Chapter 109: Hostage

Only a few minutes passed before the screams and cries outside grew louder, and the sound of hurried footsteps drew closer.

“Bang!” The door to the hospital room was kicked open. A man with a submachine gun in hand stormed in.

“Everyone, out!” The man shouted in stiff Japanese.

The girls in the room exchanged glances, and the room fell silent.

Around five hundred patients, doctors, and nurses from the entire hospital were gathered in the hallway on the second floor and in the lobby on the first floor.

Standing among them, continuously patrolling, were about twenty young men wearing masks, carrying submachine guns or handguns.

Even Masashi and the others, originally in Sayaka’s room, were forced out into the hallway on the second floor.

If it had been just Lei Yin, he could have easily taken down the intruder before the other armed men noticed, then jumped down from the second floor to escape. But now, with four girls along for the ride, things became much more complicated.

Japan, a country frequently hit by earthquakes, had become somewhat desensitized to the natural disaster. Perhaps as a result, the Japanese people gathered here didn’t scream hysterically as they were forced out of the room. Instead, the atmosphere was eerily quiet and lifeless. Yet, fear and unease were visible in everyone’s eyes. None of them had ever imagined they would find themselves in a situation like this—one usually only seen on the news.

Among the armed men, a tall, skinny man stood with his face wrapped in red cloth. The two men and one woman masquerading as doctor, nurse, and patient were standing beside him.

Next to them were three chairs, with three men bound by their hands and looking defeated sitting in them.

The man on the far left was a middle-aged man whose belly was so large it resembled that of a pregnant woman.

Next to him sat a man in his sixties, slightly thinner than the large man.

The man sitting at the far end was in a hospital gown, wearing black-rimmed glasses, and appeared to be in his fifties.

The man with the black-rimmed glasses was someone Masashi had seen on TV before. He suspected he might be the patient who had been staying in the VIP room.

He was none other than Shintaro Ishihara, the current Mayor of Tokyo and a strong candidate for the position of Prime Minister. The other two men were likely also influential political figures.

“Why are you doing this to us? Please let us go,” an elderly man at the front suddenly stood up and shouted at the tall, skinny man.

Everyone immediately turned their attention to the elderly man and the man standing in front of him.

The tall man gave a subtle glance at the “female nurse” beside him, and she immediately nodded in understanding.

The woman then spoke in very stiff Japanese: “In the name of the compassionate and merciful God, we are members of the ‘July Movement’ jihadist organization from the Middle East. We have no intention of harming friendly foreign civilians. Based on reports, we understand that our religious council has ordered us not to kill. However, it is with great regret that the government of your country has detained an important member of our organization who had sought asylum here and is planning to transfer him to the United States for trial. The trial is unjust, and in order to free our comrade, we have decided to use your freedom as a bargaining chip for his release.

Although we do not wish to kill, we will eliminate anyone who interferes with our plans. Please behave accordingly.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the room erupted in chaos.

So, they really had become hostages?

Just then, the sound of sirens erupted outside the hospital. In a matter of seconds, more than a dozen police cars had parked outside the building. Dozens of armed police officers got out of the vehicles, drawing their guns and taking cover behind the cars.

A police officer with a megaphone shouted toward the building: “Listen up, you are surrounded. Put down your weapons and surrender now, or we will use force.”

The woman who had just spoken walked to the door and yelled, “We demand a dialogue.”

“Patrol Chief, what’s the situation?” Maeda Ryutaro asked as he approached a police officer.

The Patrol Chief saluted and replied, “Report, Chief Inspector, there are over twenty individuals claiming to be members of the ‘July Movement’ jihadist organization. They have taken nearly five hundred people hostage from the entire hospital. In addition, Mayor Shintaro Ishihara, along with legislators Fukunaga Fukushi and Yamazaki Nagatoshi, are also in their hands.”

They are demanding that we release an international prisoner named Marando, who is being held in Tokyo Prison, within twelve hours. They also want the government to provide a ransom of $100 million. Lastly, they insist that when Marando is released, a plane must be ready for them.

They have declared that if Marando is not here within twelve hours, they will kill one person every minute.”

“Marando? Could that guy be one of their accomplices?” Maeda Ryutaro asked.

“I’m sorry, I’m not sure about that,” came the reply.

Looking at the hostages packed tightly inside the building from a distance, Maeda sighed and said, “Quickly notify the Police Chief and report the situation here in detail. This is not something we can handle alone. This is a genuine hostage crisis. We can only rely on the Special Operations Unit now—those guys who usually don’t have much to do.”

“Yes, Chief Inspector.” After saluting, the Patrol Chief immediately called headquarters.

By now, the sky had darkened, and fifteen minutes later, three vehicles resembling trucks drove in.

When they stopped, more than thirty young men wearing black bulletproof vests and fully armed jumped out of the back of the trucks.

“Hello, I am Ryozawa, commander of the Special Crime Investigation Unit. Are you in charge here?” A man in his thirties approached Maeda Ryutaro.

“Hello, I am Maeda Ryutaro, and I am in charge here,” Maeda replied.

“I need to understand everything that’s happening here,” Ryozawa said.

“Patrol Chief, please explain the situation to Officer Ryozawa,” Maeda called for the Patrol Chief.

As the Patrol Chief explained the details, suddenly, several luxury cars drove in.

This large-scale event had indeed reached higher authorities. Seeing the Police Chief, flanked by several high-ranking officers rarely seen in public, walking toward the building from one of the luxury cars, Maeda thought to himself.

“Officer Ryozawa, you’re an expert in handling situations like this. Do you really think this plan will work?” Half an hour later, after hearing Ryozawa’s operational plan, the Police Chief, whose hair was now half gray, asked in a deep voice.

“Report, Chief. To maximize the chance of rescuing the hostages, this is the best approach,” Ryozawa replied.

“I disagree with this plan. It is far too dangerous for the hostages inside,” one officer immediately objected.

“I also disagree. Most of the people inside are patients, and this could lead to significant casualties,” another officer said.

“Unless we agree to their demands, this is the only way to maximize the chances of rescuing the hostages, the mayor, and the two legislators,” Ryozawa retorted.

“No, absolutely not! We cannot agree to their demands. Have you all forgotten the hijacking incident with the Red Army members twenty years ago? The government lost face because we agreed to the hijackers’ demands. That’s why the special forces unit was created afterward. If we agree to these terrorists’ demands, our country will become a cash cow for other terrorists. I’ve made up my mind. Until a better solution is proposed, let’s prepare to implement Officer Ryozawa’s plan,” the Police Chief said firmly.

“Understood,” the others responded, following the command.

Will everything really go smoothly? Maeda Ryutaro, who was silently listening, felt uneasy.

“Do you think they will really kill us?” Yamaguchi Sayaka suddenly asked, staring out at the mass of police cars and officers outside.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be fine,” Yamaguchi Tomoko comforted her younger sister as she hugged her.

“Ah, I can’t believe this is happening. I still feel like I’m dreaming, but no matter how much I pinch myself, it still hurts,” Tachibana Sui whispered.

“Masashi, are you scared?” Kurata Ryoko gently asked the silent young man sitting next to her.

“I’m not really scared. Just a little hungry,” Masashi shrugged.

“You’re such a pig, still thinking about food at a time like this,” Ryoko scolded.

“How can I do anything without food to give me strength?” Masashi replied calmly.