novelhk Chapter 394 Kidnapping Case
Chapter 394 Kidnapping Case
Chapter 396 Kidnapping Case
The driver, who was seriously injured in the explosion, was named Morikawa Shigeaki.
This morning, as usual, he accepted the routine mission assigned by the alliance—to safely escort Champion Karuni and her group to the airport.
After completing the pick-up and drop-off task, an unknown number suddenly called his phone.
"Drive the car back to the airport exit."
Just as the car was about to leave the airport, a voice that was neither clearly male nor female came from the other end of the phone.
The voice was cold and precise, as if an invisible eye was watching Morikawa's every move through the phone.
The driver naturally wouldn't do as the other party said. He sternly questioned the other party's identity, but at that moment he heard a heart-wrenching cry coming from the phone—a voice he knew all too well. His wife was suffering some kind of torture.
Immediately afterwards, the sound of keystrokes came from the other end of the phone, followed by the innocent voice of his young daughter.
The eerie voice was using some kind of toy to lure his elementary school-aged daughter to a certain place.
"Do as I say, don't notify anyone, especially the Alliance, otherwise—" The other party paused deliberately, then played his daughter's crying voice again, "You know the consequences."
Morikawa's identity as a government official allowed him to retain his last shred of rationality. In this era of rampant digital crime, scammers have countless ways to mimic someone else's voice, so one should never completely trust what the other person says.
He quickly dialed his wife's number, but only heard a message that the phone was switched off.
So he then contacted his son, who was attending school near his home. When the call connected, Morikawa immediately told his son to go home and check on the situation. However, when his son did as he was told, he only found an unlocked door—his wife and daughter had vanished without a trace.
When that unfamiliar number flashed on his phone screen again, Morikawa's blood froze. He was finally certain that this wasn't some clumsy scam, but a kidnapping orchestrated by someone.
"So, you were forced to drive near those Karuni fans under threat from the kidnappers? They specified where you were to park?"
After clearing away the others, Hugo sat down next to Morikawa's hospital bed and asked in a tone that was as calming as possible for the victim.
Lian Wutian stood silently behind the detective, arms crossed, like a statue.
"Yes. Although I knew that person was definitely planning something bad, all the passengers had already gotten off the bus. I took a chance, thinking that if I did what he said, maybe my family would be safe."
Morikawa's voice was hoarse, and his face beneath the bandages was taut with pain and self-reproach.
"Please, please save my wife and daughter! I'll accept any punishment you give me afterward!"
"This isn't your fault. The alliance and the police have mobilized maximum resources and will definitely find your family. Do you remember any further details about those two phone calls?"
Hugo skillfully comforted the patient, encouraging him to reveal more clues. "Your phone was severely damaged in the explosion, and the technical department is trying to recover the data. Although we traced the caller ID through the carrier, the other party was clearly prepared; the signal has been completely blocked. Therefore, please recall as many details as possible; even the smallest clue could be a breakthrough. For example—"
The detective wagged his finger: "How did the kidnapper tell you the exact location of the parking lot?"
"It's a painted arrow on the ground," Morikawa said without hesitation.
"That person told me to drive to the third arrow starting from the entrance of the passage, and warned me not to let the front of the car go beyond the area marked on the ground."
"Is it really necessary to be so precise—" Hugo's eyes flickered. "What kind of strange noises did you hear before the explosion?"
"It sounds a bit like a whooshing sound."
The patient closed his eyes and focused, trying to extract details from his hazy memory: "It sounded like an electric current coming from inside the car. I had a bad feeling, so I got out of the car to check."
The situation matched the accounts of other eyewitnesses at the scene—Hugo nodded calmly, then continued to press, "Did you already sense it was a bomb?"
"No, I completely panicked. I was just worried that the kidnappers' plot might involve the people nearby, so I desperately tried to evacuate them. But that damn 'whoosh' sound kept going on, and somehow, like I was possessed, I instinctively wanted to open the hood to see what was going on."
"I understand, you did a very good job back then," Hugo reassured her at the right moment, while observing her expression. "Did you see anything when you opened the hood?"
"No, my memory is completely blank."
As if recalling that terrifying moment, Morikawa's face showed fear.
"Okay, let's try a different approach. When you were on the phone talking to your son, did he notice anything unusual?"
The victim shook his head: "I only remember him telling me that no one was home. It was too shocking. I don't remember what he said after that."
"I see."
Hugo took a deep breath, turned around and exchanged a glance with Lian Wu, then looked at Morikawa again. "Alright, that's enough for our questioning for now. Rest assured, the Alliance will prioritize this kidnapping case. Other police officers will likely come to question you later. Until then, please rest well."
"So, does the victim seem to be lying?"
After leaving the ward and walking a short distance away, Hugo asked Lian Wu.
"It doesn't seem like it." Lian Wu shook his head. "He doesn't have the bluffing that liars often have, and his concern for his family is very genuine—especially when he talks about his daughter."
"I basically agree." Hugo nodded, his fingers unconsciously rubbing his chin. "If Morikawa was indeed coerced, then many of the contradictions in the bombing incident can be reasonably explained."
"The driver's reason for dispersing the crowd can certainly be explained. But why did the explosion occur at the front of the car instead of the fuel tank?" Lian Wu asked, puzzled, recalling the questions Hugo had raised in the car.
"Unlike the engine at the front of the car, the gasoline in the fuel tank is sealed."
Hugo lit up his phone screen and found the diagram of the car wreckage that the police had just compiled. "The killer probably designed a timer device—presumably an Electric-type Pokémon that received a command to periodically unleash a move in a specific direction, thereby remotely controlling the car to explode. This is also why the kidnappers specified the parking location in such detail over the phone."
"You mean there wasn't actually a bomb in the car to begin with, and the killer remotely detonated the engine?" Lian Wu frowned, his thick eyebrows furrowing.
"This hypothesis is highly accurate." Hugo turned his phone screen towards Lian Wu, tapping a few key details with his fingertip. "Did you notice? The on-site investigation has not found any remnants of conventional explosives. But look at this fuel nozzle—"
He zoomed in on the image, and the clear traces of electric arc residue on the metal parts were clearly visible under the high-resolution camera: "It remained in an abnormally open state, and these radial burn marks perfectly match the characteristics of an electric spark igniting fuel gas."
Why can't the same method be used on fuel tanks?
Lian Wu still doesn't understand; his connection with cars is probably limited to "knowing how to wear a seatbelt."
"The fuel tank is actually the worst choice," Hugo said. "Firstly, the amount of fuel is unpredictable, so it may not be able to successfully trigger an explosion; secondly, the fuel tank is made of insulating material, and it would take too long to melt a hole in it."
"But the scene was an open area surrounded by a crowd. How could the culprit's spirit have applied electricity to the car? If the distance was really that far, how could no one have noticed the electric flashes from the skill?"
No, you've overlooked one thing.
The champion from United Sports Group swiped his phone, showing photos of the scene after the explosion: "It's below the third arrow starting from the tunnel entrance. Look at the depth of this crater; a simple explosion could never have blasted such a deep mark into the concrete."
Hugo covered his forehead in regret, "Alas, I really shouldn't have taught them this trick."