Chapter 546

Chapter 546 Hostage!

Ye Binglan truly had no idea what was going to happen next, but what she could be certain of was that this so-called “Mr. Wang” who was about to be brought up was definitely someone she knew.

Yet no matter how hard she searched her memory, she couldn’t figure out who this Mr. Wang actually was.

Could it be an alias?

But when a tall, thin man in a white T-shirt was brought up, Ye Binglan, who had been clueless about who had betrayed her, finally had a lead.

Because the person brought up was none other than Wang Guangming, deputy captain of the Ninghai City North District Sub-bureau!

She wasn’t particularly close to this man, but she knew that when Wanyan Huazhong had been pursuing her, this man had played a role in stirring up trouble between them.

“Sir, hello.”

Upon seeing Inamoto Junichi, Wang Guangming immediately bowed ninety degrees at the waist, a fawning smile spreading across his face.

This world has never lacked sycophants. Whether during the wars of decades past or in today’s time of peace, there are always far too many people willing to sell out their own for personal gain.

Watching Wang Guangming’s groveling, a look of disgust flashed through Ye Binglan’s eyes.

“Mr. Wang, you did well this time. If you continue to serve us, there will be many more rewards to come,” Inamoto Junichi said.

Since his face was still covered by the black cloth, it was impossible to make out his expression at all.

At the word “rewards,” Wang Guangming’s expression suddenly lit up with excitement. “Thank you for your recognition, sir! It is my honor to be of service to you!”

He had already received a piece of jade worth roughly 500,000, and all he had done was provide a single piece of information. The return he got was equivalent to five years of his salary — impossible not to be tempted by.

In the face of money, far too many people are unable to hold on to their principles, and Wang Guangming was undoubtedly someone who made that very plain.

“Captain Wang, why did you frame me?” Ye Binglan said coldly. Her throat was slightly hoarse from not having had water for so long.

Wang Guangming raised his head and said with a smile, “Beautiful Captain Ye, nobody turns down money. The sir offered me the right price, so I told them some information about you. Is that really so surprising?”

“But you’re lying — none of that ever happened!” Ye Binglan’s face flushed red.

“I’m lying? I’ve been a police officer for so many years. Would I really say things without evidence?”

Wang Guangming sneered, “Su Rui and you were inseparably close — I saw it with my own eyes!”

“You’re talking complete nonsense. Aren’t you afraid these Japanese will kill you? You say you have evidence — where is it?” Ye Binglan said coldly.

Her thinking was still a bit too straightforward and simple. She never could have imagined that someone like this could emerge from within the police force — it was truly contemptible.

“That day, Li Huazhong wanted to take you to dinner and you turned him down. Su Rui came to pick you up in a Passat. I saw all of it with my own eyes. Why won’t you admit it?”

Wang Guangming said with a cold laugh, “Of course, it doesn’t matter if you don’t admit it. Captain Ye, I’m sure you never expected that the surveillance cameras at the entrance of the city bureau captured everything.”

Ye Binglan’s expression didn’t change much, but inside her heart, waves were crashing violently.

Because she knew — that had actually happened.

She just never imagined that all of it had been discovered by Wang Guangming, and that he had recorded every bit of it.

“You say you recorded it — where’s the video?” There was still a faint glimmer of hope in Ye Binglan’s heart.

“You won’t shed a tear until you see the coffin.”

Wang Guangming gave a mocking smile, then took out his phone and pulled up a video.

The video was reasonably clear — Su Rui and Ye Binglan’s faces were plainly visible.

“Beautiful Captain Ye, do you still want to argue?” Wang Guangming gave a cold smile, then held the phone out to Inamoto Junichi.

Inamoto showed no intention of taking it at all, his hands still resting on the long blade. This left Wang Guangming in an awkward position — not sure whether to keep his hand extended or pull it back.

“I have nothing more to say. Kill me or cut me down — do as you please.” Ye Binglan couldn’t be bothered to spare Wang Guangming another glance, her eyes filled with quiet resolve.

Su Rui’s face surfaced in her mind again, and she murmured softly to herself, “Big brother, you have to be okay. You absolutely have to be okay.”

“Miss Ye, it seems you’re not going to cooperate?” Inamoto Junichi said with a smile. “Truthfully, I never expected you to cooperate, because your actions couldn’t possibly affect the outcome of this operation.”

He actually smiled.

Though his face was covered by the black cloth, the smile was visible in his eyes.

For some reason, seeing that smile sent a chill through Ye Binglan’s heart.

Inamoto Junichi slowly extended one hand, and the man in black beside him immediately and respectfully placed a phone into Inamoto’s palm.

“Sir, it’s dialing.”

Inamoto Junichi gave a slight nod, then held the phone to his ear.

Boundless worry surged through Ye Binglan’s heart. She desperately wanted to rush forward and snatch the phone away, but shackled in handcuffs and leg irons as she was, how could she possibly be a match for these ninja? It would be utterly futile.

…………

“Should be about five more minutes to Huanhua Road,” Su Rui glanced at his watch and couldn’t help but remark, “Ninghai just keeps getting bigger and bigger. We’ve been speeding the whole way and still haven’t gotten there.”

With a major battle imminent, Su Rui showed no sign of tension whatsoever, chatting and joking with Victoria the whole way. Having spent years navigating the dark underworld of the West, this kind of fight was practically routine for him — if he went a few days without a fight, he’d actually feel out of sorts.

Just then, the phone on Su Rui’s person began to ring.

It was already close to 1 a.m. At this hour, who would be calling him?

And it was a completely unfamiliar number he had never seen before.

For some reason, the moment he saw that number, Su Rui instinctively felt that something was wrong.

He glanced at Victoria, took a deep breath, and answered the call.

But after the call connected, he didn’t speak right away.

The other end, however, did not stay silent. A grim voice came through, “Su Rui, I believe I have something here that you’ll find very interesting.”

The voice was stiff, clearly not very familiar with the Chinese language.

“Japanese!” A trace of cold menace crept into Su Rui’s voice.

“Who are you?”

“You can try to guess my name,” Inamoto Junichi said.

“I’m guessing your name is Dumbass Ichiro,” Su Rui said.

“Wrong. We have no such surname in Japan,” Inamoto said with a cold laugh.

He had already switched the phone to speakerphone, originally intending for Ye Binglan to hear it, but to his surprise, the moment she did, she seemed to completely forget she was in danger — a smile actually appeared on her face.

Wearing handcuffs and leg irons, and still able to laugh out loud — that was Ye Binglan.

Wang Guangming wanted to laugh but didn’t dare, and could only force himself to hold it in. Then, with ill intent, he pointed at the phone and said to Inamoto Junichi, “He’s insulting you.”

Inamoto Junichi let out a cold snort. “Su Rui, running your mouth right now isn’t going to do you any good. Why don’t we make a deal?”

“Do I have a choice?” Su Rui said mockingly. As he spoke, he quietly made a gesture to Victoria.

The brake lights of the Porsche 911 lit up as it began to slow gradually. Victoria extended her hand out the window and made a gesture to the truck behind them.

She knew the people behind would understand what she meant.

Sure enough, Tarzan, who was driving the truck behind them, caught Victoria’s gesture. A look of gravity flashed across his face, and he turned and shouted, “Hey, that programmer who’s always coding — hurry up and trace Apollo’s call! Find their location now!”

“Tarzan, I’ve told you again and again, I’m not a programmer. I have a name! My name is Hawking!”

The man called “Hawking” said this while flipping open the laptop in his hands, his fingers flying across the keyboard like a whirlwind, dazzling to watch.

“I have to say, your name is absolutely wild. You’re just a coder — was a name like that really necessary?” Tarzan quipped in Chinese.

“Tarzan, nobody’s going to mistake you for a mute if you don’t talk!” Hawking was exasperated. It was the name his parents had given him — how was that his fault?

While the two in the truck bickered with each other, Su Rui was still on the line with Inamoto Junichi.

“You have no choice,” Inamoto Junichi said. “And you’re definitely going to be interested in the bargaining chip I have.”

“Oh, let’s hear it then,” Su Rui said with a cold laugh, while once again making a gesture to Victoria.

Victoria pulled the hidden earpiece out from within her long hair and said, “Everyone focus up. Get ready to fight.”

From the several cars behind them, the sounds of loading bullets and chambering rounds rang out in unison.

“There is a young woman named Ye Binglan. She is right here beside me. Would you like to speak with her?” A devil-like smile appeared in Inamoto Junichi’s eyes.

“Binglan?”

Su Rui’s expression instantly darkened.

He knew that since the other party had already said Ye Binglan’s name, it meant his sister had absolutely been taken.

“It seems you know Miss Ye Binglan quite well. The emotion you showed in that brief instant gives one no choice but to wonder about the nature of your relationship.” Inamoto Junichi took a long look at Ye Binglan. He had never once doubted that he had captured the wrong person.

“I want to speak with Binglan. I need to confirm she’s safe!”

There was fire in Su Rui’s voice.

He hated nothing more than people using the lives of his family and friends as leverage, and these Japanese had undoubtedly touched his most sensitive nerve.

“Brother, I’m safe. Don’t come, please don’t come!” The moment Ye Binglan heard Su Rui’s voice, all her earlier resolve and composure vanished completely, replaced by overwhelming worry.

The more she reacted this way, the more satisfied Inamoto Junichi was.

“Take care of yourself. Don’t resist, and don’t provoke them,” Su Rui said to Ye Binglan, then turned to address Inamoto Junichi. “You bunch of scum — if a single hair on Binglan’s head is harmed, I guarantee you’ll die on Chinese soil.”

“You heard him?” Inamoto Junichi said. “I can guarantee her safety, until you hand over the person I want.”

“I can give you Yamamoto Kyokusen, but you must guarantee Binglan’s safety!” Su Rui’s voice had grown somewhat hoarse.

These despicable Japanese had brought the fire to his family’s doorstep. Su Rui was determined to make them pay.

“Alright. One hour from now, at the two-mountain pass on the border between Ninghai and Jinshan. We exchange people simultaneously.”

With that, Inamoto Junichi closed his eyes, while his right hand closed around the hilt of the long blade.