Chapter 34: Bunkyo Ward Arson-Murder Case

Thick smoke billowed over Bunkyo Ward after the rain; a two-story detached house sent plumes of smoke rising into the post-rain sky. The surrounding crowd scattered in panic, while Uesugi Muneyuki and the others rushed quickly toward the scene.

To be precise, it was Ikeda Erena who was dragging Uesugi Muneyuki along as she sprinted; despite wearing stockings and high heels, this woman ran even faster than Uesugi Muneyuki, and they arrived at the scene in no time.

The fire was already massive by then; open flames were visible to the naked eye, and thick smoke billowed from the roof from time to time.

"There might be someone inside! Uesugi, let's go save them!" Ikeda Erena said urgently, about to rush in.

"Wait." Uesugi Muneyuki grabbed her: "Don't be impulsive, wait for the Fire Department."

"Why?" Ikeda Erena looked at Uesugi Muneyuki with an incredulous expression, thinking they were on the same side: "Uesugi?"

"The times have changed, Ms. Ikeda." Uesugi Muneyuki frowned, gripping Erena's sleeve tightly to stop her from rushing forward, staring at the fire rising within the house: "In the past, houses were primarily made of wood and paper, but now, a large amount of chemical fibers are added to house construction, Ikeda!"

"Huh?" Ikeda Erena didn't understand: "What do you mean?"

"I mean, it's very dangerous for you to rush in like this!" Seeing the tall beauty didn't understand, Uesugi Muneyuki had to explain more clearly: "If it were just wood and paper burning, there would only be carbon monoxide at the fire scene; a small amount of inhalation wouldn't immediately bind with hemoglobin, and as long as we were fast enough, we could go in and save people. But modern buildings have many new construction materials like PVC; when PVC burns, it produces large amounts of chlorides, and other chemical materials also generate gases like potassium cyanide. You'd get dizzy from breathing even a little, and then be burned to death!"

"Let's just wait for the Fire Department to handle it." Uesugi Muneyuki gazed at the burning house and said in a low voice: "Don't be reckless!"

"But... what if there's someone inside." Ikeda Erena finally understood, but she stopped in her tracks, still feeling somewhat unwilling.

"Then more people will die if we go in." Uesugi Muneyuki shook his head, signaling the others not to go in for a rescue either.

"But, Detective, Mr. Koyama is still inside!" Two neighbors nearby, draped in wet clothing and intending to rush in, heard Uesugi Muneyuki and spoke up with great reluctance.

"What? Are you sure the homeowner is inside?" Uesugi Muneyuki narrowed his eyes; he thought for a moment, his pupils dilating.

Once Sudo and the others arrived, Tanaka Laodeng heard there was someone inside and immediately dialed the Metropolitan Police Department.

The Otsuka Branch needs support!

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Unexpectedly, the Fire Department arrived very quickly. Several fire trucks pulled up, and firefighters clad in turnout gear, upon learning there was someone inside, immediately donned their equipment and dashed into the fire scene without regard for their own safety. Outside, the fire trucks began spraying water to extinguish the flames.

By this time, the area was already surrounded by onlookers and residents from the nearby blocks; Uesugi Hironori and his wife were also watching from afar.

The Fire Department soon found a charred corpse on the second floor of the house. The man was curled up on his side in the second-floor bedroom, his body charred in many places with no other visible trauma. Several firefighters immediately attempted to transport the body out; the man still had vital signs at first, but he died during the rescue process.

At this moment, the Metropolitan Police Department's support arrived.

"Is this the only person at the scene?" At this time, Sudo, Tanaka Laodeng, and Kuwabara Mako were confirming the sequence of events with the firefighters.

After calling the Fire Department, Chief Kanazawa had gone straight home; this was standard practice. With his rank of Superintendent, he would never personally visit a scene unless specifically requested by his superiors.

"Yes, we only found him at the fire scene." Several heroic firefighters slowly transported the corpse out.

"The deceased, Koyama Kengo, 38 years old, was a Regular Employee at a small supermarket here in Bunkyo Ward," Tanaka Laodeng reported the results of his investigation among the neighbors: "Koyama lived alone; he had been married before but had no children. According to neighbor eyewitness reports, today quite a few people..."

Halfway through his sentence, a hand gripped Tanaka Laodeng's shoulder from behind, a fine mechanical watch with a leather strap visible on the wrist.

"What are the people from the local branch doing?"

Turning around, police lights flashed in succession; a row of police cars was parked along the street. A group of officers in standard black suits, with ties, badges, and hair meticulously groomed, stood in solemn silence. They had already cordoned off the nearby streets, forbidding any unauthorized persons from entering, while more police cars were still on the way.

"Metropolitan Police Department..." Tanaka Laodeng immediately understood.

"Since you have already reported this to your superiors, the people from the local branch can just stand by and watch. From now on, this place is entirely taken over by the Metropolitan Police Department's Investigation Division 1." The man who arrived was about 40 years old, with short hair parted to the side and a bit of stubble, a stout build, and he flicked his Police Handbook open.

Section Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department's Investigation Division 1, Megure Sota, Police Inspector.

Behind him, over a dozen investigators from the Metropolitan Police Department were all in position. Uesugi Muneyuki noticed a common trait among these people: they were as serious and orderly as machines. They all wore perfectly tailored suit uniforms, their leather shoes polished to a shine, and everyone's expression was meticulous, their eyes filled with toughness and arrogance. Following a command from Police Inspector Megure, the group dispersed like mercury, each controlling a specific area.

"Metropolitan Police Department, Investigation Division 1." Ikeda Erena, standing beside Uesugi Muneyuki, whispered as well, her expression mixed with a hint of obvious envy and instinctive repulsion.

The envy was obvious; the ultimate goal of any detective was to work at the Metropolitan Police Department. Only there did it symbolize true elite status, with the most resources, the most heinous cases, and the best prospects. To say Ikeda didn't want to go to the Metropolitan Police Department would certainly be a lie.

As for the repulsion, it was also easy to understand.

"So this is the Metropolitan Police Department?" Uesugi Muneyuki stood with his hands behind his back, raising his eyebrows with interest.

"Yes, the routine procedure from here on is for us to hand over all evidence and intelligence and obediently take on the grunt work." Kuwabara Mako appeared nearby with a bitter smile. He was just about to exchange a few words with Uesugi Muneyuki when he noticed Erena looking at him with an unfriendly gaze, so he immediately turned his head away and hid far off: "Anyway, now that they're here, we can pack up. They won't let our branch interfere any further anyway."

This was Uesugi Muneyuki's first time coming into contact with the Metropolitan Police Department's Investigation Division 1. It was said that this group was the true gathering place for the elite of Japan's police force; he was quite interested in seeing them for himself, and besides...

He raised his right hand; the Qinghui Stone glowed.

However, before Uesugi Muneyuki could step forward, the suit-clad brigade was already approaching rapidly. Police Inspector Megure Sota, who was leading them, had exchanged a few words with the Fire Department about how much longer the fire would take to extinguish, and after receiving a precise answer, he walked straight toward Uesugi Muneyuki and the others.

"How strange, Sudo Risō. According to my information, there was no investigation work scheduled for Bunkyo Ward today." Police Inspector Megure stood with his hands in his pockets, looking down at Section Chief Sudo: "What is the meaning of you conducting an investigation without authorization?"

"Ah, that..." Kuwabara Mako replied hurriedly: "We just happened to be eating nearby."

"Did I ask you?" The Metropolitan Police Department's Police Inspector didn't even look at Kuwabara, signaling that he wasn't qualified to speak to him.

"We were eating nearby with the Chief, and we happened to see the fire. The Chief was responsible for notifying the Fire Department, and we rushed over to take a look; after all, this is our jurisdiction." Tanaka Laodeng answered, bracing himself.

"Oh, jurisdiction." Police Inspector Megure snorted: "Oh, eating."

He reached out and pinched a piece of Tanaka Laodeng's collar: "What is this? The smell of alcohol!"

"Is this what the local branch is like? Participating in an investigation while reeking of alcohol? If we don't make this clear, the public might think that everyone in Investigation Division 1 likes to be drunk before they can start an investigation!"

"Investigation relies on technique and scientific theory, not alcohol, you guys from the branch." Police Inspector Megure let go: "Alright, everything here is fully handed over to our Investigation Division 1. Thank you very much for your cooperation; now, you can go back."

"Let's go!"

"Yes!"

The suit-clad brigade turned in unison and followed closely behind Police Inspector Megure, leaving only a neat row of backs for Sudo and the others.

The three of them cursed inwardly.

I knew it would turn out like this!

Police Inspector Megure and the others turned and left, every officer from the Metropolitan Police Department holding their backs straight.

There are 102 local branches in Tokyo. When a branch encounters a heinous case it cannot handle, the Metropolitan Police Department's Investigation Division 1 will personally and proactively take over; in other words, they are the final line of defense protecting the safety of the citizens of Tokyo.

Sure enough, hearing of them is not as good as seeing them. Uesugi Muneyuki hadn't even had a chance to say anything after witnessing the three of them being kicked out of the investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department personnel, when he saw Police Inspector Megure bringing a few people toward him.

"You must be that Uesugi Muneyuki, the Forensic Pathologist from Tokyo Medical and Dental University?" Police Inspector Megure tilted his head up: "The Forensics Division is tied up, so I'll have to trouble you with the autopsy first. Please, by all means, let our Investigation Division 1 witness the skills of a great Forensic Pathologist like yourself."

Asking me to perform an autopsy is doing me a favor, is it?

Uesugi Muneyuki nodded anyway, because he needed more soul fragments.

"And this is... your girlfriend?" Police Inspector Megure only then noticed Ikeda Erena beside Uesugi Muneyuki. The moment he saw the face of the tall beauty, the elite investigator of Investigation Division 1 turned pale and took several steps back: "Is... is it you?"

"......" Ikeda Erena had already recovered her indifferent and cold expression, and she gave a simple greeting.

With just this one greeting, the group of elites from the Metropolitan Police Department were scared into retreating repeatedly; not a single person dared to look her in the eye.

"As expected of a local branch, it's practically like a zoo." Police Inspector Megure muttered, saying in a volume that everyone could hear: "Alright, you can withdraw your team too."

Erena's expression became even uglier; she wanted to say something, but she couldn't open her mouth.

The orders of superiors were absolute, especially when the other party was an elite from the Metropolitan Police Department's Investigation Division 1.

"I need Ms. Ikeda to assist me." Fortunately, she had Uesugi Muneyuki.

"... Fine." Police Inspector Megure had wanted to say: You, a person with a background as a Forensic Pathologist and no rank at all, what right do you have to bargain with me here?

However, Police Inspector Megure immediately realized that precisely because Uesugi Muneyuki had no rank, he himself was unable to order him around.

Then there was no need to sour the relationship over a small matter; at this time, he should instead give Uesugi Muneyuki some face.

This person was different from the local branch; he was still useful!

The Fire Department spent nearly 40 minutes extinguishing the large fire at the scene, yet because of the high-pressure water cannons and the intensity of the fire, the scene was severely damaged.

"The victim, Koyama Kengo, 38 years old, worked at a nearby small supermarket, was once married, had no children, lived alone; because he was a supermarket employee, he had relatively complex social relations, and many people entered and exited his home today."

The charred corpse was placed on the ground, and Uesugi Muneyuki signaled for Erena to come over and examine it together, while the poor Sudo trio could only be blocked outside the yellow line to watch.

The Metropolitan Police Department truly acted with lightning speed; just during the time they were putting out the fire, they had already investigated all of the deceased's social relations. Police Inspector Megure stood to the side and said to Uesugi Muneyuki and Ikeda Erena: "Today was the victim's day off; in the morning, a neighbor witnessed him coming out in his pajamas to take out the trash. Uesugi-san, did you find anything?"

"The estimated time of death is just now." Uesugi Muneyuki briefly examined the corpse and discovered that the deceased was wearing a shirt and shorts, which indicated that the deceased had changed clothes.

"Was he burned to death by the fire?" Ikeda Erena asked immediately.

Hearing Erena say this, Police Inspector Megure subconsciously rolled his eyes.

What an amateur woman!

"Generally speaking, being burned to death in a fire is only an indirect cause of death, not a direct one." Uesugi Muneyuki indeed also smiled and shook his head; looking at his appearance, Erena always felt he was very punchable.

It's fine, she would have plenty of opportunities to punch him in the future!

She signaled for Uesugi Muneyuki to continue.

"The cause of death in a fire is generally death by suffocation. You must note that a corpse found at a fire scene is not necessarily burned to death, and a corpse found in a swimming pool is not necessarily drowned. Sometimes, one must never jump to conclusions..." Uesugi Muneyuki asked: "Police Inspector Megure, has the Fire Department investigated the cause of the fire?"

"Ah, they've investigated it. There are two points of ignition: one is the tatami mat on the first floor, and one is the room on the second floor. They believe it is possible that because the victim was smoking, a cigarette butt caused the fire." Police Inspector Megure nodded solemnly: "The victim may not have noticed, and after discovering the fire, he was unable to escape from the first floor, so he ran to the second floor wanting to seek help, but the fire had already spread."

"I see, I understand." Uesugi Muneyuki checked the corpse again: "No doubt about it, it's homicide!"

"What?" Police Inspector Megure opened his mouth in surprise: "You think this is homicide just like that? But... where is the evidence?"

"Evidence? I'll give it to you right now."

After finishing, Uesugi Muneyuki directly took out the scalpel he carried for dissection, plunged it into the corpse, and sliced along the chest, revealing the trachea and internal organs inside!

"There is no soot in the trachea, the blood appears dark red, there is no smoke dust adhering to the alveoli in the lungs, and there are no attachments on the tongue."

"This is a murder; the killer set fire to destroy the scene after killing the victim." Uesugi Muneyuki bared his teeth.

"That's right, it is homicide!"

I'll say a word here too: everyone, when you encounter a fire, please don't impulsively rush in to save people. Modern building structures produce a large amount of toxic gas when burning; rushing in rashly is too dangerous. It is better to wait for the professional firefighter uncles to handle it.

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(End of this chapter)