When Megure heard Miwako's words, he was visibly startled, but upon seeing her raise a finger to her lips, he quickly suppressed his reaction.
"Keep searching. We must locate him before the match ends."
With that, Megure left the surveillance room with Miwako following beside him.
"Officer Sato, are you sure about this?"
Once they stepped outside, Megure asked in a stern tone.
"I'm certain."
Miwako's confidence came from her unwavering trust in Ren.
"I'm absolutely sure of the other suspect's location. But moving in with a full team would cause panic. Since the suspect is armed, any sense of alert could push him to open fire indiscriminately on the crowd."
Megure understood completely.
They had to eliminate the threat quickly before the suspect could act. But Miwako clearly intended to go in alone.
"Can you handle it? If anything goes wrong..."
Megure's worry showed clearly in his expression, but Miwako didn't waver.
"Don't worry, Inspector. I'm confident in the suspect's identity. Once I confirm the presence of a concealed weapon, we'll have solid grounds. He's already on alert, and based on our intel, he's likely a staff member from Nippon TV. He's blended into the media crew."
Megure frowned deeply. So the suspect had been monitoring police movements from within the organizing committee all along.
No wonder the suspect seemed to have full knowledge of police actions.
This wasn't just coincidence. The entire report and the initial threat had been orchestrated to draw the police in, while the second suspect remained hidden in plain sight among the broadcast crew.
Megure immediately grasped the issue. A large-scale operation would definitely alert the suspect.
Looking at Miwako, he realized her approach was the best option they had.
"Officer Sato, what kind of support do you need?"
"I need authorization to fire if necessary. The suspect could pose a threat at any moment to the spectators, or even to players on the field. I need to eliminate that threat instantly."
Miwako stated her request without hesitation.
Megure paused briefly to think it over, then gave his approval.
"I understand. Proceed with caution. Your priority is to avoid civilian casualties."
Expecting an officer to confront an armed criminal without the option to shoot was unreasonable.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department had never required officers to refrain from shooting when faced with armed suspects threatening multiple civilians.
Their top directive was to protect the public from danger.
In such situations, shooting was permitted.
"Understood. I'll begin the operation immediately."
With permission secured, Miwako wasted no time.
She had to ensure the suspect never had a chance to fire into the crowd. That meant a swift and decisive strike right from the start.
However, since the suspect was operating a broadcast camera near the field, a direct shot carried the risk of hitting players.
So the shot had to be aimed low, away from the direction of the playing field.
She also had to prevent unnecessary panic among the audience. A suppressed weapon would be essential.
While a silencer didn't fully eliminate sound, in a noisy stadium filled with cheering, anything short of a loud bang would be lost in the ambient noise.
With the plan clear, Miwako returned to her patrol car and retrieved a semi-automatic pistol and a suppressor.
Because the report had specifically mentioned firearms, she had already submitted a special application before leaving the station.
It hadn't been easy, but approval had come just in time.
The gun was already loaded, and the suppressor was securely attached.
After holstering the weapon inside her jacket, Miwako double-checked the time.
"Thirty minutes left before the match ends. That's enough."
The location was confirmed. The operator at Camera 13 was the armed suspect. All that remained was the takedown.
Miwako re-entered the stadium through the designated entrance.
Using the directions from earlier and cross-referencing with Camera 13's position, she made her way carefully toward the target.
Pushing through clusters of rowdy fans, Miwako eventually spotted the man operating Camera 13.
He wore a headset and was adjusting the broadcaster's camera.
"This setup is clever. No wonder he was hard to find."
Miwako acknowledged the quality of the plan. The suspect's disguise as internal staff was solid. What kind of hatred did someone have to take things this far?
She shook her head, dismissing the thought. Motivation wasn't her concern right now.
She watched him continue to fiddle with the equipment, his eyes scanning the area, occasionally glancing behind him.
"A cautious one, huh?"
"But too bad."
Bracing her hand against the railing on the outer edge, she vaulted over into the designated zone near the camera platform.
Her approach was fast. In seconds, she was less than ten meters from the target.
She stopped, reached under her arm, and drew her semi-auto pistol. She took aim directly at the man's lower body and fired.
Amid the roars of the cheering crowd, no one heard the suppressed shot.
The bullet struck dead center in the suspect's rear. With its spin and velocity, it passed clean through, tearing through his groin.
The sheer pain twisted the suspect's face into agony as he clutched his crotch and let out a howl.
"AAAAAGGGHHH!"
The pain of a bullet ripping through that area wasn't something anyone could ignore.
But his adrenaline kicked in hard. In that moment, the pain dulled. His body spun and his hand darted for the pistol under his arm.
Unfortunately for him, adrenaline may grant a person twenty percent more strength or reaction speed, but that wasn't enough to match Miwako's refined skills and combat readiness.
The moment he laid his hand on his weapon and turned to locate her, another bullet had already pierced the center of his forehead.
Miwako rushed in to confirm the situation.
"Confirmed kill."
She pulled back his jacket, revealing the semi-automatic pistol still gripped in his hand.
Miwako let out a quiet, cold laugh.
"I wasn't going to give you a chance."
Then, she reached for her radio and called in.
"Inspector Megure, target confirmed as the perpetrator of the threat. He had a firearm in hand. Suspect neutralized."
(To be continued.)