Chapter 54
Before the morning mist had even dissipated, the police had already cordoned off the scene. The police tape fluttered slightly in the wind blowing across the lake. As the salvage operation progressed, more and more remains appeared before the eyes of those present.
The lake water even began to emit an indescribable stench, a mixture of earth and death, which filled the nostrils and was unbearable.
Miyako, carrying her toolbox, squatted down in front of a skeleton, staring at the black spots on the leg bone for a while, and said, "Judging from the degree of bone corrosion and the mineral deposits, this skeleton has been dead for at least a year."
Sato paused for a moment, then pressed the walkie-talkie and said, "Conduct one last search. Especially their clothing and personal belongings. Also, send people to search along the lake shore for any suspicious items."
Sagara said, "Officer Sato, this place is too remote; there are hardly any people fishing here."
If that's the case, then this one is truly the kind where there's absolutely no clue. Sato stroked the stubble that had sprouted overnight and fell into deep thought.
Miyako glanced at him, walked past the giant's corpse, and then examined the corpse that had just been pulled from the water's edge; a few strands of seaweed were still tangled around his trouser legs.
Sato: "That suit jacket is his."
“Judging from his trousers and build, that’s certainly the case.” Miyako examined the body briefly. “It’s at least not a simple drowning. There was no mud or sand under his fingernails, and very little water in his lungs, as if he was thrown into the water after death.”
Two hours later, nine bodies were recovered.
Criminal investigators and forensic doctors were all shaken by the horrifying scene, and an atmosphere of fear spread rapidly among the crowd, like a virus.
"Nine male corpses, it's simply...unbelievable. Was it a professional killer or the mafia?"
"Even the Mafia couldn't do that. They don't have knife wounds, gunshot wounds, chopped fingers, or broken legs—those are Mafia hallmarks, and they don't have any of that."
"Targeting adult men is terrifying. Is this a group crime?"
Miyako turned her head to look at the calm lake surface, and a chill ran through her.
Sato said firmly, "We will increase the number of people patrolling the lake, and anyone who approaches this area must register."
An hour and a half later, the body was transported back to the police station. The chief convened a meeting and immediately established a special investigation team to investigate the case.
Following Sato's orders, Sagara retrieved the files on missing males from the past two years. As he was carrying a stack of documents up the elevator, he heard someone report a crime at the police station entrance just as the doors were closing.
He quickly pressed the button to open the door and chased after her. "Ma'am, you just said you came to report a missing person case."
Shizi looked much more haggard. "My boyfriend has been missing for a full 24 hours. I've asked all his family and friends."
Sagara felt a bad premonition when he met her gaze: "Please register his identity and physical characteristics, including what kind of clothes he was wearing the last time I saw him, and then send him to the Major Crimes Unit."
The officer nodded.
Sagara carried a stack of files upstairs.
Sato entered the forensic room, where the forensic personnel all had solemn expressions.
Miyako used tweezers to part the hair of one of the corpses and found a tiny needle hole behind the victim's ear, with the skin around the hole tinged with a pale blue color.
Then, the corpse's mouth was opened, and a faint, bitter almond scent wafted out. It was very light, mixed with the putrid smell in the mouth, and could not be detected unless you smelled carefully.
Sato frowned and said, "Cyanide?"
Miyako shook her head. "The taste is too weak; it didn't pass through the mouth. It might have been injected, but the deceased drank excessive amounts of alcohol before death. The preliminary conclusion is that the time of death was probably last night. As for other information, further autopsy is needed."
"Focus on him first," Sato instructed before leaving the forensic room.
Sagara took the information registered by Tokiko and handed it to Sato. "Senpai, this man named Munakata matches the physical characteristics of that corpse."
Sato glanced at it and already had his answer: "Take her over to identify the body."
Tokiko had fantasized many times at midnight about the scene of parting with Munakata.
They both did well after they broke up. Perhaps he might be depressed for a while, but with his resilient character, he would be able to pick himself up again, find a kind and considerate girlfriend, or have a successful career.
At the very least, it shouldn't be lying on a cold forensic autopsy table.
Sato waited for her to calm down, then placed a cup of warm tea beside her.
She had cried so hard just now that her chest was still throbbing with pain. Shizi rubbed her cheek with the back of her hand, and after a long while, she finally spoke: "The last time I saw him was at a restaurant. We had an argument, and then I said some hurtful things and left."
Sato asked softly, "What number?"
Shizi's face was also pale, but she still forced herself to answer the police's questions: "On the 27th, we went to eat beef curry together, and we made plans to go to the opera the next day, but he didn't come. At first, I thought... he was angry."
Sato asked, "You live together?"
Shizi replied, "Yes, I rented a small room of more than 80 square meters in Haiwan Apartment."
Sato: "Where were you last night?"
Shizi pulled out a few tissues and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes: "I didn't go back to the apartment, I went home to stay. It's my sister's birthday."
“I’ll send someone to your apartment in a bit to gather some clues,” Sato paused, “Did he go back to his apartment last night?”
Tokiko: "No, I went to the apartment to look for him, but he didn't go back."
Unable to contain himself, Sagara asked, "How did you determine that?"
Shizi sat down at the table and suddenly felt a little nervous: "...He has a bad habit of accumulating socks for three days before washing them."
Sato: "Has he ever had any enemies?"
Tokiko thought back for a moment, "Munekata has a very good temper. I've never heard him argue with anyone."
Sato continued calmly, "Did he drink when you parted ways?"
Shi Zi shook her head: "No, he doesn't usually drink. He only drinks on behalf of his superiors at drinking parties."
Sato: "How is your relationship?"
Tokiko said in a trembling voice, "We were arguing because of our engagement..."
Sato nodded, stood up, and left the room.
Sagara casually closed the door, chased after him, and asked, "Senior, everyone else in the task force has been assigned tasks, but I haven't...?"
Sato tilted his head slightly: "Come with me."
Sagara jogged along, grabbing a notebook from his desk as he went. "Where to?"
Sato: "After the deceased separated from his girlfriend, if he didn't go home, where do you think he would have gone?"
"Unlucky in love..." Sagara had never been in a relationship. "Well, maybe I'd go to a convenience store, buy a bottle of shochu, sit by the sea, or find a quiet place to drink alone."
A sharp, cold glint flashed in Sato's eyes as he picked up his suit jacket, walked out of the police station, and got into a car. "There's a bar near that restaurant."
Sagara paused for a moment, then sat down in the passenger seat.
-
Gen Shimono rode the Shinkansen steadily toward Fukuoka, and almost all the other passengers were young people wearing high school uniforms.
This happened to be during the time when students were going to school, and the bus was very crowded. In such an environment, thieves obviously wouldn't let this opportunity pass them by.
A delinquent with short, dyed yellow hair bumped into Shimono Gen seemingly unintentionally a few seconds before the car door opened, casually groped his pocket, then quickly blended into the crowd, got off the bus, fled the scene of the crime, and hid in a secluded alley to check on his spoils.
The commercial street was packed with people, just like always.
The blond-haired man, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, opened his worn-out wallet, pulled out a few five-thousand-yen bills, and stuffed them into his pocket. "How pathetic," he muttered. "He's already an old man, yet he's still living such a miserable life."
As he spoke, driven by curiosity, he unzipped the inner compartment of his wallet and found a photograph.
A woman is lying naked on the bed, having sex with a man.
The man's back view was unedited; he was wearing black pants and looked familiar, as if I had seen him not long ago.
But none of that matters. What matters is, why would a normal person put a photo like that in their wallet?!
He probably stole something from some pervert.
Yellow Hair took a drag of his cigarette, slowly exhaled a smoke ring, and was about to throw away what he was holding when he suddenly felt something approaching and turned his head sharply.
Shimono Gen stood not far away, looking at him calmly. "I don't like others touching my wallet."
The blond-haired man's face changed drastically. "How is this possible? How did you find me?"
In recent years, there have been no fewer than a hundred thefts on the Shinkansen, yet the police have been unable to catch the perpetrators.
Everyone has their specialty. He was a social parasite, but he had indeed developed his thieving skills to the extreme.
Gen Shimono: "You saw that photo."
Huang Mao took a long breath and suddenly realized why the man in the photo looked familiar. He had been observing the man's back for a full twenty minutes on the Shinkansen. How could he not recognize him?
"The old man is a pervert."
Shimono Gen gave him a chilling smile.
-
A coffee shop in Fukuoka.
To kill time, Rina picked up the copy of "New York World" and flipped to the entertainment section.
Kurosawa Shiran took a sip of coffee and sat quietly and obediently beside her for nearly three hours without daring to say a word.
Perhaps because she had gone too far last night, Rina kicked him as soon as she woke up at noon.
It seems that carrying her upstairs to do that kind of thing must never happen again.
Rina pondered for a moment, then picked up a pen and wrote a few numbers on a piece of paper.
Kurosawa Shiran observed her expression and asked softly, "What are you writing, sister?"
Rina raised her eyes and gave him a cold look.
Kurosawa Shiran swallowed hard, looking at her innocently, "Sister?"
Rina: "A crossword puzzle."
In a grid of intersecting lines, based on the hints above and one or more "keywords" at the intersections of the entries, guess the correct entry, and then use the guessed entry and hints to deduce the next entry until all the spaces are filled.
Kurosawa Shiran: "Is it difficult?"
Rina stared at it for a few seconds, then handed him the newspaper in her hand. "This level of difficulty is quite suitable for you to do."
Kurosawa Shiran: "Beginner?"
“Prioritize the intersecting words,” Rina smiled, “It’s like finding the exit in a maze, with the clues written down next to you.”
Kurosawa Shiran seized the opportunity, sat down next to her, and only began to think about the questions before Rina said anything.
His fingers tapped the table unconsciously.
About ten minutes later, after filling in less than half of it, she looked up at Rina and began to whine, "Sister, the information above is very timely. It's about the piano piece for 'Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini', which was completed at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow in July. Sister, I only know a little about the violin."
Rina: "It's the structural type, a grand piano."
Kurosawa Shiran looked at her with a meaningful gaze: "Sister, can you teach me?"
“Next time,” Rina picked up her coffee, took a sip, and gestured for him to look across the street. “That person is coming out.”
Dante's bodyguards have appeared.
Kurosawa Shiran said in a low voice, "I'll go catch them."
Rina nodded, and after about five minutes, she got up to go to the front desk to pay the bill and buy the newspaper she had just bought.
Kurosawa Tokiran moved quickly and silently behind the other person. Rokuzo didn't notice anything until the other person spoke, at which point he realized the danger.
Rokuzang exclaimed excitedly, "Who exactly are you people?!"
Rina: "I'm just asking you a few simple questions."
Suddenly, Rokuzang shouted, looking as if he was prepared to fight to the bitter end: "I don't know anything!"
Ordinary questioning won't get you anything from the Mafia; they'll only talk if they realize their lives are threatened.
Kurosawa Shiran held a dagger to his neck. Although Rina didn't approve of this method, she had no other choice.
Rokuzo immediately became obedient and stopped struggling: "What do you want to know?"
Rina crossed her arms, seemingly deep in thought. She looked Dante up and down and asked, "Who did Dante meet before he died?"
Rokuzo: "Are you cops?"
Rina: "Answer my question."
Rokuzo smirked. "How could I possibly know? I'm just a doorman."
Rina raised an eyebrow, and Kurosawa Shiran increased the pressure on his hand, cutting a gash on his neck.
Rokuzang felt warm blood flowing down his neck and panicked completely. "A man, a very tall man!"
Rina: "Did you see her face clearly?"
Liu Zang said excitedly, "It was too dark. The man followed us inside, and soon after, a gunshot rang out. We ran to the warehouse to check the situation, but the man was gone."
After he finished speaking, he glanced at Kurosawa Shiran.
Clearly, Rina also noticed that look.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
