Dimensional Codex System: I'm really not a cultist!

Fang Zheng put down his coffee and looked at Aoko Nakamori in front of him.

They couldn’t just talk at the Metropolitan Police Department, so Fang Zheng took Aoko Nakamori to a nearby café, where Aoko also stated her purpose.

Simply put... Officer Nakamori has shut himself in.

The reason is simple too, initially Officer Nakamori was really determined to resign if he couldn’t catch Phantom Thief Kid this time, spurred by Fang Zheng’s words. However, Kid didn’t show up at all, adding to his confusion. Meanwhile, his subordinates were relieved, thinking it was good that Kid didn’t appear, making the bet invalid and Officer Nakamori wouldn’t have to resign, possibly Kid did it on purpose.

Of course, this was spoken by Officer Nakamori’s subordinates in private, overheard by Officer Nakamori accidentally, which immediately caused him to shut himself in.

I’m a dignified policeman, and now I need a thief’s pity to keep my job?

What kind of police am I?!

Thus, Officer Nakamori has been staying at home these days, shut in, and Aoko couldn’t stand it and went to inquire her father. Officer Nakamori certainly wouldn’t tell such an embarrassing thing to his daughter, so he refused to admit it, but Aoko still managed to find out the details from her father’s subordinates — this wasn’t difficult, the scene of Fang Zheng scolding Officer Nakamori long ago spread throughout the Metropolitan Police Department, from top to bottom everyone knew.

Yet not a single person stood up for Officer Nakamori, making it clear that his actions had long been unpopular within the Metropolitan Police Department.

This is quite normal, after all, every time they tried to capture Phantom Thief Kid, Officer Nakamori was the one who failed, but the embarrassment was on the entire Metropolitan Police Department. Again and again, no one can accept it. But due to Officer Nakamori’s seniority, no one dared to speak up casually. Fang Zheng is different, he doesn’t care about Japan’s workplace rules, he has money and status, and doesn’t work in the Metropolitan Police Department, so what can they do if he scolds them after getting annoyed?

So, Aoko became unhappy. In her view, Fang Zheng completely disregarded her father’s hard work, just spouting nonsense! That’s why she ventured to the Metropolitan Police Department, looking to have some words with Fang Zheng. In short, she wanted Fang Zheng to apologize to her father!

Regarding what Aoko said, it was no more than how hard her father worked in capturing Phantom Thief Kid, how dedicated he was, how he sacrificed himself for years, unable to return home, sacrificed many things to capture Phantom Thief Kid, which was indeed touching, even tear-jerking. However, for Fang Zheng who had seen many hero report meetings... he felt no inner turmoil, even found it laughable.

”Finished speaking? Miss Aoko Nakamori?”

Fang Zheng looked at Aoko calmly, whereas Aoko, speaking eagerly, seemed to recall her father’s hardships through the years, with reddened eyes.

But speaking of which, on closer scrutiny, Fang Zheng noticed that this Aoko Nakamori actually resembles Ran Mouri quite a bit, except her hair is somewhat messier compared to Ran, and lacks the iconic cowlick.

Admittedly, if you were to make an analogy, Ran would seem like a tamed war horse, appearing docile daily but terrifying when provoked.

And this Aoko Nakamori seems more like an untamed wild horse, entirely impulsive, reacting explosively as if she’s eaten dynamite.

Yet, what does this have to do with Fang Zheng?

”Now it’s my turn. First, speaking of the conclusion, what you wanted, for me to apologize to your father, that’s absolutely impossible, because I don’t think I said anything wrong.”

”Wh, what?!”

Upon hearing this, Aoko tightened her fists, eyes wide staring at Fang Zheng.

”Isn’t that right?”

Fang Zheng sneered coldly, looked towards Aoko, his face turning stern.

”Throughout your speech, all I heard was how hard Officer Nakamori works, how much he sacrifices himself...”

”That’s right, Father indeed works hard, to capture Phantom Thief Kid...”

”And so?”

”Huh...?”

”You think it’s only your father in the Metropolitan Police Department who works hard, only him who makes sacrifices?”

Fang Zheng looked at Aoko coldly, the hint of a smile on his lips gone before he knew it.

”The way you talk, it seems like no one else in the Metropolitan Police Department works hard or makes sacrifices, as if everything was done solely by your father, isn’t it?”

”No, that wasn’t what I meant...”

Aoko panicked a bit at this point.

”I certainly know, everyone works hard to capture Phantom Thief Kid...”

”Work hard? That’s it?”

Fang Zheng hummed coldly once again, looking at Aoko.

”Clearly, you don’t know what sacrifices our peers at the Metropolitan Police Department made for Phantom Thief Kid, so let me tell you. Officer Yamashita from the Special Duty Squad, he was dating, they set up a wedding and engagement banquet. On that day, Phantom Thief Kid appeared, your father demanded all special forces to stand by, he went without hesitation, and of course, Kid wasn’t caught. When Officer Yamashita returned the next day, he found his girlfriend had broken up, reasoning ’I don’t want to marry an incompetent policeman who can’t even catch a thief and keeps being ridiculed by the media.’”

”This...”

”Also, Officer Tanaka from Division Three, his mother was critically ill and he wanted to stay by her side, yet your father demanded 24-hour surveillance, and he went without a second thought, jewels lost, Kid uncaught. Finally, his mother asked him on her deathbed, ’Son, did you catch the thief?’ Officer Tanaka didn’t even know how to respond, you know?”

”...”

”These are well-known at the Metropolitan Police Department, probably only your father doesn’t know, because he doesn’t care, for him, capturing Phantom Thief Kid is his life’s worth, other people’s sacrifices and lives don’t matter to him, right?”

”Don’t you dare say that about my father!”

When she heard this, Aoko jumped up again, while Fang Zheng just looked at her coldly.

”Am I wrong? To be honest, I don’t blame Kid, he’s a criminal naturally opposed to us police. I haven’t seen any criminal saying they’re considerate to police, if they really were considerate they wouldn’t commit crimes. But your father is different, there’s an old saying, fear not a godlike opponent but a piglike teammate, now it’s all well, Phantom Thief Kid’s a godlike opponent, Officer Nakamori’s a piglike teammate, it’s all set.”

”But, but Father...”

”I once told Officer Nakamori, I now say to you again, Miss Aoko Nakamori, our Metropolitan Police Department isn’t a secret organization dedicated to capturing Phantom Thief Kid, we’re not masked Supermen from TV, our goal is maintaining social security and fighting crime, Kid is merely a thief in the grand scheme, doesn’t qualify to waste this much police resources. Capturing Phantom Thief Kid is one of our goals, but failure to capture him doesn’t mean we close up shop. So...”

Fang Zheng poured another cup of coffee, took a sip.

”If Officer Nakamori believes his life’s worth is just chasing Phantom Thief Kid, I advise him to quit his police uniform early and learn from Kogoro Mouri to become a detective; then he can focus on Phantom Thief Kid 24/7 without anyone bothering him.”

”...”

At this moment, Aoko Nakamori also lowered her head, staring at the tea cup beside her, unable to speak. However, Fang Zheng obviously had no intention of letting her go. This brat simply needed a dose of reality’s harsh beating to be straightened out.

”Moreover, we have a saying in China, ’an incompetent general exhausts the army.’ Do you know what that means? I’m not afraid to tell you, Phantom Thief Kid appeared the day before yesterday, right in front of us. We also knew it was Phantom Thief Kid.”

”Then why didn’t you arrest him?”

Upon hearing this, Aoko Nakamori looked at Fang Zheng in surprise, while Fang Zheng shrugged.

”It’s simple, no evidence. We have no proof to show he’s Phantom Thief Kid. So even if we went to court and his defense lawyer asked us, what evidence do you have to claim he’s Phantom Thief Kid, we would say none, we just think he is... Haha, what do you think the result would be?”

”But......”

”Phantom Thief Kid has committed so many crimes, every time your father was at the scene, but never captured or left any evidence or clues about Phantom Thief Kid, leaving us helpless even seeing him flaunt before us. Tell me, isn’t this incompetence on your father’s part? He organized so many large-scale captures, wasting Metropolitan Police Department resources, yet couldn’t even gather or keep a single clue? Either your father is incompetent, or he’s Phantom Thief Kid’s accomplice, helping him cover and destroy traces, otherwise, I can’t think of a third possibility.”

”But, but Dad isn’t that kind of person, he, he......”

”Whether he is that kind of person or not is irrelevant.”

Fang Zheng finished his coffee.

”When we arrest a criminal, we don’t care about their motive. Maybe they’re pitiful, maybe they have their reasons, but crime is crime. A police officer’s duty is to arrest law-breaking criminals and bring them to justice. Additionally, do you know why I lashed out at him back then? Because Officer Megure introduced me to assist in capturing Kid.”

”Eh—?!”

Upon hearing this, Aoko Nakamori was shocked.

”Is... is that true?”

”That’s right, and I’m not afraid to tell you, I can’t decipher Phantom Thief Kid’s ridiculous, theatrical warning letters, but as a micro-expression expert, I can easily identify disguised individuals, and thus find Phantom Thief Kid. Furthermore, I’m confident in my physical ability, I can confidently tell you, even if I don’t capture Phantom Thief Kid, he can’t steal any gemstones under my protection.”

Fang Zheng shrugged his shoulders again, looking at Aoko Nakamori, who appeared puzzled.

”Given that, why didn’t you join in? If you had, then Dad could focus on catching Phantom Thief Kid......”

”I did join, but your father refused.”

”...... Eh?!”

”See, that’s why I criticized him.”

Fang Zheng sneered.

”Officer Nakamori treats Phantom Thief Kid as his exclusive domain, as if only he can catch Kid, prohibiting others. What a joke, Kid is a thief, and the mission of the Metropolitan Police Department is crime control and prevention. When did capturing Kid become his exclusive task? Without him, can Kid not be caught? Even with him, Kid hasn’t been caught. I can’t fathom how he has the nerve to yell and refuse others, when anyone else with a similar track record would’ve resigned in shame long ago, hasn’t he any shame?”

”......”

This time, Aoko Nakamori said nothing, she bit her lip hard, eyes reddened, but unable to speak. Simply put, Fang Zheng didn’t even mean to apologize, instead he openly berated her father again, yet Aoko couldn’t even argue because Fang Zheng’s words were reasonable and logical, leaving her clueless on how to refute...

”That’s all I have to say, Miss Nakamori Aoko.”

Fang Zheng stood up, nodded to Aoko Nakamori.

”I have things to attend to, I’ll take my leave.”

After finishing his rant, Fang Zheng comfortably headed home, while on the other side, Aoko hurried back to find her childhood sweetheart, Kurobane Kaito, to vent.

”...... I really feel awful, facing that man, I couldn’t say a single word... I’ve never realized the harm Phantom Thief Kid brings is so severe. I thought he was just a thief who enjoyed stealing, but I never imagined aside from Dad, other police officers have also paid so much...”

”Uh...”

Seeing Aoko wiping tears by his bedside, Kurobane Kaito also looked embarrassed, as he had stayed home recuperating after being smacked by Fang Zheng, though he only told others he got injured accidentally...

However...

Hearing Aoko recount her stories, Kurobane Kaito felt uneasy, as he had always considered police aside from Officer Nakamori as mere background figures, but now learned from Aoko that some lost their engagements and others missed seeing their family due to him. A strong sense of guilt emerged within Kaito.

”I will never forgive Phantom Thief Kid!”

Aoko gritted her teeth, clenched her fists.

”Everyone’s such good people, yet Kid steals gems at will, indifferent to the harm on others. Such a bastard... must be brought to justice! I’ve decided, Kaito!”

”Uh... what have you decided?”

”After graduation, I’ll take the police academy exam, I want to become a police officer, and catch Kid myself! But I won’t focus solely on Kid like Dad, Fang Zheng was right, Kid is just a thief, not worth chasing for life. But should the chance arise, I will personally capture him!”

”Uh... but what if your father resigns...”

”Then I can assist him. One way or another, I must see this lawless thief in jail!!”

”Yet isn’t there talk that Kid might have his reasons...”

Kurobane Kaito felt his clothes drenched and hurriedly tried to persuade with a wry smile, while Aoko clenched her fist.

”Fang Zheng is right, regardless of circumstances, crime is crime. No matter what reasons Kid has, he broke the law! Breaking the law means facing justice! I will never, ever forgive him!”

”.............”

Watching fiery-eyed, clenched-fist Aoko, Kurobane Kaito was completely speechless.

What to do?

Should I still play Phantom Thief Kid?