Chapter 92: , The Unreasonable Killer

The death message given by the victim of the third case completely transcended Uesugi Muneyuki's understanding.

Previously, he personally had doubts about the results investigated by Public Security; he had always believed that, even if the first case were questionable, it was clearly impossible for the subsequent second and third cases to be the work of any Violent Group.

But now that he had performed the autopsy himself, the conclusion he reached was far more absurd than the one investigated by Public Security—by a factor of 100, 1,000, or even 10,000!

Yamato Rina was awakened by him using a Death Soul Contract, so it was impossible for her to lie; at most, there were some parts she could not explain clearly.

Then, according to what Yamato Rina said, the portrait of this serial killer is as follows.

A female student wearing a high school uniform, whose apparent age is no more than eighteen or even younger, and who can make an elementary school student instinctively call her "big sister" without any defensive psychological guard.

And this female student possesses the following characteristics simultaneously:

Appearance of a minor female + a face that does not make people subconsciously raise their guard + speech requesting help to find the location of a restroom with polite greetings + cold-blooded consciousness beyond that of an ordinary person + an experienced individual considered by the Forensic Autopsy Report to have extremely rich experience in disposing of corpses + a vicious killer possessing the technique to kill with a single strike + excellent counter-reconnaissance awareness + compulsive serial offender hobby.

Uesugi Muneyuki simply could not place these elements on the same person according to common sense.

Is this reasonable?

No, this is Kawachi!

(The sound of helicopter rotors and whispers among the trees slowly approach)

Therefore, even though Yamato Rina's Dead Soul told Uesugi Muneyuki that it was done by a female student, Uesugi Muneyuki himself could not believe it, let alone convince the Metropolitan Police Department.

He tried again to ask for more clues, but other than telling him that she only remembered the killer was a teenage "big sister" in a school uniform who asked her where the restroom was and asked her to lead the way, Yamato Rina truly could not remember anything else; she didn't even remember what this "big sister" looked like very clearly, only that she had short hair.

This was also the first time Uesugi Muneyuki had encountered a situation where the deceased had a grievance but did not know the killer.

So, what he can confirm for now is: one, the killer is an underage female student, or at most an adult female under twenty-five with a very youthful appearance, not tall, about the same size as Miss Minami, with short hair.

Two, the deceased did not know the killer, which means the killer is indeed killing without reason, or is a lunatic with mental problems, or a madman full of hatred killing indiscriminately.

But this cannot be used as a reason to convince the Metropolitan Police Department, and for the first time, he has no clear target.

"If I bring her before you, will you be able to recognize her?" Uesugi Muneyuki had no choice but to ask.

"Probably not, I don't remember very well either."

"What about the school uniform?"

"High school uniform... I can't tell anything else."

Yamato Rina's Soul Power was consumed extremely quickly; before long, she lost the ability to answer and returned to her remains.

The family of the deceased was very opposed to the dissection, so after a brief autopsy, Uesugi Muneyuki came out of the room.

Watanabe Minami and Okada Masayoshi were standing at the door; seeing Uesugi Muneyuki come out, almost everyone looked at him full of expectation.

"How is it? Uesugi-kun, have you found the culprit?" Miss Minami looked at him full of anticipation, her sweet, delicate face unable to hide her fatigue, yet she still displayed a moving smile, her almond eyes fixed on the man who had brought her countless miracles.

"I have a few conjectures, but they might not be right."

For the first time, Uesugi Muneyuki gave an uncertain answer: "When will the remaining two corpses arrive?"

"Tomorrow... or rather, this morning." Watanabe Minami held the documents: "Public Security is already prepared to send the corpses over from Chiba Prefecture. In any case, let's hold a small meeting first to discuss your findings!"

"Mm." Uesugi Muneyuki knew he would first face the first difficult problem.

How was he to convince the Joint Special Investigation Headquarters to make the Japan police believe that the one who did it was a female student?

Ten minutes later, Joint Special Investigation Headquarters, Headquarters Chief's temporary office.

Department Manager Mouri of the Metropolitan Police Department, Watanabe Minami, and Okada Masayoshi listened to Uesugi Muneyuki's report.

"We were wrong from the very beginning!" Uesugi Muneyuki said to Criminal Investigation Department Chief Mouri and Miss Minami: "Remember the earliest forensic report? The report said the victim's wounds were from top to bottom."

"As a result, after I actually performed the autopsy, I discovered that because the victim of the third case had a small stature, therefore... even if a person who is not tall commits the crime, the wound will still be from top to bottom." Uesugi Muneyuki signaled for Watanabe Minami to come before him; he gestured to indicate Yamato Rina's height, took out a piece of cardboard, and signaled for Minami to hold a pen and stab over.

Watanabe Minami did as asked, and the result showed that because the victims were all elementary school students of short stature, even if Miss Minami, at one meter sixty, held a pen and stabbed over, the trajectory was still from top to bottom.

Uesugi Muneyuki's judgment sparked deep thought in Department Manager Mouri and Okada Keibu, among whom Department Manager Mouri said: "Then, looking at it this way, the killer doesn't necessarily have to be very tall, right?"

"Mm, even if they are shorter than Watanabe, they can still produce this effect." Uesugi Muneyuki nodded: "So the problem arises."

"Why would the killer target elementary school students?" Okada Keibu also said hesitantly: "If that's the case..."

"Then there is only one reason. Remember my previous deduction?" Uesugi Muneyuki said in a deep voice: "The killer's modus operandi is becoming increasingly crude, and the timing is becoming increasingly urgent."

"Starting from the second case, the killer has already appeared to have the operation of knocking the other party unconscious out of fear of resistance. In the third case, the killer didn't even have the chance for a sneak attack from behind, and could only rush to use a knife to pierce the other party's abdomen, and after making the other party lose the ability to resist, strangle them with an electric wire."

"These all indicate that the killer does not necessarily have the ability to stop the other party from fighting back; let me put it even more bluntly."

Uesugi Muneyuki threw out a terrifying fact: "This killer's own physique is actually not robust, or even weak, so they specifically target elementary school students because elementary school students have weak resistance."

"Only when the ability to resist is as weak as an elementary school student's will they take action; only then can they take action."

The three people in the room simultaneously showed surprised expressions on their faces.

Uesugi Muneyuki's deduction broke their inherent understanding.

The killer is not a robust Yakuza aged 25-40?

"As expected of Uesugi-kun!" Department Manager Mouri's brows were tightly locked; the middle-aged man over forty looked very tired from staying up late, but hearing this news gave him a feeling of sudden enlightenment and clarity: "If that's the case... no wonder, whether it's Chiba Prefecture or Public Security, their direction was wrong from the start!"

"They always thought the killer was a Yakuza, so all possible signs were investigated toward the Yakuza. As a result, naturally, nothing could be found. So Public Security continued to increase their efforts, and as a result, they continued to gain nothing. Several major departments also mobilized together, and still did not find any suspicious persons!" Okada Keibu's eyes grew brighter and brighter: "As expected of Uesugi-san!"

"Good, looking at it this way, we must have accidentally missed something before." Watanabe Minami also thought and paced to Uesugi Muneyuki's side: "It is very likely that the real culprit was missed during the first screening, so no matter how we searched afterward, we never suspected the real culprit."

"Yes, it was wrong from the beginning." Uesugi Muneyuki nodded; he hesitated for a moment, but decided to speak openly: "Moreover, according to existing information, this is a murder without reason."

"Murder without reason also has reasons, of course; the killer is either retaliating against society or suffering from some kind of mental disorder." Uesugi Muneyuki said while thinking: "Remember I once said, why is the killer obsessed with repeatedly committing crimes and committing crimes in defiance of the wind?"

"Of course, it is also possible that they are retaliating against society, but I am more inclined to believe that the killer suffers from some kind of mental disorder. For them, committing crimes is a rigid demand, so they commit crimes continuously as if they were compelled."

"And killers with mental disorders often have a characteristic when committing crimes, which is..."

"Theater-type Crime!" Department Manager Mouri and Okada Keibu answered at almost the same time.

"Yes, Theater-type Crime." Uesugi Muneyuki nodded: "Remember in the report, the second case mentioned that there was little surveillance near the weather station during the time of the crime, and even if there was, most were students passing by after school, and the remaining few adults who passed by were all screened, and there were no suspicious persons?"

"The third case is the same. Now a large group of people are working overtime to watch the surveillance. There is very little surveillance in Sendai-bori River Park. What we see is either a small number of adults who were investigated afterward, or a bunch of students after school..." Department Manager Mouri grabbed a stack of documents and slapped them on the table.

And just after these words were spoken, the sound in the small office stopped instantly.

The air at four in the morning seemed to have frozen.

Department Manager Mouri and Okada Keibu thought of an impossible possibility from Uesugi Muneyuki's mouth.

The two Career Track detectives stared blankly at this legendary genius Forensic Pathologist; their eyes widened, their drowsiness vanished, and in the tightly sealed room, a chilling cold rose uncontrollably from their feet to the tops of their heads.

Department Manager Mouri instinctively raised his head, wanting to confirm if he had misread the situation, while Police Inspector Okada even grabbed his coat and wrapped it tightly around his body.

Uesugi Muneyuki's meaning was.

The killer is a student.

And it is highly likely to be an underage female student.

But how could this be possible? According to the results of his Autopsy, the culprit should be an experienced person proficient in killing techniques and corpse disposal, and should also possess a strong sense of anti-reconnaissance!

How could a student be an experienced person in this regard?

However, just when they wanted to obtain a negative answer from Uesugi Muneyuki.

Uesugi Muneyuki's silence seemed to explain a few things.

Likewise, Uesugi Muneyuki was also seeking the agreement of the three people present; Department Manager Mouri was undoubtedly a trusted aide to Watanabe Eiji, the two even having a relationship of personal loyalty, Police Inspector Okada was Watanabe Eiji's exclusive driver, and Watanabe Minami was Watanabe Eiji's most beloved daughter; these three people had all met Uesugi Muneyuki at the racetrack and were all people who could be trusted.

If these three people did not support him, then wanting to convince the Metropolitan Police Department, and even the entire Joint Special Investigation Headquarters, would be tantamount to a fantasy.

But the result disappointed Uesugi Muneyuki; Department Manager Mouri and Police Inspector Okada both subconsciously shook their heads.

The result of this deduction was too illogical; they could not accept it.

True, his own answer was indeed too outrageous.

Better to wait until the bodies from the first and second cases are delivered; Uesugi Muneyuki himself also needed to verify it again.

"Uesugi-kun, don't be hasty." At this moment, the Face of the Metropolitan Police Department spoke up; she pursed her lips, and her tightly intertwined small hands reflected the hesitation in her heart.

She was skeptical, but she thought seriously.

Reason told her that it was impossible for such a serial killer to exist, but she had an inexplicable intuition.

If it was his judgment, it was worth believing.

Since discovering him, he had already made so many bizarre judgments, yet had he ever failed even once?

Moreover, this was the first time she was truly accompanying him by his side as his Partner, and for such a major national case at that.

Hadn't she always wanted to witness his performance with her own eyes?

This time, that eyesore of a woman was not there either, and Uesugi Muneyuki's performance belonged solely to her.

Watanabe Minami's eyes narrowed, and she slowly nodded, saying, "I believe in you, Uesugi-kun."

"What do you think we should do?"

Uesugi Muneyuki's deep gaze suddenly became focused; the look in his eyes as he watched Watanabe Minami was first surprise, then gratitude.

Watanabe Minami's declaration was crisp, gentle, and also natural.

It was different from Ikeda Erena's blind obedience, and different from how Senior Mai was filled with curiosity at every turn.

Miss Minami's soft voice sounded as if she were telling a story.

Beyond a touch of lightness, it carried a touch of healing, spreading bit by bit in Uesugi Muneyuki's heart.

"I need you all to do a few things."

(End of chapter)