Bab 253: Easter Experimentation (4)
Furuya, flanked by two police officers, crept along the right side of the wall, his movements mirrored by Catherine and her pair of partners on the opposite side. The middle section, where the kidnapper held his ground, was treacherous to cross. Three members of the group had to maneuver past it, darting and diving behind false walls and fences to avoid detection.
Meanwhile, the other team had discovered the second kidnapper and their captive stationed at the far end of the room, allowing them the freedom to engage without concern for interference.
To create a distraction, the northern group lobbed several water bottles toward the first kidnapper. The clatter caught his attention, and he hesitated, his eyes darting toward the bottles but refusing to trust them. Despite the fabricated nature of this scenario, designed to test the quantum tech under realistic conditions, every participant adhered strictly to their roles.
As the kidnapper stood fixated on the unexpected projectiles, the trio positioned behind the wall he leaned against acted. Combining their strength, they drove their shoulders into the barrier, forcing it to collapse. The impact sent the man stumbling forward, and his grip on the woman slipped in the commotion, releasing her from his hold.
Furuya took advantage of the moment and shouted, "Cover your eyes!" His voice carried urgency as he noticed a small circular object flying through the air toward them.
The kidnapper, caught off guard, barely reacted. A burst of light and sound followed, leaving the man reeling from the disorienting flash. The explosive device, functioning like a flashbang, did its job, leaving him blind and vulnerable.
Before he could recover, another sphere was hurled into the scene. This one erupted immediately, releasing a dense cloud that obscured visibility, cutting off any chance for the man to regain control of the situation.
Furuya and five others wasted no time. He moved in with four others, their combined weight overwhelming the disoriented kidnapper as they tackled him to the ground. The scuffle was swift and effective, leaving the man restrained. At the same time, Catherine focused on pulling the victim out of danger.
She moved quickly, ensuring the woman was safely removed from the room, marking the success of their first target. The fake gun the man carried remained unused, proving the plan had gone off without a hitch.
"One suspect down, and one victim secured. One more remains. You're on schedule with about twenty minutes left," the scientist in the observation room noted, directing their words toward Yasushi, Jingliu, and Xinyi as they monitored the unfolding events below.
As Furuya and several others escorted the kidnapper into the adjacent room, the atmosphere shifted toward a subdued calm. The man rolled his shoulders and gave a half-hearted laugh.
"Man, you guys don't hold back," he said, shaking his head. "But hey, I signed up for this, so no complaints. At least there's some cash at the end of it."
One of the officers standing nearby clapped him on the shoulder, the motion more reassuring than rough. "Yeah, well, we've got to make sure everything runs as it should. Sorry if we were a bit heavy-handed, but you know how it is."
"Fair enough," the kidnapper replied, his tone laced with resignation as he shrugged off the encounter.
Furuya nodded to the man as he turned to leave, his focus narrowing back to the experiment. He understood the necessity of keeping things controlled, though the job rarely allowed for any margin of error. The remaining task loomed over them, knowing that the final kidnapper actor and the victim were holed up in a far less accessible location.
This one presented a unique challenge; they couldn't replicate their earlier strategy, as the setup left the perpetrator backed against an unmovable obstacle, eliminating many of their options.
Eventually, Furuya and his group rejoined the others, who were stationed a short distance away. They kept a careful watch on the last actor, keeping the scenario under close observation while mapping out their next move.
"Status?" Yamato's voice carried low, just above the quiet hum of tension surrounding the group.
"We can't close in," the officer responded, keeping his voice measured. "Every time we approach, he threatens to kill the hostage. Negotiation's off the table. He's not after money or leverage, so he's sticking to this stand."
Furuya leaned in slightly, his focus locked on Yamato. "What if we use the move from before? He wouldn't have seen it coming last time. It could still work if we catch him off guard."
Yamato's brow tightened as he shook his head. "That tactic depends on the element of surprise, and the setup's too specific. The kick to the back wall forced his balance off enough to break his grip. Without that disruption, we risk endangering her further. The stakes are too high to chance it."
"Then… how about we ask Yunxue?" Furuya proposed, causing the officers to exchange puzzled looks. He leaned forward slightly, elaborating on his idea. "She has an extraordinary amount of physical strength, and while that wall is fake, it's still incredibly heavy. Using basic psychology, that actor will instinctively try to protect her, assuming he thinks something has gone wrong with the mechanism. When he does, we'll move in, detain him, and rescue her."
Yamato frowned, his expression clouded with doubt. "But isn't that too dangerous? What if something goes wrong?"
Furuya gave a small shrug, undeterred by the concern. "That's why we'll position people at the opposite side of the wall. When it starts to come down, they'll intercept it before it hits anyone. The wall may be heavy, but if enough of us catch it, no one will get hurt. Once the wall is under control, we'll carry out the same plan to capture the kidnapper and save her."
They fell silent as Yamato and the others stared at Furuya. His idea sounded almost absurd — wild enough to raise doubts, yet somehow convincing enough to make them wonder if it just might work.
"Let's give it a try," Yamato said, the corner of his mouth lifting as he spoke.
"Chief!?" The man standing beside him stiffened, his voice filled with concern. "Are you certain about this? What if something goes wrong?"
"We can't dwell on 'what-ifs' forever," Yamato cut in, his tone unwavering. "If we keep second-guessing, we'll get nowhere. Pass the word — everyone needs to know it's time to move forward. Let's get this operation underway."
The man hesitated for a moment before nodding reluctantly and hurrying off to relay the message. Yamato turned his attention to Furuya, his expression carrying both challenge and expectation. "You're part of the group rescuing that girl. I want to see what you can really do out there."
Furuya's hand shot up in a mock salute, his voice filled with enthusiasm. "Understood, sir!" Without wasting a moment, he followed Yamato as they headed off to finalize preparations for the next phase of the experiment.
+-+
The group was ready. Each person had taken their place, double-checking their surroundings and waiting for the final signal. They had less than five minutes to bring everything to an end. Quiet nods passed between those nearby, a silent confirmation that everyone was in position. The signal traveled steadily through the group until it reached Yamato, the leader and the one tasked with setting the plan in motion.
Yamato picked up a water bottle and hurled it into the air. It soared high, clearing the low barriers, catching the light, and becoming visible even to Yunxue. She had stationed herself behind a narrow gap in a crumbling wall, the best cover they could find for her. The moment she spotted the bottle, she sprang into action.
Turning on her heel, she moved as far back as the confined space allowed before launching forward at full speed. With both feet forward, she slammed into the large, painted prop wall in front of her.
The crash resounded like thunder, and the oversized panel toppled forward with a groan, startling the occupants of the room. The sudden disruption sent the supposed kidnapper reeling, his voice breaking out in a panicked shout.
"What the hell?!" he yelled, his brain scrambling to keep up as chaos spilled into the carefully controlled setup.
He had several options for handling the situation, but none of them sat well with him. Leaving the woman behind wasn't something he could stomach. Making his decision, he tossed the fake gun aside and tackled both of them to the ground, shielding her with his body.
The anticipated crash never came. The wall's descent was halted abruptly, held in place midway by a group working together — some climbing onto others' shoulders to bear the weight. It created an unexpected pause in the chaos, which Furuya and the others immediately seized.
With the wall suspended above them, Furuya and his group advanced on the man, who was just beginning to rise, looking around with confusion. The absence of the impact he'd expected had thrown him off, giving them the opening they needed. Furuya lunged without hesitation, forcing the man back down and pinning him. The others joined in, securing him with swift teamwork. Meanwhile, another part of the group helped the woman to her feet, ushering her out of danger.
Once the suspect was restrained, they escorted him away, ensuring he couldn't escape. Those supporting the wall let it drop safely, stepping aside as it finally hit the ground. Their coordinated efforts had turned a potentially dire moment into a decisive victory.
The object tumbled down, landing with a resonating thud. Its sheer force made it clear that, had it fallen on someone, it would have caused significant harm. Perhaps not catastrophic, but severe enough to leave them far from unscathed, given its bulk and mass.
They stepped back cautiously as a loud tone reverberated through the room, marking the conclusion of the final experiment. A quick glance at the clock revealed that only three minutes remained, indicating that the sequence had taken roughly two minutes to complete.
Cheers erupted around them, the group celebrating the successful execution of their plan without injury. Meanwhile, the individual acting as the fake kidnapper appeared completely caught off guard, his shock written all over his face as he stammered at the scene before him.
"Who decided to knock that thing down? A freaking gorilla?!" he exclaimed, his voice tinged with disbelief and irritation.
Yunxue stepped into view beside him, her expression darkening. "I'm not a gorilla," she replied flatly, her presence startling him as he whipped his head around to look at her.
"Er… sorry," the man said, quickly averting his gaze.
The speakers crackled for a moment before the scientist's voice returned. "Ahem. Congratulations on completing the experiments, especially this one, without any injuries. That's quite an accomplishment. Now, you're welcome to head to the room we've arranged. There's food and drinks waiting. After that, you can either leave or stick around and watch the fire department engage with the scenarios we've set up for them."
Yamato turned toward Furuya, his expression unreadable. "What are you planning to do?"
Furuya shrugged, but the enthusiasm in his tone was impossible to miss. "I'll stay. I want to see how the fire department handles all this. It's not every day you get to watch something like this. We're basically getting a sneak peek at what the future might look like."
Yamato nodded thoughtfully. "You're right. After using that technology today, I can't help but think about where it'll go from here. It really feels like a glimpse into what's coming. I hope I live long enough to see it all unfold."
He patted Furuya on the shoulder, the gesture light but meaningful, before heading toward the door. Without another word, he stepped out, leaving Furuya to stare after him.
+-+
As the officers and Furuya's group settled into their break, Yasushi, Jingliu, and Xinyi moved into another room where a large gathering of firemen stood, listening to a presentation from the scientists. The hum of voices from the hallway faded as they entered the space.
It had been a few minutes since the session began, but the scene was more alarming than anything Yasushi had imagined. This was not just a lack of enthusiasm or simple negligence — it was ignorance on full display. The firemen weren't treating the situation with the seriousness it demanded.
Among the scientists, the man named Kraften, whose identity had finally been revealed, was leading the discussion. He had been with them throughout the day, a meticulous individual with a calm demeanor, deeply committed to his work. Kraften had a connection to Yasushi's father's team in London, lending an air of credibility to his role in the experiment.
Yet, as he addressed the group, barely four of the firemen seemed to be paying any real attention. The rest were distracted, some whispering amongst themselves, others visibly disinterested. Alarm bells rang louder in Yasushi's mind. For an operation of such critical importance, attentiveness should have been a given, but here, it seemed like an afterthought.
It might have been because Ginsukimura experienced snowfall for most of the year, often leaving only a few months of summer where even rain occasionally made an appearance. Fires were uncommon in a place like this. It wasn't that they never happened — there had been incidents over the years—but the responses were typically prompt, and the damage remained minimal compared to other regions.
Xinyi, her voice low but sharp enough to cut through the murmur of the gathering, leaned toward Yasushi. "Do you think they're going to brush this off? You know how people get about change. They're quick to dismiss anything they don't think will completely upend their world."
Yasushi exhaled, a hint of frustration slipping into the sound. "They'll find out soon enough. If they don't treat this seriously, Kraften's not going to hesitate. He'll just move on and get someone else to step up for the experiment."
Jingliu, standing just behind them, glanced at the firemen who weren't even pretending to listen. Her expression darkened as she added, "Let's hope they start paying attention when it actually matters. We've still got thirty minutes left for this talk. That's enough time for them to catch up — or for Kraften to lose his patience entirely."
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
Haruki_Murakami
Haruki_Murakami "Na zěmī, co se s námi děje, to má také svou cenu." – Czech proverb
"What happens to us on earth also has its value."
Meaning: Every experience, whether good or bad, carries its own lesson or worth.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone