Bunta Fujiwara's Secret / Could My Dad Be Some Powerful Figure Who's Been Hiding All These Years? ...

Upon hearing Jiang Hang's somewhat suggestive words, Misao Yamamura was still in a daze.

It's unclear whether he was too nervous or genuinely failed to grasp Jiang Hang's implied meaning.

After hesitating for a moment, Misao Yamamura looked at Jiang Hang and asked his newly acquainted teacher with a slight stutter, "Teacher Jiang Hang, is there any information you've discovered that you haven't revealed?"

Jiang Hang covered his forehead in exasperation.

Although he did not say a lot of things, if he did, wouldn't it be the same as leaking the exam questions?

He glanced at Fujiwara Bunta beside him, whose expression had become somewhat uneasy, and then earnestly introduced this legendary former driver to his disciple.

Upon arriving at the scene, Jiang Hang noticed something unusual on Fujiwara Bunta's face, which clearly indicated that he was aware of the crashed black car or the theft Smuggling Ring behind it.

Of course, as the protagonist's father, Fujiwara Bunta would obviously not lower himself to do such petty theft, but in the Mount Akina area, things related to cars are really hard to escape the eyes and ears of Fujiwara Bunta, the hidden big boss.

Even if he didn't know the exact location of the smuggling Smuggling Ring's base, he could still obtain a lot of key information through his connections.

Therefore, Jiang Hang specifically reminded Misao Yamamura, but unfortunately Misao Yamamura's brain couldn't understand any hidden meanings, so Jiang Hang could only point out the topic directly.

Upon hearing that Fujiwara Bunta, this unassuming, squinty-eyed uncle, was actually a legendary figure who dominated the Japan racing world 20 years ago and still maintains contact with famous domestic racers, and also knows many big names from the past in the Mount Akina region, Misao Yamamura let out a low, seemingly profound exclamation.

But after a low shout, he finally understood Jiang Hang's explicit message.

It was only at this moment that he realized his teacher's intention—there might be someone at the scene who hadn't revealed all the clues they knew, and coincidentally, there was a former legendary driver present, who also had many connections in the racing world.

Could this retired race car driver be connected to this case?

Speaking of which, how did his teacher get involved with this race car driver? Did his teacher know from the beginning that something was wrong with this person, so he deliberately dragged him to Mount Akina?

Thinking this, his gaze toward Fujiwara Bunta became dangerous, as if he were treating Fujiwara Bunta as a suspect.

Misao Yamamura's gaze was undisguised, and Fujiwara Bunta sensed it.

Although Fujiwara Bunta knew he had nothing to do with the case, the problem was that he had indeed done a lot of shady things over the years, such as letting his son drive without a license from junior high school onwards, and doing some borderline car modifications on the side. If these things were found out, it would be a lot of trouble for him.

As a middle-aged man in his forties, Fujiwara Bunta felt a bit overwhelmed.

If I had known this all along, I would have just stayed at my own tofu shop and sold tofu. Why did I have to come out and lead people on a mountain run for a little money?

But who would have thought that he had been driving on Mount Akina for decades and had encountered many car accidents, the most serious of which involved three or four cars colliding and falling off a cliff.

But he had never encountered a murder case in all these years. How could it happen today, when he was going out with this famous detective from Tokyo?

Most importantly, he actually knew some things related to the case.

After all, the area around Mount Akina is only so big, and he has good relationships with several car repair shops and modification shops in Mount Akina. Whenever they get together to drink and chat, they naturally talk about things in the industry, and some sensitive topics are easily brought up.

Such information includes which race car driver used prohibited modifications, which accident car was refurbished and put back on the market at which repair shop, and which luxury car was targeted by someone.

He had heard about the car theft and smuggling gangs in Mount Akina in recent years, but he didn't care because it didn't concern him. He wasn't exactly a saint, so he didn't want to do anything that would cut off someone's livelihood and incur their jealousy.

But now, Jiang Hang, the famous detective, truly lived up to his reputation, as he could tell at a glance that Jiang Hang knew more about the case.

So now he can only tell what he knows.

Facing the gazes of Jiang Hang Misao Yamamura, Fujiwara Bunta Misao Yamamura sighed softly, then explained to them, "I do know some things, but not many. If you want to know, then I'll tell you."

"That gang from Mount Akina here about a year or two ago."

"They were probably in Hokkaido before, but their thefts weren't limited to Gunma Prefecture. The whole of Japan was their territory. This place was just a base they used to hide their smuggling vehicles."

"Over the past year or so, they've probably done seven or eight deals in Gunma Prefecture, but I don't know exactly where they hid or how they smuggled those cars out of Japan. I can only give you a general idea."

With that, Fujiwara Bunta drew a circle around Misao Yamamura based on his own deduction.

Although he didn't know the approximate location of the base, he was fairly certain of its general location based on some rumors.

However, this circle is indeed quite large. Although it does not completely surround the entire Mount Akina, it covers a significant portion of the Mount Akina.

Finding a deliberately hidden base within this area is no easy task.

Of course, if Fujiwara Bunta really wanted to search for it, Fujiwara Bunta would have a way to find the location of that base.

After all, a car theft ring that has been in the Mount Akina area for more than a year will inevitably leave a lot of traces in the area. Some of the vehicles that are not suitable for smuggling will naturally flow back into the Japan domestic market through various channels.

In this industry, some repair shops and used car dealerships with connections can still get some benefits.

If we go to find those people, we can probably find a lot of useful clues. It wouldn't be difficult for the capable police to follow the clues and find the base.

Although Fujiwara Bunta had always looked down on those people, as someone in the industry, he couldn't very well just sell them out.

So he simply didn't mention it. He only needed to state his own deductions. If the police found out the rest, it would be their own fault for leaving evidence, not his problem.

Chapter 477: Chapter 473: Could my dad be some kind of hidden big shot who has been hiding for many years?

Seeing that Misao Yamamura couldn't wait to call for a search operation after hearing Fujiwara Bunta's words, Jiang Hang glanced at Fujiwara Bunta beside him. Seeing the slightly troubled expression on his face, Jiang Hang shrugged and didn't say anything more.

Misao Yamamura, this greenhorn policeman, is indeed still too inexperienced.

After all, he had a smooth life and had basically never encountered any setbacks, so he was completely clueless about interpersonal relationships and social interactions.

Although he might be suspicious of what others say during their first meeting due to his profession as a police officer, once you gain his trust from the beginning, he can come up with a bunch of reasons for you to make up whatever you want.

Because Fujiwara Bunta was brought by Jiang Hang trusted him from the beginning. After Fujiwara Bunta immediately took action without any hesitation, without even thinking about verifying what Fujiwara Bunta said.

Fujiwara Bunta did say a lot, but if you think about it carefully, you'll find that he avoided the key points. Any veteran police officer could tell that he had hidden a lot of useful information.

For example, from whom did he hear about this Smuggling Ring, or more directly, who in the area might be secretly colluding with this smuggling and theft ring?

Fujiwara Bunta knew some of these things, but he was afraid of retaliation, and also because people in the underground racing circle often didn't get along with the police. If he made it too obvious, he might be ostracized by people in the Mount Akina circle.

Misao Yamamura hadn't considered this, and his attention was immediately diverted by Fujiwara Bunta's words.

However, experience can be accumulated gradually. Fujiwara Bunta's concealment is not a big problem; at most, it will only slow down the police investigation.

After all, Fujiwara Bunta's words had already revealed that the Smuggling Ring was connected with several underground modification shops near Mount Akina. Police officers who were familiar with the Mount Akina area could easily find a few people to question.

With him overseeing things for Misao Yamamura, Altair still keeping an eye on the Smuggling Ring's base, as long as Misao Yamamura follows normal criminal investigation procedures and Altaïr provides some hints, the Smuggling Ring definitely won't be able to escape.

Afterwards, all he needs to do is privately review the case with Misao Yamamura after it's over and give him a good talking-to.

As for Fujiwara Bunta, with Jiang Hang speaking up for him, it will be easier for him to recruit Takumi Fujiwara, who has the potential to become a Japan racing legend, to work for him.

After figuring this out, Jiang Hang and Fujiwara Bunta exchanged a glance and nodded knowingly.

With Jiang Hang's reminder, Misao Yamamura, though somewhat unfamiliar with the procedures, still accurately issued various instructions to the police on site.

After that, the next step is to find other witnesses who may have seen the fleeing car in order to pinpoint the approximate direction in which it left.

Jiang Hang doesn't need to worry about these tasks. If the Japan police can't even do a good job of searching, then all they'll probably have to do every day is hold press conferences to apologize to the entire Japan public.

After chatting with Misao Yamamura for a while about the direction of the investigation and the criminal investigation approach, gradually guiding Misao Yamamura in the right direction, Jiang Hang was able to rest for a while, and also take Fujiwara Bunta to get dinner.

They originally set off in the afternoon, planning to get a massage and chat before having dinner. However, due to the case, it was already completely dark when they arrived at the hotel.

At the dinner table, the two of them tacitly avoided discussing the case they had just been dealing with, and instead casually chatted about their experiences with various types of high-speed driving.

Meanwhile, the female driver, Koharu Yoshino, would occasionally act as a straight man, asking Fujiwara Bunta, the former big shot, for advice.

After riding in Jiang Hang's express car, she felt that her driver's license, which she had worked so hard to learn all summer, was like a primary school student meeting a college student in front of Jiang Hang. The two of them were not on the same level.

Fujiwara Bunta is even more impressive; he's at least a professor-level expert. Jiang Hang even admitted at the dinner table that he's still far behind Fujiwara Bunta in terms of driving skills.

"Fast cornering is real speed. Everyone can accelerate on a straightaway. Right now, it's too early for you to brake and accelerate or drift. If you really want to improve your skills, practice your cornering movements more. Once you can do cornering well, you'll have made a big improvement."

Afterwards, Fujiwara Bunta casually mentioned a few words about driving posture and attention, and just as Koharu Yoshino was about to take out her notebook to write them down, a high school student who looked about 18 years old and seemed a little listless appeared in front of them.

Jiang Hang recognized him at a glance: this was Takumi Fujiwara Mount Akina, the protagonist of Initial D, who had been driving without a license every night since junior Shinichi school to deliver goods for his unscrupulous father.

Takumi Fujiwara's gaze swept over Jiang Hang and Koharu Yoshino, two handsome young men and beautiful women who looked to be around the same age as him, and he couldn't help but feel a little strange.

His father's social circle was already quite strange, but his cronies were usually middle-aged men in their thirties or forties. This afternoon, after receiving a message from his father asking him to come over for a free meal after school, he didn't think too much about it, assuming it was just another one of his father's rich friends treating him to dinner.

I didn't expect the person who treated us to dinner this time to be so young...

With his top-notch racing talent, Takumi Fujiwara quickly observed Jiang Hang and Koharu Yoshino.

Jiang Hang doesn't show any useful features, which is naturally due to his talent for concealment, which he can control at will. Not to mention Takumi Fujiwara, if he wanted to hide, even genius detectives like Conan and Heiji Hattori wouldn't be able to find the slightest flaw in his body or face.

However, it Koharu Yoshino made Takumi Fujiwara glance at her a few more times. He subconsciously compared her to Natsuki Mogi, whom he had secretly admired for a long time.

Among high school students, Natsuki Mogi is one of the more precocious girls who already knows how to radiate her charm.

While Koharu Yoshino may not look as mature as Natsuki Mogi in terms of her attire, her appearance is in no way inferior to Natsuki Mogi, and may even be more refined. The "elite" and capable feeling she exudes is even more impactful.

Such a beautiful girl, and she seems so respectful to her father. Could her father be some kind of business tycoon who has been hiding for many years and is finally going to confront her now that she is 18?

This thought involuntarily popped into Takumi Fujiwara's mind.

Chapter 478: Chapter 474: Extending an Olive Branch to Takumi Fujiwara

Although Fujiwara Bunta did indeed have a secret identity that his son was unaware of, and Jiang Hang came to Mount Akina precisely because of this secret identity.

Unfortunately, Fujiwara Bunta now just an old man who once dominated the racing world for a few years before retiring for love. Although he doesn't have much to worry about financially and can earn extra money by taking on some private jobs at car modification shops around Mount Akina using his connections from his racing days, he is far from being a true tycoon.

Having drunk a little alcohol, Fujiwara Bunta couldn't help but adopt a nonchalant attitude after sensing his son's surprised gaze.

"Let me introduce you properly. This is Famous Detective Jiang Hang from Tokyo, and this is his assistant Koharu Yoshino. You should have heard of them, right? They came here to ask me for help."

Although Jiang Hang's appearance has rarely appeared on television, and even when it has, it has been in disguise, his name still frequently appears in various news reports after he took on several major cases and repeatedly defeated the famous Kaito Kid. There are also some rumors about him on the internet.

Although Takumi Fujiwara doesn't usually care about these things, he still lives in this information age. Even if he just sits in his seat and daydreams when he goes to school, his classmates or friends around him will always bring up some current hot topics when they chat.

In a world where crime rates are soaring, famous detectives, who seem so distant yet are more accessible than celebrities, are practically protagonists in themselves.

In addition, each region has its own so-called famous high school detectives, such as Shinichi Kudo from Kanto and Heiji Hattori from Kansai. These two are naturally the most famous, but other regions naturally wouldn't let Tokyo and Osaka steal the limelight and overshadow them. So they also promote and hype up their own region's famous high school detectives. Therefore, even among high school students, this kind of topic still enjoys considerable popularity.

It could be said that the proliferation of high school detectives is precisely why Natsuki Kosimizu has been unable to find out who the high school detective was who caused her best friend's death by making a wrong deduction.

Regardless of the relative abilities of the high school detectives, Takumi Fujiwara had certainly heard of Jiang Hang's name.

After hearing his father's introduction, the expression on his face became even stranger.

It's one thing if my own father isn't some hidden tycoon, but how did he suddenly get involved with a famous detective in Tokyo?

Could it be that my father has accidentally gotten involved in some troublesome case? Otherwise, why would this great detective need my father's help?

Takumi Fujiwara thought about it and realized that his father usually associated with all sorts of people. Could it be that someone had really caused a big problem, and some clues had ended up with his father?

In an instant, Takumi Fujiwara began to conjure up a suspense masterpiece in his mind.

Jiang Hang noticed the confusion on Takumi Fujiwara's face and took the initiative to explain his situation to Takumi Fujiwara.

"Being a detective is just one of my identities. I actually came to Mount Akina for something else..."

After learning from Jiang Hang being a detective was just a hobby and a part of his life, and that he was actually a member of a Foundation with an incalculable market value and multiple properties around the world, and that his current trip to Mount Akina was just to pursue some investment projects, Takumi Fujiwara's mind completely went blank.

Jiang Hang's explanation only made things worse, as it only made things more confusing for Jiang Hang.

Why would a famous detective, instead of focusing on solving cases and searching for criminals, suddenly come to Mount Akina to make investments?

Even if it's true, what does that have to do with his father?

Thinking about it this way, his father's identity seemed to have transformed into that of a reclusive master.

However, this time, his doubts did not last long, as Jiang Hang immediately explained Fujiwara Bunta's identity to Takumi Fujiwara.

Although Fujiwara Bunta never told his son about this, he didn't really hide anything when he was teaching Takumi Fujiwara to drive. It's just that Takumi Fujiwara himself never asked about it in detail and never showed much interest in racing, so this matter has been kept secret until now.

It wouldn't be right for him, as a father, to boast to his son about his past heroic deeds; that would be too shameful. Fujiwara Bunta is a man of some stature; he wouldn't do something so disgraceful.

But now that Jiang Hang, a person of high enough status, has stepped forward to explain to his son, then there is no problem.

Therefore, Fujiwara Bunta simply held a glass of wine in his hand, squinted his eyes, and listened to Jiang Hang's explanation without making any attempt to stop him.

He also wanted to know how his son, who had never expressed any interest in driving, would react after learning his identity.

As expected, Jiang Hang's explanation surprised Takumi Fujiwara once again.

This guy, whom he remembered as always being beaten and scolded, and who made him drive to deliver tofu at three or four in the morning since junior high school, was actually a big figure who almost rewrote the history of Japan racing twenty years ago.

Nowadays, Gunma Prefecture is full of street racers every night, and his father deserves a lot of credit for that.

Even Jiang Hang, the famous detective, showed considerable respect to his father at this moment.

He glanced at his father suspiciously, and seeing the smug look on his father's face, which was usually as lazy and expressionless as his own, he was momentarily speechless.

"I've heard your father mention that you learned to drive very early and have a good talent for it. If you want to work in this industry in the future, I can help you." Seeing that Fujiwara Bunta didn't object, Jiang Hang directly extended an olive branch to Takumi Fujiwara.

However, with so much information being absorbed at once, Takumi Fujiwara's mind was in complete disarray, making it impossible for him to make any judgments.