No one understands the laws of Collider better than me.

Suddenly, a dump truck loaded with mud and sand rushed out from behind the group, rumbling towards them. Because this narrow road was not wide enough for a dump truck of this size, the truck scraped against the walls and lampposts, sparks flying as it stumbled and lurched its way over.

"Run!"

Kitahara Masaki waved his hand, snapping the stunned crowd out of their daze and causing them to immediately start running. The crossroads was just ahead; once they reached that place—

Kitahara Masaki watched the dump truck speeding towards him and immediately drew his pistol. Although he could use this crisis to increase Akiba Reiko's favorability towards him, this kind of uncontrollable crisis was not what he wanted.

First of all, we definitely can't kill the driver right now, because this area is full of residential buildings. If the car crashes into a house, then Kitahara Masaki would definitely be considered to have dragged innocent people into this disaster.

If the tires were to puncture, he might be able to brake, but he would likely lose control of the steering wheel, meaning the likely outcome would be that the car crashes into someone's house.

"Turn right!"

The busy crowd instinctively obeyed Kitahara Masaki's words and turned right at the intersection.

However, there was one other person who also wanted to turn left with Kitahara Masaki, and that person was naturally the tsundere Akiba Reiko.

Her actions impressed Kitahara Masaki, who couldn't help but admire her competence; she truly stepped up when needed.

The dump truck turned left without hesitation. Could it be that the driver and the poisoner were the same person? Although the dump truck was huge, it could have hit them by now if it had accelerated. But it was like chasing prey, slowly and steadily closing in, as if trying to put pressure on someone.

So that means the driver in the dump truck was trying to put pressure on Akiba Reiko and force her to give up her right to participate in the concert.

After Kitahara Masaki understood what the criminal wanted to do, he put his pistol back in its holster, picked up Akiba Reiko, and ran forward.

Ah!

Startled by being suddenly picked up, Akiba Reiko cried out:

"Put me down! I'm your target!"

"Idiot! I'm a police officer, how could I possibly let you go!"

She initially intended to struggle, but then she realized that if her struggle caused them both to be bumped, then she would be the one to harm Kitahara Masaki. So she could only let Kitahara Masaki continue to carry her in a princess carry.

Reiko Akiba's judgment was naturally inferior to Masaki Kitahara's; she assumed the dump truck behind her was trying to run her over because the drugging had failed. However, Masaki Kitahara knew very well that the culprit behind her did not intend to kill her.

The prisoner, who only wanted to force Akiba Reiko into a dilemma, is now caught between a rock and a hard place. If he speeds up, he will definitely crash into both of them. However, Kitahara Masaki has now removed the option of "let her fall and get injured on her own," leaving only two options: either abandon this operation and let her continue as the lead singer of the concert, or run her over and kill her.

However, if he were to actually run into him, Kitahara Masaki would simply climb over the adjacent wall and use the residents' houses as shields.

Regardless, the prisoners are caught in a choice between two options presented by Kitahara Masaki.

The criminal eventually gave up chasing them and drove away. Kitahara Masaki didn't fire a shot and let him go.

Now that we can confirm that the culprit definitely has some kind of connection with Akiba Reiko, the investigation becomes much simpler.

Kitahara Masaki put Akiba Reiko down, her face flushed, and just as he was about to take her home, the group of kids came running up, breathless.

"Are Kitahara-nii and Akiba-nee-nee alright?"

"Haha! Of course it's alright, who do you think I am?"

Was that dump truck heading towards Sister Qiuting?

"Yes, it seems they're planning to send her to another world."

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

The group quickly overcame their fear from the dump truck collision by joking around. Kitahara Masaki let the children go home on their own, and then he naturally went to take Akiba Reiko home.

After the two got into the taxi,

"Officer Kitahara, thank you."

"It's my duty. By the way, does Miss Akiba live with her family?"

"No, my parents live in the countryside, and no matter what I say, they are unwilling to come and live with me."

Do you have any very close friends?

"No, I have nothing but music."

"Ahem, please don't underestimate yourself. There aren't many people your age who can match your achievements in music, and that's enough to make you proud."

"That's right. So—Does Inspector Kitahara suspect that the culprit might be someone close to me?"

Kitahara Masaki nodded, but only briefly mentioned that the murderous intent in the two crimes was unclear, as if he was wary of something.

However, Ms. Akiba had no clue whatsoever, so it seemed Kitahara Masaki would have to investigate on his own. He hadn't had time to take out his drone while dealing with this lady, so the criminal was lucky to have escaped unscathed.

"Don't worry, I will definitely protect you."

Reiko Akiba thought of the princess carry she received earlier that day, bowed, and ran back to her apartment.

Although Miss Akiba was spared from being targeted by the criminals for some unknown reason, others were not as lucky as her.

Two days later, two more cases occurred, and two more unfortunate men were murdered. A piece of a flute was found at each scene, thus completing the three-part flute. Including the two deaths in the first case, this perpetrator had now killed four people.

The First Investigative Division's investigation revealed that the four individuals were all graduates of Domoto Academy and knew each other. Most importantly, these four had gone drinking with Ms. Akiba's fiancé, Soma Hikaru, and Mr. Soma subsequently fell off a cliff and died due to intoxication.

In other words, the culprit was likely connected to the deceased Mr. Soma, which is why he killed the four people who had gotten Mr. Soma drunk, but spared Akiba Reiko.

Chapter 325 Direct Kill

Did Mr. Soma, who fell to his death, have any relatives?

“His mother passed away five years ago, and he has no siblings. As for his father, he disappeared before Mr. Soma was born, and his identity is currently impossible to determine.”

"Then let's go and confirm his identity."

Kitahara Masaki was currently staying at a hotel near Akiba Reiko's house. For her safety, and especially for what he wanted her to do later, he had to make sure that the prisoner, who had initially shown her some leniency, did something irrational.

Drop drop-

"Officer Kitahara, the concert is tomorrow. Would you like to go for a walk in the forest with me today? It's my habit."

"Are you used to it...? Does that mean this is something that can be found online?"

"Uh—I don't know about that, but I'm not a celebrity, so I don't have any obsessive fans following me."

Haha, do you not have a clear understanding of your own appearance? Akiba Reiko has already become a sensation online, but given that most people know nothing about music, the first condition for becoming a sensation is striking beauty.

And this female singer, who lacks self-awareness, happens to have it, meaning that her habit of taking a walk in the forest the day before a performance has likely been known to the prisoner, who would probably have followed her.

"Ahem, anyway, don't rush, wait until I get to your building first."

Today is actually the best opportunity to deal with the criminal hiding in the shadows as soon as possible. By tomorrow's concert, the criminal can blend in with the guests. But in the forest, is he going to disguise himself as a rabbit?

After Kitahara Masaki drove Akiba Reiko to the entrance of the forest, both remained silent. Finally, Kitahara Masaki broke the silence and said:

"We're sure we'll encounter danger next. If you're scared, we can go back now."

"Mr. Kitahara is really cunning. We were already at the door."

"Ah—I'm sorry. My skills are limited, and this is the only plan I can come up with. Since Domoto Kazuki is unwilling to postpone the concert, then we must end all of this before the concert begins."

"Then Officer Kitahara—you must protect me well."

"Of course, I didn't want to put a woman in a dangerous situation, but it was all for the sake of catching the murderer."

After Kitahara Masaki saw through her tsundere nature, Akiba Reiko stopped hiding it. She was actually a warm-hearted person beneath her cold exterior, always appearing indifferent to the children because she didn't want them to be in danger because of her. However, Kitahara Masaki, a policeman who initially wanted her to postpone the concert and was determined to catch the culprit, earned her respect, not to mention the princess carry she received during the dump truck chase.

Akiba Reiko walked along the forest path, her mind heavy with worry. Kitahara Masaki, who had already deployed a drone before the operation, had spotted the criminal hiding in the distance. The criminal was carrying a rifle, meaning Kitahara Masaki had no reason to hold back this time.

coming!

Kitahara Masaki lunged forward, embracing Akiba Reiko and lying down on the ground, immediately drawing his police revolver to retaliate.

The criminal, seeing that his target was being protected by Kitahara Masaki, seemed a little impatient. He infiltrated the bushes in the forest, intending to snipe from another angle, which was exactly what Kitahara Masaki wanted.

Kitahara Masaki lay prone on the ground, holding a revolver like a sniper rifle. Using the drone to pinpoint the prisoner's location, Kitahara Masaki fired decisively when the prisoner tried to peek out to see their positions. The next second, the prisoner fell backward, dying without ever knowing why he had been seen.

The location the criminal found naturally provided a clear view of the two of them, but Kitahara Masaki also had a greater sniping opportunity. In other words, once in a place where observation was easy, he also had to be careful not to become the sniper instead of the sniper.

"Miss Qiuting, it's all over."

"it's over?"

"Yes, the criminal should have been shot dead by me. Given that the criminal was carrying a gun, I couldn't show any mercy. So—Miss Qiuting, would you be willing to go and see who this criminal is?"

Reiko Akiba felt a little scared, after all, she was suddenly being asked to see a dead person, but she also wanted to understand why the culprit killed those people and wanted to ruin the concert.

The two men walked up to the prisoner who was lying face up. The prisoner had a clear hole in his forehead, which was still bleeding, and his eyes were wide open, looking as if something was really wrong.

"Mr. Pu Hejiang!"

"Oh, do you know this elderly man?"

"Of course, he's Mr. Domoto's sound engineer... He's been with Mr. Domoto for over thirty years, so why is he suddenly like this now—I really don't understand."

Kitahara Masaki pulled a photograph from the dead old man's coat. It was a picture of him with Akiba Reiko and her fiancé, Soma. At a glance, he understood that the old man was actually Soma's father, who had abandoned his wife and children years ago. But after learning that his son had died in an accident, he embarked on a revenge campaign, killing all those who had gotten his son drunk.

When Kitahara Masaki told her his theory, Akiba Reiko was very surprised. The dead old man in front of her was actually her former fiancé's father. This also explained why he only wanted to injure Akiba Reiko instead of killing her outright.

"But the initial problem remains unresolved. He and Mr. Domoto have been close friends for many years, so why is this happening?"

"Heh, I once met someone who wanted to blow up all asymmetrical buildings because he hated them. There are plenty of weirdos like him in Japan. Ms. Akiba, no matter what, this person is a criminal who killed four people. We don't need to understand the criminal's motives at all. This kind of person doesn't deserve any pity."

Inspector Megure arrived in the forest quickly after being notified by Kitahara Masaki. Upon seeing the wounded and lifeless bodies of Fu and Takumi, he said to Kitahara Masaki:

“Brother Kitahara, next time you do this, remember to let me know in advance. I don’t know how many reports you’ll have to write this time.”

"Haha, don't be upset, Inspector Megure. The motive and evidence against the perpetrator are conclusive; he is definitely the killer in this series of murders."

Kitahara Masaki handed the photo to Inspector Megure and pointed to the rifle next to him.

"We only need to compare his DNA with Mr. Soma's DNA to know the result. It is a fact that he is now targeting us, so the case is now solved."

Chapter 326 I'll blow it up for you

"Mr. Domoto, I personally suggest that it would be better to postpone the concert."

"Officer Kitahara! The murderer is my friend of many years! Can you understand my pain? This concert will be my tribute to him, so I will not postpone this concert that was supposed to take place today!"

"You'd better understand the risks involved! Although the killer has been killed, we still need to search this concert hall. We have no idea whether the killer has planted any bombs here. If there are time bombs planted here, it would be extremely dangerous!"

Despite Kitahara Masaki's persuasion, Domoto Kazuki remained obstinate, believing that music was everything and that this would allow him to seek forgiveness from his deceased friend. However, this disregard for the lives of others was clearly foolish.

Seeing that his persuasion had failed, Kitahara Masaki, who had already anticipated this outcome, smiled slightly, but immediately reverted to a poker face when he noticed someone approaching him.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Kitahara. Mr. Domoto—perhaps he was too shocked. And I have no choice but to attend this concert. Even if I don’t sing, his disciple, Ms. Chigusa, will sing in my place. If an explosion really happens, I really won’t be able to forgive myself.”

"I understand. If an explosion really happens, I will definitely come to save you, just like the last few times."