svetikya Page 12
Page 12
The surrounding police officers echoed in unison, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.
A young police officer subconsciously touched the pistol at his waist, his palms sweating with nervousness.
In his two years as a police officer, this was the first time he had received an order that might require him to fire his weapon.
Is this "gun of kindness," which has never seen blood before, about to be defiled today?
Thinking of this, he felt a surge of indescribable excitement.
He took a deep breath, stepped forward and tried to turn the front door handle. Finding it unlocked, he kicked the door open and quickly raised his gun, scanning the living room warily with the muzzle.
No one is empty.
The officers took turns providing cover as they rushed into the house.
Hiroki Hirata, with his extensive experience, waved to signal the younger officers to scout ahead, while he himself stayed behind to oversee and direct operations.
After confirming that there was nothing unusual on the second floor, he stepped into the open bedroom. What came into view were two men wearing only underwear, tied to the bed, and a distraught woman.
On the computer screen, private surveillance footage from several households was still being displayed simultaneously.
A hint of doubt flashed in Hiroki Hirata's eyes as he murmured, "What... what exactly is going on?"
Before he could even process what was happening, a police officer's urgent shouts came from outside the door: "Inspector Hirata! Come quick! There's a dead body here!"
"what?!"
Hiroki Hirata's expression changed drastically, and he immediately turned and rushed to the next room.
Sanada Jiro collapsed to the ground, bleeding from all seven orifices, his death a gruesome sight.
A surge of anger welled up in Hiroki Hirata's heart, and he cursed in a low voice, "Damn murderer, utterly untrustworthy!"
They arrived within half an hour of the agreed-upon one-hour deadline, but the person was still killed.
He suppressed his agitated emotions and sternly ordered his subordinates, "Protect the scene and immediately notify the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division's Scientific Investigation Institute to send forensic experts to conduct a scene investigation."
After giving his explanation, Hiroki Hirata returned to his bedroom and said to the three men with a stern face, "Now, tell me the whole story."
"Sir, we're innocent..."
The man on the bed tried to argue his case.
Hijikata Airi, standing to the side, suddenly exploded like a lit fuse, screaming, "Innocent?! If it weren't for you beasts, I wouldn't have ended up like this!"
"Good riddance to Sanada Jiro! He should have died long ago!!"
She completely broke down and hysterically revealed how Sanada Jiro had coerced her, installed surveillance cameras, and the circumstances of several other victimized families.
Hiroki Hirata listened silently, a flicker of sympathy for Airi Hijikata's plight passing through his heart, but it was quickly overshadowed by a stronger professional curiosity.
Who is the murderer? What was the motive? Was it to uphold justice?
Or is it involved in a more complex political conspiracy?
He dared not draw any conclusions easily, given that the family of a member of parliament was involved.
Moreover, his years of experience as a police officer taught him that it's best never to delve too deeply into the darker aspects of this country.
But the superficial work must be done well.
He waved his hand and ordered, "Give them clothes and take them all back to Shinjuku Police Station to assist with the investigation."
They then signaled to a police officer to untie the ropes for them.
Now that things had come to this, the two men knew they couldn't deny it, so they could only silently put on their clothes and obediently let the police officers put handcuffs on them.
The moment they were escorted out the door, the word "Goblin" above their heads merged into one, turning into two barely perceptible red lights that swiftly shot out of the window, traversed a hundred meters, and precisely disappeared into Qingze's brow in the distance.
A familiar warmth swept through my body once again, and a surge of power welled up within me.
Qingze clenched his fist tightly, his knuckles cracking slightly. He felt that at that moment, he could knock down a strong ox with a single punch.
"This feels amazing!"
He felt incredibly happy.
No longer lingering as a bystander, Qingze had a thought and manipulated five sparrows to fly away from the scene, continuing to scout the path ahead for him, ensuring that he could return to Dongye Apartment silently.
Upon arriving at the apartment building, he slightly bent his knees, exerted force, and leaped lightly, landing precisely on the railing of the second-floor balcony.
With another push of his toes, he leaped up like an owl and landed silently on his third-floor balcony.
As soon as he opened the glass door to the living room, Da Huang excitedly pounced on him, whimpering and rubbing against his trouser leg affectionately.
Qingze skillfully maneuvered the sparrow back to its cage on the balcony, then quickly took off his gloves and clothes and stuffed them into the washing machine.
Next, he carefully cleaned the shoes and mask, thoroughly removing any possible traces.
……
On the other hand, after learning of his brother's death and the initial details of the case, Sanada Taro immediately had his driver take him to the Shinjuku Police Station and contacted his usual lawyer.
The two arrived at almost the same time.
The lawyer, carrying a briefcase and with a stern expression, advised, "Mr. Sanada, the most important task at present is to control public opinion and minimize the impact."
I suggest we immediately contact the families of those being monitored, pay them a hefty hush money payment, and ensure they don't reveal anything.
"Okay, we'll do it your way."
Sanada Taro had no objection to the plan.
In his view, problems that can be solved with money are the simplest problems.
He didn't want any complications, especially during this sensitive period of political upheaval, and he absolutely couldn't allow any scandals to be exposed that could jeopardize his position as a member of parliament.
Sanada Taro handed the matter over to his lawyer, and then went with the police to the cold, dark morgue.
Looking at his younger brother's lifeless body, despite having always looked down on his good-for-nothing brother deep down, the bond of blood brought an indescribable sorrow to his heart.
However, this sadness was quickly dispelled by reason.
He turned his head, his voice calm to the point of being cold, and asked, "How did the murderer do it?"
Hiroki Hirata reported helplessly: "Preliminary assessment indicates that the deceased's brain suffered a tremendous impact, but no obvious blunt force trauma was found on the body surface."
The murderer is likely proficient in some kind of martial art, or used special methods.
The exact cause of death may require an autopsy to determine.
Sanada Taro was silent for a moment, then sighed, "Then let's dissect it."
Whatever mistakes my brother made before his death, the murderer's crime of killing is undeniable.
I hope the police will do everything in their power to bring the perpetrator to justice as soon as possible.
"We plan to start by investigating the social relationships of several people being monitored."
Hiroki Hirata outlined the initial direction of the investigation, but he didn't hold out much hope.
The perpetrator likely committed the crime randomly, and investigating these individuals would be a waste of time.
But he dared not fail to investigate.
If they don't investigate, he'll be the one to bear the responsibility.
He could only hope that there was some connection between the killer and the victim that they had not yet discovered.
Chapter 15 Purchasing Long-Range Weapons
Friday, April 11th.
The crisp sound of a cell phone alarm woke Qingze from his sleep.
He opened his eyes, his mind unusually clear, and the dream descended another fifty meters, to a depth of two hundred meters.
This progress gave him a boost of spirits.
With a nimble leap, I jumped out of bed and slid my right thumb across the screen to turn off the alarm.
He strode toward the bedroom door.
As soon as the door opened, Big Yellow, who had been waiting outside, excitedly pounced on it, wagging its tail like a propeller.
Qingze smiled and ruffled its fluffy head. "Good morning, Big Yellow."
Big Yellow got even more excited, lifted its front legs and put them directly on his waist, sticking out its tongue and panting.
"Okay, okay, I know you want to go out. I'll take you for a walk later."
Qingze gently pushed away the overly enthusiastic Dahuang and turned to walk into the bathroom.
After quickly washing up, he went to the birdcage on the balcony and fed the five sparrows inside.
These little guys are his "scouts," and they need to be well-fed and watered to have the energy to work.
Once they had eaten their fill, Qingze focused his mind and activated "The Eye of the Flock of Birds".
When the birdcage was opened again, the sparrows fluttered their wings and flew one by one into the dawn sky.
The views of the five sparrows instantly synchronized in his mind, forming five independent overhead views.
After putting a collar and leash on Dahuang, Qingze began his daily morning run.
As he jogged, he distracted himself by manipulating the sparrows in the air, using their eyes to scan the streets, parks, and buildings below.
A sparrow's field of vision is like a moving surveillance camera, providing real-time feedback on its surroundings.
My luck isn't as good as yesterday's.
After running for a while, no red markers appeared in my field of vision.
Just as he was feeling slightly disappointed, a picture sent by a sparrow made him tense.
[Abscessed Plague Rat]
The red label was very eye-catching, and the location was identified as a garbage collection point near an intersection.
There were piles of black plastic bags waiting to be cleared away, and a fat rat was rummaging through the garbage for food.
Qingze felt a chill run down his spine.
Mice are agile and extremely vigilant; once missed, finding them again is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
What's more troublesome is that, from the sparrow's perspective, early risers on the adjacent street are already heading in that direction.