Chapter 362: Sato Shinichi’s Request
The ice bridge, formed by a path of frost, moved at an incredible speed. In just half a breath, it stretched from a distant place to the coast. Standing at the forefront of the path was a tall man in a police uniform, his expression solemn.
“Sawai Yoshio, release the hostage! You still have a chance to confess!”
Stepping heavily onto the ice path, Kitahara Itoru exuded a chilling aura of power. His icy eyes were fixed on Sawai Yoshio before him as he shouted.
The worst-case scenario had finally materialized. To prevent the other party from taking hostages, Kitahara Itoru had pursued the escaped convict for a full day and night. However, the criminal’s sustained restraint and sudden outburst allowed him to momentarily evade Kitahara Itoru’s perception, creating this brief window of opportunity.
“Go to hell, you son of a bitch, you running dog of the Association! Do you think I’ll believe your lies!”
As soon as Kitahara Itoru finished speaking, a torrent of vulgar insults erupted from the burly man holding the young girl hostage.
Sawai Yoshio’s thick arm was clamped tightly around Kazumi’s throat. His exposed skin was covered in purple frostbite. His eyes were bloodshot, and an aura of chaos emanated from him. He glared murderously at Kitahara Itoru, even bringing Kazumi closer to the sharp ice spike hovering in mid-air, attempting to touch the girl’s throat with its tip.
“Let her go!”
Using his ability, Kitahara Itoru instantly dissipated the ice spike before him. He raised his hand, erecting an ice wall beside him, and grabbed the fiery-eyed blond young man who was charging forward with a roar, pulling him back with force.
“Calm down. Are you students from Shikoku? Who is she to you? Is she a psychic?”
Feeling the significant struggle in his grip, Kitahara Itoru’s frown deepened. He transmitted a frost-infused energy from his palm and looked down, asking.
Kitahara Itoru seemed to recall this young boy with the striking blond hair. His intent in restraining him was to prevent him from doing anything rash while he was irrational, and also to gather basic information about the hostage.
“Hoo… Hoo… Yes, we are students from Shikoku. Kazumi is my girlfriend. She’s not a psychic, just a civilian.”
Piercingly cold energy swept over Sato Shinichi, gradually restoring his reason, which had been lost to his anger. He gasped, suppressing his body’s instinctive reactions, and looked up at Kitahara Itoru, who was holding him, to answer.
Sato Shinichi had spent considerable time studying the emotion control lessons that were mandatory for heroes. However, when the person he cared about most encountered such a situation, even his strong self-control couldn’t prevent that momentary emotional outburst.
“A civilian, I see. Alright. Please go to a safe place to take shelter, student. I’ll handle this. We will definitely rescue her for you.”
Seeing that the student had regained his composure under the influence of his ability, Kitahara Itoru nodded. Since the hostage was a civilian, methods of rescue that relied on the hostage’s abilities or, in the worst-case scenario, harming the hostage were not feasible. Furthermore, he needed to prevent Sato Shinichi from becoming a pawn to restrain him.
“But… I…”
For Sato Shinichi, Kitahara Itoru’s proposed plan was indeed the optimal solution at the moment.
Given the current situation, he couldn’t possibly use his abilities to rescue Kazumi in front of everyone. Moreover, even if he could use his abilities, the other party held Kazumi hostage. While he could handle a fight, he was certainly no match for professional police officers when it came to rescue.
However, if he were to leave, how desperate would the girl held hostage by the other party become?
Clenching his fists, his fingernails dug so deep they threatened to pierce his skin. The boy bit his lip, gazing at the girl suspended in mid-air not far away, lost in thought.
…
While Kitahara Itoru was gathering information from Sato Shinichi, Sawai Yoshio, on the criminal’s side, was not idle either.
Seeing the other party seemingly hiding behind the ice and discussing something, Sawai Yoshio decisively pulled a syringe-like injector from a worn pocket on his back. While remaining vigilant of the heroes and police officers surrounding him, he forcefully plunged it into a blood vessel in his neck.
“Hiss— Ah!”
The violent pain triggered a reaction, and the girl’s neck, which was clasped by the thick arm, momentarily bore a significant amount of force. At this moment, Little Black (小黑) appropriately split off parts of its body to resist this immense pressure.
A sharp aura of power emanated from Sawai Yoshio’s body after a few moments. His previously decadent aura vanished, replaced by an even more violent glint in his blood-red eyes. Silver-white energy uncontrollably surged from within him, breaking the previously frozen lacerations. Fresh red blood flowed out of the wounds without restraint.
“Sawai Yoshio, what exactly do you want? No one will come to save you now. If you are willing to reveal your organization’s plans, I can help you avoid the death penalty!”
The immense wave of energy naturally drew Kitahara Itoru’s attention. Kitahara Itoru was aware that the other party possessed illegal performance-enhancing drugs, but with a hostage in hand, it was impossible to stop him.
Shattering the ice wall before him and ignoring Sato Shinichi’s state, Kitahara Itoru took a couple of steps towards Sawai Yoshio. Gazing at the criminal whose body was filled with unhealthy energy fluctuations, he tried to persuade him.
“Go to hell! I… Boss… Boss would never abandon me… Never… It’s absolutely impossible!!!”
“Don’t come any closer! If you come any closer, I’ll kill this person!!”
Perhaps due to the side effects, Sawai Yoshio’s mental state was worse than imagined after injecting the drug. While hurling vicious insults at Kitahara Itoru, his right hand transformed into an incredibly sharp, silver-white blade, which he pressed against Kazumi’s fair neck as he spoke menacingly.
“Alright, alright, I won’t come any closer. Calm down.”
Seeing his uncooperative attitude, and indeed, not giving him a chance to speak, Kitahara Itoru stood grounded with his hands raised, signaling he posed no threat.
Negotiation was certainly not his strong suit, and he didn’t want to say anything unnecessary that might agitate the other party. He just needed to wait for the police’s reinforcements and for someone specialized in such matters to handle it. For now, all he had to do was keep an eye on Sawai Yoshio and prevent him from harming the hostage.
However, as Kitahara Itoru had said, with himself and the Maritime Defense Force present, along with the imminent arrival of the police and the local Association support, even a high-ranking executive from [Shadow] couldn’t escape safely, let alone the “Life Foundation,” which, according to the investigation, was at most a minor organization.
Sawai Yoshio was merely a pawn.
Shaking his head slightly, Kitahara Itoru slowly began to recover his depleted energy and adjust his state.
Once the police snipers were in position, even a moment of lost focus would be enough for him to rescue the hostage before Sawai Yoshio could harm her.
All he had to do now was wait.
“Mr. Sawai.”
Just as both men were caught in an eerie silence, a familiar, firm voice came from behind, breaking the quiet of the scene.
[What?!]
Kitahara Itoru’s head snapped around. What he saw was the blond young man still standing in place, hands raised, his expression earnest.
Ignoring Kitahara Itoru’s murderous gaze, the boy raised his right hand, his eyes fixed on the violent Sawai Yoshio in the distance, and asked earnestly and firmly:
“Excuse me, can we exchange hostages?”
(ps: I’m done with my tasks and can resume updates.)
