A Case That Seems Strange at Every Turn / Jiang Hang, Chaotic Good

Jiang Hang only looked away when Heiji Hattori asked again, and then nodded slightly to Heiji Hattori.

"Based on the clues we have obtained so far, your reasoning is sound, but I think it is still necessary to investigate the car accident from 20 years ago in detail," Jiang Hang said, looking at Okazaki Sumie, who was sitting on the sofa and still seemed a little uneasy.

He got his driving instructor drunk, which led to a car accident that ultimately killed him.

To be honest, the main responsibility does not lie with Okazaki Sumie and the others.

After all, being drugged and then driving is one thing, but driving after being drugged and then driving is another.

As a driving school instructor, one should be more aware of the dangers of drunk driving than one's students.

Moreover, according to Okazaki Sumie, the instructor was a notorious devil instructor at the driving school, who would berate them mercilessly for even the slightest mistake during practice.

It seems illogical that such a demanding coach would make such a basic mistake.

Afterwards, it was also strange that Numabuchi Ki'ichirō and Sōji Munetaro used their own methods to keep everyone quiet about the matter.

It sounded as if those people had done something extra that caused the car accident.

"To be honest, even Ms. Okazaki cannot be said to be completely without suspicion."

Jiang Hang casually pointed out a few suspicious points.

For example, if the murderer knew Okazaki Sumie's home phone number, he would most likely also know her current address.

If the murderer wanted to find an opportunity to secretly kill Okazaki Sumie, she probably wouldn't have had much room to resist.

But the murderer didn't do that. Instead, he used two threatening phone messages to put more pressure on Okazaki Sumie.

Perhaps the murderer did this intentionally, wanting to completely break down Okazaki Sumie's psychological defenses before attacking her.

But all of this could also be a trap orchestrated by Okazaki Sumie to deceive them.

Although the possibility that Okazaki Sumie was the murderer was obviously not as high as that of Numabuchi Ki'ichirō and Sōji Munetaro, Heiji Hattori still nodded in agreement with Jiang Hang's idea.

A detective's job is to eliminate incorrect answers from all possibilities and finally find the correct one. Since there aren't many clues right now, it's still necessary to consider several possibilities.

"You're right. We can't confirm whether what Ms. Okazaki just said is the truth. To find out the killer's identity and his motive, we probably need to thoroughly understand what happened 20 years ago."

"Let's take Okazaki Sumie back to the police station now. We can better protect and monitor her there, and we can also use this time to thoroughly investigate the case files from back then."

After the two finished discussing, Jiang Hang walked up to Okazaki Sumie and briefly explained the current situation to her.

The negotiations went smoothly, and there was no dramatic scene of someone who, despite having committed a series of murders, refused to allow the police to interfere too much in their private life.

Okazaki Sumie did not show much protest at the fact that she might spend the next few days in the police station.

Judging from her current state, she probably only finds some peace and quiet in the police station.

When they brought Okazaki Sumie downstairs, Officer Sakata was already waiting in the car.

According to him, he did not see any suspicious people in the car during that time.

Jiang Hang drove the Eagle Eye car around to make sure it was safe before getting into the car with Miyano Shiho and Okazaki Sumie.

Inside the car, Heiji Hattori was still pondering what the killer might do next.

Jiang Hang, on the other hand, continued to ask Okazaki Sumie about what happened back then, including how that devilish coach usually trained them.

In comparison, Miyano Shiho's demeanor seemed much more Zen-like.

After learning that the Black Organization members involved in the case were traitors who had defected from the organization like herself, she felt less nervous than before.

According to what she heard while she was in the organization, although this Numabuchi Ki'ichirō was recruited into the organization and received a period of professional training, his own abilities were too poor and he did not have any organizational status.

He probably didn't even know what kind of organization he had joined until he defected, let alone know any important organizational secrets.

It was precisely because Numabuchi Ki'ichirō was not valued and could not reveal any organizational secrets that the organization did not send Gin's team to deal with him.

In Miyano Shiho's estimation, the organization would at most send a basic team to track down Numabuchi Ki'ichirō's trail.

It would be best to find and eliminate Numabuchi Ki'ichirō before the police, but it wouldn't matter much if the police found Numabuchi Ki'ichirō first.

Of course, this has even less to do with Miyano Shiho.

Chapter 383: Chapter 379: A Case Full of Strange Circumstances

Because of the phone call Heiji Hattori made earlier, the police officers in the investigation department almost all put aside what they were doing to investigate the car accident from 20 years ago.

With clues and a direction for the investigation, the entire police station seemed to be much more efficient than before.

Therefore, when Jiang Hang and his group returned to the Higashishiri Precinct, a case file from that year was already placed in front of them, which even included a group photo taken at the graduation ceremony of that training class 20 years ago.

In the photo, not only does the newly adult Okazaki Sumie look quite naive, but even Numabuchi Ki'ichirō, the murderer and robber, looks like a somewhat withdrawn and unapproachable thug.

Who could have imagined that something like this would happen 20 years later?

Jiang Hang carefully examined the photo, then sat in a chair, closed his eyes, and pondered for a while before going to Miyano Shiho for help.

"You want me to investigate this coach for you?" Miyano Shiho looked at Jiang Hang with a strange look in her eyes. "Why would you think of coming to me for something like this? Don't you already have those assistants? I think they're doing a pretty good job. Why don't you just go find them? You don't want me to be your assistant and be at your beck and call, do you? I don't have that much free time."

Miyano Shiho didn't understand what Jiang Hang meant at all.

Could it be that her outstanding abilities caught Jiang Hang's eye?

It's fine to let her occasionally switch gears and try out the feeling of reasoning, but she has no intention of working as Jiang Hang's assistant.

Even if we can help this time, the rules must be agreed upon beforehand. We can't let Jiang Hang take advantage of us next time.

Jiang Hang had no idea what Miyano Shiho was thinking. He just shrugged helplessly and said, "Of course I know, but I don't think it's appropriate to leave these things to Shizuka and Yuno."

"What unspeakable secrets did this coach, who passed away 20 years ago, have?" Seeing Jiang Hang's mysterious demeanor, Miyano Shiho couldn't help but focus her gaze on the coach in the photo, who had a buzz cut and a serious expression.

He looked like an ordinary driving school instructor, but seeing the ambiguous expression on Jiang Hang's face, Miyano Shiho couldn't help but feel a little concerned.

"The coach's name is Inaba Tetsuji, right? Let me make this clear first. I can only help you investigate online, but this car accident happened 20 years ago, and you probably won't be able to find any record of it online."

Upon hearing that Miyano Shiho was willing to help, Jiang Hang quietly thanked her.

"Don't bother me with this kind of thing next time, unless you can produce some information related to Apotoxin 4869," Miyano Shiho muttered under her breath, then waved to Jiang Hang, indicating not to bother her until she had the results of her investigation.

After exchanging words with Miyano Shiho, Jiang Hang looked back at Heiji Hattori and found him answering a phone call with a helpless expression.

When Jiang Hang got closer, he sighed and said, "That Sōji Munetaro is indeed a troublesome fellow. The police who went to his doorstep before still haven't seen him."

"According to his current secretary, he's busy processing materials for tomorrow's meeting and doesn't have time to meet with the police. This guy definitely knows something; he's deliberately hiding to avoid addressing what happened back then!"

Heiji Hattori looked at the photo in his hand. "I'm going to go there now and throw Ms. Okazaki's words and this photo right in that guy's face, and see what excuse he can come up with."

Heiji Hattori of action; he does what he says he will do.

Just as they were about to leave, a detective from the Higashishiri Precinct suddenly ran over and revealed an even more shocking piece of information.

"What? They found the car that Numabuchi hijacked when he was on the run?"

Heiji Hattori; this was even more important news.

Regardless of whether Numabuchi Ki'ichirō is the real culprit or not, this case is inextricably linked to him. If he can be apprehended, the culprit will inevitably reveal more flaws if he wants to continue committing crimes.

"Jiang Hang, Bantian, let's go there right now!"

However, Sakata hesitated for a moment and scratched his head. "Didn't you guys say before that Councilor Goji was also a suspect? Now we should keep an eye on Councilor Goji's movements too."

"And if the murderer is Numabuchi Ki'ichirō, it would be bad if he deliberately released this information to attract the attention of our police."

At this point, Officer Sakata offered his suggestion. "How about we split up? You go find the whereabouts of Numabuchi Ki'ichirō, and I'll go to Councilor Goji's place to deliver the photos to my colleagues who are still waiting there. I can also check if Councilor Goji is at home right now."

Heiji Hattori didn't think too much about it, only that Sakata's words made sense. What if the real culprit was indeed Sōji Munetaro? What if he took advantage of the fact that most of the police force was investigating Numabuchi Ki'ichirō to take the opportunity to attack Okazaki Sumie and Sōji Munetaro?

"Alright, let's go our separate ways then. Be careful over there. If you notice anything wrong with Sōji Munetaro, you should know what to do. In short, making sure you're safe is the most important thing."

There were naturally many police cars at the police station. Although Officer Sakata drove away, Hattori Heiji, who had grown up in the police station Heiji Hattori, quickly found another policeman he knew to be his driver.

"We're about to leave, Jiang Hang, what are you waiting for?" Heiji Hattori sat in the passenger seat, fastened his seatbelt, but noticed that Jiang Hang hadn't gotten in the car immediately.

Jiang Hang was silent for a moment, but finally got into the police car.

"I'm sorry, I felt the case was going a little too smoothly, so I was a little distracted."

Hearing Jiang Hang's explanation, Heiji Hattori didn't ask any further questions. This case did indeed have a strange feel to it.

First, a body suddenly fell and hit a police car, which brought them to the attention of the serial killer case.

He then found Okazaki Sumie at the scene and, through her, successfully connected the three murdered individuals with a driving school training class from 20 years ago.

Now the police have discovered the whereabouts of the car stolen by Numabuchi Ki'ichirō. Everything seems to be going too smoothly, and there are even signs that it was all deliberately planned by the murderer.

But now Okazaki Sumie is under police protection, and Sōji Munetaro is also being watched by the police. Could the murderer still find an opportunity to attack them under these circumstances?

Heiji Hattori shook his head, feeling that perhaps he and Jiang Hang were being too suspicious.

Chapter 384: Chapter 380: The Chaotic Yet Kind Jiang Hang

The location where Numabuchi Ki'ichirō was found is in Meiji no Mori Minō Quasi-National Park, which is located at the northern end of Osaka, close to Kyoto and Hyogo Prefectures.

Previously, when the police suspected that Numabuchi Ki'ichirō had fled from Kyoto to Osaka, they had already conducted a search there, and even suspected that Numabuchi Ki'ichirō might have fled to Hyogo Prefecture.

At the time, they were unable to find any useful clues. Unexpectedly, just now their police station received a call from a concerned citizen who said that he had found the car that fugitive Numabuchi Ki'ichirō had hijacked around Minō Falls.

After verification, it was confirmed that it was indeed Numabuchi Ki'ichirō's car. In addition, because Heiji Hattori had just linked Numabuchi Ki'ichirō to the serial murder case in Osaka Prefecture, all the police forces in Osaka are now rushing towards Meiji no Mori Park, determined not to give this dangerous fugitive Numabuchi Ki'ichirō, any chance to escape again.

When Jiang Hang and his group arrived at the vicinity of Minō Falls, dozens of police cars were already parked there, and hundreds of police officers were conducting a thorough search of the depths of the forest. It was clear that the Osaka police were taking Numabuchi Ki'ichirō very seriously.

Heiji Hattori, the only son of the Osaka Superintendent General, is a well-known young detective in the Kansai and holds a significant position within the Osaka police force. After a brief inquiry into the current search situation, Heiji Hattori was taken to the location where the car was found.

"The car was hidden in the bushes. Although it's not far from Minō Falls, it's not on the normal tourist route. It's really not easy for that person to find the car abandoned by Numabuchi Ki'ichirō here." Heiji Hattori checked the location where the car was hidden.

"It looks like this car hasn't been started for several days. Did Numabuchi Ki'ichirō abandon the car and run away after driving it here?" A policeman standing nearby asked Heiji Hattori with some uncertainty.

Heiji Hattori didn't speak immediately, but carefully observed the surroundings again, and soon spotted an abandoned old wooden house on the hillside not far away.

"Isn't there an abandoned wooden house over there? Have you checked it?"

"A few police officers just went in and checked, but they didn't find any trace of Numabuchi."

Heiji Hattori was about to nod to indicate that he understood, he noticed that a patch of grass nearby had been disturbed.

He didn't care about getting dirty; he bent down and used his hands to dig away the damp soil.

Before long, some cardboard boxes and packaging bags that hadn't been completely burned appeared in front of him.

"These are receipts from a convenience store?" Heiji Hattori's gaze sharpened slightly. Judging from the incompletely burned cardboard boxes, these must be bento boxes from a convenience store.

"This is deep in the mountains. A normal person wouldn't bring a bento box here to eat every day..." Heiji Hattori's mind raced. "But Numabuchi Ki'ichirō is a wanted criminal. He couldn't possibly go out to buy bento boxes every day. That means... there might be another accomplice?"

Almost instantly, the name of Sōji Munetaro appeared in Heiji Hattori's mind.

Could it be that the real culprit in this series of murders is actually Sōji Munetaro, who first captured and controlled Numabuchi Ki'ichirō before carrying out his plan to silence him step by step?

Heiji Hattori stood up and looked at the wooden house not far away.

He hadn't forgotten what happened in Kyoto a few days ago. The precious Buddha statue was hidden in the ceiling of the bell tower by the leader of the Genji Fireflies. If Numabuchi Ki'ichirō was indeed under house arrest here, then the ceiling of that wooden house was the most likely place.

"I think I know where Numabuchi Ki'ichirō is now. Jiang Hang, have you found anything?" Heiji Hattori turned to ask Jiang Hang if he had found any new clues, but when he turned around, he realized that Jiang Hang, who had come with him, had disappeared without him noticing.

Heiji Hattori blinked, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

What about Jiang Hang?

How could someone so grown up suddenly disappear like that?

It was a police officer who came up and explained things to Heiji Hattori.

"About ten minutes ago, Consultant Jiang received a phone call. He must have seen you were still diligently investigating the scene, so he didn't want to disturb you. He just borrowed a police car from us and left in a hurry..."

Hearing the policeman's words, Heiji Hattori's heart skipped a beat.

Could it be that Jiang Hang has discovered some other important clue?

But now that Numabuchi Ki'ichirō, he can't possibly go to Jiang Hang to find out what he's discovered.

"Let's hurry to that cabin. If my reasoning is correct, Numabuchi Ki'ichirō is there. If we can catch him and get information about his accomplices from him, the truth behind the recent serial murders will probably come to light." Since they couldn't catch up with Jiang Hang anymore, Heiji Hattori quickly made a decision to use Numabuchi Ki'ichirō as their breakthrough point.

Heiji Hattori called over several policemen, put on protective gear, and then cautiously entered the wooden house.

Meanwhile, Jiang Hang, who had quietly left, was driving to the residence of Sōji Munetaro.

Indeed, if we can find Numabuchi Ki'ichirō, we will most likely be able to learn from him who the real culprit in this series of murders is.

But Jiang Hang already knew who the murderer was, he just didn't have any evidence.

To be honest, whether or not there is evidence has never been the most important factor in Jiang Hang.

Stalking, coercion, manipulation, fraud, drugging, and violence...