CH 31

[Target is passing through the parking area.]

[Copy that. Car 3 to merge.]

After receiving the report from Car 2 and instructing Car 3, which was waiting at the parking area, to join up with the others, the Caucasian tapped on the dashboard in frustration.

[D*mn it! No traffic accident and he passed through the parking area huh. This is totally the habit of a lobster.]

[Both Plan Alpha and Bravo didn’t work huh. For a layman with matters related to this, he sure does well. Could it be that he has good instincts?]

The Hispanic guy agreed with the Caucasian.

Is the target a tasty foie gras or a wild goose?

Either way, it makes no difference for them as they’re both preys, but they still found it troublesome needing to hunt for it.

[Probably. It can’t be helped. It will be a direct attack, but let’s just go with Plan Charlie. We’ll commence it after we leave the expressway.]

[Plan Charlie, copy.]

While confirming the responses from each car, the Caucasian started formulating their escape route after a successful kidnapping.

★　★　★　★　★

Hiroki was satisfied with his first drive in a long time.

Driving on the expressway in Tokyo was nerve-wracking and there were some aggressive drivers, but after passing through Tokyo, he was able to have a good drive.

After exiting the expressway at the next exit, the number of cars in his sight dropped drastically.

[There’s nothing near the company after all.]

Occasionally, a tanker truck full of liquid waste or a truck full of drums of hazardous materials would pass by him.

With Hiroki driving safely, he would occasionally be overtaken by those trucks that had great speed.

[That’s dangerous…… They’re carrying hazardous materials, so they need to be careful.]

Seeing this, Hiroki thought that when he returns to the office, he might want to discuss this with the person in charge and have them warn the trading company that’s driving erratically.

At that moment, another car started speeding up from behind him.

With the car’s headlights being on high beam, making it too bright for Hiroki to see, he couldn’t make out the car’s model, but he guessed that it was probably a black van.

When he flashed his tail lights, urging the driver to go ahead, the car cut in front of him before slamming Hiroki’s car.

[The heck, you’ve seen too many Hollywood movies!]

Panicking, Hiroki slammed on the brakes to stop his car, but the door of the van in front of him opened sideways and three men in black with balaclavas covering their faces got out.

[So it’s this pattern again huh……]

From their silhouette, Hiroki could see the prey these men had their eyes on.

One of them even clearly appeared to be holding a handgun.

★　★　★　★　★

[Car 3, target stop confirmed. Continue with the operation.]

[Car 2, roadblock established.]

All cars have been contacted.

Cars 1 and 2 would briefly block the roads coming from both sides, faking an accident, while Car 3, with the kidnapping team on board, would abduct the target.

That is Operation Charlie.

It was a strategy that they wanted to avoid because it would obviously become an incident since the kidnapped victim’s car would remain behind, but they had no other options.

The success rate of their kidnapping would depend on how much time is bought between the execution of the kidnapping and the time of reporting.

[Car 1, roadblock confirmed. Activate the phone jamming device. Finish it in 5 minutes.]

Car 3 is equipped with a device that blocks phone signals within a certain range.

Even if he were to call the police, this would allow them to buy some time.

[Car 3, we’re going to go ahead with the operation.]

The men in Car 3 are all experienced professionals.

They weren’t going to let a layman, who was just a little cautious, become a problem.

They would stop the car, break the glass, open the door, drag out the target and board him to the car.

The whole process would take less than a minute.

[The heck, I can’t break the window!]

A puzzled voice came over the radio.

Trouble seems to have occurred.

[What’s the matter, Car 3?]

[This guy’s freaking cocky, riding a bulletproof car. I did try smashing the window with a hammer…… D*mn it, it won’t break!]

The sound of a hammering sound of dull plastic can be heard over the radio.

It seems like the Lexus Hiroki was a bulletproof car.

[It even set off a damned alarm! He’s really making it hard for me!]

The alarm system of the car seems to have been triggered.

Thereupon, a high-pitched siren can be heard.

[Car 3, calm down. It’s only a light bulletproof car with domestic specifications. You are allowed to use a handgun. One bullet won’t penetrate, but if you shoot the same spot several times, you should be able to break it. If you aim at the glass in the back seat, you won’t injure the target.]

[……Car 3, copy. Hey, take out your gun!]

It was surprising for them that the target even owned a bulletproof car.

Considering the value of the target’s assets, having a bulletproof car certainly is natural, but they received no prior information about this.

What should they do though? Should they pull out?

However, they don’t know if they would get another opportunity like this.

Should they continue to force their way in?

While the Caucasian was wondering about this, “It’s open!” came a voice from Car 3’s side.

[What’s the matter? Did the gun bore a hole in the window?]

[No, the b*stard must have been scared of the gun, because he opened the window. What an idiot! Oi, open the do……..  Uwaahh!]

After a scream resounded from the other side of the radio, there was a moment of silence.

[……What’s going on!? Oi!!!]

[You b*stard! Give back Adam! ……The f*ck is with this guy’s strength…… Uwaaahhh!!!]

Just as another scream from the kidnappers was heard for a moment, the radio went silent again.

[Oi, what the f*ck is going on!? Car 3, what’s going on!?]

[J- John and Adam got dragged into his window!!! He also got the gun with him!!! There’s a huge scream inside! W- What do we do, Harold!!!?]

[You f*cking idiot! Don’t speak out names!]

Things turned out for the worst.

The Caucasian didn’t know what happened, but it seems that 2 of the 3 kidnappers, John and Adam, had been captured.

Without their gun, they can’t get to the target in his bulletproof car.

The kidnapping is a failure.

The police will be there soon.

Having no choice, they have to abandon their members, retreat and rethink the operation.

That is, if they ever get the chance to do that again……

As Harold gnashed his teeth in frustration, his radio rang.

[Ahh, I wonder if you can hear me over there? Hello? You understand Japanese?]

From the radio came a laid-back male voice.

[……I can hear you.]

After Harold replied in Japanese, the target continued in a voice that sounded relieved, unlike someone who just repelled his attackers.

[The car I’m riding is loaned, okay? It’s a very expensive car. The insurance will pay for it, but I’d like you to at least pay for the repairs.]

[……We’ll take that into consideration. Are the two people you dragged in safe?]

[They’re asleep in the car. They were quite annoying, so I had to silence them.]

[Alright. We’ll get you the money. I’ll call you as soon as it’s ready.]

[Have it prepared quickly, okay? The car rental fee will be very expensive after all.]

After a brief exchange, the radio went dead.

[……D*mn it!]

Clutching his radio so hard his fingers turned white, Harold screamed.

[What the f*ck is that guy!? What the f*ck is going on!!!?]

Things weren’t going as the information they received. Their target was supposed to be a layman in matters related to violence who just happened to grab a lot of money in Japan, the nation who got senile from peace.

From the way the target spoke on the radio, it isn’t as if he was being tough or acting brave…… He was acting as if he didn’t know who they were right from the very start.

Even though he was almost kidnapped by multiple foreigners with guns, he talked as if he was talking to mischievous children who had crashed their baseball into his house and broke his garage’s window, and is now asking them to go and talk to their mommy about it.

The Caucasian was confused, wondering what was going on.

Is he going to say it’s not a big deal and won’t call the police?

Or perhaps, he had some hidden circumstances that he wouldn’t want the police to know about this?

Could it be, he was already involved with some other criminal organization already?

As the Caucasian was stunned by the various questions swirling in his mind, the Hispanic man in the driver’s seat urged him to take command.

[……I need your direction.]

That’s right. It is when the operation fails that the directions are truly necessary.

Barely regaining his composure, Harold sent instructions to each car.

[Operation Charlie failed. Cars 1 and 2, clear the roadblock. Car 2, retrieve Car 3 and retreat to assembly point A.]

While leaving the Hispanic man to drive and shifting his attention to their retreat and thinking of a way to raise money, Harold couldn’t shake a question away from his mind.

What in the world are they dealing with?