Although Miyazaki Ronjin had said that they were going to meet with the Yakuza, he instead drove to Xiao Luo’s apartment. When he entered the apartment, he slept on the sofa in the living room.
Xiao Luo looked confused and asked, “What are you doing?”
“Yakuza being who they are, of course, will not show up in broad daylight. We’ll see after eleven o’clock tonight,” Miyazaki Ronjin answered. He then closed his eyes and appeared ready to fall asleep. His indolence seemed to have peaked at that moment.
What the hell?
Xiao Luo held back the urge to use a choice expletive.
Kimura Akino smiled awkwardly. As it was close to noon, he asked, “Mr. Xiao Han, I’ll go get us some lunch. What do you want to eat?”
“I’ll leave it to you. I will have whatever you are having,” Xiao Luo replied, not particularly in the mood for a meal.
“Alright, I’ll be right back.”
Kimura Akino nodded and then turned to ask his superior officer who was half-asleep on the sofa. “Miyazaki-san, what about you?”
Miyazaki Ronjin already had his eyes closed and said without thinking, “Steamed soybeans and steamed orange!”
“Huh?” Kimura Akino responded.
It confused him, and he wondered what kind of dish that was. Why had he not heard of it before?
Before he could react, Miyazaki Ronjin continued, “I also want Watermelon with Green Pepper and Tofu Milk.”
Kimura Akino was even more confused now. Watermelon with Green Pepper and Tofu Milk? Was there such a thing in this world? Did he actually mean green pepper, tofu milk, and watermelon?
“And make that a little spicy!” Miyazaki Ronjin added abruptly.
It stumped Kimura Akino, but he decided to just reply with an okay and left. He thought to himself, “Although I don’t know what these dishes are, I’m sure that someone should know about them. I will just have to ask around.”
Xiao Luo couldn’t help but laugh. “It appears Miyazaki-san also watches the Stephen Chow movies,” he said.
Miyazaki Ronjin cracked his eyes open and grinned at Xiao Luo. “I like Mr. Chow’s movies very much. They are hilarious without losing their meaning and sincerity. I am a big fan of his,” he said.
“I like his movies too. They are humorous. What’s more, the main characters are not the only ones who shine. Even the extras have a lot of memorable scenes,” Xiao Luo responded.
Miyazaki Ronjin smiled at Xiao Luo. “It looks like we have something else in common at least,” he responded.
Xiao Luo did not continue this topic and instead asked, “Why did you make it difficult for Akino with dishes that don’t exist?”
“To cultivate and train him,” Miyazaki-san answered.
Miyazaki Ronjin took a cigarette out from his pocket, held it to his mouth, and lit it. “He didn’t join any other divisions, instead, he chose me with no hesitation. That being the case, I have the responsibility of grooming him to become an outstanding police officer. However, he lacks self-confidence; you saw for yourself. When I told him what I wanted, he knew that there are no such dishes in the world, but he didn’t dare to question that. That is equivalent to knowing the truth but not daring to speak up. I cannot see how Akino can support the 4th Division after I retire,” Miyazaki Ronjin said.
“But it is not in your problem whether he can support the 4th Division. Your director will surely arrange for someone else to replace you,” Xiao Luo said.
Miyazaki Ronjin smoked his cigarette and smiled. After a long while, he asked, “Do you know why he chose to follow me?”
Xiao Luo frowned and shook his head, indicating that he did not know.
“The Yamaguchi-gumi killed his entire family. I managed to save him. Then, he was just a teenager.”
Miyazaki Ronjin had an empathetic smile on his face. “I accidentally found out about him when I was looking through his files. And the guy still thinks that I don’t know,” he said.
“Well, you are quite a character,” Xiao Luo remarked.
Miyazaki-san as he changed the subject. “Right, it is now time to give you my opinion about the disappearance of citizens from Hua nation,” he said.
For some reason, Miyazaki Ronjin suddenly decided to discuss the case with Xiao Luo. He sat up on the sofa and said, “Why did the kidnappers target those five people? I don’t think the abduction was carried out randomly. These missing people must have something in common—maybe it was because they happened to be at the same location and became targets for the kidnapper. Whether these people are from the Ri nation or the Hua nation, it’s difficult to differentiate their nationality just from their appearance. The kidnapper probably only knew they were from the Hua nation from overhearing them speak.”
Xiao Luo nodded and agreed with Miyazaki-san’s line of thought.
That they would appear in the same place means that that place is popular for Hua nation’s people,” Miyazaki-san continued.
“Do you mean department stores like Ito Yokado?” asked Xiao Luo.
Miyazaki Ronjin nodded, then stood up and said, “Beyond these places, there is another place that you not have considered.”
“Where?” Xiao Luo asked.
“Tangren Street,” Miyazaki Ronjin said, as he took a drag on his cigarette and slowly exhaled the smoke.
Xiao Luo has never been to the Ri nation. So, he did not know that there was a Tangren Street in the city. It meant “Chinese street” in Japanese.
“I have checked the information on those five people. Four of them have friends who ran shops and conducted businesses in Tangren Street. The other one is a female student. We cannot rule out the possibility that she went to Tangren Street. Living in a foreign country for so long, Tangren Street would offer her the feeling of being back in the Hua nation,” Miyazaki-san said.
“Do you mean that all five of them might have been targeted by the kidnappers at Tangren Street?” Xiao Luo asked.
“That’s just my guess,” Miyazaki Ronjin said, and after a pause, he continued, “As long as we’re looking for the black SUV, we might as well make a trip to Tangren Street. I’m going to let you be the decoy to see if the kidnappers will target you.”
“There are so many Hua nation people in Tangren Street. How can you be sure that the kidnapper will only target me?” Xiao Luo asked.
Miyazaki Ronjin said calmly, “I’m just trying my luck.”
Trying your luck?
Xiao Luo broke out in laughter. This old man didn’t seem so reliable after all.
For the time being, he still had no idea how he would carry out the investigation. According to the surveillance cameras in Dongjing, every time the owner of the black SUV kidnapped a person, he had always driven toward the outskirts of the city, disappearing into the dark of the night. It covered an extensive area and searching for the black SUV there was like looking for a needle in a haystack. So, his best alternative was to try Miyazaki Ronjin’s method first.
Soon, Kimura Akino returned.
What he had bought for Miyazaki Ronjin were bean drum, orange, green peppers, tofu, watermelon, and a small bag of seasoning chili sauce. Miyazaki Ronjin was dumbstruck and couldn’t find the words to reprimand him. He could only blink his eyes helplessly at Xiao Luo.
Xiao Luo smiled and said, “Mr. Akino’s adaptability is worthy of praise.”
“Hahaha…” Miyazaki Ronjin burst into laughter.
…
…
At 11 pm, Dongjing’s nightlife came alive.
The city was bustling with crowds and lit with brilliant, colorful lights. The streets were full of beautiful women dressed in sexy clothes.
“Women nowadays see the world with their third eye,” Miyazaki Ronjin joked. He was wearing a dirty trench coat and looked like a detective.
“A third eye?” Xiao Luo asked with surprise.
Xiao Luo was confused. He did not know what a third eye was.
Miyazaki Ronjin smiled playfully and said, “Navel.”
Xiao Luo and Kimura Akino were both amused by his answer, thinking to themselves Miyazaki-san had quite a sense of humor.
They arrived at a Sumo wrestling club. Sumo wrestling is a sport similar to boxing. It originated in the Hua nation and was now a popular wrestling sport in the Ri nation.
“Are the Yakuza inside?” Xiao Luo asked.
Miyazaki Ronjin nodded his head and led the way in.
