Tokyo Unnatural Forensics

Chapter 557, Aokigahara Forest
Aokigahara Forest refers to a vast primeval forest located on the northwestern foothills of Mount Fuji in Yamanashi Prefecture, spanning Fujikawaguchiko Town and Narusawa Village. It was formed after the eruption of Mount Fuji.

This place is very famous in Japan, known as a "suicide hotspot." It is said that over the decades, Japanese police have found more than a thousand bodies in the Aokigahara Forest, and this is only what has been found; there may be many more yet to be discovered.

Uesugi Muneyuki was naturally familiar with the Aokigahara Forest. This primeval forest, covering an area of ​​about 30 square kilometers, had its own unique "suicide advantage." The forest was huge, with trees blocking out the sun, and the terrain was complex and easy to get lost in. The entire forest was covered with rugged volcanic rocks, and the ground was covered with thick moss and fallen leaves, making it extremely difficult to walk.

Because the trees are so dense, they effectively absorb sound, making the forest unusually quiet, even to the point of being oppressive.

Furthermore, due to the large amount of dissolved and cooled magnetite left by the volcanic lava after the eruption of Mount Fuji in earlier years, there is no cell phone signal here, and people cannot receive messages from the outside world, making it particularly suitable for suicide.

Of course, there is another reason why Aokigahara Forest became a suicide hotspot: the influence of literary works and the promotion by the media. In the 60s, the famous Japanese mystery novelist Seicho Matsumoto published his famous work "The Tower of Waves". In the book, a female protagonist chooses to end her life in Aokigahara Forest.

The novel and its subsequent film and television adaptations achieved great success, deeply imprinting the image of "Aokigahara Forest" and "suicide" into the collective consciousness of the Japanese people.

Subsequently, the media further fueled the controversy, repeatedly emphasizing the location "Aokigahara Forest" in their reports on the suicide and labeling it the "Suicide Forest." This kind of labeling created a strong psychological suggestion and locational reference for people with suicidal tendencies, as if it were a "socially acceptable" place suitable for their final journey.

This perfectly reflects the Japanese character.

For those determined to commit suicide, the forest provides a relatively "secret" place. The dense forest can easily conceal their figure, and the vast area means that the body may not be discovered for a long time. This aligns with the Japanese mentality of "not wanting to cause trouble for others" and "hoping to disappear quietly."

As mentioned earlier, the Aokigahara Forest has magnetite underground, no signal, and is particularly easy to get lost and injured. Even if some suicide victims change their minds halfway through, the Forest does not agree! As a result, it is quite common for "forced suicides" to die from hunger, hypothermia, dehydration, or excessive blood loss.

A sea of ​​trees! A sea of ​​trees!
There's no doubt about it! The ANFO explosives were made there! The Sakikawa Restoration Army, the Red Canary, and the secrets of the underworld are also very likely located there!

Uesugi Muneyuki's gaze drifted from Sakurada Gate towards Mount Fuji.

I hope this time, you won't let me down!

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

The day after the target was locked, at dawn, before the darkness of pre-dawn had completely faded, the massive cone-shaped outline of Mount Fuji was faintly visible in the morning light, and the snow on the summit shone with a cold blue light.

At the foot of the mountain lies the Aokigahara Forest, known as the "Suicide Forest." This is a vast primeval forest formed by volcanic eruptions, with tall, dense trees (mainly cypress and fir) whose intertwined canopies form an almost opaque, dark green dome. The forest floor is covered with a thick, sponge-like layer of volcanic moss, making walking on it virtually silent.

A thin mist that lingers year-round flows slowly through the gaps in the forest, adding to the mystery and ominous atmosphere. At the edge of the forest, the words "Cherish Life" on the warning sign stand out starkly in the dim light.

However, today, this silent land of death is being squeezed from all sides towards the center by an unprecedented steel force!
Outside the forest, the once quiet roads were completely blocked off, with flashing red and blue police lights as dense as stars, tearing apart the twilight of the early morning. Uniformed police officers, their expressions grim, formed the first human wall.

Behind them was an even more elite mobile unit, the letters "SAT" on their black bulletproof vests appearing and disappearing under the lights. Several heavy armored vehicles, like lurking beasts, emitted a deep roar from their engines, and the searchlights on their roofs shot out pale beams of light, like sharp swords trying to pierce the edge of the forest.

In the air, formations of helicopters from the Metropolitan Police Department and the National Police Agency roared and circled, the massive rotor noise shattering the millennia-old tranquility of the forest, and the strong winds whipping up the canopy like waves. Fully armed SAT team members on board were intently watching the green labyrinth below, through high-powered binoculars, a place that could potentially conceal countless deadly traps.

To the east, towards Fujiyoshida City.

Superintendent Kobe Takashi, advisor to the Public Security Department of the National Police Agency, personally led the team, the roar of heavy truck engines breaking the morning tranquility. A long line of black-painted armored police vehicles, like silent behemoths, steadily advanced along the forest road, their wheels rolling over the surface with an invincible momentum.

The white lettering of "Metropolitan Police Department" on the vehicle stood out prominently in the brightening daylight. Following closely behind were dozens of buses carrying riot police officers; inside the windows were countless young, tense faces, wearing helmets and gripping riot shields.

To the west, in the direction of Mingze Village:

More vehicles are gathering, including mobile command vehicles equipped with satellite communication and command systems, plainclothes police vehicles mixed in, which look ordinary but are equipped with the most advanced listening and monitoring equipment, and vehicles of experts carrying specialized equipment such as ground-penetrating radar and life detectors.

Superintendent Kuroda Uhei, head of the Security Planning Division of the National Police Agency's Security Department, is stationed here, leading a team of elite public security police officers, headed by Inspector Kinoshita Touya, on standby at all times.

To the south, toward Fujikawaguchiko Town:
This is the direction the main force is heading.

Hundreds of detectives from the First and Third Investigation Divisions, wearing bulletproof vests and checking their pistols, wore expressions of exhaustion from a long manhunt and sharpness before the decisive battle.

They stood alongside SAT team members dressed in dark blue combat uniforms, carrying submachine guns and breaching tools, giving their final briefing. The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and tense sweat.

The Metropolitan Police Department's Public Security Bureau Superintendent Ichijo and the Investigation Division's First Division Superintendent Higurashi are stationed here!

To the north, towards Lake Yamanaka:

The deafening roar of rotors grew louder as it approached, shattering the tranquility of the sky.

Three police helicopters (EC135 and Bell 412 models respectively) flew low in a triangular formation, like hunting eagles. Their searchlights, like lightsabers, pierced the forest mist, casting moving spots of light on the dense canopy. Snipers peered through the open hatches, their high-powered binoculars fixed on any suspicious movement below.

From above, countless red and blue police lights, like twinkling stars, converge from all directions towards the center of the dark green forest, forming a continuously shrinking, dazzling encirclement. Radio waves crisscrossed densely in the air, and the voices of commanders from various units clearly and concisely reported their positions and situations in encrypted channels.

"Unit A1, have reached the designated position, and the blockade line has been established." "Unit B2, the SAT assault team is ready."

"Aerial unit Alpha, no obvious anomalies detected on the forest ground, over."

Inside the forward command post, situated on a high point at the edge of the forest, Eiji Watanabe surveyed the grand layout through a large screen. His expression was stern, his eyes as unwavering as the rocks of Mount Fuji.

Standing beside him were Chief Cabinet Secretary Onoda, Criminal Investigation Department Chief Uchimura, First Investigation Division Chief Sugishita, and Special Missions Unit Administrator Watanabe Minami, who had just completed the final intelligence summary.

Naturally, Minami and Mikoto did not go to the front lines.

"Gentlemen," Inspector Watanabe's voice carried through the internal communication system to every participating officer, "the target is in this forest. Their methods are ruthless, their plans meticulous; it's a provocation against our entire nation! Today, we gather here, mobilizing the strongest force in the Metropolitan Police Department's history, with only one objective—"

He paused, then his voice suddenly rose, carrying a metallic clang:

"Sweep away the enemy's stronghold and eradicate them completely! Bury the Sakikawa Restoration Army in this grave they have chosen!"

"All units, commence operations according to the pre-arranged plan!"

"Yes!!!"

After assigning all the tasks, Eiji Watanabe suddenly realized that someone seemed to be missing.

Wait, where's my son?
As if sensing her father's question, Watanabe Minami explained, "Chief Uesugi and the Special Missions Unit went with the main force at the front!"

"What? Who let him go?!" As expected, Watanabe Eiji's expression changed when he heard his daughter say this.

Are you kidding me? This isn't child's play; this is a national-level counter-terrorism military operation!

The other side is very likely to possess equivalent weaponry, and also weapons of mass destruction, such as bombs!

“It was Uesugi who wanted to go.” Watanabe Minami sighed. “Muneyuki said he really wanted to see for himself what kind of genius planned these events, and if possible, he wanted to talk to him.”

"Nonsense!" Watanabe Eiji was furious. In a few months, Uesugi Muneyuki was going to marry his daughter. What was he doing at this time? "Bring him back immediately! He's a forensic expert, not a SAT sniper!"

At this moment, Minami Watanabe said to Nadeshiko, "I believe in Muneyuki. Since he chose to go, he must have his reasons. Let's trust him, Director."

Eiji Watanabe glared at Minami Watanabe, but with so many people around, he could only keep quiet. Even though he was the Superintendent General of Police, he couldn't make exceptions for himself.

On the ground, the mobile teams, like a blue tide, began to advance steadily into the forest in skirmish lines. The heavy footsteps and the clanging of equipment broke the forest's millennia-old silence. The SAT teams, like ghosts, moved at an even faster pace, using specialized tools to infiltrate the core area along the predetermined route. In the air, helicopters circled above the sea of ​​trees, their loud noise startling birds in flight, and searchlight beams swept repeatedly through the forest.

The menacing aura of certain victory clashed violently with the inherent eerie and deathly atmosphere of the forest, foreshadowing an earth-shattering decisive battle that was about to erupt deep within this mist-shrouded forest.

At that moment, Uesugi Muneyuki and the others officially entered the Sea of ​​Trees.

However, there was no dangerous atmosphere in the forest as expected, perhaps because there were just too many people. Uesugi Muneyuki suddenly felt that this was more like a picnic than a search.

The mountains, forests, and winds of Mount Fuji in Yamanashi Prefecture are exceptionally refreshing.

However, he soon discovered that in addition to being known as the suicide forest, the forest also had another rather unpleasant name—the garbage forest!
There's trash everywhere!

It's still old-fashioned Showa-era garbage.

Uesugi Muneyuki casually stepped on the ground and saw a very old bag of laundry detergent with "WashTele - Powerful Oil Removal" written on it!

There were also old-fashioned game cartridges, including the game "Honkai Impact 3rd: Dongbai Railway" endorsed by Zhang Dashuai of Fengtian.

A bald guy endorses "Damn it, Citadel Heroes"!
"Highly recommended by archaeological master Sun Dashuai, Tomb Raider!"

Why are they all old items from the Showa era? Uesugi Muneyuki was both amused and exasperated.

But just then, Date Chomune, who was standing nearby, made a discovery: "Uesugi-san! Come quick, look at this!"

“Come on!!!”

(End of this chapter)