(〃〃)
Seeing Inspector Megure arrive with his men, the three plainclothes officers got out of the car.
Jiang Xia and the others opened the door and climbed in, secretly monitoring the surrounding area from inside the vehicle.
Once he entered work mode, Inspector Megure temporarily had no time to mind his little brother.
He checked his watch and directed the subordinates lying in wait nearby. "It's almost time for the kidnappers' appointment. Prepare to move. Remember, the hostage's safety comes first!"
The plainclothes officers who had long been stationed throughout the factory answered in unison, their faces stern as their sharp gazes swept the surroundings.
Inside the command vehicle, after giving his orders, Inspector Megure found a photograph among a stack of documents and lowered his head to examine it.
It was a casual photo taken in a yard. In it, a young girl wore a long blue dress and held a puppy that looked like a Cloth Doll. Her short hair was fluffy, and she smiled shyly at the camera alongside the puppy.
Jiang Xia leaned over to look. "This is the kidnapped hostage?"
"Yes." Thinking of the burly middle-aged man reeking of money in the Mercedes earlier, Inspector Megure sighed. "It's hard to imagine that someone like him could have such a pretty, adorable daughter."
Conan also pulled Inspector Megure's hand down for a look.
Then he exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't this my... Isn't this Brother Jiang Xia's classmate?!"
"Classmate?" Sato Miwako froze for a moment, then remembered. "Oh, right. This photo was taken when she was fourteen. That child should be seventeen by now... That father actually doesn't even have a recent photo of his daughter."
She muttered to herself, then quickly returned to business and looked at Jiang Xia. "Don't worry. We'll definitely rescue your classmate."