Chapter 3 Chapter 1 Departure
Private detective Toyo Hashimoto arrived at platform 13 through the ticket gates at Ueno Station.
The "Beidouxing No. 5" express sleeper train he took to Sapporo has already entered the station.
This train leaves Ueno Station at 19:30, passes through the Seikan Tunnel, and arrives in Sapporo at 10:57 tomorrow morning.
The newly formed "Big Dipper Train" in the train diagram adjusted on March 13 is a luxury car and has been well received.It's been running for a month now and it's still crowded.
On the platform, children with cameras walked around, probably wanting to take pictures of the luxury car, including children with cameras.
Hashimoto also carries a camera, but he is not for taking pictures of trains, but for work needs.
He went to Sapporo this time to accept the commission of a 34-year-old woman, Yuko Aida, to investigate her husband's whereabouts.
Yuko's husband, Aida Matsuri, is 38 years old. He runs a youth club called "Bar 21" in Tokyo, which is accompanied by girls and is aimed at young people, and has achieved success.
Aida Takashi once appeared on the "Hello! Young Manager" TV show.
This time, Aida Gong will take the "Big Dipper" train to Sapporo to establish a joint store.His wife Yuko felt that her husband was traveling with a woman, so she entrusted private detective Hashimoto to follow up and investigate.
The woman who was traveling with Aida Takashi was actress Hamano Kaori.
Aida Yuko commissioned private detective Hashimoto to take pictures of her husband Aida Takashi and Hamano Kaori together as evidence for interrogation.
Hashimoto didn't know an actress named Kaori Hamano.
He said he didn't know Kaori Hamano.Aida Yuko gave him a promotional brochure of "Bar 21".
On the cover of the February issue of the monthly booklet is a photo of a smiling escort, Kaori Hamano.
He said he was 27 years old, but he looked two or three years younger.Like a mixed race, he is indeed an excellent target for a young industrialist to pursue.
Hashimoto sat down on the chair on the platform and looked at her photo again.There are several numbers printed on the cover: height 163 cm, B (bust) 85, W (hip) 87.
After Hashimoto firmly imprinted her appearance in his mind, he threw the booklet into a cardboard box.
He also remembered Huitian Gong's appearance.
Hashimoto stood up from the chair, and walked on the platform in the attitude of a tourist, observing the situation of the "Big Dipper No. 5" train.
On the blue car body, there are two dazzling gold lines.
The train consists of one locomotive and ten passenger cars.
The first, second, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth cars are the original sleeper cars, and the third, fourth, fifth and sixth cars in the middle are re-improved luxury buses.
The children seem to understand this situation, and they are all focusing on shooting these four cars.
After Hashimoto got on the train, he walked in the aisle and observed the four carriages.It's not so much for work as it is for a love of trains that I've developed since childhood.
Cars No. 3 and No. 4 are single sleeper cars, especially car No. 4, which has only two single sleepers for one person, and each single room has a toilet and bathroom. It is a luxury car that JR (Nippon Steel Corporation) emphasizes on promotion.
There was a single room in the fourth car without any passengers, so Hashimoto peeked inside.
There is a swivel chair next to the sleeper, and the curtains are also very particular.The door to the bathroom was closed, so I couldn't see inside.It is much more spacious and luxurious than the single sleeper in the past.
"I really want to go to Sapporo in this luxurious train!"
When Hashimoto thought of this, a woman said from behind:
"Sorry."
Hashimoto turned sideways, and a young woman with a travel bag entered the room.
She is Hamano Kaori.
"She will take this luxury car."
Hashimoto nodded as he thought about it, when the door slammed shut in front of his eyes.
"Where is Huitian Gong's bunk?"
Hashimoto stood in the passage and watched.
In another deluxe single room in the fourth car, a sixty-five-year-old man had already come. Of course, the berth in Aida is not here.
At this moment, Hashimoto had no choice but to walk to his bunk.
The ticket that Yuko Aida gave him was a Class B sleeper on the upper and lower floors of No. 2 carriage.This car is a sleeper bus in the past, and there are many vacancies today.
In short, if Hamano Kaori takes this train, Aida will definitely take this train.
Hashimoto sat down on the sleeper, lit a cigarette, and looked at the platform.At this moment the train departure bell rang.
The 16-hour journey from Ueno to Sapporo begins.
The passenger capacity of the "Beidouxing 5" express sleeper train is 228.
One section of the dining car can only accommodate 40 people, so a reservation system is implemented.The meal time is divided into two sections, the first section is from 19:30 to 20:20, and the second section is from 20:30 to 21:30.From then until 23:00 is snack time, with whiskey and Japanese sake, and simple meals.
Hashimoto made an appointment for the first period, and as soon as 7:30 p.m., he walked to the dining car in carriage 6 with his camera.There are five dining tables on each side of the carriage, each with four seats.
Hashimoto sat down on the chair.
The "Big Dipper No. 5" dining car is famous for its high-end French meals at 7,000 yen, and Hashimoto's reservation is a four-level Japanese dish at 3,000 yen.
Although Hashimoto is not yet 30 years old, he can't taste French food.
When Hashimoto started eating, Kaori Hamano and a middle-aged man came to the dining car.
That man was Huitian Gong.
Kaori's clothes have changed from when she saw her just now, probably because she changed after taking a shower.
Aida and Kaori sat side by side, eating a 7,000 yen A-level French meal.
Hashimoto pretended to be taking pictures of the scene of the dining car, and the camera focused on Aida and Hamano Kaori, and clicked the shutter three times.
After eating, Hashimoto bought a 30-minute shower coupon for 300 yen and got out of the dining car.
The adjacent No. 5 car is a public event car, with a shower room that everyone can use.
Normally, Hashimoto was not in the mood to take a leisurely shower, but this time the job was different. It was just tracking and investigating the actions of individuals, and both men and women took the express sleeper train to Sapporo, so there was no need to worry about them running away.
In this way, after arriving in Sapporo, filming the scene of the two of them staying in a hotel together is considered as the completion of the task.
Just hand over the photo to Yuko Aida along with the report.After success, you can get a reward of 500,000 yen, which is a good job.
In the public event car there are tables with sofas in the two corners and 12 additional swivel chairs.
The shower room was being used. Hashimoto bought a can of beer through the vending machine, sat on a chair and waited, and opened the beer can while admiring the night view outside the window.
Five or six minutes later, Aida and Hamano Kaori also came to the public event car.
As soon as they sat down on the sofa, they started talking.Kaori laughed from time to time, and it seemed that it might be Aida's constant lame jokes.
Hashimoto took five or six photos of the two of them, and wrote down the current time in the handbook.
Hashimoto thought to himself, this kind of stalking is too easy, he doesn't need to follow it, the other party and two people appeared at the same time, and showed the scene of the two getting along intimately in front of him.
Hashimoto looked at his watch, it was 20:57.He opened his notebook and looked again at the stop station of the "Big Dipper No. 5" train copied from the timetable.
The train should be running in the Nasushiobara area now.
21:55 Koriyama
22:30 Fukushima
23:34 Sendai
The train will leave for Hakodate through the Seikan Tunnel at 6:38 tomorrow morning.
That is to say, Hashimoto can sleep peacefully through the night.
At this time, four or five men crowded into the public activity car.
These people are dressed in suits, like real company employees.These young people surrounded an old man in the center, and he was the old man who was berthed in the fourth carriage.
They sat down on the empty sofa.
"Who are these people?"
Hashimoto looked at them with interest.
Rough behavior might make them look like hooligans and leaders, but they don't look like hooligans.
There was silence in the carriage.
Those who watched coldly could also see that these young people respected the old man very much, and bowed their heads to say yes to every word the old man said.
It doesn't seem like they are a manager and staff relationship either.
"This old man, I seem to have seen it somewhere."
Hashimoto tilted his head in thought.
Yes, I've seen the old man in a newspaper or a weekly magazine lately.
The old man suddenly put his hands together and prayed.Hashimoto looked at it and said "ah".
He remembered.
He was the old man who brought religion to business in the weekly magazine.
His name is Kino Motosho.
The old man was originally the manager of the large company "Kinomoto Real Estate Company". He retired suddenly three years ago and devoted himself to studying theology of the gods, and founded the new religion "Waka Gyo".
The reason why Kizhimoto made a lot of noise was because he claimed that the land he bought under the inspiration of the gods was catching up with the land craze in society, the market soared and he made huge profits.
Another point is that Kinomoto is said to have built a "waka garden" for patients and cured some patients suffering from incurable diseases.
Kizhimoto gives people the impression that he is an old man of noble character. The "Wakaen" he runs does not make any money, so he has won people's trust.
It was written in the weekly magazine: The employees of the real estate company, of course, all joined the "Waka Teaching", especially some devout believers, like his guards, always followed the old man.
"These young people in front of him are his guards."
Hashimoto thought and nodded.Aida and Kaori were still chatting leisurely.
They seem to have boarded the "Big Dipper No. 5" train behind the backs of the people around them, showing an unrestrained and leisurely look.
The train slowed down and arrived at Koriyama Station.
Park here for two minutes.
Some passengers went down to the platform to take pictures.
When the bell rang, they hurried into the car. The "Big Dipper No. 5" train is heading north.
The youths following Kinomotomasa suddenly stepped out of the public event car.
"what happened?"
When Hashimoto was wondering, a thirty-five or six-year-old nice girl in a kimono came in and sat next to Kinomoto.
This woman didn't look like a company employee at all, she was dressed gorgeously, and most of them were female escorts.
"I see."
Hashimoto smiled wryly.
In Hashimoto's eyes, Kinomoto, an entrepreneur and a religious man, suddenly became a vulgar old man.
It is not surprising that young people leave here suddenly.
Another vulgar person, Huitian Gong, was still chatting happily with Hamano Kaori, and he didn't look like he wanted to leave.
Hashimoto bought another can of beer and drank it.
The "Big Dipper No. 5" train is running rapidly in the night.
Hashimoto was already a little sleepy.
22:29.
The "Hokutosei No. 5" express sleeper train arrived at Fukushima Station on time.
Pulled by EF81 AC/DC locomotives, the train consisting of ten passenger cars stops at this station for one minute.
The front of the locomotive is equipped with a sign consisting of the pattern of the Big Dipper and the three characters of the Big Dipper in the center.
There are also four or five children nervously taking pictures on this platform.
Not far from the children, a woman wearing sunglasses is staring at the body of the "Big Dipper No. 5" train.
After stopping for a minute, the train slowly left the platform of Fukushima Station.
Section by section, the blue carriage slipped past the woman's eyes.
After a while, the "Big Dipper No. 5" train could only see the red taillights, which quickly disappeared into the night.
The woman wearing sunglasses came to the hall from the platform, walked to the public phone booth, put in a hundred-yuan coin, and dialed the phone number.
The phone is connected.
"I'm Junko, the train left Fukushima Station on time."
After the woman finished speaking, she put down the microphone.
JR East Japan, the full name of the East Japan Railway Passenger Company, received a call at 11 o'clock in the middle of the night.
At this time, almost all the employees of the company went home, and only seven people were on duty.
Because night trains run all night, once an accident occurs, it must be dealt with quickly.
"Is it JR East?" A man's voice asked calmly on the phone.
"yes."
"May I ask your honorable name?"
"My name is Shimamura, what can you do?" 35-year-old Shimamura asked back.
When Shimamura was on the night shift last time, there was also a bored man who kept asking this and that on the phone.But today's call feels different than last time.
"Now the 'Hokutosei No. 5' express sleeper train is heading for Sapporo. Is JR East responsible for this train?" asked the other party.
"Yes, train No. 1 is in charge of JR Hokkaido and train No. 5 is in charge of JR East."
"In that case, it is right to ask you."
"What request do you have, please contact our Propaganda Department tomorrow, and I will give you a satisfactory answer." Shimamura replied.
The "Beidouxing No. 5" express sleeper train is very popular now, especially the Class A single rooms, which have showers, toilets, and toilets. Some people even protested that it is difficult to buy tickets.
Shimamura thought that the other party might be calling for this reason.
"very good."
"thanks."
"However, I'm not calling to ask questions, but to ask for money. Give me 100 million yuan first."
The other party's voice was still so composed that Shimamura didn't even believe his request.
"One hundred million yuan? What's going on?"
"I hope you will use 100 million yuan to buy the safety of the 'Beidouxing No. 5' train. Now the train is traveling to Sapporo. In order to prevent the train from being exploded, please prepare 100 million yuan."
This time, Shimamura understood what the other party was asking.
Shimamura was very annoyed when he heard this, and made such a call in the middle of the night!
"Are you drunk?"
"I'm not drunk. If you think I'm joking, then you will regret it. You should contact the manager immediately and prepare 100 million yuan!" The other party's voice became a little harsh.
Shimamura's colleague Suzuki saw that Shimamura's appearance was unusual, so he took out the tape recorder and connected to Shimamura's telephone receiver.
"I don't know if it's true or not, so I can't contact the manager," Shimamura said.
"If you don't care about the safety of the ten-carriage train and the 200 passengers and crew, then do as you please! Do you have a watch?"
"Have."
"Take a good look. It's 11:18 now. In 12 minutes, at exactly 11:30, a carriage in the city is about to explode. Please rest assured that there are no passengers inside. This is a warning to you. I Still have to call."
After the other party finished speaking, he put down the phone.
Shimamura felt a little dazed.
It could very well be a badass prank, but be on the lookout for that.
Even though it was late at night, Shimamura called the manager's house and reported it to the police.
Although Manager Koike said he would come right away, he lives in Setagaya District and waits for a while, so it takes an hour to get to the company by car.
The police arrived eight minutes later.
The two detectives, Kamei and Kusaka, who were on duty in the first search section of the Metropolitan Police Department, came.
The two criminal police first listened to the telephone recording.
"Is there still two minutes?" Kamei said, looking at the wall clock on the wall.
"Yes, if what the other party said is true, there is no way to prevent it. There is no time to check all the passenger cars, and we don't know which car is about to explode."
"If something happens, will he contact you again?"
"Don't worry about it, he will definitely come to contact you."
"A vehicle with no passengers in the city, where could it be?" Kamei asked.
"There are Shinagawa Vehicle Dispatching Station, Tabata Vehicle Dispatching Station, and Hachioji Locomotive Area. I don't know whether he is talking about locomotives or passenger cars." Shimamura said with a confused look.
"Kamei, 11:30 has passed." Kusaka Interpol whispered to Kamei.
The faces of Shimamura and Suzuki turned pale, and they showed anxiety at the thought of bad guys making trouble.
The minute hand of the wall clock went to 32 minutes and 33 minutes.
"Nothing happened."
As soon as Suzuki finished speaking, the phone rang.
When Shimamura picked up the microphone, he heard the other party say loudly:
"I'm the Shinagawa Vehicle Dispatch Station."
Shimamura's expression changed upon hearing this.
"What happened?"
"The carriage of the 'Dancing Girl' express train suddenly caught fire, and the fire is being extinguished now."
"Is anyone hurt?"
"No, it exploded suddenly, and it's still burning."
"Be careful to put out the fire as soon as possible. Please feel free to contact me if you know anything."
After Shimamura finished speaking, he put down the microphone.
At this time, the phone rang again.
This time it was Manager Koike who called from the car on his way to the company.
"It's past 11:30, how's the situation?" Manager Koike asked.
"Just now the 'Dancing Girl' train at the Shinagawa Vehicle Dispatch Station was bombed."
"It doesn't look like a prank, does it?"
"Yes, no one was hurt, the fire is being put out now."
"Have you contacted the police?"
"The Metropolitan Police Department has sent two detectives." Shimamura replied to Koike.
"Call Manager Tanaka and tell him to come right away," Xiaochi ordered.
Detective Kamei called Totsukawa's home here.
"I'll go right away," Totsukawa said on the phone.
Manager Koike arrived at the company first, and Manager Tanaka also arrived 15 minutes later! JR East Company suddenly boiled up.
The Totsukawa Police Department also arrived panting.
It was past 12 o'clock.
The Shinagawa Vehicle Dispatch Station called to report that only one car was burned and the fire had been extinguished. People from the Shinagawa Fire Department were investigating the cause of the explosion.
Totsukawa and Kamei listened to the telephone tape.
"This guy is quite composed."
Kamei looked at Totsukawa as he spoke, as if asking for his approval.
"It seems to be full of confidence."
"He said he still needs to be in touch. Why didn't he call? Generally speaking, he would call immediately after the vehicle was blown up. But what happened to him?" Kamei said.
"Where does the 'Big Dipper 5' train go now?"
"It should have left Sendai Station at 23:34, and it is probably near Xiao Niutian now."
"From the timetable, it appears that passengers cannot get on or off the bus until they arrive at Hakodate Station at 6:38 am."
While Totsukawa was speaking, the phone rang and Minister Tanaka picked up the receiver.
"Your manager must be very surprised to come here?" It was the voice of that person.
He remains composed.
"What's your name?" Tanaka asked, frowning.
The other party smiled slightly and said:
"Ask your manager to speak. He is living in Waiting Power. It has been more than an hour since the last warning call. He should be here by the time he arrives, right?"
Minister Tanaka covered the microphone, looked at Manager Koike, and asked what to do.
Koike nodded, took the microphone and said:
"I'm the manager Koike."
"Okay." The other party said good, and then continued:
"You have to prepare 100 million yuan immediately, or you will blow up the 'Big Dipper No. 5' train heading for Sapporo now. I will not lie, it has been proved. Prepare a Hundreds of millions of dollars!"
"Stop talking nonsense, where do you get 100 million yuan in the middle of the night, and the bank is closed."
After Xiaochi finished speaking, the other party smiled slightly and said:
"How much does each station of JR East Japan sell in a day? Just one station in Tokyo is 100 million yuan, right? The money sold today will be deposited in the bank tomorrow. Isn't 100 million yuan not easy?"
"One hundred million yuan is too much."
"Think about it carefully. If the 'Beidouxing No. 5' train is blown up in the Seikan Tunnel, what will happen? I'm afraid it's not just a matter of you resigning." The other party threatened.
Manager Koike's cheek twitched slightly.Things are indeed as the other party said, if the train consisting of ten passenger cars is blown up in the Seikan Tunnel, it is not difficult to imagine the tragedy.
"Okay, I'm going to prepare 100 million yuan." Xiaochi said.
"You are really a good manager who understands current affairs." The other party said in a mocking tone.
Kamei signaled to Xiaochi, telling him to deal with the opponent.
"Is it okay to prepare all the 100 million yuan in banknotes?" Xiaochi asked in order to delay time.
"Ah, 10,000 yuan bills are fine."
"What should I call you?" Xiaochi asked, but the other party didn't answer immediately.
Afraid that the other party had hung up the phone, Xiaochi hurriedly said:
"Hello, hello,"
"Ah... just call me 'March Three Group'."
After the other party finished speaking, he really hung up the microphone.Kusaka Interpol contacted NTT.
"It was found out, it was a call from the car." Kusaka said loudly to Totsukawa.
"Do you know the license plate and owner of the car?"
"It's being checked now." Kusaka said nervously.
The car phone used by the other party belonged to Dr. Toshi Inoue from Suginami Ward.
Kamei called to inquire, and as expected, Dr. Inoue's Mercedes-Benz 500EL with a telephone was stolen yesterday morning at the parking lot next to the house.
Totsukawa arranged to trace the Mercedes-Benz, but he felt that if the car was found, the prisoner might have run away.
Manager Tanaka left the company in order to raise the 100 million yuan.
Because although Manager Xiaochi didn't want to hand over the money to the other party yet, he still decided to prepare it first.
"I want to ask you, who do you think the prisoner is?" Manager Koike asked Totsukawa.
"This man is very confident and calm. I wonder where his confidence and calm come from."
"Is that all you know?" Koike asked dissatisfied.
"Holmes may be able to tell his age and place of origin right away, which is not so simple in real cases."
"Do you think the criminals will really blow up the 'Big Dipper 5' train?"
"The prisoner seems to be able to do that."
"Can we prevent it before it happens? It's easy to give him 100 million yuan, but I want to keep the train safe without giving him money."
"Having explosives experts on the train for a thorough inspection is one way. If we can find the explosives, we've won."
"Do you think you can find it?"
"I think I can find it." After Totsukawa finished speaking, he continued: "Now, can I ask you a question?"
"Is it a question I can answer?" Koike asked back.
"It's about trains. The first question is why did the prisoner choose the 'Big Dipper 5' train? There are also 'Big Dipper 1' and 'Big Dipper 3' trains. Isn't the up train better than the down train?" Why? Why did he set his sights on the 'Big Dipper No. 5' train? Do you have any clues?"
Although Totsukawa was very interested in this question, Manager Koike felt that the question was meaningless. He replied:
"It was probably a coincidence. For the prisoner, train No. 1, train No. 3, and train No. 5 are all the same, as are the down train and up train. Anyway, he is trying to threaten blackmail. Trains other than 'Big Dipper No. 5' are fine." , I think Shinkansen trains have more passengers and are easier to blackmail.”
"You said it was accidental?"
"Yes. Perhaps the time is suitable for him. If the prisoner has another occupation, he may have some consideration for the departure time of the train."
Totsukawa felt that Koike's statement was not unreasonable.
A comparison between the "Beidouxing No. 5" train and the "No. 1" train will make it clear.
The departure time of the "Big Dipper No. 1" train from Ueno Station is 16:50, which is 4:50 pm.
If it is a working day, the staff will not be off work yet.If the prisoner is a wage earner and needs to take this train, it is inappropriate to take the "Big Dipper No. 1" train that departs at 16:50.
It is appropriate to take the "Beidouxing No. 5" train departing at 19:30.
The "Beidouxing No. 3" train departing at 17:54 is a seasonal train and does not run every day.
Moreover, the "No. 3" train does not have luxury sleeper cars, dining cars and public event cars with single rooms.
If the prisoner wanted to cause a sensation through this threat of extortion, he would not choose the less luxurious "No. 3" train.
However, Totsukawa did not grasp the reason why the prisoner chose the "Hokutosei No. 5" train.
"Recall what the prisoner said. It is said that the prisoner first asked Mr. Shimamura whether the 'Hokutosei No. 5' train was in charge of JR East Japan." Totsukawa said.
"Of course he has to ask clearly. Because the 'Big Dipper' train runs through JR East Japan and JR Hokkaido, the train operation is divided between the two parties, that is, 'No. 1' train is in charge of JR Hokkaido, and No. 5 train is in charge of JR East Japan is responsible. Prisoners must of course find out who they are threatening to blackmail.” Xiaochi said.
"The composition of the vehicle seems to be a little different?" Kamei asked.
"He knows that better than I do."
As Koike said, he called Shimamura over, and Shimamura showed everyone the composition diagram of the "Big Dipper No. 1" train and the "No. 5" train.
"The composition of the two trains is somewhat different, and the interior decoration is also unique, but both can be called luxury trains."
Shimamura said, and showed everyone the promotional brochure of the "Hokuto Star" train written by JR East.
At this time, a thought suddenly flashed through Totsukawa's mind: the prisoner might have read this pamphlet as well.
There are pictures of the luxurious single-room sleeper, dining car and public event car in the brochure, and there is a text description known as "walking hotel".
"This brochure seems to be dedicated to JR East's 'Hokutosei 5' train, isn't it?" Totsukawa asked Shimamura.
"Yes, but JR Hokkaido trains are also luxury trains. Both sides have single-room luxury sleeper cars, public event cars and dining cars. The occupancy rate is roughly the same."
"In terms of carriages for passengers, 'No. 1' train has the third to sixth and fourth cars, and 'No. 5' train also has four cars, right?"
"Yes, the rest of the carriages are the same as before."
"In that case, there is no special meaning for the prisoner to choose the '5' train." Totsukawa said to himself.
"In terms of choice, I think the 'No. 1' train is better." Kamei said from the side.
"Why?" Totsukawa asked.Shimamura was also looking at Kamei.
"I think the prisoner must have got into the car with explosives with a timing device, and got out of the car after adjusting the time. It is said that the plane bombing incident in South Korea was done in this way."
"That's true." Totsukawa nodded.
"I checked the timetable of the 'Beidouxing No. 1' train and the 'No. 5' train."
After Kamei opened the timetable for everyone to see, he continued:
"When you look at the timetable, you immediately notice that the '1' train has a lot of stops. I think the more stops the easier it is for a prisoner to escape, right? Especially the '5' train After driving from Sendai to Hakodate, there is no stop, so it is impossible for the prisoner to escape."
"Maybe it's just like what Kamei said, but we can also think about it from the opposite angle. The prisoner can get on the train at the station before Sendai, install the time bomb, and get off at Sendai. After the train leaves Sendai at 23:34 , Passengers could not get off the bus until 6:38 the next morning. Wouldn’t the prisoner be able to threaten and intimidate calmly?” said Totsukawa.
After all, it is still unclear why the prisoner chose the "No. 1" train instead of the "No. 5" train.
Is it really an accidental phenomenon as Manager Koike said?
After Totsukawa called Minister Mikami to explain the situation, he asked the Self-Defense Force's explosive ordnance disposal squad to be on standby just in case.
If you invite the Self-Defense Forces now, it may be more appropriate to invite the Self-Defense Forces stationed in Aomori.
At this time, Manager Tanaka came back with a bag.He raised 100 million yuan in cash from Tokyo Station.
"I don't want to give it to the prisoner!" Koike said to Totsukawa.
Two detectives, Nishimoto and Shimizu, were also called.
12:50.
The Shinagawa Vehicle Dispatch Office called the company and said that the Shinagawa Fire Department had found fragments of a time bomb in the burnt-out vehicle.
The debris was found from the seat in the center of the car. It seems that the prisoner planted a time bomb under the seat and got out of the car.
The car that was bombed was sent back to the Shinagawa Dispatch Station on the "Dancing Girl" train.
It is said that this car has been cleaned, and no bombs were found during the cleaning.
It seems that the bomb was not stuffed on the floor under the seat, but may have been placed under the seat by the suction of the magnet.
Almost at the same moment, precisely at 12:52, Dr. Toshiro Inoue's stolen Mercedes-Benz was found by a patrol car near Shakujii Park.
Of course the prisoner wasn't in the car, and he must have thrown the car away right after the phone call.
The Metropolitan Police Department sent identification personnel to check the fingerprints in the car.
After hearing the report, Totsukawa looked at his watch.
It was almost 1 o'clock in the morning.
"The passengers in the car still don't know anything?" Kamei whispered.
"It's terrible to think of passengers!"
"Will the prisoner really plant a bomb on the 'Big Dipper 5' train?" Kamei asked, frowning.
"It's half possible. The prisoner has already made a warning demonstration at the Shinagawa Vehicle Dispatch Station. If he estimated that JR East would obediently hand him 100 million yuan, maybe he didn't install a bomb on the train." Totsukawa said.
"Because after the train departs from Sendai, passengers cannot get off the train until it reaches Hakodate. If the prisoner installed a bomb, he must have installed it before the train arrived in Sendai and got off at Sendai Station." Kamei read the propaganda leaflet. While talking about the train map in the book.
"The train departs from Sendai at 23:34,"
"Nearly an hour and a half ago."
"Have you ever taken an express sleeper train, Kamei-kun?"
"Sit a few times,"
"At 23:34, are all the passengers asleep?"
"About half of the people slept, and there were quite a few who didn't sleep."
"Then it's not that easy to install a bomb," Totsukawa said.
It's 1 o'clock in the morning.
The phone rang.
Manager Koike picked up the receiver.
The tape recorder connected to the telephone was working.
"Are you ready for 100 million yuan?"
It was the voice of the person who called last time.
"Ah, ready." Koike replied with a serious expression.
"Okay, you send me the 100 million yuan."
"Ask my manager to deliver it in person?"
"What, did it damage your self-esteem?" The other party gave a chuckle, and the receiver said: "Okay, it's okay to send someone else to deliver it, but it's not okay to let the criminal police come."
"Ask Tanaka-kun, the manager of my company, to send it. Where are you sending it?" Xiaochi asked.
Minister Tanaka was also listening.
"Come out from your place and walk about 50 meters in the direction of Tokyo Station. There is a white car parked, the Blue Bird SSS brand. The key is hanging on the door. Take the money and drive forward." The other party Say.
At this time, the undercover criminal police immediately ran out to observe the actual situation.
"Is it true that a bomb was installed on the 'Big Dipper No. 5' train? It's not a lie, right?" Koike asked.
"The 'Dancing Girl' vehicle was bombed, did you see it?"
"So, when did the bomb in the car go off?"
"I can't tell you that, anyway, before the 'Hokutosei No. 5' train arrives at the final station, Sapporo. Just wait and see."
"What will happen if I give you 100 million yuan?"
"At that time, I will tell you where the bomb is installed on the train. You can call the train to dismantle the bomb."
The other party's voice was still very calm.
"I can't trust you. I'm going to refuse to give you money, what are you going to do?" Xiaochi asked.
"Hey, do you want to sacrifice the lives of more than 200 people in order to save 100 million yuan? Not only that, you spent hundreds of millions of yuan to transform the 'Big Dipper Star' into a luxury train No. Does 100 million yuan make the train scrapped? If it explodes in the Seikan Tunnel, it will lead to an even greater tragedy!" The other party said.
This is very convincing.
What Manager Koike is most afraid of is an accident in the Seikan Tunnel. Once an accident occurs, the tunnel will be unusable, and it will be very difficult to rescue passengers.
"Okay, do as you say," Koike said.
"Ask Minister Tanaka to bring 100 million yuan and leave immediately!"
"What will he do when he gets there?"
"After he gets in the car, I will give instructions." The other party said.
At this time, Sun Xia trotted back.
"That's right, there's a white Blue Bird car parked there," Kusaka reported to Totsukawa.
"You and Detective Nishimoto follow that blue bird together." Totsukawa ordered.
Kusaka and Nishimoto left the room and walked towards a camouflaged police car.
Manager Koike looked at Totsukawa meaningfully and said:
"I don't believe the prisoner's words."
"You don't want to obediently hand over 100 million yuan to the prisoner, do you?"
"This money is the company's money."
"But if you don't give him money, he might really blow up the train when he gets angry," said Totsukawa.
"I know that." Koike nodded, and continued, "Actually, when Shimamura-kun called me to tell me about this, I immediately arranged for five company employees to board the train from Sendai Station. Ask them to cooperate with the flight attendants Check to see if a bomb is planted in the train. Because I think the prisoner may plant the bomb before the train reaches Sendai and get off at Sendai."
"On this point, I also feel the same way."
"If there is no bomb on the train, there is no need to give him money; if there is a bomb, just ask an expert to dispose of it."
"Is the problem that simple?"
Totsukawa is very worried. This is about the lives of more than 200 people.
"I will reply to letters in a while. If no bomb is found, just ignore him if he threatens the prisoner."
"Oh, it might explode!" Totsukawa said anxiously.
"If there is such a danger, then send 100 million yuan to the other party. At the same time, ask Minister Tanaka to bring a radio transceiver. If it is determined that there is no bomb on the train, you can immediately notify Minister Tanaka to call him back."
Koike took this compromise approach.
"Okay." Totsukawa nodded.
Minister Tanaka walked out of the room with a bag containing 100 million yuan bills and a radio transceiver.
Totsukawa also asked someone to immediately send the radio transceiver of the same frequency to Kusaka and the others who were waiting in the car to set off.
"The battle has begun."
Totsukawa thought this in his heart, and put on a straight face.
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Notes: