boyutpedia Page 137
Page 137
Seemingly casual, it cleverly separated Takada and his two companions from the surrounding crowd, while guiding them towards the direction of descending the mountain.
"Takada-senpai, what exactly is going on?" Sato Miwako asked in a low voice, her hand still tightly gripping the pepper spray in her bag, her sharp eyes scanning the surroundings, especially the "bodyguards".
Yumi Miyamoto followed closely behind her, her usual liveliness gone, replaced by tension and unease.
“We’ll talk about it back at the hotel,” Yuki Takada said succinctly, his gaze never leaving the spot where the blonde woman—Ariel Kruger—had stood, but it was now empty.
"Gentlemen, please stay close to us." The man who had spoken to Takada Yuki earlier seemed to be the leader of the three. His voice was deep and carried an unquestionable tone. "We will escort you safely back to the hotel."
They walked briskly down the hilly streets of Montmartre, avoiding the bustling main roads and choosing a relatively quiet side street.
The stone slabs echoed crisply underfoot, flanked by closed shops and houses with warm lights, a stark contrast to the bustling scene in front of the Sacred Heart Church just minutes before.
Yuki Takada noticed that the three men were more vigilant, their hands always close to where they might be hiding weapons at their waists.
This atmosphere of heightened vigilance is not merely about preventing theft gangs.
His mind was racing.
Ariel Kruger, that name resurfaces.
Although he had only met Miss Ariel Kruger once, why would he go to such lengths for them after only one meeting?
Chapter 175 Sudden Attack
Yuki Takada made a quick phone call and reported the current situation to Section Chief Matsumoto, essentially saying that Yuki Takada could handle it on his own.
Why did Miss Ariel Kruger send people to protect them?
What exactly is this so-called "danger"?
The Metropolitan Police Department's response mentioned that they had no criminal record, and their identities as "former members of the Foreign Legion" and "employees of an international private security company" themselves meant that they were by no means ordinary security guards.
Anonymous intelligence pointed to a "theft gang," which was clearly a smokescreen. Even colleagues in the International Cooperation Department were misled, or rather... the information was intentionally filtered?
“Something’s not right.” Sato Miwako suddenly stopped, her gaze fixed on a dimly lit intersection ahead. “Yumi, look over there.”
Yumi Miyamoto followed her gaze, her expression changing slightly: "Is it... that person who looked somewhat familiar outside the Louvre?"
Yuuki Takada felt a chill run down his spine.
In the shadows of the fork in the road, two figures stood vaguely, dressed in dark coats, almost blending into their surroundings.
They didn't make any move, just stood there quietly, but their cold, scrutinizing gaze could be felt even from a distance.
"Take a detour." The lead bodyguard made the decision immediately, without the slightest hesitation.
He made a gesture, and the three-person team immediately changed direction, leading Takada and the others into another narrow alley.
The alleyway was narrow, allowing only two or three people to walk side by side. Overhead, crisscrossing clotheslines and extending windowsills fragmented the night sky.
The air seemed to freeze, leaving only the sound of their hurried footsteps and suppressed breathing.
Yuki Takada could sense the tension in Kazuko Sato's nerves, and he quietly gripped the baton tightly in his hand as well.
Just as they were about to emerge from the alley and see the relatively open street ahead, a sudden change occurred!
"Bang!" A dull sound rang out, not from a gunshot, but more like the sound of a heavy object striking flesh.
The bodyguard at the very back of the group groaned and collapsed limply, without even having time to sound the alarm.
Almost at the same time, two dark figures appeared at the exit of the alleyway, blocking the way.
Behind them, the two people they had seen at the fork in the road silently followed, forming a pincer movement.
"Crouch down!" the lead bodyguard roared, shoving Takada Yuuki against the wall while nimbly rolling to the side.
"Whoosh—!" A soft whooshing sound rang out as something flew past the spot where Takada had just been standing and embedded itself in the opposite wall—it was a small, gleaming dart.
Is it an anesthetic injection?
Or a poisoned needle?
Yuuki Takada was shocked; this was not the method of a theft gang at all!
"Sato! Yumi! Quick, find cover!"
Yuki Takada shouted sharply, while he leaned against the wall, gripping his baton tightly, and stared intently at the approaching figure in front of him.
Sato Miwako already held the pepper spray in her hand, her eyes sharp as an eagle's. Miyamoto Yumi, though pale-faced, quickly hid behind an abandoned wooden crate.
The lead bodyguard and his companion had already engaged the attackers who had followed behind.
The movements were lightning fast, entirely professional martial arts; the sounds of fists and feet clashing echoed through the narrow alley, dull and deadly.
The opponent was clearly no ordinary opponent either; his moves were ruthless, and his objective was clear—to subdue rather than kill.
Yuki Takada noticed that the two people blocking the road ahead were not in a hurry to move forward. One of them even raised his hand to look at his watch, as if he was calculating the time.
Such calmness and efficiency are chilling.
We must break through!
Yuki Takada made a decision instantly.
The enemy has a numerical advantage, the environment is unfavorable, and if we delay any longer, we will only be wiped out.
He glanced at Sato Miwako and gestured towards the front. Sato immediately understood; she took a deep breath, leaned out from behind cover, and forcefully sprayed the pepper spray in her hand towards the two people in front of her!
"Hiss—" A pungent mist spread out. The two men were clearly not prepared for such a non-lethal but extremely effective attack, and instinctively retreated and raised their hands to shield themselves.
It's now!
"Go!" Yuuki Takada roared, grabbed Yumi Miyamoto, and charged forward.
Upon seeing this, the lead bodyguard immediately broke free from the entanglement and protected their flanks.
However, just as they were about to rush out of the alley, a black van suddenly stopped outside the alley without warning, and the door opened with a "whoosh," revealing a bottomless darkness inside.
Takada Yuki's heart sank to the bottom instantly—he'd fallen for their trap!
The attacks before and after were merely a means to coerce; the real trap lies here!
"Get in!" a cold voice came from inside the truck, carrying an undeniable air of authority. At the same time, a silenced pistol emerged from the shadows of the truck door and was pointed at them.
Caught in a pincer attack, their retreat was cut off.
Yuki Takada could feel that Kazuko Sato's breathing had almost stopped.
The bodyguard leader froze; at this distance, any resistance could have fatal consequences.
Just at this critical moment, a rapid and loud siren broke the silence of the neighborhood as it approached from afar!
The alternating red and blue flashing lights of the police car pierced the night as it rapidly approached.
The door of the black van slammed shut, the engine roared, and it sped away, disappearing at the end of the street.
The attackers in front of and behind the alley, like ghosts, quickly retreated into the shadows and disappeared amidst the sound of sirens.
Everything happened so fast, it felt like a nightmare.
Yuuki Takada leaned against the wall, panting heavily, his underwear soaked with cold sweat.
Sato Miwako supported the nearly exhausted Miyamoto Yumi, still shaken. The bodyguard leader quickly checked his fallen companion's condition and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that he was merely unconscious, though his expression remained grave.
Two French police patrol cars were parked at the entrance of the alley, and several policemen got out of the cars with guns, observing the situation warily.
"What's going on?" a police officer asked in French.
The head of the bodyguards stepped forward, spoke to him in fluent French, and presented some kind of identification.
Yuki Takada noticed that the police officer's attitude became noticeably more respectful after seeing the identification.
All of this is definitely not simple.
Yuuki Takada walked up to the head bodyguard, looked him straight in the eye, and asked in a low voice in Japanese, "Now, can you tell us?"
"Who exactly is Ariel Kruger? What are you protecting us for? And who were those people just now?"
The bodyguard looked at Takada, then at the two still-shaken ladies, and after a moment of silence, finally spoke: "This is not the place to talk. We will escort you back to your hotel first, and once we are absolutely safe... Miss Ariel Kruger will personally explain to you all."
He paused, then added in a low, serious voice: "Regarding why you were caught up in this... 'storm'."
On the way back to the hotel, the car was completely silent.
Outside the window, Paris is ablaze with lights, while the Seine flows silently, reflecting the enchanting and mysterious allure of this city of light.
Yuuki Takada gazed out the window, the blonde woman's gesture pointing to the Seine replaying in his mind.
A storm... He had a vague feeling that their flight to Paris might have entered the center of a huge vortex from the very beginning.
The answer may lie hidden in some unknown shadow along the banks of the Seine.
Chapter 176 Conversation with Ariel
On the way back to the hotel, an almost frozen silence filled the car.
Outside the window, Paris was ablaze with lights, and the Seine flowed silently through the night, reflecting the enchanting and mysterious allure of the city of light. But the four people inside the car had no time to appreciate it.
Miyamoto Yumi leaned on Sato Miwako's shoulder, seemingly still not fully recovered from the shock she had just experienced.
Miwako Sato pursed her lips tightly, her sharp gaze sweeping across the street scene flashing past the window, like a wary cheetah.
Yuuki Takada sat in the passenger seat, observing the vehicles behind him through the rearview mirror while keeping an eye on the bodyguard leader driving the car—the former foreign legion member who called himself "Matthew."
Matthew drove fast and steadily, choosing a route that was not the shortest but clearly prioritized safety, making several detours and lane changes to check if there were any followers.
As for his companion, the bodyguard who was knocked unconscious in the alley, after a brief check confirming he was unharmed, he was taken to a safe location in another vehicle.
Matthew didn't speak again until the car came to a smooth stop in front of the hotel's private elevator in the underground parking garage, his tone still calm:
"Please go directly to your rooms and do not linger elsewhere. We will have people guarding the entrances and exits. Miss Ariel will contact you in an hour."
Yuuki Takada nodded without asking further questions. He knew that any further inquiry would be futile before he received a definite answer.
The three of them silently took the elevator upstairs and returned to their adjacent rooms.
Yuki Takada's room was a standard single room, elegantly furnished.
He locked the door, drew the curtains, and carefully checked every corner of the room to make sure there was nothing unusual.
Then he walked to the window and looked down through the gap in the curtains.
Everything seemed normal at the hotel entrance, with cars flowing by and pedestrians strolling, as if the life-or-death moment in the Montmartre alleys just hours earlier had never happened.