Chapter 2489: Chapter 2490: Lin Yi Disappeared

At the break of dawn, the light of the rising sun gradually spread across the deep blue sea from the ocean’s horizon.

Lin Yi adjusted the mask on his face and silently vanished aboard the Ocean Symphony, as if he had disappeared into thin air.

Approximately two hours later, the Haixiang Symphony slowly entered Jyoto Port.

At this moment, confusion overtook everyone on the ship.

They discovered that all the individuals guarding them on board had disappeared without a trace.

No matter how loudly they shouted, discussed, or even stood up, no one reprimanded them.

Gradually, the braver foreigners started to move around the ship, but still, nothing unusual happened.

The crowd exchanged glances, and in that moment, an audacious thought emerged in their minds–they seemed to have been rescued.

After ten or so minutes of testing their environment, nothing happened. The repressed emotions erupted in an instant.

Even strangers who had never met embraced each other and cried openly.

Celebrating their survival during such a dangerous ordeal.

Kenji Nakada and Liu Donghai, meanwhile, played their roles convincingly.

They fully understood that failing to act convincingly could mean their own demise.

However, they too were perplexed–where had Lin Yi gone?

How would he disembark from the ship?

If possible, Lin Yi wished to blend into the crowd and sneak away unnoticed.

But he was well aware that if he revealed himself, the game would be over.

Time flowed like water as the Ocean Symphony slowly approached the dock.

The entire port had been locked down under tight security, a complete blockade in effect. Escape from here seemed almost impossible.

Seeing the people standing on the shore, the passengers on the ship frantically waved their hands.

It was their desperate yearning for life.

Finally, the massive Ocean Symphony docked.

Nothing dangerous occurred during the process, and the officials were first to board, sealing off the ship immediately.

One after another, the hostages were escorted off the ship.

Kenji Nakada, Liu Donghai, and their group faced no suspicion.

Thanks to Caie Mitsui’s people discreetly mingling with them, providing subtle assistance, they successfully escaped through the port!

Official supervisor Morimoto Chunyi searched the ship tirelessly but failed to locate any of the hijackers, leaving him uneasy.

“What’s going on? Where did the hijackers go!”

His deputies stood before him, pondering the same question.

The scene before them was nothing like what they had anticipated.

It felt as though this was a pilotless cruise ship on which no major incidents had occurred.

“I’ve figured it out!” one of Morimoto Chunyi’s deputies exclaimed:

“They probably blended in with the passengers and escaped with them!”

“They actually did that!”

Morimoto Chunyi froze in astonishment; Lin Yi’s tactics had left him thoroughly shaken.

“Detain all passengers and conduct a thorough identity check–don’t let even a single person slip away!”

“Understood!”

Over twenty soldiers rushed off the ship, spreading Morimoto Chunyi’s orders and preparing for detailed checks on the passengers disembarking one after another.

But by now, it was already too late.

Lin Yi had actually arranged for a safer and more discreet escape plan, while Morimoto Chunyi’s conventional thinking inadvertently facilitated the retreat.

At this moment, Lin Yi’s group had already boarded vehicles and slipped away amidst the chaos at the harbor.

But there was still no news of Lin Yi.

Hours passed with continuous checks on the passengers, but no suspicious individuals were found. The officials intensified inspections aboard the ship.

Their thought process was simple–since the ship had been sealed off the moment it docked, with both the ship and its passengers under total control, it was inconceivable for anyone to escape.

Even though no evidence or suspicious traces were found aboard, they refused to give up.

Meanwhile, Gerard had already arrived in Japan and had met with Morimoto Chunyi.

“Still no leads?” Gerard asked, his face stern.

Although the two shared an equivalent rank, Morimoto Chunyi seemed deferential in Gerard’s presence, speaking with particular politeness as though before a revered ancestor.

“We’ve dispatched more personnel to search, but nothing has surfaced.”

“That’s impossible!” Gerard snapped:

“You’ve locked it down since their arrival–no one could have escaped.”

Not only was Morimoto Chunyi unable to decipher Lin Yi’s strategy, but Gerard was also equally confounded.

Humans aren’t machines; managing thousands of people disembarking at once, coupled with the confusion caused by Caie Mitsui’s agents, inevitably led to oversights.

“Do you think someone could still be hiding aboard the ship?” Morimoto Chunyi asked.

“That’s a possibility.”

Gerard leaned back in his chair. “If my guess is correct, the person behind these actions likely belongs to the Central Guards Brigade. Don’t approach this with conventional thinking.”

Morimoto Chunyi nodded slightly. He understood this all too well.

No ordinary person would devise such a strategy to force his hand.

“I think the mastermind here isn’t just an ordinary member of the Central Guards Brigade,” Morimoto Chunyi said:

“It could be someone from Yanlong Team or perhaps one of the four team leaders of the Central Guards Brigade.”

“The Yanlong Team operates on the island and likely isn’t involved here,” Gerard replied:

“Our focus should be on the four team leaders of the Central Guards Brigade.”

“I’ll summon the Night Ghost’s team leader then.”

Morimoto Chunyi gave orders to have the Night Ghost squad leader brought over.

Based on his subordinates’ reports, they should be able to piece together some insights.

About an hour later, the two easily narrowed their focus down to Lin Yi.

And that wasn’t particularly difficult.

Of the four team leaders in the Central Guards Brigade, two were women, so they were eliminated from suspicion.

The subordinates then described another leader’s build, ruling out Tao Cheng, and zeroed in on Lin Yi!

For the two officials, reaching this conclusion wasn’t particularly impressive.

If they lacked even this level of competence, they didn’t deserve their positions.

“This man is extraordinary; he’s caused quite a stir here before,” Morimoto Chunyi remarked.

“I should have guessed it was him all along,” Gerard added:

“Before this, he dealt quite a blow to the Freemasons.”

“But now he’s vanished into thin air–I can’t fathom where he could be hiding,” Morimoto Chunyi murmured.

After a brief silence, Gerard spoke calmly:

“Issue a wanted notice and impose restrictions on the airports. Screen all travelers rigorously; don’t give him any opportunities.”

“But will such measures be enough to trap this man?”

Judging by Morimoto Chunyi’s expression, it was clear he wasn’t optimistic about the effectiveness of the strategy.

“Don’t worry–this is just the first step.”