Chapter 693

Uesugi Muneyuki and Mai Xuejie were whispering in each other's ears, while outside Fuji TV was filming, and beyond that, a crowd of onlookers had already gathered.

As one of the safest countries in the world, Japan sees about 800–1000 criminal cases per year (specifically referring to pure homicide and assault cases), of which those involving actual bodily harm account for roughly 30%, or 200–300 cases, so even though reports of assault cases in Japan appear almost every one or two days, this is normal, a normal density.

Correspondingly, in Germany, when Berlin successfully bid for the 2001 Olympics, the number of criminal cases (same as above, pure homicide and assault) filed in a year reached over fifty thousand, but as the 2008 Berlin Olympics approached and Germany needed to seriously address public safety, the number of criminal cases in Germany, compared to the turn of the century, has undergone a large-scale decline; by 2009, annual criminal cases had dropped to only twenty or thirty thousand, and by now, the annual number of criminal cases has been hovering around 10,000, mostly below that level, and when calculated by population ratio, it has basically approached or even reached Japan's level of public safety.

As for why people get the impression that Japan has daily reports of assault cases while Germany's reports are much fewer, this is an interesting question.

Yamagata Prefecture and Yonezawa City often go a whole year without a single murder case, but now such a huge and heinous case has erupted, bringing immense pressure to the Yamagata Prefectural Police Headquarters.

This highlights the feature of Japan's police autonomy system: if local police do not request assistance from the National Police Agency, the National Police Agency and the Metropolitan Police Department have no authority to directly intervene in local cases.

That's why everyone understands why the Metropolitan Police Department needs tens of thousands of officers, while the National Police Agency consists mostly of bureaucrats who are not even issued firearms and wear suits instead of police uniforms—because, in theory, the National Police Agency has little power, and if it does, that power is concentrated in the hands of the public security police within the National Police Agency Security Bureau and the Public Security Department.

Although Kobayashi Takuya's release seemed reasonable under Uesugi Muneyuki's professional explanation, it undoubtedly added more fuel to the already high case-solving pressure faced by the Yamagata Prefectural Police.

Public opinion was fermenting, and urgings from superiors came almost by the minute via phone and email. Every officer's face showed anxiety and fatigue.

In this tense atmosphere, the investigation team returned with a message that suddenly lifted their spirits.

"Inspector! Major discovery!" The young detective responsible for screening online leads almost ran into the command vehicle, laptop in hand: "We've locked onto an extremely suspicious target!"

Chief Inspector Rikishi Yamana glanced at Uesugi Muneyuki for a moment, then gestured, indicating "Quick, tell me!"

Uesugi Muneyuki and Mai Xuejie exchanged a look and immediately followed.

The screen displayed a page from an anonymous online forum, filled with various dark discussions.

One user with the ID "Momo Cat Head" had posted hundreds of times over the past year, with a core message consisting solely of extreme hatred and vicious curses toward Akimoto Yasushi and his idol empire.

"Look at this, Inspector!" the detective scrolled through the page: "He not only insults YKC48, Red Slope 46, and all related groups as 'mental tumors' and 'demonic workshops consuming girls,' but has also specifically attacked multiple members, including————Nishino Miki."

He called her a "brainless stinky bottom-feeder," that grimacing face flashing before my eyes made me want to vomit—this kind of "uh, can't the foot-washing maid just die?" "evil feedback, water retrograde, retreat, be as quiet as a chicken," "slump down, white lotus flower."

This was already enough to draw attention, but the more critical part was still to come.

"About three months ago, he began mixing unsettling prophecies" and "plans" into his posts." The detective pulled up several screenshots: "For example, this one: 'Sooner or later, I will use the most thorough method to purify these manufactured fake idols, so the world can see through Akimoto's evil business practices.' And this one, even more direct: 'Let us make a covenant with blood and shadow!'"

Chief Inspector Yamana's breathing grew heavy.

This was no longer just an online troll, but someone expressing clear criminal intent! And there was even a crime preview!

"What about his identity?"

"Found it! Kuroki Nobuo, 45, a local." The detective pulled up the household registry and a slightly gloomy photo of a middle-aged man: "Former factory worker at a machinery plant, unemployed after the factory closed five years ago, now doing odd jobs for a living. Divorced, lives alone."

"Key point one: He was once a hardcore fan of YKC48, reportedly spending large sums on riverbank Mayu's general election, leading to family breakdown; after divorce, his personality changed drastically, turning into an extreme anti-fan."

"Key point two: He is familiar with knives and machinery, holds a hunting license, and has at least two hunting knives and one mountain-cleaving knife registered at home. Key point three: On the night of the incident, his mobile phone signal base station placement showed he had appeared near the rest area!"

"Moreover, we just confirmed at the hardware store he frequently visits that he bought a roll of nylon rope and a bundle of black trash bags three days before the incident, the model of which matches the rope residue type found at the scene!"

Motive (extreme hatred of the idol industry, with remarks targeting Nishino Miki), ability (familiar with knives, physically capable),

Preparation (purchasing suspicious items), spatiotemporal link (signal appearing nearby)————all elements nearly perfectly connected.

It's him!

"Apply for a search warrant and arrest warrant immediately! Bring him back!" Chief Inspector Yamana sprang to his eyes, hope of solving the case rekindling in his gaze.

This time, the evidence chain looks far more complete and persuasive than in Kobayashi Takuya's case!

Not a die-hard fan—then he must be a hardcore anti-fan!

Got it!

Uesugi Muneyuki then narrowed his eyes.

He now understands how the prefectural police usually handle cases, and also understands how Old Ren's investigative habits came to be.

High emotional intelligence: carrying the spirit of the Showa era.

Low emotional intelligence: dead-pressing relations.

Having encountered a situation where the case couldn't be quickly resolved, he came up without deploying many useful resources; seeing that they couldn't rely on his help, the prefectural police naturally began investigating according to the old routine.

"Let's go take a look." Mai Xuejie said softly, showing no fear in her expression, but rather feeling that at this moment, the song "Guan Yu's Song" should be playing.

"Alright." Uesugi Muneyuki smiled, saying nothing more.

At noon, Kuroki Nobuo was brought to the interrogation room.

Unlike the panicked Kobayashi Takuya, he appeared unusually calm, even somewhat————excited.

Facing police questioning, he did not deny his online remarks.

"I wrote them, so what?" he tilted his head, a mocking smile playing at the corner of his mouth, "Am I wrong? Those idols are merely tools capitalists use to suck blood, poisoning countless hearts and wallets—I merely spoke the truth."

"Where were you on the night of the incident? Your phone signal shows you were near Yamagata North Rest Area!" the interrogating detective pressed.

Kuroki shrugged: "I went to scout the scenery—what's wrong with that? Want to see those bright and shiny idols, away from the cameras and fans, whether they're also just like us ordinary people, going to this kind of dirty public toilet."

His words were provocative, yet he avoided direct admission.

However, when the police presented the nylon rope seized from his home and his collection of sharp mountain-cleaving knives, Kuroki's attitude underwent a subtle change. His eyes began to flicker with an unusual light, his chest slightly puffed out.

"Oh? These————" he drew out the tone: "Tools, after all, are always useful."

"Was Miki Nishino killed by you?!" the interrogator slammed the table and shouted: "These few IDs of yours—'Momo Cat Head', 'Momo Dog Head', 'Enki Aimo Meng's Dog Thief', 'Meng Meng's Egg Pancake', 'Village Entrance Old Tanaka Family's Rich Warrior'—are they all yours?"

Kuroki fell silent, but the curve of his mouth grew wider. He did not directly answer "yes," but said in an almost intoxicated tone: "Purification requires sacrifice. Let the false idols be annihilated in real filth, so her skull becomes a totem to awaken the world—is this not————a great achievement?"

To the exhausted and anxious police, hearing this was almost equivalent to a confession! He admitted to "purification," "sacrifice," "filth," "skull," "totem"—concepts highly consistent with the crime scene!

Moreover, he regards this as a "great achievement"—this perfectly matches the profile of a psychologically twisted killer who takes pride in crime!

In the observation room, the atmosphere instantly surged.

"It's him! He didn't run!"

"Damn, finally caught him!"

"Using the word 'achievement' like that—pervert!"

"What can this Uesugi coroner say this time? Profiling, profiling, profiling out someone—where is that person? This Kuroki Nobuo has hatred, premeditation, ability, physical evidence, and even a tendency toward confession! Which point isn't stronger than his vague profiling?"

Even Chief Inspector Yamana let out a heavy sigh of relief, a flash of relaxation appearing on his face after days of tension.

He turned to Uesugi Muneyuki and Shirakawa Mai, who were silently observing beside him, and said with a tone of relief: "Uesugi-san, Shirakawa-san, it seems this time————we got it right. Matches the hatred motive, also shows ritualistic language, and fits the scene very well."

Other senior prefectural police officials and veteran detectives also nodded, their gazes at Uesugi Muneyuki revealing once again the doubts that had been suppressed earlier and a hint of "nothing special."

After all, Uesugi Muneyuki had previously overridden opposition to release Kobayashi Takuya, and now he insists on a vague and illusory "premeditated offender" profile, while they had "solidly" apprehended a suspect who seemed utterly undeniable.

The pressure seemed to find an outlet, turning into a vague rejection of this "Tokyo expert" and an impulse to prove themselves correct.

Fame is hard to live up to; it appears that this so-called Uesugi Chief, having lost the elite assistance from headquarters and the professional instruments of Tokyo University, is merely average.

As both inside and outside the interrogation room were filled with a sense of relaxation and excitement at the prospect of closing the case, Uesugi Muneyuki set down the evidence photo and Kuroki Nobuo's background materials he had been examining closely, turned around, and faced everyone in the observation room.

His face remained calm, his voice clear and tranquil, yet like a basin of ice water, it instantly doused the rising agitation: "Not him."

Those three simple words plunged the observation room back into silence once more.

Inspector Yamanaka's smile froze on his face, then turned into incredulous shock, swiftly followed by rising anger he could not contain: "Chief Uesugi! This time the evidence is so substantial, the suspect himself nearly confessed! Do you still insist — "

"Nearly confessed does not equal fact. Emotional rhetoric does not equal confession." Uesugi Muneyuki interrupted him, his tone unchanging, even carrying a hint of amusement.

"Really not him, and besides — you prefectural police, is this how you always conduct investigations?"

"Really, it's somewhat laughable."

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