Chapter 763

8:30 a. m.

The morning at Yonsen Onsen Sekizenkan was shattered by a heart-wrenching scream.

"Ah!!!"

The sound was so sharp it nearly pierced the eardrums, echoing repeatedly in the ancient wooden building.

Immediately followed by the dull thud of a heavy object hitting the floor, then staggering footsteps, and even more uncontrolled wailing.

"Someone! Someone! This gentleman... he... he..."

In the hallway, a young female server stumbled out, her face ashen as paper, legs weak, she collapsed after just a few steps, trembling all over, her fingers desperately pointing at the half-open door behind her, only able to utter broken syllables: "He, he, he isn't moving, he, give him a meat mountain shield, he... he seems dead... he... he can't be revived..."

This female server was responsible for delivering breakfast to each room; as a famous hot spring inn charging 100,000 yen per night, Sekizenkan, like Hakone Onsen, offers breakfast delivery service.

However, when this server delivered breakfast to the door, she pressed the doorbell for a long time with no response, and the door had no "Do Not Disturb" sign or lit indicator, so she took out the room card and swiped to open the door.

Then she saw what lay before her eyes!

The first to arrive was Sekizenkan's duty manager, a man in his early fifties with thinning hair. Seeing the server's state, his face darkened, and he hurried toward the door.

Then he stopped.

He stood frozen, motionless.

Inside the room, a middle-aged man in his forties lay on the tatami mat, his face twisted, dry vomit around his mouth, eyes wide open, pupils already dilated.

His posture was unnatural—one hand pressed against his chest, the other stretched out from beneath the wrinkled bedsheet, as if, in his final moment, he still tried to grasp something.

The manager's legs began to tremble.

"General... General Manager!" he turned and ran, his voice changing pitch: "Call the General Manager quickly!"

Three minutes later, Sekizenkan's General Manager, a man in his sixties with white-streaked hair, dressed in traditional kimono, arrived at the scene. He glanced at the doorway, and his face instantly turned ashen.

"Call the police!" his first reaction: "Call the police immediately!"

"Also, immediately seal off the news, avoid causing unnecessary panic!"

The attendant beside him trembled as she picked up the phone, dialed 110, and then...

"General Manager, the call won't go through! The phone line... seems to have been severed by the snow!"

"Then use the mobile phone!"

"No signal on the mobile either! No signal since yesterday started! Possibly the base station has a problem!"

Only then did the General Manager recall that this blizzard, this damned mountain landslide, had completely isolated them deep in the mountains. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

One dead person. A guest dead in his own inn.

And police cannot enter, phones cannot connect, the outside world knows nothing of what happened here. What does this mean? It means that before the road is cleared, he must face all of this alone—face the victim's family, face the other guests, face the corpse lying on the ground.

Heaven and earth, gods and buddhas, High Plain of Heaven above—are you joking with me?

"First, first confirm the victim's identity!" the General Manager immediately told the manager: "First, check the guest registry..."

The manager froze, then immediately pulled out his tablet, flipped through a few pages, hadn't yet found who the guest was, when he landed on a name. "General Manager..." the manager leaned in, voice dropping to a whisper: "Yesterday, the Divine Hand film crew from Fuji TV stayed here." "The Divine Hand crew?" the General Manager was about to slap an eight-trigram mark on the manager's face, but upon hearing "Divine Hand," he froze: "Divine Hand? Uesugi? White Mai? TV drama?"

"Yes! That's the one filming the Divine Hand TV drama! The one who checked in yesterday!" the manager swallowed: "Manager... Uesugi Muneyuki is here!"

The General Manager froze.

Legendary forensic doctor?

The last line of defense of the Metropolitan Police Department?

He came in person?

"Are you sure?"

"Sure! I remember now! They checked in yesterday! Uesugi is here, Uesugi Chief Medical Examiner is here!" hope sparked in the manager's eyes: "If he's here, then perhaps..."

"I truly TMD fucked Leon S. Kennedy!" the General Manager cursed after hearing this—this old bastard didn't know whether Uesugi Muneyuki appearing here was blessing or disaster!

How does this guy keep showing up wherever there's a murder case?

And we can't possibly investigate everything—what if he actually finds something?

But... this guy is also a super traffic king, he's together with national female star Shirakawa Mai, just having coffee together gets at least 10% ratings!

This avalanche of traffic—if we, Yonsen Onsen Sekizenkan, don't want it, we're fools! Otherwise we wouldn't have actively sponsored and allowed them to film on location! This wave, we're going to blow up! Next year we can be like Hakone, launch detective-themed hot spring suites, and with Uesugi Muneyuki, experience Blizzard Mountain Villa, feel the tension of executing someone! Second half price!

Wait!

After the initial panic, the General Manager of Yonsen Onsen Sekizenkan finally remembered the new-model Starlink satellite phone placed in the accountant's corner. This equipment was specially provided by the inn last year to cope with sudden mountain conditions; though rarely used normally, it often saves lives in critical moments. Ma Sheng, greatness without need for many words!

He nearly ran into the account office, trembling as he dialed the number of the Gunma Prefecture Police Headquarters.

At the moment the call connected, he nearly burst into tears.

"This is Gunma Prefecture Police Headquarters, how may I help you?"

"I am the General Manager of Yonsen Onsen Sekizenkan! Something has happened here! A death! A guest died!"

... After the operator asked a few questions, she immediately transferred the call to the Criminal Investigation Division of Gunma Prefecture Police Headquarters.

On the other end of the line, silence lasted a few seconds, then came a young voice struggling to stay calm: "Please stay calm, speak slowly. I am Superintendent Shan Cun of the Criminal Investigation Division, Gunma Prefecture Police Headquarters. Please describe your situation in detail."

The General Manager conveyed the situation as quickly as possible—discovered the body, suspected poisoning, road cut off, isolated from the outside world.

Superintendent Shan Cun listened, and his silence grew longer.

"We already know the situation." His voice carried obvious helplessness: "But yesterday it snowed, multiple landslides occurred in Gunma Prefecture, rescue teams are already clearing the roads, at least one day needed, possibly more—our personnel cannot pass through temporarily."

"What should we do then?!" the General Manager's voice cracked: "The body is right here! Guests are panicking! What should we do?!" "Stay calm." Superintendent Shan Cun's voice, though young, always seemed slightly off: "You just said the Divine Hand film crew is also staying at your inn?"

"Yes! Yes! Chief Medical Examiner Uesugi Muneyuki! He happens to be here!" the General Manager immediately said.

A slight commotion came from the other end of the line, as if several voices were speaking at once.

Then Superintendent Shan Cun's voice rang again, this time with a hint of barely concealed excitement:

"Chief Medical Examiner Uesugi Muneyuki?! That legendary forensic doctor Uesugi Muneyuki?! That esteemed one of the Metropolitan Police Department?"

"Yes, yes......"

"Excellent!" Superintendent Shan Cun nearly shouted, but immediately realized his lapse, coughed once: "Cough, I mean... this is fortunate. With Chief Uesugi present, he can conduct a preliminary examination at the scene. Please inform Chief Uesugi that the Gunma Prefecture Police Headquarters fully entrusts him with on-site handling; all follow-up matters will be handed over when we arrive. Additionally..."

He paused, lowered his voice: "That... could you please ask Professor Uesugi to record the investigation process in detail? It would be best to take photos, and if there's video, even better... Also, I've always wanted an autograph from Miss Shirakawa—could you sign one for me? Preferably an autograph, with Uesugi Chief signing half and Mai-sama the other half, then each drawing half a heart, combining into one, writing 'to love post dedication honesty friendship net【. …………,' the general manager thought this group of nationalist tax thieves should just go die.

He turned and walked away, heading straight for the scene.

"Please leave it to you, Uesugi Chief!"

Although the Sekizenkan side was desperately trying to conceal it, the news still leaked out, and the onlookers were increasing in number. Uesugi Muneyuki stood in the crowd, and from afar saw a middle-aged man lying on the ground, his face somewhat familiar. He immediately opened his Spirit Vision and finally saw the person's face clearly. Huh? Isn't this guy the son of the Kii Tokugawa family who came last time to cause a ruckus at his older brother's wedding, Tokugawa Ryuichi?

How did this guy just die?

At that moment, the general manager came running over.

"Professor Uesugi!" The general manager bowed deeply, his tone earnest to the point of near pleading: "Please help us take a look! This is a major disaster for our inn, the police can't get in, and we have no idea what to do! If you could help... all fees will be waived! Not only this time, but anytime you and your friends come in the future, it will all be free!"

"Oh nae! Wahdashi!"

Uesugi Muneyuki glanced at him, said nothing more, just nodded slightly, then walked through that door.

The room still maintained its original state from when it was discovered.

Tokugawa Ryuichi's corpse lay on the tatami mat, maintaining that twisted posture. The air had a faint strange odor—not corpse stench, as the time of death wasn't long enough, but a mixture of vomit and alcohol smell.

Uesugi Muneyuki crouched down and began the examination.

His hands were steady, his movements gentle, as if he were not facing a corpse but a craft requiring delicate operation. He took out a pair of thin rubber gloves from his small carry-on bag—this was his professional habit, always carrying the most basic tools at all times—put them on, and began observing from head to toe.

"Time of death is approximately ten to twelve hours ago," he said, his voice calm, as if lecturing in a classroom: "That is, between nine and eleven last night. Rigor mortis has formed but is not yet fully hardened, consistent with this time window."

At this moment, the doorway was already packed three layers deep inside and three layers outside with people—nearby guests rushing over, hotel staff onlookers, all coming after hearing the screaming. Besides many young couples, there were also many obviously wealthy upper-class people in fine clothes and jade-like food. "It's Uesugi! Uesugi Muneyuki is here!"

"Should we be glad Uesugi Chief is here? Or should we be afraid? How does this guy keep causing trouble wherever he goes?"

"Wait, since Uesugi-san is here...... indeed, Mai-sama is also here, mouth tooth!"

"Mai-sama all the way!"

"Super adorable Mai-sama, human ideal Mai-sama! The pinnacle of humanity, the answer of the world!"

"And Miss Sakura and Fuji TV's Tobu anchor! I'm a viewer of 'Hand of God'!"

"Me too, never missing an episode!"

"Great, Mom, I'm on TV!"

The crowd's atmosphere quickly shifted toward a strange direction.

Meanwhile, behind the crowd, several people from the 'Hand of God' film crew had expressions completely different from everyone else.

"Holy shit." Miyawaki Sakura whispered, her eyes glowing frighteningly: "It really is the Blizzard Mountain Villa! So next, wouldn't it be..."

Tei Reiji was already pulling out his phone—although there was no signal, he still instinctively wanted to record something.

Shirakawa Mai watched Uesugi Muneyuki's back view, the corner of her mouth slightly raised.

Meanwhile, Executive Producer Kinoshita Hiroko, the middle-aged woman who had just arrived at the inn last night to join the crew, was now trembling all over with excitement. She grabbed the director's arm, her voice unable to be contained: "Did you hear that? A murder case! A real murder case! And Professor Uesugi himself is conducting the examination! Come on, put it on air!" The director swallowed: "This... this might not be appropriate..."

"What's not appropriate about it!" Kinoshita Hiroko's eyes were glowing: "This is a real case! Real forensic examination! Real Blizzard Mountain Villa! Where are our cameras? Did you bring them?! Quick! Quick, take them out!"

"But, but..."

"But what!" Kinoshita Hiroko had already entered combat mode: "The actors are here, the lead is here, the forensic expert is here, the murder scene is here—this is heaven-sent material! If we don't film it, who do we owe?!"

The director stared blankly, then—then he also got excited.

"Yes yes yes! Filming! Filming crew, where are you?! Quick! Plus audio! Koyama! Utsunomiya! And Ota, get moving!" A group of crew members who had still been in shock suddenly became like they'd been injected with chicken blood, starting to frantically move equipment.

This time, we're gonna blow up, tooth!

Miyawaki Sakura watched this scene, then whispered to Tei Reiji: "Your station...... do you perhaps..."

Tei Reiji nodded expressionlessly, his refined face beside him, the lustrous pearl earrings swaying gently with his movements, beautiful as jade, temperament like smoke: "There is a bit."

"But..." Miss Sakura blinked her eyes.

"But the material is genuinely fragrant." Tobu anchor said seriously: "Want to blow up? Miyawaki-san!"

"Want!!!" Miss Sakura clenched both fists, revealing determined eyes.

"Then hurry up and help! Missing even a second is a waste on this kind of thing!"

The two locked eyes, then immediately joined the equipment-moving team.

Shirakawa Mai stood in place, watching this group of suddenly excited colleagues, then looking toward the distance where Uesugi Muneyuki was speaking with the general manager, unable to resist shaking her head and letting out a soft laugh.

"Fuji TV's luck," she murmured: "Really... I don't know if it's good or bad, why doesn't Old Dog Kameyama just go die himself?" The cameraman from the 'Hand of God' crew had already set up the equipment, the lens aimed at him from afar, not daring to get too close, but unwilling to miss any detail.

Executive Producer Kinoshita Hiroko stood behind the cameraman, excitedly clutching her fists, constantly whispering: "Film it, film everything, don't miss a single frame... we have the best camera positions! We Fuji TV..."

Shirakawa Mai stood in the front row of the crowd, her gaze always on Uesugi Muneyuki, Miyawaki Sakura and Tei Reiji squeezed beside her, one nervously gripping her skirt hem, the other pretending to be calm but eyes tightly following that figure crouched by the corpse.

Uesugi Muneyuki paid no attention to the outside commotion. In his world at this moment, there was only this corpse and everything around it. He re-examined the deceased's body surface and took the tablet from the general manager's hand to glance at the registration form.

Tokugawa Ryuichi, thirty-nine years old, face bluish, lips purplish, pupils dilated, typical hypoxia symptoms.

Large amounts of vomit around the mouth, already dried, yellow-green in color.

No ligature marks on the neck, no external injuries on the body, no defensive wounds on the limbs—if it was murder, the killer likely struck when the victim was completely defenseless.

He lifted the deceased's eyelid, carefully examining the conjunctiva—there were tiny hemorrhagic spots. This is a characteristic of asphyxiation death, but asphyxiation can result from toxin-induced respiratory paralysis or other causes.

He used tweezers to gently pry open the deceased's mouth, observing the oral cavity.

Tongue coating was bluish, the throat area showed obvious congestion. If caused by toxins entering the digestive system, this phenomenon is reasonable. Then he shifted his attention to the deceased's luggage.

Tokugawa Ryuichi's travel bag was large, stuffed haphazardly, matching his useless reputation. Uesugi Muneyuki took out the items one by one, examining each carefully.

Clothing, toiletries, a half-read erotic weekly (cover featuring Hatano and Daisho), two Okamotos, a Nintendo Switch game console, several packs of Rakuten snacks... then a bulging document bag.

Opening the document bag, inside was a thick stack of bills.

Credit card statements, loan application forms, private loan IOUs, payment demands, tax certificates... flipping through them one by one, the amounts weren't particularly large, but accumulated they were also a considerable sum.

Below the bills was a medical certificate.

"Chronic gastritis", "abnormal liver function", "mild alcohol dependence", "recommend limiting alcohol intake"... plus some prescription drug slips, prescribing stomach medicine, liver medicine, sleeping pills, etc.

Hmm, ribavirin, omeprazole, ursodeoxycholic acid—this handwriting twisted so much with 45° sawtooth feel, should be glutathione. Uesugi Muneyuki skillfully recognized the doctor's prescription issuance proof.

One of the diagnosis sheets was dated three months ago, the doctor's handwriting messy but recognizable as "recommend limiting alcohol intake, otherwise risk of sudden death" or similar wording.

There were also a few medicine bottles in the bag.

Stomach medicine, pain reliever, sleeping pills, vitamins... Uesugi Muneyuki opened each bottle one by one, poured out the pills and examined them carefully. With his eyes and sense of smell, he could detect nothing abnormal.

They were all ordinary medicines.

Suicide? Homicide? Accidental death?

Uesugi Muneyuki narrowed his eyes slightly.

The matter had become interesting.