Chapter 629: Chapter 420: Washing Cups_2
The ferry doesn’t have separate restrooms for men and women, just a stall, with iron wire mesh set up. Through the small hole in the middle, you can see the seawater. It’s basically hollow, and any excrement would directly fall down.
Taira Sakurako eyed the bathroom exit and gave up on the idea of escaping through it.
She looked around and didn’t see any useful tools. The ferry’s restroom was terrifyingly simple, without even a trash can or toilet paper, so you have to bring your own tissues.
Sakurako had no choice but to lament her plight to the two crew members through the door panel.
She claimed that her parents were dead, that she went around collecting recyclables alone to support her six-year-old brother, and she worried that if she wasn’t home, her brother would go hungry. She begged the crew members to let her go back to cook a meal for her brother and tell him the location of the hidden money and the places to collect recyclables. Once that was done, she promised she would obediently return.
This trick was something she’d learned from Fushimi Roku. As long as you attacked the opponent’s conscience on a moral level, you could manipulate them to gain benefits... Fushimi Roku often did this to Minamoto Tamako.
Sakurako had never used this method before and didn’t know how effective it would be. She felt a bit anxious, worried that the other side might see through her flaws.
She squatted in the restroom stall pleading for a long time, while the two crew members outside stayed silent, making her feel guilty and perform even harder, lamenting that dying like this wouldn’t be too bad, at least she could see her mom and dad in heaven...
Sakurako talked herself hoarse, but there was no sound outside the door.
She thought the crew wasn’t there, so she quietly opened the door, only to find the two crew members with one biting his lower lip and crying, and the other yanking his hair, looking extremely distressed.
Wow, it’s this effective?
No wonder Fushimi Roku often uses this trick...
Sakurako had finally learned what it meant to "conquer hearts as the highest strategy." She pretended not to understand anything, and in a sweet yet mischievous tone, asked, "What’s wrong, onii-chan?" "I’m really sorry," "Did I do something wrong?" "Please don’t cry, I won’t say those things anymore..."
The two crew members wished they could slap themselves.
They were just too young and didn’t know that children could lie too, or that children were even better at faking pity than adults. After Sakurako’s manipulative talk, the two successfully changed positions and mustered up the courage to plead with the captain.
At worst, they thought, this gig might cost them their wages for the entire year, but it didn’t matter!
The captain heard this and flew into a rage, threatening to throw them into the sea to drown. The first mate urged the captain to calm down, suggesting that they first bring the girl over to talk.
Hearing there was a chance for negotiation, the crew quickly brought the captive over.
Sakurako stood in the middle of the four and recited the story of taking care of her brother once again. To make it more convincing, she kept her head down for the entire time to prevent others from seeing her emotionless face.
After the captain and the first mate finished listening, they exchanged glances and asked a critical question: "Then why were you kidnapped?"
Why would a poor girl with no money or power, who hadn’t offended anyone, be kidnapped by a conglomerate and transported to an outlying island?
If she couldn’t provide a reasonable explanation, it was likely the captain and first mate would put her back in the suitcase and pretend they hadn’t seen anything—they knew in their hearts that this girl might not be as pitiful as she appeared.
Sakurako thought of countless responses in an instant and, without much hesitation, gave the most tangible and convincing guess:
"I... I don’t know..."
"But I heard the people who kidnapped me say... I’m good merchandise..."
"And they said something about the island being full of girls like me..."
"That in the future I would need to deal with clients... I don’t really get it either..."
...
The captain and the first mate’s faces changed.
The two of them exchanged a glance, signaling Sakurako to stop talking. Then they looked at the two crew members, stating that there was no room for negotiations on this matter because their employers were in the cabin with two bodyguards, all armed.
Even though the crew members sympathized with Sakurako, it wasn’t enough for them to risk their lives for her. Upon hearing this, it was like being doused with cold water—they lowered their heads dejectedly.
The captain treated Sakurako to a hearty meal and then locked her back in the suitcase. That was the only thing they could do for Sakurako.
Sakurako wasn’t disappointed by this; she had never put her hope of escape on others. At least she had gotten some important information, so her performance hadn’t been in vain.
There were a total of seven people on board besides her—four crew members and three employers. The two sides were merely in a business relationship, not partners.
Sakurako had an escape plan in mind.
She obediently went back into the suitcase, letting the crew members zip it up, and waited for about half an hour before deliberately knocking on the suitcase, softly calling "onii-chan."
The crew heard the sound and indeed opened the suitcase again to ask her what was wrong.
Sakurako claimed she felt like vomiting, and the crew believed her. After all, it was normal for a child to get seasick, especially since Sakurako had just eaten a lot of food.
They intended to take Sakurako to the deck for some fresh air. As they passed through the corridor, they deliberately avoided the lounge, fearing the employers might see her.
Sakurako noticed this detail, figuring out the specific location of the three kidnappers.
Once on deck, she pretended to gag herself and vomited all over the floor.
The two crew members left one after the other, one to get water and the other to fetch a mop, giving Sakurako the opportunity to sneak back into the cabin.
She stuck close to the wall, returning to the lounge the crew had avoided, and upon hearing voices inside, she gently knocked on the door, then drew a gun from her waist, crouching by the door, waiting to ambush.
One of the kidnappers opened the door slightly, peering out, and Sakurako shot him under his chin, and his brains splattered across the ceiling;