Chapter 94: , A Major Breakthrough!

Turning day into night is extremely painful; for a young man like Uesugi Muneyuki, staying up late occasionally is fine, but many of the middle-aged men in the Joint Special Investigation Headquarters are in their forties or fifties.

By the time dawn broke, this group of middle-aged men clearly couldn't hold on anymore; one by one, they were listless, propping themselves up with coffee, and they had cleaned out the vending machines in the police station, forcing Kasai Police Station to call someone in to restock.

The Metropolitan Police Department even ordered 1,000 McDonald's breakfasts, paralyzing the nearby McDonald's.

The toilets in the station were also clogged.

From this, one can see how wise Minami's decision was to book a separate hotel for Uesugi Muneyuki.

At noon, the Public Security Police finally delivered the bodies from the first and second cases.

Uesugi Muneyuki took the opportunity to perform autopsies on the second and first cases.

As expected, Uesugi Muneyuki had unfortunately guessed correctly.

Because too much time had passed and the victims' bodies had been damaged by repeated examinations and dissections, the residual Soul Power of Kawanishi Ayaka, the victim of the second case, was almost unable to trigger a Death Soul Contract; although Uesugi Muneyuki forcibly awakened her Dead Soul, it dissipated between heaven and earth after only a few words, and Doi Yuan, the victim of the first case, had no Dead Soul at all.

Uesugi Muneyuki only had time to ask Kawanishi Ayaka two questions.

It was someone wearing a high school girl's uniform who approached her and asked where the toilet was; the girl led her to the toilet without a second thought, and once they reached the toilet, the other person told Kawanishi Ayaka.

"Please don't be in such a hurry to leave; let me thank you properly."

This was the last sentence the girl heard in her life.

Before he could ask more, Kawanishi Ayaka's Soul Power was exhausted, and she could no longer answer Uesugi Muneyuki's questions.

It was also a lone perpetrator! The victim of the second case didn't know the killer either!

Uesugi Muneyuki had a complete profile of the killer.

Time to get to work!

After finishing the autopsy and coming out, Uesugi Muneyuki ran into two police officers guarding the door.

The older police officer wore a long, dark brown trench coat over a gray suit, with shoulder-length hair parted in the middle, forehead exposed, eyes sharp and spirited; he was in his thirties, with a large nose and slightly raised cheekbones—a classic handsome man.

The younger police officer also had shoulder-length hair parted in the middle, was under thirty, not a standard handsome man, with small, drooping eyes, a slender nose, and a simple, optimistic, and carefree smile on his face, but his eyes were filled with firm determination.

"Advisor Uesugi, any findings?" the older police officer took the initiative to step forward and said, then showed his police notebook.

Metropolitan Police Department Public Security Department Management Officer, Ichijo Kaoru, Superintendent.

Metropolitan Police Department Public Security Department SAT Special Assault Team, Godai Yusuke, Assistant Police Inspector.

"You are... Public Security?" Uesugi Muneyuki frowned instinctively at the appearance of the Public Security Police.

"Hai, we are Public Security." Superintendent Ichijo squeezed out a smile, the insincere expression a bit frightening: "Please rest assured, Uesugi-san, we aren't here to cause trouble; we just want to know, what is your judgment on this matter?"

"You know to come ask me for my judgment now?" Uesugi Muneyuki mimicked the insincere smile: "Why did you refuse when I offered to perform the autopsies earlier?"

"Regarding the previous matter, we are very sorry, but it concerns internal Public Security intelligence secrets." Superintendent Ichijo showed a slightly apologetic expression: "Things turning out like this is something no one wanted."

"Uesugi-san, you must find the killer!" Captain Godai of the SAT also showed a slightly apologetic expression.

"The autopsies did yield some results, but I need to go back and organize them." Uesugi Muneyuki naturally had no fondness for the Public Security Police: "There will be another Joint Special Investigation meeting tonight; when the two of you attend, you will naturally know."

"Understood." Superintendent Ichijo was noncommittal about this answer; seeing Uesugi Muneyuki about to leave, he took the initiative to stop him: "Uesugi-san, I heard you intend to suggest that the Joint Special Investigation Headquarters change the direction of the investigation?"

"............" Uesugi Muneyuki did not answer.

"If there are some investigations that the Criminal Investigation Department finds inconvenient to conduct, leave them to us in Public Security." Superintendent Ichijo said quite confidently: "There are many things that criminal detectives cannot handle, but we in Public Security can."

After speaking, the two representatives of the Public Security Police left in a carefree manner; before leaving, Captain Godai even gave Uesugi Muneyuki a thumbs up and whispered, "It'll be fine!"

Uesugi Muneyuki's expression shifted for a long while, but in the end, he did not refuse.

Damn it, this matter might really need the help of these Public Security Police!

In the afternoon, Uesugi Muneyuki seized the time to return to the hotel to rest for a while.

At night, the Joint Special Investigation meeting.

When Department Manager Mouri proposed on stage to change the direction of the investigation, especially to include underage students in the scope of the search, it instantly caused an uproar throughout the venue.

"Are you kidding me?!" An experienced veteran police officer from Chiba Prefecture stood up on the spot to object: "Department Manager Mouri, do you know what you are saying?"

"A serial killer, an experienced person with rich knife skills, good counter-reconnaissance ability, and experience in disposing of bodies—how could such a person be an underage student?"

"Does the Metropolitan Police Department think there is a problem with our investigation direction?"

"Even if you are a high official sent by the headquarters, this opinion is too outrageous!"

"Even as a local branch, we have our pride; in a situation where the killer hasn't been found, you actually want to frame underage students—please forgive us, we cannot do that!"

"Is the Metropolitan Police Department trying to destroy Chiba Prefecture?"

Sure enough, the Metropolitan Police Department side didn't have much of a reaction, the local branches were still confused, and the police representatives from Chiba Prefecture expressed extremely fierce opposition to this plan!

After all, if the local branches still had a superior-subordinate relationship with the Metropolitan Police Department, then the Chiba Prefecture Police Headquarters strictly speaking had nothing to do with the Metropolitan Police Department, and one could even say they were parallel departments.

Power is only responsible to its source.

And just at this moment, Uesugi Muneyuki stood up: "Because your autopsy level is not only very poor, but we have also given you so much time, may I ask the police representatives from Chiba Prefecture."

"Then may I ask what you have found in these three weeks?"

"Two cases broke out in succession and the headquarters didn't say anything, so I'll just ask everyone here!"

"How did you in Chiba Prefecture manage to let the killer come to Tokyo to commit crimes under a state of total martial law?"

"If it weren't for your incompetence, would there be this Joint Special Investigation meeting today?"

"Why do I have to be called out of bed in the middle of the night to work overtime? Why do I have to get up at dawn to perform autopsies and write these damn reports for you?"

"If you think I'm wrong, then I ask, do you have any better ideas?"

The local representatives were choked by these words, their faces turning red one by one, but they couldn't say a single word.

The criminal elites of the Metropolitan Police Department headquarters were secretly laughing.

The elites of the headquarters naturally understood the level of incompetence of the local branches; in fact, except for Osaka and Nagoya where there were still some elite police, most local branches across Japan were just piles of dead weight.

It's just that this guy Uesugi has a mouth that is too poisonous; isn't this putting the truth on the table and forcing it onto the scale?

Saying it like that is very hurtful to people's pride!

Seeing that there was no more opposition from the floor, Uesugi Muneyuki finally began to describe his judgment on the case, combining the autopsies, and finally, he took three pieces of cardboard corresponding to the height of the victims and had Minami stab them with a ceramic knife.

The specific reasoning has already been stated previously, so I will not repeat it here.

Sure enough, after finishing, the many Criminal Police officers who were originally indignant and firmly opposed all showed expressions of doubt.

Although the profile of this killer is still quite absurd (a minor with extensive experience in homicide, corpse disposal, and counter-surveillance), if the perpetrator is truly a minor female student, then many issues become logical.

For example, how the killer managed to commit crimes under martial law—female students are naturally not included among the suspects.

For example, why Public Security and the Chiba Prefectural Police Headquarters used human-wave tactics yet could never find a decent suspect—students passing by after school had already been excluded from their list of suspects in advance.

For example, why all three victims were killed without any decent resistance—let alone adult males, even minor male middle school students would instinctively trigger a primary schooler's vigilance, but minor females are almost never guarded against by children, especially when wearing a uniform.

Uesugi Muneyuki's bizarre judgment caused the Criminal Police present to suddenly see the light on several issues.

But immediately, they fell into even deeper doubt—how on earth did this kid manage to conceive such a bizarre criminal profile just by performing an Autopsy?

The countless police officers off the stage were old enough to be Uesugi Muneyuki's father; looking at the legendary new Forensic Pathologist on stage with his tough attitude and eloquent speech, many sighed in their hearts.

This child is really not likable.

But it seems, it is also hard to hate him.

"In any case, with no progress in the case at present, we should appropriately adjust our thinking; we might as well investigate according to Advisor Uesugi's ideas. He did not definitively confirm it was a minor female perpetrator; this could also be a group crime or a directed crime."

Minami came out to speak: "Both at home and abroad are watching this case; the honor of the Japan police cannot be provoked. I leave it to you all!"

The resistance among those off the stage further diminished.

Yesterday, the first, second, and third squads searched until morning and returned with no gains; looking at it this way, listening to Advisor Uesugi's judgment might not be a bad thing. If we follow it and have no results, it won't be our fault anyway.

Then let's give it a try!

"Fine!" Department Manager Mouri finally spoke.

"Squad One, take your people to Chiba. According to Advisor Uesugi's deduction, go find out if there have been any similar terror events in the recent period; collect all failed attempts or strange 'rehearsals'."

"Yes!"

"Squad Two, go to Chiba Prefecture now and investigate the students in the schools; see if there have been any special situations recently, or if there are students with high absenteeism, mental illness, or violent tendencies."

"Understood."

"Squad Three, re-investigate the commuter lists for the Shinkansen, subways, etc., from Chiba Prefecture to Tokyo before the cases occurred to see if there are any new discoveries."

"Understood!"

"Everyone else, watch the footage together!"

Just like that, after the entire Joint Special Investigation Headquarters adjusted its search direction, it went full throttle once again.

At the same time, time was also passing.

On Tuesday, panic spread further; NHK and the five major television stations reported on the serial murder case simultaneously. This time it was Tokyo's turn; all primary schools and kindergartens in Edogawa Ward suspended classes for a week, after which they would consider whether to mandate parental pick-up and drop-off, and security measures were strengthened on the Shinkansen and subways from Chiba Prefecture to Tokyo.

The case was not solved.

On Wednesday, at the Cabinet press conference, Chief Cabinet Secretary Onoda Kimiaki attended the conference and stated that they would do everything in their power to solve the case. National Police Agency Commissioner Kaneko Takuro and Superintendent General Watanabe Eiji bowed and apologized before the cameras, announcing they would spare no cost to solve the serial murder case and return a bright and clear sky to the citizens.

The Metropolitan Police Department officially announced to the public that they would no longer consider the previous criminal profile and would switch to a comprehensive investigation.

The case was still not solved.

On Thursday, representatives of local autonomous organizations and major associations lodged a stern protest with the authorities. In particular, the family of the victim of the third case openly brought a bag of cow dung to the Kasai Police Station and splashed it on the police station's front gate. Regarding this, the police could only swallow their anger and offer kind words of persuasion to get the family to reluctantly return home.

This news became the headline of the day; the entire Joint Special Investigation Headquarters faced enormous pressure, with dozens of reporters waiting for news at the entrance at all times, and seven or eight news vans running day and night.

The National Police Agency even sent people to ask if there was a need to further mobilize police forces from all over the country to provide support.

The current Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, Higashi Kotaro, expressed close attention to the matter and would urge other ministries and departments to provide help when necessary.

However, it was precisely on this Thursday that the case achieved a major breakthrough.

After a detailed investigation of surveillance footage from over a hundred monitors covering the period from over a month before the cases to the time of the cases, the Joint Special Investigation Headquarters discovered some unusual situations.

At the same time, important news also came from the investigation in Chiba Prefecture!

(End of chapter)