Yusaku Kudo's face was very dark. "This game is not fair. If I win, you must release Yukiko."
"Is any game fair?"
The mechanical voice on the phone was full of mockery.
"Or, you can choose not to play. That means you give up. At that time, I believe many people will be interested in this perfect star."
Yusaku Kudo's heart tightened. Suddenly, a cool feeling flashed through his mind. His anger disappeared instantly.
"Are you trying to disturb my mind?" Yusaku asked.
"Cackle. You are indeed a great writer. You do not seem worried about your wife at all. But that makes sense. With your status, it should be easy to find other women. You really have no worries," the voice said.
The mechanical voice on the phone was still full of mockery.
Yusaku Kudo calmed down completely. He took out a piece of paper. He wrote a few words and showed them to Ginshiro Toyama.
Ginshiro Toyama looked at the words. His face changed slightly. He walked away quickly.
"Mr. Kidnapper, do you not think mocking a calm person is useless?" Yusaku Kudo asked. His eyes were sharp.
"Just now, you paused for ten seconds. Ten seconds is enough time to write a few words. Let me guess. Are you asking someone to track this phone call?"
Yusaku Kudo felt a chill in his heart.
"Do not bother tracking it. Since I can call you, I have already taken precautions against that."
Ginshiro Toyama walked back over. He shook his head.
Yusaku Kudo sighed in his heart. This was a high-intelligence crime.
However, this also made him feel a bit relaxed for now. Usually, this kind of person is a professional criminal. And professionals have their own rules.
"Yukiko is safe for now," he thought.
"Since that is the case, just say it. What do you need?" Yusaku Kudo said calmly.
"I told you, we are playing a game." The mechanical voice sounded like it was playing with him.
"A game needs clues. Otherwise, how can I join in?" Yusaku Kudo remained calm.
"Tsk tsk. I must say, Great Writer, you are very steady." The mechanical voice seemed a bit surprised.
"Why should I be in a panic?"
"Your own wife was kidnapped, yet you can calm down so fast. Can I say this: you do not love your wife at all?"
"This person talks too much," Yusaku thought.
Suddenly, a light flashed in Yusaku Kudo's eyes. His hand quickly wrote on the note: He is playing psychological war.
Ginshiro Toyama nodded. He told the other officers to leave. He gave Yusaku Kudo a quiet room.
Psychological warfare requires a quiet analysis of the opponent. You cannot make any mistakes.
"Maybe I do not love her enough in my heart," Yusaku said.
The opponent might be a person with a psychological defect, he wrote on the paper.
This was Yusaku Kudo's analysis. He listed each discovery. This would help him find a way to break the opponent's mind.
"Great Writer, if I remember correctly, Yukiko Fujimine quit acting at her peak for you. She was only 20. Then she had Shinichi Kudo for you. A woman gives up her fame at her best time, and you say you do not love her enough... has it changed?"
The opponent is remembering the past, Yusaku quickly wrote. His face did not change. "Yukiko is very good. But as time passes, people change. There is no way to stop that," he said.
"So, you do not love her anymore?"
"Of course I love her. It is just that there is no passion like before."
Yusaku Kudo felt happy. He wrote quickly: The opponent's mind is starting to soften.
"Haha! So the great mystery writer also has these thoughts." There was a loud laugh on the phone.
Emotions are unstable. He seems to hate successful people, Yusaku wrote. He frowned. "I just happened to write some mystery novels that people like. I am not a great writer. I am just a normal person," he said.
"It is fine. Anyway, I have the great writer's wife in my hands. That seems pretty good too."
Yusaku's face changed. He wrote fast. The opponent's emotions are very unstable. I confirm he has a very serious hatred for successful people.
"Yukiko has already become a housewife. her fame is gone. She has no charm at all. You should know that, sir," Yusaku said.
The other side went silent again. This time, it was much longer than before.
"Can I understand that in your heart, Yukiko's charm is now zero?"
Yusaku Kudo felt a relief. He wrote: Confirmed. The opponent has a hatred mindset.
"It has been over ten years after all. Seeing her every day gets boring," Yusaku said.
This was a lie. But he could only say this now.
"I see. Boring." The mechanical voice had a strange meaning.
"Oh no!" Yusaku's face changed. Yukiko's value!
"However, Yukiko was a big star. Her body and face are still top-level," Yusaku added quickly.
If the kidnapper thought Yukiko had no value, her life would be in danger.
"Cackle. You seem to be leading me on," the voice said. It made Yusaku feel a chill.
"Of course not. I just want to say that as a former star, she has her charm. It is just that for me, her charm is zero," Yusaku said. Every word was dangerous.
"A woman's youth is always short. So, they always like to use that as an excuse," the mechanical voice changed a bit.
Yusaku was happy. The opponent's psychological wall is starting to break down.
"So, we cannot give in to them. We must let them know that we are their masters," Yusaku said.
He was talking exactly like the criminal. He did not mean any of it.
"But they still cheat. Your wife, Yukiko Fujimine, told you she wanted to cheat too, right? I saw her sitting in a car with a man. They ate grilled octopus balls. She smiled very sweetly. She was very beautiful."
Yusaku's face changed. Was it that day?
"Do not doubt it. I saw it with my own eyes. That smile was so sweet." The mechanical voice was full of mockery.
"Do you have a similar experience?" Yusaku Kudo asked. He was ready to fight back now.
The other side did not speak for a long time. Yusaku started to write. Breaking down...
"Does the Great Writer think I was playing psychological war with you just now?"
Before he finished writing, Yusaku heard the voice. He stopped moving his hand.
"I never thought that," Yusaku said.
The mechanical voice sighed. "Great Writer, you are too smart. Sadly, you are too smart for your own good."
Yusaku Kudo frowned deeply. He put the pen aside. "What do you mean?"
"It means the game is only officially starting now."
Starting now?
Yusaku's face changed. "You were playing with me before?"
He realized it now. There was no psychological war at the start. He had just been led into it.
"I said it already. You are too smart. You try to read a person's heart from every word. That is why I could lead you in."
"If you could lead me in, you are not bad yourself." Yusaku's face was cold.
"I think so too." Even with the voice changer, the confidence was clear.
"What are the rules of the game?" Yusaku did not want to waste time.
"A riddle."
"A riddle?"
"The Queen of Teitan!"