It was just past nine in the evening, not quite ten, and the streets of Asahikawa City were already seeing fewer pedestrians and vehicles, far less bustling than Sapporo.

Although it was his second visit, Aoyama Xiu Xin couldn't claim to be familiar with the city.

Because his last visit had also been rushed.

He pulled his gaze back from the window, closed it, and turned to the serene Miyashita Ryouko beside him, "Ryouko, did your sister-in-law not say exactly what it was about? Why must she have you come out so late at night?"

"No," Miyashita Ryouko shook her head, then added, "I didn't have time to ask."

After all, she had been busy when she answered the phone.

She had wanted to hang up quickly, not minding anything else.

"Surely it must be something serious, I probably shouldn't go in as an outsider," Aoyama Xiu Xin pondered silently, then shook his head.

Miyashita Ryouko thought that was appropriate, so she didn't insist, "Then you wait in the car for me."

"Mhm," Aoyama Xiu Xin responded.

About ten more minutes passed, and Jin Yucheng drove the car to the destination as directed by Miyashita Ryouko.

But from a distance, two cars were seen parked at the entrance of Miyashita Ritsuki's home, right in the middle, so he had to park in front of the neighbor's house next to Miyashita Ritsuki's.

"Hey, that's Mr. Naoyuki's car, did my sister-in-law call him too?" Miyashita Ryouko recognized the license plate of the front car, somewhat surprised talking to herself.

She knew her elder brother's family did not appreciate Miyashita Naoyuki, never inviting him over.

So this scene was quite unexpected.

Aoyama Xiu Xin guessed why she was so surprised and smiled, "It seems it really must be something important, you'd better go on in."

"Mhm." Miyashita Ryouko nodded, then pecked Aoyama Xiu Xin on the cheek before opening the door and getting out of the car.

Aoyama Xiu Xin instructed Jin Yucheng, "Turn off the engine and take a rest, it might take a while."

He then closed his eyes to rest as he finished speaking.

"Hi!" Jin Yucheng turned the key and shut off the engine.

Meanwhile, Miyashita Ryouko calmly walked up to her elder brother's house and pressed the doorbell.

"Ding-dong! Ding-dong!"

"Moshi moshi?"

"Big sister, it's Ryouko."

A moment later, the door opened, and it was Mrs. Miyashita. However, she looked pale and not quite right.

"Big sister, are you sick?" Miyashita Ryouko asked concernedly as she unthinkingly took off her shoes and went inside, "Is Mr. Naoyuki also here? I saw his car parked at the door—Wow!"

Before she could finish her sentence, she was grabbed from behind by someone with a mustache hiding in a blind spot behind the door.

"Clang!"

The mustachioed man kicked the door shut.

"Wow!" Miyashita Ryouko frantically struggled, her eyes filled with terror as she looked at her sister-in-law nearby, still unclear about what was happening.

Tears rolled down Mrs. Miyashita's cheeks, and she kept retreating, shaking her head while covering her face and saying with a choked voice, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't want to deceive you, Ryouko, but your brother has been kidnapped. If I don't do as they say, your brother would lose his life, I'm sorry, wow wow wow..."

Miyashita Ryouko's pupils dilated sharply, her mind exploded with shock – had someone actually kidnapped her elder brother?

And now they were going to kidnap her too!

In those few seconds as these thoughts raced through her mind, she was forcibly pushed into the living room. There, she saw Miyashita Naoyuki already bound, hands and feet tied, mouth taped.

Miyashita Naoyuki, seeing her, also struggled emotionally, worry and anger evident in his eyes which made indistinct sounds; clearly he still cared for his half-sister.

"Stop fussing, and in a little while, I'll let you three siblings reunite," said a bucktoothed young man, kicking Miyashita Naoyuki on his buttocks as he sat on the sofa.

The mustache-sporting young man grimly subdued the resisting Miyashita Ryouko, shouting, "Come quick, give me a hand, this woman is surprisingly strong."

"Can't even handle a woman," the bucktoothed young man swore as he grabbed a rope to help, and after some effort, he managed to tie up Miyashita Ryouko's hands and feet as well.

And similarly taped her mouth shut.

After they left the tightly bound Miyashita Ryouko on the floor, the man with the mustache exhaled a long sigh of relief.

Just then, Mrs. Miyashita rushed up, grabbing his arm tearfully, "I've already done as you asked, when will you bring my husband back? You can't go back on your word!"

"Get lost!" The mustachioed man, already exhausted and irritable, threw Mrs. Miyashita to the ground, deceitfully soothing, "Tomorrow morning your husband will be back. Don't call the police; otherwise, it's not just your husband who's on a one-way path to death, but both of them will die too."

"No police, no police," Mrs. Miyashita stood up, nodding her head like a rattle drum to assure them.

The bucktoothed young man grunted and hoisted Miyashita Naoyuki off the floor, forcing him into a large suitcase that had been prepared in advance, leaving a slight gap in the zipper for air.

Seeing this, the mustachioed young man hurriedly shoved Miyashita Ryouko into another large suitcase. Then, grabbing one suitcase each, the two were ready to make their escape.

"You must bring my husband back!" Mrs. Miyashita, unable to contain her worry, cried pitifully as she reached out again to grab the mustachioed man's hand.

The mustachioed man shook her off again, a mocking sneer flashing deep in his eyes, "Tomorrow, you will see him."

Except what she would see would be his corpse.

Having said that, he opened the door and walked out. Because the case was too heavy for one person, the handle broke immediately. He cursed under his breath and was forced to push it instead. Luckily, the suitcase had wheels which made moving it somewhat easier.

"Boss, something doesn't seem right here." Jin Yucheng, peeking through the windshield, witnessed this scene and immediately turned to wake Aoyama Xiu Xin, who had just fallen into a light sleep.

Aoyama Xiu Xin opened his eyes, "What's wrong?"

"Boss, look." Jin Yucheng pointed outside the car.

Aoyama Xiu Xin followed the direction of his pointing and saw the mustachioed man struggling to fit a suitcase into a car parked in front of Miyashita Ritsuki's house.

Behind him, a bucktoothed young man was also struggling to push another large suitcase towards the car, while a woman covered her mouth with her hand, standing at the doorway watching the scene.

Drawing on his life experience, Aoyama Xiu Xin instantly deduced that those two suitcases must contain people.

He raised an eyebrow and immediately picked up the handset to call Miyashita Ryouko, only to see the woman covering her mouth at the doorway turn and enter the house.

"Mosi Mosi?"

The call connected, but the voice that came through was not Miyashita Ryouko's but that of an unfamiliar woman.

"Hello, may I speak to Miss Liangzi?"

"She... has already gone to bed, you have business..."

Upon hearing this, Aoyama Xiu Xin had no need to listen further; he hung up immediately and instructed Jin Yucheng, "The moment their car starts and heads this way, charge out and ram them."

"Got it!" Jin Yucheng nodded, watching the mustachioed man and the bucktoothed young man make a U-turn towards him. He immediately turned the key, stepped hard on the gas, and swung the steering wheel. Accompanied by the screeching of tires against the road, the car sped up and crashed into the approaching vehicle, creating a loud clang as both cars' fronts crumpled and both engines died on the spot.

Caught completely off-guard, the mustachioed man and the bucktoothed young man slammed their heads against the steering wheel and dashboard, respectively. They clutched their heads or faces, moaning in pain, dizzy and seeing stars.

However, Aoyama Xiu Xin, having been prepared, had grabbed the handle in advance, so the violent collision had not affected him much. After the cars stopped, he immediately opened his door and walked towards the other car.

Since the main impact was on the passenger side, the mustachioed driver sustained lighter injuries and was the first to recover. Catching a glimpse of a figure through the corner of his eye, he instinctively turned his head only to see a fist coming through the window.

"Bang!"

Aoyama Xiu Xin's fist shattered the window glass and struck the mustachioed man's face. Because he didn't hold back, the receiving half of his face caved in, his features shifted, several teeth flew out, and blood streamed from seven orifices. His head dropped forward, and he died on the spot.

The bucktoothed young man in the passenger seat gaped at the scene, still not recovering his wits, when Jin Yucheng, following closely behind, smashed the glass with his elbow. He grabbed the young man's tousled hair with his left hand and pulled him out, while his right fist landed on his head, knocking him out cold.

The loud crash startled many neighbors, prompting them to go outside and check, and someone had already called the police. Mrs. Miyashita also came out upon hearing the noise, her mind muddled as she stood at the doorstep, unsure of what to do.

Aoyama Xiu Xin opened the trunk, pulled out two suitcases, and unzipped them; Miyashita Naoyuki and Miyashita Ryouko tumbled out of them one after the other.

"Whimpering!"

Seeing Aoyama Xiu Xin and overwhelmed with the joy of surviving the ordeal, both began to struggle excitedly.

Aoyama Xiu Xin first removed the tape from Miyashita Ryouko's mouth and then proceeded to untie the ropes binding her.

Jin Yucheng moved to release Miyashita Naoyuki.

"My older brother has been kidnapped, Mr. Aoyama, please save him!" As soon as the tape was removed, Miyashita Ryouko cried out frantically in a tearful voice.

Aoyama Xiu Xin furrowed his brows; the bandits had not only kidnapped Miyashita Ryouko and Miyashita Naoyuki but had also taken Miyashita Ritsuki. Were they planning to wipe out the entire Miyashita family?

He continued untying the ropes, looking back at Mrs. Miyashita, who stood stunned at the door, "Who is that woman, and is she with the kidnappers?"

He had never met the wife of Miyashita Ritsuki.

Thus, he did not recognize her.

"She's my sister-in-law; the kidnappers used my brother to threaten her into luring us here," Miyashita Ryouko answered with a complicated expression. Although her sister-in-law had acted out of desperation, she still harbored resentment.

"I see." In just a few words, Aoyama Xiu Xin had untied her ropes, picked up the ropes, and dragged an unconscious buck-toothed youth from the passenger side of the car, then used the ropes to tie his hands and feet together.

At the same time, Miyashita Naoyuki was released by Jin Yucheng. He did not even stop to thank Jin Yucheng but hurriedly climbed to his feet and walked briskly to Aoyama Xiu Xin, saying excitedly, "Mr. Aoyama, I owe you a lot for tonight; you saved me once again. I can't thank you enough, but rest assured, I will remember this!"

"It's good that Mr. Naoyuki is safe," Aoyama Xiu Xin responded noncommittally, knowing that this man was inherently self-serving and ungrateful. His current excitement stemmed merely from having just been rescued; given a few days to cool down, he would surely forget today's events.

Miyashita Naoyuki glanced at his sister-in-law at the door but merely clenched his teeth without saying anything; then he turned back to Aoyama Xiu Xin, "Mr. Aoyama, my older brother is still in the hands of the kidnappers. We must rescue him and catch all these culprits. I want them dead!"

"I'll do my best," Aoyama Xiu Xin replied offhandedly, instructing Jin Yucheng to keep an eye on the buck-toothed youth as he walked towards Mrs. Miyashita, who stood in the doorway.

Seeing him approaching, Mrs. Miyashita became visibly flustered, nervously fidgeting with the hem of her skirt.

Miyashita Ryouko quickly stepped in front of Aoyama Xiu Xin and approached Mrs. Miyashita, her eyes reddening as she exclaimed, "Sister-in-law, how could you do this! You almost got us killed!"

"I'm so sorry, Ryouko, I had no choice. I really didn't want to deceive you. I did it to save your brother," Mrs. Miyashita replied, guilt written all over her face as she began sobbing.

Aoyama Xiu Xin, expression stern, pulled Miyashita Ryouko aside and addressed Mrs. Miyashita, "What exactly is going on? If you still want to save Councilman Miyashita, tell me everything from the beginning."

Miyashita Hidekatsu was first assassinated by a mysterious person, and now his three children had been kidnapped. He felt that both incidents might be orchestrated by the same person since not many would dare target the Miyashita family like this.

"Whimpering, I'll tell, I'll tell..." Mrs. Miyashita nodded vigorously, like a pecking chicken.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.