Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes.

Chapter 40: Who is guilty?

"Never underestimate anyone in this world!"

Dongshan Shen sighed deeply.

He originally thought he knew enough and wasn't very interested in finding out how Muto became Charcoal Teacher, why he only woke up at this time, or whether it was related to his game.

Now, following this guy who calls himself "Strange Path" through a series of metaphysical deductions, the fog suddenly cleared and the truth was revealed, completely filling in the gaps in his knowledge.

Higashiyama Shin felt that one day he would see him on the player list.

“I saw it all.”

Higashiyama's chopsticks caught Chiba Shion's chopsticks and stopped in front of his own bento box. On the chopsticks was a piece of sweet pepper.

Today's main dish is diced chicken with bell peppers.

Chiba casually put away his chopsticks, put the bell pepper slice in his mouth, chewed and swallowed with difficulty, and asked with a sigh.

"Were you thinking about something while you were so engrossed?"

"I'm thinking about whether I should go to the video game club later. I haven't been since school started, and I'm afraid someone will block my door if I don't go soon."

What Dongshan said is true.

He was an elite member of the video game club. The club still has a legend about how he defeated a group of arrogant students from another school who came to challenge him in a Street Fighter match when he was in the first year of junior high school.

This is exactly what gamers want.

This has led to the fact that video game clubs hold Street Fighter tournaments every month, but Higashiyama only won a few consecutive tournaments before stopping, leaving behind only an increasingly legendary tale.

After he graduates, he'll probably evolve into someone who performs a ballet-like dance with his feet, successfully defeating ten players with Vega!
"I read books at the literary society after school."

"Okay, I'll call you when I leave."

"Ah."

Higashiyama Shin glanced at Nobi. Nobi had only eaten a rice ball from a convenience store for lunch. He was slumped in his seat, deep in thought, with a cell phone next to him, as if he was chatting with someone.

As for those two delinquents, they looked miserable and clearly hadn't slept well; they probably dreamt about Koizumi.

They definitely don't have time to cause trouble for Nobi, because after exposing a classmate who had a grudge against Koizumi yesterday, the other party's family received a call from the police for no reason and was definitely scolded. They held a grudge against these two and planned to find an opportunity to teach them a lesson after the storm had passed.

Believe it or not, after the criminal police stationed there for the past two days, the already few delinquents, who had suffered both death and injury, became as docile as quails, and the 80 incidents in the corner almost disappeared.

The principal even personally led the patrol team to prevent any unnecessary trouble.

[Joker: So, do you have any clues?]

[Hero: I'm not good at puzzle games, but since it's a game, there must be a solution. The key is whether you can connect on the same wavelength.]

[joker: Because I only have one beta test qualification, and the number of deaths per day is limited, I can't use deaths to test for mistakes; otherwise, it wouldn't be so troublesome.]

[The Brave One: Interesting, so it's a scarcity marketing strategy? Hold on, I'll take another look tonight; maybe I'll get some inspiration.]

[joker: Okay!]

Nobi wasn't too disappointed, after all, he knew that Fujimoto liked action games, and as for the puzzle part, he would skip it if he could.

There's a classic quote: "The purpose of the plot is to be skipped."

They belong to the typical audience of those who enjoy "battle! Fun!"

He typed a few words, wanting to talk about the game console, but didn't have the courage to send them. While he hesitated, someone messaged him, and he clicked on the message.

[Kryptonite: You all need to come today! The club is recruiting tomorrow, so everyone gather here today to be assigned tasks.]

Nobita was about to refuse, but then he suddenly remembered that there seemed to be a member in the club who was particularly fond of puzzle games. He should be a second-year student now. The two had chatted briefly, and Nobita had never heard of any of the games that the member liked. He only knew that they were puzzle games, such as Rusty Lake, The Room, and Babel Anthem.

If everyone were to gather today, he would probably be there too.

[joker: Okay, I'll be there after school.]

[Kryptonite: OK!]

Nobi put down his phone and continued to ponder and recall the details of last night's game, searching for a way to break the deadlock.

I'll also start a new page and gamify yesterday's experiences and events so I can ask people about them during club activities.

Lunch break is over.

The two people in the secret room also climbed out.

"The murderer is quite obvious; it's definitely Teacher Jiao Tan. How about that? With my cooperation, your case was solved in just two days. Now, everyone can go home."

Kurosaki took off his suit, clapped his hands, and looked like he was about to run away.

"You want to investigate Muto's adopted son's identity and the mysterious presence that appeared that night on your own?" Taira no Ryu directly exposed his plan, his tone completely devoid of any doubt.

Kurosaki paused for a moment, then quickly recovered: "Now that we have a clue to a real ghost story, if I let it go, wouldn't I be betraying my reputation as a ghost sage?"

Ping Shenglong pulled out a small stool, sat down, and placed another one next to him. Then he took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag.

"Tell me, if I were to report directly that this heinous case, which resulted in three deaths and four injuries, was caused by a ghost story called 'Teacher Charcoal,' would the minister smash the ashtray on the table right over my head?"

Kurosaki took a cigarette but didn't light it. He tossed it into his mouth, bit the filter, and sat down on the stool. "This has nothing to do with me now. My task was to help you find out the true identity of Mr. Charcoal and figure out his motives for killing. Now everything is clear. It's just that those students were incredibly unlucky. They were easy to deal with, but they had to do it themselves. Even a god couldn't save them."

"If we go a step further, we can cut down those locust trees, but I doubt it will be of any use. Wu Teng must have played a role similar to the core of the formation. Now that he's gone, the formation will be completely broken."

Ping Shenglong slowly exhaled smoke: "The purpose of my seeking you out was to find out from different perspectives who used and disguised themselves as the 'Charcoal Teacher' ghost story to commit murder. But the result we have now is not the result I wanted, nor is it the result my superiors or the public wanted."

"The news here will be impossible to suppress tonight, and the pressure from superiors and the public will only increase. No one but you and me will be satisfied with the 'real culprit'."

Kurosaki felt a little uncomfortable after hearing this: "That means someone has to take the blame."

"What if Muto's awakening was deliberately orchestrated?" Tatsumi Hiramori stared at the plastic curtain, looking at the hazy outside world, his thoughts wandering.

“It’s not impossible, but I suggest you don’t mess with people who can do that. They’re not people you can afford to mess with.” Kurosaki shook his head.

Ping Shenglong remained silent, simply finishing the cigarette, stubbed it out, and put the butt back in his pocket.

"If you want to investigate Muto's adopted son's identity and that mysterious person, it will be much easier with the help of the police system."

Kurosaki raised an eyebrow: "You want to get involved?"

"I think you're quite interesting. I have an unused spot as an unofficial consultant. It comes with police benefits and access to certain information. Would you like to join?"

Are working hours mandatory?

"I need to be present when I need a consultation."

"make a deal."

　Thank you Ye Tiantenghua for the donation.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)