Tokyo Unnatural Forensics

Chapter 414, Uesugi's earth-shattering discovery!
Just as Uesugi Muneyuki had predicted, a global media storm swept the world that day!
Almost all the media focused their attention on the chase that paralyzed Tokyo’s traffic for nearly an hour. In particular, the news material was just as plentiful as the Kabukicho incident, because the Metropolitan Police Department was holding a routine flower-laying apology ceremony in the morning, so there were already many media present.

From Watanabe Eiji's apology and vow to never give up the investigation, to Uesugi Muneyuki's on-the-spot identification of the culprit, the appearance of the ghost causing chaos as he knocks down several plainclothes police officers and escapes on a motorcycle, the traffic police's highway chase, the shooting and the intrusion into the kindergarten, the heroic inspector rescuing the children, the siege of the SAT ruins, and finally the Special Missions Unit's renewed efforts to capture the culprit in the sewers, the entire plot is incredibly exciting and full of twists and turns.

There was even live video throughout the entire process.

The Asahi Shimbun was the first to report the case, with the front-page headline: "The Ghost of Toshima Ward Arrested! Fifteen-Year-Old Cold Case Solved: The Continued Activity of the Special Missions Unit, the Myth of Uesugi Forensic Examiner, and the Too Heavy Price."

"After fifteen years, the Toshima Ward family annihilation case, which has been a major concern for generations and had a very negative impact, has finally been solved! The arrest of the ghost is a testament to the Metropolitan Police Department's persistent investigation and the renewed activity of the Special Missions Unit. Forensic investigator Uesugi and Inspector Okada have achieved another historic success! Let us offer them our highest praise!"

"However, this victory was accompanied by the deaths of Inspectors Yamada and Kikuchi, the serious injury of Inspector Okada, and the shocking situation of the suspect breaking into the nursery. Judging from the footage, the police's initial response was delayed, the lack of awareness of the crisis in the face of heavily armed criminals, and the need to strengthen the time-consuming DNA family investigation system, all of which highlight the pressing issues for the future."

The Yomiuri Shimbun's headline was: "A Victory Built on Sacrifice! The Determination and Heroic Path of the Special Missions Unit."

"After forensic examiner Uesugi successfully identified the killer, the police deployed the Traffic Police, SAT, armored vehicles, and helicopters. We can understand this as a response to the danger posed by the suspect, but the result was that two police officers were shot and killed in public, and the child was in danger."

"In the end, if it weren't for the resurgence of the Special Missions Unit and the efforts of Forensic Examiner Uesugi and Inspector Okada to turn the tide, this would have been a terrible failure."

"Perhaps the Metropolitan Police Department should increase its investment in forensic criminology to identify high-level criminals at an earlier stage. After such a great victory and the sacrifice of two martyred officers, now is the best time for reform!"

The Mainichi Shimbun published an in-depth report on the matter titled "Deep Dependence on Special Missions and Missed Signals by the Police."

The Mainichi Shimbun naturally acknowledged the significant role of the Special Missions Unit in this case, stating that solving the 15-year-old cold case was a major victory for the police. However, Tokyo only has one Special Missions Unit and only one Uesugi Muneyuki. The Mainichi Shimbun believes that while the police organization is currently overly reliant on Uesugi Muneyuki's abilities, Japan does not seem to have cultivated other Uesugi Muneyuki-like individuals. What will happen if such a heavy burden is entirely dependent on Uesugi Muneyuki alone and he becomes incapacitated?
We need more Uesugi Muneyuki!

The Daily News made this appeal.

As for the reactions of international media, we need to pay more attention to other aspects.

BBC News headline: "The ghost of the Tokyo family massacre is caught 15 years later, at a heavy price!"

"Japanese police have finally captured the infamous 'Toshima Ghost,' bringing one of the country's most chilling unsolved cases to a close... However, this dramatic manhunt, which resulted in the deaths of two police officers, serious injuries to a heroic inspector, and panic at a kindergarten, raises serious questions about tactical preparation and the enormous resources required to capture a fugitive who had been on the run for nearly 15 years through a system loophole. We must ask, if it weren't for Muneyuki Uesugi's efforts, would he still be lurking in the sewers? How much more would the police have to pay?"

The New York Times headline: "Arrests that expose contradictions in Japanese policing: Persistence? vs. Prevention?"

"The exceptional abilities of Forensic Inspector Uesugi and the sheer courage and efforts of Inspector Okada in saving the child are undoubtedly a triumph of the human spirit... However, the scene where armored vehicles and helicopters failed to subdue an escapee before he even reached the kindergarten, and the revelation of his mixed-race DNA clues that had been shelved for years due to database limitations, exposes a dangerous gap between Japan's renowned investigative resilience and its investment in proactive, intelligence-led policing."

It is worth mentioning that Japanese media firmly believe that it was his American genes that led him to commit a series of crimes, including breaking into a kindergarten, shooting, resisting arrest, and killing, while American media believe that it was his Japanese genes that led him to be a pervert, antisocial, ruthless, twisted individual with no respect for children.

Reuters' featured report was more neutral: "After 15 years, Japan has once again pinned down its 'specter'."

The Chosun Ilbo reported it as: "The 'Pungdo District Ghost' Arrested, a 15-Year Obsession."

South Korean media somehow learned that the ghost had consumed a large amount of South Korean "Cheongro" liquor at the scene. They repeatedly emphasized that South Korean liquor is good, and stressed that the murder had nothing to do with their liquor!
A Chinese news agency in a country across the sea also reported on the incident, but the entire article was rather vague, only mentioning "this arrest brought comfort to the traumatized families and demonstrated the reaction speed of elite units such as the SAT and the bravery of individual officers," without mentioning Uesugi Okada of the Special Missions Unit.

A large portion of the film focuses on the ferocity of the ghost and the disorder in Tokyo. It emphasizes the slow response of the Japanese police and their inadequacy in gunfight, investigation, and forensic capabilities. In addition to implying serious problems with the Japanese system and insufficient gun control, it also repeatedly suggests that these problems are caused by the US military system stationed in Japan, and that we do not have these problems.

"After its decline, Japanese society has gradually produced a large number of 'invincible individuals,' which is a double blow from the collapse of the national system and the shattering of the myth of public safety. This station would like to remind all tourists visiting Japan recently not to be careless about safety issues. This is a report from the Old China News Service!"

All media outlets unanimously praised Eiji Watanabe's 15 years of perseverance, Muneyuki Uesugi's on-site identification and the Special Missions Unit's valiant raid on the sewers, the mobilization of the Traffic Police, and the SAT's tactical suppression, ultimately bringing the perpetrator to justice as a symbol of the indomitable spirit of the Japanese police.

However, there was also consistent attention on the young police officers Kikuchi and Yamada who died in the line of duty, the seriously injured child rescue hero Inspector Okada, the horrific moment encountered at the kindergarten, and these unavoidable reporting focuses, along with the near-miss victory, highlighting the police's slow response and outdated tactics.

This bloody pursuit spanning 15 years and the final thrilling chase have been repeatedly featured in the global media spotlight, becoming headline news and a hot topic of discussion among the public. Everyone is waiting for the Metropolitan Police Department to hold a press conference to fully disclose all the intelligence.

The day after the incident, after going through a series of procedures and persuading the families, the Metropolitan Police Department finally prepared to conduct an autopsy on the bodies of the two fallen police officers under the guise of an administrative autopsy to determine the cause of death.

Unfortunately, Uesugi Muneyuki only got one day off that day and had to go back to work the next day. Naturally, autopsies were handled by Ishihara Mikoto and the forensic pathologists from the forensic department, and Uesugi Muneyuki wasn't going to do them (in fact, his autopsy skills were not as good as Mikoto's). He just made an excuse to come to the forensic department to take a break and visit the two police officers who had unfortunately died in the line of duty, to pay his respects and express his condolences for their sacrifice.

However, as soon as the dissection began, Mikoto Ishihara exclaimed, "No! No, no!"

"Something's not right?" The forensic pathologist next to him casually replied, "I see nothing wrong here. Did you find any other lesions? Or is it internal bleeding or a myocardial infarction..."

“Yes, he was shot through the heart, but… something’s not right!” Ishihara Mikoto shook her head repeatedly as she dug the bullet out of Kikuchi Fuma’s chest. “This isn’t right… Uesugi, come here for a second!”

"What's wrong?" Uesugi Muneyuki, who had been playing on her phone and reading the news, came over immediately when she heard Mikoto's call: "Did you find anything?"

“Zong Xue, you should know that I went to the United States for a visiting scholar position, right?” Mikoto Ishihara picked up a blood-stained bullet with clips: “.45 caliber, M1911A1, that’s all correct, but… in the previous report, both of the police officers who died in the line of duty were wearing NIJ Level III body armor, right!”

“That’s right.” Uesugi Muneyuki nodded curiously, yes, yes.

"No, no!" Seeing that Uesugi Muneyuki had no reaction, Mikoto had no choice but to emphasize, "According to the design standards, NIJ Level III can withstand high-velocity pistol rounds such as .44 Magnum (full metal jacket) and .357 SIG (full metal jacket)! Even if a .45 caliber pistol can penetrate the protective layer, it can only penetrate part of the body at most, it is impossible for it to penetrate through the heart!"

"I know absolutely nothing about firearms," ​​Uesugi Muneyuki said, still looking confused. "Didn't they say the killer might have used special AP rounds?"

“Yes, it’s possible if it’s a special AP round, but…” Mikoto showed the bullet to Uesugi Muneyuki: “This is just a regular .45 bullet.”

Soyuki Uesugi: "?"

He stared at the bullet tip on Mikoto's clip, lost in thought.

Seeing that Uesugi Muneyuki remained silent, Ishihara Mikoto had no choice but to elaborate further: "A compliant NIJ Level III body armor should be able to completely stop a standard .45 bullet, causing only deep bruising, and it's impossible for it to hit the heart directly!"

Uesugi Muneyuki: "???"

He suddenly realized something: "Misaka-nee, what do you mean?"

Ishihara Mikoto glanced at Uesugi Muneyuki, not daring to speak aloud, but simply nodded slightly: "Muneyuki, you should have guessed it, right?"

Uesugi Muneyuki's expression changed drastically. He glanced at Officer Kikuchi on the autopsy table, whose bulletproof vest had been pierced and whose heart had been penetrated, and then at Officer Yamada on the autopsy table next to him, who had also been shot through his bulletproof vest and whose lungs had been pierced, causing massive bleeding and death.

"??????"

At this moment, the forensic doctor Nakado also understood what was going on. He took out the bullet head and placed it together with Mikoto's bullet head.

Exactly.

They are all standard .45 caliber bullets!

Yes! Yes...right? Is this right? This doesn't seem right!

Uesugi Muneyuki had already made a connection, considering that Kikuchi and Yamada came from two completely different police departments!
"I'll immediately call the research team to send someone over!" Uesugi Muneyuki's expression changed drastically. He immediately said to Mikoto and Nakado, "Until then, don't tell anyone about this!"

"Okay!" "Understood!" Mikoto and Nakado both had serious expressions.

Uesugi Muneyuki looked at the wreckage of the bulletproof vest that had been pierced through, then at the bodies of the two police officers who had died in the line of duty on the autopsy table, the autopsy marks on their chests that were cut open in the shape of a "Y", and the two bullets that he did not recognize, but Mikoto said were not AP bullets but ordinary .45 caliber standard bullets.

If Mikoto's judgment is true, then this earth-shattering discovery will unleash a police hurricane that is even bigger and more terrifying than the Ghost Guest!

(End of this chapter)