Chapter 197
A perfectly normal meeting was suddenly interrupted by a pre-meeting notice and threats. All the attendees were...
Relatively calm.
Especially those who were recruited, they had done similar things themselves. Now that the tables have turned, they can express their understanding and even quietly give out a few names so that the FBI can check if they are the enemies they have made.
Once they started, others followed suit, each trying to recall if they had offended anyone.
Only the three people from Japan acted like outsiders, not participating at all.
Judy couldn't help but come over and ask, "What about you? Don't you have anything to say?"
Kenji Hagiwara: "Uh, unlike other people who come to the US often, this is our second time here. To be honest, we can't really think of anyone we've offended in the US..."
Judy pondered, "Could it be that they are your enemies who have followed you to America?"
Matsuda Jinpei felt the probability of it being related to him was relatively small: "I just stay at home and research bombs, who could I possibly offend?"
Kenji Hagiwara looked at Saiki Usui: "Those who have a grudge against me should all be in prison, and I haven't heard any news of a prison break... Where's Shinryu?"
Although Hanchuan Shenliu is his partner, and theoretically they should be handling similar cases, there's a hidden bomb on Hanchuan Shenliu's persona: his connections with illegal organizations. If it's the illegal organizations that have implicated Hanchuan Shenliu, it's hard to say.
Bo Yezaki thought for a moment: "Those who offend me are either dead or in prison."
Judy: "..."
The last one only said he was in prison, but with you, you added "dead"... You're both Japanese police officers, why is there such a big difference between you?
Judy herself is an FBI agent and knows very well how bad the American police are, so she has even less of a bias towards foreign police. Therefore, after hearing this subtle statement, she now has some thoughts about Usui Saiki.
When they last met, the other party was handling a case that the FBI couldn't solve, so she couldn't really doubt anything. But... was this Han Chuan Shenliu really an upright and righteous policeman who, apart from handling cases, had never offended anyone who would take such retaliatory actions?
It doesn't look like it!
Even the design blueprints for that bomb last time were his. He claimed they were stolen by an insider, but who knows if he was behind it all?
And by sheer coincidence, he happened to be traveling in Hawaii, happened to encounter a bomber who had used his blueprints, and happened to help the FBI...
Judy tried hard to suppress her suspicious look, which was rather impolite, and besides, even if someone committed a crime, it wasn't done in the United States. What she needed to do now was solve the case at hand.
But then again...
"Mr. Hanchuan, I know a little Japanese. Does your name mean water in Japanese?"
Kenji Hagiwara can help explain this: "Yes, 'cold' and 'deep' are used to describe, and the remaining two characters together form 'flowing river'."
"I see..." Judy seemed thoughtful.
Brad noticed what was going on with her and came over to ask, "Why are you suddenly asking about Han Chuan's name?"
“…I’m a little concerned about that glass ball,” Judy said hesitantly. “It looks a lot like Mr. Hanchuan’s eyes, and the scene was soaked with a water pipe. Although it could be to disturb the scene, it could also be, like that glass ball, a hint…”
Brad suddenly realized: "You think the water and the red glass ball are both allusions to Han Chuan?"
The Japanese trio: "…………"
Kenji Hagiwara chuckled dryly and said, "You guys have such a vivid imagination."
Judy sighed: "Because there are too many weirdos in the US who like to do this kind of thing, you can't be too inflexible. If the BAU weren't busy with other cases, this would actually be more suitable for them..."
Usakabe Saiki expressed his understanding: "This is simply the unique situation in America."
The bomb expert who often defended America's reputation: "..."
I feel like America's image is beyond saving; all his efforts have been in vain.
"Since I might be the target, can I see the advance notice?" Bo Yezaki didn't mince words and directly reached out for the information.
There was nothing wrong with giving them the copies; Brad handed them several copies.
"The trailer is written in English above, and the string below is a code, which our experts are still deciphering..."
Bo Yezaki glanced at it and suddenly fell silent.
Among the skills he exchanged for Han Chuan Shen Liu was the ability to decipher codes, making him able to see through even the most difficult codes at a glance.
But this code...
Kenji Hagiwara, being a close partner and friend of Saiki Usubaba, immediately sensed a change in Usubaba's mood and turned to ask, "What's wrong? Did you crack the code?"
"Hmm." Usoya Saiki said expressionlessly, "It's a pardon."
Everyone: "...???"
After speaking, Bo Yezai paused for a moment, then suddenly sneered: "It seems that someone knows the correct answer but has not said it."
Matsuda Jinpei was already annoyed by the meeting being interrupted, and when he heard that someone was actually holding him back, he became even more irritated: "Who is it?"
“Mr. Brad,” said Bo Yezaiji calmly, “you actually knew all along, didn’t you? The correct answer to the code is ‘guilty,’ not ‘pardon.’”
Bo Yezaki was too lazy to explain the process; given the abilities of those present, they could easily deduce the answer by working backwards.
Judy understood the implication in Bo Yezaki's words and didn't know who to believe: "So you deliberately gave the wrong answer just now?"
"Well, I was just testing the waters a little, and I didn't expect to actually find out. Mr. Brad, I'm afraid you're not very good at this kind of thing."
After all, although he was an FBI agent, Brad was just a bomb-related researcher, and those counter-surveillance skills and the ability to hide his emotions were not necessary.
Han Chuan Shenliu has too many skills on his persona. When he usually uses this persona, Bo Yezhai likes to clear his mind and enter an energy-saving state when he has nothing to do. Otherwise, his brain is a bit tired from running at high speed. But once he starts to deduce, no detail can escape his eyes.
Judy immediately looked at her silent colleague: "Brad?!"
Brad looked at Usakawa Saiki.
He didn't say a word, but he was annoyed when he heard the wrong answer—he was supposed to be judging a guilty person, and this guy was pardoning him, which was practically going against him—and he was discovered right away.
No, maybe it wasn't this time at all.
The fact that Hanchuan Shenliu chose this moment to test him suggests that he was already certain the culprit was right in front of him, and his deliberately wrong answer was probably just a final confirmation.
Where and when did he get exposed?
He only exchanged a few words with Han Chuan Shenliu on the first day of their meeting. Was his intention to kill already exposed at that time?
...Perhaps he shouldn't have come today; he could have just kept those guilty people as planned.
However, he was somewhat unwilling to give up, worried that he had missed out on the prisoner, Hanchuan Shenliu.
On the first day, Joseph explained the bomb. Although Joseph didn't say who designed it, he was sitting right behind Hanchuan Shenliu and clearly noticed Joseph's gaze as he looked in Hanchuan Shenliu's direction.
Given Joseph's high regard for Fukawa Shinryu and his fondness for the "perfect bomb," it's easy to deduce that—
Hanchuan Shenliu is the bomb designer whose life is a collection of coincidences.
coincide?
If it weren't for the coincidences, Brad might have been willing to believe them based solely on Joseph's account, but after meeting Sugikawa Shinryu in person, how could he possibly believe it?
This person is definitely doing this on purpose! And they certainly aren't involved in just this one thing!
Samikawa Shinryu wasn't recruited; he was a Japanese detective. According to two other Japanese police officers, Samikawa Shinryu had an extremely high crime-solving rate in Japan, and the Metropolitan Police Department couldn't do without him...
Moreover, the criminals in the cases they solved were all incredibly cunning, using alibis, locked-room mysteries, and other such tactics with remarkable skill...
Are Japanese prisoners simply smarter than prisoners from other countries?!
No way! Someone must be helping them behind the scenes!
If Hanchuan Shenliu can sell blueprints and then be in charge of bomb disposal, why can't he design other people's crimes and then solve them himself?
Brad stared intently at the deep flow of Hanchuan.
This person seemed to have absorbed all the light and heat, leaving only a deep darkness, cold and dangerous. Just by looking at him, one could imagine how he schemed against those who harbored murderous intent, making them follow his plans step by step, and then solving the case himself at the last moment, shattering their hopes.
What a terrible, despicable guy... how could he be such a good policeman that even his colleagues didn't notice anything wrong!
That's why he came here today specifically to see for himself if his life was threatened. He wanted to see if this person would soften his tune and say that he shouldn't have offended people who were police officers. After all, chasing someone all the way to the United States is definitely not something an ordinary person would do...
As it turned out, this guy didn't expose anything; in fact, he almost exposed himself!
Brad used all his acting skills and said seriously, "It wasn't me. I'm curious why you would suspect me. Is it just based on observing everyone's expressions? Customs and habits differ from country to country, and micro-expressions aren't always universally applicable. Could you have misjudged me? Do you have any other evidence?"
"You want to kill those people, don't you?" Bo Yezaki pointed to the group of people who had been recruited. "It was discovered on the first day. The Frenchman sat down for a bit, then quickly got up to chat with the others. Later, when you were sitting in that row, you skipped over that spot without even touching it."
Brad paused for a moment: "It's just a coincidence. I don't like sitting too close to people, so I left a seat empty..."
Judy interrupted him: "That's enough! Let's go back and talk about it!"
What are you still arguing about? Aren't you enough making the FBI a laughing stock in front of so many countries?!
Brad gritted his teeth: "Judy, you don't actually believe him, do you?"
Judy: "I also hope he's lying. Wouldn't it be enough if you just cooperated with the investigation and cleared yourself of suspicion?"
Everyone has their own area of expertise. Brad doesn't handle solving cases; he just deals with bombs. Even though he has some friends in the elite FBI, he still doesn't understand what he doesn't know.
But Judy was in charge of this. Ever since Bo Ye Saiki called out his name, she had been watching Brad closely. She soon realized with despair that Brad probably hadn't expected this and was unprepared. His reactions on the spot all pointed to him being the criminal.
Judy has been an adult for a long time, and adult society is very complex.
Even though she already knew that not everyone in the FBI was a good person, and that it was not uncommon for colleagues to commit crimes, it was still too exciting to see it happen to someone close to her.
And this is way too fast!
If the case progressed step by step, she would slowly deduce the truth, gradually uncover the facts, suspect her colleagues, search for evidence, and finally confirm the facts...
She wouldn't have reacted so strongly, because it was a gradual process, and by this stage, she had pretty much come to terms with reality.
As a result, Hanchuan Shenliu immediately pointed out the prisoner to her without any warning!
Judy's ability to remain calm and think rationally, and to consider the FBI's image in front of a group of foreigners, is truly impressive!
"...It's just suspicion." Judy was still trying to salvage the FBI's image. "Come on, explain your itinerary yesterday. Maybe it's a misunderstanding..."
Usakabe Saiki: "I have never misunderstood any prisoner."
Judy: "…………"
Stop talking! Have some respect for the FBI! Do you have a grudge against them?!
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There will be an extra chapter tonight!
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Brad: Are Japanese prisoners inherently smarter than prisoners from other countries? They're always faking alibis and committing locked-room murders… We Americans focus on finding the body and erasing evidence.
Thin Leaf: Go ask Aoyama about that...
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A righteous executioner of a prisoner
After all, if they missed this opportunity, there would be little hope of killing so many surrendered bombers again. Moreover, on his home turf, he himself was the FBI agent and could find a way to separate the innocent people.
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