Pokémon Detective Case Files.

Officer Jenny was not moved by Hayden's speech and calmly pointed to the chair, making her own criticism.

"Now we know the origin of this android, but there are still many mysteries—for example, why did this head appear on the shelf in the mansion's attic? Under what circumstances was it beheaded? Where is the body below the head now? And why does the head have the shape and hair color of a member of the Galactic Group? And most importantly, who is the culprit behind this mess?"

Countless questions poured out of Officer Jenny's mouth like a tidal wave.

“I can’t answer all of these questions either,” Hayden shrugged. “Some involve trade secrets that we can’t disclose under any circumstances, and others are so absurd that even I, as the initiator of the project, find them puzzling. Perhaps only Rotom, who escaped from the wire, knows all the answers.”

“Miss Officer Jenny, didn’t you say you had found a solution that would pass the inspection? Why don’t you just announce the answer here? Look, it’s almost midnight.”

Miss Venetian pointed to the wall clock on the living room wall in the distance and kindly reminded her.

“Alright.” Officer Jenny nodded sternly. “Let me make it clear beforehand that although I’m wearing a police uniform right now, it’s just for show. There’s no badge or any special markings like a number on it. I’m just wearing it for work convenience. Although I’m a member of the Officer Jenny family, I’m not a police officer or an official detective.”

“You’ve already mentioned this before, so we understand,” said Director Hayden.

“Since I am neither a detective nor a police officer, I do not need to follow the rules of those professionals—I do not need to tirelessly investigate the truth, nor do I need to be the first to arrest criminals. I only need to do what I should do in my job.”

“I remember you were… a civilian employee in the intelligence department, right?” Venetian recalled.

“That’s right.” Officer Jenny snapped her fingers, a gesture that seemed to be very popular among Officer Jennys in the Sinnoh region.

"So, my mission here is to provide valuable intelligence to my superiors. As for other truths and secrets, it's perfectly fine to pretend I didn't notice them. As long as the intelligence I report is enough to satisfy them, there's no need to investigate the mystery of the android murder case. In fact, for those big shots, the more concise the information they receive, the better. If I submit a dramatic and suspenseful detective story to them, I'm more likely to get scolded."

Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, she raised the tablet she had been holding, turning the lit screen towards them—

"In fact, just now, when I clapped to gather everyone together, I had already sent the intelligence briefing I obtained on this trip to my superiors. After all, it's better to get the job done as soon as possible. A written report is more reassuring than a verbal exchange."

Private investigators are one thing, but how could an intelligence agent possibly convene all those involved in a case to discuss the details after reaching their own conclusions...?

At this moment, everyone saw an editing document unfold on the tablet's electronic screen. The enlarged text was clearly visible in black and white, and even Zina, the maid furthest from Officer Jenny, could see the information displayed on it clearly.

First, Hayden Pharmaceuticals secretly conducted research on androids, creating androids that required the Pokémon Rotom to operate. In the event of a severe external attack, Rotom would detach from the android's body.

Secondly, Hayden Pharmaceuticals had engaged in in-depth business exchanges with the Cosmic Energy Development Division under the Galactic Group and obtained some of their intelligence legacy.

Third, the Mori Mansion underwent a complete renovation two years ago, so the possibility of it still preserving any relics of the past mythology is extremely slim. The mythology scholar Takeran has been commissioned to thoroughly investigate this matter.

"..."

The mansion fell into a silence so profound you could hear a pin drop.

"why?"

Hayden frowned. Although this big boss was well-informed, he clearly had never seen the way intelligence agents operated before.

"You only needed to report this much information to get by, so why did you keep asking so many questions? Why didn't you just report according to what Mei Dan and I said?"

If he had known earlier that he only needed to reveal such a trivial amount of information to the League, he would have just told Officer Jenny honestly.

"Of course, it's because more information is needed to confirm the authenticity of the intelligence. As for why only this much information was reported, firstly, the content cannot be fully verified yet, and secondly, the remaining information does not have that much intelligence value for the Alliance, so it was excluded during the screening process."

Officer Jenny put away her tablet and continued speaking—

"Well, judging from the fact that we haven't received a reply for so long, they've probably accepted my report. Soon, the Alliance might send other intelligence personnel to ask you for the data related to Team Galactic. Just make a copy and give it to your contact person. Don't worry about leaks; there's no place in the world better at keeping secrets than my workplace. Also, if the Sinnoh Alliance encounters problems like an Omnic Crisis or an android uprising in the future, they might contact Hayden Corporation for advice first. If you or Medan receive any unknown calls from unknown numbers, don't hang up immediately."

"So, Miss Officer Jenny, is this case considered closed?"

Vinnie asked Officer Jenny with a mixture of relief and fear. She was relieved to finally be free from further interrogation, but worried that Officer Jenny's hasty closure might leave some chilling hidden danger within the Forest Mansion.

“Of course not, Miss Vinnie.”

Officer Jenny, however, waved her index finger in front of the girl—

"I also intend to continue to thoroughly uncover the secrets hidden in this bloodstained head—in my own name."

"And what are you planning to do now?"

Meidan, who had been reeling from her self-loathing and speaking recklessly, stood before Officer Jenny again, accompanied by Neil.

Previously hiding in the corner, Zina saw everyone gathered together again. Worried about being ostracized, she mustered her courage and also tiptoed behind the group.

"Although I'm not a police officer or a detective, I am Officer Jenny, aren't I? If Officer Jenny's visit fails to bring justice, wouldn't it be just like Blastoise putting all its energy into launching a 'Water Cannon,' only to have the skill completely miss its target? Wouldn't that be incredibly disappointing?"

The minute hand on the living room clock had already passed twelve o'clock. Officer Jenny, having completed her task ahead of schedule, smiled and uttered the conclusion that perfectly matched Zhu Lan's guess—

"Professor Medan, Mr. Hayden, your feat of persisting in your ideals on a risky path and creating bionic robots is truly admirable. Director Hayden's method of accumulating small achievements into a large project is also eye-opening. However, in your narrative, haven't you secretly buried a trap that could easily lead people astray?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." This time, it was Hayden, who had been calm and composed all along, who was now sweating profusely.

"Your experiment to create a bionic robot should have ended two years ago, right?"

Chapter 287 Solution - Two Types of Research

When it comes to scientific research, especially in the sciences, it often gives many laymen the stereotypical impression that the project is arduous, the conditions are extremely difficult, and the progress is indefinitely delayed.

It's as if you have to gather hundreds of researchers dressed in sterile gowns, medical masks, and goggles, and spend half your life buried in a dark laboratory before you have a chance to achieve success in your research field.

However, reality is not like that.

No matter how profound or mysterious the research may be, it is ultimately just a job. And every job eventually comes to an end.

Considering the costs of human resources, equipment wear and tear, and work efficiency that must be taken into account when conducting these studies, their research cycle is naturally better the shorter it is. This cycle is generally one to two years, and some large-scale studies may sometimes extend the time limit to four to six years, and may even be extended further depending on the circumstances... But no matter which type it is, it is impossible for it to last as long as ten years.

Therefore, rather than believing Hayden's description and concluding that Medan was working on a research project that had taken ten years to complete, it would be more reasonable to assume that the research was completed long before the professor moved.

“Hey, Officer Jenny, you can’t say that.”

Where everyone's eyes met, Hayden, the sponsor of the android project, retorted unwillingly—

"That's just your speculation as an outsider. You have to understand that the research cycles vary greatly between different disciplines. Take the pharmaceutical industry, which I'm familiar with, for example. The cycle for developing a new drug is basically at least ten years. As for pioneering explorations like developing bionics, which are on a massive scale and span multiple disciplines, the technology and effort required far exceed the former. And since Professor Mei Dan is the only one in charge of this project, it's inevitable that it will take more than ten years."

Seeing Hayden spouting nonsense with such a straight face, intelligence investigator Officer Jenny shook her head almost imperceptibly.

Not to mention that, strictly speaking, all employees of Hayden Pharmaceuticals were involved in the development of the bionic robot in some sense; the fact that Mr. Hayden, as an investor, would defend his collaborators and think that the long research time of Meidan was reasonable... this subconscious attitude is enough to explain the problem.

Unfortunately, this isn't an intelligence interrogation room. Heart rate, breathing, and pupil dilation are all irrelevant evidence here and now. To gain the acceptance of Zhu Lan and the others regarding his deductions, he needs more concrete evidence…

At this point, Officer Jenny had not shared her reasoning with Cynthia. Previously, when she saw Cynthia sitting in a chair in the corner of the reception room with ancient artifacts in her hands, she thought the Sinnoh champion was just resting with her eyes closed.

Little did they know, Hugo's sister had already discovered the secret hidden within the Forest Mansion at the same time as he had.

Furthermore, due to her professional knowledge, the truth she uncovers may go even further.

And so, under Officer Jenny's gaze, which was half surprised and half delighted, Orchid suddenly spoke up, interrupting Hayden's explanation—

"As far as I know, the development of medical drugs is a matter of life and death for patients. Therefore, before a new drug can be marketed, it needs to undergo a long clinical trial to test its efficacy and safety. Sometimes, just one trial cycle can take five or six years. Mr. Hayden, the so-called ten-year starting point you mentioned probably includes the time for clinical trials as well."

Just like in a Pokémon battle on an away field, if you start by unleashing a quick attack, you can use your momentum to turn an unfamiliar environment into your home field.

With just a simple rebuttal, Zhu Lan silenced Hayden and Officer Jenny, who were in a standoff, and took control of the conversation.

"Indeed, the time span can vary greatly between different disciplines. But no matter how different they may be, the actual implementers of the research and the ultimate beneficiaries are always the same—they are all conducted by humans. It is undeniable that our human patience does have its limits. Life is short, and as mortal beings, it is already quite difficult for us to set long-term goals five years from now. As for the world ten years from now, who can predict what it will be like, let alone invest in it?"

Zhu Lan tucked a strand of golden hair behind her ear, her spindle-shaped hair ornament swaying gently, and her bright gray eyes exuded an intellectual and composed air.

"Of course, besides these empirical summaries, I also noticed some strange things. It was these subtle senses of dislocation that led me to finally conclude that the android experiments had already been completed."

"What is it?" Officer Jenny asked, playing along.

"If I remember correctly, Professor Meidan moved about two years ago."

Zhu Lan then recounted all the suspicious points she had previously discovered in Mei Dan's testimony, including the threatening letter that was trying to cover up the truth, the theists' half-hearted threatening actions, and Mei Dan's unusually yielding handling of the situation.

"These anomalies all point to one fact—that is, Medan was not actually harassed by fanatical theists as he claimed. And the stone with the threatening letter that was thrown into the window was just a drama that Professor Medan deliberately staged to find a reason to move his address."

Perhaps everything Medan told was true until someone in his neighborhood recognized him from an online video. But the threats that followed, like his previous explanations for the android head, were completely unbelievable.

Medan doesn't even need human accomplices; she can easily accomplish this by sending out just one of her Pokémon subordinates. Perhaps even the paint-splashing incident was simulated by that Grimer currently in the sewage pool using the "Mud Shot" move.

This is the real reason why the professor hesitated to report the incident to the police back then.

"And the purpose of all this is to create the illusion that the experiment is still ongoing, but the location has to be relocated. Hayden must know the inside story, after all, he is the one who rebuilt the Forest Mansion for you. The person being deceived is unlikely to be Neil or Venetian. Although you did not tell them the truth, if you really wanted to hide it, you would not have allowed them to freely enter and leave the Forest Mansion regularly."

Who is the person who is truly willing to use such poor acting skills to try and deceive others?

Besides these people, the only other participant who knew about the android experiment was Professor Medan himself, making it even less likely that he was the one being deceived.

No, there should be another "person" there.

"The android itself, that newly born android, that Rotom wearing a human skin, is the one that Hayden and Medan really wanted to hide from."

Zhu Lan pointed to the head with its eyes wide open and said.

Perhaps the previous commotion had exhausted the old woman's strength, for Mei Dan appeared even calmer than usual: "Where's the evidence?"

Without evidence, it's all just castles in the air.

“I have no evidence, nor do I need it. When we first sat down to talk, you already proudly showed us the progress of your work, didn’t you?”

The Sinnoh champion looked at the sofa in the reception room, where Mei Dan had once sat calmly and said something similar.

"...If you're still so worried, Officer Officer Jenny can bring people to search this place another day. Whether you let the Pokémon with their keen sense of smell investigate or turn the mansion upside down, the equipment and materials are all here, so I have nothing to hide."

In fact, apart from the computer cluster in the basement, there was absolutely no other equipment or materials in the mansion that could be used for experiments.

Computers that merely stack computing power are unlikely to be of much help in developing bionic robots. Even for monitoring the vital signs of androids, the computer monitors there are insufficient, and Meidan alone cannot detect much.

"Of course, there is no information or equipment related to the suspicious research in this mansion. Because those suspicious studies were completed two years ago."

“Two years ago,” Zhu Lan said, holding up two fingers to emphasize again.

"That was precisely the time when the Galactic Cluster was heading towards its demise. More importantly, with the destruction of the Galactic Cluster, those forbidden technologies that were once kept secret by evil organizations were also unlocked—including research on them."

Before anyone knew it, the red Rotom phone had flown to the Sinnoh champion's shoulder, its blue screen glowing and scattering in all directions like a shimmering lake under the starry sky, appearing hazy and mysterious in the dead of night.

"More than two years ago, in late autumn and early summer, on the eve of Team Galactic's conspiracy, I accidentally discovered a secret research facility used by Team Galactic members to study Rotom while trying to rescue the owner of a bicycle shop in Eternity City. I caused quite a stir there. After that, the data found in the research facility was not kept secret; some of it was even directly included in the official Pokédex. Since then, the secret of Rotom's ability to change forms has been revealed to the world, and countless scientific research has gained new inspiration from this amazing Pokémon."

"It's obvious without even thinking that among those studies, Rotom's characteristics are undoubtedly the most valuable for research on how to inject the souls of Pokémon into metal bodies. When you discovered Rotom's talent for freely entering and exiting electronic devices, it was probably like a sudden enlightenment—a few months later, still two years ago in that turbulent situation, Hayden Pharmaceuticals had already completed its final harvest of the development team, Team Galactic had disintegrated with the self-destruction of Red Sun, and Manager Aying had finished the renovation of the Forest Mansion... and you, Gym Leader Medan, moved into this forest mansion at this time."

"As an aside, it was shortly after that that Mr. Hayden voluntarily stepped down from his position as chairman of Hayden Pharmaceuticals to a regular director. This was likely because all the bionic human technologies planned for the company had been developed."

Officer Jenny raised the tablet in her hand and began to talk about the intelligence she had previously gathered.

"As a company leader whose vigor has waned, retiring at the peak of his career is clearly a wise decision."

These staggered points in time, like the precise gears of a clock, fit together perfectly.

"Here, you begin your second research project outside of the android program."

Developing bionic robots was Hayden's dream, but not Medan's.

This atheist abandoned the academic debate to help his old friend. Now that everything has settled down, Mr. Hayden will naturally reciprocate by supporting his old friend in pursuing his dream.

Given Medan's well-known stubbornness, the purpose of this second study is not hard to guess.

"You were so proud and satisfied with this research that you couldn't help but hint at its existence when you met me, a scholar of mythology. It's just a pity that the appearance of the android head later completely confused the two studies over the past decade. In order to prevent Officer Jenny, whom you thought was a police officer, from discovering the unethical android experiments, you simply mixed up the two studies and provided us with false and misleading information about intimidation."

The mythologist looked directly at Medan with a meaningful gaze.

"In fact, you've been sitting in this forest mansion for two years to deny the existence of gods, haven't you?"

"You designed a groundbreaking experiment, unprecedented in history, which only requires a cluster of computers, a single monitor, and two years to complete. Its results were supposed to be revealed today, which is why Mr. Hayden brought a bottle of fine red wine to visit you. This was precisely what you and Hayden were discussing animatedly in the curator's room earlier. And this experiment, in a sense, can completely negate the foundations of gods, faith, and those things that transcend common sense."

Mei Dan remained silent, but the old professor's breathing had become noticeably heavier.

"In logic, proving that something does not exist is extremely difficult. We cannot exhaustively search every corner of the entire universe to prove that something does not exist. Even if we searched the entire universe, outsiders could argue that the researchers' observational technology was too outdated to find the deliberately hidden thing. Therefore, scholars usually use another method to prove that something does not exist..."

“It contradicts known theories,” Mei Dan said in a dry voice.

It is impossible to disprove the claim that "a golden sphere with a diameter of one kilometer exists," because no theory can justify the existence of such a sphere. However, we can disprove the proposition that "a radioactive uranium sphere with a diameter of one kilometer exists," because the laws of nuclear physics tell us that when a radioactive uranium sphere reaches a size of several tens of centimeters, it will violently explode and self-destruct in a chain reaction.

"However, proving that gods do not exist is even more difficult, because according to the definitions of gods in various religions, they can even create their own rules and arbitrarily change known theories like a child playing with building blocks. Therefore, there is only one way left to defeat these metaphysical gods."

“Let Him contradict Himself,” the atheist said.

Chapter 288: The Solution – The Nine Billion Names of God

According to the definitions of superstitious people and religious figures, the most strictly defined deity must be omniscient and omnipotent.

This concept is not ancient. In the beginning, the deities in the religious sense did not possess such vast and boundless power in the ancient doctrines passed down from generation to generation of believers.

However, as the debate between science and faith erupted, atheists, including Medan, posed a series of sharp and rigorous questions to those who believed in the existence of God, regarding the definition of God.

For example, is the god you speak of who created the world a single entity, or are multiple beings coexisting? Can He simultaneously perceive and influence events occurring on different planets? If so, how would He simultaneously manifest in two locations, influencing different planets tens of thousands of light-years apart? Leaving aside these questions for now, could we call a wave of thought, which perceives things as fleeting and ephemeral as individual will...?

These intertwined issues are fine when discussed individually, but when put together, they are so full of malice.

If theists deal carelessly with these issues, the gods they believe in will either fall into an awkward situation of self-contradiction and be unable to exist in a self-consistent and reasonable way, or they will be stripped of their divinity and reduced to ordinary creatures that are not fundamentally different from ordinary life forms.

Therefore, in order to answer these questions from human reason, even the highest gods have had to begin an endless expansion of their military power...

No, let's think about it from a different perspective. If God truly exists, wouldn't it be precisely these questions that reveal just the tip of the iceberg of the nature of deities?

If it weren't for Mei Dan and others using logical and philosophical contradictions to drive those blindly following and believing believers to a theoretical dead end, those people might never have realized the true power and terror of what they believed in.