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Saeko Busujima narrowed her eyes, tilted her head slightly, and frowned. "You were too fast, and too far away. I couldn't see clearly."

"Then I'll come closer."

Confident in her Busujima-style Swordsmanship and seeing that her opponent was unarmed, Saeko Busujima considered it before nodding lightly. "You can come closer, but the moment I tell you to stop, you have to stop."

"Of course. You call the shots." Xiao Miao nodded in agreement, holding up his driver's license as he approached step by step. His movements were slow, putting Saeko Busujima somewhat at ease.

When the distance between them had narrowed to ten meters, Saeko Busujima shouted, "Stop! Don't wave your hands around!"

"How about this? I'll just throw you the ID. You can take a good look, then give it back to me."

After saying that, Xiao Miao tossed the driver's license at her without waiting for Saeko Busujima's reply.

Saeko Busujima froze. Her gaze instinctively followed the license into the air, and in the next second, she realized she had fallen for it. Unfortunately, it was already too late.

Whoosh!

Xiao Miao crouched slightly, then burst forward. Like an arrow loosed from a bow, he charged at Saeko Busujima. His explosive speed whipped up a howling gust, and in the blink of an eye, he was beside her.

Saeko Busujima's reaction could not have been faster. The instant she sensed trouble, she pressed the call button, tossed away her phone, and gripped her sword with both hands. The Busujima-style Swordsmanship she knew by heart had nearly become instinct, and she viciously brought the white oak practice sword down toward Xiao Miao's head.

The moment she swung, Saeko Busujima regretted it somewhat. If that strike landed squarely on his head, even if it did not kill him, it would give him a concussion. Had she hit too hard?

Smack!

The wooden sword trembled lightly, but Saeko Busujima's eyes flew wide open, her lips parting as though she had witnessed something unimaginable.

"H-He actually caught it with one hand..."

Xiao Miao caught Saeko Busujima's wooden sword one-handed and grinned. "That was a pretty strong hit. I almost couldn't catch it, really. I was just this close."

Saeko Busujima was speechless. Men's mouths are lying ghosts! You were obviously completely calm and in control!

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Miao suddenly yanked the sword. Saeko Busujima felt an irresistible force travel along the blade, and her body was dragged toward him against her will, like a returning swallow flying into its nest.

Xiao Miao closed in. He released the wooden sword with his left hand and wrapped an arm around Saeko Busujima's shoulders, then formed his right hand into a blade and slammed it heavily onto the back of her neck.

"Ah!" Saeko Busujima cried out in pain, but she did not pass out as Xiao Miao had expected.

Xiao Miao: ...That's not how it happened in the movies!

To avoid any complications, he quickly pulled a drugged handkerchief from his pocket and covered Saeko Busujima's mouth and nose.

"Mmph, mmph, mmph~~~"

Saeko Busujima struggled desperately, a flash of despair appearing in her eyes as her consciousness grew increasingly muddled.

She was very confident in her looks, temperament, and figure. She understood what kind of torment she would suffer if she fell into the hands of bad people. Maybe by this time next year, she would be a mother!

But the gap in their physical abilities was far too great. To Xiao Miao, Saeko Busujima's desperate struggle felt more like coquettish resistance. Her strength quickly faded, and she ended up hanging off Xiao Miao's arm like a koala.

Xiao Miao kept the handkerchief over her face for several more seconds. Only after confirming that Saeko Busujima was not pretending to be unconscious did he put it away, sling her over his shoulder, and casually hang up the emergency call.

"She lives in the dojo next door. It looks pretty spacious, so we can go in there and interrogate Mr. Greasy Hair."

Alice frowned. "It would be best not to involve too many ordinary people. What about her parents?"

Xiao Miao patted Saeko Busujima, who was draped over his shoulder. "This girl lives alone. She's the only one in the whole dojo. She could scream herself hoarse, and nobody would hear her."

Alice blinked. "You even know that?"

"If I said I only just remembered, would you believe me?"

"Heh heh." Two simple words, containing countless meanings.

Xiao Miao shook his head helplessly. Society had really gone downhill; no one believed him even when he told the truth.

Inside the Busujima Kendo Dojo, Xiao Miao and Alice placed the unconscious Wisteria and Saeko Busujima in the main hall's reception room. Wisteria received the full hogtie treatment, while Saeko Busujima only had her hands bound.

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Alice brought over a basin of cold water and splashed it over Wisteria's face. His body shuddered instinctively, and his eyelids fluttered constantly, yet he still did not wake up.

Alice wanted to fetch another basin of cold water, but Xiao Miao stopped her. "No need to go through the trouble. I have a more traditional method."

He gripped Wisteria's throat with one hand and used his other hand to unleash the Ten Dragon-Slaying Slaps, alternating left and right in rapid succession.

Slap slap slap slap, slap slap slap slap, slap!

Wisteria slowly woke up. A burning pain spread across his cheeks, instantly driving away the lingering effects of the drug.

He looked at the two kidnappers before him with terrified eyes and instinctively threatened them. "Who are you people? Do you know who I am? My father is Ichiro Shido, a member of parliament! You'd better let me go right now, or my father won't let you get away with this!"

Xiao Miao nodded. "Is that so? But you've already seen our faces."

He looked at Alice. "How about we kill the hostage and run?"

"Uh..." Wisteria's breath caught, and a forced smile appeared on his face. "Hahaha, are you after money? My father has money, though he doesn't value me much. But I can help you lure him out!"

"You really are a filial son."

Xiao Miao pulled out a fruit knife and lightly traced it across Wisteria's cheek. "Tell me, what shady dealings do the Shido Household and Umbrella Corporation have?"

The moment he heard the words Umbrella Corporation, Wisteria's pupils abruptly contracted, and a bead of cold sweat slid down his forehead.

They had actually come for Umbrella Corporation!

Koichi Shido knew very well about the cooperation between the Shido Household and Umbrella Corporation. He was even deeply involved in it to this day.

It was true that he had fallen out with his father, Ichiro Shido. But he was a political creature through and through. Their falling-out did not stop father and son from working for Umbrella Corporation at the same time.

Like dogs in the hands of the same master, they could dislike each other, but when working for their master, they would still cooperate seamlessly.

Koichi Shido knew that if the things he had done for Umbrella Corporation were made public, they would definitely spark unprecedented public outrage. The Shido Household's legacy and connections, accumulated through countless generations, would also completely collapse.

He absolutely could not talk!

At that thought, Koichi Shido's attitude changed by one hundred and eighty degrees. He put on a defiant expression, rolled his neck, flicked his hair, and returned to a calm tone. "So that's what you're asking about. Sorry, I don't know anything, and I won't say anything."

Squelch!

Xiao Miao drove the knife into Koichi Shido's thigh, twisted his wrist, and forcibly turned the blade a full circle inside the flesh.

"Aaaaaaah!" Wisteria's piercing scream shot straight toward the ceiling. Tears and snot poured out as he wailed, "I'll talk, I'll talk, I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"

Wisteria had thought he was a tough guy. Clearly, he had been wrong, and very, very wrong.

Xiao Miao took out paper and a pen. "Start with the first thing you did together. Don't even think about hiding anything. I'll repeatedly verify what you tell me. If your stories don't match up... you should know the consequences."

Wisteria nodded frantically like a pecking chick, flinging snot and tears everywhere. After taking two breaths to steady himself, he began with Umbrella Corporation's first arrival in Tokonosu City.

Meanwhile, Saeko Busujima, lying on the floor with her hands bound, had eyelids that trembled slightly. She had already regained consciousness, but she did not make any rash moves.

She secretly pricked up her delicate ears and listened as Wisteria slowly revealed one shameful deal after another. Her breathing gradually became hurried.

So Teacher Wisteria really was a bad person. She had wronged that handsome guy!

PS: Saeko Busujima AI image