Chapter 959

Pa! Pa!

Outside the window, the rain curtain was heavy; inside, Uesugi Muneyuki's fingers slowly pulled down his mask.

The warm yellow night light shone on that face—one by one, it was Kai Toru's face.

At the corner of his mouth, a trace of blood was slowly seeping out, winding from the corner of his mouth to his jawline, illuminated by the night light into a thin, dark red line. His gaze did not turn toward Uesugi Muneyuki, but fell on the floor beside him, as if something at that position required his focused attention to understand, slowly emerging.

He felt a mix of disappointment and relief.

"Ah???" Ikeda Erena's eyes widened round. She had originally felt very excited and satisfied because she finally had a chance to be useful, but upon realizing she had actually dealt a heavy blow to a colleague from the Special Mission Division, she felt utterly absurd and apologetic, flustered: "Sorry, I didn't know..."

"It really is you." Uesugi Muneyuki stared silently at Kai Toru, his expression complex. He looked at Kai Toru's face, mask in hand: "I once doubted Kameyama, doubted Okada, even doubted Igarashi and Chief Sugishita Ukyo of the Investigation Division."

"But I never doubted you, Kai!" Uesugi Muneyuki growled low: "Why did you do this? What on earth was it for?!"

"Hmph, even Uesugi-san didn't see through it? This is truly... my honor!" Kai Toru snorted a few times, then followed with the coughing of internal injuries. He took a hard breath, coughed a few times to clear his throat, then said: "Uesugi-san, when did you start suspecting me?"

Uesugi Muneyuki walked to the window with his hands behind his back: "Do you remember when the Special Mission Division was playing the report about the Dark Knight incident and that female nurse who killed with feces IV drips, and how the Special Mission Division members reacted?"

Rain pattered. Outside was a silent rainy day; inside, Kai Toru's deathly pale face: "I remember, at that time everyone in the Special Mission Division was discussing this matter."

"Back then you said, this doesn't need worrying, the Dark Knight strikes with restraint, he seems to intentionally avoid killing." Uesugi Muneyuki said with a complex expression: "Of course, this might just be a summary of his method, but looking back, that confident expression on your face wasn't a summary—it was certainty, certainty that the Dark Knight wouldn't kill, certainty that he definitely wouldn't do that."

"But... but... but... the Dark Knight did kill." Uesugi Muneyuki said: "A National Diet Member was beaten to death in his own home. This matter unsettled you, because in this world there is a truth: only those who wronged you know how wronged you feel. So back then, your mental state in the Special Mission Division was very off."

"However, at this very moment, your girlfriend became pregnant." Uesugi Muneyuki said with a hint of a bitter smile: "Therefore everyone thought your mental unrest was normal, so even at that time, I didn't suspect you."

"Hah, really... Yūko's pregnancy threw my mind into chaos." Kai Toru sneered, shaking his head: "I know it wasn't me who did it, but back then I didn't think that much. I hadn't decided whether I wanted to be a father, but I also had no reason to let Yūko abort, because I couldn't do that. So back then I was... didn't know what to do. Yūto has always been good to me; the only thing I could do was let the child be born." "Yes." Uesugi Muneyuki nodded: "So this matter perfectly covered up your instability, so even then, no one suspected you—including me."

"When I returned from Hachijo Island, examined the entire case, and conducted the autopsy, I discovered some problems." Uesugi Muneyuki continued: "The wounds on Overbought's body differed from those caused by the Dark Knight on the other four victims. The first four victims were struck with extreme precision in both location and method, showing he intentionally avoided killing. But Overbought was different—the attacker clearly intended to kill, each blow hitting a vital spot, unlike the first four cases."

"Furthermore, based on the Metropolitan Police Department's investigation and the Tokyo Special Investigation Organization's data, plus the inquiry into Overbought's... well, his social connections, he in no way deserved death—just a relation-hire. Even under the strictest District Prosecutors Office and judicial system, they wouldn't prosecute over a recommendation letter, especially since that company is private and free to hire whom they wish. Why would the Dark Knight kill him?"

"Hahaha" heh heh heh~ Relation-hire, is that it?" Kai Toru burst into loud laughter, then coughed and bowed his head.

"During the discussions in the Special Mission Division and those with Jin Kashiwagi, we realized—or perhaps a major incident caused the Dark Knight's personality to change drastically, possibly the Dark Knight is an organization, or maybe this is just a copycat."

"And after capturing Kanzuka Makoto, I realized this isn't a rational guy who can stop himself, because in the investigation I found Kanzuka Makoto, rather than seeking revenge for his sister, is more like he needs a reasonable outlet for venting." Uesugi Muneyuki gazed out the window at the pouring rain: "32, already worked seven or eight jobs, living in a cramped apartment in Kanagawa Prefecture, leading a half-dead life, sexually repressed, his sister his only relative, he feels life is meaningless and society full of resentment, so he needs a way to vent. Poor Overbought just happened to cross his path—he's not entirely innocent, but he's truly wronged."

"Yeah, if Overbought counts as a corrupt official, give me a machine gun in Nagatacho and I'll mow down, at most mistakenly kill one... maybe two." Kai Toru couldn't help shaking his head: "I myself am a relation-hire, I also have a Political Official father—how could I kill over something like this?"

"Yes, so... at this point I knew we might not have caught the real Dark Knight, possibly just a copycat." Uesugi Muneyuki walked behind Erena Ikeda with his hands behind his back: "But when I tried to continue investigating, unexpectedly, Kanzuka Makoto confessed—he not only admitted he killed Overbought, but also admitted he did the first four."

"This made me feel strange, but I didn't dwell on it—I've always separated right from wrong, I have the duty to find the true killer and oppose the system for wrongful convictions, but I have no duty to empathize with each killer's motive—that's for the prosecutors and courts. So since the case reached this point and Kanzuka Makoto is truly the killer, I won't investigate further." Uesugi Muneyuki snorted, shaking his head: "However, when Chief Sugishita Ukyo of the Investigation Division came to me over this, I felt a hint of strangeness."

"What strangeness?" Ikeda Erena asked blankly, one-third curious, one-third doubtful, the rest infatuation with Uesugi Muneyuki.

"Quite simple: this guy seems to understand me very well, clearly knows my methods, clearly understands my boundaries, and also clearly knows at what point I will intervene." Uesugi Muneyuki's expression grave: "Japan has only one Uesugi Muneyuki, so my time has always been precious. If it weren't a murder case but just an assault, I wouldn't personally mobilize—and the Dark Knight clearly knows this better than I do. At the same time, he deeply understands my behavioral patterns, knowing I only pursue perpetrators and don't care about their killing motives."

"And now, thinking this through, I wondered: could the Dark Knight possibly... be someone close to me?" Uesugi Muneyuki turned his gaze to Kai Toru: "At this moment, recalling the previous four cases, I've had a new idea."

"Obviously, Kanzuka Makoto is angry over his sister's matter—he can work odd jobs, shift his time to stalk Sasaki Ayaka for half a year, until confirming Overbought as the instigator. But the real Dark Knight would likely struggle to do that, especially since the first few cases involved non-publicly disclosed information." Uesugi Muneyuki sighed: "This fits perfectly with someone close to me, because..."

"Because the Special Mission Division can easily access all case files and documents for the entire Tokyo Metropolis." Kai Toru interjected.

"Kai, you actually?" Ikeda Erena exclaimed: "That's a privilege granted to the division by headquarters, and you actually used it to..."

"Exactly so." Uesugi Muneyuki nodded: "So I've had a bold idea."

"When I first joined the Special Mission System, I thought the greatest enemy was vicious criminals. After solving a series of cases, I thought the greatest enemy was high-IQ antisocial personalities—I solved those one by one. Soon, even the problems in Nagatacho and Sakuradamon itself, the systemic issues within the establishment, became my heart's concern. Now I'm increasingly clear: perhaps some true enemies are right beside me, my... Special Mission Division from within!"

"Precisely because of this, so... I have a plan!" Uesugi Muneyuki continued: "I found Fuji TV and Tei San, had them help record a special news bulletin, to be played inside the Special Mission Division."

"What?!" Kai Toru finally gaped: "Nani? The information is fake?!"

"Not bad." Uesugi Muneyuki narrowed his eyes, smiling: "That Fuji TV news report you saw today in the Special Mission Division—about the Giants team coach's daughter false accusation incident being instigated by the coach's wife's friend—is fabricated, is me having Fuji TV, asking Tei San to specially record it for me, benefiting from Tei San's skill and Fuji TV's cooperation, seamless throughout."

"Then I placed a freshly 'investigation-completed' document into the file, so you could see it." Uesugi Muneyuki looked around the whole detached house: "This way, the scene is set."

"Originally, originally like this! Ha, ahahahahaha~ No wonder it's Uesugi-san, I lost without injustice!" Kai Toru now understood, fully understood!

Excellent entrapment enforcement!

I was completely kept in the dark!

No, it's precisely because his information sources relied too heavily on the Special Mission Division, so Uesugi Muneyuki was able to design this perfectly!

"No way, Muneyuki, even if you can fool Kai with information, what makes you certain he'll definitely come tonight?" Ikeda Erena still didn't understand.

"Quite simple." Uesugi Muneyuki hands in pockets: "Because... Division Chief Sugishita brought news that Kanzuka Makoto will be sent for prosecution by the Metropolitan Police Department tomorrow! If Kai, the true Dark Knight, doesn't do something tonight to force the police to halt the prosecution process, then Kanzuka Makoto will face five charges and penalties! So tonight is the only and final window! The true Dark Knight must act, save the imitating dark knight who blew his cover! Because he won't let a fake take the blame! For the true Dark Knight, this is not! acceptable!"

Kai Toru shuddered all over, then instantly went limp: "Yeah, I can't accept! Kanzuka Makoto that guy... doesn't deserve to be the Dark Knight! Nor does he deserve to take the blame for me! He's not the Dark Knight, I, am the true Dark Knight!"

"Pa!" Amid thunder and lightning, Kai Toru's face flickered in the lightning.

"So, Kai, I have a question for you." Uesugi Muneyuki spoke.

"Uesugi Chief, please speak." Kai Toru nodded.

"You, exactly why did you choose this path?" Uesugi Muneyuki said softly.

Ikeda Erena also watched him, yes, what turned a fine young man into a Dark Knight?

Kai Toru's gaze gradually became distant and profound, his lips twitched, and he finally spoke softly.

"It's because...?"