The Secret Hidden in the Steak / The Truth of the Case

Keisuke Itonokogiri has already sent several other police officers to investigate the matter.

"We have confirmed that unless you climb over the wall from outside Eito Studios to enter the First Studio, there is only one way to get from the staff lounge to the First Studio inside the studio, and that way will definitely be captured by the surveillance cameras."

His expression now seemed somewhat serious.

Since Takeshi Ibukuro had no reason to avoid the cameras, yet his body mysteriously appeared at the First Camera Station, there must be some secret hidden in this.

Could it be that the first photography studio where the body was found was not actually the first crime scene, and that Takeshi Ibukuro's body was later moved there by the murderer in another way?

His thoughts were gradually moving closer to the truth, but he still couldn't guess any bolder.

"No, we can't just jump to conclusions in this case. I need to contact Prosecutor Mikami right now." Although the doubts that have emerged so far cannot disprove the suspicion against Saburo Hoshimaru, Keisuke Itonokogiri, as an upright police officer, must pass on this information to the prosecutor's office as soon as possible before the prosecutor's office files charges against Saburo Hoshimaru.

Otherwise, if something goes wrong, the prosecutor's office will naturally have to take responsibility, but the police officers responsible for collecting evidence will lose even more face.

"Sword control?" Ryūichi Naruhodō's ears were keen enough to hear Keisuke Itonokogiri's mutterings, and he couldn't help but ask with some concern.

"Are you talking about that prosecutor Reiji Mitsurugi?"

Keisuke Itonokogiri glanced at Ryūichi Naruhodō. Ryūichi Naruhodō had only appeared in court once as a lawyer, and it hadn't caused much of a stir. In addition, Ryūichi Naruhodō had never introduced himself to him, so Keisuke Itokaki didn't know that Ryūichi Naruhodō lawyer.

Upon hearing the name Reiji Mitsurugi, Jiang Hang raised his eyebrows slightly. It was because he prevented Chihiro Ayasato's death that Ryūichi Naruhodō and Reiji Mitsurugi, childhood best friends, had not been able to reunite until now.

"You've heard of Prosecutor Mitsurugi, right? He's the prosecutor in charge of this case. The prosecutor's office was originally planning to file charges against Saburo Hoshimaru as soon as possible. However, Prosecutor Mitsurugi also told me that there are still some doubts about this case, and asked me to pay more attention and report to him directly if I find anything."

When Reiji Mitsurugi was mentioned, Keisuke Itonokogiri's expression seemed to become much more respectful. He talked about the prosecutor's office's "genius prosecutor" and his five-year undefeated record as a prosecutor.

Judging from Keisuke Itonokogiri's expression, it was as if he were recounting his own glorious deeds, and the pride on his face seemed to be overflowing.

After praising the Reiji Mitsurugi to Ryūichi Naruhodō and Jiang Hang, Keisuke Itonokogiri went aside to make a phone call to the genius prosecutor.

Watching this scene, Ryūichi Naruhodō, who was standing next to Jiang Hang, muttered in a low voice, "In Japan, where 99.9% of criminal cases are convicted, isn't it normal for prosecutors to never lose? Even the Prosecutor Auchi, supposedly had a seven-year undefeated record before meeting Chihiro-sensei."

Listening to Ryūichi Naruhodō's complaints, Jiang Hang felt as if he were tasting the sourness of lemons.

Keisuke Itonokogiri quickly finished his call with the prosecutor he had met. He walked over and looked at Jiang Hang: "Prosecutor Mikami said he's coming over now. Whether or not to file charges against Saburo Hoshimaru will depend on Prosecutor Mikami's judgment after he arrives."

Jiang Hang nodded. The current Reiji Mitsurugi in the game hasn't been redeemed yet, and he's quite curious about what the other party looks like now.

Then he gave Ryūichi Naruhodō look, signaling him to pass the message on to Chihiro Ayasato, who should still be in the detention center meeting with Saburo Hoshimaru.

After viewing the crime scene at the First Photography Studio, at Jiang Hang's request, they quickly went to the staff lounge.

Because of the incident yesterday, and because the entire Eito Studios was under police control, the staff break room was still a bit messy. The plates left over from yesterday's lunch by Saburo Hoshimaru and the others were still on the table and had not been cleared away.

"Actually, there aren't any clues here. Saburo Hoshimaru's room is right behind here. We've already checked it. That room is usually used as a backstage area for the main actors to rest. There are no signs of theft. Besides Saburo Hoshimaru and the other main actors, only the girl in the props department who manages the keys has the key to that room."

"And that female employee from the Yumiko Mamiya, just finished being questioned by our police, and she should still be around here," Having witnessed Jiang Hang's keen sense of smell, Keisuke Itonokogiri proactively suggested to Jiang Hang that they invite the female employee over to ask her about yesterday's events again.

Jiang Hang shook his head slightly, saying that there was no rush to deal with that girl.

You're saying there are no clues here?

He had already activated Revealing Eagle Vision, and all the clues in the vicinity were now visible to him.

It seems that after discovering several key clues pointing to Saburo Hoshimaru, the police arrested Saburo Hoshimaru without conducting a thorough investigation of the area.

He took a pair of gloves out of his pocket, then walked straight to the dining table that hadn't been cleared yet, and looked at the several plates on the table, which were covered with leftover bones.

Keisuke Itonokogiri quickly caught up with Jiang Hang and explained to him, "They had bone-in steak for lunch yesterday. According to the security guard, the chef in the staff canteen didn't work yesterday, so lunch was made by her and Takeshi Ibukuro together."

While Keisuke Itonokogiri was speaking, Jiang Hang picked up a bottle of sleeping pills from the table and asked him a question.

Whose sleeping pills are these?

Keisuke Itonokogiri leaned over and took a look. "We found this bottle of sleeping pills on the ground nearby during the search of the scene. It should be the medication used by the victim. The security guard mentioned to us that the victim had some mild neurasthenia and therefore needed to take sleeping pills to help her sleep."

There was nothing wrong with this explanation. Jiang Hang nodded and then pointed to the several uneaten plates on the table.

"Have you police examined the ingredients on these plates?"

Keisuke Itonokogiri subconsciously shook his head, wanting to indicate that the police were there to find the real culprit who killed Takeshi Ibukuro, and would not investigate these things.

However, Jiang Hang's gaze remained fixed on the bottle of sleeping pills in his hand, Keisuke Itonokogiri was naturally able to guess Jiang Hang's intentions.

"You mean, someone might have put sleeping pills in the steak?" Keisuke Itonokogiri looked at Jiang Hang with some suspicion, seemingly unable to believe the shocking truth hidden behind it.

"Since sleeping pills were found at the scene, this judgment should be the basis for making such a judgment," Jiang Hang hinted to the middle-aged detective. "After all, according to Saburo Hoshimaru's explanation, he fell asleep in the lounge after lunch and didn't even know who took the Great General's costume."

"If Saburo Hoshimaru is telling the truth, then these things can definitely be found out."

"If your police force has the resources, you can also conduct a test on Saburo Hoshimaru, who was arrested by you. It hasn't been more than 24 hours since the incident, and with the current testing technology, it shouldn't be difficult to find this substance."

After Jiang Hang stated his deduction, Keisuke Itonokogiri quickly realized what was going on and contacted his colleagues in the identification department.

Seeing Keisuke Itonokogiri urging his colleague impatiently, Ryūichi Naruhodō, who was next to Jiang Hang, also connected the doubts Jiang Hang had raised at the photography studio with the sleeping pills that had appeared here.

His eyes lit up, and he made his judgment to Jiang Hang: "Saburo Hoshimaru was injured during rehearsals with Takeshi Ibukuro, so Takeshi Ibukuro must also know about Saburo Hoshimaru's leg injury."

"Yesterday at noon, it was Takeshi Ibukuro who made lunch again, so he had every opportunity to put sleeping pills in Saburo Hoshimaru's steak and make Saburo Hoshimaru sleep until the afternoon rehearsal."

"Moreover, Takeshi Ibukuro must have had a key to the back room. After confirming that Saburo Hoshimaru was asleep, he secretly slipped into the room and changed into the Great General's costume."

"Because the Great General's costume doesn't reveal the person's appearance, and since Saburo Hoshimaru and Takeshi Ibukuro are not that different in build, there won't be any problem with this Great General's costume on Takeshi Ibukuro."

"That's why there were no shots of Takeshi Ibukuro going to the First Studio on the surveillance cameras."

"Although we still don't know why Takeshi Ibukuro did such a thing, nor do we know the exact cause of his death, as long as we can detect sleeping pills in Saburo Hoshimaru's body, then Saburo Hoshimaru can be confirmed as innocent!"

Although the case wasn't directly related to him, Ryūichi Naruhodō breath.

Jiang Hang is truly amazing. In such a short time, he has found the key to this case. It seems that Teacher Qianxun's case will be solved smoothly this time as well.

Just as he was about to send his speculation to Chihiro Ayasato, he heard another man's voice from behind him.

"Do you now believe that Takeshi Ibukuro is trying to frame Saburo Hoshimaru by committing suicide?"

"But I need to remind you that even if sleeping pills can be detected on Saburo Hoshimaru, it could just be a deliberate illusion created by Saburo Hoshimaru after he committed the crime."

Upon hearing this dismissive tone, Ryūichi Naruhodō instinctively wanted to retort.

But when he turned around and saw a young man in a red suit, impeccably dressed and with a calm expression, the words he was about to say immediately stuck in his throat.

Although they hadn't seen each other for over a decade, Ryūichi Naruhodō still recognized his childhood friend Reiji Mitsurugi, at a glance.

"Miken..." Although Ryūichi Naruhodō knew that Reiji Mitsurugi would come, he did not expect that he would arrive here in just over ten minutes.

However, Reiji Mitsurugi's gaze only swept over Ryūichi Naruhodō briefly, lingering for a moment on the gold badge on Ryūichi Naruhodō's chest that symbolized his identity as a lawyer.

It seemed he had no intention of greeting his old friend, Ryūichi Naruhodō, whom he hadn't seen for many years. Instead, he focused his attention on Jiang Hang extended his hand to him.

"Mr. Jiang Hang, thank you for your help to the prosecutor's office in this case. I am Reiji Mitsurugi, prosecutor of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office. With your help, I believe the truth of this case will soon come to light."

Contrary to Jiang Hang's expectations, the situation was somewhat different. He had thought that the "not yet cleared" Reiji Mitsurugi would be more assertive in his attitude, but to his surprise, the other party immediately thanked him, the detective, in a very gentlemanly manner.

It seems that Reiji Mitsurugi has known him for a long time. Could it be that Reiji Mitsurugi has handled some of the cases he has taken on?

Jiang Hang no longer listens to the "confessions" of prisoners after they are exposed, and of course he doesn't pay attention to what kind of prosecutors the prisoners he personally sent to prison would encounter.

However, the way Reiji Mitsurugi stood behind Ryūichi Naruhodō, listened to Phoenix's analysis, and then directly confronted him showed a bit of his game persona.

They truly are best buddies who love and hate each other.

Thinking this, Jiang Hang shook hands with Reiji Mitsurugi.

"I'm just expressing my own opinion, cooperating with the police. Just don't think I'm causing you trouble." Jiang Hang casually made up these words to deal with Reiji Mitsurugi.

Chapter 231: Chapter 229: The Secret Hidden in the Steak

After greeting Reiji Mitsurugi Jiang Hang, Reiji went directly to Keisuke Itonokogiri to inquire about the current status of the case.

Ryūichi Naruhodō wanted to greet his former best friend, but faced with the other's cold demeanor, he couldn't find a suitable opportunity at all.

Jiang Hang took advantage of this time to go to the kitchen to conduct another investigation.

After listening to Keisuke Itonokogiri's report, Reiji Mitsurugi rested his chin on his hand and began to think.

The surveillance cameras did not capture Takeshi Ibukuro going to the First Studio, and now there is a possibility that Takeshi Ibukuro may have given Saburo Hoshimaru sleeping pills.

If the prosecutor's office has already decided to prosecute Saburo Hoshimaru, then as a prosecutor, in order to maintain the prosecutor's office's 99.9% conviction rate, he will probably have no choice but to hide these doubts, or, as he just said to Ryūichi Naruhodō, simply use these doubts as a cover-up for Saburo Hoshimaru to get acquitted.

But now that the prosecutor's office has not yet filed charges against Saburo Hoshimaru, he can no longer pretend that he has not discovered anything after these doubts have been laid bare before him.

At this moment, Reiji Mitsurugi was pondering how Takeshi Ibukuro got to the First Photography Studio.

If Takeshi Ibukuro were to wear that Great General's costume, what would his intention be?

Did he use his own death to frame Saburo Hoshimaru?

Several months ago, he had heard about a case in which the ex-boyfriend of famous actress Yoko Okino committed suicide at her home and staged the murder, leading the police to initially consider him a suspect during their investigation.

However, with the help of another famous detective Kogoro Mouri, who has recently been enjoying a similar rise to fame as Jiang Hang, the truth of the case was eventually uncovered.

The reason why Reiji Mitsurugi knew Jiang Hang and Kogoro Mouri was because most of the cases he had taken on in the past two months were related to these two people. In fact, the recent case of Kyosuke Kazato was personally handled by his teacher, the legendary prosecutor Gou Karuma, who had never lost a case in his forty years as a prosecutor.

The final result was that Kyosuke Kazato, who illegally possessed firearms, killed three people and injured one, and also used a bomb in a public place like a hotel, was sentenced to death in the first instance. The main reason for this was naturally the extremely heinous crime committed by Kyosuke Kazato. However, in Japan, a country that is extremely cautious about death sentences, even harsh, the powerful and tough prosecutor Gou Karuma also played a part in the decision.

In short, let's return to the topic of this case.

In Yoko Okino's case, her ex-boyfriend committed suicide due to a relationship issue. In this case, Takeshi Ibukuro is unlikely to be involved in such a case, at least not in the police's current investigation. Although this possibility exists, it is more likely that the murderer killed Takeshi Ibukuro elsewhere and then moved his body to the photography studio.

"Is it possible for two people to fit inside that Great General's costume?" Reiji Mitsurugi recalled the large costume of the Great General that appeared on TV. If the costume were modified, it would indeed be possible to fit another person.

"Prosecutor Mitsurugi, do you mean that after killing Takeshi Ibukuro, the murderer put his body inside the Great General costume, and then took the body to the photography studio?" Keisuke Itonokogiri quickly understood what Reiji Mitsurugi meant, and he slammed his fist down. "In that case, we have a reason for the murderer to destroy the costume after committing the crime."

Seeing these people suddenly start wondering if the Great General's costume could hold two corpses, and even preparing to find another spare costume for testing, Jiang Hang, who had just finished inspecting the kitchen, couldn't help but sigh.

"Why don't you investigate whether the cameras have been tampered with while you're discussing this so much?"

"We had already checked the surveillance footage from 2 p. m. to 4 p. m. and found nothing wrong," Keisuke Itonokogiri explained to Jiang Hang.

"Have you checked the surveillance footage from noon to 2 p. m.?"

Keisuke Itonokogiri hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "We haven't checked this carefully, but the surveillance footage between noon and 2 p. m. only showed a little kid sneaking into the camera room and causing trouble, and no one else appeared... Do you think there's something wrong here?"

However, after he finished speaking, he felt the "death stare" from the Reiji Mitsurugi beside him.

"Have someone thoroughly investigate that surveillance footage, don't miss a single second." After giving this instruction to Keisuke Itonokogiri, he looked at Jiang Hang.

He knew that these famous detectives often noticed things that ordinary people wouldn't.

"Mr. Jiang Hang, have you discovered something?"

Jiang Hang nodded and looked at the several unwashed plates on the table.

"I suggest you go and ask the 'people who were there' yesterday noon again, whether they concealed the presence of certain people."

"I just went to the kitchen and found that the number of bone-in steaks they ate for lunch yesterday didn't match up. According to them, there were only four of them in the studio yesterday, but I found six steak wrappers in the kitchen trash can."

Keisuke Itonokogiri paused for a moment, then tried to explain, "Maybe it's because Takeshi Ibukuro and Saburo Hoshimaru have big appetites, and each of them can eat two portions."

"That is indeed possible, but I just checked again," Jiang Hang said, pointing to the dining table next to him. "I only saw the bones of four steaks on the dining table and in the trash can. I didn't see the bones of the other two steaks. Did your police find the whereabouts of the other two bones during your investigation?"

After listening to Jiang Hang's explanation, Reiji Mitsurugi's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

The bones in six steaks are half the number of bones in four steaks. Jiang Hang, the famous detective, is a trustworthy judge. Does that mean that those people, including Saburo Hoshimaru, were lying?

As a prosecutor, he sometimes hides unfavorable clues and evidence for various reasons, but if witnesses conceal these things during questioning, it undoubtedly puts the prosecutors in a very passive position.

It's even possible that the real murderer is hiding here, and that those people are just giving false confessions to protect the real culprit.

"Go and question those witnesses again, and don't forget about Saburo Hoshimaru in the detention center. Find out exactly how many people were here yesterday at noon!"

Chapter 232: Chapter 230: The Truth of the Case

After obtaining a lead, the police acted swiftly.

The forensic department sent over some basic test kits. After testing, it was preliminarily determined that the plate left over from yesterday noon by Saburo Hoshimaru contained sleeping pills. At the same time, while Takeshi Ibukuro of sleeping pills, Saburo Hoshimaru's fingerprints were not found.

If the ingredients of the sleeping pills in the plate are tested again, and the ingredients are confirmed to be the same, then based on this evidence alone, the possibility that Saburo Hoshimaru is the murderer is already very low.

However, what's more important now is to find out exactly how many people were at the Eito Studios yesterday noon, and whether those witnesses, including the suspect Saburo Hoshimaru, are suspected of giving false testimony.

During this round of investigation, the security guard, who was a fan of Takeshi Ibukuro, fell silent after learning that Takeshi Ibukuro had actually put sleeping pills in Saburo Hoshimaru's lunch.

"Sleeping pills... So that's how it is. Xiao Yidai did what he shouldn't have done in the end," she sighed, and then frankly told Jiang Hang and the others what had happened yesterday.

"Actually, besides the four of us, there were also the director and producer from Eito Studios and several big shots from the TV station yesterday noon. They held a meeting at the Second Studio yesterday noon to discuss the film that Yingdu will be shooting next."

"Because his body was found at the First Film Studio, the director told us not to talk about their affairs after the incident, so as not to displease that big shot at the TV station and the producer. Also, before you police arrived, the director and his team deleted the footage of them appearing yesterday at noon from the surveillance cameras, so we didn't say anything about it..."

As she said this, she sighed deeply, and a story from five years ago was once again brought to mind.

Five years ago, Eito Studios was still shooting sword and spear films, which were declining in popularity Takeshi Ibukuro could be said to be one of the last stars of the sword and spear film era. However, during a filming, one of the supporting actors who was acting opposite him died in an accident.