Chapter 198 Death Game OvO?
Who told him the news, and who helped him get here?
The image of Kamijutsuji Shin appeared in Lin Xi and Amuro Toru's minds at the same time.
If you think about it carefully, this guy is the most suspicious one on the field.
The reason Asayama Rika came here was because of him; it was he who had a secret conversation with the short man in the ancient arena; it was he who was eliminated on the first day, which made Asayama Hui extremely disgusted; it was also him who had the video of elimination played but there was no corresponding sound.
Could Shin Kamijutsuji be the mastermind they are looking for?
He collaborated with Yuejiang Kazumi to turn everyone in the auction house into players in the "Death Game" with the sole purpose of gathering Group A and completing his own revenge.
In order to leave the game and become a superior spectator, he had to let himself be eliminated in the first round.
The unpleasant sound he made before being eliminated might have been recorded in advance, or it might have been made with the help of Yuejiang Kazumi.
The two looked at each other and understood from each other's eyes that the other had similar guesses as themselves.
The short man on the field looked at Taro Tomihara with hatred in his eyes.
"Haha, let's continue voting." An unpleasant voice said, breaking the stalemate on the field.
"No!" Tomihara Taro retorted loudly, "This is a personal vendetta—"
Before he could finish his words, he felt his body stiffen and a sharp pain came from his wrist.
It turned out that the hooded man became impatient and directly turned on the electric shock function of the bracelet.
“——Ugh, ahhhhhhhh!” The old man’s body couldn’t bear it and he was actually electrocuted and passed out.
The atmosphere on the field was stagnant, only the short man laughed happily.
"Tomihara Taro, oh Tomihara Taro, the pain you're feeling right now is nothing compared to the pain my child's bones were shattered inch by inch."
Then he turned to the man in the African mask and said, "Vote, man."
The African man was silent for a moment.
He knew that his vote was crucial and would determine whether Taro Tomihara stayed or left.
If he abstains from voting, Taro Tomihara will be eliminated on the spot; if he votes for someone else... one vote from him, one vote from Taro Tomihara, and the vote will be tied.
If the votes are tied, they will be re-voted. Someone might then vote for the shorter man, eliminating him; but if what he said is true and he has a Hunter card, he can still use his skill to kill Tomihara Taro.
It is also possible that he would kill himself impulsively because he had hindered his revenge.
Besides, he wasn't a werewolf, so naturally he wanted as few casualties as possible. Rather than letting the hunter take one and two die, it would be better to sacrifice Tomihara Taro directly—based on the short man's description, he wasn't a good person either.
After making up his mind, the African man chose to abstain.
The short man gave him a grateful look and said, "Thank you, brother. My name is Kusakawa Ryosuke. If there's anything I can help you with, just let me know."
Just like that, the short man's vote eliminated the old man with the goatee.
Asayama Hui sighed slightly, not because she felt sympathy for the old man, but because the unexpected developments on the field made her feel unhappy.
The hooded man ordered the short man to carry the unconscious Tomihara Taro on his back and throw him into the next room.
So the same scene as yesterday appeared on the screen again - with a bang, Taro Tomihara was blown to pieces, and this time Lin Xi and Toru Amuro felt the real shock.
"You can move freely now," said the hooded man.
Killing a person was like eating and drinking water to him - he was not as excited as he was when the short man confronted Taro Tomihara just now.
The image on the screen disappeared and the lights in the room came on, but everyone seemed to be still in shock and did not move from their seats.
The first one to get up was Hui Asayama.
She bowed slightly to everyone and was about to leave, but was stopped by Toru Amuro.
"Wait a minute, Mrs. Asayama," he said, "won't you take us to Mr. Asayama's room?"
She paused slightly, turned around and looked deeply at Amuro Toru: "...Of course. Please follow me."
After being reminded by Toru Amuro, everyone followed Asayama Kei out of the room.
"Mr. Kongya." Asayama Hui sighed as he walked.
"I know you suspect I killed my husband. But this time, his death... was really just an accident."
"He already has severe allergic asthma and heart disease. He coughed badly last night, so before going to bed I gave him some warm water with Sichuan loquat paste dissolved in it to relieve his cough."
"The bottle of loquat paste is still on the cabinet in the room. Mr. Konggu, you can keep it for me. If we can be rescued, you can give it to the police for testing."
"Around eight o'clock in the morning, the waiter came to deliver breakfast. I brought it to the bedroom and told him to get up and eat. But he seemed very tired and said he wanted to sleep a little longer. I observed his face carefully and it was not as pale as last night, so I let him sleep a little longer while I stayed in the living room outside."
"But half an hour later, when I went back into the bedroom, my husband was already dying. He was sweating so much that the pillow and sheets were wet. His lips were purple, and he was holding his chest and curled up in a ball on the bed. I panicked and called his name, but there was no response. Thinking he might be having trouble breathing again, I took out his asthma medicine and helped him inhale it."
"But he didn't get better. I watched his eyes lose their luster, his pupils dilate, his heartbeat disappear, and he stopped breathing in my arms."
When Asayama Hui said this, he took a deep breath, as if trying to calm himself down.
"We're here." She swiped the door open. "It was almost nine o'clock by the time I had gathered my emotions. I hadn't moved my husband's body; it was still on the bed."
"If the police don't come to rescue us today, I plan to tell the waiter and ask them to help put my husband in the cold storage - the temperature here is too high, and I'm afraid my husband's body will rot in two days."
Everyone followed him in one after another.
Toru Amuro quickly arrived in front of Atsuto Asayama's body.
As Asayama Hui said, Asayama Onto's body had not been moved. It was placed on the bed, and the hot air from the air conditioner did not cool down completely.
"I don't recommend you touch the body." The short man, having avenged his great vengeance, looked relaxed. "If there aren't any criminal investigators involved, it's best to leave professional matters to the professionals."
Amuro Toru glanced at him and said, "Of course. I won't destroy the evidence."
He pulled his white gloves from his pocket and put them on.
The spotless gloves didn't match his gigolo outfit at all.
Asayama Hui frowned. "Destroying evidence"… that made this place look more like a murder scene than the scene of an accidental death.
Did he find something? No, that couldn't be... She was sure she hadn't left any evidence.
Toru Amuro squatted down and examined the body.
Asayama Hui's description was probably accurate. The deceased had sweated profusely before dying, and the part of the sheet beneath him was still damp.
His lips were purple, his fingertips were blue, his pupils were dilated, and he covered his heart and sweated profusely before dying, which were signs of difficulty breathing.
As for allergic asthma—Amuro Toru glanced at the inhaled asthma medication on the bedside table. He picked it up and took a look. It was indeed a suspension of albuterol and budesonide mixed by a reputable pharmaceutical company. This asthma medication was suitable for treating acute asthma.
"Mrs. Asayama," Amuro Toru said, "When did your husband's asthma begin? Has it lasted for a year?"
Asayama Hui thought about it.
"It's been two or three years," she said. "There have been several times where the situation was so urgent that I had to be admitted to the hospital."
"When was the last time?" Toru Amuro's fingers brushed across the bruise on the back of Asayama Onto's hand that had not yet disappeared.
This type of bruise is caused by an intravascular needle and is not as easy to eliminate as bruises caused by ordinary blood drawing or infusion needles.
This kind of bruise means that Asayama On must have been to the hospital in the past two weeks and may have been hospitalized for a period of time. The indwelling needle is designed to facilitate long-term intravenous drips and reduce repeated intravenous punctures.
"He was discharged from the hospital not long before we arrived here," said Asayama Kei. "This time he was admitted again due to an asthma attack and difficulty breathing. I thought it would take at least a month for him to have another attack, but he had another one this morning... This time we weren't able to get him to the hospital in time."
Amuro Toru lifted the dead man's eyelids. There was a dark green ring around the edge of his iris, and spots of blood were visible under his eyes.
Then he checked Asayama Onto's mouth again.
The oral condition wasn't good. Asayama Onto had severe mouth ulcers. His tongue was coated in black, and a foul odor emanated from his mouth. Amuro Toru expressionlessly released his grip on the corpse's chin.
After the stench dissipated, Amuro Toru leaned closer to the corpse again. His nose detected a faint scent of bitter almonds and rust from the sweat.
Poisoned. Amuro Toru came to the conclusion in his mind.
The punctate hemorrhages under the deceased's conjunctiva indicated a coagulopathy, the green rings around the edges of his irises indicated abnormal copper metabolism, and the odor of his body, a mixture of bitter almonds and rust, was evidence of drug-induced hypoxia.
It looks like paraquat, Amuro thought. But paraquat is extremely toxic; less than five milliliters is enough to kill, and once poisoned, there's no cure. The deceased had been hospitalized several times and exhibited symptoms of asthma and poor heart and lung function, indicating chronic poisoning.
Paraquat is not suitable for chronic poisoning. Unless the person administering the poison is someone very close to the deceased, and the dosage is precisely controlled, each dose being administered to a level that deteriorates the victim's health but not fatal. Furthermore, the victim can be taken to the hospital each time with breathing difficulties without being suspected of poisoning.
"Mrs. Asayama, what major did you study as an undergraduate?" Toru Amuro asked Asayama Saeki.
Qian Shanhui was stunned for a moment and frowned: "Why are you asking this? Does my husband's death have anything to do with what I studied?"
However, Asayama Rika, who was already on the opposite side of her, had already spoken: "Mom is an agriculture major."
Amuro understood. Indeed, only Asayama Kei, with his background in agriculture, could have thought of using paraquat to cause chronic poisoning.
After all, paraquat is a herbicide. Besides being highly toxic to humans, it's essentially a perfect herbicide—it effectively kills pests, leaves no residue, damages plant roots, or pollutes the environment.
Moreover, this drug is regulated in Japan, and only people working in agriculture-related industries can access it.
Asayama Hui studied an agriculture-related major in college. Although she is not working in a related industry now, she must have familiar classmates who are engaged in this kind of work.
The source of the drug seems to have been figured out.
But how did she poison Asayama Onto?
Amuro Toru's eyes swept across every corner of the room.
Oral administration? No, oral administration would easily leave evidence, and it would be difficult to control the dosage. It would be easy to accidentally kill Asayama Onto. Asayama Hui would not do such a risky thing.
So, spray? Aromatherapy? Letting the deceased inhale a low dose of poison for a long time?
But in this case, it is impossible for Kei Asayama, who had close contact with the deceased, to remain unaffected.
What could it be?
Toru Amuro pressed his hand on the dead man's bed sheet, thinking.
Suddenly, he felt a touch on his arm.
It’s Lin Xi.
Taking advantage of his body to cover her, she pointed at Asayama Onto's lower body covered by the sheets.
“**——” She mouthed the word.
Amuro Toru was silent.
He would rather not be able to read lips.
That pronunciation translates to male genitals.
Looking at his expressionless face, Lin Xi thought he didn't understand what she meant, so she used her hands to make a very vivid gesture.
Amuro Toru closed his eyes.
This person...could he not be so skillful in making such similar shapes?
He turned around and lifted the quilt covering the lower body of the deceased.
The deceased was wearing black pajamas with white stripes. The loose clothes could not hide his bloated figure, and the belt was wrapped around his cylindrical waist.
Amuro Toru was about to unbuckle his belt without hesitation, but Asayama Hui was startled and stopped him, "What are you doing?"
"What are you going to do with my husband's body?"
"There are women present!"
She looked at Lin Xi, signaling her to control her man.
Unexpectedly, Lin Xi didn't stand on her side at all. He gave her a strange look and said, "I'm fine. If Miss Asayama Rika feels unwell, please come to the living room to rest. I can accompany you."
What a joke, it's not like I haven't seen Sayuri Mizutani before.
Although Lin Xi herself had never seen it - oh no, she had seen it, she had seen it when she transformed into Gin - sorry, Gin.
Asayama Rika shook her head.
"No need. Thank you."
Amuro Toru explained at the right time: "I suspect that Mr. Asayama was exposed to something that caused his death. I need to examine his entire body."
"Mrs. Asayama, didn't you mention before that your husband has allergic asthma? Perhaps Mr. Asayama came to an unfamiliar environment and was exposed to some allergen, which caused his condition to suddenly worsen."
"The allergen could be something his skin has come into contact with. I need to take off his clothes and check if he has an allergic reaction. This will also help eliminate your suspicion and resolve the misunderstanding between you and... your daughter."
Amuro Toru's words were so smooth that even though Asayama Kei knew he was talking nonsense, she couldn't find any reason to refute him.
She could only suppress her anxiety and turned her eyes away coldly.
By the way, he pulled Asayama Rika along and turned his eyes away.
Lin Xi was the only one left on the field, still watching Amuro Toru's movements with great interest.
She was waiting for Toru Amuro to continue the inspection when she saw him stop what he was doing and look at her quietly.
Lin Xi: ...?
OvO?
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