stonecrandall Page 75
Page 75
Suddenly, the sound of a car engine came from afar.
Two black SUVs quickly drove into the parking lot, their headlights shining directly on Yuki Takada's car.
"Damn it!" Yusuke Mishima growled. "We're being followed."
Yuki Takada immediately started the engine. "Fasten your seatbelts, it's about time we left."
The SUVs charged towards them from both sides.
Yuki Takada jerked the steering wheel, the wheels screeching as he narrowly slipped between the two cars.
"Lower your head!" Yuki Takada shouted, slamming on the gas pedal.
Gunshots rang out, and the car window shattered.
Yuki Takada controlled the car with one hand while drawing his pistol with the other to return fire.
"Stop attacking! Or don't blame me for being impolite!" Yuuki Takada shouted, but the enemy continued to fire.
Yuki Takada called for backup from the standby team through his earpiece while speeding through the parking lot in an attempt to shake off the pursuers.
A bullet hit the rear tire, and the vehicle spun out of control.
Yuki Takada tried to control the car, but it still crashed into the guardrail.
The pursuing vehicle stopped, and several masked men approached with guns.
Just then, the sound of sirens grew louder as Yuuki Takada's support team finally arrived. Seeing this, the masked men quickly retreated, got into their vehicle, and fled the scene.
"Keep up with them!" Yuuki Takada shouted to his arriving colleagues, then checked on Yusuke Mishima. "Mr. Yusuke Mishima, are you alright?"
Mishima, pale but uninjured, said tremblingly, "They want to kill us to silence us."
Yuuki Takada nodded. "It seems this key is indeed very important."
Chapter 96 Attack
The support team reacted quickly, immediately sending a portion of them to chase after the fleeing SUV. The piercing siren broke the tranquility of Yoyogi Park at night.
Another group quickly secured the scene, protected Yuki Takada and Yusuke Mishima, and called for more reinforcements and ambulances.
"Chase them! Stop them at all costs!" Yuuki Takada roared into the communicator, carefully helping the still-shaken Yusuke Mishima out of the damaged vehicle and onto the arriving police car.
However, the two SUVs were clearly specially modified, with powerful engines and skilled drivers, as they recklessly navigated the city streets at night.
Despite the police car's relentless pursuit, the other party gradually increased the distance by utilizing their familiarity with the terrain and their reckless driving.
After a fierce chase, the pursuing police officers finally found the abandoned SUV in a narrow alley. The engine was still warm, but the car was empty, with only some insignificant items and a few shell casings left inside.
The assassins had clearly planned their escape route in advance, using the complex terrain and a clever escape strategy to disappear.
"Reporting to Inspector Takada, the target vehicle has been abandoned, and the suspect... has been lost." A colleague's frustrated and apologetic voice came through the communicator.
Yuki Takada's face was gloomy; he hadn't been entirely unprepared for this outcome.
The opponent acted decisively and ruthlessly, with meticulous planning; they were no ordinary person.
It must be the influence of the Mishima family.
"Immediately seal off the surrounding area and retrieve all possible CCTV footage that may have captured them!"
"Investigate all suspicious individuals!"
"We absolutely cannot let these people escape back to the Mishima family." Takada Yuuki gave the order, even though he knew the chances were slim, he had never seen such a crazy move before.
The only force in the world that would dare to launch such a rash attack on the two of them right under his nose is probably the Mishima family.
"Yes!"
Nearly half an hour later, another group of officers who were searching the area near the parking lot brought back a message.
They found three masked men unconscious in the bushes on the other side of the parking lot, with standard-issue handguns scattered around them.
Initial examination revealed that all three individuals had weak vital signs.
The distinct bitter almond taste in his mouth suggested cyanide poisoning, indicating that the poison sac was hidden in his mouth before the operation and he committed suicide by biting it open the moment he was captured or when he realized he could not escape.
"Inspector Takada, we've found three suspects, but..." the officer said somberly, his voice heavy with disappointment, "...they all committed suicide by poisoning themselves."
Yuki Takada rushed over immediately.
The scene has been cordoned off, and forensic experts are conducting a preliminary investigation.
The three men were dressed in identical black combat uniforms, wore masks, and had no items that could prove their identities. Their weapons were also untraceable black market goods.
Their deaths further confirmed that the other party was a member of the Mishima family.
"They cleaned it up really well." Yuuki Takada clenched his fist. This style of silencing undoubtedly pointed to the extremely strict and disciplined nature of the Mishima family. It seemed that the Mishima family was trying to hide something, which was why they went to such lengths.
He returned to the police car, where Yusuke Mishima was wrapped in a blanket, holding a cup of hot water. His face was still pale, but his eyes held not only lingering fear but also a chilling anger and determination.
"They...are all dead?" Yusuke Mishima's voice was somewhat hoarse.
Yuuki Takada nodded heavily: "Yes, commit suicide by poison."
"That does fit the professional methods of your Mishima family."
"No matter what... this is definitely the style of the Mishima family." Yusuke Mishima glanced at it helplessly and sneered, "They will do anything to protect the family's reputation and engage in shady dealings."
“Yoshihiro Nakamura is like that. Now it seems they also want me to shut up completely.” After tonight’s life-or-death chase, Yusuke Mishima no longer seemed to be deliberately keeping his distance and keeping his stance ambiguous, as he had been in the gallery that afternoon.
“Mr. Yusuke Mishima, you are in great danger right now.” Yuki Takada looked at him seriously. “I suggest you accept protective custody by the police.”
Yusuke Mishima shook his head, his eyes unusually firm: "No, Officer Takada. Hiding won't solve the problem. They failed this time, but they'll do it again. Only by completely removing the festering sore can I truly be safe."
His gaze fell on the envelope that Takada Yuuki was clutching tightly.
Inside is the safe key that Yoshihiro Nakamura entrusted to Yusuke Mishima.
“Now, this key is the only breakthrough.” Yusuke Mishima took a deep breath. “I need to know what Yoshihiro Nakamura left behind that is worth them going to such lengths, even at the cost of attacking me.”
Yuuki Takada stared at him and saw the determination in his eyes.
He knew that Yusuke Mishima was no longer the gallery owner who tried to stay out of it; the darkness of his family had completely drawn him into the center of the vortex.
“I understand.” Yuuki Takada nodded. “But we must be extremely careful with the next move.”
"The Shinjuku Central Bank headquarters will open first thing tomorrow morning, and we'll go there to pick up our things as soon as possible."
"Later, I will send more reliable people to protect you, and we will keep tonight's events completely confidential."
After thinking for a moment, Yuuki Takada added, "Furthermore, we need to investigate your brother Ryunosuke Mishima and that Mr. Kuroiwa more thoroughly. Who do you think the things left behind by Yoshihiro Nakamura are more likely to point to?"
“I’m not sure.” Mishima Yusuke pondered for a moment and then slowly said, “My older brother is now trying to sever ties with what happened before, which has touched the interests of the old forces. Nakamura Yoshihiro, caught in the middle, may have evidence that is detrimental to both sides.”
"It's also possible that Yoshihiro Nakamura discovered an even more terrifying secret, one that even my older brother didn't know... That's why he ultimately met his end." Yusuke Mishima recalled the events of the past, his eyes filled with profound depth.
“A secret…” Yuuki Takada murmured, sensing that the complexity of the case far exceeded his expectations.
……
Inside the Mishima family compound, deep within a certain residence.
A traditional Japanese-style room is isolated from the hustle and bustle of modern society. The paper doors are tightly closed, leaving only the wafting incense smoke and a heavy, almost suffocating silence.
The air was filled with the delicate fragrance of fine wood and the smell of old books, but even stronger was an invisible yet omnipresent pressure.
The current head of the Mishima family, Ryuichi Mishima, is kneeling on the tatami mat with his back to the door.
Despite his advanced age, his figure remained upright, not stooped, and he wore a traditional haori with his gray hair neatly styled.
On the wall in front of him hung a powerful and vigorous character for "quiet," but the atmosphere in the room at that moment was far removed from that character.
Ryunosuke Mishima sat at the lower end, maintaining the same formal posture, his suit and tie somewhat out of place in this traditional setting.
He lowered his head slightly, and there seemed to be fine beads of sweat on his forehead, but deep in his eyes was not entirely submissive. Instead, there was a hint of barely perceptible anxiety and calculation.
"I already know about what happened at Yoyogi Park."
Ryuichi Mishima's voice rang out, deep and slow, yet carrying an undeniable authority; every word struck the listener's heart.
Chapter 97: Clean it up?
Ryuichi Mishima didn't turn around; he kept looking at the character "静" (quiet) hanging on the wall, as if he were having a conversation with it.
“Father…” Ryunosuke Mishima began, attempting to explain.
"I heard you made a move against Yusuke." Ryuichi Mishima interrupted him, stating the result in a calm tone, revealing no emotion, but this only made it more unsettling.
“I…” Ryunosuke Mishima stammered, ultimately not daring to reveal the whole truth.
“I’ve really disappointed me with how you’ve handled things during this time!” Ryuichi Mishima said heavily. “Take the matter of Shosuke Matsui for example. You’ve handled it terribly, and even got Kenji Kobayashi arrested.”
"Even the mole that I painstakingly raised for many years was executed by the police during the operation."
"And not only did you fail to resolve the trouble, you also lost three members of the Mishima family and alerted the police, especially that newly transferred Yuki Takada. Now Yusuke... has completely switched sides."
“I underestimated the police’s response speed and the security surrounding Yusuke.” Ryunosuke Mishima’s voice was a little hoarse as he said with surprise, “I didn’t expect Yuki Takada to personally escort him, and to go to such lengths.”
"Our people... have done their best, and they've cleaned things up completely. They will never trace it back to the family..."
"Clean it up?" Ryuichi Mishima finally turned around slowly. His face was clearly defined, with deep wrinkles etched by time, but his eyes were surprisingly sharp, suddenly appearing as if they could pierce through people's hearts.
"Leaving survivors is considered 'clean'?"
"You call this 'clean'? Let the target, with any possible evidence, brazenly open the bank's safe deposit box tomorrow morning under tight police protection!!"
His voice remained unchanged, but the coldness and oppressive tone in it made Ryunosuke Mishima's breath catch in his throat slightly.
"Father, the contents of that safe might not be..."
“Maybe what?” Ryuichi Mishima looked at him coldly. “That idiot Yoshihiro Nakamura thought he could play both sides, but in the end he played with fire and got burned.”
"But could the thing he specifically entrusted to Yusuke before he died be just some insignificant piece of paper?"
"Although Yusuke has always remained on the fringes of the family, he's not stupid!"
"He must have already guessed that the person who wants to kill him is within the family!"
Ryunosuke Mishima was silent for a moment, then looked up again, a ruthless glint in his eyes: "Then before they go to the bank..."
"Isn't this embarrassing enough?!" Ryuichi Mishima slammed his hand on the low table beside him, the tea set on it making a crisp sound. "Now everyone's eyes are on the Shinjuku Central Bank!"
"Takada Yuuki has surely laid a trap, just waiting for us to strike again! Do you want to drag the entire Mishima family into the spotlight and let your century-old foundation be destroyed because of your recklessness?!"