Chapter 111 - 109: We are One Step Closer to Dio (Exploding with Four Updates of 12,000 Words, Please Subscribe)_1

Chiyoda District, in a temporarily rented room. A person’s image was displayed on the computer screen, with a glass of water beside it. The man wearing glasses with messy hair squatted on the swivel chair. He had a weather-beaten face and a long beard. He clearly hadn’t shaved for more than a year. Standing behind this shabbily groomed man was a tall, impressive beauty, like a flower blooming in the mud, completely out of sync with the surroundings. "Drone surveillance makes me feel like a country bumpkin." Morimoto Chiyoda stared at the surveillance feed on the computer, a hint of awe on her face. As a high-achieving student from Tokyo University, her studies revolved around finance, and she wasn’t very familiar with computers. Occasionally, seeing smart robots and intelligent AIs in short videos made her feel as if she were being left far behind by the times. "The times are advancing at breakneck speed. If I don’t constantly learn and progress, I’ll become a third-rate hacker left behind," Iwaki Kususuke responded. He was controlling a new drone to remotely monitor Yasuda Yutaka’s movements. Using drones to monitor criminals was much more effective than having police follow them manually. In a modern city, few people looked up to the sky; their gaze typically fell on the ground or whatever was in front of them. Of course, Team Leader Emily was a pragmatist who believed in modern technology as well as traditional surveillance methods. She divided the team monitoring Yasuda Yutaka into two groups: one to follow him discreetly and the other to monitor him with a drone. It just so happened that the person originally assigned to tail him was now standing behind Iwaki Kususuke. She picked up the glass of water beside her, took a sip, and said, "Aren’t you afraid of being held accountable by Team Leader Emily?" "I have absolute faith in your hacking skills," Morimoto Chiyoda replied confidently, spreading her hands. "Besides, how could someone as beautiful as me follow someone without making a sound?" Iwaki Kususuke wanted to retort, but then he thought about it; everyone here was an old hand in the workplace. Who was he to judge anyone else? "He’s about to enter the hotel," Morimoto Chiyoda reminded Iwaki Kususuke to pay attention to the surveillance feed and ignore her slacking off. Iwaki Kususuke replied calmly, "Don’t worry. These types of large hotels always have surveillance." His fingers flew across the keyboard. A series of incomprehensible codes flashed across the screen, and then, in the next second, the hotel’s surveillance feed appeared on Iwaki Kususuke’s computer screen. In an era of information technology, formidable hackers have god-like privileges online. "There is no firewall in the world I can’t breach," Iwaki Kususuke’s voice carried a hint of pride. He was not one to boast, but when it came to hacking skills, he couldn’t help but show off a little. Morimoto Chiyoda ignored his self-aggrandizing, watching as Yasuda Yutaka entered the hotel, took the elevator to the third floor, and walked down the corridor to suite 301. "First, pull up the earlier surveillance of suite 301 to see who went in. I’m going to notify Team Leader Emily," Morimoto Chiyoda said, turning to walk outside. She was somewhat surprised. Yasuda Yutaka seemed far too impatient, looking for a contact even before Yasuda Masao’s coffin was buried. This unreasonable behavior gave her a faint sense that they might be heading in the wrong direction. But whether it was the wrong direction or not, she wouldn’t know until they caught him. She went downstairs and quickly drove towards the hotel where Yasuda Yutaka was. On the way, she received a call from Iwaki Kususuke. "The person dining with him is a foreigner, registered at the hotel as Kevin Georgeson. You don’t need to worry. He ordered quite a lot of food, so it looks like they won’t finish anytime soon." "Good. Call Team Leader Emily. I should be able to get to the hotel before she does." Morimoto Chiyoda ended the call and sped towards the Rich Hotel. 「...」 The Rich Hotel was a twenty-story building that looked no different from other large hotels on the outside, but its interior was luxuriously decorated. Inside suite 301, Yasuda Yutaka raised his glass and smiled, "Mr. Kevin, on behalf of my brother, I toast you." Kevin raised his glass, about to utter some pleasantries. Suddenly, the suite door swung open. "Don’t move!" a bold roar sounded. Kevin was slightly startled. Before he could register what was happening, a large shadow loomed over him, and he was hit by a heavy punch in the stomach. "Ah," he barely made a sound before his face was slammed onto the tabletop, his hands forcibly twisted behind his back and cuffed with an irresistible force. "What are you doing?" Kevin’s face filled with terror. Had his enemies come for him? The KGB or some other intelligence organization?! "We are from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s special task force on Dio. Kevin Georgeson, you are suspected of colluding with Yasuda Yutaka to conspire with Dio and murder Yasuda Masao. We are taking you in for questioning. Please cooperate with our investigation." "What nonsense are you talking?" When Kevin realized it was the police, his courage returned, and he said in a stern voice, "I am with the CIA. My meeting here with Yasuda Yutaka is a matter of official business." Emily strolled in leisurely, her eyes full of scorn. "So you say you’re with the CIA? I might as well say I’m the President of the United States." Kevin’s expression darkened, and he did not offer any identification. He knew very well that if they were unwilling to believe him, anything he said would be considered false; it was better to remain silent. As long as the news of his arrest went up the chain, someone would surely come to bail him out. "It seems you understand your situation. Take him away." Emily signaled with a small wave of her hand. Neither Kevin nor Yasuda Yutaka resisted. Such behavior made Emily wonder: were they fearlessly confident, or genuinely open and without guile? After thinking it over, Emily decided to question them first anyway. Even if it involved conspiracies among politicians, it didn’t matter to her; she simply wanted to clarify the facts she needed to know. The entire scene of Kevin and Yasuda Yutaka’s arrest was witnessed by Iwaki Kususuke. As he watched the footage on his computer screen, he rubbed his hair with his right hand and muttered, "A wise man doesn’t stand under a dangerous wall. I should give them another address." The calm expressions on Kevin and Yasuda Yutaka’s faces made Iwaki Kususuke worry. Bringing people to his location could potentially spark a shootout, just like in the movies where an enemy organization sends someone to eliminate witnesses. As a civilian staff member, he didn’t have the marksmanship or physical prowess of people like Morimoto Chiyoda. Even an ordinary person could probably pin him to the ground and beat him up. Considering this, he believed it was better to be cautious and immediately called Team Leader Emily. "Hello, Team Leader Emily? Don’t come back here. Go directly to a nearby police station. Conduct the interrogation in an interrogation room there. If the enemy is a group of armed thugs, the few of us here wouldn’t stand a chance." "You don’t need to remind me. I was going to the police station anyway," Emily replied irritably. Interrogations, of course, should be conducted inside a police station to ensure safety. 「...」 Chiyoda District. Ko-town police station. Interrogation room. Kevin sat in the chair, denying allegations about the murder of Yasuda Masao and refusing to admit any connection to Dio. When asked why he met with Yasuda Yutaka, he uniformly responded, "Confidential." This unyielding attitude annoyed Emily, but she also knew in her heart that she might have really apprehended the wrong person. Kevin was a professional; there was no reason for Yasuda Yutaka to be equally unyielding unless he was completely confident he would be released. Emily hesitated to release them because she harbored a sliver of hope, curious to see who would come to bail them out, even half-expecting Dio himself to appear and play a deadly game of silencing them. "Team Leader Emily, the Police Director has issued an order. We have no choice but to release them." Morimoto Chiyoda opened the door of the interrogation room and stepped aside. A scholarly gentleman with blond hair and blue eyes walked forward, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a gentle expression on his face. "Leader Robert." Seeing the visitor, Kevin looked surprised. He hadn’t expected this man to come and personally get him out. Leader Robert stepped forward briskly, grabbed a cup of water from the table, and splashed it in Kevin’s face, speaking gently, "You’ve really embarrassed the CIA!" "Sorry, I was careless." Kevin, scared, didn’t dare to wipe off the water droplets and hastily bowed his head in apology. Robert’s gaze was icy. He did not easily forgive Kevin for meeting with a dignitary without arranging security to watch the area below. This time it was the Metropolitan Police Department, which was fortunate. Next time, if it were the KGB or some other intelligence organization, people could have been killed. "Sorry, my incompetent subordinate has caused you inconvenience," Robert turned to Emily, a gentlemanly, warm smile on his face. "This case has nothing to do with us. "We too want to capture Dio, this brutal criminal. Here’s my card. Should you need any help in the future, or have information regarding Dio, feel free to call me. "We can collaborate to arrest that vicious felon." Emily took his business card, her aversion to his smile barely concealed as she couldn’t help but retort, "What was he looking for Yasuda for?" "Some secrets are better left unknown," Robert replied with a smile. Concerning the United States’ strategic interests in the Asia-Pacific, he preferred not to be too forthcoming with outsiders. Emily had been waiting for him to say something like that. She retorted sarcastically, "That’s no secret. Yasuda Masao was a strong supporter of the ocean discharge plan. Losing him must be a headache for you." Given the Japanese tendency for covert scheming, they’d typically resort to releasing pollutants into the sea secretly—a bit today, a bit tomorrow—and then offer a profound apology if discovered. Suddenly standing firm and overtly discharging waste was clearly inconsistent with Japan’s usual cunning nature. Emily didn’t believe it could happen without the push of a certain country. "The will of God cannot be changed by man," said Robert, his smile unwavering. "Kevin, let’s go." Watching their backs disappear down the corridor, Morimoto Chiyoda stroked her chin and mused, "There are only two countries in this world capable of challenging American hegemony. Is Dio one of their operatives?" "KGB," Emily spat out the name. She sensed she had moved one step closer to Dio.