The Truth from Eight Years Ago (Continued)

"I think so? I heard Mizuki and the others talking about it tonight. They said that after that guy was relocated from Kitazawa Village, he has refused to move into the new Kitazawa Village, saying that he still can't accept that kind of thing."

At this point, Shogo Hikawa couldn't help but reveal a mocking smile.

"In the end, his wood carving shop only got a little business because of the tourist attractions that have been built up in Kitazawa Village. I really don't know what he's still persisting in after all these years?"

Keisuke Yamao Shogo Hikawa without any pretense, "That's still better than a traitor like you."

Shogo Hikawa was about to explode, but Keisuke Yamao simply waved his hand, not intending to say anything more on the topic.

Their relationship wasn't particularly close to begin with. It was only when he was at his wit's end that he sought the other's help. The other, an insurance investigator, gave him a list of jewelry stores that refused to be insured by the other's company, implying that he could rob these poorly guarded jewelry stores.

Since he had no other options at the time, he gritted his teeth and went for it. Unexpectedly, it went very smoothly, and he managed to steal a large amount of jewelry.

It was precisely because of this that Shogo Hikawa began to extort money from him.

During the years he was in prison, the other party did visit him a few times, and their words always seemed to be an attempt to get him to reveal the hidden location of the jewelry.

Of course, he couldn't say these things out loud.

Moreover, after spending a long time in prison with that group of all sorts of people, Keisuke Yamao gradually realized that he seemed to be really suited to doing these things.

So after his release from prison, he contacted the people he knew in prison and secretly did some work with them. He also managed to get a batch of gunpowder through some connections.

All of this was in order to retrieve the jewels he had hidden in the old Kitazawa Village.

They took out those jewels, exchanged them for money, and used that as capital to start building their own power in Hokkaido, a place where yakuza forces were not prominent.

This is what Keisuke Yamao is planning now.

As for Shogo Hikawa?

They are only temporarily bound together by interests.

If the other party had some sense of propriety, he might have spared their life.

Perhaps once my own power base is established, I can make him a minor leader.

Unfortunately, the other party doesn't seem to understand.

Even now, Shogo Hikawa still sees him as that desperate gambler from eight years ago.

A cold glint flashed in Keisuke Yamao's eyes. By the time the jewel was found, this guy would already be a corpse.

Shogo Hikawa was also startled by the fierce glint in the other party's eyes.

But he thought the other party was trying to do something to Takehiko Muto, so he wasn't too worried about himself.

"So why did you suddenly bring him up?"

Keisuke Yamao snorted coldly, "Don't you think we should find a scapegoat for doing something like this?"

"I think Muto is a good fit. After all, he's the only one among our group who's still posting those kinds of comments online that nobody cares about."

"If we're talking about how much people hate the Kitazawa Dam, who in Kitazawa Village doesn't know about it?"

"It's not surprising that someone who lives alone outside Kitazawa Village, rarely shows his face, and whose actions are unknown to everyone, and who also utterly despises the Kitazawa Dam, would do something like this under such extreme circumstances, is it?"

He did this because he wanted to stay in Hokkaido and build up his own power base, so he couldn't afford to be easily targeted by the police.

It's still quite necessary to find two scapegoats.

Shogo Hikawa didn't really have much affection for these childhood playmates.

What's more, the other party has repeatedly called him an ingrate.

Their relationship had already fallen apart long ago.

Therefore, when he heard that Keisuke Yamao wanted to shift the blame onto Takehiko Muto, he didn't think too much about it and agreed immediately.

"So what do we need to do now? How can we get him to be suspected?"

Keisuke Yamao a cold laugh.

"It's good that the dead can't prove anything."

"Then we'll put the remaining gunpowder in his workshop and detonate it along with the dam, then make him write a will expressing his attitude of sharing life and death with the old Kitazawa Village. Isn't that simple?"

"So we have to kill that guy Muto?" Shogo Hikawa's main concern wasn't the other guy's life, but how to create such a false impression.

"We can't imitate Muto's handwriting. What if the police start investigating?"

"What era are we living in? Why bother with all this?" Keisuke Yamao snorted, as if he was wondering who the person who went to jail for eight years was.

"They should have a computer and a cell phone, right? You can just use those things to make a will for them."

"You just need to remember to wear gloves so you don't leave your fingerprints on them."

Hearing Keisuke Yamao's reminder, Shogo Hikawa's face turned slightly red. He hadn't thought of that at all and had been mocked by Keisuke Yamao again.

"Of course I know that, I'm just checking. Shall we go over now?"

"That's about it. I have a little gunpowder left. Let's bring it all over and deliver it to Muto's house."

Keisuke Yamao checked the bombs he had planted.

You can't see it if you're a little further away in the dark.

Even if someone were to pass by at this time, they wouldn't be able to spot the bombs he had planted on the dam unless they looked closely.

After resting for a few more minutes, the two of them got back into the car and drove towards Kitazawa Village.

After the other party left, Jiang Hang, who had been following behind them and observing their actions, also emerged from the darkness.

"Brother Muto is really unlucky to have such a troublesome group of elementary school classmates."

There were only five students in their batch.

The two embarked on a path of crime and planned to pin all the blame on Takehiko Muto.

The remaining two women are a single mother and a son who has been in a coma for eight years for unknown reasons.

The other was the younger sister of Keisuke Yamao, who was killed when he returned from robbing a jewelry store eight years ago.

Regardless of any secrets involved, it can only be said that the students in that elementary school back then were quite talented.

"But Brother Muto just took my order today, so we can't let you guys affect him."

Thinking this, Jiang Hang, who had sent Altair to follow the two men, also disappeared back into the darkness and headed towards Takehiko Muto's hut.

It's clear that the order he gave was quite popular; even though it was already past midnight, the lights in Muto's hut were still on.

Jiang Hang walked over and knocked on the door.

A commotion erupted inside the cabin, and half a minute later, Takehiko Muto, covered in sawdust, ran over to open the door.

"Who is it? Oh... is it Mr. Daigoro?"

Jiang Hang used the name Daigoro to conceal his identity here.

It's not just a joke about Kogoro Mouri, but also the name of a detective in another mystery novel.

Jiang Hang nodded to the other person.

"Mr. Daigoro, is there something you need so late?"

Takehiko Muto asked Jiang Hang this question.

Jiang Hang, on the other hand, escaped by revealing his own business card.

This time, it's his real identity.

The business card also bears the phrase, "Nothing is true, everything is permitted."

"What... what is this?"

He blankly accepted the business card, which looked rather unusual.

Then he saw the two Chinese characters "Jiang Hang" written on the business card.

Jiang Hang?

Why does this two-character name sound so familiar?

The next moment, Jiang Hang nodded to the other party and revealed his identity.

"I'm sorry, I had to conceal my true identity because I was investigating a case."

"My profession is actually a detective."

Upon hearing this, Takehiko Muto immediately recalled it.

Isn't this the famous detective who often appears in the news?

But why would the other party appear here at this time?

Also, what case was he investigating when he came to Kitazawa Village under a false name?

As a middle-aged person who has never done anything outrageous except for opposing the Kitazawa Dam online.

It's really hard to feel at ease when a guy who seems to be a famous detective suddenly shows up at his house in the early hours of the morning.

Jiang Hang waved to the other person, telling them not to be nervous.

"It's not a big deal, really. After some investigation, I found out that someone is planning to kill you and even tries to pin some crimes on you, so I came here to warn you."

Seeing that Takehiko Muto seemed completely stunned by these words, Jiang Hang asked him, "Would you mind if we went inside to talk first?"

Takehiko Muto then subconsciously stepped aside, allowing Jiang Hang to enter the wooden house.

Only then did he realize what Jiang Hang had just said.

"Someone wants to kill me?"

"Wait, Mr. Jiang Hang, what's going on? This is not something you can joke about!"

He questioned Jiang Hang.

After pouring himself a cup of hot water, Jiang Hang turned around and said to Takehiko Muto, "The two people who are coming to kill you will be here in about 20 minutes. If you don't believe me, just wait another 20 minutes."

As Jiang Hang said this, he looked at the wooden carving that had been slightly shaped on the other person's workbench.

It seems the other party was indeed staying up all night carving his two custom-made wood carvings.

Perhaps seeing Jiang Hang's overly calm attitude, Takehiko Muto was no longer as nervous as before.

He sat down next to Jiang Hang and earnestly asked him what exactly happened.

"It's not that complicated. Your two old classmates have something hidden inside the ruins of the old Kitazawa Village, so they plan to make a commotion tonight so they can get it out smoothly."

"And you are one of the few people in Kitazawa Village who live outside and still oppose the Kitazawa Dam."

"So it's only natural that you're the one to take the blame."

Takehiko Muto listened to Jiang Hang's explanation with a blank expression.

Although he was a bit slow to react, he wasn't stupid.

He only needed to think for a moment to figure out who that person was.

"Could it be that guy, Keisuke Yamao?"

"That guy spent eight years in prison, and he's only been out for less than six months now. What is he up to now?"

"Could the remaining student be Shogo Hikawa?"

"I heard that the two of them have been getting quite close lately. If anyone is planning to do something, it would definitely be the two of them."

"But what exactly are they planning to do?"

Takehiko Muto asked Jiang Hang for a question, seemingly having confirmed the other party's identity, but he was unclear about their purpose.

"Perhaps when your two old classmates come over, you can ask them in person."

Takehiko Muto looked somewhat dejected.

Although he didn't know what they were planning to do, Jiang Hang's attitude seemed to confirm that they were going to kill him soon.

This did leave him feeling somewhat uneasy.

After all, we've known each other for over 20 years. Although we've had our share of conflicts and our relationship has cooled down, it shouldn't be enough to make the other person want to kill you, right?

He was completely unable to calm down right now and could only ask Jiang Hang what his plans were.

"It's snowing outside, and the police are expected to take a while to arrive. Until then, I'll stay here to protect your safety."

"As for you, just continue to treat me as your client. When they come over, just communicate with them normally."

Hearing Jiang Hang's words, Takehiko Muto gave a wry smile. Even if those two really came, what could he say?