Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes

"Is it appropriate to just dump the work of the First Investigation Division on them like this?"

"They can handle it." Most of the criminal police officers have become somewhat lazy due to the influence of Tianjin AI, and they often don't work at full capacity. This is just letting them experience the workload they had when they were young.

Seeing that Taira no Ryu had said that, Nakajima didn't say anything more and prepared to accept his new identity.

He adapted quite well to working under Pyeong Sung-ryong.

"Currently, the investigation headquarters is still collecting data from the surveillance cameras and the wounded. The data will be updated to the database in real time. Takagi, I need you to keep an eye on these data, extract information related to the 'Knight' and the 'Armored Man,' make notes and organize those people, and send them to me after further screening."

"Yes!"

“Nakajima, we may have a lot of trouble with the Security Department and the Self-Defense Forces in the future. You will take on the role of deputy team leader and make good contact with them in my place. You will also investigate the information and direction of other investigation teams, as well as the personnel information of headquarters.”

"clear."

Heisei Ryu assigned the tasks one by one. Kurosaki didn't receive anything, but he knew that he should stay by Heisei Ryu's side at all times and perform his duties as a consultant on mysticism.

The subordinates obeyed and left, but Nakajima was stopped by Heisei Ryu.

"Regarding Komagome Academy's Ikeda Rui, why did he confess? Was it because Iwaki forced him to confess?" Judging from Taira no Ryu's brief contact with Ikeda Rui, he doesn't seem like the kind of person who would be tortured into confessing.

Upon hearing this, Nakajima looked strange: "I also find this very strange. Ikeda Rui confessed directly, as if he had completely changed into a different person."

"At that time, Minister Iwaki was eager to give an explanation to the public, and with a foreign visit coming up, he wanted to avoid causing any trouble, so he closed the case and handed it over to the court. But the chain of evidence was too weak. Even if Koizumi's handkerchief was later found in Ikeda Rui's house based on the confession, it would be difficult to convict him. I think it won't be long before the court rejects the case."

"What was the motive for the murder?" Ping Shenglong pressed.

Without hesitation, Nakajima replied, "I don't want to see my ex-wife living such a happy life."

What do you find strange?

"The day he was taken away, he seemed to know what he was going to face, and then he ate the cookies his ex-wife made for him—but they were tested and were just ordinary cookies—but it was still very strange, especially his actions, as if he was pretending to be 'Ei Ikeda'."

"Has he been assessed for schizophrenia?"

“He has been examined, and the doctor said he is normal, but he is under a lot of mental stress, which may cause insomnia. He has indeed been sleeping very little since he was detained.”

Ping Shenglong squinted, sorting through his thoughts, and came up with a few guesses.

However, this is most likely not related to the supernatural, so it's not worth wasting too much energy investigating it further.

Kurosaki is right; his investigations are driven by a certain degree of self-interest.

The most pressing matter now is to achieve results in the investigation of the supernatural. Everything else can be put aside, not to mention that he is no longer the head of the First Investigation Division, and those past cases are irrelevant to him. Director Takahashi will not let those matters bother him.

The reason I asked this question is because that case is related to the "coke teacher" incident.

That was the beginning of his contact with supernatural events.

The headquarters of the Extraordinary Countermeasures Headquarters was temporarily set up near Hibiya Station. As soon as Kurosaki and Hiramori came out, they could see helicopters circling in the sky and Self-Defense Force personnel and police officers running around, all looking very busy.

"Let's go."

Ping Shenglong adjusted the brim of his hat, deliberately wearing a hat so that the gauze on his head wouldn't affect his appearance.

After crossing the warning pole and putting on their on-site protective gear, the two arrived at Hibiya Station and looked up at the opening through which a large patch of sunlight was streaming in.

"A hole seven or eight meters in diameter! It's about fifteen meters above the ground. Such a large area of ​​matter was completely annihilated without leaving a trace. It's terrifying."

That's what he said, but Kurosaki's face was full of fanaticism, without the slightest fear.

Ping Shenglong's attention was drawn to the ground, where the marks marked by experts from the Forensic Science Research Institute indicated that the "Knight" had been thrown.

He looked at the direction of the track, then followed the marks to the wall, where there were obvious grayish-white marks from metal friction, and it was slightly cracked.

The images in my mind started to move.

The knight knew about the Centipede Train beforehand and somehow managed to board it. He cleared away the monsters blocking his way, reached the driver's cab, and tried to stop the train, but ultimately failed. Hibiya Station was the Centipede Train's destination.

In that instant, the knight was thrown out by a powerful force, and after rolling and rubbing against the ground to dissipate some of the force, he crashed into the wall.

Given this impact, it's highly likely that an ordinary person wouldn't be able to get up for a short period of time.

But it was clear the knight was no ordinary person, whether his abilities came from his own body or from his armor. He quickly and slowly got to his feet and then engaged in battle with the skeletal monsters released by the centipede train.

He had seen footage of the battle, and there were also comments from masters of swordsmanship from both the East and the West.

They unanimously concluded that the knight's swordsmanship was terrible, yet he could display extremely exquisite swordsmanship at certain moments, before quickly reverting to his original state of having no foundation.

Some speculate that this is a burst of talent, but many more believe it is a "skill".

Ping Shenglong also leans towards the latter.

Especially when releasing a "skill", the knight has a subtle action of picking up something.

And on the ground, there was a video of him taking something out, which then turned into wisps of light and disappeared.

It seems he needs to perform some kind of action to unleash his power.

After gathering the information, he led Kurosaki along the subway line, tracing the route the centipede train had taken.

However, clues in other places are very limited. The only things worth investigating are the stations the Centipede Train passed through before it accelerated.

The surveillance cameras at those platforms have all been blocked and are being analyzed urgently. More data should be available soon.

"It's obvious that it was collecting enough passengers. Many of the survivors mentioned that the huge mouth that grew out of the train was eating people. With the hundreds of people on the first train, it had to eat enough before it could become that way."

Kurosaki promptly jotted down his thoughts.

Although there are already speculations about this in the database.

"Team leader, the investigation headquarters uploaded the first batch of data to the database half an hour ago. I have completed the second screening and selected several valuable eyewitnesses. They are currently at St. Luke's International Hospital and the Women's Medical University Hospital."

Takagi sent the information.

"Okay, continue the screening."

Heisei Ryu gave Kurosaki a look, and the two left the subway and headed to the hospital.

"One witnessed the knight's battle, one was saved by the knight, and another... well, she was saved on the first train, but the person who saved her had no social connection with her. That's interesting, but I don't think it has much to do with the knight."

"Huh? Is this riding record for real? Why does it keep going around on the Hibiya Line and Yamanote Line? The frequency and timing don't seem like commuting."

Kurosaki was somewhat surprised after reviewing the materials that Takagi had selected.

Heisei Ryu hummed in agreement: "The Passenger Records Investigation Headquarters didn't connect to this. This was something Takagi discovered separately, so it's worth investigating further. In addition, there's a missing person case that's also related to her."

"That does sound quite mysterious," Kurosaki continued to organize his thoughts, still wanting to find clues about the existence of other yokai.

When the two arrived at the hospital, they found that other investigation teams were already there.

They each had their own goals, and the two injured people who had been selected were now being questioned by others.

"Do you have any specific questions you want to ask? They'll have to share the interview records anyway." Kurosaki didn't think these people would miss any obvious questions.

Ping Shenglong glanced around the wards and saw investigators moving around in many of them, including many foreigners.

If I'm not mistaken, the investigation team's main targets are those who survived the monster train.

As for the survivors of the first train, most of them were not disturbed.

"Ping Sang."

Someone called him.

Chapter 125: Tell the Truth

Ping Shenglong looked in the direction of the voice and saw it was Akiyama Masahiro from the Ministry of Public Security.

"As expected, you also led an investigation team. How's it going? Any leads?" The tall Akiyama grinned and familiarly put his arm around Heisei Ryu's shoulder.

Kurosaki glanced at him and saw that Taira no Ryu had a hint of helplessness on his face.

"Akiyama, shouldn't you tell me about your discovery first?"

Akiyama shrugged: "The investigation headquarters has provided a lot of information, but it's not in-depth enough. Besides, it's only just begun, so where would we get any intelligence? But I know you're different; you must have some other ideas."

Ping Shenglong pointed to the ward: "They brainstorm together; they'll come up with more ideas than I do. Let's go."

"Hey! Don't be so cold. Why don't we have lunch together? Himeko is leading a team too, come on over." Akiyama tried to persuade her a few times.

Ping Shenglong waved his hand.

"A classmate?" Kurosaki guessed.

"Hmm." Heisei Ryu simply nodded, without saying anything more.

The two rushed to another hospital, where they quickly found another target.

"Ms. Otsuka's hearing is still recovering due to the strong blast sound at close range. There is a temporary interrogation room next door where you can communicate using a whiteboard. Please do not disturb the patient for too long."

"Thank you, nurse."

The two entered the ward, a six-person room that was already full. Most of the patients had suffered temporary or permanent hearing loss and were lying on the bed in a daze, looking dejected.

The person they were looking for—Natsuki Otsuka—was not lying in a hospital bed, but rather leaning against the window, seemingly gazing at the cherry blossoms outside, whose blooming season had already passed.

She saw Heisei Ryu and his companion, and at first looked puzzled, then suddenly realized, and smiled.

"Are you here to find me?"

Because of her hearing loss, she speaks rather loudly.

Ping Shenglong picked up the writing board next to him and started writing quickly.

Is now a convenient time? We have some questions.

"it is good."

Otsuka followed them into the room next door.

On March 15, 2031, you and Mizutani Masaka's parents reported her missing along the Hibiya Line. Could you please tell us the details of this incident?

Otsuka stared at the whiteboard, his expression momentarily dazed.

"Okay, as long as you don't think I'm talking nonsense. Even my uncle and aunt didn't believe me at first, and the police just treated it as an ordinary missing person case."

"We were out a bit late that day and caught the last train at Hibiya Station, but we later found out it wasn't the last train."

The more he listened, the brighter Kurosaki Chimei's eyes became.

At first, it was Tatsumi Hiramori and Natsuki Otsuka who were communicating, but later Kurosaki pushed Tatsumi Hiramori aside and kept asking for details, filling in the details in his notebook.

"That's how it was. I escaped from hell by exchanging a train ticket for Ya Hua's blood and flesh."

"And there must be quite a few people like me, I can tell from the handwriting in the train carriage, but in reality, it seems that I have never attracted any attention."

"The lady who saved me had already died in the car, but for some reason, Yahua was able to possess her body and save me. When I left that hell, I promised that I would find a way to go back and save her, even if it was just her soul, I would guide her back to reality."

"But I didn't dare, so I could only sit on a safe train and deceive myself with flowers. But even in the face of my broken promise, she still chose to forgive me in the end."

Kurosaki put down his pen, listened to Otsuka's words, and turned to look at Taira no Ryu.

“Every year, 80,000 to 100,000 people go missing across Japan, of whom about 30% are long-term missing and cannot be found,” Tatsumi Taira calmly stated the data. “Many of them simply vanish into thin air, and the largest group consists of office workers, teenagers, and bankrupt and unemployed individuals.”

"AI is not omnipotent; it is difficult to accurately analyze the psychology of each individual."

“In the past, the police would not have believed such supernatural statements, and they would not have even recorded them in the statement. They would probably only write a sentence that the person was under severe mental stress and was talking nonsense.”

Kurosaki looked back at Otsuka, and perhaps because she had received forgiveness from the deceased, her mood was both low and positive.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing I actually wanted to handle myself, but I don't know when I'll be able to be discharged from the hospital, and I'm afraid of wasting time."

"I feel that you are different from ordinary police officers, at least you are willing to believe what I say, so, could you please do me a favor?"

Otsuka seemed to remember something and looked at the two of them earnestly, asking them a question.

Please speak.

Kurosaki quickly wrote it down, hoping to get more relevant clues.

Otsuka took out a postcard-sized card from his pocket. It was somewhat old and had some bloodstains and dirt on it.

Heisei Ryu stopped Kurosaki's eagerly outstretched hand, put on gloves, and carefully took the card.

This is a greeting card that should be attached to a gift, bouquet, or cake.

This is our first anniversary together, and we'll celebrate our tenth, twentieth, and thirtieth anniversaries together forever.

Turn the Ping Sheng Dragon over to its back.

[Nakame 2-15-7, I still couldn't do it, I'm sorry]

“Please buy me a bunch of pink calla lilies, put the greeting card on them, and give it to the lady of this house in 2037.”

"After I woke up, this sentence kept echoing in my mind. I think it must have been left by someone else who accidentally wandered into that hell, and it might have been him who allowed Yaka to leave from there in the form of a soul."