I simultaneously traverse countless worlds

Just a few years ago, when hailing a taxi in Tokyo required a stack of 10,000 yen bills and taxi drivers could earn over a million yen a month, it was a luxurious era. Now, it's rare to see people in Tokyo willing to spend money on taxis. Most of the private cars coming and going are obviously old cars that have been driven for several years. Even these well-maintained old cars, which would have been easily replaced a few years ago, have now become valuable assets that people in Tokyo who still have jobs care about.

Of course, there are still many wealthy people in Tokyo. For those who retained their assets or even made a fortune after the Plaza Accord's economic bubble burst, they naturally wouldn't drive old cars. They would still ride in luxury cars and live in luxury apartments, and even invest in the art market in the hope that the artworks they bought would appreciate in value.

For example, the Kuroda family, located in a relatively remote area near the Tokyo metropolitan area, has ancestors who were even related to the Japanese nobility. They can be said to have come from a wealthy family. Even though Japan has officially abolished the aristocratic system, the descendants of wealthy and powerful zaibatsu, court nobles, and samurai families still hold power in Japan. At most, commoners have a better chance than before.

Unfortunately, the Kuroda family is not a direct descendant of any noble or samurai family. They were once just a small local magnate. After experiencing the Second World War and the financial crisis, they were not as unfortunate as some noble or samurai families that gradually declined and disappeared. However, they were at most able to rise from rural landlords to the level of ordinary wealthy people in Japan. They still have assets of tens of billions of yen and even own a painting by Heinz as an investment.

As far as Rui Kisugi was concerned, the information she had the Kisugi family gather indicated that the Kuroda family was already a relatively weak collector family. Some of the paintings and artworks her father had left behind were in the hands of large private museums or members of conglomerates in Japan, while others had even fallen into the hands of collectors in Europe and America. The Kuroda family was already relatively easy to deal with. Even if the Cat's Eye sisters quietly sent out a notice first, confirming that the Japanese police could not spare many people to protect them, the other side's vigilance would only require the Cat's Eye sisters to spend a little more effort.

As native inhabitants of the Black Lagoon complex, the Cat's Eye sisters are exceptionally talented. Even the eldest sister, Rui Kisugi, can easily perform parkour-level high-difficulty moves. Hitomi Kisugi and Ai Kisugi are even more remarkable. Hitomi's nerve reflexes are so fast that she can dodge bullets, and her physical abilities are close to the limits of human capabilities. Ai also has a talent for electronics, allowing her to easily hack into the communication channels of the Japanese police.

However, what the Cat's Eye sisters did not expect was that the Japanese police, who had been thoroughly humiliated by Cat's Eye's previous successful thefts, had this time assigned a team of elite police officers from other departments to deal with the Cat's Eye sisters' operation!

………………

"Bang—!"

When a gunshot shattered the silence, the Kuroda family mansion, located in a remote area of ​​Tokyo, went from quiet to noisy. Inside and outside the once brightly lit manor, police officers and bodyguards ran back and forth, and people were constantly communicating with each other on walkie-talkies and conducting searches.

Unlike the EU Group's estate, which is large enough to accommodate a small town, the Kuroda family's estate is actually a medium-sized European-style villa. It is surrounded by fences, landscaping trees, and other buildings, and its area is only a few hundred square meters. There are only six bodyguards inside the three-story European-style villa, plus a dozen or so Japanese police officers outside. It seems that this is not a small number, but the actual security force is not enough.

If possible, the current head of the Kuroda family would naturally want to be surrounded by a retinue whenever he makes an appearance. However, his family's financial situation does not allow it. The total assets of over 10 billion yen sound frightening, but in reality, it is less than 200 million US dollars. Hiring a few bodyguards, servants, and butlers is barely enough. If the Kuroda family wants a professional bodyguard team to protect them at all times, they would have to increase their assets from over 10 billion yen to over 10 billion US dollars to have the financial resources to consider hiring or even training their own security personnel.

In fact, the Kuroda family usually only employs three bodyguards. It was only after receiving a notice from the phantom thief Cat's Eye that the head of the Kuroda family would double the number of bodyguards and notify the police, temporarily evacuating his family members, servants, and butler. Only the head of the Kuroda family and a few bodyguards remained in the manor, along with a total of more than a dozen police officers, to carry out the protection mission.

Therefore, when they suddenly heard the gunshot, the bodyguards and police were dumbfounded. They had no idea why they heard the gunshot. Did the phantom thief Cat's Eye not intend to use technology to steal, but instead directly learn from America's colleagues and rob with a gun?

"Did you spot the peephole?"

The instant the gunshot rang out, a beautiful woman in an elegant dress opened her eyes in a minivan outside the Kuroda residence. Her eyes, sharp as daggers, were filled with a menacing aura, and her pleasant voice was calm and powerful, stabilizing the emotions of the man and woman in the minivan. The female attendant gripped the steering wheel, ready to start the minivan at any moment.

"Sir! The people outside say they haven't found anything. Are we really going to take this route through here?!"

Upon hearing the beautiful policewoman's words, a male officer sitting in the passenger seat asked a few questions on his police walkie-talkie. After receiving a reply, he couldn't help but ask a question. He kept looking outside, feeling that the gunshot was too sudden and wondered if it was a trick by the phantom thief, Cat's Eye. Unfortunately, the officer in charge of protecting the Kuroda family didn't dare to take the risk, and the bodyguards were even more on high alert.

As for why he was acting alongside this beautiful policewoman, it was simply because she needed a familiar colleague to communicate with the other officers. This elite team of police officers dispatched by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department did not operate alongside ordinary police officers at all!

"Hmph~!"

The beautiful policewoman snorted at the subordinate she had temporarily brought in. Seeing the man's genuinely bewildered expression, and even the female officer in charge of driving looking over curiously, she realized she had been too optimistic about her colleagues' abilities. With a sigh, she explained to her subordinates, "Officer Utsumi, Officer Kobayakawa, Cat's Eye isn't a one-man operation. It must be a team with multiple members working together. Someone must be outside providing backup for the phantom thief after he succeeds..."

As she said this, the beautiful policewoman was gazing thoughtfully out the car window. She estimated that the Phantom Thief Cat's Eye team might have chosen a location to escape to, which was at the street corner not far from the Kuroda family's house. Meanwhile, in several key areas on other streets, several vans were also carrying elite police officers.

Admittedly, most Japanese police officers are only good at maintaining public order and cannot be relied upon in major incidents. However, this does not mean that Japanese police lack elites. For example, there are elite police squads that specialize in handling firearms and major criminal cases, and special task forces that deal with major incidents such as terrorist attacks or cult-related events. The former consists of outstanding police elites selected from among the best, while the latter is similar to the special police force established in China, serving as an emergency response team for major incidents in cities.

If it were just a phantom thief like Cat's Eye, there would naturally be no need to use a special task force for dealing with terrorists. The fact that a small team was drawn from the elite police to prepare to capture Cat's Eye was already a result of the recent success of Cat's Eye's operations, which severely embarrassed the Japanese police. In addition, the Kuroda family and several other victims had some connections, which made the higher-ups of the Japanese police feel that capturing Cat's Eye would be a good way to establish their authority.

Otherwise, the Phantom Thief Cat's Eye would at most have ordinary police officers form special task forces, such as drawing on elite police squads to deal with major criminal cases, which is a very rare occurrence. It is generally not used to deal with civil cases such as petty theft!

……

"I found the peephole!"

Less than five minutes later, news came from the Kuroda family manor that an artwork had been stolen. The beautiful policewoman paid no attention to the situation inside the manor, but instead focused on waiting, when she received a message from one of her subordinates.

Clearly, the beautiful policewoman's judgment was correct. The Cat's Eye sisters did not rob the manor with firearms. The "gun" sound was actually a prop made of gunpowder, which sounded very similar to a gunshot, but it was actually used to disrupt the manor's defenses. Hitomi Kisugi took the opportunity to sneak into the collection room and take one of the paintings left by her father. The bodyguards and police were still on edge, and even if someone discovered the Phantom Thief Cat's Eyes, they dared not approach.

Of course, it's not really the fault of the bodyguards and police officers hired by the Kuroda family for their negligence. It's just that everyone initially thought they were catching thieves and robbers. It was within their expectations that the other party might have knives or other cold weapons, but someone with a gun was a vicious criminal. Those bodyguards didn't think their salaries were enough to make them risk their lives. The dozen or so police officers also had no experience with large-scale gunfights. They were inexperienced and nervous that the Phantom Thief Cat's Eye might be armed. In addition, they also had to protect the panting head of the Kuroda family. As expected, they allowed Hitomi Kisugi to easily escape from the manor.

However, Hitomi Laisheng had only run a few dozen meters with her father's painting when she spotted a black van with its headlights on. Two elite plainclothes police officers quickly drew their guns and rushed towards her, shouting for her to stop and surrender as they ran. These two elite plainclothes police officers were no pushovers; they were strong and armed with semi-automatic pistols, a far cry from the revolvers that are rarely carried by ordinary Japanese police.

Based solely on what she observed, Hitomi Kisugi immediately realized that she and her sisters had fallen into a police trap. She hadn't expected the police to have set up an outer perimeter defense. While running to evade the elite officers, she whispered through her communicator:

"Big sister, Xiao Ai, the police have set up an outer perimeter. We need to split up and evacuate immediately!"

Chapter 13 Escape and Chance Encounter

"Sir! We've spotted Cat's Eye Thief! She just escaped from Tagawa's side and is being chased by those two!"

When Hitomi warned her older and younger sisters to evacuate instead of coming to meet them, the beautiful policewoman leading this elite police squad also received the same message from her subordinates.

As elite officers selected by the Japanese police, they naturally wouldn't be as distracted as ordinary Japanese police officers. The two elite officers reported their findings to their superiors immediately upon pursuing Hitomi, accurately reporting the location of the Cat's Eye Phantom Thief and the direction they were pursuing. An ordinary Japanese police officer would probably have hesitated whether to pursue an enemy who might be armed.

Leaving aside the lovely policewoman in the driver's seat, Officer Uchimi, who had been temporarily transferred to the elite police squad, became nervous upon hearing this. If it weren't for that powerful and beautiful policewoman in charge, he probably would have given chase immediately!

"Order! Leave a few police officers to guard the manor. The rest of you, immediately move in and expand the encirclement. Beware of any possible accomplices of Cat's Eye!"

The beautiful policewoman, with her long, flowing blue hair and captivating beauty, yet exuding a cold and aloof demeanor, faced the situation with remarkable composure. A flash of her eyes as she issued orders via walkie-talkie, giving a decisive command to the two elite officers pursuing Hitomi: "Also, have Tagawa and the others keep their eyes on the Cat-Eye Thief. If they determine she will escape, they can open fire immediately. Of course, capturing her alive is best..."

In modern Japan, police officers firing their guns is a very serious matter. An average Japanese police officer might only practice shooting at a range once a year to keep up with their skills and prevent them from forgetting how to fire a gun. In reality, they rarely have to fire their guns.

Of course, the situation of the Japanese police is largely due to Japan's strict gun control and good public security in the past. However, the Japan in the Black Lagoon hybrid world is obviously much worse than the Japan in the real world. At least the Japanese police can occasionally find a time when they need to fire their guns. But if they are dealing with a phantom thief like Cat's Eye, they still need to write a report and submit it to the authorities. Even if this beautiful policewoman has a powerful background, it would still be a bit troublesome if someone were to die.

However, this beautiful policewoman was already fed up with being gossiped about by people in Japan's sex-biased environment because of her gender, appearance, and even family background. She also understood that if she failed in dealing with the phantom thief Cat's Eye, it would be a failure of the case that almost caused a sensation last time, and it would disappoint others, including her father, even more. So she would rather ensure that everything went perfectly.

Compared to the utterly astonished Officer Utsumi, her subordinates, who understood her personality, naturally refrained from offering any objections. Officer Tagawa, who was chasing after Hitomi Kisugi, grinned maliciously as he looked at Kisugi not far away and replied:

"understand!"

……

Bang!

In less than a minute, Officer Tagawa aimed and fired the semi-automatic pistol he was holding. The 9x19mm bullet flew out of the barrel instantly, as intended by its owner, to wound the victim's calf and arrest him.

After all, as one of Japan's elite police officers, Officer Tagawa certainly had the right to aim at the head and upper body of the target. However, shooting a vicious criminal to death and shooting a thief who steals art are two different things in Japan. The former would not be misunderstood by other police officers or even civilians, while the latter would easily make people think that the police were making a mountain out of a molehill.

Faced with a master thief who steals art, should they be shot dead instead of arrested?

This question is naturally unnecessary to raise in America, where police are known for their simple and brutal approach to law enforcement. However, in Japan, police are mostly focused on maintaining order, and the practice of shooting and killing criminals is still somewhat controversial.

Well, in a magical place like Japan, even a brutal murderer who cruelly killed multiple innocent civilians can be sentenced to life imprisonment or even granted medical parole. There are even many people who admire him, and some girls even want to have his babies. So, it would really seem like a lot of trouble for a police officer to shoot and kill a thief who steals art. Even if the beautiful female officer in charge didn't care, Officer Tagawa was concerned about his own future and deliberately aimed for the other man's leg.

However, to the surprise of Officer Tagawa and his colleagues, Hitomi Kisugi seemed to have eyes in the back of her head. Holding a painting that was at least 60 cm wide and a meter long in one hand, she deftly dodged the bullet aimed at her leg. Apart from slightly turning and pausing, her running speed did not slow down at all, let alone pay attention to the police's shouts demanding that she surrender immediately.

Not only that, when Officer Tagawa immediately realized that he was losing face and fired two more shots, he not only missed Hitomi Kisugi, but at most forced Hitomi Kisugi to dodge and slowed her down slightly!

"Tagawa, what happened?"

Upon hearing several gunshots, the female police officer in charge frowned deeply. She immediately contacted her subordinates via walkie-talkie to inquire, knowing that the police officers she led were an elite squad, and it was impossible for them to fire shots repeatedly without reason.

"Sir, the Cat-Eye Thief is extremely agile. I missed him with three shots in a row!"

This time, Officer Tagawa's face was very grim. He was running fast and panting, staring intently at Hitomi Kisugi, who was running dozens of meters ahead of him, while also hurriedly explaining to his superior about the shooting incident.

There was no way around it. Even though the beautiful policewoman said it was okay to shoot, Officer Tagawa, an elite police officer, couldn't take down his opponent even after firing several shots. If he didn't explain the reason, other uninformed people might think that his marksmanship was too poor. Even if his superiors and colleagues knew that wasn't the case, Officer Tagawa himself couldn't get over this hurdle. Moreover, the gossip from those who didn't know the truth would definitely cause him a lot of headaches.

Moreover, Officer Tagawa did indeed think that the Cat-Eye Thief was very skilled. He was selected into the elite police force because of his outstanding marksmanship. He could hit targets at a distance of fifty meters with every shot, leaving the area around the bullseye. Yet, he himself had fired three shots in a row and still failed to injure the Cat-Eye Thief.

"...It seems the Cat-Eye Thief really does have some skills!"

The beautiful policewoman remained silent for less than two seconds after hearing her subordinates' seemingly evasive answer before speaking again. She confirmed with interest that the Cat-Eye Thief was indeed skilled, then her beautiful eyes narrowed and became very cold. In a calm tone, she gave her two subordinates a new order: "You two, open fire immediately. Try to keep that Cat-Eye Thief alive and don't let her get away!"

That's right, the beautiful policewoman was determined. She was willing to have her subordinates lift the restrictions on firing the gun, even if it meant writing several reports afterward to explain the reasons for the shooting, just to capture the thief Cat's Eye directly. Otherwise, if they couldn't even capture him by firing the gun now, the consequences of failing to catch Cat's Eye would be quite troublesome.

Previously, Phantom Thief Cat's Eye had repeatedly embarrassed the Japanese police, making them more eager to capture him. If the beautiful policewoman successfully captured Phantom Thief Cat's Eye, it would naturally be a success. However, if she couldn't catch Phantom Thief Cat's Eye even with an elite police team, she would definitely be under considerable pressure. Even with a prominent family background and a high-ranking father, the Japanese workplace environment is not friendly to women at all, except for certain industries with special benefits.

Rather than considering her superiors, Officer Tagawa, having received permission to fire, did not hesitate. He and his partner exchanged shots in perfect unison. Although Hitomi Kisugi tried her best to dodge, she had not yet anticipated the direction of the gunfire. After dodging several shots, she trembled, cried out in pain, and had to drop her father's painting. She staggered over the wall and ran away quickly.

Just a few minutes later, the beautiful policewoman and her team joined up with Officer Tagawa and his partner. They confirmed that the artist left behind by the phantom thief Cat's Eye had escaped. They immediately followed the bloodstains and the direction of his escape, continuing their pursuit to apprehend him!

……

"Oh no! He's been shot in the shoulder; if the bleeding doesn't stop, it'll be dangerous..."

On the other side, forced to abandon the paintings left by her father and flee alone, Hitomi Laisheng covered the wound on her shoulder with her hand. Feeling the pain of the wound tearing open with the slightest force, she immediately knew that she had better stop the bleeding as soon as possible.

Even though elite police officers like Officer Tagawa use 9mm x 19mm ammunition in their semi-automatic pistols, which are not as powerful as real military firearms, they are still quite lethal to ordinary people. Although Hitomi Kisugi's special night suit contains Kevlar, it only weakens the lethality of this shot, and the wound on her shoulder is still bleeding continuously.

As the Cat's Eye sisters are billionaires, they naturally wouldn't wear ordinary night-clothes and equipment. The special night-clothes and equipment they chose were custom-made. However, considering that the theft was in Japan, not America, it was impossible for them to wear bulletproof vests. The special night-clothes had a good shielding effect against infrared and ordinary optical observation and could effectively prevent cuts and stabs, but their bulletproof ability was so-so.

The problem is that Hitomi Laisheng is currently being chased by the police. Even if she stops to treat her wounds for a short time, it will probably be enough for the police not far behind her to find her. As Hitomi Laisheng thinks this, she crosses a wall and suddenly finds several luxury vans parked on the street in front of her. Several elite bodyguards who are obviously not ordinary security personnel are already looking at her and tacitly surrounding her.

When Hitomi realized something was wrong and was about to throw a smoke grenade from her waist to cover her retreat, she suddenly saw a tall figure appear behind her, and Li Mo's voice reached her ears before she lost consciousness:

"Hmm? A beautiful woman actually offered herself up to me, so I'll just save you while I'm at it!"

(Character design of Saeko Nogami)

Chapter 14 Doubt and Worry

"Tsk tsk, Miss Hitomi Kisugi is actually injured!"

Seeing that Lai Sheng Tong had fainted and collapsed in his arms after he gently pressed her neck, Li Mo sighed with admiration for the beauty in his arms. He reached out and pressed on her shoulder wound a few times to stop the bleeding.

This was something Li Mo did casually, yet it left him with a sense of awe!

It's obvious that in the Black Reef hybrid world where Li Mo is, there's no such thing as the protagonist's immortality or the protagonist's smooth sailing. If Li Mo hadn't helped just now, it would be hard to say whether the injured Lai Sheng Tong could have escaped the police pursuit.

As for Kisugi Rui and Kisugi Ai, they made preparations for evacuation in advance and successfully left. However, Kisugi Hitomi was closely watched by the police. Officer Tagawa and his group were chasing her closely, and there were even two groups of elite police officers flanking her from both sides. In addition, more than a dozen ordinary police officers who came out of the Kuroda family residence were divided into several groups and were checking along the surrounding roads to see if there were any accomplices of the Phantom Thief Cat's Eye. It can be said that if Kisugi Hitomi had not chosen to scatter and escape, the three sisters might have encountered a predicament.

If things proceed as they normally would, even if Hitomi Kisugi manages to escape the Japanese police, Saeko Nogami, feeling humiliated, would likely relentlessly pursue the Phantom Thief Cat's Eye. And if Hitomi were caught, even though the Kisugi family are billionaires with abundant connections, if this were discovered, the Cat's Eye sisters would likely face dire consequences.

However, Li Mo was clearly an unexpected factor in the appearance. He already knew about the Cat's Eye sisters' operation and naturally wanted to gain the greatest benefit from it. For example, he rescued the injured Hitomi Kisugi and took her under his control!

Let's get out of here!

Looking at the beauty in his arms, Li Mo glanced at Nogami Saeko and a group of elite police officers who were clearly searching and rushing over a hundred meters away. He then turned around, took Kisugi Hitomi into the car, and gave orders to his subordinates.

Although Li Mo didn't care about the few elite police officers and the dozen or so ordinary police officers who arrived, his dozen or so bodyguards were no mere decorations. Having fused with the [Seed of Fusion] and equipped with excellent gear, their numbers were probably enough to contend with the elite special forces of the five major powers. A group of twenty or so police officers like Ququ probably wouldn't be enough for these bodyguards. However, Li Mo didn't want to cause a huge uproar. The death of more than twenty police officers would definitely be a major event in Japan.

Upon hearing Li Mo's order, the bodyguards who had been silently forming a protective formation quickly boarded the vehicles and responded in hushed tones. The luxury vans then drove off in a swaggering manner!

……

A few minutes later, Saeko Nogami arrived with two of her subordinates. She also used a walkie-talkie to ask other elite police teams and ordinary police officers about the situation. Unfortunately, she was unable to catch up with the whereabouts of the phantom thief, Cat's Eye.

This undoubtedly puzzled Saeko Nogami. She wasn't foolish enough to directly chase after the criminal; instead, she had her subordinates and ordinary police officers form an encirclement. Elite police officers were responsible for the pursuit and flanking maneuvers, while ordinary police officers formed small teams to search areas where the Phantom Thief Cat's Eye's accomplices might be. Moreover, both elite and ordinary police officers were required to report the situation at any time, so even if the criminal turned around and ambushed them, their presence would be exposed.

Logically speaking, Nogami Saeko's move would be enough to crush more than 90% of criminals, and even vicious armed criminals would not come out on top. However, Kisugi Rui and Kisugi Ai had already retreated, and Kisugi Hitomi was being chased by Nogami Saeko and several elite police officers, with a small group of elite police officers on each side flanking her. It can be said that it would be difficult for the injured Kisugi Hitomi to escape this predicament.

Therefore, after chasing him to no avail, Nogami Saeko was somewhat incredulous as to how the injured Phantom Thief Cat's Eye had disappeared. While frowning and ordering her subordinates and other police officers to search for him, she wondered if Cat's Eye had been picked up by his accomplices!

"Inspector Nogami, it seems the Phantom Thief Cat's Eye has disappeared here?!"