The bomb was successfully defused, and the load-bearing pillars didn't sustain any irreversible damage. They are currently under urgent repair.

The time quickly reached twelve o'clock. Fushimi Roku stayed by the landline phone, playing several rounds of Beast Chess with the communications officer, and finally, Uesugi Shion's call came in.

The piercing ringtone echoed incessantly. Fushimi Roku didn't rush to pick up. He waited for the communications officer to connect the line, nodded at him, and then picked up the receiver: "Moshi Moshi?"

"I'm very disappointed in you."

Uesugi Shion's voice came through, sounding somewhat distorted, with a fuzzy electronic tone.

"What's up?" Fushimi Roku deliberately stalled for time, trying to provoke the opponent's competitive spirit, aiming to prolong the conversation: "Just because I successfully stopped the bomb from exploding? You're really petty."

"Don't you care?" Uesugi Shion asked.

"I don't care." Fushimi Roku instantly replied.

"I haven't said what you don't care about." Uesugi Shion's tone finally showed some emotional fluctuation.

"I~ don't~ care~ about~ anything~"

Fushimi Roku deliberately stretched his tone, slowing down his speech, sounding irritatingly smug.

He glanced at the communications officer, who signaled a seven, indicating about seven minutes were still needed.

"You don't even care about your biological sister?" Uesugi Shion pressed further.

"You know we're not close. We only met last year. How deep could our bond be?"

Fushimi Roku sighed deeply: "Threatening me like this is truly barking up the wrong tree. I'm the kind of person who's more amenable with kindness. If you had just asked nicely, I might have been interested in entertaining you."

Uesugi Shion let out a cold laugh: "Plead with you?"

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Fushimi Roku lounged on the sofa, speaking in a mocking tone: "Get your position straight, you're the challenger here."

What he said was true; strictly speaking, Uesugi Shion was indeed his defeated opponent.

Now, Uesugi Shion was doing everything possible to make him bet again, even resorting to threatening him with his dog and sister, showing signs of being a sore loser.

The saying goes, lies won't hurt, but the truth is a sharp knife. Uesugi Shion was silent but didn't hang up the phone.

Wow, that effective?

Seizing the opportunity, Fushimi Roku straightened up and started trash-talking into the receiver: "You're weak-limbed, a lousy gambler, with no decent qualities whatsoever. Do you even deserve to compete against me? Dream on!"

"Don't get too cocky!" Uesugi Shion said coldly: "The person is still in my hands..."

"So what? You planning to kill?" Fushimi Roku's tone turned equally cold: "If she dies, I won't spare any of your father or mother."

The communications officer turned his head in surprise, thinking this didn't sound like the usual police talk with a kidnapper!

He had long heard that the criminal police were particularly aggressive, and now he saw it firsthand…

Uesugi Shion fell silent again, aware that Fushimi Roku was not like Minamoto Tamako; he would actually do such things.

Furthermore, Fushimi Roku had encountered her parents before, knew what they looked like, and hiding wasn't an option.

Both chips in Uesugi Shion's hands lost their effect, and she had already lost one of them; the situation vaguely slipped out of control.

Fushimi Roku continued to apply pressure, saying: "Even if you plant a hundred bombs and sink all of Tokyo, I'd only praise you as a master of cleanup."

"Bombs? What bombs?" the communications officer asked in a whispered voice from the side.

Fushimi Roku waved his hand, indicating that he was just making it up.

Just like Sazaki Gen said, as long as you have no weaknesses, you're unbeatable.

The only weakness of Fushimi Roku was Minamoto Tamako, but Minamoto Tamako is like a steel plate. Her mother is genuinely elusive, and just when Uesugi Shion was about to make a move to kidnap, Kujo Yua had sent people over.

The mobile team members shot dead her subordinates with two shots, took the sleeping Minamoto Tamako away, and maintained continuous communication in between; perhaps Kujo Yua was merciful, allowing her daughter to say some final words to her boyfriend in a dream.

Uesugi Shion was genuinely stumped.

"Then how about we make a deal," Uesugi Shion said: "Since you respond better to kindness than threats, I'm willing to show my sincerity, release goodwill..."

Fushimi Roku was about to say 'bullshit,' but the communications officer quickly raised his finger, signaling that tracking was progressing smoothly, just four more minutes to go.

So his tone shifted, and he said: "What kind of sincerity? Explain further."

"I can release the person," Uesugi Shion said: "On the condition that you go to Cat Island once more."

The communications officer genuinely couldn't understand, what was Cat Island? Why was the kidnapper showing goodwill? Why did it seem like the kidnapper was asking for something from Officer Fushimi?

It felt as if they knew each other... Was it just my imagination?

The communications officer scratched his head on the side, not finding it convenient to ask.

"Eh… hasn't that place dissolved yet?" Fushimi Roku deliberately provoked her: "Did you turn into an idiot or does that place stay the same with or without you?"

"More or less."

Uesugi Shion didn't get angry: "Every designer is equal, and when a position is vacant, someone naturally steps up."

"Why do you want me to go?" Fushimi Roku following suit asked.

"One more bet." Uesugi Shion seemed preoccupied: "Just one more bet is all it takes."

"There's other ways to gamble, right? No need to go to Cat Island," Fushimi Roku said: "Pick any casino, can't we gamble there too?"

"It's not the same." Uesugi Shion said.

"How is it different?" Fushimi Roku intentionally dragged out time.

"Outside, I can't ensure the game is fair and just. You can flip the table anytime. How can the game proceed then?" Uesugi Shion was genuinely intent on gambling with him.

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