Chapter 10 Returning the Jade Intact to Zhao
In the third transaction, the kidnappers still demanded gold bars.
However, the transaction location was quite unusual: it was the abandoned parking lot where Yuuki was taken after being kidnapped.
Ida instinctively sensed that this was her last chance.
Success means a safe return; failure means no more meetings.
Therefore, the Metropolitan Police Department is taking this operation very seriously.
The commanders gathered together and discussed various plans and emergency response strategies.
However, after the police laid a trap, they were shocked to discover that the kidnappers had simply returned Yuuki!
The boy, who had been missing for half a month, was tied to a pillar in the parking lot, with a schoolbag and a black suitcase beside him.
"Yuki! My son!" President Sakai was anxious to save his son and wanted to rush over, but Date held him back.
"President Sakai, please be patient. The kidnappers may have planted a bomb or some other kind of device. Please wait until we confirm it is safe before you go over."
However, after a thorough investigation, the police found nothing.
Yuuki was simply tied up with an ordinary rope, and there was nothing unusual about her schoolbag.
Even more remarkably, every single gold bar in the black briefcase was returned to him.
However, a note was also included in the suitcase, which read:
It seems Mr. Sakai will never earn this much money in his entire life. I won't make things difficult for you this time!
These words are enough to make one's blood pressure rise and one's anger soar.
But thankfully, Yuuki is back safe and sound, and the doctor is giving him a check-up. It seems the boy hasn't suffered any hardship these past few days and is in good health.
The only thing the kidnappers didn't return was the Amuro figurine.
The detective in charge of staking out the bank fell asleep, and Amuro was taken away.
The person who wanted to retrieve the figure was completely covered up, but ultimately they couldn't find it.
"Date-senpai, could it be that the kidnappers' only target is figurines? That's ridiculous!"
Takagi was deeply shocked that he had unfortunately guessed the kidnappers' true intentions, his face clearly showing "I don't understand, but I'm very shocked".
"Takagi, let's go! Let's ask that child." Date said, a toothpick dangling from his mouth, his face full of worry.
These prisoners are so unpredictable!
The doctor has completed a physical examination of Yushu, and all indicators are normal.
President Sakai, who had previously been rude to the police, bowed respectfully and thanked them with a beaming smile.
Yuki stood up, bowed, and said, "Thank you, officers. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be able to get home."
Takagi scratched his head sheepishly: "Yuuki, you don't have to say that. Actually, the kidnappers brought you back on their own initiative. We didn't really help much..."
"No! Those people told me they were terrified of the police coming to their door. That's why they didn't dare touch me and treated me well with food and drink. In the end, they didn't even dare to take the money and returned it all. It was the police officers' intimidation that scared away those bad guys! So, thank you so much, officers! I'm sorry for the trouble you've caused me these past few days!"
These words left the detectives even more baffled: We scared the criminal away?!
Ida carefully recalled all the details of the past two weeks and couldn't see any signs that the prisoners were afraid of the police.
Date pulled Yuuki aside to sit down and asked, "Yuuki, how many of those bad guys are there, and what do they look like?"
The boy frowned and said, "I only remember that the person who grabbed me at first was Mr. Nakagawa. After I finished playing the game and returned to the hotel, he suddenly jumped out from the shadows, tied me up, and threw me into the trunk. I didn't see anyone else. They never showed themselves, and the food was always passed in through a small window..."
"Do you remember when you got out of the trunk?"
"Um... I remember the car drove for a while and then stopped. I heard Mr. Nakagawa talking to someone, like they were arguing, and then he suddenly stopped talking. Then the trunk opened, and a pair of hands reached in. But before I could see anything, my eyes were covered, and somehow I passed out. When I woke up, I was in a strange room, and my schoolbag was next to me..."
"Yuki, when Mr. Nakagawa was speaking, did you hear any other voices?"
Yuuki shook his head: "No, it seems like he was the only one making a fuss, talking about something about the car? He was probably on the phone!"
"After you were taken to that unfamiliar room, even if you didn't see anyone else, you must have heard some sounds, right? You heard several people's voices, didn't you?"
"No, they have never spoken to me. They always write things down on notes."
"And what about during the live stream? Was there no one else present?"
Yuuki nodded: "No one. They gave me written instructions on how to operate it. The lines I was supposed to say were also prepared in advance."
After your first live stream, did they take you to another place?
"Yes, but I don't remember how I passed out. I passed out again like before, and when I woke up, the bed was different."
"Yuki, can you describe the place where you were imprisoned?"
"It's a very small, ordinary room, nothing special. There's a computer, but it can't connect to the internet. And..."
"Wait a minute, let me interrupt you. How is the live stream done without an internet connection?"
"Huh? I didn't know that... but that computer really can't connect to the internet. I can't open Google or anything like that. I only use it when I'm live-streaming and talking to my dad."
"Perhaps it was connected to the internal LAN and the live stream of Yushu was broadcast from another computer, which is why the police were unable to locate him."
The headset for the live football match broadcast announced this.
"Alright, Yuuki, then continue. What else is there in the place where you're being held?"
"The doors and windows were all locked, I couldn't see outside, and I couldn't escape. But I could often hear a rumbling sound from that initial place, like an airplane..."
"You didn't have any direct contact with the kidnappers? Did they ask you any questions?"
"At first I was terrified and screamed for them to let me out! But they played really loud noises and left me threatening notes, so I didn't dare to run away. I asked them who they were and why they wanted to catch me, but they wouldn't answer. They just told me to do my homework..."
"Huh?" The last sentence made the detectives laugh.
"Yuuki, you can go home now," Date said, ruffling the boy's hair. "But you must be careful when you go out alone in the future, and you can't play games so late anymore!"
"There will absolutely not be a next time, officer!"
The Metropolitan Police Department sent officers to escort the Sakai father and son home and took turns monitoring them to prevent the perpetrators from committing further violence.
Despite deploying such a large number of police officers, the final result was that they were completely useless.
However, no one was unhappy about it: for the police, having nothing to do was the best thing!
"Takagi, what's with that expression on your face? You look so smug!" Sato teased.
"Eh? Sorry, Sato-senpai, I lost my composure... But, I'm so happy to see that child is safe and sound! I never imagined the criminal would be so psychologically fragile. He returned the hostage and ransom just because he was scared." Takagi said with a smug look on his face.
"Takagi, you didn't actually believe the criminals' lies, did you?" Date pondered. "Did you see even the slightest bit of respect for the police and the law in those people?!"
"Huh? Why would the prisoner do that?"
"They've been playing us for the past two weeks, clearly knowing from the beginning that the police were aware of the situation, yet they still tried to create a false sense of mystery to threaten President Sakai into not calling the police. Now that Yuuki is back, they've changed their story, saying they were always afraid of the police and dared not mistreat the hostage. Isn't that a contradiction?" Date angrily snapped a toothpick in half, startling Sato and Takagi.
"Takagi, do you remember what the kidnappers wrote in their last note?"
"It seems Mr. Sakai will never earn this much money in his entire life. I won't make things difficult for you this time! Is there anything wrong with what you said, Date-senpai?"
"I think what the criminal really wanted to convey was: It seems that the police will never find a hostage in their lifetime. So this time we won't make things difficult for you. We'll just return the hostage and the ransom. You can keep the figurine as a souvenir."
"What?! This is too much!"
"Think about it, from the moment the criminals started until now, apart from the phrase 'Mr. Kurosawa' on Ms. Horii's phone, have they ever given themselves away? Our opponents didn't stop out of fear; they deliberately played dumb because they thought we were too weak, making a terrible move by pretending to lose. That way, the police won't investigate further, and they can end this utterly boring game."
"What exactly are those criminals trying to do? They've been working so hard for so long, surely they have some purpose? Or are they just trying to mess with the police?"
"Who knows? But one thing is certain: the criminals have achieved their goal and are probably secretly gloating right now! However, we don't even know how many people were on the other side..."
Takagi suddenly deflated and muttered to himself, "So, what kind of person is the culprit?"
"Don't be discouraged! At least Yuuki is back safe and sound, which means we've achieved our primary goal. We've also recovered the ransom, which is a double blessing. You've done a great job; you've worked hard these past few days, so it's time to go home and get some rest!"
"Senior Date, aren't you going back?"
"Oh no, I have something to do nearby. I'll be going now, see you tomorrow!"
After saying that, Ida quickly left.
He followed the directions on the earpiece, winding his way through the alleyways until he finally arrived at the agreed-upon location.
A hooded head peeked out from the darkness, and a smile seemed to be on its face in the shadows.
For some reason, Ida thought it looked a lot like a cat, and he inexplicably guessed that he might hear a "meow" at any moment.
Ida tossed the listening device and earpiece to the other person, complaining irritably, "You cat demon lord, you're really hard to find!"
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