Chapter 508 - 175: Rescuing Sazanoko! (Part 1)

Chapter 508: Chapter 175: Rescuing Sazanoko! (Part 1)

On the ground in front of Harada lay the young Yamato man in a suit who had sat opposite the bearded man in the pastry shop earlier, now pale-faced.

Aoto detailedly inquired with Saito and the others and quickly learned the entire process of how the three of them captured this man in the suit.

This man in a suit not only knew no martial arts but also was noticeably physically weak. His steps were unsteady. When he moved his feet... it seemed more like he was floating rather than running.

Such a person, who knew no martial arts and was physically weak, naturally couldn’t escape the hands of young and strong martial artists like Saito and his group.

The man in the suit didn’t even manage to escape a street before being pinned to the ground with the collaboration of Saito and the other two.

Not only did Saito and the others catch the man in the suit, but with identification from a passerby, they also learned of this man’s identity.

"Huh? Isn’t this Mr. Hada?"—after Saito and the others subdued the man in the suit, a woman in traditional attire among the onlookers exclaimed.

Someone actually recognized this man in the suit... Saito and the others certainly couldn’t ignore such important intelligence.

Therefore, they immediately located the woman who made the exclamation among the crowd and conducted a detailed interrogation.

The person responsible for interrogating this woman was Saito.

In another sense, the taciturn Saito was quite suitable for the role of an "interrogator."

Being economical with words, Saito never went around in circles when asking questions; he always went straight to the point and never used six words when five would suffice.

For example, when questioning the woman, Saito plainly asked without ceremony:

"Do you know this person?"

Moreover, Saito’s face, which seldom showed emotions or expressions, was quite intimidating, exerting significant psychological pressure on the person being questioned.

Under Saito’s highly efficient questioning, without wasting any time or words, they quickly gathered a host of intelligence related to the man in the suit from the woman.

The man in the suit was named "Hada Qilang" and resided in this foreign settlement as a Dutch doctor.

The so-called Dutch doctor is a physician who uses Western medical techniques.

Hada Qilang went overseas six years ago to study Western medicine and returned two years ago with his skills mastered. Since his medical skills are rather advanced, coupled with his practice of Western techniques familiar to Westerners, he is quite popular among them in the Edo Residence.

Most of his patients are Westerners in the Edo Residence. To conveniently attend to these regulars, Hada Qilang now predominantly resides in the settlement.

After exhausting all possible information from the woman, Saito and the others thanked her for her cooperation in their investigation.

Then, they turned back to interrogate the man in the suit—Hada Qilang.

Facing their interrogation, Hada Qilang was very tight-lipped.

He persistently claimed to be an innocent civilian, explaining that his reason for running from Aoto and Nagakura in the pastry shop earlier was due to being frightened by the glinting blades they held, mistaking them for "Radical Anti-foreigner Faction" members invading to kill "national traitors."

As for the bearded man sitting at his table then, Hada Qilang stated—"I have treated this person before. Coincidentally running into him at the pastry shop, I casually invited him over to have some snacks together. I only know his name as Takakura Heigoro; anything else, I’m unaware of!"

No matter how Saito and the others interrogated or threatened him, Hada Qilang remained unflinching and adamant about his innocence.

Towards Hada Qilang’s insistent claims of being an innocent bystander, Aoto held a single attitude: Say what you will! I’ll just escort you back to the Magistrate’s Office first!

The streets of the settlement are not a suitable place for questioning.

Once back at the Magistrate’s Office, there will naturally be plenty of time to slowly investigate the exact relationship between Hada Qilang and that man suspected of being a member of the Anti-foreigner Group.

Having captured all the suspects they could, Aoto and the others had no reason to remain in the settlement any longer.

Today, Anthony and his family assisted Aoto and his group a lot.

Now, as it was time to leave the settlement, it would be unreasonable to leave without even saying goodbye to Anthony and his family.

Aoto found a large cloak to cover his blood-stained clothes, allowing Saito, who needed to escort Hada Qilang and others, to go first. Then, he returned alone to Anthony’s residence...

...

...

Outside Anthony’s residence, Aoto succinctly explained their recent "capture operation" to Anthony, Elodie, and Leroy, who stood side by side in front of him.

"...In short, that’s the situation. We successfully apprehended several suspicious individuals, so we need to return to the Magistrate’s Office now."

When Aoto came to bid farewell, Elodie was still in class.

After Leroy informed her that Aoto and the others were leaving, Elodie promptly asked her private tutor Gerard for a 20-minute leave and then came with Anthony and Leroy to say goodbye to Aoto.

"Mr. Angoulême, we truly appreciate your assistance today."

Although Aoto had repeatedly thanked Anthony and his family numerous times today, he didn’t tire of expressing his gratitude once more to the elderly and young, plus the maid standing before him at this moment.

"Mr. Tachibana, no need for such courtesy. Compared to the life-saving grace you offered us in the past, this little help is nothing."