Chapter 68

Hanazawa Yu put down his phone, his expression unusually serious, and said in a low voice, "Something happened to Kawashima Hideo."

Fujiwara Yukino fell silent, standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the man and woman below. The calm on her face gradually disappeared. "I never thought he would do something like this."

Her real intention was simply to get him to leak the information to the media and amplify public opinion.

It's truly pathetic that they risked their lives.

A sly, mocking look flashed in her eyes as she asked, "Is there any oversight in the plan?"

This incident, fueled by public outrage, greatly escalated the situation and caused a major uproar throughout the city.

Hanazawa Yu quietly and carefully examined her: "Not at the moment, but I will continue to follow up on this matter."

This woman kept her schemes and inner turmoil to herself and no one else.

“A father seeking revenge…” Fujiwara Yukino remained as decisive and indifferent as ever. “Suzuki Takeji’s votes are nothing to worry about. All we need to do now is stabilize the situation, and things will proceed smoothly.”

His heart is harder than stone.

Hanazawa Yu: "In a little while, I'll personally go and keep an eye on things with the newspaper."

“And Masanobu, tell him to find Shoko as soon as possible,” Fujiwara Yukino paused for a moment, her voice barely audible, “I really hope that Shoko is just being willful.”

"Yes, Qiangzi will be back." Hanazawa Yu took the documents, left the room, and closed the door behind him.

Fujiwara Yukino stared at the phone number in her hand for a moment, her eyes reddening, but she still threw the paper into the trash can.

Immediately afterwards, Sato obtained the photos that Sagara had hidden and went to her office. "Ms. Fujiwara, where is your assistant? She needs to cooperate with the investigation."

Fujiwara Yukino thought for a moment, then asked in a worried tone, "I have three assistants with me. Which one are you referring to?"

Sato looked at her with an even more puzzled expression. "Hanazawa Yu."

Fujiwara Yukino: "She went out to give instructions."

“Three assistants,” Sato surveyed the office layout. “Of these three, which one is closer to Fujiwara no Kiyomi?”

Fujiwara Yukino paused for a moment, "Hanazawa Yu occasionally helps Brock manage the company's business, while Rovna takes care of Brock's daily life. If we're talking about who's closer, it's the latter."

Sato frowned and asked, "Lovna?"

Fujiwara Yukino: "After the two met, Rovna would always prepare birthday gifts for Biko. I think their relationship is pretty good. Is there a problem?"

Sato sensed something was wrong and thought for a moment before speaking: "Call her over, we need to ask her a few questions."

“Okay.” Fujiwara Yukino dialed the landline on the table and quickly called the person over.

Sato looked the man up and down, his eyes darting around as if trying to see through everything, but he still didn't understand.

They had already identified the suspect, so why is another one suddenly appearing?

Doesn't she realize there's something wrong with her secretary? Or is she just waiting for the election results...?

There are less than twelve hours left until the invoices go on sale.

Sato felt immense pressure and said in a deep voice, "Less than two hours after the newspaper went on sale, Hideo Kawashima was in a car accident. If someone hadn't deliberately leaked his private schedule to Seiichi Munakata, do you think this car accident would have succeeded on his own?"

People like them would never reveal their private schedules except for official business. Now is a critical time, and they should be even more cautious.

Fujiwara Yukino was taken aback. "Is this a private trip?"

“That’s right,” Sato said. “I know you leaked the information about the company’s legal representative, which doesn’t constitute a crime, but if you don’t tell the truth, you will definitely be implicated in this car accident. This matter is already getting out of control, and you should be well aware of that.”

Fujiwara Yukino remained silent for a full minute before saying in a hoarse voice, "Releasing the corporate information was something I instructed Hanazawa to do. Also, she's the one who reports Qiangzi's whereabouts to me on a daily basis..."

At 3 p.m., the rain in Yokohama was heavy and dense, like countless cold needles pricking the skin.

Rina got out of the car, walked into an upscale residential area, showed Sato's police ID, and entered smoothly.

Kurosawa Shiran reminded him, "Bring the property management staff to open the door."

Rina nodded absentmindedly.

Once inside, the property manager seemed to sense something was wrong and tried to leave under the pretext of needing to use the restroom, but Kurosawa Shirani pinned him against the wall and forced the door open. "...Who exactly are you people?"

Rina said, "Bad person."

Kurosawa Shiran easily restrained the administrator's two wrists with one hand, making it impossible for the administrator to break free.

Rina closed the door and carefully observed the surrounding environment.

The room was spotless, the potted plants were carefully tended, and there was even a frightened Maine Coon cat curled up under the coffee table watching them.

Rina asked, "Is Hanazawa Yu living with someone?"

The administrator refused to speak, his face half-pressed against the wall. Kurosawa Shiran increased the pressure on his hand, and the administrator cried out in pain before stammering, "She, she has a boyfriend."

Rina walked over, picked up the exquisite red box on the coffee table, opened it, and found a ten-carat diamond ring inside. "A good relationship?"

Kurosawa Shiran stared at the ring, then quickly shifted her gaze to Rina's hand.

The administrator said, "It's fine."

"Tell me more details." Rina put the box back in its place, checked the carpet and windows, and then looked at the contents of the refrigerator. They were all fresh ingredients, including one with a supermarket label indicating that it was from today.

The administrator said, "They're just an ordinary couple. They're both at work during the week, and they go out together on weekends for meals and dates. Nothing special."

Lina silently crouched down, grabbed the cat's paw, and dragged the cat out from under the coffee table.

That cat was very timid and seemed to be greatly frightened. It only knew how to hiss but dared not resist.

Rina examined the cat intently, then noticed that the cat's paws were stained with fruit juice and had a strange smell. "After committing a series of crimes, people become bolder and bolder until they go completely insane."

The administrator broke out in a cold sweat: "Please don't kill the cat..."

Rina found it amusing, rinsed the cat under the bathroom faucet while holding it, and glanced back at him: "What about you?"

The administrator's eyes widened, and he said, "Me too, I can't either."

Rina let the cat go, took off her gloves, and put them in her coat pocket: "Hanazawa Yu took the person away."

-

The rain was heavy and dense near the reservoir; driving there was like entering a murky gray fog.

In particular, the main gate on the shore is made of thick steel plates, and the anti-rust paint on the surface has long since peeled off, revealing dark red rust. Rainwater flows down along the gaps in the steel plates, forming a muddy pool of rust on the ground, which turns an unsettling reddish-brown color at night, like blood.

The concrete base was also covered in moss, which had turned green from being soaked in rainwater. A "No Entry" sign hung next to it, and the edges were already rotten.

But just two kilometers away in the management building, the plastic sheeting on the windows was billowing in the wind, as if it would be torn at any moment. The wind swirled in the rain, carrying the unique fishy and cold smell of the reservoir, and felt like knives on the face, making people involuntarily shrink their necks.

Hanazawa Yu stood quietly at the door of the room, her face expressionless, as if she was waiting for something. But behind her, a young man was tied to a chair, which creaked as he struggled.

He asked in horror, "Why?"

"There's no reason why, it's just over." Hanazawa Yu turned to look at him, a look of sadness on her face. "I can't keep up the act anymore."

Those scenes of couples being affectionate with each other had disgusted her.

"Then let's break up," the man said, his voice trembling slightly. "Why did it have to come to this!"

“I should go find him, but you can’t live,” Hanazawa Yu closed his eyes. “Something as filthy as you shouldn’t continue to live.”

The shocked man exclaimed excitedly, "You're that Red Lady!"

“You know what? Ever since this incident came to light, bars and nightclubs have lost half their male customers,” Hanazawa Yu chuckled. “Why do you think they’re afraid to go?”

The newspapers say that the "Red Ladies" will entangle themselves with men who are having affairs.

Chishima stared at her wide-eyed incredulously. "You're crazy."

"Really? If that's the case, that's wonderful," Hanazawa Yu said nonchalantly.

Chishima: "You're just venting your resentment!"

“I have no resentment, only regret,” Hanazawa Yu said. “I shouldn’t have left the professor. If I had stayed by his side, perhaps the tragedy wouldn’t have happened. I should have realized sooner that what I couldn’t let go of was that I was the one who couldn’t let go of that feeling. How could I tell him that I’ve fallen for another man! You know what? Every time I think of that memory, I want to cut out my tongue and feed it to the dogs. It’s ridiculous that I would abandon him. If you had never appeared, I would never have abandoned the professor!”

Chishima angrily retorted, "It's clearly because you didn't firmly choose him!"

Hanazawa Yu: "That's why I regret it."

Chishima: "I did nothing wrong!"

"No mistake?" Hanazawa Yu's face turned cold. "The professor can dedicate his life to beautiful love, can you do that?"

“I thought we were mutually in love!” Chishima retorted.

Hanazawa Yu said, "I know you had a first love you can't forget when you were in school."

Chishima asked, puzzled, "What...what do you mean?"

“Of course I’ve thought about spending my life with someone,” Hanazawa Yu said, his eyes bloodshot with displeasure, “but you can’t love me, respect me, or cherish me like a professor does, so you don’t deserve it!”

Qiandao struggled again, blood beginning to seep through her white shirt: "We're all adults, can you please be realistic! You have a past of relationships yourself, why are you asking others for help!"

Hearing the noise at the door, Hanazawa Yu ignored him, turned around, and gave a faint smile: "I thought you would be with that little boyfriend."

Rina: "Didn't you say you'd let me come alone?"

Hanazawa Yu suddenly laughed: "Why risk your life for someone who is nobody?"

"Do you want to see Petssi with this face?" Lina said. "He might not even recognize you anymore."

Hanazawa Yu stubbornly insisted, "We will continue to love each other."

“Do you think the professor would like you looking like this?” Rina said. “The professor didn’t teach you how to kill.”

“They are not innocent. People who betray love deserve to die. The professor will forgive me.” Hanazawa Yu held a fruit knife to Chishima’s neck, took out a pair of shackles from his pocket and threw them at Rina’s feet. “Put these on, or he will die a terrible death.”

Rina raised an eyebrow: "Are you misunderstanding something?"

Hanazawa Yu narrowed his eyes slightly, and when he saw that she did not move, a hint of panic flashed in his eyes.

Rina kicked off the shackles beside her feet and walked towards her, a villainous smile on her lips: "I never said I was here to save someone."

Hanazawa Yu's pupils suddenly contracted as he stared intently at the eerie smile on her lips, drawing a red mark on Chishima's neck. "You can continue to approach."

Rina still didn't stop.

"You must know my plan, right?" Hanazawa Yu suddenly dropped the knife in his hand, took out a black controller from his pocket, and pressed the red button on it with his thumb. "If you take one more step closer, something unexpected will definitely happen."

Chishima stared in disbelief at everything that was happening before his eyes.

Rina: "To perish together?"

Hanazawa Yu took a few steps back, approaching the doorway. "Don't play dumb. You know I planted a bomb on the reservoir sluice gate, and your little boyfriend is right there."

This time, Rina seemed to sense something and stopped in her tracks.

She didn't dare to gamble.

I absolutely dare not.

The consequences of detonating the bomb were something she could not bear.

“It can be controlled remotely,” Hanazawa Yu knew she had found her only weakness, and her voice became unusually firm, “Put on the handcuffs yourself.”

Rina's ears were ringing, and she could barely hear clearly, yet she dared not doubt her words: "Why bother?"

Hanazawa Yu: "Put on the handcuffs."

Rina gritted her teeth, turned around and picked up the shackles, one loop fastening to her wrist and the other to the heating pipe next to her.

"You ask me what I'm asking for?" The scene reversed again, and Hanazawa Yu revealed a smug smile. "After the reservoir gates are blown open, the police who are looking for Fujiwara Nozomi's body downstream will probably be washed away. The police have mobilized more than fifty people this time to find her, along with some reporters and villagers who came along. I don't think it's a pity that so many people will be buried with me."

Chishima's Adam's apple bobbed futilely in his neck: "You're absolutely insane!"

“The bomb isn’t remotely controlled. My abilities are limited. Natsume Rina, you’ve lost. My goal is just to kill you and those idiots,” Hanazawa Yu said, pressing the red button in his hand and running out the door without hesitation.

Suddenly, a beeping sound came from somewhere in the room.

Chishima froze, staring blankly at Rina. "What do we do?"

Rina tried her best to calm herself down, stretched out one leg, and struggled to hook it around a stool leg. "Just bear with it."

"At a time like this, I'm just grateful to be alive!" Chishima swayed and fell to the ground, rubbing himself against the ground to get closer to her.

Rina took out a knife from her pocket and cut the ropes on his legs and hands. Because of the time crunch, Rina used too much force and accidentally cut several wounds on his hands.

However, at this point, what did those minor injuries matter? Chishima hurriedly threw off the ropes binding her and asked, "What are you going to do?"

Rina didn't say anything.

Immediately afterwards, Chishima rummaged through the room and finally found a box embedded in the wall behind a dilapidated table. The box was covered in a black plastic shell and had a red countdown timer on it ticking in seconds.

"Eight minutes left! I don't know how to defuse a bomb," Chishima's mind went completely blank, his white shirt soaked with cold sweat. "I'll go to the gate to find that person, there's still time!"

The distance to the gate is two kilometers. Even at the fastest speed, it would take at least eight minutes to go back and forth. Lina's knuckles were already white from clenching her fists, and her palms were covered in cold sweat. She tried several times to pry open the shackles with the wire she carried with her, only to find that the wire had been modified. "Too late."

Chishima's heart sank. He ran to the door, glanced back at her, and asked urgently, his voice trembling as if it would burst from his throat, "Is that person at the gate?"

At this moment, Lina held a thousand words in her eyes, "If there are only two minutes left, don't let him come over."

Chishima ran away without looking back. After an unknown amount of time, the rain outside intensified, and the water from the roof of the management building seeped down through the concrete cracks, dripping onto Rina's face with a chilling sensation.

The countdown timer suddenly emitted a piercing beep, and the numbers began to jump wildly.

Three minutes left.

Two minutes.

One minute.

Time passed slowly. Rina tried various methods, even attempting to dismantle the water pipe, her wrists becoming bloody and mangled, but all to no avail. She took a deep breath and, after several more attempts to pick the lock, could only pray that the man had not found Kurosawa Shirani, lest he be affected by the bomb.

As the countdown reached fifty seconds, she could clearly feel the sensors vibrating more and more frequently, a premonition of death.

Although I'm unwilling, this is the only way.

Just then, the sound of a car engine came from outside the room.

But at this point, the red number had already changed to ten seconds.

Lina immediately sensed something was wrong, and her heart was so tense that her blood vessels almost burst. She was in a state of high stress.

Before she could even speak to stop her, Kurosawa Shiran had already climbed to the second-floor window.

Three seconds left.

"Don't come any closer!"

The buzzing suddenly intensified, then abruptly stopped.

Kurosawa Shiran rushed over without hesitation, grabbed Rina and wrapped her completely in his arms, but the bomb didn't explode at the very moment it was supposed to.

Kurosawa Shiran reacted for a moment, fired a shot to break the shackles, and jumped off the second floor with Rina in his arms.

Immediately afterward, while the two were still in mid-air, a loud "boom" resounded, and a scorching wave of air, like lava, erupted from inside the room, causing roof tiles and rubble to scatter wildly in all directions.

Lina felt as if her eardrums had been pierced by needles, and a suppressed groan escaped her throat. The world fell into dead silence.

The cement walls of the management room cracked with jagged fissures around the point of explosion, and bricks began to fall, crashing to the ground with dull thuds.

As expected, Kurosawa Shiran landed and held the person tightly as she continued running forward.

Once they reached safety, he felt the body in his arms growing colder and colder, his hands trembling uncontrollably, and his steady breathing suddenly becoming erratic. "Rina!"

His voice was hoarse and out of control.

Rina's unfocused gaze lingered on Kurosawa Shiran's face for a moment, her voice so faint it was almost swallowed by the rain, "...It's okay, everything will be alright once this rain stops."

She raised her hand and touched his face with difficulty, then completely lost her strength, and her hand slowly fell to her sides.

Kurosawa Tokiran watched this scene unfold, like an abandoned child, clinging tightly to the person, unable to utter a word.

They didn't even care about their own injuries.

Upon hearing the commotion, Sato rushed over with his men, his heart pounding in his chest. He frantically pressed the walkie-talkie, shouting, "Get the medical staff here right away!"

In fact, the explosion was enough to predict casualties. As soon as Sato finished speaking, medical staff rushed over with their medical kits.

Kurosawa Shiran let go of his hand and stood aside as instructed by the medical staff. He heard them say, "It was probably caused by the extremely high decibel shock wave from the explosion, but there are no external injuries, and the heart rate is normal... There may be some stress."

To put it bluntly, he was terrified.

Kurosawa Shiran's face turned deathly pale, almost bluish, and it took him two seconds to react.

Rina: "..."

With her pride shattered, she simply closed her eyes, ignoring everything around her, and fainted.

Kurosawa Tokiran wasn't stupid, and naturally wouldn't believe Rina was scared by the bomb like Sato did.

Sato breathed a sigh of relief, then sneezed. Seeing another victim emerge from the grass, he finally felt a weight lifted from his heart and excitedly said, "Quickly, get him on a stretcher and carry him away!"

After he finished speaking, two police officers walked over from the opposite side, escorting the criminal who was trying to escape in the chaos.

Their hands and feet were shackled.

Before arriving, Rina had already notified the police that they were just a step later than her, and then, during their brief standoff, they set up a perimeter around the area.