Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

As long as you act cold-blooded enough and don't care about the life or death of the hostages, the kidnappers' biggest bargaining chip will be instantly rendered useless.

A worthless hostage is a burden to the kidnappers.

They will eventually give up because they are unprofitable, or come up with new conditions that can be analyzed and exploited by him.

He wanted to take the initiative in this psychological warfare back into his own hands.

However, what he didn't know was that this move, which he thought was brilliant, actually fell into a trap carefully designed for him by his opponent.

..

Kujo Renji learned about Toyokawa Takaaki's "cold-blooded declaration" almost in real time through his spies planted in the Toyokawa family.

And this is exactly what I want,

His plan was not just a simple emotional blackmail from the beginning.

Such low-level means can only bring money.

What he wants is to destroy everything that Toyokawa Takaaki relies on for survival.

Toyokawa Takaaki's "cold-bloodedness" at this moment just became something that Kujo Renji could take advantage of.

The first step of the plan is the infiltration of public opinion.

A war without the smoke of gunpowder quietly broke out within the Toyokawa family.

Kujo Renji did not choose to make the kidnapping case public as the impact would be difficult to control.

He chose a more subtle way. Through the underground information channels he controlled, he sent some carefully designed "rumors" like a few drops of ink into clear water, inadvertently but with incredible precision into the ears of the powerful and traditional elders of the Fengchuan family.

The rumor was cleverly packaged, without any accusations, but full of "sympathy" and "concern":

In a private room at an upscale teahouse, an elder from a side branch set down his teacup and sighed nonchalantly, "Have you heard? Mr. Xiaoming's sister, Miss Kageyama, alas, how unfortunate. But what's even more chilling is that Mr. Xiaoming seems to have completely given up on rescuing her, even ordering no one to mention the matter again, claiming it's for the 'greater good.' He truly is a ruthless future leader. But if he can so easily abandon even his own flesh and blood, what do we, the side branches, mean to him?"

At another private gathering, similar whispers were spreading:

"Yes, the foundation of our Toyokawa family, besides our business acumen, isn't it this sense of camaraderie and family pride? If word gets out that he couldn't even protect his own sister, and even gave up on her, what will the outside chaebols think of our Toyokawa Group? Is a leader who can't even protect a family member really worthy of our trusting our entire fortune and lives?"

These words, like a chronic poison and the best-disguised virus, spread rapidly among the collateral families that value tradition, affection and collective honor.

They were originally the most staunch supporters of Toyokawa Takaaki in his fight against Toyokawa Sadaharu, but now, their attitude towards Toyokawa Takaaki has begun to change from their initial shared hatred of the enemy to a subtle, scrutinizing and suspicious wait-and-see attitude.

The second step of the plan is a precise commercial strike.

Toyokawa Takaaki thought that as long as he focused on his business and used performance to stabilize his position, he could overcome this crisis.

But he soon discovered that things were far from that simple.

An important real estate project, led by Toyokawa Takaaki himself and in cooperation with a long-established chaebol in Kansai, was suddenly announced on the eve of signing the contract in an extremely euphemistic official letter from the other party, announcing that it would be "temporarily suspended due to doubts about the family credibility and internal stability of the partner's leader."

This sudden attack caught Toyokawa Takaaki off guard. He tried to contact the other party, but all he got was vague excuses.

Immediately afterwards, internal turmoil occurred in a key subsidiary of the Toyokawa Group.

Several senior executives recommended by collateral families, with rich experience and high respect, suddenly jointly submitted a "letter of request" to the board of directors, requesting Toyokawa Takaaki to "put the family first, resolve internal affairs first, and appease the people's hearts", otherwise, they will have to consider "resigning for the sake of the company's reputation."

Sitting in his office, looking at the two documents that were placed in front of him almost at the same time, Toyokawa Takaaki was shocked to find that the more he tried to appear cold and focused, the looser the power base under his feet became.

His self-righteousness and "cold-bloodedness for the greater good" have become "heartless and indifferent to all relatives" in the eyes of those shrewd uncles, and have become a fatal and unforgivable stain on his leadership.

When the internal and external pressure on Toyokawa Takaaki accumulated to a critical point, Kujo Renji leisurely delivered the third and most deadly "gift".

This time, the express delivery did not bring any bloody body parts.

It was a small, black USB flash drive, lying quietly in a velvet box, like a black bomb.

Toyokawa Takaaki's heart sank. He dismissed his attendants and inserted the USB drive into his computer.

The screen lit up and a video began to play.

The video appears to be set in a basement, with dim lighting.

Toyokawa Kageyama was still alive. She was tied to a chair, her face gaunt and her eyes as hollow as a doll's, but there were no visible injuries on her body. On the table before her lay a document.

In the video, under the camera's pressure, Toyokawa Kageyama, in a trembling, lifeless voice, read out the most core clauses of the plan, word for word. Each word was like a hammer, hammering down on Toyokawa Takaaki's heart.

At the end of the video, the screen freezes on Kageyama's desperate face. A voice processed by a voice changer, with an electronic sound, and it is difficult to distinguish between male and female, sounded, with a tone full of teasing:

"Toyokawa Takaaki, your cold-bloodedness is amusing. But it seems that your sister is more valuable than you think. She knows far more than you realize. What do you think would happen if this video appeared in the mailbox of your respectable uncles or Toyokawa Sadaharu now?"

"boom!"

Toyokawa Takaaki slammed his fist on the expensive mahogany desk, and the back of his hand turned purple instantly.

He didn't feel any pain at all. Instead, a bone-chilling chill rushed from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, making his whole body cold. Cold sweat instantly soaked his shirt.

He got it.

He got it completely.

He gave up his sister in order to preserve his power.

But now, it is precisely the act of "giving up his sister" itself that is making him lose everything!

He was trapped in a perfect vicious circle carefully constructed by the other party.

To rescue him would be to yield to the kidnappers and admit that his previous cold-blooded strategy was a stupid mistake, and his prestige in the family would be completely destroyed.

If he is not saved, once this video is leaked, he will be immediately attacked from both sides by Toyokawa Sadaharu who has been eyeing him covetously, and the side relatives who have already become suspicious of him. He will be completely kicked out on the charge of "betraying the family", and his reputation will be ruined and he will be left with nothing!

His "cold-bloodedness," his "rationality," and the business acumen he prided himself on were all as ridiculous as childish tricks in front of the other party. He was completely pushed to the edge of the cliff, with no way out.

Just when he was on the verge of a mental breakdown, a conversation request suddenly popped up on the computer screen from an encrypted communication software.

The avatar is a black butterfly.

Kujo Renji knew the time had come. Toyokawa Takaaki had no choice but to click "Agree" and enter into this "exchange of interests" he had planned long ago.

He was not forcing Toyokawa Takaaki to save his sister.

He was forcing Toyokawa Takaaki to "must" save his sister in order to preserve his own shaky power and status.

Of course, he had no intention of letting either of them live.

...

PS: This chapter has 7,000 words, and I should be able to add more in the next few days.

Chapter 142: A private seat in Tokyo Bay.

Toyokawa Takaaki had no choice.

He took a deep breath and clicked "Accept".

A dialog box pops up on the screen.

Three billion bearer Swiss bank bonds.

[You, Toyokawa Takaaki, must personally bring the bonds and go to the designated location at the designated time to complete the exchange.]

【We promise that once we get the money, Toyokawa Kageyama will be returned safe and sound.】

After reading these lines of words, Toyokawa Takaaki's tense nerves surprisingly relaxed.

Humiliating conditions.

But under this humiliation, Toyokawa Takaaki felt a trace of morbid excitement that had been suppressed for a long time.

He finally dragged the other party out of the darkness and into the light.

Once he entered the "transaction" phase, everything returned to his familiar territory. Money, location, time, people—these were all variables that could be quantified, analyzed, and manipulated.

He, Toyokawa Takaaki, excelled at this. He could deploy snipers, lay out preemptive attacks, manipulate bonds, and leverage his vast financial resources and intelligence network to find that crucial breakthrough point in this seemingly passive transaction.

Did the other party think this was blackmailing him?

No, it was handing him a knife.

His heart, which had been beating violently due to fear and anger, gradually calmed down.

【I agree. 】

he replied.

He began to secretly and with astonishing efficiency to mobilize this huge amount of money. This process gave him a long-lost sense of control.

The illusion that he was solving the problem re-encapsulated his cold limbs like a warm tide.

Little did he know that every "effort" he made at this moment, every self-righteous "plan", was just the first nail that he would tighten in his own coffin.

...

The transaction took place at an abandoned dock on the edge of Tokyo Bay.

This was once a freight transit station where the Fengchuan Group made its fortune in its early days, but was later abandoned as the industry upgraded.

The night was as dark as ink, and the sea breeze was mixed with the salty smell of rust and sea water.

The huge crane was like a silent steel behemoth, casting a hideous shadow in the darkness.

Toyokawa Takaaki walked into the designated Warehouse No. 2 alone, carrying a heavy, specially made metal suitcase.

He was wearing a black windbreaker with the collar standing up, covering half of his face.

His heart was beating fast, not because of fear, but because of excitement and nervousness.

He had already arranged three groups of his most elite bodyguards outside the warehouse. As long as he gave the signal, they would rush in within thirty seconds.

The warehouse was empty, with only the dim moonlight filtering through the high windows, casting several long streaks of light on the dusty ground.

The air was filled with the smell of decay.

He stood in the middle of the warehouse, waiting.

One minute.

five minutes.

ten minutes.

The kidnappers did not show up.

An ominous premonition began to spread in his heart.

His plan based on business logic seemed somewhat powerless in the face of such eerie silence.

Just then, a sharp sound broke the silence of the night.

It wasn't the kidnapper's footsteps, nor was it the sound of a car engine.

It's a siren.

It came from far away, shrill and rapid, and surrounded us from all directions.

Immediately afterwards, countless dazzling blue and red police lights penetrated the warehouse windows and spun wildly on the spider-web-covered walls.

"police!"

"Don't move, anyone inside! Put down your weapons!"

The door of the warehouse was suddenly thrown open, and dozens of fully armed mobile police rushed in, with their guns pointed at the only figure in the center of the warehouse.

——Takaaki Toyokawa.

His mind went blank.

police?

Why are there police?

He subconsciously raised his hands, and the suitcase in his hand fell to the ground with a clang. The lock popped open, and bundles of beautifully packaged bearer bonds scattered out, reflecting an attractive luster under the police's flashlight beam.

Renji Kujo had already used an untraceable anonymous phone to report to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department that "commercial spies were conducting illegal confidential intelligence transactions in an abandoned warehouse of a competitor of the Toyokawa Group."

Time, place, people, and stolen goods.

Everything was impeccable.

Toyokawa Takaaki was pinned to the ground by the police, with cold handcuffs locking his wrists.

He looked at his "ransom" scattered on the ground, the old logos of competing companies around him, and the police's eyes that looked like they were facing a great enemy. He was speechless.

He can't wash himself clean even if he jumps into the Yellow River.

And this is just the first movement of the Symphony of Hell.