The late-night streets of Asahikawa were somewhat deserted, no longer bustling with the daytime's noise and crowd, as the shops had closed, and there were few pedestrians and vehicles on the road.

"Crash!"

With a not so violent collision, the driver slammed on the brakes, waking Miyashita Ritsuki, who had just fallen asleep in the back seat. He cursed irritably, "Idiot, what kind of driving is this?"

Apparently, he was not a morning person.

"Hi! I'm so sorry!" The driver first turned around to bow in apology, then explained, "We were rear-ended. I'll go and take a look."

"Hurry up, no need for compensation, just send them away," Ritsuki Miyashita waved his hand impatiently and then closed his eyes to continue sleeping.

The driver replied with an acknowledgment and quickly turned off the engine and got out of the car.

The two people from the car behind had also gotten out and were examining the area where their car had collided with the front one.

"Idiot fools! What kind of driving is that!" The driver, who had been submissive in front of Ritsuki Miyashita, now lashed out fiercely at the two people from the other car, saying arrogantly, "Do you know whose car this is? Blind idiots! Lucky for you, my boss is generous and doesn't want your compensation. Now move your car and get lost!"

But the two men seemed not to hear, still bent over looking at the spot where the car's front had hit.

"Damn it! Are you deaf? Didn't you hear me? Move your car away now!" The driver became even more irritated and started cursing as he walked over.

He had just approached when one of the people bending down suddenly stood up, drawing a gun and pointing it at his head.

"Ah!" The driver shouted in surprise, instinctively raising his hands, wanting to plead, but seeing the other person make a 'shush' gesture, he rapidly nodded and closed his mouth tightly.

After one man controlled the driver, the other quickly rushed to Ritsuki Miyashita's car, pulled open the rear door with a yank, and as Miyashita Ritsuki woke with a start and turned his head, he was met with a gun slamming against his forehead.

"Bang!" The blow was not light; Ritsuki Miyashita's head throbbed with pain, seeing stars, and before he could react, he was dragged out of the car with the gun still pointed at his head.

Ritsuki Miyashita panicked, covering his forehead with one hand and shouting loudly, "Who are you?"

"Shut up if you don't want to die! Get in the car!" The kidnapper hit him again on the head with the gun.

Ritsuki Miyashita was pushed and stumbled into the car.

Moments later, both Ritsuki Miyashita and the driver were bound and taken from the scene, and the car was also driven away by the kidnappers.

The entire process took just about three to five minutes.

The two cars sped through the darkness for roughly half an hour, eventually arriving deep in the mountains of Ancient Tan Mountain, parking by the roadside. The kidnappers then led Ritsuki Miyashita and the driver on foot to a cave.

Inside the cave, Miyashita Ritsuki saw Miyazaki Ting, and though he had never met him, he recognized him instantly because he looked exactly as Aoyama Xiu Xin had described that day.

This made his already uneasy heart sink to the bottom.

"It seems you recognize me, then you obviously know who I am," Miyazaki Ting said, accurately capturing the subtle change in Miyashita Ritsuki's expression.

Miyashita Ritsuki pursed his lips and forced himself to calm down, pretending to be composed as he called out, "Brother."

Though he didn't believe this bastard was his elder brother, given the circumstances, if he could save his life by playing the family card, he wouldn't just call him brother – he'd even call him dad if necessary.

"Bam!" Miyazaki Ting stepped forward, punching him to the ground, and then kicked him viciously in the stomach, saying, "I'm not your brother, you mongrel dog!"

"Brother! Whether you acknowledge it or not, you are our father's son, and we both share our father's blood," Ritsuki Miyashita curled up, enduring the pain as he shouted: "Father has regretted what happened that year and has always wanted to make it up to you, even after you tried to kill him twice. He never used the police to pursue you. Let go of your hatred, and free yourself."

Idiot! Damn bastard, you'd better not fall into my hands, or I'll make sure you wish you were dead!

"Shut up!" Miyazaki Ting roared, bending over to grab Miyashita Ritsuki by the collar and hoist him up, snarling, "Do you think we politicians treat people like fools? He didn't use the police to pursue me because he didn't dare make a big fuss, afraid of people discovering his dirty deeds! Want me to let go of my hatred? Fine! Killing you all would be letting go."

Miyashita Ritsuki felt a chill all over. Not only did Miyazaki Ting want to kill his father, but he also wanted to kill him. This madman!

"If you kill me, you won't be able to escape either," he gave up playing the family card, his voice hoarse with threat.

"That's none of your concern," replied Miyazaki Ting noncommittally. "You'd better worry about yourself. I want him to taste the pain of losing loved ones!"

Councilman Miyashita had just survived an assassination attempt and was now being carefully protected, making it difficult to get close, but his children were not on guard and were easy to target.

Miyashita Ritsuki was just the beginning.

...

In the morning, Mrs. Miyashita, having washed up and dressed neatly, went downstairs and casually asked the nanny arranging breakfast, "He didn't come home last night?"

"Hi! Mrs., the master didn't come home all night," the nanny quickly turned around and bowed in response upon hearing her.

Mrs. Miyashita nodded, not particularly concerned; after all, her husband was busy with work and often out late due to various social events - it was not unusual for him to stay out all night.

"Knock, knock, knock!" The knocking sound suddenly arose.

The nanny hurried to answer the door, looking at a young man in sportswear with a small goatee on his chin, she asked doubtfully, "May I help you...?"

"I'm looking for Mrs. Miyashita," the mustachioed man pushed past the nanny without letting her finish and strode inside, "Good morning, Mrs. Miyashita."

"Hey, you…" The nanny hurried to catch up, trying to stop him, but it was a step too late and could only bow to Mrs. Miyashita and apologize, "Sorry, madam…"

Miyashita Ritsuki's wife raised a hand to signal her to shut her mouth, then frowned and asked the mustached man, "Who are you? Are you here for my husband?"

His rudeness annoyed her, yet she restrained her temper due to not knowing his identity and purpose.

"No, no, no, it's you I'm looking for," the mustachioed man shook his head with a slight smile, turned to look at the breakfast on the table, and exclaimed, "Wow, such a feast, I haven't even had breakfast yet. You don't mind if I join you, do you?"

After saying that, without waiting for Mrs. Miyashita's response, he sat down at the dining chair, casually spread out a napkin in front of him, and began to eat heartily.

He didn't even use utensils; he simply started eating with his hands savagely.

"Ah, the taste is truly wonderful; this is the best breakfast I have had this year."

The mustachioed man did not skimp on his praise and licked his fingers as a demonstration of his sincere compliment.

"Idiot!" Mrs. Miyashita couldn't hold back any longer and snapped, demanding, "What in the world are you up to? Don't you realize your behavior is extremely impolite? If you do not state your purpose right now, please leave my house!"

"You have quite the temper, madam," mumbled the mustachioed man, his mouth full of food, as he casually pulled out several photos from his jacket and slapped them onto the dining table, "I don't want to talk much; take a look for yourself."

Mrs. Miyashita stepped forward to look at the photos, and upon seeing them, she turned deathly pale and gasped, "Husband!"

In the photos, Miyashita Ritsuki and his driver were both tied up, beaten black and blue.

"What have you… what have you done to my husband!" Mrs. Miyashita finally realized that her husband had not come home all night because something terrible had happened, a mix of shock and anger taking over her.

After finishing the milk that belonged to Mrs. Miyashita in one gulp, the mustached man belched and then responded, "Nothing yet, but if the madam does not agree to our terms, then your husband may not be coming back. Please accept my condolences in advance."

"You… do you know who he is?" Mrs. Miyashita asked through clenched teeth, her face ashen.

The mustached man laughed heartily, "Madam, you really asked a dumb question. Why would we kidnap him if we didn't know? We abducted him precisely because he's worth a lot!"

"Idiot!" All hope vanished in Mrs. Miyashita's heart, and she took a deep breath to calm herself, "Tell me, how much money do you want?"

"Straight to the point!" The mustached man clapped his hands and, wiping his mouth with the napkin, extended three fingers, "We want thirty million, US dollars. Pay and we release. Don't tell me you can't come up with the money; I won't believe you."

"I can come up with thirty million, but that's no small sum; I'll need time to arrange it," said Mrs. Miyashita, her eyes darting as she tried to buy time.

"One day, I'm only giving you one day," the mustached man said firmly, "Starting now, I'll stick to you like glue until we get the money and leave. Don't even think about calling the police; I'm not afraid to die."

As he finished speaking, he unzipped his tracksuit to reveal a bomb strapped to his body, frightening Mrs. Miyashita and the nanny, nearly causing them to fall to the ground in shock.

"If you dare call the police, I'll die along with you, and your husband will be just as dead. Having the two of you to accompany me, I won't be lonely on Yellow Springs Road," the mustached man said, grinning to show his big white teeth.

Mrs. Miyashita, pale as paper, had her thoughts shattered, hoping only that the robbers would actually release her husband once they had the money, "Will you… will you keep your word?"

"Mrs. Miyashita, you can rest assured. We are only after the money, not lives. Why take the risk of killing a councilman, and the mayor's son at that, once we've got the money?" promised the mustached man with all the appearance of sincerity.

Mrs. Miyashita took a deep breath, swallowed, and nodded, "Alright, I… I'll cooperate with you."

With her husband's fate uncertain in the hands of robbers and her own life under threat, she completely discarded any thoughts of calling the police or seeking help from her family, wanting only to quickly pay off the criminals.

After all, for a family like hers, money was the most worthless thing; they had as much as they needed.

"Mosi, Mosi, that's more like it. As long as Councilman Miyashita is safe, the money lost today can be embezzled back eventually," the mustached man laughed and then quickly changed the subject, "Next, I'll need Mrs. Miyashita to call the councilman's secretary and tell him the councilman is sick and won't be able to work for the next two days."

"Fine, I'll make the call," Mrs. Miyashita immediately did as told and made the call to Miyashita Ritsuki's secretary.

"Mosi, Mosi?" The call connected quickly.

"My husband isn't feeling well, he won't be coming to work for the next couple of days. Don't disturb him with any work-related matters," Mrs. Miyashita said calmly.

Miyashita Ritsuki's secretary was taken aback, then asked in concern, "Is the councilman severely ill?"

He had seemed perfectly well just last evening.

"Yes." With the mustached man watching and the call on speakerphone, Mrs. Miyashita dared not play any tricks.

"Hey! Okay, madam, I understand."

After hanging up the phone, Mrs. Miyashita looked at the mustached man, "Is that good enough? I'm fully cooperating, but you must ensure my husband's health and safety, or you won't get a penny!"

"Don't worry, how could we possibly harm our own cash cow?" The mustached man asked rhetorically with a slight smile, then added, "Go and arrange the money quickly."

Mrs. Miyashita scoffed and began making calls to gather funds that she alone could access.

Meanwhile, after ending the call, the secretary, still not reassured, made another call to Miyashita Ritsuki. Facing a gun to his head, Ritsuki had no choice but to confirm that he was sick and wouldn't go to work for a while.

This convinced the secretary who thoughtfully postponed all work and social obligations for Ritsuki.

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