Chapter 919

Uesugi Muneyuki squatted in the corner of the temporary forensic autopsy room, facing the row of trash cans that had already been sealed. The metal box lid reflected a cold white light under the lamp, and the smell seeping through the gaps in the lid had been largely processed by the air purifier, but he could still detect a faint lingering scent of disinfectant and decay.

He closed his eyes and once again sank his consciousness into that gray space.

This time, the voice was somewhat clearer than before, like a person slowly rising from very deep water, bubbles rising and bursting around him.

What he heard was still that man's voice, fragmented and blurred, with some words sounding as if they had been swallowed, making them indistinct.

But he made out several key words, those words piercing through the thick fog in the gray space, like drifting in from another world, blown away by the wind, leaving only outlines.

Strange, the bodies of the other three women were also mixed in there, but they showed no response; only the man could respond. This man named Yamada Rinka's son, Souda Sosuke, should be the son of Souda Sosuke, his body was also chopped into pieces, but he could still partially respond to Uesugi Muneyuki. He took out Kashiwada's photo: 【Is this the person?】

【Yes, Uesugi uncle, it's him.】The man, namely Yamada Rinka, responded vaguely.

【His name is Kashiwada Ken, former Olympic champion, are you sure he came to your door?】Uesugi Muneyuki asked further.

【Kashiwada……is him……I saw his face……he was wearing a mask……but not properly……I saw his eyes……he put me in the box……transported me out of the apartment……in the car, I woke up……but I didn't dare move……he was driving ahead, I heard him singing……singing……it was……Hoshino Gen's《Love》……then we arrived at a building……he carried me out……placed me on a table……then……then I don't remember……】The man replied with difficulty, obviously about to fade away.

【What else do you remember? What other valuable information can you tell me?】

Yamada Rinka remained silent for a long time, so long that Uesugi Muneyuki thought he had left, then the voice sounded again, this time even smaller, even farther.

【He……seems to be doing some ritual……like in those special effects films……he arranged some things……I don't understand……then……then I don't know anymore……】

【What special effects film?】Uesugi Muneyuki pressed.

No one responded, the voice disappeared, Uesugi Muneyuki opened his eyes, he looked at the many barrels of minced meat, and remained silent for a long time.

How impressive, truly impressive.

This time, the killer used himself, Lao Ren, various connections, including the power and existence of the inner world and the fish that slipped through the net Yamada Rinka, to finally lock onto Kashiwada Ken, that former Olympic champion.

But the evidence is insufficient, the evidence is still insufficient.

After thinking, Uesugi Muneyuki took out his phone, an overseas call.

We need the power of MIT in the United States!

Poweeeeeeeeeeeer！

「Hey, isn't this Uesugi boy? 」Soon, the phone connected, Tanaka Kenji, that is, Ken Professor, curious voice came from the other end: 「What big trouble are you in again? shittheF**K, every time you call me it's big news, what is it this time? Related to the Kantou serial killer who killed over a hundred men and women overnight, or is it that hundreds of Gundams rush out daily from Fuji's sewers? Or perhaps something about your Japan's inland existing some ghost sacrifice village where eight-tailed Basako must be sacrificed annually each year, with the basement still chained with trafficked women? Or is it that Tokyo has some human furniture reception? Yamada Prime Minister often goes to Hachijo Island's Water Dragon Joy Park? 」

「TMD, is Japan the old nest of Mexican gangsters? 」After saying this, Ken Professor himself couldn't help laughing: 「Why not rename Japan to Beika Country? 」

「Ken, I……」Uesugi Muneyuki spoke.

「Wait! Say the code! 」Ken Professor suddenly interrupted Uesugi Muneyuki's words.

「Um, a man only cries eighteen times in his life! Niko dream shattered Cleu day Napoca major, Niko dream shattered Columbus major, Niko dream shattered…Niko dream fulfilled Cologne major! Nino kids kids Jing Jing Cologne major champion! 」Uesugi Muneyuki immediately said excitedly: 「Big shrimp raises both claws, cold light glistening as before! 」

「Eh, you came, right? 」Ken Professor said satisfied, still somewhat sentimental: 「Being a man means fulfilling oneself, from now on can't play shrimp soft leg meme anymore, this time time is no longer an issue! Alright, speak. 」

「Have you seen the recent news? The Kobe Daiseika case……」Uesugi Muneyuki said.

「Let me search. 」Ken Professor said on the other end of the phone, then he searched and browsed on some non-existent Google website, three minutes later: 「「Are you currently handling this case? 」

「I found four bodies chopped into pieces. Minced meat, shattered bones, no intact parts can be identified. I need to know who the killer is, but the bodies themselves can no longer provide any information. Is there a way to find the killer's traces from these fragments? 」Uesugi Muneyuki said. The other end of the phone fell silent for a moment.

Tanaka Kenji's voice came over, slower than before, more serious, like someone switching their mindset from daily mode to professional mode. 「Uesugi, how fine are those fragments? 」

「The smallest is about two to three centimeters square. The largest is no bigger than a palm. Edges are neat, looks like cut by an electric saw, then further shattered by some high-speed rotating tool. Bones were also cut open, marrow cavities exposed. 」

Tanaka Kenji's breathing on that end became lighter, Uesugi Muneyuki could sense through that change in breathing that the other's mind was racing at high speed. 「Traditional methods definitely won't work. But there is a direction to try. Your fragments, although meat and bone are indistinguishable, but their contact points with the killer left traces. If he contacted these things before cutting, or used specific tools during the cutting process, then those fragments' surfaces will have something attached. 」

「For example, metal particles from the cutting tool. Saw blades produce micron-level metal shavings at high speed, those shavings embed into the surface of meat and bone. If it's a circular saw, material is usually high-speed steel or tungsten carbide. Different manufacturers, different batches, metal composition ratios have tiny differences. That difference can serve as a 'fingerprint'. 」

「Also, lubricant. Electric saws need coolant or lubricating oil during operation, those liquids atomize at high speed and adhere to the fragment surfaces. Different components, different brands, can also be traced. Glove fibers, if the killer wore gloves, those fibers shed from friction would mix in the fragments; if he didn't wear gloves, although his fingerprints are gone, his skin flakes, sweat, even the microbial flora on his skin surface could possibly leave traces in the fragments. You collect all those fragments, repeatedly rinse with ultrapure water, collect the rinse liquid, use a centrifuge to separate the precipitate. 」

「Then you send them to our MIT for scanning electron microscope and spectral analysis to find metal particles. Use gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to find organic residues. Then use DNA amplification technology, try to extract non-human DNA from those fragments. If found, you can lock the killer's identity without needing intact bodies. 」

No wonder it's the US, no wonder it's MIT!

Uesugi Muneyuki couldn't help exclaiming, thinking indeed, friends who often kill know that American forensic medicine knowledge is number one in the world.

「If I already have a suspect, and can match his DNA with the DNA you detect over there? 」Uesugi Muneyuki asked: 「Can it constitute legal validity? 」

「Although this cannot directly prove he is the killer, it can serve as important evidence proving he handled the corpse, though not hit, yet not far off! 」Ken Professor affirmed.

「How long would it take? 」

「If equipment is in place, roughly three to five days. But equipment is not the big problem, the problem is sample processing. Your fragments are too many, each needs individual processing and individual analysis, workload is huge, at least needs a team of several people, working non-stop for three days and three nights. 」

Uesugi Muneyuki held his phone and stood by the window.

「Three to five days, I'll wait. 」

Tanaka Kenji's voice carried a hint of smile: 「Looks like you've made up your mind. Then I'll wait for your samples. 」

The phone hung up.

After putting down the phone, Uesugi Muneyuki came out and looked toward Date Nagamune: 「Date, I need you to run to the United States, just take Osaka's latest direct flight to the US! 」

「Maeda, you also go. 」

「Great! 」Date Nagamune was overjoyed, he clenched his fists, heroic spirit soaring.

Taylor Swift, Elizabeth Olsen, I'll help you dodge the killing line!

「What a hassle. 」Maeda Toshihide looked at Uesugi Muneyuki, pouting: 「I don't want to go with this guy. 」

「Can't not go. 」Uesugi Muneyuki said with a smile.

Two days later, Uesugi Muneyuki held a temporary press conference in the hotel where he was staying in Kobe.

「Regarding the Kobe Black Daiseika case, the Special Mission Division has already grasped new evidence. We have already found in Osaka the bodies of Yamada Rinka's four children, identities confirmed via DNA identification. Simultaneously, we extracted trace physical evidence from the bodies, locking the killer's identity. The killer is not Souda Sosuke. Detailed evidence will be gradually disclosed in subsequent investigations. 」

This news caused an uproar throughout society and even the whole nation!

The killer is not Souda Sosuke?

Then what on earth is going on with the Hyogo Prefecture Police?

Wait, Uesugi Muneyuki said he found it in Osaka, but according to currently released information, Souda Sosuke never went to Osaka! Wow, there's a second level?

After the Battle of Sekigahara ended, there were still Osaka Winter Siege and Osaka Summer Siege?

After receiving this news, the Hyogo Prefecture Police Headquarters immediately convened an emergency press conference the next day.

Ikematsu Toshiaki stood behind the podium, his complexion not good, Kansai accent still heavy, but each word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth: 「The Special Mission Division's claim, we are verifying. Souda Sosuke has already confessed, his statement matches the scene evidence. We believe our investigation results are correct. As for the Special Mission Division's so-called 'new evidence', we have not received related materials, cannot make a judgment. 」

Watanabe Eiji sat in the Police Commissioner's office, with two reports spread out before him.

One was the case closure report submitted by the Hyogo Prefectural Police, its cover stamped with a red "Case Closed" seal.

The other was the preliminary investigation report submitted by Uesugi Muneyuki, its cover blank, bearing no concluding annotations, but its content was sufficient to leave Watanabe Eiji silent for a long time after reading it.

On the very afternoon that Uesugi Muneyuki held the press conference, the Legal Advisor's Office of the Hyogo Prefectural Police sent a formal written opinion to the National Police Agency, its wording courteous but leaving no room for ambiguity.

"Souda Sosuke has already confessed without reservation, and his statement highly matches the physical evidence. If we overturn the original conclusion now, it would cause immeasurable damage to the prestige of the Japanese Police. We earnestly urge the Police Commissioner to give careful consideration, to uphold the credibility of the police system. Furthermore, Souda Sosuke himself has already confessed; even if subsequent evidence raises doubts, his act of confession itself carries legal effect. We recommend that the Special Mission Division cease its investigation." Watanabe Eiji placed that opinion on his desk, stared at it for a long time, then picked up the telephone.

"Muneyuki, how certain are you?"

Uesugi Muneyuki's voice came through the handset, steady, clear, without any superfluous adornment: "One hundred percent. I have physical evidence, I have DNA, I have the killer's movement trajectory. The Hyogo Prefectural Police used torture to extract a confession from Souda Sosuke, forcing him to admit guilt—that is not the truth, that is coercing a confession through beating. If we take Souda Sosuke's confession as the basis for closing the case, the prestige of the Japanese Police will truly collapse."

Watanabe Eiji's fingers lightly tapped twice on the desk surface: "You know what the consequences would be if the Hyogo Prefectural Police really got it wrong?" "I know. They would face massive compensation, Souda Sosuke could sue the state for compensation, wrongful arrest, torture during interrogation, reputational damage—each item is a huge sum. Adding his lost occupational income, this is an astronomical figure. They would also have to bear the impact of public opinion, Ikematsu Toshiaki would have to resign in responsibility, the Hyogo Prefectural Police Headquarters would have to undergo a full reorganization. More importantly, they would never again be able to lift their heads."

Watanabe Eiji fell silent for a moment: "Muneyuki, can your evidence stand up in court?"

"Yes. I have already confirmed with Professor Ken at MIT that the appraisal results of the trace evidence have legal effect. As long as we complete the formal procedure, it can be used as evidence in court."

Watanabe Eiji remained silent, his lips moving a few times, then he said: "Then you know, if you come forward to identify a former Olympic Champion as the murderer, and if you fail, how much trouble would that cause?"

"I will not fail." Uesugi Muneyuki's reply was concise: "Because I am, Uesugi Muneyuki!"

The voice on the other end of the phone continued in silence, Watanabe Eiji seemed to be making a painful calculation.

After a long while, the voice of this newly appointed Police Commissioner lowered, as if behind a layer of window.

"Do what you ought to do, Muneyuki, don't be afraid, I am still behind you!"

"Yes, Father."

The phone was hung up. Watanabe Eiji sat in that chair, before him lay the case closure report submitted by the Hyogo Prefectural Police. He reached out, opened the first page, then closed it again, pushing it to the upper right corner of the desk.

He stood up and walked to the window, gazing at the night view of Tokyo outside, and suddenly couldn't help but laugh.

In the report, Uesugi Muneyuki jokingly wrote, saying "Racking one's brains in the Cat District is no match for a sudden inspiration in the Love Cat District."

And in Watanabe Eiji's view, it should be "The killer racking his brains is no match for a sudden inspiration from Uesugi."

If Uesugi Muneyuki nails this case, how many police officers would have to resign in responsibility? How many would suffer ruin of reputation and status because of this? In Kansai, how many people would have their reputations dragged through the mud because of this?

Is this something a single killer killing a few people could accomplish?

Speaking of which, how many police officers has this guy Uesugi Muneyuki already taken down? Has it reached several thousand?

Watanabe Eiji twitched the corner of his mouth, suddenly feeling that what Uesugi Muneyuki has done is not so different from what that group of extreme animal protection activists do.

But, this also counts as a good thing.

He just happens to be able to extend his hand into Kansai.

Kanto, Kansai, Tohoku, Western Japan, Kinki, Shikoku, Kyushu, Hokkaido.

The new era of the Japanese Police is upon us!

Vaisravana descends, evil spirits retreat! All things shall ultimately crawl before us, father and son!

This body is, the people of the world!