Tokyo: I'm really not a killer

Chapter 81 Caught in the Net

After the gunshots subsided, silence returned to the forest. Hara Shinsei stood there, looking down at Shiraishi Hideaki lying in a pool of blood, confirming his death.

Hara Masaki carefully searched the body, rummaging through all of Shiraishi Hideaki's pockets and taking out any loose change, keys, or other items that might identify him or be associated with him.

Next, he packed these items into a small plastic bag and put it into his backpack.

After confirming that there were no valuable clues left on the body, Yuan Zhensheng tightly wrapped the body in plastic sheeting and tied it with a rope he carried with him to prevent the body from falling apart as it decomposed.

There's no way to dig a pit. To dig a deep enough pit to bury a person, it would take at least a day and a night. The only solution is to find a crack in the mountain and throw the person in.

After disposing of the body, Yuan Zhensheng cleaned up the dirt and put the machete, used plastic sheet, rope, and other items back into his backpack.

He looked around, checked again for any missed bloodstains, footprints, or other traces, and did some simple cleaning.

Finally, he slung his backpack over his shoulder, glanced at the cave, his face expressionless, and quickly left the forest along the path he had come from.

Only the rustling of leaves in the wind and the occasional bird song remained in the forest, as if nothing had happened.

When Yuan Zhensheng returned to the safe house, it was already close to dusk.

He pushed open the door and saw Shinomiya Rin leaning against the wall, seemingly still awake, listening warily to the sounds outside.

Upon seeing him enter, Shinomiya Rin immediately stood up, her face filled with tension and anticipation: "How did it go? Did you find out anything?"

Yuan Zhensheng showed just the right amount of annoyance on his face, then closed the door behind him and sighed.

They ran away.

"It ran away?" Shinomiya Rin was taken aback, not understanding at first. "What, it ran away?"

"Hideaki Shiraishi." Hara Masaki walked to the corner, put down his backpack, and spoke in a calm tone, but with a sense of helplessness at having messed things up. "I took him out to scout, and halfway there he said he needed to relieve himself. I waited there, but after a while there was no movement. When I went over to check, he was gone. I called him a few times but there was no response."

He paused, as if recalling something: "I guess he slipped into the depths of the woods while I wasn't looking. I searched for a while but couldn't find him. That kid looked cowardly, but I didn't expect him to be so fast. He also seemed to know the terrain quite well, so he might have been around here before."

Shinomiya Rin's eyes widened, her face filled with disbelief: "He—he got away? We risked so much to rescue him from the Metropolitan Police Department, and he just ran away?!"

"Hmm." Yuan Zhensheng nodded, picked up the water bottle and took a sip. "It seems he doesn't trust us at all, or he didn't actually want to be rescued, but he had no choice at the time. Now that he has the chance, he's slipping away on his own."

He glanced at Shinomiya Rin and added, "They might also be afraid we're bad guys and worried we'll silence them."

Shinomiya Rin bit her lip, paced back and forth a couple of times, and said angrily, "That ungrateful bastard! I even—"

We thought we could get something out of him! What do we do now?

"What else can we do?" Yuan Zhensheng's tone returned to calm. "His escape might not be a bad thing for us. We've lost a burden, and we've also lost someone who could have exposed our whereabouts. The police are definitely still searching for him with all their might, so their attention will be somewhat diverted."

He looked at Shinomiya Rin: "We have to leave here as soon as possible according to the original plan. If Shiraishi Hideaki is caught and taken back, or goes to the police himself, this place will not be safe—pack up and let's leave immediately."

Although Shinomiya Rin was still furious, she knew that Hara Masaki had a point.

She nodded and began packing her meager belongings, muttering to herself, "If I had known it would turn out like this, I shouldn't have saved him in the first place—what a waste of effort."

She was very disappointed that all her efforts had been in vain.

On the way back, Shinomiya Rin was still not giving up and kept asking Hara Masao, "Did he mention anything about the Swamp Man before he left?"

Yuan Zhensheng shook his head: "No, he didn't say anything. He was very wary. I tried to ask him, but he seemed to be very secretive about the Swamp Man. But it's also possible that he doesn't know any valuable information at all."

Upon hearing this, Shinomiya Rin's expression of disappointment deepened, and her shoulders slumped.

She stopped talking and silently packed her things before getting into the car with Yuan Zhensheng, preparing to drive back to the port area.

Even without Hideaki Shiraishi, they still cannot let their guard down, because Rin Shinomiya is still a wanted criminal.

Hara Masaki focused on driving, choosing a secluded county road to avoid checkpoints on highways and main roads. He changed the license plate once along the way and had Shinomiya Rin keep a low profile in the back seat.

When it was completely dark, they finally circled back into Tokyo, but did not enter the core Minato Ward. Hara Masaki parked the car in a secluded parking lot in Shinagawa Ward.

"Get off the bus, we'll transfer to the tram," Yuan Zhensheng ordered briefly.

The two abandoned the car, and Yuan Zhensheng carefully cleaned up any fingerprints or other traces that might have been left inside.

They walked a distance, blending into the late-night crowd, and boarded a tram bound for the port area. The carriage wasn't crowded, so they sat separately, pretending not to know each other.

After getting off at an inconspicuous little station in the port area, Hara Masaki led Shinomiya Rin through the alleys and eventually returned to the vicinity of Komi Yui's apartment.

He didn't go upstairs directly, but observed from a distance for a while to make sure there was nothing unusual before signaling Shinomiya Rin to follow.

The two silently climbed the stairs to the apartment's outer corridor. Yuan Zhensheng did not open the door immediately, but listened carefully to make sure there was no movement inside before gently opening the door with his key.

The room was pitch black and silent; no lights were on.

"Ms. Komi?" Rin called softly, but received no response.

She fumbled for the lamp next to the low table and turned it on. The warm yellow light illuminated the room, and everything looked almost the same as when they left, but Komi Yui was not there.

Shinomiya Rin's heart jumped. She quickly went to the bedroom and bathroom to check, but no one was there.

"Could it be that she went to the police station to attract attention and became a suspect? Did the police detain her for questioning?" Rin Shinomiya grew increasingly uneasy, pacing back and forth in the room. "It's all my fault—I made her do something so dangerous back then—"

Yuan Zhensheng walked to the window, lifted a corner of the curtain to observe the street outside, and everything seemed normal.

He then checked the door locks and windows, finding no signs of forced entry. There was no note left on the low table, and Yui Komi's guide cane was not in its usual place.

"Don't panic." Yuan Zhensheng lowered the curtains, her tone still calm. "There are no signs of a struggle or search in the room, and the door lock is intact—maybe she just went out temporarily."

"What could possibly happen to her? She's blind, it's so dangerous for her to go out at night!" Shinomiya Rin retorted, her face full of worry. "And—and she should be waiting—could something have happened to her? Or has she been targeted by the yakuza?"

Komi Yui is the daughter of Kuwata Kenkichi, and the grudges of the underworld may affect her.

"I'll ask around when I go to work tomorrow," Yuan Zhensheng said.

He knew in his heart that Koji Yui was most likely detained.