Tokyo Unnatural Forensics

Chapter 507, Suspect Identified!

The changes in human communication capabilities over the past century have had a tremendous impact on human society.

Everyone has probably read the poem, "When war rages for three months, a letter from home is worth a fortune." In ancient times, sending letters by carrier pigeon or through multiple channels was very romantic and meaningful. This is something that modern people find very difficult to understand and truly appreciate, as it evokes the emotion of receiving a letter from a loved one who has been out of contact for months or even years.

A more recent example would be the Shinichi and Ran romance in "Detective Conan".

In the early days of Detective Conan, Shinichi and Ran communicated through public telephones in phone booths or even by letter, which was incredibly romantic for that era. Coupled with Ran's occasional acts of standing in the snow to see Shinichi, the special feelings between them, despite their seemingly insurmountable distance, and the charm of a predestined romance, could only be truly appreciated by people from that time.

However, the Detective Conan series has been going on for far too long, spanning the evolution of mobile phones from the early mobile phones to the later handy phones, from flip phones to smartphones, and now to all-in-one phones with triple cameras and ultra-high-definition features.

The romance of the past and the idea of ​​a predestined marriage across vast distances have become laughable with the development of technology. For example, Shinichi and Ran can now contact each other simply by making a video call.

Gosho Aoyama was also in a dilemma. In order to keep the story going and maintain the Shinichi and Ran storyline, Gosho Aoyama had to forcibly set Ran's phone to a flip phone and keep it that way for many years. It wasn't until he finally gave up all the romantic scenes and character development between Shinichi and Ran that the technological level in the Detective Conan world suddenly advanced by leaps and bounds, and drones appeared out of nowhere.

But this also means that the relationship between Shinichi and Ran is no longer worth depicting. Ran has lost all value and has become a marginalized character who has been abandoned.

As an aside, Xiaolan's early "savage girlfriend" persona, like her "tsundere" persona, was a product of the times. In that era, limited communication and transportation meant that interpersonal relationships were relatively closed.

As you all know, although my girlfriend may be very violent, barbaric, arrogant, and verbally abusive towards me, she is always within my observation or perception range. Our relationship is closed to the outside world, and I can confirm that she likes me or at least that it is stable and that no one else is involved.

Now? You never know if your so-called "tsundere girlfriend" is actually a "weapon" that other rich guys would want to vomit at. You might be insulted, beaten, and ridiculed in front of her, while she's a completely different person in front of others (I won't go into details here, NTR has now completely destroyed pure love!).

Therefore, the elements of tsundere and savage girlfriend have disappeared with the wind. The tsundere that can still remain now are either the "Dragon King's sister disciple" type whose face says "I like you so much I'm crazy" or the "always shyly whispering in Russian next door Ellie" type, where there is a special "closed relationship" between the two (constantly confirming feelings in Russian). Otherwise, men nowadays simply do not believe "she likes me".

Uesugi Muneyuki quickly realized a problem.

Japan is a typical example of an extreme atomistic and postmodern society, but not everyone has entered into a postmodern society.

Eiji Watanabe is a typical "modern person". He still retains some traditional morality and conservative ideas, but he has already entered the modernization process. Those elements are only reflected in some small things and lifestyle habits.

However, the Imperial Household Agency is a very conservative and traditional place, and it is not surprising that there are many pre-modern people there as people get older.

Exchange of letters and physical objects!
Uesugi Muneyuki immediately suggested that the other party might not use telephone or internet communication at all!

The Special Missions Unit immediately changed the direction of their investigation, and finally, around 3 a.m., they discovered a suspicious person!
Horikawa Nen, 58 years old, is the Vice Minister in charge of the Imperial Household Agency's Archives and Mausoleums Department.
A 58-year-old man, usually quiet and reserved, considered to have a gloomy personality, and who had not been promoted for many years, exhibited several "abnormal" behaviors in the past month:

He once entered the Imperial Palace on a day off under the pretext of "organizing materials," but surveillance footage showed that he spent a long time "strolling" in the Kitanomaru area.

His personal shopping records (accessed via his electronic payment information) show that two weeks before the incident, he purchased a bundle of bright blue fishing nylon rope, identical to the pieces found at the scene, from a large sporting goods store. His stated reason for purchase was "to trim the trees in his yard."

Most importantly, on the night of the incident, he claimed to be working overtime in his office organizing ancient books, but the surveillance footage in the internal corridor showed that he had stayed alone in his department's office area for a period of time, where there were computers that could access the patrol log system. Although many powerful bureaucrats had accessed the system, since he had also accessed it, there was a possibility that he could have made changes!

"Sir, are you familiar with this Horikawa?"

It was already 3 a.m., and everyone was very tired. Uesugi Muneyuki forced himself to stay awake and asked Maeda Risuke, the head of the Imperial Household Agency.

“Horikawa?” Maeda Risuke sighed. “He’s actually been in this position for a long time…and he’s always had a lot of complaints.”

"Horikawa came from a commoner background and entered the University of Tokyo through hard work. In his early years, he worked very hard and responsibly, but due to a lack of connections, he was assigned to the obscure Department of the Imperial Archives... Uesugi-kun, you should understand that although our Imperial Household Agency values ​​ability and dedication, those who can get in are the elite of the elite, especially at the level of Vice-Minister. Who doesn't have connections and relationships?" Maeda Toshiyuki had already understood something: "Horikawa... has been in the position of Vice-Minister for more than ten years, but has never had an opportunity, so naturally he has some resentment." "Not only that, there are other reasons why we refused to promote Horikawa." Vice-Minister Nakajima finally couldn't help but say: "Actually, we overheard Horikawa talking to his family and friends on the phone once and saying... extreme left-wing remarks. We warned him at the time."

"Extreme leftism???" Takeuchi, the chief retainer of the Imperial Palace, was stunned. He almost shouted without thinking, "Baka!!!"

"Why didn't you inform us about this? Do you people want to destroy this country???" Takeuchi, the chief aide who had been holding back his anger and grievances for so long, finally exploded. He grabbed Vice Minister Nakajima's collar hard: "Speak up! Why didn't you report it?"

"...Because it's very troublesome." Vice Minister Nakajima was speechless for a long time before finally speaking.

Uesugi Muneyuki remained silent.

That's how bureaucrats are; they prefer to avoid trouble.

Do not boast about current events or try to be a hero. Be tactful and humble. Ministers should be calm and composed in managing the economy. Do not show off your extraordinary achievements or talk about loyalty. All human affairs should be handled with composure. There is no need to discuss or refute. When all is peaceful, the year will be bountiful. When the nation is prosperous, the official career will be smooth. Everyone should support each other and work together harmoniously. Whether it is good or bad, make amends.

Reporting it to higher authorities is just asking for trouble. On the contrary, giving a private warning is like letting nothing happen. After I die, I don't care about the floods, as long as it's not during my term that it's destroyed.

"Alright, let's not talk about that now. In short, I believe this 58-year-old Vice Minister Horikawa is a prime suspect. Ishimura may not have been murdered, but he definitely provided the intruder with enough assistance, even directly helping them evade surveillance and patrols." Uesugi Muneyuki said in a deep voice, "For example, he may have used a very hidden tree hole or rock crevice in the Kitanomaru Park forest as a 'mailbox' to write down information such as patrol routes inside the Imperial Palace, blind spots in surveillance, and shift change times on very thin pieces of paper, stuffed them into a waterproof bag, and put them into the 'mailbox.' Given how many times he entered and exited Kitanomaru, it's highly likely that he did!"

“The external accomplices would periodically retrieve the intelligence and insert new instructions or items. This method leaves almost no electronic traces and relies on an extreme familiarity with the terrain and a precise grasp of timing. This also explains why the killer was able to find the infiltration route so accurately.”

That's it!

After Uesugi Muneyuki said that, everyone felt that the matter made sense!

There's a mole!
So no wonder the inside-outside cooperation was so seamless, no wonder the investigation had yielded nothing after so long!
"Commander Maeda, the situation is urgent. Please grant us immediate permission to arrest Horikawa!" Kai Toru of the Special Missions Unit said immediately.

“No, not now.” However, Miss Minami objected: “Both the Imperial Palace and all its personnel are currently in a situation where secrecy is essential but also highly tense. If we act rashly, we might alert the enemy, not only revealing that we have discovered the mole, but also potentially leaking information about the Imperial Palace to the outside world.”

"Yes, absolutely not! Absolutely not!" Maeda Risuke and Takeuchi, the chief aide, nodded anxiously.

“I have an idea… It’s so late now, everyone should go and rest. Tomorrow morning, when this Vice Minister Horikawa of the Imperial Archives comes to work, the Imperial Household Agency will notify him to attend a meeting at the Imperial Archives to discuss the progress of the ancient book collation. We’ll lure him into the meeting room and arrest him directly.” Miss Minami immediately came up with a plan: “The target may be emotionally extreme, so we must be careful and focus on control to avoid provoking him.”

“I think it’s a good idea.” Uesugi Muneyuki couldn’t help but nod. Notifying others to attend a meeting and then immediately arresting them has been proven by countless historical precedents to be the simplest yet most effective method.

“Very good, then we will arrange it immediately!” Commander Maeda nodded without hesitation.

By this time, it was already four in the morning. Uesugi Muneyuki and the others went to rest first, while the Imperial Household Agency and the Imperial Palace Police held a secret discussion for a while, finalized the plan, and then went back to rest as well. They were all exhausted after making a fuss all day.

Only the head of the Imperial Palace Police Headquarters, Gondo, couldn't sleep. After thinking for a moment, he simply summoned his subordinates.

"It must be absolutely safe, absolutely reliable, and absolutely guaranteed that we can take down Horikawa Nian in one fell swoop!"

"Minister, what do you mean?"

"Add more manpower, increase the number of plainclothes officers, strengthen the surrounding security, and we must guarantee the success of the arrest operation 100%!" Chief Inspector Gondo was determined; whether he could keep his rank as Superintendent of Police would depend on tomorrow morning!
"Yes!!"

(End of this chapter)