Chapter 79: A Secret Meeting at the Racecourse

The wind whipped and clouds surged; the murder case of an elementary school student that broke out in Chiba Prefecture caused a massive reaction in society.

NHK and the other four major commercial television stations reported this news immediately. The viciousness of the murderer, the cruelty of the methods, and the precision of the process made the entire society feel ashamed, and it even triggered a great social debate. For a time, even the aftermath of the Fuji TV Case was overshadowed, and the internet was filled with speculation about who the murderer actually was.

Affected by this, Fuji TV had to cancel the follow-up program regarding the Hironaka Mariko case. President Kameyama had originally been unsatisfied and intended to make another large-scale special feature on this single case, and he had also planned to invite senior schoolmate Shirakawa Mai, Forensic Pathologist Uesugi Muneyuki, and her fiancé Shimakawa Ren. Due to the impact of this incident, he had to cancel the project.

Very fortunately and yet unfortunately, this incident did not happen in Tokyo, so it had nothing to do with Uesugi Muneyuki. Aside from closely following the case, he maintained his normal life. During the week, he would run around the entirety of Tokyo for three or four days, performing autopsies for a large group of people to earn his autopsy fees, and he would spend the remaining day or two holding a post at the Metropolitan Police Department.

However, the major cases that the Metropolitan Police Department had to handle personally were relatively limited, and Uesugi Muneyuki did not trigger any other Death Soul Contracts.

On October 25th, another normal workday, Uesugi Muneyuki arrived at the Forensics Division wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase.

But the atmosphere in the Forensics Division today was different from usual; he felt it the moment he walked in.

Young Forensics Division Forensic Pathologist Kamioka Hideo was squatting in the corner with his hands covering his head, his face full of the aura of a weakling. He looked like he was about to be scared to death, and his whole body was trembling.

Another Forensic Pathologist, Higashiyama Takeshi, grabbed him the moment Uesugi Muneyuki stepped through the door, pulling him tightly. That bearded face of his, which looked like a lolicon bear, was filled with suspicion and unease: "Uesugi-san, did you commit a crime?!"

"Huh?" Uesugi Muneyuki looked blank.

"I mean, did you do something incredible? Just like the JR East Railway dismembered corpse case and the previous Fuji TV Case?" Higashiyama Takeshi, this bear-like lolicon, looked like he was about to cry: "Or is it that you and Miss Watanabe accidentally caused some trouble..."

"??? I don't understand what you are talking about." Uesugi Muneyuki still didn't understand.

"Forget it, anyway you're finally here, hurry up and go to the room!" Higashiyama Takeshi's face was red: "Superintendent General Watanabe has been waiting for you for a long time!"

"He has been sitting at your workstation since early this morning; in order not to make eye contact with him, I haven't been able to take it anymore!"

Uesugi Muneyuki hurriedly looked over and saw Superintendent General Watanabe Eiji sitting at his workstation, frowning and using a disposable tea bag to brew himself a cup of Lipton black tea. Clearly, the Superintendent General did not like drinking this kind of instant beverage, but Uesugi Muneyuki had nothing else here.

Uesugi Muneyuki quickly trotted over to Watanabe Eiji and bowed slightly: "Good morning, Superintendent General!"

"Are you Uesugi Muneyuki?" Watanabe Eiji said unhurriedly. His powerful physique and dignified, solemn face made Higashiyama Takeshi and Kamioka Hideo, not far away, almost pee their pants: "Nice to meet you."

Ah?

Uesugi Muneyuki was stunned for a moment, but immediately understood: "Yes, nice to meet you, I am Uesugi Muneyuki, please treat me well."

"I am Watanabe Eiji." The Superintendent General nodded. He pointed at the cup: "Drink less of this kind of instant beverage, it's not good for your health. If you need it, I can arrange a coffee machine for you."

"Does the Superintendent General have something to discuss?" Uesugi Muneyuki did not answer and said straightforwardly.

"Hmm, I have something to find you for." Watanabe Eiji took a thick stack of documents out of his briefcase: "Because it wasn't convenient to call you over, I came myself."

"This is the forensics report sent over by the Police Headquarters in Chiba Prefecture."

"Chiba Prefecture? Is it that elementary school student murder and dismemberment case?" Uesugi Muneyuki's eyes widened slightly as he took the report from Watanabe Eiji's hand.

"Yes, that's right, it is the forensics report for that case. Chiba sent it over to the Metropolitan Police Department, and I want you to help take a look." Watanabe Eiji finished saying these words and stood up: "Then, goodbye."

"Goodbye!" Uesugi Muneyuki bowed to the back of this Superintendent General, then immediately sat at his workstation and opened the forensics report sent from Chiba Prefecture.

He was also quite concerned about this case.

However, having only flipped through a few pages, an admission ticket for the Tokyo Ohi Racecourse this Saturday fell out.

Uesugi Muneyuki held this admission ticket and fell into deep thought.

"Eh? This is the Superintendent General's, right?" Higashiyama Takeshi, who had leaned over, also noticed this scene: "What's going on, how could the Superintendent General make such a mistake? Hey, Superintendent General-san, your admission ticket..."

Uesugi Muneyuki signaled his colleague not to shout, indicating that he would find a time to return the admission ticket.

Hmm, return it in person.

…………

Saturday, 13:00, Tokyo Ohi Racecourse, VIP lounge.

With luxurious decor and thick carpets, square tables stood in the lounge under the sunlight streaming in through the glass windows. Everyone here was dressed in loose clothing, behaved politely, had an extraordinary air, and was enjoying the warm afternoon sun.

"Number 5, it won!" Watanabe Eiji, who had changed into a tennis polo shirt with a Ralph Lauren sweater over it, laughed and slapped his thigh.

"It won, it won!" Mouri, the Criminal Investigation Department Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, also laughed and said: "As expected of the Superintendent General, your eye for this is truly good!"

"As expected of Father, you picked this horse named 'Yuka' at a single glance~" Watanabe Minami, the Face of the Metropolitan Police Department, also laughed along.

On the table were exquisite three-layer luxury Makunouchi seafood bento boxes and the specialty oyster seafood soup, with a giant lobster head pointing directly at the glass ceiling.

Only the Chief Driver Okada seemed restless; he kept looking at his watch: "It's already 1 o'clock, hasn't Uesugi arrived yet? Does he really understand?"

"Don't worry, someone of his background doesn't need to be reminded." Watanabe Eiji was reading the newspaper leisurely: "If he really doesn't understand, then he isn't worthy."

"Oh! He's here!"

Just as they were discussing, Uesugi Muneyuki's figure appeared at the entrance of the VIP lounge. Seeing this scene, Watanabe Eiji revealed a smile.

I told you, he doesn't need to be reminded.

The man who arrived was wearing a cashmere sweater with a sky-blue shirt underneath, and tan slim-fit trousers that showed off his 185cm tall stature. He was both warm and comfortable, elegant and refined, and exuded an air of nobility.

Watanabe Minami, the Face of the Metropolitan Police Department, immediately stood up to welcome him. Accompanied by the sound of "click, click," Miss Minami stepped forward quickly in a pair of black loafers. She was not very tall, and because she wasn't wearing high-heeled shoes today, she looked even more petite. This made the originally cold and proud police beauty look a bit more like a noble young lady, and paired with her beautiful face and the sunlight behind her, it was sweet to the core.

Watanabe Minami only wore light makeup today. The slim-fit cashmere sweater and A-line cotton-linen skirt, paired with the silk scarf at her chest and a pair of 80D thick black pantyhose, plus her dark bun hairstyle, made her give off an incredible dreamlike feeling just by standing there—sweet and elegant, noble and intimate.

"Ho ho ho~ I said it, Uesugi-kun doesn't need to be reminded," Watanabe Eiji said quite proudly.

Seeing Watanabe Minami go up to welcome him, Department Manager Mouri winked at Watanabe Eiji, pursed his lips, and smiled as he helped him pour wine: "Reminded of what? If you don't make it clear, I won't understand!"

"Hahahaha~" The two middle-aged men laughed together.

"You're here?" Watanabe Minami looked at Uesugi Muneyuki's attire, her eyes smiling into crescents, full of charm: "I thought I would have to go pick you up."

"Then you must definitely come pick me up next time. Remember to drive the Rolls-Royce Phantom; I still want to have a glass of Alexandra in the car," Uesugi Muneyuki laughed: "And it has to be mixed by Miss Minami herself."

"Hmph~ In your dreams!" Watanabe Minami deliberately made a fierce "threatening" expression, a beautiful wrinkle forming on her nose: "Alright, everyone is waiting for you."

Uesugi Muneyuki came to the square table, and Watanabe Minami introduced the others to him.

"This is Uncle Mouri Takayoshi, 47 years old, Criminal Investigation Department Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, Police Superintendent, and also an old friend of Father's."

Department Manager Mouri stood up and shook hands with Uesugi Muneyuki: "I am Mouri Takayoshi, courtesy name Saburo. You can also call me Uncle Saburo. Superintendent General Watanabe was my old superior."

"This is Brother Okada Masayoshi, 27 years old, the Superintendent General's personal driver, Police Inspector, though it's only temporary." Watanabe Minami continued the introduction, smiling: "In the future, he might be transferred to Investigation Division 1 to work with Uesugi-kun!"

"Hello, I am Okada. You can just call me Okada," the young, handsome, and well-featured Police Inspector Okada Masayoshi bowed toward Uesugi Muneyuki.

"Hello everyone." Uesugi Muneyuki bowed in acknowledgment. He noticed that all four seats at the square table were occupied and was hesitating, but Miss Minami immediately reached out to pull her own chair out to serve Uesugi Muneyuki, then found a waiter to add a seat next to Uesugi Muneyuki, straightened her skirt, and sat down herself.

Department Manager Mouri had originally wanted to chat a bit about horse racing and life, but Uesugi Muneyuki coughed a few times and said straightforwardly: "Superintendent General Watanabe, I have read the forensics report from Chiba Prefecture."

"This is not the Metropolitan Police Department, and we are not at work right now, so you can just call me Uncle Watanabe." Watanabe Eiji frowned, feeling that he had gained some understanding of Uesugi Muneyuki's personality: "What do you mean?"

The Chiba Prefectural Police Headquarters Chief of the Detective faction reported to him, the Superintendent General of the Detective faction, about the Public Security Division coming to "break someone out of prison."

Watanabe Eiji immediately realized what this matter represented behind the scenes.

But there were some things he could not state clearly.

Fortunately, Uesugi Muneyuki was currently holding a post in the Forensics Division, and unlike the quality and level of the other few people in the Forensics Division, just as Watanabe Eiji had said, someone from a Noble background like Uesugi Muneyuki did not need extra reminders; he naturally understood certain things.

Look, isn't he here?

"Because I did not perform an autopsy on-site, if I only look at the reports, then judging from the autopsy report of Doi Junpei, the on-site forensics report and investigation, and the police investigation, this indeed looks like the modus operandi of a Violent Group, a cult, or an extremist organization." Uesugi Muneyuki said with a frown: "Only an experienced person could achieve such clean cuts, and also know how to clean the corpse to further drain the blood, leaving no other clues; the killer clearly has a certain level of anti-reconnaissance awareness."

"Of course, if the killer is a Kendo expert, using a Samurai sword while Doi Junpei remained stationary, theoretically it could also be done... but the difficulty is extreme, and even a Kendo master could not guarantee success."

Hearing Uesugi Muneyuki's words, Watanabe Eiji, Mouri Takayoshi, Okada Masayoshi, and Watanabe Minami all nodded, among whom Watanabe Eiji then asked: "Then do you think the Public Security's judgment is correct?"

"I dare not say, but according to the contents of the report, the killer does indeed seem like an experienced Yakuza, and only among the Yakuza would there be more experienced people who know how to dispose of a corpse." Uesugi Muneyuki frowned: "Moreover, Police Inspector Megure previously told me that the port warehouse area in Chiba Prefecture is often used as a location for various smuggling of drugs and arms deals, which also matches the footprints and cigarette butts found at the scene."

"Sigh, if you put it that way, it seems the Public Security has taken the lead this time." Before Uesugi Muneyuki could finish, Department Manager Mouri shook his head repeatedly: "Damn it, we in the Detective faction finally managed to get the upper hand over Public Security thanks to the Fuji TV Case, and now we have to give it back immediately? As expected of Kudo."

"Kudo?" Uesugi Muneyuki raised an eyebrow.

"Uesugi-kun, you should know something about the long-term opposition between our Japan police's Detective faction and the Public Security faction, right?" Watanabe Eiji took over the conversation.

"I have heard a little about it."

"Hmm, in short, you can just understand it this way: in this generation, the representative of the Detective faction is me, and the representative of the Public Security faction is the current Director of the Police Agency Security Bureau, Kudo!"

Updated, please vote for me~

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(End of this chapter)