bookbashuk Chapter 120 Stockholm Syndrome
Chapter 120 Stockholm Syndrome
The building was ripped apart by the explosion, with a large corner missing and half of it collapsed. Ivan and the ronin's bodies were blown to pieces and buried deep in the ruins.
Seeing the situation, Xiao Mi and Su Peiyao had no contingency plan, so they had no choice but to contact Yan Shuo.
"Captain, the house has collapsed. There's probably no one alive inside. The scanner can't detect any life. There are some people running around in the yard, but they're all men, Japanese men!"
"Where's Ivan?" Yan Shuo's voice came through.
"It's inside the building, under the collapsed structure. Should we remove it and handle it?"
"No need, come back!"
"yes!"
The younger sister and Su Peiyao exchanged a glance, nodded, and then quickly flew back, leaping across rooftops and scaling walls.
They are both high-tech bio-engineered beings. They don't need to take a car; they are faster than those who drive. As long as their battery is not depleted, they can keep running.
They sped along, dodging checkpoints and scaling walls, and returned to Yan Shuo's outpost in less than half an hour, without even breaking a sweat.
Even so, Su Peiyao was still holding the instrument case in her hand, completely undamaged.
Su Yan stood respectfully in front of the desk, reporting the rescue results: "Captain, we rescued a total of 18 people, all of them women. The Chinese waiter who provided the information earlier was on the day shift and had already gone home when the incident occurred."
"Going home?" Yan Shuo was taking a sip of tea when he heard this and choked, almost swallowing the tea.
He put down his teacup, his face instantly darkening. His sharp gaze swept over Su Yan. "You said that man went home?"
"Yes." Su Yan's heart tightened, and she lowered her head to reply.
"Do you know what this means?" Yan Shuo's voice was as cold as ice, carrying an undeniable pressure.
Su Yan trembled and gritted her teeth as she replied, "I know... he's in cahoots with those Japanese."
"Good to know." Yan Shuo tapped his fingertips lightly on the table and said, word by word, "Go and take his head off."
"But he...he sent me a message!" Su Yan suddenly looked up, hurriedly defending herself, her eyes instantly reddening.
In her view, the waiter named Cai An had ultimately done a good job.
Yan Shuo didn't speak, but let out a meaningful "Hmm?" through his nose.
That soft hum struck Su Yan like a hammer blow, making her legs go weak. She dared not say another word, quickly bowed in agreement, turned and hurried out of the office, her face deathly pale.
As soon as Su Yan stepped out, she bumped into Su Ling, who was walking towards her.
Holding a stack of intelligence reports, Su Ling noticed her dejected appearance and asked curiously, "What's wrong? You look so pale. Did the captain scold you?"
Su Yan could no longer hold back, and with tears in her eyes, she told Cai An everything, her voice filled with grievance: "He clearly sent me a message and helped us find out the situation at the club, but the captain wanted me to kill him... I feel that he shouldn't have died."
After listening, Su Ling frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Don't leave yet, I'll put in a good word for you."
She paused, then looked sharply at Su Yan. "By the way, tell me honestly, have you taken a liking to that Cai An?"
"No! Absolutely not!" Su Yan retorted angrily, her cheeks burning uncontrollably. "He works for the Japanese, how could I possibly be interested in him? I'm not that blind!"
"That's good." Su Ling nodded, her tone serious. "Let me make this clear: if I can't persuade the captain, he'll die anyway. If you don't go, there are plenty of others who will carry out the orders, understand?"
Su Yan stiffened, abruptly standing at attention, her voice firm yet trembling slightly: "I obey orders!"
"Hmm." Su Ling stared into her eyes. "Don't be stubborn on the surface while harboring other thoughts. Tell me everything that's hidden, otherwise my trip will be pointless. The captain is now a general; not just anyone can talk to him. You understand the boundaries here."
Su Yan bit her lip, hesitated for a long time, her face growing redder and redder, and finally stammered out, her voice barely audible: "Sister Su... actually, he and I have a past."
It turns out that Su Yan had been drugged and sent to the Kagurazaka Club's front station, a transit station specifically for detaining kidnapped women, during a previous mission.
This Cai An was the man who sent her the message. He came to this hideout to count the number of people and prepare to transfer them back. They were all tied up and given anesthesia. Although they were still relatively clear-headed, their eyes were covered, so they could hear but not see.
She knew that when they arrived at a quiet alley, she was carried out of the car, taken to a courtyard, a room, and covered with a blanket.
She could smell the man's scent, and at the same time, two girls were carried in. After the courtyard gate closed and the car drove away, she was still tied up, along with the two girls.
Several hours later, Cai An returned, untied her ropes and clothes, climbed on top of her, and kissed her...
The two girls had the same experience, and then Cai An put anesthetic in the food she was given, and she was controlled for a full four days.
Finally, during a meal, while Cai An was out answering a phone call, she poured the soup into Cai An's bowl, took a portion of his rice for herself, and pretended to eat it. Only then did she regain her strength, run out of the yard, find her teammates, and return to subdue the man.
"Later I caught him and interrogated him." Su Yan's voice trailed off. "He said he was just blinded by lust and didn't dare do anything too outrageous. There were 24 girls he 'rescued' in total. He tricked the Japanese by claiming they 'jumped off the train to escape,' and then put them to work in industries he was familiar with. He said he kept each girl locked up for about a month before releasing them..."
Upon hearing this, Su Ling was both angry and helpless. She raised her hand to hit Su Yan on the head: "You little brat, you deserve a beating! You actually believed that? He imprisoned you and violated you. Even if he saved you, it can't cover up his evil deeds!"
Su Yan finally couldn't hold back her tears and gently shook Su Ling's hand, her voice pleading, "Sister, I know he's not a good person, but he really saved those girls... Please help me, I don't want him to die, okay?"
"Insolence!" Su Ling glared and shouted sharply, "What kind of behavior is this! Stand at attention!"
"Yes!" Su Yan quickly stood at attention and straightened her chest.
"Stand still for 3 hours!" Su Ling said.
"yes!"
In the office, Yan Shuo was leaning back in his chair smoking, his eyes deep and unfathomable amidst the swirling smoke.
Su Ling recounted Su Yan's ordeal and Cai An's situation in detail, and finally asked, "Captain, considering he saved 24 girls, could you spare his life?"
Upon hearing this, Yan Shuo raised an eyebrow slightly, somewhat surprised: "So, Su Yan has taken a liking to him?"
This psychological phenomenon is called Stockholm syndrome.
It is not a "disease" in the traditional sense, but a special psychological reaction, referring to the psychological state in which victims gradually develop sympathy, dependence, goodwill, or even identification with their perpetrators during long-term imprisonment and threats.