Chapter 75, Chapter 74: Beneath the Gentian: Hippocrates...
After much thought, let the thoughts continue.
Toshiaki Kiuchi's words immediately changed the nature of the entire serial murder case. If it was previously interpreted as a personal revenge killing that leaned towards a twisted murderer, it now raises serious suspicions that it might be a revenge case targeting organ trafficking.
The scar on the man's side comes from a shady kidney removal surgery. He made that impulsively when he was young, for a quick sum of money, but he never expected that the improper surgery would leave him with a series of incurable diseases.
While he temporarily resolved his urgent matter, he ended up opening a new financial black hole in order to treat the ailment left by the surgery.
Amidst his dire economic situation, the ordinary job of a doctor suddenly transforms into an indescribably lucrative opportunity after receiving guidance from someone. Only after fully entering this market of profiting from human suffering does Toshiaki Kiuchi discover that he already has many accomplices around him.
Koyanagi from Osaka Hospital, Onishi from Gunma Hospital, and Ueda, who works at Nagano Hospital with her, are four roommates from university who ended up in the same closed room after graduation.
But is it really a coincidence?
When Kiuchi Toshiaki was in charge of handling commercial orders for the first time, he watched Ueda and the black-market doctor who performed his surgery greet each other familiarly. His hands, which were pressed against his sides, trembled uncontrollably, and he had to stuff them into the pocket of his white coat to barely hide it.
Dr. Ueda walked over, patted him on the shoulder, chuckled and called him "old classmate," then half-embraced and half-pushed him into the factory very close to the hospital. After a dizzying series of twists and turns, they stopped in front of an operating table.
A young face lay on it, its expression serene.
Is it really a coincidence?
He lifted the still-warm, soft object from the blood, picked up the prepared irrigation fluid to remove the remaining blood, and the pale red liquid was also rinsed off his milky-white rubber gloves.
Despite wearing green surgical scrubs made according to the principle of complementary colors, he still felt dizzy as he put the things in his hands into the cold sterile bag.
The person on the operating table had stopped breathing. It wasn't his fault; the patient had died of a cerebral hemorrhage in the hospital, and the family was already busy processing the death papers amidst tears.
Toshiaki Kiuchi knew that the body would be stitched up and sent to the crematorium, but after the family said their final goodbyes, it would not be reduced to ashes and a few pieces of bone in the flames.
And he will once again stand in front of the operating table to remove the joint bone from the appropriate location—that is the material for bone grafting, medically known as allogeneic bone grafting, a surgical procedure with an annual demand of hundreds of thousands of cases.
Despite the rapid advancements in synthetic bone materials, there are still many patients who require or are unable to use artificial bone materials due to their illnesses. Furthermore, unlike organ transplantation, bone transplantation does not have the requirement of viability; the bone is already dead when it is transplanted. Therefore, this type of bone dissection surgery is the one he handles the most.
Is it a coincidence that you found out you needed money urgently and had to sell your kidney?
Is the postoperative complication a coincidence?
Is it a highly skilled coincidence that patients who die in hospitals are quietly transported out?
Was the switch at the crematorium also a lucky coincidence?
When a heavy kraft paper envelope fell into the pocket of the white coat, Toshiaki Kiuchi no longer needed an answer.
Losing one kidney and having a terrible post-operative experience are no small matter; he needs money to survive.
Yes, he did it to live.
As the scalpel rose and fell almost numbly time and time again, he also began to change from being solemn and serious at the beginning to being able to chat with the young man on the operating table who had voluntarily sold his kidney for emergency treatment, talking about the bright weather and the crowded tram.
With a swift motion, he casually gave a few instructions on what to avoid, then took off his surgical gown, draped it haphazardly over a not-so-clean rack nearby, picked up his phone, and stepped out of the makeshift operating room.
Looking down at the recent business orders, he kept moving and soon returned to the nursing ward of Nagano Hospital at the end of his lunch break, picking up the record sheet in his hand to check the patients' current condition.
Hmm... a new patient with cirrhosis has arrived, so young. This thought flashed through Toshiaki Kiuchi's mind, quickly replaced by the fact that the age range was just right, but he wondered about the patient's overall health.
Why the liver of all? If it were a kidney problem, he wouldn't mind offering some pointers, since that's how he started out. He thought to himself with what he considered a bit of humor before pushing open the door and entering the post-operative ward.
The afternoon sun was blazing, and although the white ward was divided into several sections by curtains, it still couldn't block out the brightness of the entire room.
Kiuchi Toshiaki shielded his eyes slightly, and when he opened them again to look inside, he suddenly noticed a patient with half his body hanging out of the window, swaying precariously as if about to leap out.
"Hey! Danger!" He threw aside the clipboard in his hand, stepped forward and grabbed the man's waist, pulling him back from the windowsill as he sat back down. The two of them fell to the ground together.
His hand, which was braced against the ground, seemed to have brushed against something. He instinctively lifted it up and looked at it, and his hand was covered in brownish-red stains that made him gasp.
He subconsciously thought it was a mark left after the surgery, and hurriedly wiped it on his coat. But by the time he realized that this would be the best way to put the evidence in the most conspicuous place, the brownish-red color had already been rubbed onto his coat.
However, it feels very rough, like it has a grainy texture.
...Huh? This isn't blood.
"Sorry, sorry, doctor, the soil in the flowerpot spilled out." A clear and cheerful female voice rang in his ears. He turned to look at the bald girl next to him and was greeted by a bright smile.
The energetic girl was holding a flowerpot that was a third empty. Inside, a wilted green plant was growing crookedly, its drooping leaves making it difficult to identify its species. Fortunately, the owner quickly introduced it to the plant.
The bald girl apologized repeatedly as she helped Kiuchi Toshiaki up. She deftly pulled out a broom and gathered the dirt on the ground to the corner of the wall. With a smile, she introduced, "These are gentians I found in the back mountain. They must be so beautiful when they bloom."
He breathed a sigh of relief, patted the drier clods of dirt off his clothes, picked up the whiteboard and said, "You can't keep flowers in the ward. If you want to keep them, you'll have to put them downstairs."
That was the first time Kiuchi Toshiaki spoke to that young and lively child. They continued to interact on and off for several years after that, and the gentian plant took root in the hospital's flowerbed.
"I want to raise it well, until it blooms with branches full of flowers." He listened to the girl's expectant voice as she spoke of her idea. "Doctor, I'd like to use gentian flower elements to design some ornaments."
"Cancer surgery is so expensive, I need to think of a way to help support my family." He listened to the girl leaning against the hospital bed muttering to herself, then paused before regaining his energetic demeanor and saying, "Let's start with small things!"
"I'm a woman who aspires to be a jewelry designer, hahaha! Cough cough, I choked, ouch."
Toshiaki Kiuchi has seen all sorts of patients, many of whom are strong and optimistic, but he has rarely seen one who so tenaciously fights against the storms of fate, like a weed, and still strives to bloom a few bright little flowers under the sun.
When he received the gentian flower along with his fellow patients and medical staff, Toshiaki Kiuchi truly felt an overflowing vitality emanating from the artificial flower in his palm, which had a plastic-like texture.
The deep purple flowers bloomed and faded several times, their elegant color transforming into the long dress of the goddess in her painting, which reached the ground. The goddess held a bouquet of gentians, wore a crown, and had a solemn face with a red dot between her brows.
She said that this is the goddess Hippocrates, not the "father of medicine" of ancient Greece, but a faith born from the Hippocratic Oath.
She said that this oath, which originated before the Renaissance, has continued for thousands of years to tell the story of mutual help among people and the noble and immaculate mission of healers.
She said, "It's so beautiful. I want to see it continue for another hundred or a thousand years."
The Hippocratic Oath? Toshiaki Kiuchi couldn't quite recall when he first uttered that oath; it must have been more than just the entrance ceremony, though he should have long since forgotten about it.
From the moment of conception, life is endowed with supreme dignity;
Even when faced with threats, my medical knowledge does not contradict humanity.
Suddenly, he heard his own voice shouting hoarsely in his ear, then, with a sharp turn of his head, it replaced with a girl's light and cheerful voice:
"But no one can live that long, Dr. Kinouchi, my IV drip is finished."
"...Oh, okay, I'll change it."
After completing his daily record, he checked the National Organ Resources Registry and, unsurprisingly, saw rows of prominent shortage markers.
However, he knew of other ways, and if he could pull some strings...
"You mean that one? A big client needed it urgently, so it's already been sold at a good price."
Someone bumped his shoulder, and Kiuchi Toshiaki stared blankly as the person began to count the goods in his hands, then casually started a new topic: "You have a little girl with you, right? That's a lot of money."
"I heard Dr. Ueda is about to get a promotion," the man said, half-jokingly, patting him on the shoulder before walking away. "His business is booming; it's really something to be envious of."
“We were doing business.” He looked away from the green surgical gown hanging on the wall and at the group of people illuminated by flashlights in the dark tunnel. “I was the one who was the merchant, but that day I suddenly felt incredibly, incredibly scared.”
“So I ran away and completely cut off contact with Ueda and the others.” The long-haired man said, coughing weakly a few times. “I lived in a small town and opened a shop until recently when I saw the news about this case.”
“If it were just because of a single surgery, Ueda should have been the only one targeted,” said Toshiaki Kiuchi. “But the murders involved hospitals in Osaka, Gunma, and Nagano. This is already a chain of operations that I know of.”
Therefore, the events of thirteen years ago were merely a trigger that led to everything. The last "deal" handled by Toshiaki Kiuchi must have been discovered by the victim's relatives or others, which led to the serial killings.
In that sense, the murderer's use of such a cruel dissection method was, in a way, a form of "retribution."
But why wait until thirteen years later...? Conan adjusted his glasses, the lens in his left eye reflecting a bright light. Was it because the person who knew was still very young at the time? Or was it because they needed time to investigate?
Moreover, judging from the two explosions inside the tunnel, it wasn't something that could be arranged in a short time. Furuya Rei's arm was tightly held by the nurse with the bun hairstyle, and he quickly went through the information he had gathered.
If it's about an entire criminal chain, the conclusion that the murderer is a single person might have to be overturned and started over. Zhu Fu Gaoming raised his hand and stroked his small mustache, his lips curving into a smile, but there was definitely a murderer at the scene.
Or perhaps it's a pre-arranged murderer targeting Toshiaki Kiuchi, but one who hasn't yet succeeded in killing him.
After Toshiaki Kiuchi's lengthy backstory, the three detectives quickly grasped the overall picture of the case, but the investigation returned to its original focus—finding the hidden culprit among the four who entered the cave.
The well-informed adults realized what was happening, while the children struggled to translate what they clearly understood into a language they could comprehend.
"So..." Ayumi Yoshida gripped the cross pendant in her hand, lowering her voice to ask her friends for their opinions, "What should this be considered?"
"...The dragon-slaying hero becomes the dragon himself?" Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya said uncertainly, then contradicted himself, "But that doesn't really mean the hero turned into the dragon."
"Eel selling eel rice?" Genta Kojima made a brief analogy, but quickly shook his head, looking troubled. "It's better not to mention eel rice."
"None of those are right." Zhuge Tongzhi shook his finger and said, "It should be called, 'If people don't sell me, I won't sell people.'"
"Wow!" The three children's eyes lit up immediately. They felt that this evaluation, which had a classical feel to it, was perfectly apt and could not be more fitting to describe Kiuchi Toshiaki's past.
Hearing the commotion beside him, Conan's serious expression faltered for a moment.
Please, it should be "I won't offend others unless they offend me." The black-haired, blue-eyed detective wiped his face, glanced at Zhuge Tongzhi who was spouting nonsense and trying to fool children with his half-moon eyes, and received a confident thumbs-up smile from the black-haired girl.
Also taken aback by this variation was our loyal lover of classical Chinese, Zhu Fu Gaoming.
Officer Fengyan gently touched his forehead, forcibly suppressing the urge to explain the original sentence.
Fortunately, Ran Mouri, who was standing with the children, had the conscience of a normal adult. She raised her hand and tapped Zhuge Tongzhi on the head, correcting him: "None of that is right. This is a crime."
"No matter what his reasons are, when Mr. Kiuchi decides to break the law and harm others for profit, he has already committed a crime." The long-haired girl stroked her subordinate's fluffy head, her gaze towards Kiuchi Toshiaki filled with a hint of sadness.
"Even though you regret it now, don't you?"
Those sorrowful yet unwavering eyes startled Toshiaki Kiuchi slightly. Ran Mouri's youthful face and words awakened a perpetually young face deep within his memory.
"Of course I'm afraid of surgery, Doctor." She finished gathering the last thread of her braided flower, placed the gentian flower, warmed in her palm, into his hand, and smiled, "But I won't regret this choice."
They look completely different, but...
“Ah, yes.” He gave a bitter laugh, his hand running through his long hair behind his back. “For thirteen years I have been atoning for my sins, in various ways.”
"Including growing long hair?" Genta Kojima touched his buzz cut. Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya thought for a moment and guessed, "Probably for donating hair? The donation standards have strict requirements on length and such."
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm planning to do." Toshiaki Kiuchi nodded in affirmation. "The shop employees will all be disabled people who are able to work, and they will also go to the shrine regularly..."
As they were talking, the flashlights they were using flickered one after another and then went dark. Soon, the remaining people turned on their spare flashlights.
However, these flashlights were old ones that had been prepared for tourists before, and each one only had a very "considerable" amount of remaining power, which wouldn't last for very long.
If they choose to stay put, they will likely have to remain in the dark until rescuers arrive.
Conan pressed a button on his smartwatch to check the battery level, then turned his gaze to Zhuge Tongzhi.
Well, I can only give it a try. The black-haired girl looked at the void in front of her, compressed the current waypoint back into the menu bar, and tentatively entered 'Matsushiro Town Exit' into the search box.
Fortunately, O-Navigation quickly provided the answer: a clear route emanated from the semi-transparent 3D miniature model in front of us, pointing towards the edge of the model.
"Walking navigation initiated. Please be careful when traveling at night."
"Starting from the current location and heading west, the estimated total distance is..."
"It will take half an hour to walk," she said softly, glancing at the waypoint prompt that had reappeared before her, and silently adding: "And it's in the same direction as where I originally wanted to go."
“The air in the tunnel is already a bit stuffy because it doesn’t circulate, so we’d better not stay in one place for too long,” Furuya Rei said, handing the flashlight to Zhuge Tongzhi and indicating that she should continue to illuminate the way.
"Let's head towards the neighborhood first." Morofushi Takaaki lifted his foot and followed Furuya Rei's lead. "Let's stick to the previous groupings and watch our step."
Out of caution, they further reduced the number of flashlights they used, and the group huddled together in the dim light, turning a narrow corner in silent footsteps.
"Go straight at the T-junction ahead, please watch your step."
"Who?!" / "Aaaaaah!!"
Sudden screams and sounds of fighting echoed through the tunnel. Zhuge Tongzhi, who was leading the Junior Detectives at the front, stopped abruptly after a gunshot and turned around to shine his flashlight at the source of the chaos.
The short-haired policewoman, holding a gun in one hand and aiming it at Morofushi Takaaki, had her profile illuminated by the white light. In her other hand, she was gripping Kiuchi Toshiaki's collar.
In front of Morofushi Takaaki, who was supporting his shoulder with one hand, Mouri Ran, who was in a fighting stance, slowly lowered her fist.
"Officer Anri, it really was you."
Ran! Conan's eyes widened, and he immediately raised his foot to rush over, but was stopped by Rei Furuya, who was standing next to him.
Like the anxious Conan, the blond man also looked worriedly at Morofushi Takaaki, who was clutching his shoulder. Since the first explosion, he had kept the short-haired policewoman by his side, which meant he had been suspicious for a long time.
Unexpectedly, in the end, it was still almost impossible to defend against, partly due to Toshiaki Kiuchi's complete lack of resistance.
Officer Fengyan shook his head slightly at Jiang Guling, indicating that it was not a serious penetrating wound.
The bullet was only meant to force him back, but unexpectedly, Ran Mouri, who had keenly sensed the abnormality, also attacked at the same time, and the position of the gun muzzle changed during the movement.
"Stand still, don't move." Officer Anri raised her gun and swept it menacingly over everyone present. The nurse with the bun hair who had contributed most of the screams earlier barely managed to shut up when she saw the still-smoking gun barrel.
"I sensed something was off about you earlier, so I've been keeping an eye on you." The long-haired girl looked at the tense-faced Officer Anri and advised, "You heard what Mr. Kiuchi said, and besides, killing won't solve anything. We can..."
“No, this is a problem that can only be solved by killing!” The short-haired policewoman gritted her teeth, turned her gun and pointed it at Toshiaki Kiuchi’s head. “Listening to his hypocritical story makes me want to vomit.”
That selfish, inhuman man—if she hadn't happened to witness him dividing the spoils with his companions when she was a child, she might have sighed at that tragic story.
But no one would believe crocodile tears; she knew this guy's true nature all too well.
He's just another demon, a beast in human skin, dancing with a bunch of inhuman demons.
This guy is definitely not what he seems on the surface.
…
Kudo, this guy is definitely not what he seems on the surface.
Hattori Heiji's lips twitched as he watched the pink-haired man who had quickly ascertained the background of the four people who had entered the cave and then casually attributed the credit to Mouri Kogoro.
Where did you find these agents?
"So, Officer Anri is usually a very strict person when it comes to rules and regulations?" After receiving an affirmative answer, Shuichi Akai pondered for a moment, then suddenly had an idea. "Officer Yamato, did you bring in the files from thirteen years ago?"
“Hmm, but Iwata only brought useless case files.” Yamato Kansuke opened a car door. “I’m going to the hospital. Uehara, keep an eye on the scene.”
"Received, A-Gan." Uehara Yui watched Yamato Kansuke drive away, then turned to look at the mountain where a second explosion had just occurred.
"Brilliant..." The policewoman glanced at it one last time before turning her gaze away and began directing the clearing operation at the scene.
"I'm so worried about Ran and Conan." Kazuha Toyama stood next to Heiji Hattori, frowning.
"Well, we're not helpless when we're out there." Hattori Heiji pulled down his hat brim and smiled at his childhood friend, "With me, the famous detective from Kansai, here, the truth will soon come to light."
"Don't worry, you worrier." The Osaka accent softened slightly as he spoke comforting words, but he still had to deliver an unpleasant sarcastic remark before he would stop.
Heiji, who are you calling an idiot?!
"Whoever answers, that's who we'll call."
…
Tokyo, Beika Town
When the kidnapper saw that he did not have a car missing license plates, Kenji Hagiwara shoved the bewildered kidnapper to the ground and easily rendered him immobile in a few moves.
Amidst the astonished gazes of passersby, the man with medium-length hair grabbed the person and raised a gesture of success towards the street corner, a V-shaped smile playing on his lips beneath his brown-red sunglasses.
Ida Ko, who was lying in wait there, quickly arrived and used his police uniform to dissuade those around him from pressing the alarm button.
During a few questions, Morofushi Kagemitsu, holding a little boy in his arms, came out of the building and was gently wiping away the tears of the crying child who was blowing snot bubbles.
"Don't worry, you'll be home soon." A gentle and sincere smile filled her blue-gray eyes as she reached out and ruffled the little boy's hair. "Your mom, dad, and brother are all waiting for you."
When Date Wataru saw that the child in Morofushi Kagemitsu's arms seemed to be alright, he breathed a sigh of relief and started calling Takagi Wataru to ask him to contact the child's family.
But rescuing the hostages is not the end of the matter; it can only be said to be fulfilling the duties of a police officer.
Considering that the timing of the lunchbox event may change due to the development of events, from this moment on, Ida Kou really needs to pay close attention to the vehicles around him.
To avoid the planned lunchbox incident, and considering that the location of the car accident was far more unpredictable than a bombing, Kenji Hagiwara racked his brains and then came up with a solution.
Titled "Ida Ko's Child Pick-up and Drop-off Schedule," it simply means using the most basic method to ensure that Ida Ko is basically accompanied by someone when he goes out.
At the same time, given that he is traveling with Wataru Takagi, we must be even more vigilant (Janji-chan specially marked jpg).
"I think it's a bit too much." Date Wataru looked at the two brothers who were finally reunited and hugging each other, and complained a little: "I'm not a child anymore, and I will pay attention to the road."
"This is the only way we can manage." Morofushi Kagemitsu glanced down at the text message that had failed to reach Furuya Rei, then calmly put his phone away. "Anyway, even though the expected date isn't far off, let's proceed with caution."
After exchanging familiar greetings with the officers from the First Investigation Division, Kenji Hagiwara nudged Wataru Date's waist and said with a smile, "Consider it as protecting the wedding candy."
"Well, well, it'll just be a bit of a hassle for you guys." Date Wataru understood his comrades' good intentions. If anyone had received such a death warning, he would have done everything in his power to protect them.
"Then I'll treat you. I recently discovered a great restaurant." Morofushi Kagemitsu smiled slightly. "It's been a long time since we've all gotten together for barbecue."
“Anyway, it’s already past closing time. I’ll finish processing the case records and then go upstairs to call Matsuda.” Date Wataru waved to the two of them. “He’ll come with me to accommodate Hagiwara’s schedule.”
"Last time... I think it was a social gathering at the police academy." Kenji Hagiwara stroked his chin and recalled, "Back then, you, Amuro, and Jinpei were all too busy eating barbecue. And the class president already had a girlfriend. Everyone was so disappointed."
"Then we suggested that the five of us go out for a simple barbecue, but then—" He put his arm around Morofushi Kagemitsu's neck and said, half complaining and half teasing, "Two of them disappeared so suddenly after graduation."
Morofushi Hiromitsu smiled as he let Hagiwara Kenji sway him with his arm around him. After being praised, the two "helpful citizens" who had assisted in the case left the Metropolitan Police Department ahead of Date Wataru and slowly walked towards the barbecue restaurant that Morofushi Hiromitsu had mentioned.
There will be a long-awaited reunion with our classmates tonight.
Although there were only four people, he could only quietly say "okay" and then eat the extra portion of barbecue for Zero.
Morofushi Kagemitsu looked at the sunset that was gradually turning red on the horizon, and leisurely practiced Tai Chi with Hagiwara Kenji, who was trying to dig out information about the brewery, as they walked side by side toward the barbecue restaurant where a long queue had already begun to form.
I hope everything goes well for you there, Ling and Xiaotong.
-----------------------
Author's note: I won't sell others if they don't sell me (lights a candle)
…
Inside the cave:
Zhuge: Is it just my imagination? It seems that ever since we have allies...
I seem to be increasingly becoming some kind of reliable human navigator (thinking).
…
Outside the cave:
Squinty eyes are basic, but Ai Hu is not basic.
…
Striving to update daily (getting motivated again).
Mwah!
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