**Chapter 132: A World Where Only Utility Poles Get Hurt [4k Big Chapter]**

"The usual rules apply: money first, goods second."

Fujino pulled out a small black bag from his robe, displaying it in front of Gotou. Using a voice changer, he lowered his voice, "Inside this bag, you'll find all the evidence of illegal activities committed by the attacked Teito Elementary School teachers."

"Illegal activities evidence?"

Gotou was puzzled.

He knew the evidence wasn't related to the person standing in front of him but rather to the two teachers. He couldn't fathom what those two could have done to warrant such a beating from this guy.

"There's a huge scoop inside that you wouldn't believe."

Fujino didn't answer Gotou's question but instead spoke meaningfully.

"A huge scoop?"

Gotou frowned, even more puzzled. At the same time, his interest in the contents of the small bag grew.

"Here's 1.5 million yen."

Gotou handed over the briefcase to Fujino, "I'll get the remaining 500,000 yen in a couple of days. Call me, and I'll give it to you then."

"No need."

Fujino took the briefcase and handed over the small bag, "Do you have a credit card or a bank card?"

"I do have a credit card..."

"I accept mobile payments."

"Uh..."

Gotou's mouth twitched imperceptibly as he glanced at the mobile POS machine that Fujino had just taken out of his robe.

Wow, now even the Beika Batman accepts card payments. Keeping up with the times, indeed.

After a moment of speechlessness, Gotou took out a wallet from his pocket, pulled out a credit card, and swiped it on the mobile POS machine.

Soon, the notification of 500,000 yen being credited sounded in Fujino's ear.

"A pleasure doing business."

Fujino put away the mobile POS machine, then pointed behind Gotou, "Look behind you."

"Behind me?"

Gotou turned around, puzzled, and looked in the direction Fujino pointed.

In his line of sight was a street with cars passing by occasionally. A weak streetlight illuminated a mailbox at the base of the lamp post, and nothing else.

Just as Gotou was about to turn back to ask a question, he saw that Fujino, who had been standing in front of him, had vanished without a trace.

"Gone...?"

Witnessing the urban legend happen right before his eyes, Gotou couldn't help but take a deep breath.

He had heard about the legend of the Beika Batman disappearing as soon as you turned your back. He thought it was just a metaphor...

But he didn't expect it to happen exactly as described, right next to him, without him noticing a thing.

"How on earth does he do that... is it some sort of visual trick?"

Gotou shook his head, unable to figure it out.

If he could understand the Beika Batman's methods, he'd probably be on the verge of a mental breakdown.

...

Back at the office, Gotou went into his office.

After closing the blinds on the glass wall of the office, he began examining the scoop Fujino had mentioned.

"If the information here is correct, this report will rock all of Japan!"

Looking at the content on the TV, the tired face of Gotou, who had been working late into the night, lit up with determination.

"Knock knock!"

At that moment, there was a knock on the office door.

"What's up?"

Gotou, feeling a bit annoyed, replied, turned off the TV, took out the videotape, and opened the door to find a woman in a pink business suit.

"Chief Gotou, the report 'Beika Batman: A Vigilante Roaming Beika' has been proofread. When do you want it laid out?"

The woman handed a manuscript to Gotou.

Gotou took the manuscript, glanced at it, and immediately frowned, "Who told you to write this report?"

"The president."

"The president, huh?"

Gotou rubbed his chin.

This report was filled with accusations against the Beika Batman and dissatisfaction with his vigilante justice.

Right now, the media in Japan had polarized views on the Beika Batman. Some praised him as a justice warrior maintaining peace, while others condemned his use of vigilante justice to punish criminals.

"This kind of report is unnecessary."

Gotou pushed the manuscript back, speaking with a hint of displeasure.

Even though the Beika Batman targeted criminals, in the eyes of some people who believed that only the law and courts should judge offenders, the Beika Batman was a symbol of evil, a criminal.

This article was clearly written to appease those people.

Gotou held no regard for such people.

Now that he had a cooperative relationship with the Beika Batman, any misunderstandings caused by such a report would mean his 500,000 yen would be wasted.

After a pause, sensing that his previous actions might seem too deliberate, he explained to the female reporter, "The negative portrayal in this report is too obvious, with nothing eye-catching—just following the crowd."

"What we need to do is report on news that others can't cover. Understand?"

"Report on news that others can't cover?"

The female reporter looked bewildered.

Gotou sighed. Are the media people nowadays really this clueless? How can they not understand such a basic principle?

"I just got evidence of illegal activities by the Teito Elementary School teachers. Reporting this is true news."

"Chief Gotou, are you talking about the news about the Teito Elementary School teachers?"

The female reporter was surprised, "Where did you get this information? The police are refusing to give any interviews to the media..."

"You don't need to know where I got my information from. Just know that it's authentic and reliable. Once reported, we'll be the first to break the news."

After the female reporter left, Gotou leaned back in his office chair and sighed.

If the law alone could effectively control criminals, his wife wouldn't have been brutally murdered during a robbery.

...

Meanwhile, after receiving a substantial sum of 2 million yen, Fujino set off for home.

"This Gotou is quite generous."

Fujino smiled as he glanced at the balance on the system interface while sitting in the driver's seat.

Nothing makes you happier than getting money.

And if there is, it's getting more money...

"Why do I feel like Mr. Krabs?"

Shaking his head to dismiss the thought, Fujino opened the system interface.

The system interface appeared in front of him like a heads-up display.

After a brief pause, he began the breakthrough for his Swordsman profession.

[The Swordsman profession has been upgraded for the host]

[Congratulations to the host for acquiring the secondary profession skills: Man and Sword as One, Sword Master]

[Current balance: 1.59 million yen]

"Man and Sword as One? Sword Master?"

Fujino looked at the new skills and pondered for a moment before opening the system interface:

[Sword Master: Level 1 (0|500; 1 million yen)

Rurouni Kenshin (The host will handle any bladed weapon with exceptional skill)

Man and Sword as One: Level 1 (The person is the sword, and the sword is the person. The host gains a 100% boost to all attributes)

Sword Master: Level 1 (When wielding a bladed weapon, strength increases by 25%, reaction speed increases by 25%)

Available profession points: 2]

"The person is the sword, and the sword is the person?"

Fujino looked at the description of the skill that evolved from Swordsmanship Soldier and couldn't help but show a strange expression, "Sword person?"

"Ahem."

Fujino cleared his throat, and his expression gradually returned to normal.

Although the description of "the person is the sword, and the sword is the person" sounded odd, the Man and Sword as One skill was indeed practical.

Originally, the Swordsmanship Soldier skill required him to hold a sword to gain a full attribute boost, but now it was directly enhanced without needing a sword.

This meant his combat power in normal conditions had significantly increased.

Moreover, this Man and Sword as One skill could still be upgraded...

"It seems breakthroughs are just the beginning."

After three upgrades, Fujino had a rough understanding of the effects of skill breakthroughs.

The breakthrough seemed to be just the beginning.

For instance, the Swordsman profession initially only had two skills, and they were non-upgradable.

However, after the breakthrough, the Swordsmanship Soldier evolved into Man and Sword as One.

Not only did he gain a new skill that enhanced his combat power in normal conditions, but the original Swordsmanship Soldier's effects were well inherited.

The Sword Master skill seemed to be an extension of the original Swordsmanship Soldier's effects.

Unlike the original 100% boost, Sword Master only offered 25%, but it could be upgraded.

He speculated that in the later stages of upgrading, the combat power enhancement would far exceed 100%.

After a brief contemplation, Fujino concentrated and allocated two profession points to Man and Sword as One:

[Man and Sword as One: Level 3 (The person is the sword, and the sword is the person. The host gains a 120% boost to all attributes)]

"A 120% boost?"

Fujino looked at the upgraded Man and Sword as One and rubbed his chin, "My combat power should be at B+ level now."

Advanced Reinforcement Card and Detective Enhancement together provided a 400% strength boost.

Martial Arts Expert, Man and Sword as One, and Bodyguard Enhancement together gave him a 250% normal state boost.

Adding the 100% reinforcement effect of the Assassin Robe, his current combat power reached 750%.

From his last encounter with Miwako Sato, he gauged that B-level combat power was around 500%.

Now, with his 750% B+ level combat power

, he could face those from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department without fear.

"This B+ combat power should be enough for now."

Sighing in satisfaction, Fujino closed the system interface and drove home.

...

The next day, when he arrived at the Beika Police Station, Fujiwara noticed the guards in the guard booth glance at him with a strange look, and the old fox's gaze became even more peculiar.

As he was about to ask, he saw the old fox hand him a newspaper.

"Another murder?"

Fujiwara thought there was another case. But after glancing at the headline, he realized it was an old case.

**[Elementary School Teachers: Cultivating the Flower of the Nation or Nourishing Corruption?]**

"Interesting. It's a news report about the two teachers I attacked last night..."

His heart skipped a beat, and he glanced at the reporter's name below the title.

"Gotou Takashi?"

So this was the 2 million yen's worth of hard-hitting report.

"Brother Fujino, have you read the paper yet?"

Just as Fujiwara was about to open the newspaper, an excited voice came from behind.

Turning his head, he saw Conan, Dr. Agasa, and the Detective Boys all eagerly running towards him.

"What brings you here so early, Conan?"

Fujiwara smiled, rubbed Conan's head, and asked, "Isn't there school today?"

"The school has an open house today, so we came out for a walk."

Conan grinned, "Brother Fujino, did you see the Beika Batman in the news today?"

Beika Batman? Is that the name they've given me?

Fujiwara suppressed a chuckle and said, "What's the news about him?"

"The Beika Batman caught the two bad teachers from our school!"

Ayumi proudly showed him the newspaper and pointed at the photos of the two teachers on it.

Looking at the photos of the teachers, Fujiwara immediately realized why they were being reported.

The teachers had been tied up and beaten into submission in front of the school last night, making them the perfect scoop for news.

However, he hadn't expected Gotou to make it public so quickly.

But, as they say, money makes the world go round.

He glanced at the subtitle of the news report and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Teacher 1: Using classroom funds for personal expenses, accepting bribes from parents for better grades; Teacher 2: Indulging in gambling, borrowing money from parents, and not paying it back... these two really are scum."

Muttering under his breath, Fujiwara turned to the excited Detective Boys and said, "Alright, kids, remember to be careful and stay safe. If you encounter any danger, make sure to call the police immediately."

"Yes, Brother Fujino!"

**"Slash!"**

With a loud shout, Fujino swung the wooden sword in his hand.

The wooden sword, moving so fast it left afterimages, collided directly with the utility pole.

"Buzz!"

Accompanied by a buzzing sound, a tremendous force surged back through Fujino's fingertips.

"Bang!"

A loud explosion erupted, followed by tremors and the sound of metal tearing.

The once sturdy concrete utility pole now had a deep gouge carved into it by the wooden sword, extending halfway into the pole and cutting into the internal steel reinforcement.

Some of the steel rods inside were severed, but the overall structure remained intact, showing no signs of breaking.

It was cut, but not completely.

"Whoo..."

Fujino took a deep breath, put away the wooden sword, and then looked at his hands, which were now numb and trembling continuously. "I really don't know how Ran managed not to break any bones..."

The material of Okamoto Zero Zero One naturally had some energy-absorbing properties and was extremely hard.

Yet, despite this, he still felt his hands go numb.

Shaking his hands to relieve the numbness, Fujino turned his gaze to the utility pole, sighing inwardly, "It seems that in the future, I'll have to use a wooden sword when going all out."

If the wooden sword in his hand today had been replaced with an iron rod, and the utility pole with a person, the person would likely have been twisted and deformed from the blow, dying instantly.

Because he had always used a wooden sword on people, he had no real sense of his own strength.

But today's test made him realize... his combat power had indeed become quite outrageous.

In the past, Ran shattered utility poles; today, Fujino tested his slashing on a utility pole, achieving a world where only the utility pole got hurt.

(End of Chapter)