thefictionvixens Page 49
Page 49
Endo Shogo sat alone in the blood-stained bedroom for a while before slowly standing up.
He went into the bathroom, turned on the tap, and carefully washed away the bloodstains that had dried on his hands.
Then, he mopped the floor, picked up his phone, and opened a live streaming app.
He has to thank the overseas version of TikTok for making live streaming so easy for one person.
He didn't care that there were only a few people in the live stream at the beginning.
He fixed his phone camera, pointing it at himself and the bloodstained butcher knife on the table next to him.
Then, he used the apartment's landline phone to start calling traditional media hotlines one by one.
He bluntly told them over the phone that he had killed someone, and that if they wanted firsthand information, they should hurry up and interview him before the police arrived.
He didn't know which media outlet would believe him and come to report on it; he just hoped that at least one media outlet would come to cover it.
……
Half past nine in the evening.
Qingze returned to his home in Dongye Apartment.
He was nearing his mental limit by continuing to use the Eye of the Birds, and he would feel extremely tired if he continued.
He manipulated five sparrows to fly back to the birdcage on the clothesline on the balcony, then opened the sliding door, carried the birdcage back inside, and hung it back on the coat rack.
Da Huang immediately came over excitedly, rubbing against his leg affectionately and making whimpering sounds, as if it were being affectionate.
Qingze drew the curtain, smiled, and rubbed its fluffy head, then stroked its neck and soft belly.
After petting the dog to his heart's content, he went to the kitchen to wash his hands and then picked up his phone from the table.
When he goes out at night to search for tags, he never carries his phone with him, nor does he put it in storage space number one.
Even with location services turned off, it's difficult to guarantee that certain apps don't have hidden backdoors or tracking programs.
To avoid trouble, it's better to leave your phone at home.
He unlocked his phone, opened a short video app, and wanted to see if there were any reports about the Endo Shogo case.
Because he frequently browses current affairs news, the platform's recommendation algorithm naturally pushes relevant short videos to the top of his news feed.
He didn't even need to specifically search for the name "Endo"; the title of the top-ranked video clearly stated:
To prove his innocence, a man killed three women who falsely accused him of being a "pervert."
The background of the short video is accompanied by mournful music.
With a strange and calm smile on his face, Endo Shogo extended his hands and let the pale-faced policeman handcuff him.
Qingze opened the comments section.
As expected, the comments section is already in an uproar.
Some people applauded, thinking that Endo had done a good thing by killing me and ridding the people of a scourge.
Some people strongly condemned his actions, believing them to be too extreme and unacceptable.
There were also "centrists" who neither condemned nor expressed their opinions, urging everyone that, regardless of the circumstances, the loss of three lives was regrettable and that we should pray for them, ending with a paper crane emoji.
Qingze took a bottle of Pepsi from the refrigerator and pulled the tab with a "pop".
He swiped his finger down on the screen, and perhaps because the previous video had been viewed for a long time, the algorithm immediately pushed another video related to the case.
This time, a current affairs commentator is analyzing the suspicious points of the case.
"I think something's fishy about this. How did he manage to kill three young women all by himself without a single scratch on his body?!"
However, nobody in the blogger's comment section cared about this technical issue.
Everyone was still engrossed in the debate over whether or not Shogo Endo should have killed someone.
However, both supporters and opponents are based on a commonly accepted fact.
Shogo Endo was indeed framed; he was not a real "pervert."
Therefore, some netizens believe that the court should apologize for this matter and provide compensation.
But the comments that followed mocked this idea as naive.
The topic quickly veered off to criticizing the Japanese government's inefficiency, with some even citing the example of the Noto earthquake, where the victims are still struggling, as evidence.
Qingze was scrolling through short videos while gulping down an ice-cold cola.
He used to worry about sugar and calories, but now that his body has superhuman strength, he can drink cola without any burden, enjoying a refreshing and invigorating experience.
After finishing the drink, he let out a loud, satisfied burp and casually tossed the empty can precisely into the corner trash can.
He exited the short video app, turned around, and walked towards the door.
Since it was still early, he planned to wander around Shinjuku and try his luck to see if he could find any other colored tags.
Chapter 57 Kinda's Speculation
Ikebukuro Police Station, interrogation room.
The bright white light shone down vertically from the ceiling, mercilessly illuminating the small, enclosed space.
Kosuke Kimura is the head of the Third Investigation Division of the Criminal Investigation Department.
At this moment, he frowned, staring at the overly calm Endo Shogo in front of him.
His years as a police officer have given him a wealth of experience in handling cases, and he can often detect something amiss just by glancing at a few statements.
There are too many suspicious points in this case.
According to Shogo Endo's own account, he drugged the three women, rendering them weak and unable to move, which allowed him to easily commit the crime.
However, the apartment manager's testimony indicated that Nishimura and the other two returned to the apartment around 8 p.m.
His assessment of the time of death based on the condition of the body also roughly matches.
This means that they encountered misfortune as soon as they returned to their apartment.
Shogo Endo claimed that he had put the drug in the water.
But is it possible for three people to drink tampered water at the same time?
The coincidence is unbelievable.
More importantly, whenever Kosuke Kimura pressed for details about the specifics of administering the drug.
For example, the name of the medicine, its source, how to administer it, etc.
Endo Shogo avoided the topic altogether, but instead, with an almost obsessive excitement, recounted how those three women had ruined his life.
Something's not right.
Kosuke Kimura thought for a moment and decided to stop questioning him.
"Please wait here for a moment. I need to ask my superiors for instructions."
He stood up, left the interrogation room, and planned to sound out the section chief's opinion.
Of course, the section chief was not at the police station at this time.
He took out his phone, dialed the section chief's number, and said in a serious tone, "Section Chief Kojima, the case is a bit troublesome."
Although the murderer has turned himself in, I don't think he is the real culprit; there are many doubts about his testimony.
I worry that if he overturns the verdict in the future, these doubts could become evidence against us.
"We'll deal with the future later. Right now, this case has already caused a huge controversy online, and we must close it as soon as possible."
The section chief paused for a moment, then said, "If you are confident that you can catch the real culprit immediately, I can let you conduct an in-depth investigation."
Kosuke Kimura quickly smiled wryly and said, "Section Chief, please don't joke around. I don't have that kind of ability."
"Then close the case as soon as possible."
The section chief's tone turned serious. "The Fox case has already caused our police to lose face. We absolutely cannot allow any more trouble to occur."
To be honest, the section chief wouldn't care at all if ordinary netizens just hurl a few insults online; it's not like he hasn't been insulted by them before.
What truly worries him is the intense political infighting in Japan, where the "fox" case has become a pawn for the opposition parties to attack the prime minister.
Some far-right bloggers also took the opportunity to fan the flames, clamoring for constitutional amendments to change the Self-Defense Forces into a national defense force, and then "learn from America's advanced experience" to send troops into Tokyo to "maintain stability" and eliminate evil.
In order to achieve this political goal, the Metropolitan Police Department was portrayed as utterly useless and incompetent.
The pressure was passed from the Prime Minister's Office to the Commissioner of Police and the Superintendent General of Police, and then down through the ranks.
At this critical juncture, any new scandals must be nipped in the bud, and cases that can be closed should not be delayed.
Kosuke Kimura suddenly realized what was going on and immediately replied, "Yes, I understand what to do."
After hanging up the phone, Kosuke Kimura ended his interrogation of Shogo Endo and instructed his subordinates to take him to a temporary detention cell, preparing to apply for a formal detention order from the judge the next day.
Having completed these tasks, he left the Ikebukuro Police Station exhausted and drove home.
Before the car even reached its destination, my phone started ringing again.
He answered immediately: "Hello, Hino, what's up?"
"Inspector Kimura, a man from the Metropolitan Police Department has arrived. He claims to be Kiyoshi Kaneda from the Special Investigation Team for the Fox Case. He says he wants to interrogate Shogo Endo. You..."
"Let him interrogate! Let him interrogate!"
Kosuke Kimura answered eagerly.
This case was suspicious to begin with, and he was more than happy to have someone take on this hot potato, as it would allow him to distance himself from the situation.
……
When Endo Shogo was brought back into the interrogation room, he found that the policeman sitting behind the table had changed.
Unlike the dignified and disciplined Inspector Kimura from before, the man in front of him had a messy, bird's nest-like hairstyle, a pale face due to lack of sunlight, puffy eyes, and heavy dark circles. He exuded a sense of decadence from chronic sleep deprivation.
"Hello, my name is Kiyoshi Kaneda."
The man smiled, gave a casual self-introduction, and then got to the point: "I'd like to ask, why did you specifically clean the floors in Nishimura's house?"
"There's no particular reason, I just wanted to mop the floor."
"Isn't it right?"