Chapter 460

Abandoned Sumida River Third Small Water Purification Plant near the lower reaches of the Sumida River industrial zone.

Abandoned Water Purification Plant Control Room.

Okada Masayoshi curled up in the darkest corner of the control room, wrapped in a moldy, torn tarpaulin.

The wound on his back, after crude treatment and high-intensity escape, burned fiercely, each breath tugging at the torn flesh; hunger and dehydration blurred his consciousness, his body icy cold, only his brain ran wildly in despair and hyper-vigilance: his wife's miserable state, the lover's existence, blood on his hands, piercing sirens, endless pursuit, the poisonous thorn of betrayal and the weight of injustice, nearly crushing him.

He dared not close his eyes, for closing them brought Miki's hollow eyes and the blinding red-blue glare of emergency lights.

It was already past midnight.

Okada had waded through the sewer for nearly an hour, enduring the stench, cold, and excruciating pain.

He found an overflow outlet leading to the riverbank (to prevent flood backflow), cautiously poked his head out to observe, confirmed no one was present,

then climbed ashore, soaked through, covered in mud, a sorry sight. He used the darkness and riverside vegetation for cover, relying on memory and direction, found the nearly forgotten water plant entrance—a heavy iron door covered in vines and rust. He used his last strength to pry open the rusted bolt, slipped inside, and quickly barred the door from within with an iron rod he found.

This place was one he had discovered during an investigation, abandoned for years; inside reeked of heavy rust, dust, and a faint mold. Most equipment had been removed, leaving only large concrete pools and pipe bases. The air was cold and damp, but a weak airflow (ventilation still working) made the control room relatively dry.

Okada simply treated his wound and then collapsed from exhaustion; the back pain, icy body, and the massive mental shock of witnessing his wife's gruesome death and being framed left him utterly drained.

His only hope now was Uesugi Muneyuki and his own father, Okada Masahide.

This case, there is essence refining!

As long as there is essence refining, Uesugi Muneyuki will surely solve the case and clear my name!

As long as there is my father, he can intervene in the entire police system to mobilize the Special Mission Unit!

Okada initially held on, but he soon felt utterly exhausted; as sunset came, Okada Masayoshi couldn't help but feel both tired and hungry,

he simply couldn't endure it anymore, not only secretly dozing off for a while, but even experiencing hallucinations.

He seemed to see a woman in a plain white komon kimono from the Edo period appear before him,

the white oil-paper umbrella opened in a dust-filled beam of light, jarringly out of place; a solitary snow maiden stood in the center of the control room, icy water shards piercing the dim dome around her, sighs like blood hanging down, she wrapped tightly in her signature ivory sash, covering her jaw, revealing only those serene, sorrowful, round eyes, gazing faintly at the helpless Okada, her princess hair touching her pale cheek, her slender form, cut by shadows from rusted pipes and nearby ventilation ducts, fragile as a sheet of white paper about to be torn by a gale.

The water surging around her was the only sound she made in this world.

Okada thought he was hallucinating; he rubbed his eyes, and the classical Yamato Nadeshiko-like beauty in kimono before him had vanished.

Snow Maiden Princess? When did she arrive? Okada Masayoshi stared blankly, wasn't it said the Snow Maiden Princess only appears at Tokyo Disneyland?

Forget it—rest a while.

Okada couldn't hold on any longer, sank into deep sleep.

Also unknown how long passed, an extremely faint yet unusually clear footstep echoed in the vast, silent factory! From far to near, clearly aimed at the control room!

Okada's body instantly bristled with sweat! Like a beast driven to desperation, he violently grabbed a rusted iron pipe nearby,

enduring the pain, he pressed himself against the wall and stood, held his breath, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst his chest! Who? Police? Or the real killer come to silence him?!

The footsteps stopped at the control room door. Then came several restrained, clear knocks.

"Okada, it's me, Uesugi." Uesugi Muneyuki spoke softly.

"Uesugi! You finally came!" Okada Masayoshi was initially very excited, he instinctively wanted to pull the bolt, but immediately suppressed his excitement: "Aren't you supposed to avoid suspicion? And how did you find this place?"

Having been bitten by a snake once, fearing wells for ten years, immense fear and suspicion made Okada dare not open the door immediately, only gripping the iron pipe tighter, his knuckles whitening.

Uesugi outside seemed not surprised by Okada's reaction, he continued in that calm, clear tone: "It's alright, I've investigated thoroughly, Okada Miki and Koizumi Ryosuke were not killed by you."

Boom—!

This sentence was like a lightning bolt tearing through darkness, instantly striking Okada Masayoshi! The string in his mind, stretched to the limit, snapped under the impact, letting out a groan of being overburdened! The iron pipe in his hand clanged onto the cold concrete floor.

"You--you say what?" Okada's voice was dry and hoarse, trembling with disbelief, squeezed out from deep in his throat. He violently cracked open a door gap, his eyes bloodshot, staring fixedly at Uesugi Muneyuki.

Uesugi Muneyuki calmly met his terrified, despairing gaze, with a faint glimmer of hope, and solemnly nodded: "Yes, the scene revealed definitive traces of a third-party intrusion: shoe prints of a male over 185cm, pressure marks from murder committed while wearing latex gloves, fibers and debris from the killer's clothing found under Miki's fingernails, and an escape route requiring specific height and skill—all of these are unrelated to you and point to a meticulously framed setup. The Metropolitan Police Department's Special Investigation Headquarters has already adjusted its strategy based on this, your danger level has been downgraded, the primary task is to safely locate and protect you."

Confirmed! This is the confirmation from an authoritative forensic pathologist, based on cold science!

"No—. Not me—really not me—" Okada Masayoshi muttered, repeating this over and over. The last prop that had supported his desperate flight, his endurance of pain and fear—his will to survive and his obsession to clear his name—collapsed at this moment, at the moment the truth was confirmed!

In its place came a wave like mountains and seas crashing down, the pain long suppressed too long, belonging to a middle-aged man's deepest anguish, resentment, sense of betrayal, and collapse of faith!

For this woman, Okada Miki! He defied his father's fury, endured pressure to sever family ties, insisted on marrying this supermarket clerk whose face resembled his youthful sweetheart (Sakai Noriko)! He thought he had found true love, thought he could safeguard this ordinary beauty. He tolerated his wife's complaints about income, her mockery of "integrity," carefully maintained this hard-won marriage, even in the media storm dragged his injured body back to "protect" her—what was the result?

She had long betrayed him! With that bartender, Koizumi Ryosuke!

Her greed and licentiousness brought disaster upon herself, yet he, her husband, bore the heinous charge of "killing wife and husband," fleeing like a stray dog into this filthy ruin.

"Ah ah ah—!!!"

A heart-rending, beast-like howl erupted violently from Okada Masayoshi's throat! This cry held no fear, no dread of death, only years of pent-up resentment, the heart-piercing pain of betrayal by the one he trusted most,

and the utter despair of all his efforts and sacrifices coming to nothing!

This tough man who never retreated half a step facing the butcher's knife at the nursery gate, this elite of the Metropolitan Police Department's Career Track whom they prided themselves on, now like a child abandoned by the world, leaned against the cold iron door, his body weakly sliding down the door panel to sit on the ground. He clutched his face tightly with both hands, his shoulders convulsing violently, scalding tears burst through his fingers like a dam, mixing with the grime and blood on his face, dripping onto the filthy ground.

"Why—why did Miki do this to me, what did I do wrong" he sobbed uncontrollably, breaking off and resuming his questioning, his voice shattered. This question was for the dead wife, and also for this absurd, cruel fate. Years of marriage, those moments he cherished, fought for, now in the light of truth and betrayal appeared so ridiculous and illusory, like a meticulously woven dream suddenly shattered.

The cornerstone of his life's belief—love, duty, honor—collapsed completely at this moment, as tears flowed.

Uesugi Muneyuki stood there silently, gently patting his shoulder; in the ruins of the abandoned water plant, only Okada Masayoshi's long-suppressed, finally released, sorrowful and tragic sobbing echoed.

Men have tears, but they do not shed them lightly—only when they reach the heart's breaking point.

In the cold air of the abandoned Sumida River Water Purification Plant, Okada Masayoshi's violent sobs gradually subsided, leaving only heavy breathing and occasional uncontrollable chokes; Uesugi Muneyuki silently handed him a bottle of water and a pack of compressed biscuits, without urging.

Okada mechanically took it, swallowing tastelessly.

Also unknown how long passed, Okada suddenly said: "How did you find me?"

"It's rather complicated to explain." Uesugi Muneyuki said calmly.

"Then tell me the part I can understand."

"In the underground equipment layer of the apartment, one can find trace sewer sludge samples."

"I applied to Tokyo University for equipment assistance, using high-resolution X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) and gas chromatography-

mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to conduct precise analysis of the sludge samples."

"The analysis results showed the sludge contained specific proportions of heavy metals (such as lead, zinc, chromium), unique organic pollutants (such as degradation products of a certain industrial solvent), and specific combinations of aquatic microorganism spores and pollen."

"These characteristics, when compared against Tokyo's vast sewer network map, pinpointed a specific area: the lower Sumida River near the old industrial zone riverbank. Historically, specific factories discharged wastewater there, forming a unique sediment 'fingerprint'."

"Thus we found nearby, at several possible landing points, using electrostatic adsorption extraction film and high-sensitivity luminescent ammonia, we found your fresh size 42 shoe print."

"Combining the terrain and topography near the point where the footprints disappeared, I inferred you needed a concealed, dry place that could provide basic shelter and was not easily thought of."

"Then I reviewed the city files and satellite map."

"Alright, alright! You don't need to say more!" Okada Masayoshi interrupted Uesugi Muneyuki with a wry smile: "Being able to find me based on these, you really are a divine person!"

I really am a divine person.

Uesugi Muneyuki thought it was nonsense; it was the Village Flower Palace that found you through the direction of the water flow and massive emotional fluctuations, and she even achieved a certain degree of resonance with you, which was the extreme grief over the death of her beloved.

Then Uesugi Muneyuki this bastard confirmed he was hiding in this abandoned water treatment plant afterward, and only then did she conduct scientific appraisal by working backward from the result.

Six Classics Commentary on Me!

Okada Masayoshi stared at the perpetually calm Uesugi Muneyuki, the wound on his back and the spiritual anguish intertwining, leaving him utterly exhausted,

yet strangely giving rise to a strong urge to confess. He needed to speak out, needed someone to know, the love for which he had given everything, how it had step by step walked toward this hellish ending.

"Uesugi-san——." Okada Masayoshi's voice hoarse and broken, his eyes hollow as he gazed at the ceiling covered in spiderwebs and iron rust, as if staring at a long-shattered past, not even asking Uesugi Muneyuki if she wished to listen: "I and Miki-met in Hachioji City."

"Uh-huh?" Uesugi Muneyuki, Hironaka Mariko, Miyahara Toru, and Arimura Hana all became interested.

Go ahead, I'm listening!