Chapter 720

Uesugi Muneyuki hung up the phone and was about to go straight to the scene, but NHK still had one unfinished blooper after the show ended, and I don't know when NHK's female anchor Eto Miyabi had already appeared in front of him.

This NHK female anchor is about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old; it is said that she used to be a local idol, then after entering Kyushu University she went to Tokyo to apply for an NHK female anchor position, so Eto has a very unique temperament, which is a mixture of the former idol's brightness and the reporter's intellect, especially attractive.

A head of long hair was neatly tied into a low bun, with a few strands of carefully styled bangs falling over the forehead, softening the facial contours; the makeup is NHK's signature "proper beauty", with a sheer base like jade, blush a light coral pink, and lip color chosen as a neat yet gentle bean paste red. Those eyes once called by fans "hiding the sea color of Kyushu" shone with a focused and tranquil light under the bright studio lights—that is the gaze of a professional news person.

Eto Miyabi seemed to realize that Uesugi Muneyuki had something urgent to do, so she came up and stopped him: "Uesugi-san, may I ask if you have an urgent matter?" "Well... uh, there's something going on over at the bureau, asking if I can go there." Uesugi Muneyuki nodded, thinking that today this NHK female anchor is a bit enthusiastic.

Her outfit today is the classic female anchor suit: a well-tailored ivory white double-breasted suit jacket, with straight and neat shoulders, enhancing her dignified demeanor; inside is a silk shirt of the same color system, with the collar tied in an exquisite Windsor knot; the lower body is a knee-length pencil skirt, equally meticulously tailored, just right to outline an elegant figure.

It must be said that this outfit really suits Uesugi Muneyuki's taste; the female anchor of Fuji TV's embankment often dresses like this on purpose.

Uesugi Muneyuki couldn't help but glance twice at her legs wearing stockings; under the constant temperature lighting of the winter studio, she wore nearly skin-tone thick matte stockings, with a fine and even texture, emitting a pearl-like soft luster, completely invisible any wrinkles or texture.

The style should be Takemura's office type, 60D thickness soft and delicate velvet material, knitted tightly to cover her porcelain-white skin, yet revealing a restrained gentleness within strictness; the leg lines wrapped in stockings are faintly visible under the skirt hem, a kind of unassuming, highly measured elegance. Her feet are a pair of seven-centimeter navy velvet pointed-toe high heels, with no decoration on the shoe surface, only supported by smooth arcs to hold up her upright posture.

Indeed she is a beauty, but Uesugi Muneyuki vaguely remembers that she is already married; this female anchor married shortly after joining NHK to the famous Japanese baseball league star player, the Seibu star shortstop Souda Sosuke.

"Is that so? Then I won't disturb you, but in that case the blooper content at the end would be a bit lacking; how about this, Uesugi-san, I'll ask you one last question, just one question." Eto Miyabi opened her unique "Kyushu sea-scented" eyes, smiling and asking: "Can I?" "Alright, but please keep it simple." Uesugi Muneyuki had no choice but to nod.

"Regarding Uesugi-san's long-standing titles, including Chief Medical Examiner, Legendary Forensic Doctor, Kenshin Descendant, University of Tokyo Doctorate, and the last line of defense of the Metropolitan Police Department, which one do you prefer, Uesugi-san?" Eto Miyabi brought up an unexpected topic.

Uesugi Muneyuki couldn't help but glance at this female anchor; he didn't expect Eto to raise such a strange question, which is not very much in line with NHK's style; he thought the other party would ask a very serious question.

Since that's the case.

"If I were to say which I like best, it would still be 'Bestowed by Heaven, Pacifying Rebellion, Sincere Propagation of Strength, Assisting Fortune, Military Minister, Assisting Connection, Assisting Governance, Merit, Yīnguó Gong, Special Promotion, Guanglu Daifu, Taishi, Left Pillar of the State, Knowing the Experiences of the Lectureship, Minister of War, Seii Taishogun' that suits me better." Uesugi Muneyuki laughed.

Since you're not that serious, then I'll also come up with something not serious.

Esen! I've come to the grasslands! You wait, I'll pull off your headgear and I must hit your face! Designated sister has no good fruit juice for you to eat, ow!

Esen, you're not even on the grasslands, where did you go?

Today let us make a comparison, who is the true Grand Preceptor of the Great Ming!

"Oh? Uesugi-san really knows how to joke." Eto Miyabi was stunned for a moment, she thought about it, then smiled brightly: "Uesugi-san, are you sure? The fate of the Prince of Dingxing Commandery is not so good, oh, you also want to be posthumously named 'Zhonglie'?"

"????!!!!" Uesugi Muneyuki widened his eyes: "You, you read the 'Ming History'?"

"Somewhat knowledgeable, somewhat." Eto Miyabi laughed even more brightly, she glanced at Uesugi Muneyuki, then suddenly said: "It's really hard to be the emperor of the Great Ming, but Uesugi-san, it's even harder to be the loyal and filial son of the Great Ming!"

After saying that, Eto Miyabi did not entangle, her silk-stockinged beautiful feet stepping on the navy velvet pointed-toe high heels moved lightly, making way for a position, and she said in a sweet voice: "Lu~shun~feng~"

Uesugi Muneyuki deeply glanced at her once, nodded, and walked out of the NHK studio.

Her impression on him was indeed different from other NHK female anchors!

The residential area near Ototsubashi Bridge in Arakawa Ward is filled with a tranquility that contrasts sharply with the bustling center of Tokyo, with time flowing slowly, or rather, it was once tranquil.

At this moment, this tranquility is completely torn apart by flashing red and blue police lights, yellow police tape, and the gathered voices of people.

Uesugi Muneyuki's low-key Lexus RX had not yet come to a complete stop when he could already smell the faint yet stubbornly intruding sweet rotten odor in the air.

Corpse odor 999!!

The source of these odors is the traditional Japanese detached house with a small yard, which has been standing for many years, located at the center of the police tape; one corner of the yard has already been dug up, and the soil has been turned over to one side.

Uesugi Muneyuki began to feel excited.

Ah, fresh po!

More eye-catching is the outside of the police tape, where two men of outstanding temperament stand out sharply against the surrounding residents in bulky winter clothes and uniformed police; one wears a well-tailored dark gray wool overcoat, short in stature but with a ramrod-straight posture, wearing thin-rimmed glasses, his expression is eternally calm and inquisitive, exactly the Superintendent of Investigation Division 1 of the Metropolitan Police Department, Sugishita Ukyo Keishi Sei.

The other wears a high-quality black long overcoat, tall in stature, with a handsome face carrying a hint of aloofness and some charm, he is the Councillor of the Public Security Bureau of the National Police Agency, Kobe Takeru Keishi Sei.

The two did not directly enter the core scene, but stood slightly outside, speaking in low voices, their sharp eyes scanning the house structure, wall height, and surrounding neighbors. It is precisely this overly focused observation that aroused the suspicion of a nearby extremely vigilant housewife.

"Hey! You!" The housewife wrapped in a thick down jacket pointed at them, her voice loud: "You've been peeking around there for a long time! Are you reporters? Or some suspicious people? Police officer! There are two suspicious people over here!"

A young patrol officer maintaining the perimeter heard the shout and rushed over; seeing Sugishita and Kobe's attire and demeanor, he was first stunned, but duty called, so he straightened his face and asked: "Hey, you two, please show your identification, explain why you're here, what are you here to do?" Sugishita Ukyo and Kobe Takeru exchanged a glance, their faces showing no expression, merely moving in unison, calmly and without haste, they took out their police handbooks (identification) from their inner pockets and handed them over. The young patrol officer flipped it open, his face suddenly changed, especially upon seeing the title "Superintendent" and their department, he immediately stood at attention, respectfully returning them with both hands, repeatedly apologizing: "Non-, extremely sorry! Superintendent Sugishita! Superintendent Kobe! It was my rudeness!" This little incident happened to be seen by the arriving Uesugi Muneyuki.

Strange, Uesugi Muneyuki thought, given these two's status and demeanor, they usually wouldn't appear so "close to the people" at this preliminary inspection perimeter; more like... they were confirming or looking for something.

As mentioned before, in the Japanese police hierarchy, the highest rank that personally arrives at the scene to conduct searches is normally Police Inspector, unless a major case breaks out requiring the formation of a Special Investigation Headquarters, then someone like Minami or Sugishita Ukyo, who are Police Superintendents, would come to the scene, but they would at most make a round at the scene and then return to the Special Investigation Headquarters to take charge of dispatch.

When Uesugi Muneyuki passed through the crowd and walked toward the police tape, that handsome face often appearing in academic journals and internal briefings of the Metropolitan Police Department was immediately recognized by the searchers and detectives at the scene.

"It's Doctor Uesugi!"

"The Chief Medical Examiner has arrived!"

The scene was in a low murmur; the originally somewhat chaotic atmosphere immediately became solemn, people automatically made way for a path, their eyes filled with respect and anticipation, this is not only because of his illustrious academic titles and his position in the Metropolitan Police Department, but also because of their trust in his countless times of solving difficult cases with superb forensic medical knowledge.

Uesugi has arrived, the clear sky has appeared!!

"Superintendent Sugishita, Councillor Kobe." Uesugi Muneyuki nodded toward the two, his gaze sweeping over the dug-up yard: "How is the situation?" Sugishita Ukyo pushed up his glasses, the gaze behind the lenses still calm: "The body is buried not deep, but decomposition is severe; preliminary judgment estimates time of death about four weeks ago. The scene shows traces of deliberate cleaning, but..."

Sugishita Ukyo paused: "The smell is a clue that cannot be completely concealed."

"How did you discover the body?" Uesugi Muneyuki asked the key question.

Logically speaking, such a buried corpse, if not reported or discovered by accident, would be hard to find, especially after four weeks, enough time for many traces to disappear. Sugishita Ukyo and Kobe Takeru exchanged a glance; as a public security police officer, Kobe Takeru Keishi Sei curled the corner of his mouth into an extremely faint, meaningful arc, and said in interface: "We received some... noteworthy 'anonymous information', pointing to recent abnormalities of this property.

We came to check it out, but unexpectedly, the smell 'greeted' us even before the information."

TMD, it's public security again.

Uesugi Muneyuki glanced at Kobe Takeru, knowing that this definitely involves some major secret of the public security police; he had no intention of saying it here, and Uesugi Muneyuki also had no intention of dwelling on it here; he is merely a forensic examiner, his job is to make things clear.

After putting on protective gear, mask, goggles, and thick gloves, Uesugi Muneyuki moved professionally and efficiently, without the slightest hesitation, drawing sideways glances from the nearby detectives.

See? This is what professionalism looks like~

After being fully equipped, the strong putrid smell was filtered out by more than half, but the visual impact followed, the Gundam in the pit shows a high degree of decay, skin greenish and swollen, facial features hard to recognize, clothing, soil, and exuded liquid stuck together, Uesugi Muneyuki crouched alone at the edge of the pit, his gaze calm like a scalpel.

Oh my, it's a Gundam, and it's decayed terribly.

Qinghui Stone is emitting light, but the light is very weak; Uesugi Muneyuki calculated that he could ask at most two questions.

"The body is in a prone position, the burial posture appears somewhat hasty, not a standard burial posture; the soil pH around the body... initial on-site testing shows acidity, possibly accelerating soft tissue decomposition. The venous network of decay is clearly visible, spread across trunk and limbs, matching characteristics of death about three to four weeks ago." While he carefully observed, he spoke softly, and the nearby police quickly recorded: "No visible severe open trauma for now, dirt under fingernails... extracted a small amount of non-local soil particles and textile fibers, needs further testing."

He carefully examined the victim's mouth and nasal cavity, and paid special attention to the fingertips.

"Uesugi-san, have you found anything?" Sugishita Ukyo and Kobe Takeru asked.

"The oral mucosa and nail beds show no obvious smoke-familiar or typical corrosion marks,..."

"Huh?!"