Super Soldier in the City

Chapter 2443 - 2507: Aoki Ryota Disappears

Upon hearing Suzuki Kawako’s probing, Aoki Reiko suddenly became anxious. Already feeling guilty, she became somewhat flustered when probed, and said, "Kawako, don’t say that, Mr. Mu Fei... is very nice, and Yifei is also very good.""Hahaha, caught you! Quickly admit it, have you and Yifei already made it official? Of course, I’m not saying you must have done that kind of thing!" Suzuki Kawako immediately perked up, as she had already discerned many things from Aoki Reiko’s reaction.

The more Kawako said this, the more Aoki Reiko wanted to deny it, saying, "There’s... nothing, Yifei and I are very innocent."

If Li Yifei weren’t around, she wouldn’t be so panicked; after all, she was lying right in front of Li Yifei.

Suzuki Kawako licked her lips and said with a mischievous smile, "Miss Reiko, how many years have we known each other?"

"Huh?" Aoki Reiko was slightly stunned for a moment before quickly replying, "Many years, we’ve known each other since we were little."

"The old you would have directly told me the exact number of years, even which day. Now you’re giving me this vague answer. Miss Reiko, you must be very flustered inside." Suzuki Kawako shook her head with a pout, walked a few steps with her hands behind her back, and continued, "But if you don’t want to say, then don’t. As someone who knows you better than your family, even if you don’t say anything, I know everything."

"Huh?" Aoki Reiko was immediately tongue-tied, not knowing how to continue, while Kawako had already turned away. Aoki Reiko didn’t know whether she was angry or something else and subconsciously turned her gaze towards Li Yifei.

Li Yifei said, "It’s getting late; let’s pack up and get ready to leave."

"Oh, okay." Aoki Reiko patted her chest. Though she’s lied before, she’s never deceived a friend like this, and now, nearly exposed by Suzuki Kawako, she felt very uncomfortable.

Li Yifei’s words were like heavenly music, freeing her; Aoki Reiko quickly returned to her bedroom, while Suzuki Kawako sighed softly and said gloomily, "If you’re together, then just admit it; why hide it from me, what’s the point?"

This sounded off, and as Li Yifei glanced over, he ran into Suzuki Kawako’s gaze, sensing a hint of resentment and reluctance in her eyes.

Understanding, Li Yifei, no longer a clueless youth, immediately sensed Suzuki Kawako’s emotions from her gaze. Could it be that this girl... also liked him?

As he thought this, Suzuki Kawako spoke up, saying in a low voice, "Yifei, Reiko is a good girl; if you’ve already decided, please cherish her!"

"Well..."

"I understand; she’s shy. Let her adapt before telling me," Suzuki Kawako paused and continued, "It’s her first time in a relationship, so she might have many immature aspects. I hope you can be tolerant. Also... to be honest, I’m worried about her... interactions at your home, considering we belong to different countries, and there are differences in habits. If she makes any mistakes, please be patient and give Reiko time; she’ll change."

Hearing this, Li Yifei scratched his head, smiling sheepishly, "Don’t worry, I’ll do my best."

"I hope so. Otherwise, no matter your distinguished reputation, Yifei, I’ll still stand up for my best friend!" Suzuki Kawako spoke seriously, yet Li Yifei saw her poke her tongue out, seemingly not believing herself, and added, "When I hit you, you can’t fight back, nor let anyone else hit me."

"That shouldn’t happen. Besides... if you want to hit, go ahead, just worried your hand might hurt afterward." Li Yifei replied.

Suzuki Kawako bit her lip, sighed inwardly, and said to herself, "What a pity."

"I’ll go pack too, but I’m not going with you guys; been away from home for many days, I’ll visit dad."

"Alright, you go pack then." Li Yifei said.

Back in her room, Suzuki Kawako made a face-covering gesture, finally lifting her head after a minute or two, gently sighed, talking to herself, "It’s not yours, so stop pining."

"Phew, it’s nothing, it’s supposed to be this way anyway." Suzuki Kawako finished speaking and started packing.

A half-hour later, Li Yifei, the holy maiden, and Aoki Reiko got into the car, with Suzuki Kawako waving from outside, watching the three leave.

At Aoki Family’s house in Yokohama, Li Yifei parked the car, and the three of them got out. Aoki Reiko felt nervous in her heart; the change in identity indeed made her feel a bit uneased, and Li Yifei comforted her several times.

Aoki Ryota was not home. Aoki Reiko asked around and was told he received a call an hour ago and went out to meet a friend, so the three were not in a hurry.

Not meeting his father-in-law for the first time, Li Yifei wasn’t particularly nervous; he was only wondering what Aoki Ryota was up to.

The three waited for a while, but there was no sign of Aoki Ryota coming back. After a few minutes, Aoki Reiko received a call, and within seconds, her face changed drastically.

"My dad... he’s missing." Aoki Reiko said, her tone frantic.

"Don’t panic, what happened?" Li Yifei quickly asked.

"Dad just finished meeting a friend and wanted to go to the bathroom. The bodyguards waited for a long time but he never came out. They broke into the bathroom to find that Dad was not inside..."

Li Yifei’s heart jolted. For someone of Aoki Ryota’s status, it’s impossible for him to go out without bodyguards. The number of bodyguards should be over eight, and whenever he goes out, bodyguards follow to guard against possible dangers. Listening to Aoki Reiko’s description, Li Yifei instinctively felt that this shouldn’t happen.

The bathroom had only one entrance and exit, no windows, and several bodyguards were standing at the door. In theory, a living person couldn’t just disappear, but now Aoki Ryota has indeed vanished.

Then... Li Yifei’s first instinct was the ventilation duct. However, he quickly received news that the ventilation duct was intact, showing no signs of damage, indicating that Aoki Ryota was not taken through it.

Apart from the ventilation duct, the only other pipes in the bathroom are the drainage pipes, which are impossible for a person to pass through.

"He still went out through the door, Reiko, have them immediately check surrounding surveillance. A person can’t just vanish into thin air!" Li Yifei instructed, heading out, preparing to examine the scene himself.

The name Aoki Ryota is renowned even in Japan; even regular citizens know of him. If such a figure goes missing, it could shake the entire Aoki Group, starting with a drop in stock price. As a publicly-listed company, it’s strange if the stock doesn’t fall when the president goes missing. If someone is deliberately suppressing, a crash is very likely.

Since Aoki Ryota’s disappearance is now a fact, Li Yifei first thought of the possible suspects. On the way there, he obtained some information: the Aoki Group recently ventured into Europe, theoretically offending some people and threatening their interests. But... the motivation for kidnapping Aoki Ryota remains unclear.

Domestically, the Aoki Group’s development wasn’t peaceful, especially in the early stages, marked by a bloody history. Aoki Ryota wasn’t a purely commercial figure, thus he had many enemies and those who hated him, making many possible suspects in theory.

However, at this crucial moment, Li Yifei was more inclined to suspect the Noah’s Ark Organization... because it was too bizarre, especially when he saw the environment at the bathroom scene. Besides the door, there was no other way out, unless the perpetrators broke through the wall or ceiling.

"Did you search the female restroom?" Li Yifei asked in a deep voice.

The bodyguard nodded and said, "Checked, when we realized something was wrong, we immediately sealed off the area, and everyone inside went through inspections!"

Li Yifei responded with a nod, "What about surveillance?"

"We’ve gathered all nearby surveillance, but there’s no lead..."

"Bring it to me!" Li Yifei demanded.

The surveillance was brought over, and Li Yifei swiftly reviewed it, indeed finding no suspicious individuals.

When something is abnormal, there’s a reason behind it; ordinary people definitely couldn’t accomplish this. Recalling Aoki Ryota’s height and figure, Li Yifei’s mind quickly replayed clips from several surveillance videos, as if mapping them out, rapidly fast-forwarding.

Dozens of seconds later, Li Yifei suddenly opened his eyes. In his memory, one of the surveillance clips showed a woman walking out of the bathroom, about one meter seventy in height. Enlarging the footage, Li Yifei saw the woman’s eyes. It was the only angle, and her eyes were lifeless, devoid of any spirit and focus.

He tapped the screen and immediately said, "Follow, follow that woman!"

"Sir?" The bodyguards were somewhat puzzled, not understanding why Li Yifei gave this order.

"There’s something wrong with that woman. You need to track her whereabouts immediately!" Li Yifei said, "She might actually be Mr. Aoki Ryota."

"What? How is that possible, sir? Are you mistaken? I remember that woman; she didn’t look well, very pale. When she came out of the bathroom, I was responsible for searching her, confirmed she’s female!" one of the bodyguards said.

Li Yifei looked at him and said, "How did you confirm? Did you check thoroughly?"

"Well... no!" the bodyguard replied.

Li Yifei gave him a deep gaze. Though the bodyguard denied it, his demeanor was normal. Upon hearing this, other bodyguards hurried to track down the woman’s whereabouts, ensuring confidentiality without any leaks of information.

Aoki Reiko arrived soon after; she wasn’t a token figure. In fact, she was involved and even managed some of the Aoki Group’s affairs. Although worried about her father’s sudden disappearance, she knew what needed to be done at that moment.

Aoki Ryota’s disappearance might become a major turning point for the entire group, an extremely significant event, prompting Aoki Reiko to step up.