in2ebook Chapter 1332 is full of comedic moments.
Chapter 1332 is full of comedic moments.
Chapter 1332 Full of Comedy
Having completed the most crucial step in their plan—the money transfer—and with all the hostages bound, the now unbridled robbers finally began their disguise.
Their attire was simple: black hoods, leather jackets, and black pants.
Choose five people from the group on the ground who have similar characteristics to yourself, knock them unconscious, then put your coat and hood on them all at once, and then accept being bound with duct tape. Squat down in the crowd, and none of the hostages on the ground can open their eyes to check the situation, so naturally no one can recognize their identities.
As for what happens after a while, when the police reconstruct the scene using certain methods, by then they will have already fled with the stolen money. What impact will that have?
The only one that was difficult to manage was the last one left.
The timer device left behind, which was supposed to detonate the bomb, deliberately emitted a misleading sound, implying to those present that the robbers were about to detonate the vault. They then had to wrap themselves in duct tape and move away from the explosion point.
To ensure the plan's success, they deliberately set longer time intervals for the bombs, so as to prevent any accidents from happening during the deployment process.
Thanks to the robbers' ingenious design, the detectives, nestled in the shade of the corridor's greenery, quietly documented the scene and captured breathtaking footage.
The special police officers who surrounded the bank entrance and were repeatedly dialing the bank's internal phone, waiting for the robbers to negotiate, were equally amazed.
What they were waiting for at the door was an unexpected event that happened only once in ten years: the tightly locked roller shutter door of the bank, which had been hijacked by robbers, slowly opened from the inside.
Greeting them from inside the roller shutter door was Goro Akechi, a well-known good citizen of Tokyo and everyone's favorite detective, along with several elementary school students who had run a sprint and whose expressions were sunny and cheerful.
Because the elementary school students eventually pushed the boxes of explosives into the most bomb-proof location in the entire bank—the restroom—the surveillance equipment in the lobby was not affected as the kidnappers had expected. In the end, what the police officers of the First Investigation Division saw was a multi-camera recording that could be described as a comedy blockbuster of the year.
"puff----"
"Cough, cough cough cough————"
"Cough—"
Sato Miwako pressed the pause button, sighed inwardly, and turned to look at her colleagues who were making strange noises.
"Alright, laugh if you want to, don't hold it in."
Her words were like a floodgate opening, and the entire multimedia room erupted in waves of laughter. Combined with the images projected on the screen, it was like adding canned laughter to a sitcom—it was incredibly funny.
"Their method of robbing banks was to get the banks to transfer money to them—" Takagi Wataru, sitting next to her, wiped away tears of laughter, "They got five illegal guns, stormed into the bank, and made the bank manager transfer money to them—"
"It is said that the planner provided what he considered to be a brilliant plan, but he could not gather enough members willing to participate, so it took five or six years to form a criminal gang." Sato Miwako explained with some difficulty after flipping through the documents in her hand.
"Would it have been effective five or six years ago?" Wataru Takagi asked rhetorically.
"Not really," Sato Miwako shook her head. "Financial regulations have recently tightened, but that only further restricts the amount of foreign exchange controls. Unless they prepare 200 overseas accounts in advance to complete small-scale receipts, they still won't succeed. Of course, even if they find an independent bank and transfer a total of 10 billion to 200 overseas accounts at once, it still won't be successful—"
In such a situation, the question isn't whether it's a robbery or not, but rather whether a banker has committed a major financial breach and is trying to abscond before the liquidation process is over. In that case, the crackdown would only be more severe.
"He spent five or six years trying to find five people to help him carry out his criminal plan, even in a less legitimate industry. Didn't he realize why?" Shiratori Ninzaburo, unable to bear it any longer, asked this thought-provoking question.
If a plan is truly successful, if not flawless, then it should at least have significant economic value; otherwise, it shouldn't be unable to gather enough participants.
When he's been struggling to recruit a full team for so long, he should know where things went wrong.
"Who knows? Maybe they're the type with a lot of dreams." Sato Miwako tossed the documents in her hand forward, too lazy to think about it anymore. "I actually hope that all the robbers I encounter in the future are this type."
In a field where craftsmanship should be least emphasized, she inexplicably insists on it. This is the only area where she truly admires contemporary criminals.
Looking back at the robbers her father encountered, they were all extremely violent and highly confrontational, causing her exceptionally principled father to lose his life during the chase. Now, looking at this group of humorous petty thieves, the contrast is too stark.
"So they were able to get such a large amount of explosives, but didn't they think of a more direct and violent method? The explosive ordnance disposal team inspected the site, and they said that if these bombs were properly installed and arranged, they could definitely blow open the vault door of the regional bank." Chiba Kazunobu was also looking at the materials and his head was full of trouble. He couldn't help but scratch his head.
"According to the criminals' own confessions, they did initially consider this approach, but after reviewing robberies in the Tokyo area in recent years through television, newspapers, and the internet, they lost confidence in their ability to carry out the robbery in a comical way, and were even more worried about what might happen during the process that would lead to their deaths, so they ultimately abandoned the plan," Miwako Sato said, turning to the transcript to answer the question.
Shiratori Ninzaburo looked up at the paused image on the projection screen in front of him.
In the video, the kidnapper, who had also bound his last accomplice with duct tape, was shouting loudly while busily tying himself up.
Because he had to attach the tape covering his eyes before binding his hands, he had to perform a series of difficult maneuvers after shouting, without any vision.
The person lowered their head, used their mouth to wrap the tape around their hands and then tore it off. They then cut and stuck the tape on one side of their mouth and flattened it with their wrist. Next, they squatted down and laboriously put their legs through the "ring" formed by their bound wrists, creating the effect of their hands behind their backs. They staggered to the outermost edge of the crowd and squatted down without moving.
The entire sequence of actions, performed without any line of sight, was quite comical and embarrassing, as the bomb box behind him had already started its countdown.
This makes the following scenes even more comedic.
Shiratori Ninzaburo took the controller from Sato Miwako and pressed play.
The still image started playing again.
Just as he stumbled and finally found his place, practically rolling over to sit down next to his accomplice, Goro Akechi, who had been hiding in the corridor, stood up.
The detective, dressed in black, walked silently into the surveillance camera's field of view, tied the robbers together, placed the boxes with the countdown screens on a trolley, and calmly pushed them out of the frame.
Half a minute later, the detective walked back to the lobby, went to the bank door, studied the panel for a while, and pressed the switch for the electric roller shutter door.
The contrast between the beginning and the end is striking, the difference is huge, and the combination of movement and stillness is excellent. No dialogue is needed; the satire is all in the visuals, creating a very strong narrative.
The laughter in the multimedia room rose several decibels.
"Alright, calm down a bit. It's rare for the Third Investigation Division to compile a typical case so that we can learn from it and cooperate more easily. Let's give them some face." Sato Miwako, who was herself a little unable to hold back, barely managed to adjust her expression, raised her hand to suppress the laughter of the others.
"What are you trying to illustrate with this case?" Takagi Wataru asked, glancing at his empty notebook.
Aside from providing some amusement for everyone and getting them to contribute some manpower to complete the post-incident investigation and scene reconstruction, I really don't understand what reference value this has.
"The point is to show that our violent crime prevention efforts are inadequate. Logically, such a group shouldn't have committed this crime unless they had access to so many guns and explosives," sighed Miwako Sato. "It's undeniable that their plan failed before it even began, but without the quick reaction of Detective Akechi when the emergency occurred, hiding in the bank's office area and coincidentally encountering the children who were already in the restroom, this failed heist would have resulted in casualties."
The robbers were indeed idiots, but unfortunately, they were also well-equipped.
If it weren't for the intervention of the children and Goro Akechi, the explosion would have affected at least five innocent civilians who had been chosen by the robbers to be scapegoats. Not to mention that the bomb was quite powerful, and if the casualties hadn't been good, the situation would have definitely escalated further.
By then, no matter how humorous the scene, no one will be able to laugh anymore; several lives have been lost.
"Well, we don't seem to have any particularly good solutions either." Chiba Kazunobu pursed his lips. "Tokyo has done a pretty good job in this regard. Heaven knows where they get their guns and explosives."
Tang Ze, who was sitting in the last row and had a lot to say about this, lowered his head and remained silent.
Well, let's see how much firepower the Phantom Thieves have.
They operate from three lines of government: the police, the FBI, and organized crime. They have a huge amount of contraband in their possession.
Theoretically, the Japanese Public Security Service could not possibly approve such a large amount of firepower, but as a special intelligence agency, they also have their own "privileges".
Due to their special nature, similar to that of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, it is not uncommon for them to fail to keep written records or hand over modified weapons confiscated through various channels unless they pose a significant threat to public safety.
Needless to say, the FBI's channels aren't even illegal; they're practically lawless. Which Japanese customs official would dare inspect their packages? Would they be out of their minds?
The organization is a completely underground network, but the problem is that Tang Ze has a hard time keeping his composure, considering that there are bound to be undercover agents who turn a blind eye at every level in order to boost their personal performance.
With so many undercover agents infiltrating the organization, it's hard to say whether it's truly due to organizational negligence or simply a way for them to conveniently bring in "connections" who can use their connections to facilitate various matters. Tang Ze, who helped Bourbon manage the entire Kanto-related industry, is now a prime example.
"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Akechi."
Stepping out of the multimedia room, Sato Miwako expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the detective who had been so cooperative in reviewing the robbery.
The scene was so intense that it was hard to keep a straight face. It seemed like the biggest challenge for Goro Akechi on set was suppressing his laughter, and now he had to attend a serious meeting with them. It must have been really difficult for him.
"What hardship have I endured?" Tang Ze shook her hand and answered sincerely, "The hardship in this case is for the criminals, not me."
If you call him bad, he really is bad.
Given his fighting skills, he could have easily jumped out and subdued everyone when the robbers started their plan, but he chose not to. Instead, he waited until the robbers had worked hard for half a day and cleaned themselves up before coming out to reap the rewards.
It certainly saved them a lot of trouble, and it also really broke the guard of the robbers.
It is said that the Third Investigation Division did not even have time to use any interrogation techniques. They only showed the robbers the on-site video and footage of Goro Akechi being interviewed by the media, and the robbers broke down completely, confessing everything with tears streaming down their faces. Not only did they not let go of the process of the plan, but they also took down other black market businesses, including various merchants and vendors who supplied them with contraband.
This is also the main reason why the Third Investigation Division would seek assistance from the First Investigation Division. After all, they specialize in major thefts and other economic crimes, and the First Investigation Division is more familiar with and better at handling these matters.
A humorous crime that was doomed to fail from the start, but ended up wiping out the entire upstream and downstream operation, how can it not be considered a rookie reforming the workplace?
Having fully grasped the logic behind this, Sato Miwako coughed twice, controlling her expression, and said politely, "As I emphasized earlier, without your help, this case could very likely have resulted in numerous casualties. Even now, there are still injuries, so I must thank you for your assistance."
Because the robbers intended to kill from the very beginning, they didn't hold back their bullets at the scene in order to intimidate the hostages, so two people were still shot.
And the unfortunate bank manager who was attacked suffered a minor fracture and concussion after falling from the ground after being stun-wiped. Considering the fact that this group of people chose his bank to commit the crime, he was extremely unlucky.
"Not at all. It was just a coincidence; I was at the bank handling cash transactions," Tang Ze replied with a smile, maintaining impeccable manners. "Normally, I wouldn't have been able to hide it."
This was Tang Ze's explanation to the SWAT team and the members of the Third Investigation Division who arrived at the scene.
He needed to cash a check delivered by a client. Since it involved a large sum of money, he didn't want to attract attention, so he changed into a low-key outfit. Unexpectedly, he happened to encounter a robbery, which actually helped him.
Given Goro Akechi's normal popularity, his presence in a busy place like Shibuya would always attract a lot of attention. The robbers might notice something unusual beforehand and not give him a chance to hide.
"Hmm—" It's hard to say whether this counts as part of the unfortunate robbers' ordeal, so Miwako Sato kindly remained silent.
Is it possible that if you hadn't changed your clothes, and with the doorway so blocked, the robbers might have backed out and the whole thing would have never happened?
You can think that to yourself, but it's not good to say it out loud.
And so, Tang Ze was seen off in a pleasant atmosphere by the First and Third Investigative Divisions. After leaving the Metropolitan Police Department, he bumped into Judy, who was standing on the street corner and had been waiting for quite some time.
"Miss Judy." Seeing her expression, Tang Ze gave his usual smile. "Is there something you need?"
Judy stared at him intently, gleaning glimpses of his stance and attitude from his form of address. She took a deep breath, stopping herself from blurting out the question that was about to slip out.
He's speaking to me now as Akechi Goro, not as Karasawa Akira, so some things can't be asked so casually.
Reminding herself of this, Judy's voice was calm and gentle: "I'm here to express my gratitude for your help with yesterday's bank robbery. Otherwise, explaining my identity to the police would have been a problem."
"It's no trouble at all, it's just a small favor."
"Um, and—" Judy's gaze remained fixed on his face, "did you see him at the bank yesterday?"
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