Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes

The forensic doctor felt that the traces at the scene had challenged his professional understanding.

Chapter 15: On-site Reconstruction

Heisei Ryu pointed at Inoue's hand: "Is it possible that the murderer also enveloped his hand while choking him?"

"That's not feasible. Such force would leave corresponding marks on the deceased's hands and neck, but there aren't. Moreover, the deceased was clearly in a state of exertion with the hand that was choking himself when he died." The forensic doctor shook his head and immediately rejected the conjecture.

"The strange thing is that there were marks on his right arm where he had pinched himself, marks from his left hand, as if," the forensic doctor hesitated to avoid sounding too unbelievable, "as if his right hand had gained sentience, disregarding its owner's life or death, and strangling him to death. In the process, the deceased tried to pry his right hand open with his left hand, but ultimately lost the strength due to suffocation."

Heisei Ryu's greatest strength is his ability to recreate scenes in his mind. After hearing the forensic doctor's words, he narrowed his eyes, and the scene in front of him changed and was reconstructed. Inoue, who had fallen to the ground, stood up again in a strange posture, and the death replay began.

There were two people's footprints at the scene.

They suddenly stopped running.

Then, perhaps a sound came from behind them that caught their attention, and they turned around.

suddenly,

Inoue's hands tightened around his neck with an irresistible force. He instinctively reached out his left hand to resist, but his legs struggled. Something was wrong!

"The footprints Inoue left behind were somewhat messy, but still clear. There was no friction from extreme panic, which means he didn't struggle much. However, the bloodstains on his right arm indicate that he did struggle at the time."

The forensic doctor's brow twitched: "You don't mean to say..."

"That's right, he was probably choked and lifted up, which is why he didn't leave any messy footprints."

"It's impossible, at least from a scientific point of view." The forensic doctor categorically rejected Ping Shenglong's outrageous guess.

Ping Shenglong did not persist and continued to look at the traces left on the other side.

"The person who was with Inoue was terrified. He fell backward and sat on the ground, crawled away backward, and finally fled the scene in a rolling and scrambling manner."

"As delinquents, fighting is commonplace. Why didn't you fight back? Either the disparity between us and the enemy is obvious to the naked eye, or..." Heimori Ryu stroked his chin, squatting beside the marks left by Hosokawa, and didn't continue speaking.

At this moment, the clues he could come up with were somewhat difficult to convince others, and even difficult to convince himself. He could only wait for the body to be sent for further autopsy to see the results.

The problem is that the student who broke his leg downstairs earlier cried and said that he had walked for a long time but couldn't get out of the old teaching building area. However, the traces and bloodstains at the scene indicated that he had been circling around the small open space in front of the teaching building.

These bizarre circumstances, when combined, inevitably lead one to think outside the box.

"How are the two lightly injured survivors doing?" Ping Shenglong got up and made a phone call.

"It's not good. They've suffered a lot of psychological trauma, and the medical staff strongly insist that we get them treated first."

"I am going now."

Ping Shenglong hung up the phone and nodded to the forensic doctor: "I'll leave the on-site work to the brothers in the forensic department and Professor Otani."

Pathologist Otani waved his hand and continued with his work.

Ping Shenglong drove a police car towards another school building, where the two survivors were placed in a classroom.

"A ghost! There really is a ghost! It's the legendary Mr. Charcoal! Believe me! Believe me, everything I'm saying is true!"

"A monster! That's a monster! Waaah! I want to go home, Mommy, Mommy!"

"Calm down, calm down, you're safe now."

"It's not safe! He's everywhere in the school, you're all him! I don't want to be at school! Let me go home, let me go home!"

The two of them roared hysterically.

The original intention of bringing the two of them together was to enhance their sense of security, but now it seems that they are quite far apart and are clearly afraid of each other.

“I know you want to solve the case as soon as possible, but the situation of these two people is not optimistic. They are suffering from severe psychological trauma. If you continue to question them like this, the situation will only get worse, and you won’t be able to get anything out of them!” The doctor found Ping Shenglong and said seriously.

Heisei Ryu ignored him and looked at Nakajima Shingo, who came out from inside: "How much did you find out?"

"That's all for now. It's hard to get any more information out of them right now. We need to make sure they're safe, and the people from the education committee are in there too." Nakajima handed the summarized notes to Taira.

"Do you think they had a motive to kill the others?" Ping asked first, without immediately looking through the document.

Nakajima pondered for a few seconds, then shook his head: "The possibility is extremely small. Judging from their past, they are all very ordinary students. They couldn't have set up such an elaborate death scene. It doesn't make sense in terms of either motive or ability."

Ping remained noncommittal, flipping through the notes and quickly reviewing them.

Yoshiki Hosokawa: A second-year high school student and one of the organizers of this "test of courage" event. He insists that Professor Kotan strangled Inoue Tomokyo. He tried to escape but couldn't get out of the school building and could only hide in the library. He was so scared that he fainted. Currently, he is too terrified to communicate effectively.

Fujita Shin: A first-year high school student and a newcomer to this "test of courage" competition. He claims that shortly after entering the old school building, he saw dilapidated classrooms, students reading, and a terrifying teacher chasing him. He couldn't escape the building no matter what he did, and eventually collapsed in the corridor for unknown reasons. He is currently extremely agitated, which has also caused Hosokawa Yoshiki to become agitated as well.

"We know from Hosokawa that there were four organizers. One of them, a student named Matsuo, was injured while setting up the venue and did not participate. He has been summoned to the Metropolitan Police Department. There were five newcomers who participated, but one person is still missing. However, neither of the two survivors knows who is missing. We are currently reviewing nearby surveillance footage."

“Well done. When the principal arrives, arrange for these students to be assigned as teachers to assist them and list their interpersonal relationships within the school.” Ping Shenglong nodded and looked at the doctor with a livid face. “From now on, I’ll leave the health of these two students to the doctor.”

"Humph."

The doctor ignored him, flicked his sleeves, and led the nurse into the classroom. With the help of several police officers, they coaxed and tricked the two into getting into the ambulance.

"Chief Ping, hello, hello!" The principal finally arrived at the school, shaking hands with Ping Shenglong, his forehead covered in sweat. "I've already learned about the situation on the way here. Please, Chief Ping, make sure this cruel criminal is apprehended as soon as possible. Whatever assistance you need, just let us know if it's within our power."

"Does the principal have any plans to suspend classes?" Ping Shenglong could tell what kind of person the other person was as soon as they met. If he got caught up in the other person's rhythm of conversation, they wouldn't finish talking about business until dawn.

"Not at the moment. Suspending classes right after the start of the semester would have a huge impact on us, but if you need it, I can arrange to extend the spring break by three days," the principal said through gritted teeth.

"There is no need to suspend classes for the time being, but we will completely seal off the area around the old teaching building, and during this period we need to obtain the right to enter and leave the school at any time."

“Okay, okay, no problem, that’s only natural.” The principal nodded quickly.

"Section Chief! Section Chief!" A subordinate jogged over and whispered in Ping Shenglong's ear, quickly recounting what he had just discovered.

Ping Shenglong suddenly fell silent and looked at the principal, scrutinizing him carefully from head to toe.

This sent a chill down the latter's spine. Did they suspect him?!

It can't be!

He, as the principal, has never done anything shameful at the school.

"Principal Asano, are you aware that there is a secret room beneath your school?"

"what?"

The principal looked completely bewildered.

Chapter 16: The True Ending

When Higashiyama Shin returned home with bags full of things, Higashiyama Doku was on the phone, shouting and yelling in an exaggerated manner.

"That's all for now, my brother's back! Brother! Brother! Something terrible has happened at school!"

Higashiyama Doku's exaggerated shouts came from the living room. He jumped up from the sofa and ran to Higashiyama Shin's side.

Higashiyama Shin placed the snacks on the table, sorted them, and put them into the snack cart. He casually asked, "What important matter is it?"

“My classmate is in the orchestra. He was practicing at school tonight, but around 8 p.m., the head coach and instructor suddenly rushed in and kicked them out. Before they even left the school, they saw a huge number of police cars and ambulances driving into the school! It almost blinded him. For so many police cars to be involved at once, there must have been some kind of murder!”

As he spoke, Dongshan grabbed a bag of potato chips, popped it open with both hands, and started eating.

"It's very likely indeed." Higashiyama Shin nodded perfunctorily, unsurprised; no one knew the situation better than him.

"Brother, do you think we don't have to go to school tomorrow?" Dongshan Du suddenly leaned closer, his true intentions revealed, which was the main reason for his excitement. "If it's a major murder case, we should at least be suspended from school for three days, right? That's how it's portrayed in TV dramas."

"I'm sorry, this isn't a TV drama. We'll have to wait for further notice." Higashiyama Shin shook his head, wondering what the school would do. If it was just one person who died, and it was an accident or suicide, it shouldn't affect normal classes. But the current situation definitely didn't look like a suicide, and there were more than one dead.

If one suspects that a vicious criminal is lurking nearby, suspending classes is not out of the question.

In a way, Higashiyama is a bit like him; he only cares about people close to him and doesn't care much about the life and death of strangers.

Just like when he was in the old teaching building, he had the opportunity to save everyone, but in order to see the other party's strength and methods clearly first, he chose to hide temporarily and then make a move when he had made a good assessment.

However, Shinichi Higashiyama felt that he was doing quite well.

He had noticed long ago that when a murder was mentioned, many people would casually say something like "How pitiful" or "How tragic," as if to make their words and actions fit the atmosphere.

However, the volume of gloating on online media has remained considerable.

He tends to be indifferent to things that don't concern him, and even at school, he doesn't hold a position or concern himself with any affairs.

"Don't you have a Line group? Your teacher is in it too. He'll let you know if there are any announcements." Shinichi Higashiyama walked into the room carrying an umbrella and a reusable bag.

"I almost forgot, let me see."

In the room, Shin Higashiyama carefully packed the remains and then stuffed them under the bedside table.

"Okay, now let's talk about your situation."

【Me? My name is Ueda Yoshi, my real name is Ueda Taro. The name Yoshi was given to me by Muto, who said it sounded better and was more suitable for city life.】

Ueda introduced himself with a slight nervousness.

"Tell me what happened after you and Muto came to Tokyo."

【OK.】

Through Ueda's halting descriptions, Higashiyama Shin gradually learns the true ending of the game "Soul Swap".

The incident began similarly to that in the game, with Muto traveling to the countryside to find children of suitable age for their birth.

Ueda's birth date is neither compatible nor incompatible with Muto's, but there are ways to remedy the situation. The main reason is that Muto's days are numbered, and Ueda is the best candidate he has found so far. Ueda has no interpersonal relationships, is in good health, and has an easy personality to manage, so he is considered as a backup option.

At this time, Muto was still a teacher at Komagome Academy. He became a teacher because this position made it easier for him to observe his students, which satisfied his needs and plans.

But this was only discovered later; just like in the game, Muto never revealed that his real job was a teacher.

Ueda initially thought Muto was a good person, but gradually he discovered something strange. Muto seemed to have many secrets. In addition to his normal work hours, he often went out at night. Every time he went out, he looked very weak, but when he returned in the morning, he looked rosy-cheeked. Ueda wondered what he had done.

One night, he secretly followed him and discovered that Muto's destination was the school, and that he only wanted to sneak into the library and stay there for a few hours.

The game and reality diverge here; he didn't unlock this information in the game.

Until one day, when Muto returned, he was still in that weak state, and Ueda sensed that the way Muto looked at him seemed to have begun to change.

Ueda sensed something was wrong, but he didn't know why or what to do.

About a week or two later, one night, Ueda felt particularly sleepy after dinner and went to bed before seven o'clock.

When he woke up, he found himself tied up in the library, but luckily, he had been carrying a bundle of matches.

After struggling for a while, he used a cluster of matches to start a fire, burning through the ropes binding him.

His memory of what happened next became confused. The fire got out of control, and he inhaled a lot of smoke and dust. He only remembered that Muto, who was covered in burns, found him in a rage and took him out. His eyes were bloodshot with anger and resentment. He said it was all his fault for disrupting the ceremony.

Then they knocked him unconscious, and he doesn't remember the rest.

Including how he died, and how Muto became a ghost.

"enough."

Higashiyama Shin took out his game notes and the "Soul Nourishing Manual" and matched them one by one with Ueda's description.

There are two thresholds to understanding the "Soul Nourishing Classic".

One is an ability similar to reading sheet music, where the knowledge content is encrypted and requires a special method of deciphering constellations; this aspect is called "external scripture."

Another aspect is the understanding of terminology, which is knowledge that cannot be comprehended until one reaches a certain level; this is the esoteric teaching.

As a master of the Five Stars, reading this is not difficult, but it is slightly obscure because of unfamiliarity.

After reading it carefully, he roughly understood why Muto would sneak off to school every now and then.

Because he was using a formation called the "Soul-Seizing and Vitality-Stealing Formation" to absorb the students' vital energy to replenish his life force and forcibly prolong his life until his lifespan could no longer be replenished.

At the same time, that formation should also be an important part of the soul-swapping ritual.

The true ending and another important branching point in the game is undoubtedly Muto's last trip out. He must have found a more suitable person to swap souls with than Ueda beforehand, and took Ueda to the library, probably as a backup in case of emergency.

However, Ueda's act of setting fire to the building completely exceeded Muto's expectations, disrupting the formation he had set up in the school building and making it impossible for the ritual to continue.

Although it's not possible to swap souls with the better candidate, if it's Ueda, the ritual will change, and the not-yet-completely-destroyed array can still be used.

However, due to Ueda's subconscious resistance and lack of preparation, the soul swap ultimately failed.

Muto, Ueda, and another soul-swaper remained forever in the secret chamber.

Furthermore, because both Muto and Ueda died during the soul-swapping process, a strange and mysterious reaction occurred in conjunction with the formation.

Muto and Ueda both became earthbound spirits and fell into a deep sleep until recently when they were awakened by those bad guys. Muto's mind was severely damaged, and for some unknown reason, he mistakenly believed that he was burned to death in a fire, which is why he turned into that state.

Although he had little intelligence left, his hatred for Ueda, the culprit, remained, which also led him to harbor a deep-seated resentment towards all young people.

Ueda Reiji, however, kept more of his secrets, so he avoided Muto, fearing that Muto would attack him.

"The Shadow Diagram extends life, the Divination Plate burns to summer ashes, bones are covered in frost and cold. So the last haiku points to the true ending?"