The Daily Life of a Salted Fish Assassin in Anime Crossovers

In other words, Kitagawa only needs to observe for a little while to figure out Higashida's reaction when he's drunk.

"You probably don't shower after you're drunk, right?" Although Jiang Hang was already 90% sure based on the situation in the room, he still needed to confirm this with the person involved again.

Seeing that Dongtian nodded somewhat embarrassedly and seemed to want to explain himself a little, Jiang Hang waved his hand at him, indicating that there was no need to explain.

So, was it because they knew Higashida's usual personality and his habit of not taking a bath when he was drunk that the body was found in the bathroom?

After learning all this, Jiang Hang began to check the electrical wiring in Dongtian's room.

After a search, it was found that no electrical wires were missing from Dongtian's room; all the wires were intact and in their original positions. So, the origin of the extra wire that was used as the murder weapon was highly suspicious.

Since Kitagawa is now the most suspected criminal besides Higashida, Jiang Hang directly asked Higashida if he had ever helped Kitagawa repair televisions or anything like that.

Upon hearing Jiang Hang's question, Dongtian suddenly recalled what had happened a few days ago: "Come to think of it, something similar did happen..."

“Last week, Kitagawa told me that his TV at home couldn’t record programs and asked me to check it for him. Since I often tinker with these things and have helped many people in the company before, I didn’t think too much about it... As for electrical wires, I should have had some experience with them at that time.”

In addition, Higashida had mentioned to Kitagawa a few days ago that his daughter was getting married and that he wanted to celebrate properly.

At this point, Jiang Hang was almost able to piece together the truth of the case in his mind:

Kitagawa could have planned everything in advance.

He probably planned to frame Dongtian a long time ago.

First, I found an opportunity to leave Dongtian's fingerprints, and then, knowing that Dongtian had some good news recently, I made an appointment to go out for drinks with him last night.

Before heading to the bar to drink with Higashida, he rushed to the victim, Ms. Muranishi's, house, murdered her, hid her in the bathroom, and arranged the scene so that the room wouldn't look strange to the drunk Higashida at night.

Finally, he went to drink with Higashida again, got Higashida drunk, and then took the opportunity to send the drunk Higashida to Miss Muranishi's house under the pretext of taking him home.

During this process, he also had to personally confirm that he saw Dongtian enter the room and lock the door, ensuring that Dongtian's fingerprints were left in all the necessary places.

All he had to do was wait until the next morning to go to the landlord and personally enter the "secret room" that the drunken Higashida had created to catch Higashida on the spot.

To be honest, if Kitagawa really is the murderer, then his method of committing the crime is indeed quite ingenious.

After all, such a method is full of unpredictability. If Higashida had been even slightly more alert, or hadn't been so drunk, he might have been able to discover the body in the bathroom earlier.

If Higashida had discovered the body last night and called the police immediately, they would likely have been able to determine the exact time of death from the condition of the body, thus eliminating Higashida as a suspect and directly focusing on Kitagawa.

Unfortunately, everything Higashida did was within Kitagawa's expectations, and everything happened as expected.

After a night, when Ms. Muranishi had been dead for 12 to 15 hours, the temperature of her body was almost the same as the room temperature, the lividity was spreading, and the rigor mortis was at its peak.

Furthermore, the fact that the body is submerged in water also makes the determination of the time of death less accurate. Under such circumstances, the police are no longer able to accurately determine the time of death based on the condition of the body. An error of one or two hours is quite normal. To make a more accurate determination, an autopsy is the only option.

However, it is clear that after the police arrived at the scene and learned about the situation at the crime scene from the landlord and Kitagawa, and then found evidence pointing to Higashida from various places, and Higashida himself could not explain this evidence, many procedures were naturally simplified, so much so that the police were preparing to formally arrest Higashida this evening.

If it weren't for the accident in the police car that Sato Miwako and the others were escorting, which allowed Higashida to escape, and then the Junior Detective League and Sato Miwako's "momentary soft-heartedness" that gave Higashida a second chance, then Higashida, who was locked up in the detention center, would probably only be able to wait for a lawyer like Naruhodo Ryuichi to come and plead his case in court.

However, Naruhodo won't need to make an appearance this time. After all, as long as none of this is a fabrication staged by Higashida, Kitagawa is already doomed.

Proving Kitagawa's crimes is actually not that complicated.

First, there's the gray bedding and curtains. If these were recently purchased by Beichuan, then the channels through which he bought them must have left relevant information, perhaps even surveillance footage.

Then there's the wire with Higashida's fingerprints. If Kitagawa's house is missing this wire, or if he recently bought a new one, that would also be evidence.

Furthermore, the autopsy report on Ms. Muranishi, which gave her the specific time of death, also provided Higashida with an alibi.

Of course, in addition to the three points mentioned above, there is also the relationship between the two as a motive for the crime. As long as evidence or records can be found that Kitagawa and Muranishi were lovers, all of this can be put to rest.

Chapter 417: Chapter 413: I happen to know a few forensic doctors

After searching the homes of the victim, Muranishi, and the suspect, Higashida, Jiang Hang and Sato Miwako found enough evidence to reopen the police investigation.

Criminal cases are very serious matters, especially given the current operating model of the Japanese police and legal system. In order to ensure a conviction rate of over 99.9% in criminal cases, every criminal case must undergo multiple verifications before being transferred to the prosecutor's office before the court hearing.

If the police fail to find any suspicious points, and end up being proven wrong by the prosecutor in court, both the police officer and the prosecutor in charge of the case will have to write a self-criticism and be disciplined.

In fact, after searching Higashida's house with Eagle Vision and finding no useful clues, Jiang Hang directly suggested to Sato Miwako that they tell Inspector Megure their investigation results so that Inspector Megure could use the Metropolitan Police Department's authority to investigate the surveillance footage of the nearby supermarket.

In addition to reviewing the surveillance footage, it would be best to conduct an autopsy on the deceased tonight to completely rule out the possibility that Higashida was the perpetrator.

After all, Jiang Hang was quite cautious about the case and the suspect, knowing that his reasoning ability was definitely not as good as that of the main characters like Conan and Heiji.

The reason he can currently outmaneuver them is only because of his special methods that allow him to skip the deduction process and go straight to the truth. However, if he were to encounter a top-tier master criminal who leaves clues at the crime scene that are exactly what the criminal wants others to see, Jiang Hang would be more likely to be led into a mental dead end than Conan and Heiji Hattori.

Of course, to avoid such a situation, Jiang Hang might resort to even more underhanded methods.

For example, if Miwako Sato hadn't been there for this case, Jiang Hang would probably have already used his stealth skills to infiltrate the Kitagawa family home to conduct a crime scene investigation and conduct a live interview.

However, since Sato Miwako is right beside him now, it would be better to resolve the issue in a more official way, even if it might not be as efficient.

But there are still more than ten hours until noon tomorrow. As long as the Metropolitan Police Department doesn't dawdle too much, there's still plenty of time to work overtime.

Hearing Jiang Hang's suggestion, Sato Miwako was initially hesitant, but considering that their investigation had progressed to this point, if they wanted to continue the investigation without using too many resources, it seemed that the only option was to confront Kitagawa face to face. If they wanted to clear Higashida's name as quickly as possible, they would definitely need the support of the Metropolitan Police Department.

If she were still locked in the men's restroom, she might feel embarrassed, worried about leaving a dark history for herself. But since Jiang Hang has already unlocked her handcuffs, as long as Takagi Wataru and Jiang Hang don't tell anyone about it, no one will know this secret.

Thinking of this, Sato Miwako took out her phone, which had been switched off for a while, and called Inspector Megure to explain the current situation.

Upon receiving Sato Miwako's call, Inspector Megure, who was still searching near the building, first breathed a sigh of relief. Then, after hearing the reason for Sato Miwako and Takagi Wataru's disappearance, he scratched his hat in a mixture of anger and helplessness.

What angered Inspector Megure was that Miwako Sato and Wataru Takagi had disappeared without a word, leaving half of the Metropolitan Police Department's officers busy for hours trying to find them. Inspector Megure couldn't help but worry about how his colleagues would react if he told them the truth now.

Unfortunately, while Sato Miwako and her colleagues had good intentions—wanting to find clues in the case to help potentially innocent "suspects"—Inspector Megure was somewhat frustrated that they were actually thinking of secretly investigating behind his back. As Sato Miwako and Takagi Wataru's superior and mentors on their police careers, it was rather disheartening that they were doing this.

What frustrated him even more was Jiang Hang.

He was worried about his subordinates, which is why he swallowed his pride and asked Jiang Hang for help. Jiang Hang said he would investigate, but after discovering Sato Miwako's whereabouts, he was "bought off" by her. Not only that, but in just over half an hour, Jiang Hang had already gone with Sato to the crime scene to search again, and actually found a lot of suspicious points in the case.

However, Inspector Megure knew the seriousness of the matter.

Hearing Sato Miwako's seemingly logical and well-founded points about the case over the phone, he didn't say anything harsh. He simply emphasized to Sato Miwako that no matter what, they should keep a close eye on Higashida, the current suspect, and wait for their people to arrive before discussing anything else.

"But where exactly is Takagi investigating right now? We've almost finished investigating the scene here, and they still haven't arrived. We can't get through to them on the phone either. He shouldn't be such an unreliable person, right?" While waiting anxiously for Inspector Megure to arrive, Miwako Sato couldn't help but mutter this to herself about Wataru Takagi.

Jiang Hang knew, of course, that Takagi Wataru wouldn't mess things up under these circumstances, and besides, Conan was always with him. They were probably investigating somewhere else right now, and hadn't come here yet.

"Takagi is probably working hard elsewhere right now. Maybe when he comes over, he'll already have evidence of the criminal's crimes."

“If that’s really the case, then we just need one decisive piece of evidence to prove Mr. Higashida’s innocence,” Sato Miwako said, glancing at the somewhat nervous Higashida beside her, while trying to calm him down with a gentler tone.

"Don't worry, we just searched the scene together. As long as the police confirm that what you said is true, there is a high chance that you are innocent. Even if I don't sleep all night, I will find a way to clear your name."

What Sato Miwako is most worried about now is what irrational thing Higashida might do before Inspector Megure and the others arrive, otherwise all their efforts tonight will be wasted.

Jiang Hang and his group didn't have to wait long before Inspector Megure arrived at Higashida's house with several of his men.

"Are we really that untrustworthy? You should have told me about this from the beginning!" Upon arriving at the scene, Inspector Megure first reprimanded Miwako Sato, and then made her explain all the newly discovered clues in detail.

"Hmm... There are so many suspicious points that we didn't notice during the day..." Inspector Megure rubbed his head, looking a bit of a headache. "It's easy to go to the mall to investigate; we can go there now. But an autopsy might not be so easy."

Seeing the looks on Jiang Hang and Dongtian's faces, Inspector Megure sighed: "Forensic pathologists are a scarce profession. Even in our Metropolitan Police Department, there are only a few forensic pathologists. And recently, as autumn gradually turns into winter, it is the season when fires are prone to occur. There have been several fire incidents in the past few days. The forensic pathologists are still busy examining those bodies and cannot spare any manpower to come here to help."

Not to mention the Metropolitan Police Department, even in the whole of Japan, there are only about a hundred forensic doctors out of a population of over 100 million. Forensic doctors are in short supply everywhere.

Hearing Inspector Megure's words, Miwako Sato glanced at Higashida, whose expression was starting to tense up, and quickly said to Inspector Megure, "Then let's investigate the surveillance footage of the surrounding shopping malls first. As long as we can find the record of Kitagawa buying the gray curtains and quilt, we can apply for a search of the Kitagawa family."

"If there's a problem with the relationship between Beichuan and the victim, we're sure to find out a lot if we keep investigating!"

“Well, that’s all we can do now,” Inspector Megure said, not forgetting Higashida beside him. He said in a deep voice to the former “suspect”, “Mr. Higashida, rest assured, our police will never wrongly accuse any innocent person. As long as you are innocent, we will do our best to clear your name.”

Just then, Jiang Hang suddenly chimed in, "I happen to know a few forensic doctors. One of them has resigned, but his credentials are still valid. If they are available now, I should be able to get them to come and help."

Chapter 418: Chapter 414: Research Institute for Unnatural Deaths

During his months as a detective, Jiang Hang did get to know quite a few forensic doctors.

To be precise, one is Asagi Mi, a graduate of the Department of Medicine at the University of Tokyo, who became a forensic pathologist after her father was exonerated, believing that "forensic medicine is a job that exists for the future."

The other is Ikumi Gunda, a former forensic pathologist who attended the banquet as a famous detective who received an invitation in the Twilight Villa case.

Although Jiang Hang hadn't actively contacted them much after the Shadow Isle and Twilight Villa cases, the friendship forged in those cases was far more solid than that of ordinary drinking buddies.

Even though Ikumi Gunda had become a wealthy woman after resigning from her job as a forensic pathologist to become a detective, Jiang Hang felt that if he asked her for help, she would likely agree.

After all, as a currently popular detective, coupled with the identity and background he revealed at the Twilight Villa, his favors are still quite valuable.

However, he first contacted Asano Minami. He remembered that Ikumi Gunta had mentioned to him that Asano Minami had joined a research institute called UDI after the Tsukikage Island incident to work on forensic-related matters.

After returning from the Twilight Villa, Jiang Hang took some time to look up the UDI Research Institute. After learning that the institute's full name was "Unnatural Death Research Institute," he suddenly realized that this was the setting of the Japanese drama "Unnatural Death."

At the time, he was wondering if there was a female forensic doctor over there who looked exactly like Satomi Ishihara, and whether he should take some time to go and see her.

However, one thing after another happened to him, and he ended up putting the matter aside.

If it weren't for the sudden need for a forensic doctor to complete the autopsy and provide a more accurate autopsy report tonight, Jiang Hang would have almost completely forgotten about this matter.

Thinking this, Jiang Hang muttered to himself, with the talent of Asagi Minoru, a graduate of the University of Tokyo, he should have become a capable forensic doctor by now after a few months.

If Asano Minami is also unavailable, he will go find Kanata Ikuyoshi.

However, Ma Shengshi clearly still remembered how Jiang Hang casually wiped out the drug trafficking gang that had killed his father on Moonshadow Island.

It's fair to say that if Jiang Hang hadn't appeared, his life would probably have ended back then.

That's why, after hearing why Jiang Hang needed his help, Ma Shengshi, who had just gotten home from get off work, nodded in agreement without hesitation and told him where he was working.

After Jiang Hang contacted Asagi, Sato Miwako, who was standing next to him, was still a little curious about the background of this UDI research institute. Inspector Megure, who was a police inspector and had more information, explained the background of UDI to her.

“I’ve heard of UDI. It’s an official organization established in the last two years through cooperation between the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the Metropolitan Police Department. It’s located in Musashino. Its main business is to provide autopsy services to the public and investigate bodies with unusual causes of death. The Metropolitan Police Department’s local branches occasionally commission that research institute. If your friend works there, then there shouldn’t be any problem.”

Although applying for an autopsy is not a simple matter that can be resolved in a few words, Inspector Megure was still able to demonstrate his decisiveness as a police inspector at this moment.

UDI is an official organization, and it's not against the rules to ask them for help when the Metropolitan Police Department can't spare any manpower. At most, they just need to submit a report later.

So at his command, Muranishi's body was quickly transported to the UDI Research Institute in Musashino.

Just as Jiang Hang and his group were preparing to head to UDI, Takagi Wataru and his group arrived, looking travel-worn.

To be more precise, a group of male police officers brought Takagi Wataru over like he was being escorted.

According to these police officers, they were on their way to check surveillance footage at a nearby shopping mall as instructed by Inspector Megure when they ran into Takagi Wataru and his group who were coming out of a nearby bar. They then brought Takagi Wataru over first.

Of course, Takagi Wataru was accompanied by the Junior Detective League, a group of kids who loved to court death.

Conan's expression at this moment looked somewhat helpless.

They were rehearsing Teitan Elementary School's school festival program in that abandoned building this afternoon when a suspect suddenly broke in and kidnapped Ayumi.

The suspect continued to claim his innocence and gained the temporary trust of Ayumi and Officer Sato, so their rehearsal for today's program turned into assisting Takagi Wataru in solving the case.