Tokyo Unnatural Forensics

Chapter 485, Forensic Entomology!

Uesugi Muneyuki and Tanaka Kenji looked at each other. Uesugi Muneyuki's eyes were full of sincerity, while Tanaka Kenji did not react. On the contrary, the American expert looked completely bewildered.

The two stared at each other for a long time before Tanaka Kenji pointed to his face and said in American-accented English, "Excuse me, are you talking to me? I'm sorry, I don't understand Japanese."

"Can you speak English?" The American expert scratched his head.

Uesugi Muneyuki had no choice but to repeat it in English.

However, whether it was due to their Japanese accents or the other person's overly abbreviated slang, communication between the two was quite difficult.

Finally, Ikeda Erena, who was standing nearby, couldn't stand it anymore and spoke up.

It was only then that Uesugi Muneyuki realized that Ikeda Erena actually spoke fluent English! And she could understand American English with its various grammatical omissions and pronunciations!

You're too strong, Master! Is there anything else I don't know about you?
Seeing the look of admiration on Uesugi Muneyuki's face, the tall beauty couldn't help but proudly puff out her chest.

What's so hard about this?
That's how my mom talks; this kind of English is like my native language to me!

With Erina's support, Uesugi Muneyuki was finally able to communicate normally with this American expert.

"I see." Tanaka Kenji had almost forgotten his Japanese name; he usually used "Ken-Tanaka" in public. It took Uesugi Muneyuki a while to remember that his full name was "Kenji." "You're that Uesugi, right? I've heard of you! You're the one from the University of Tokyo professor's case! We at MIT all know about it, Professor William's PT program! Back then, the professor was asking students and professors for autographs everywhere because of that Professor Tsuda thing!"

"That's right, it's me, and I need your help now!" Uesugi Muneyuki didn't have time for formalities and asked directly, "It's urgent, I need your help!"

"You really have no manners at all. Are you really Japanese?" The American expert sighed. "If you are Japanese, you should learn to be polite. If you are not Japanese, you should understand that I am here on vacation."

“I’m sorry, Mr. Tanaka, but I believe business is business, and this is the best respect I can show you,” Uesugi Muneyuki replied.

"Good! I like it this way!" Tanaka was persuaded. He stood up and patted Uesugi Muneyuki on the shoulder: "You seem to understand us Americans quite well!"

........................

In the morning, at the Forensic Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo.

“Lucilia bufonivora.” After a series of experiments, observations, and judgments, Tanaka Kenji said to Uesugi Muneyuki and Ikeda Erena.

"What?" Erena was stunned.

What kind of word is this? She doesn't know how to translate it.

“Lucilia bufonivora, a very special carrion-eating fly, scientifically known as Lucilia bufonivora, commonly known as the green toad fly,” Tanaka Kenji said to Uesugi Muneyuki and Ikeda Erena. “The development stage of this fly’s eggs is extremely early. Considering the temperature and humidity at the time of discovery, the egg-laying time was after the corpse was moved and repositioned.”

Kenji Tanaka wrote the Latin scientific name on the blackboard.

"In other words, the murderer carried toad fly eggs and allowed them to lay eggs on the body of the deceased, oh, this poor idol... What a tragedy," the American expert remarked casually.

Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Uesugi Muneyuki felt a sudden brightness in his eyes.

Yes, this is it, this is exactly what I wanted!
He immediately consulted the archives, especially the biological archives concerning green toads and flies, and indeed made a major discovery!

This type of fly has a very limited distribution area in Japan, mainly concentrated in Hokkaido and the Tohoku mountainous region. It is extremely rare in Tokyo and it is almost impossible for it to appear naturally in a closed room of a downtown apartment building.

Considering that it is already late April, the only region where the weather is still cold is Hokkaido!
Moreover, Imazaki's manager had just lost the documents! And the time between when the Yuasa father and son received the news was very close, so it can be confirmed that it was an incident that happened very recently. The murderer rushed back to Tokyo from Hokkaido to commit the crime, so he would have left fly eggs on his body and laid them on the corpse on the same day!

These fly eggs didn't come from the local area; they were accidentally brought in by someone who came from a specific region! This person was present at the crime scene during the crucial time when the body was being placed!
As expected of a US forensic pathologist, their skills are indeed strong, their scope is indeed wide, their abilities are indeed high, but their English is indeed poor!

After thanking Tanaka Kenji, Uesugi Muneyuki immediately brought the news back to the newly established Special Investigation Headquarters.

The investigation headquarters erupted in excitement. Chief Investigator Uesugi had already reached a conclusion after only a day and a half?

All investigative directions immediately focused:
Immediately investigate all individuals known to have entered or exited the apartment building during the time of the incident!
Examine all surveillance footage near the crime scene, focusing on the general physical characteristics and features of the person described by Uesugi Muneyuki.

The Metropolitan Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division immediately reviewed records of members of organized crime groups nationwide who had recently (within one or two days before the incident) traveled to Hokkaido!

With the convergence of three lines of investigation, coupled with Uesugi Muneyuki's secret instruction to Minami to keep an eye on those connected to Yuasa and his son, the Special Investigation Headquarters' intensive investigation finally identified a suspect!
Katsuya Takikawa, a former member of a yakuza organization, had his phone records and travel tickets from the 48 hours prior to the incident showing that he had just returned to Tokyo from Sapporo, Hokkaido, after handling "business"!
Takikawa's license plate was captured by an inconspicuous traffic camera near the crime scene, and the timing of the incident closely matched Uesugi Muneyuki's deduction of the "time of the incident"!
That evening, all the police officers of the Special Investigation Headquarters immediately set out and rushed to Takikawa Katsuya's temporary residence and office in Tokyo!

........................

At the same time that the Metropolitan Police Department mobilized in full force, in Setagaya, at the Yuasa Villa.

The tranquility of the study was shattered by a sudden, urgent telephone ring.

Yuasa answered the phone, and after listening to only a few words, his face turned deathly pale, and his hand trembled so much that he almost dropped the phone.

"Father...Father!" His voice was shrill and distorted with extreme terror: "It's over! Our informant just called! The Metropolitan Police Department has located Takikawa! They've started their operation!"

Yuasa Seidou, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light. He leaned forward, his previous composure gone, replaced by the extreme alertness of someone disturbed by a predator.

"What?!" His voice cracked for the first time: "How could it be so fast?! These three cases are a tangled mess, and Imazaki is already dead. How could the police possibly figure these things out so quickly?"

"I don't know! They said it was completely out of the blue. Uesugi Muneyuki, it's like he suddenly got the evidence and pounced on us! Father, what do we do?! If they catch Takikawa, they'll definitely trace it back to us!" Yuasa Hiroshi was completely panicked, pacing back and forth in the study like a caged beast, his face filled with the fear of the end of the world. He suddenly stopped and said in a desperate, reckless tone, "Or... or I'll take the blame! I'll say it was my idea, that I instructed Takikawa to do everything, and that it has nothing to do with you! As long as you're still here, the main family will..."

"Idiot! Shut up!"

Yuasa Seidou's sharp shout, like a splash of cold water, instantly interrupted his son's self-destructive ramblings. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down with astonishing speed. Decades of navigating the treacherous waters of politics had instilled in him a ruthless instinct to quickly find the optimal solution in a crisis.

“You’re going to take the blame now? That would be suicide! The Metropolitan Police Department and the Financial Services Agency don’t want you, they want me! If you go in, they’ll do everything they can to get you to talk, and their ultimate target will still be me!” His mind raced, and his eyes became deep and unfathomable again.

“Listen, Yang. Calm down. Our firewall is still intact.” His tone became unusually calm, even with a hint of painful calculation. “Takikawa is Suzuki Ichiro’s front man, and Suzuki Ichiro is the head of ‘Pacific Management Consulting.’ All overt instructions and financial flows end up with Suzuki.”

He seemed to be playing a game of chess; although he had lost an important piece, he still held the king's position.

“Suzuki is a smart man; he knows what to do. Protect his family and get enough ‘compensation,’ and he’ll know how to shut up. The Metropolitan Police Department and the Financial Services Agency can only investigate Pacific Management Consulting and Ichiro Suzuki at most. This is cutting off one’s own arm to survive, although… hmph, this time it will probably come at a considerable price.” His lips twitched, clearly feeling a pang of anguish at the thought of the benefits he had to give up.

Immediately, he picked up another phone, quickly dialed a number, and spoke in a hurried and stern tone:
"Immediately notify Takikawa that the original plan is canceled! Tell him to use the backup plan and leave immediately! Any means necessary! The sooner the better!"

"Ugh, why did it turn out like this?" Yuasa Hiroshi felt as if his bones had been removed. He was the one who arranged things, so he naturally bore the main responsibility.

Even the shrewd and calculating Yuasa Seidou seemed to be struck by an invisible blow, staggering backward and falling heavily back into his armchair. He stared intently at his son's terrified face, a reproachful expression appearing on his own face for the first time.

He calculated everything, taking into account the interests and desires of people, and set up layers of firewalls, but he overlooked one thing.

Soyuki Uesugi!

After a full ten seconds of silence, he slowly and deliberately uttered a sentence in a tone filled with disbelief and even a hint of fear:

"Strange, how...how did they manage to find Takikawa so quickly...Could it be that Uesugi Muneyuki...is really that strong?!"

At this moment, his absolute confidence in "rules" and "evidence," which he had always held, showed its first clear, chilling crack.

He found himself facing what appeared to be a force beyond his comprehension.

"Did he really make that dead man, Imazaki, speak?"

(End of this chapter)