"Inspector, the kidnappers' vehicle has entered the tunnel," a young officer in the helicopter reported. "The tunnel is about one kilometer long. At the kidnappers' current speed, they should emerge from the other end in about a minute."
"Excellent!" Inspector Megure was overjoyed. "Have the helicopter and the people on the other side block the Tunnel exit. Looks like this guy is panicking and running straight into our trap."
Jiang Xia walked over to his side and glanced down at the blinking signal on the screen.
This was the Transmitter that had been hidden in advance inside the ransom bag, marking the kidnappers' current location. Suddenly, as it reached the middle of the Tunnel, the flashing red dot stopped.
"Hm?" Inspector Megure froze. "Did that guy discover our ambush and decide not to head for the exit?"
The Tunnel was dim and narrow. Rushing in recklessly could easily lead to a collision with other innocent vehicles. Since the kidnappers could not escape anyway, Inspector Megure thought it over and simply used the time to call in more people, sealing off both ends of the Tunnel as tightly as an iron barrel.
One minute passed, then two minutes, then ten...
Jiang Xia suddenly spoke. "Could the kidnappers have already left?"
"!" Inspector Megure's heart skipped a beat. Unwilling to acknowledge that terrible possibility, he said, "But, but we sealed both sides off very tightly. Unless he turned into a fly and flew out, we definitely would have seen him."
Officer Sato vaguely felt that Jiang Xia was right. "Inspector, how about I take some people inside to check?"
"..." Inspector Megure hesitated for a moment. "All right. But the terrain in the Tunnel is unfavorable, so be sure to watch your safety."
The police readied their equipment and quietly moved toward