Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Buying Safety with Money

The Huidong Branch of M Bank is also paying close attention to this hijacking incident, because in their branch there is an ordinary deposit account opened in the name of Sanshin Tokutaro.The deposit balance of the 072928 account under the name of Sanshin Tokutaro is 765,200 yen.Newspapers reported the hijacking incident at length, and weekly magazines were not to be outdone, vying for special articles.In particular, the death of singer Yukiko Ishizaki and TV star Kunya Kaji in the Samsung accident was greatly exaggerated by Art Weekly and Women's Weekly.The general manager of a well-known production company said in a weekly magazine:

"The company currently has 30 actors and 83 staff. We plan to buy badges for them immediately. If you can buy security for 5,000 yen, it is really cheap. Because the company gets 1-2 million yen a day There are too many actors! How do you see the 'Blue Lions'? They are indeed bad guys. Hijacking 100 million people and demanding that 100 million people pay them ransom, this scale is too spectacular! Nevertheless, it also makes people understand Even the police are idiots." As a result, from the second day after the hijacking incident was disclosed in the newspaper, the remittances to Mikami Tokutaro's account continued to increase.

82 pieces 1.96 million yen in the morning 306 pieces 7.2 million yen in the afternoon In addition, there are countless calls to this bank asking for the address of Tokutaro Migami, because they intend to send cash checks directly to Tokutaro Migami. The bank is in constant contact with Tokutaro Mishin because the bank has to report the incoming money to Mishin.I wanted to report by phone, but Mikami's phone was too busy to make a call, so I had to make a list of the remitter's address and name and hand it to Mikami Tokutaro. The next day, the amount was even more. Newspapers and TV stations also report in detail on the daily remittances.

796 pieces in the morning 16.05 million yen Afternoon 1325 pieces 22.45 million yen The registered mail to remit cash directly to Sanshin Tokutaro is as follows: 205 letters 3.9 million yen in the morning 462 11.24 million yen in the afternoon On the second day after the newspaper publicly disclosed the hijacking incident, Yabe hurried back to Tokyo from Fukuoka. Nothing was found in Fukuoka, neither the suspicious woman who delivered the bomb nor clues to the purchase or theft of the detonator by the criminal.In order to continue the investigation, Yabe left two of his subordinates in Fukuoka.

Most criminals will try their best to cover up their crimes in case of hijacking, especially tabooing the police from intervening.They usually threaten to kill the hostages if they report to the police.But this hijacking incident is very strange, the criminals have no secret about the whole process of the incident.This was something Yabe never thought about. Yabe seemed to have received a heavy blow to the head, and at the same time, a nameless anger suddenly arose from his heart. As soon as he returned to the search headquarters, he saw that his subordinates were all downcast as if they had been hit by frost.

"The minister was called to the prime minister's residence just now." Detective Inoue, who is short-sighted, said listlessly. "Called to the official residence?" "Ah. I heard that the Prime Minister lost his temper. The criminal gave all the recordings to the newspaper, so the Prime Minister's attempt to bribe the other party with pocket money failed. It's nothing from our point of view, but to the Prime Minister But it is a disgrace!" "Didn't you investigate Mikami Tokutaro?" Yabe, who has always been gentle, showed a rare rough tone.All the staff who searched the headquarters were terrified.

"Investigated." "The results of it?" "It's a very ordinary street factory. Mikami Tokutaro is 65 years old, and his wife Bunyo is 56 years old." "So they're really selling badges now?" "Whoever sends money is sending badges. That's the kind of badge." Inoue took out a round badge made of thick cloth with a diameter of about 8 cm from his pocket, and placed it in front of Yabe. In the middle of this round badge is written the words "Safe, Peaceful". "Is this done beforehand?" "Well. About 50,000 were made, and I heard it was in stock. And now that I have hired people, there is a tendency to increase production."

"But why would there be 50,000 in stock beforehand?" "Migami Tokutaro said that it was made three months ago for traffic safety and peaceful life. It is also painted with luminous paint, and the text on it can still be seen at night. It can be worn on the chest or Stick it on the car. Although 50,000 were made at that time, none of them were sold, and the style was not trendy, but now the form of the product is more important than the content. It’s really a moment and a moment!” "Is this what Mikami Tokutaro said?" "No, it's my personal opinion."

"You can have whatever opinion you like, but what I want to know is the relationship between the three gods, Tokutayo, and criminals." "It's not clear yet. The Sanshen and his wife are good people, and they will never have anything to do with the hijackers." "However, isn't he appointed because of a certain relationship? Do you know what the three gods think about the incident?" "He said that a friend of his who is a lawyer said that since this is a purely commercial transaction, it doesn't matter if each badge is sold for 5,000 yen. I also asked other lawyers and said that as long as the person who pays is not actually receiving three If they are threatened and persecuted by the God couple, then it is established as a normal commercial trade behavior. This is the same as mail order.”

"Okay, let's go meet the Sanshen couple first!" Saying that, Yabe stood up. Before arriving at the Sanshen factory, I saw the cars of the newspaper office parked along the road. A reporter who knew Yabe leaned on the car and greeted Yabe: "Mr. Yabe." The reporter also wore a badge on his chest, which seemed to Yabe to be a symbol of police incompetence. "Did you buy this badge?" "Yes. Life is precious!" "It's a good match! That stuff seems to be specially made for young children." Yabe spoke sarcastically and walked towards the factory.

Although there are many factories in this area, the roar of machines and noisy voices may be heard only in Tokutaro Migami's factory due to the recent recession. Yabe is welcomed by Tangi and Tanabashi to the living room to meet the Mikami couple. Mikami Tokutaro is a bald old man with a good complexion. He kept stroking his bald head with his right hand while talking. It seems that this is his habitual anger.He gave the impression that he was a nice guy, but at the same time he was a very stubborn person. Wen Dai is a very cautious person in everything, and she brings tea and snacks to Yabe, but if Yabe doesn't ask questions, she will never open her mouth. "It seems that you are very busy!" Yabe spoke first. Some of the reporters outside the window were peeping, some were pressing the shutter to take pictures, and some even squeezed open the closed aluminum window and squeezed in with microphones.So Gu Mu had to lock the windows and draw down the curtains. "thanks to you." Sanshen said again while stroking his beautiful bald head. "To be honest, I don't even know what's going on. Anyway, so many people sent money, I had to hire people and students nearby and send badges desperately. The stock of 50,000 was gone in a while .We are ramping up production now." "Do you know why it sold so fast?" "Of course I know. I didn't know why I was involved in a horrible incident, and I was uneasy. But I have to sell things that can be sold, and I didn't force people to come Buy it. I talked to a lawyer and the lawyer said it's ok, so I sold it. Isn't that okay?" "No, we're not going to ban you from selling badges." "That's great. I'm relieved when the police say that." "Know 'Blue Lion'?" "Not at all. First of all, we are illiterate. We only know how to make badges." Mikami Tokutaro laughed loudly, "Ahaha".From what he said at first glance, he was a remarkable old man.Yabe smiled bitterly inwardly. "However, they ordered people to give you money and buy badges from you. How did they know you made badges? Didn't they sell none when they were made three months ago?" "No, not a single one. But there was a weekly in the newspaper at the time. I'm afraid it was read by some blue or something." "Do you have the weekly magazine here?" "Yes, I have!" Sanshen said "Hello" to Wen Dai, and she took out a weekly magazine from the closet. It was City Weekly from a big publishing house.When I opened the page enclosed in paper, there was a column called "City Pickup". In reports such as "Strange Bandit" and "5 Million Yen Rally", there was a message that "you might as well buy a badge that glows", and talked about the situation of this street factory and the badge. In this very brief report, the elderly couple in the street factory made glowing badges for traffic safety and social peace, so that people might as well buy one to wear on their chests or stick them on their cars. It seems that the three gods did not lie. Yabe handed the weekly magazine to Tangi, and Tangi ran out quickly. It cannot be denied that the Blue Lions have read this report.But why make people pay ransom for this kind of badge? "Do you have a son?" "There is a son. But he ran away suddenly two years ago." Sanshen glanced at the photo on the bookshelf, it was a photo of a young man in his 20s. "Oh! How old is he?" "I was 22 when I left. I'm 24 now." "You gave birth to this child when you were very old, right?" "Well. He was born only when he was dying. We got married late, so we spoiled him very much. It seems that this is not good." "Is there any news after you left?" "No sound at all." "Is this your son?" Yabe got up and took the photo in his hand to look at it. This is a very ordinary young man, his eyes and surroundings are very similar to his father. "What's your son's name?" "It's called Yinan, because it's the first child. But, unfortunately, there will be no more in the future." "Could it be that this Sankami Kazuo is one of the members of 'Blue Lion'?" Yabe looked at the photo suspiciously, but he always felt that this person did not seem to be the person who caused this incident, but Yabe knew clearly: People should not be judged by their appearance. "Which school did your son graduate from?" "There is a metropolitan high school nearby. After graduating from high school, he helped at home and worked in a supermarket, but not for a long time." "It seems that he is a person who has no long-term character!" "Yes. He once said that he wanted to open a bar. If the factory's business conditions are good, he can give him some funds. But it happened to be when the factory was in a downturn, so he didn't give him funds. Maybe If you are dissatisfied with this, just run away." "Didn't you look for it?" "Is there any need to talk about it? But there is no news. I don't know where and what to do." "I heard that you traveled somewhere." "Hey, I went to Minakami Onsen for a week. Thanks to my wife for worrying!" "Which hotel are you staying at?" "this one--" Mikami took out the hotel brochure from the sleeve of the kimono and handed it to Yabe. "I wrote a thank you letter just now. I gave you all kinds of kind care." "Is it Narumi Hotel?" "Although it's a hotel, it's a Japanese hotel!" "Could you lend me this brochure and a picture of your son?" "It's fine. The criminal police also have a lot of serious things!" "A lot!" Zuobu smiled wryly, and handed the brochure and photos to Pengqiao.He asked again to see the factory. Sure enough, the factory was very angry. About half of the workers in the factory are making badges, and the remaining half are laying out mats and setting tables in the wooden room, and carrying out the distribution of badges. There are about 30 male and female students and housewives working part-time.They are writing the recipient's name on the envelope according to the registered address of the cash register and the name book transferred by the bank, putting a badge in the envelope, and affixing a stamp on the envelope.Once a certain amount is reached, it is taken to the post office, which is an assembly line operation. Photographers for newspapers and weekly magazines were snapping away.A TV cameraman is shooting with a 16mm camera. "What's the original price of the badge?" Yabe asked Mikami while looking at it. "Depending on the production volume, it's about two or three hundred yen." "Then selling one piece for 5,000 yen, is that enough for you?" "Hey. The world is really interesting! When you sell it for 700 yen, you can't sell a single one. There are also money donated to welfare. It's really unpleasant to think about it afterwards." In other words, the request of the "Blue Lions" is also to turn the defense budget of 500 billion yen into welfare—Yabe thought to himself. The police decided to thoroughly investigate the people around Mikami Tokutaro and his wife. Regarding the couple's stay at the Narumi Hotel in Minakami Hot Spring for a week, you can generally inquire by phone or ask the county police to handle it. However, for completeness and reliability, the search headquarters still sent two criminal police officers. The findings are as follows: The two criminal policemen who went to the water hot springs rushed back after their investigation. "How about it?" In response to Yabe's question, the elder detective Ohashi gave a representative report. "Tokutaro Mikami and his wife stayed at the Narumi Hotel in Minakami Onsen for a week from March 25 to March 31. They left the hotel early in the morning on March 31 and returned to Tokyo." "How are things at the hotel?" "I asked the boss and the waitress, and said that the old couple seemed very kind. During the two people's stay, no one visited them in the hotel, nor did they call them. The Sanshen couple did not call outside. The actions of the two people except Said in the morning that in addition to taking a walk by the river in the afternoon, he also likes to take a bath, going to the hot spring several times a day? The people in the hotel say so, so it’s not wrong, right?” "Should we both go out in the morning and afternoon?" "Yes. They borrowed fishing rods from the hotel, and I heard they went fishing by the river." "Did anyone see them fishing?" "No. To be precise, they walked out of the hotel saying so themselves. I heard they came back without taking a single fish." "Then isn't it possible to meet someone while walking, fishing?" "There is this possibility. If we meet, is the other party a member of 'Blue Lion'?" "yes." "However, while Mikami Tokutaro and his wife are in Minakami Onsen, aren't the 'Blue Lions' doing various activities elsewhere?" "That's true. But that doesn't mean they have nothing to do with the 'Blue Lion'. If they don't, then why are people giving the ransom to Mikami Tokutaro?" "Can you think that the three gods and one man who ran away from home are members of 'Blue Lion'?" "Of course you can think about it that way. However, those who know Sanshen Kazuo think that it is impossible for him to initiate this big incident." As a result, opinions on the search headquarters were divided. One opinion is that the Sanshen couple or their son Yinan are related to the "Blue Lion" in a certain sense. Another opinion is that it has nothing to do with it. The "Blue Lions" learned from the "City Weekly" three months ago that Mikami Tokutaro had made 50,000 "Safety and Peace" badges, so they cleverly adopted this badge. One point to collect the ransom. You must know that Sanshin Tokutaro's deposit account is very simple. You can contact him by phone and say that you want to buy badges from him and transfer the payment to the bank. Then Sanshin Tokutaro will happily tell you the transaction bank and deposit account number. Give it to the other party. The criminals asked people to hand over the ransom money to the three gods, Tokuta Ryo, and they might snatch it from them when it accumulated. Yabe was called by Headquarters Matsuzaki. "Secretary Watanabe called again just now. The Prime Minister is still in a bad mood!" Matsuzaki made the swivel chair creak, and the voice was very harsh, showing that Minister Matsuzaki himself was very restless. Yabe remained silent.Matsuzaki said with a wry smile: "I heard that in today's Congress, that kind of badge has appeared on the chests of members of the opposition party, and the gentlemen who confronted the prime minister said sarcastically: 'Thanks to the government, I have to wear it. Such a badge!' The Minister of Justice was similarly ridiculed." "yes?" "How is the search progress? It seems that Tokutaro Sangami is related to the 'Blue Lions'?" "There is disagreement. But, no matter what, once Mikami Tokutaro's account explodes, they will show up." "Are you waiting?" "Yes. Criminal police have been dispatched to the bank and Sanshin Tokutaro's residence, and they will report any situation. At the same time, it is impossible to deposit the money in Switzerland and the United States, because there are regulations prohibiting deposits of more than 5,000 US dollars from being transferred to foreign countries. bank." "But it takes time." "It takes time!" "Look outside." The director got up and invited Yabe to the window. "Both guys walking over there have badges on their chests." "yes." "The increasing number of people wearing badges is proving our incompetence. At least that's what society thinks." "Maybe!" "So, I had to sit back and wait for the money to be deposited into Mikami Tokutaro's account until the criminals came to collect it. It seems that I don't know who they are, do you have an outline?" Headmaster Matsuzaki stared out the window and asked Yabe.Another man who looked like a staff member in a suit was also walking around wearing a badge. Yabe sat down on the chair again. "Judging from the sound of the tape, there were at least three men and one woman." "Their leader is probably the man who stated his views on the first and last tapes!" "I think so too. A man was in Sapporo and a woman was in Fukuoka when the crime was committed, but I think they may have all concentrated in Tokyo by now." "why?" "I guess they came to Tokyo to discuss the next action plan." "Next action plan?" "It's their decision based on whether the Japanese will pay the 5,000 yen ransom. If it's what they expect, they'll just watch the Sanshin Tokutaro's savings keep increasing. Because the newspapers are racing to inform people of the daily ransom. remittance amount." "What if it doesn't go as they expected?" "The 'Operation Crown' plan will be implemented." "Is it the action plan of the US military to attack Japan that Zuo Wenwen talked about?" "yes." "So, what specific actions do you think their 'Operation Crown' plan will take?" "What about this, attacking planes or ships and Shinkansen, or some venue. In their view, as long as they can threaten 120 million people. So, it doesn't matter what attack target you choose. From the perspective of defense, there is nothing better than this." It's harder to defend." "Airports, Shinkansen and ferries must further increase their security!" "It's all strengthened than before. Strict inspections at the airport can prevent it to a certain extent. Even if a large passenger ship explodes, it will not sink under normal circumstances. The problem is the Shinkansen." "Shinkansen?" "I think it is impossible to check the luggage of passengers one by one at the ticket gate. If you check it like that, it will definitely cause chaos. You can only ask the police to carefully check the interior of the train and search if suspicious luggage is found. However, once they make a move, so can we. Despite the danger, we look forward to it." Zuo Wenwen looked at the evening paper. All the evening papers carried pictures of clerks, housewives, and children wearing badges on their chests, with the words "Whirlwind of badges, all the rage!" The cash deposit of Sanshin Tokutaro has exceeded 200 million yen.The newspaper predicted: "If this continues, it will reach 1 billion yen in a week." Sanshen Productions is desperately increasing the production of badges. The number of employees has increased from 30 to 50, and then to 100. Now it has increased to 200 people. Shi Zi was depressed and listless.She found three classmates, Hideo Makino, Junichiro Kushida, and Takue Futaba, and asked them to listen to the recording repeatedly, but they were all rejected. The method of proving that the three people are criminals from the sound of the recording has failed. "For the current situation, the 'Blue Lions' are already satisfied!" Zuo Wenwen muttered while looking at the scenery outside the window. "Not satisfied yet? A ransom of 200 million yen has been raised." "However, the amount they demand is 500 billion yen. If you accumulate 100 million a day, it will take more than 13 years for 5,000 days. Is it enough for them who call themselves geniuses?" "If not satisfied, will they still threaten to blow up the plane or the Shinkansen?" "If they were pure threats, they would probably do this." "What do you mean?" "Man succumbs to great terror. But when terror is intensified, timidity turns into anger. Give slaves a whip and sugar, and they obey; but give them only the whip, and they They will rise up and resist. They have accumulated genius wisdom and cannot fail to understand this psychology, especially that Lawyer Nogami." "Then what do they want?" "I'm thinking about it from their standpoint." "A way to get the 120 million hostages to pay the ransom quickly?" "right!" Zuo Wenwen sat down on the swivel chair again, looking at the scenery under the evening mist with great interest. The neon lights had just begun to flicker, and the red car taillights began to increase. The left text recalls the faces of four people in the twilight. Those were the faces of Hideo Makino, Junichiro Kushida, and Takue Futaba seen on the card, and the face of Tomoya Nogami seen at the law firm. What are they thinking now? "How about following that Nogami lawyer? Maybe we can find out their next action plan from this." "It's useless. Their leader, Nogami, talks and doesn't move. He only gives orders, and it's three other people who carry out the actions, so it's useless to follow them." "Then what shall we do?" "I'm thinking about it. Among the 120 million hostages, children are unable to pay the ransom, and there are about 70 million people who can pay the ransom. What is the way to threaten these 70 million people and make them pay the ransom quickly?" "Blowing up planes and Shinkansen will have the opposite effect, right?" "They can kill a lot. It might scare people, but it can also generate anger and hatred. Then, no matter how much you kill, it won't work." "And what about potassium cyanide in the sugar bowl at the coffee shop?" "Their self-esteem is more than twice as strong as others, and the methods they have used will never be used again, because their self-esteem does not allow it." "If you can figure it out, you can take countermeasures." Shi Zi was talking, but Yabe walked in and sat down on the sofa. "So tired!" Yabe sighed loudly. "This doesn't look like you who are scheming!" Zuo Wenwen laughed. "Whether it is the great people in the public opinion circle or the political circles are beating the police. The police office should also be built on the 36th floor." "Is it possible that you can't hear the noisy voices on the ground here?" "That's why. But, looking out of the windows here, you can't see the hideous badge. There was a press conference an hour ago. The reporters who attended the meeting wore that badge." "Drink something?" Shi Zi asked. "Would like some whiskey that's right for the water. But let's have coffee! No sugar. You don't wear badges?" "Because I have friendship with the police!" Zuo Wenwen picked up a cigarette, and also saluted Yabe, lit the fire and said, "Do you have any clues about the criminal?" "No. Unfortunately, no! I also made a thorough investigation of the people around Mikami Tokutarou, but found nothing. How are you doing here?" "The names of the criminals are all clear." Shi Zi said triumphantly as he served coffee. Yabe "coaxed", looked at Shizi with wide eyes, and then at Zuo Wenwen. "Really? Hello!" "It's okay to say that it's clear. But you will never be satisfied, so I didn't tell you," "Anyway, can you tell me the criminal's name?" Yabe put the coffee aside and asked. Zuo Wenwen wrote the names of lawyer Nogami and four other people on a piece of paper and handed it to Yabe. "These are some of the criminals in this case. The leader is defense lawyer Tomoya Nogami." "Hey!" Yabe looked at the name on the piece of paper with suspicion. "Then what is the evidence that these four people are criminals?" "No." "What did you say?" "Is your ear not working? No." "So is it similar to the voice on the tape?" "No, their friends have all listened to the recording and said it's not similar." "Have you met and talked to them?" "I only met Lawyer Nogami, and the addresses of the other three people have not been clarified yet." "So, doesn't that mean there is nothing?" Yabe roared angrily. "That's why I didn't tell you. I knew you would be angry." "Do you have any evidence that these four are criminals?" "There is no evidence, it's my guess." "Okay, okay." Yabe sank into the sofa, shook his head and said, "You folks just like to talk nonsense. If we bring this to the press conference and make it public, we will definitely be besieged again." "Then quit the police and become a private detective!" Zuo Wenwen joked. "However, they will take action. The newspapers are surprised that Mikami Tokutaro's account has already transferred 200 million yen. However, I don't think the 'Blue Lions' will be satisfied with this little money .” "The police think so too. But what are they going to do?" Yabe said, opening his tired eyes again.