon seeing Xiu Xin, he quickly approached, saying, "Director."
"How is it?" Xiu Xin asked as he walked to the gunman’s corpse, appearing to be in his early twenties, with a lean build and short stature.
Nakamura Shinichi shook his head and said with a grim expression, "From the hands, it seems the killer doesn’t have much experience using firearms, which is why he missed two shots despite being so close. There’s nothing on him to prove his identity, and the gun he used is new, but the serial number was rubbed off. I’ve already sent someone to collect surveillance footage from around the Assembly Hall."
"No experience using guns regularly, yet managed to rub off the serial number — he’s just a tool, and there’s someone behind directing him," Xiu Xin judged.
Nakamura Shinichi nodded, "That’s my thought too. Witnesses said the killer shouted ’Heavenly punishment upon the traitor, Banzai’ before dying. I suspect he was young and brainwashed by a scheming mind, genuinely believing he was exacting divine vengeance on traitors, serving the country. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have resolutely shot himself after firing."
"I’m planning to first determine his identity, then look into his social circle and recent activities, to see if we can bring out the mastermind."
Looking at the band tied on the killer’s forehead, Xiu Xin sneered mockingly. These foolish youths who believe they are dying for their country are just tools for conspirators.
With the economy in recession and society suppressed, many passionate young people are indeed easily swayed by others to assassinate officials.
"I’ll leave it to you." Xiu Xin patted Nakamura Shinichi’s shoulder and then turned to leave. Facing the surrounding journalists who were barraging him with questions, he stopped and said, "The shooter looks to be just a young man who doesn’t understand anything, who was merely exploited by conspirators aiming for turmoil. I will drag out the mastermind behind this and bring them to justice."
"Since entering the ’90s, the country has been declining for too long. I know Prime Minister Yanchuan is committed to revitalizing Japan, has the ability, and is already making efforts. But clearly, some don’t want to see him leading Japan towards glory again. Lastly, I hope the people will pray together for Prime Minister Yanchuan."
After speaking, Xiu Xin bowed gravely and got into a car, driving away. He wasn’t focused on catching the killer but was anxious to confirm whether Yanchuan Shilang could still live, still work.
Like him, everyone was concerned about these two questions, whether they supported or opposed Yanchuan Shilang.
Everyone awaited the hospital’s news because only with these answers could they plan their next steps. Thɪs chapter is updated by NovєlFіre.net
Post-1990, Japan’s political arena never saw peace; following the eight-month downfall of the Xichuan Cabinet, would the Yanchuan Cabinet, having been in power for only a year, also fall? If so, who would form the next Cabinet, and how long could it last before collapsing?