manynovel Page 138
Page 138
But he noticed that there were several figures standing or sitting casually in cars downstairs. Their posture and line of sight revealed their identities—Matthew's companions, or perhaps people from other forces?
He took out his phone and sent another encrypted message to his contact in China, briefly reporting the attack and the unidentified bodyguards, mentioning his connection to Ariel Kruger, and the protection he was being given.
He included part of the black van's license plate, which he barely managed to memorize at the last minute, as well as the characteristics of the tranquilizer darts used by the attackers, describing it in as much detail as possible.
He needed backing and to know the true background of these suddenly appearing "protectors" and attackers.
After doing all this, he sat on the sofa, closed his eyes, and began to replay in his mind all the details since arriving in Paris.
Saori Chishima, the knowledgeable yet enigmatic tour guide at the Louvre.
A chance encounter at a coffee shop with Ariel Kruger, a warm and friendly woman accompanied by a mysterious bodyguard.
The precise blockade in front of the Sacred Heart Church and the timely arrival of the police car... these fragmented pieces of information are intertwined.
He couldn't figure it out, but he was certain that the core of all the anomalies seemed to vaguely point to that blonde woman.
"Ding-dong-"
The doorbell rang, breaking the silence of the room.
Yuuki Takada instantly became alert, walked to the door, and looked out through the peephole. He saw Miwako Sato and Yumi Miyamoto.
He opened the door, and the two quickly slipped inside.
Yumi Miyamoto's complexion was better than before, but her eyes still showed lingering fear.
Miwako Sato cut straight to the point: "Takada-senpai, what exactly is going on? That Ariel Kruger, and those people..."
“I want to know too.” Yuuki Takada shook his head, gesturing for them to sit down. “Let’s wait for her contact. As it stands, at least Matthew and his men are indeed protecting us, otherwise we might have already been taken away in the alleyway.”
"But why?" Miyamoto Yumi couldn't help but ask, "We're just ordinary police officers, traveling in Paris. How did we get into this kind of trouble? Could it be... because of a case we handled before?"
Sato Miwako pondered, "Possibly. International art smuggling? Or... other areas we inadvertently stumbled upon?" She looked at Takada Yuuki, "Takada-senpai, could it be some... rather sensitive matters I handled during your previous leave?"
Yuki Takada's heart skipped a beat; Miwako Sato's guess coincided with his own.
After all, he didn't know what tasks Sato Miwako had handled during her break, which was indeed a more likely source of such cross-border trouble.
But he couldn't say it explicitly, only vaguely stating, "We can't rule out any possibilities. Let's wait for... Ariel Kruger's explanation."
Just then, the landline in the room rang.
The three exchanged a glance, and Yuuki Takada walked over and pressed the speakerphone button.
"Mr. Takada, ladies, good evening."
The voice coming through the receiver was Ariel Kruger's; her Japanese was much more fluent than it had been in the café that afternoon.
There was almost no pause in his voice, and his tone had lost its previous liveliness and exuberance, becoming calm and composed.
"I'm sure you all have a lot of questions right now, and I'm sorry to have made this evening unpleasant for you."
“If it’s convenient, please come to the ‘Athena’ suite on the top floor. I will clear up your doubts. Please come alone. Matthew will meet you at the elevator.”
The phone hangs up.
The three exchanged glances again.
"Alone?" Miyamoto Yumi asked, somewhat uneasy.
"It was probably for the sake of confidentiality of the conversation, and also to show that she had no malicious intent."
Yuki Takada analyzed, "Miwako Sato and I will go first. Yumi, you wait in the room and keep communication open."
“If anything seems amiss…” He looked at Miwako Sato, who nodded slightly, indicating that she understood.
Yuki Takada and Miwako Sato took the elevator directly to the top floor.
The elevator doors opened, and Matthew was indeed standing outside. He nodded slightly and led the two towards a heavy double door at the end of the corridor.
He knocked on the door, and Ariel Kruger's voice came from inside saying "Come in."
The suite is extremely spacious and luxurious, with a panoramic view overlooking the Parisian nightscape.
Ariel Kruger stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window and turned around.
She changed into a simple black casual outfit, her long golden hair was casually draped over her shoulders, and her violet eyes appeared even deeper under the light, making her look completely different from the "otaku" image she had been engrossed in comics that afternoon.
"Please sit down." She gestured to the sofa in the center of the living room and sat down opposite it.
Matthew didn't come in; he closed the door from the outside, clearly on guard duty.
"First of all, I apologize again for involving you all in danger."
Ariel cut to the chase, her gaze sweeping over Yuuki Takada and Miwako Sato, "Our meeting at the café this afternoon wasn't entirely accidental. I really do love Japanese manga, that part is true..."
A faint smile appeared on her lips, quite different from the one she wore in the afternoon. "But my purpose in approaching you all is mainly to confirm some things, and... to provide protection."
Chapter 177 Request for Cooperation
"Protect us from what? And what exactly do you want to do?" Yuuki Takada asked directly.
“Mr. Takada, what I said to you before was indeed sincere. If you are willing, I really hope that we can cooperate.”
Ariel Kruger said slowly, "Currently, I work for a joint task force investigating art crimes across jurisdictions within the European Union. Of course, this is only one of my public identities."
what?
Art crime investigation?
Yuki Takada and Miwako Sato were both somewhat surprised.
"As for the reason for the protection," Ariel's gaze sharpened, and she said coldly, "it's because you, especially Mr. Yuki Takada and Ms. Miwako Sato, may have inadvertently carried a 'key,' or more accurately, you have become clues in the eyes of some people that can lead to the 'key.'"
"The key?" Miwako Sato frowned.
“Yes, the key to a secret treasure known as the ‘Twilight Foundation’.” Ariel leaned forward slightly, turned to look at the scenery outside the window, and said softly:
"The Twilight Foundation is a long-established and extremely secretive transnational criminal organization that has amassed a large amount of illicitly acquired artwork, gold, securities, and even confidential information through various means, which are hidden all over the world."
"The Louvre is one of their most important treasure troves."
Yuuki Takada was deeply shaken. He recalled Saori Chishima, the guide at the Louvre, whose extraordinary familiarity with the museum's layout and her particular attention to the painting awaiting authentication...
"Could it be... that painting?" Sato Miwako had obviously thought of the same thing. "That portrait of a seated woman that you said is still being authenticated and is suspected to be in the Leonardo da Vinci school?"
Ariel nodded approvingly: “Ms. Sato is very perceptive. That painting, known as the ‘Silent Mona Lisa,’ is not an authentic work by Leonardo da Vinci, but legend has it that it contains clues pointing to the ‘Twilight Foundation’s’ secret vault in and around the Louvre.”
“Our team has been monitoring that painting for a long time, and we also suspect that there are 'Twilight Foundation' informants inside the Louvre, such as… that Chishima Saori.”
Yuuki Takada interjected, "So you approached us because we showed interest in that painting? You thought we might be the foundation's contacts?"
"not quite."
Ariel shook her head and then said, "It's suspicious that Chishima Saori took the initiative to lead you to see that painting."
“We suspect she may have mistaken you for new faces sent by the Foundation to ‘pick up’ the goods. Or, she may be using you as a smokescreen to test our reaction.”
"It appears that a power struggle has recently taken place within the foundation, with one group wanting to embezzle the treasure and another wanting to maintain the old distribution system. This has led to confusion and radical actions."
Ariel Kruger paused, then continued, "The people who attacked you belong to a radical faction within the Foundation."
“They may have received information from Saori Chishima that they consider you key figures, or at least destabilizing factors that could interfere with their plans, so they decided to take direct control of you.”
“This afternoon at the café, I recognized that one of the people following you was an informant from the Foundation, which is why I had Matthew and the others intervene to protect you. The attack on Sacred Heart Church was one of their attempts.”
"Then why didn't you tell us the truth in the coffee shop?" Yuki Takada asked.
“At the time, it was impossible to fully verify your identities and positions, and it was not safe to talk about these things in such a public place.”
Ariel confessed, "Until the attack, your actions proved that you were indeed outsiders, accidental victims."
“More importantly…” Ariel looked at Yuuki Takada with a meaningful look in her eyes, “Mr. Takada, your skill in dodging darts and trying to break through in the alley, as well as your alertness that is beyond that of an ordinary civil servant, makes me certain that you are no ordinary police officer.”
"This may be one of the reasons why the Foundation is targeting you—they may have some intelligence about your other identity."
Yuki Takada felt a chill run down his spine, but remained outwardly calm.
Miwako Sato glanced thoughtfully at Yuki Takada, but remained silent.
"What are you planning to do now?" Sato Miwako brought the topic back to reality. "We just want to return home safely."
“I understand,” Ariel nodded. “But things have come to this point, and simply hiding won’t guarantee absolute safety.”
“The radical faction within the foundation will not give up easily. If they fail today, their next operation will only be more meticulous and ruthless.”
"So what do you mean?" Takada Yuuki vaguely guessed her thoughts.
“Cooperation,” Ariel said clearly. “We need your help to lure out Saori Chishima and the radical faction behind her, obtain the clues hidden in that painting, and completely destroy their stronghold in the Louvre.”
"Only in this way can we fundamentally eliminate their threat to you. At the same time, this is also an opportunity to destroy an important branch of the 'Twilight Foundation'."
Ariel looked at the two of them: "In return, my team and I will ensure your absolute safety during your stay in Paris and after your return to Japan, and we will use resources to help you identify any forces in Japan that may be colluding with the Foundation."
"This is equally important to you, especially to Mr. Takada, isn't it?"
There was a brief silence in the room.
The Parisian night view outside the window was still dazzling, but inside this luxurious suite, there was a solemn atmosphere about a life-or-death decision.
Yuuki Takada quickly weighed the pros and cons.
Ariel's proposal was undoubtedly risky, tantamount to deliberately stepping into the center of a vortex.
But she's right, passive defense isn't necessarily safe, especially if the other party has already subtly touched upon his deeper identity.
If he can take advantage of this opportunity in Paris to cripple this criminal organization and obtain relevant intelligence, it may also benefit his future missions.
Moreover, he really needs to figure out whether any domestic forces have already made contact with this "Twilight Foundation".
Miwako Sato was also thinking.
As a police officer, fighting crime is her duty, even in a foreign country, facing such a large criminal organization.
Moreover, this is related to whether they can return home safely.
“We need to consider this and inform our supervisor, Section Chief Matsumoto,” Yuki Takada finally said.
“Yes, but please keep it confidential, the smaller the scope, the better.” Ariel expressed her understanding. “You can inform Section Chief Matsumoto of some details to ensure cooperation.”
“I will give you half an hour. After half an hour, whether you agree or not, I will begin to plan the next steps. If you agree to cooperate, please signal from the balcony of your room; Matthew will see you.”
Chapter 178 Start taking action