Maebashi City, Gunma Prefecture, is an ancient cultural city located in the center of Japan. Although it is the city where the prefectural government is located, it cannot be compared with the cities around Tokyo in terms of population and city size.

Because it is a small city, it doesn’t take much effort to drive outside the city limits. The roads are lined with pastures with wire fences. Occasionally, you can see cows munching leisurely on the snow-covered pastures.

The silage looks like an idyllic scene.

When the taxi stopped in front of the Maebashi Police Station, Maeda Shinpachi first paid the fare, then raised his briefcase, covering the falling snowflakes above his head, and walked quickly into the door of the police station.

Perhaps because of the snow, there were not many people in the lobby of the police station at this time. After Maeda looked at the surrounding environment, he walked towards the reception desk.

"Excuse me, may I ask..."

"Ah...Hi! Do you need any help?"

"Um... I am Maeda Shinpachi from the Forensic Division of the Criminal Division of the Metropolitan Police Department. I came here today because I want to consult with your colleagues from the Criminal Division on some matters. Please... can I meet you three years ago?

Were you the police officer who took over the corpse-in-a-suitcase case in Fujimi Village?"

"Three years ago? Um...please wait a moment! I'll ask Officer Aoki of the Criminal Division for you!"

When the female police officer at the reception desk saw that the other party was actually a police officer from the Metropolitan Police Department, she naturally did not dare to neglect them. And almost at the same time, behind the pillar in the hall, a middle-aged man with a cigarette in his hand was facing away from them.

, silently remembered what Maeda just said in his heart.

"The Metropolitan Police Department actually sent someone here..."

The man standing behind the pillar is reporter Kawasaki who was commissioned by Weekly Bunshun reporter Hosokawa a few days ago to come to Gunma to investigate the case of a corpse hidden in a suitcase three years ago. I thought I was here.

He was just casually bringing some information back to his colleagues. Who knew that just when he was about to leave in the afternoon, he unexpectedly met a police officer from the Criminal Division of the Metropolitan Police Department.

"This guy Hosokawa, couldn't he have dug up some great clues this time? No, I have to call him and ask him!"

Just as Kawasaki made up his mind, Maeda behind him was also taken in by the female police officer who had just received him. Witnessing this scene, Kawasaki wanted to take a photo of the other party with his mobile phone, but unfortunately he couldn't see it before he could do it.

Seeing the opponent's figure, Kawasaki had no choice but to give up this plan.

When Kawasaki walked out of the police station, he immediately picked up the phone and dialed Hosokawa's cell phone.

"Moses? Moses?"

"Hosokawa-kun, you would never have imagined, guess who I just met?"

"Eh? Kawasaki-kun! Your voice sounds a little excited! What's wrong? Did you encounter some happy event?"

"Happy event! Absolutely great event! Just now I met the police officer sent by the Metropolitan Police Department at the Maebashi Police Station. Hosokawa, you are so awesome. How did you know that the case three years ago would be...

Involved in the murder of a gang member in Shinjuku City.”

"What? You didn't lie to me, did you?"

"Absolutely not. I heard that man say with my own ears that he was a police officer from the Criminal Division of the Metropolitan Police Department! Ah... I seemed to have forgotten his name in my excitement just now! Damn it, but... the Metropolitan Police Department

I will never be mistaken about the words of the Criminal Department! Hosokawa, you are so powerful this time, even the police have been left behind by you this time!"

"What did you say? Kawasaki! You must stay over at Maebashi for a few more days. I have a feeling that something big will happen there, so be sure to keep an eye on that place for me!"

"Don't worry, Hosokawa! This time... I want to get a piece of the pie from you, haha..."

Hearing Kawasaki's excited tone on the phone, Hosokawa couldn't help but clenched his fists in excitement. However, when he saw that the office was full of reporters from other newspapers, Hosokawa quickly suppressed his inner excitement.

He pretended nothing happened and returned to his seat.

"No, I can't let this important clue be exposed so early. Since the Criminal Department has sent people to investigate the case, this shows that the weirdo who sent me the email made an earlier judgment... completely

precise!"

Hosokawa returned to his seat, silently looking at the computer screen in front of him as if in a daze, but a wave of turmoil had already arisen in his heart.

I don't know how long it took, but Hosokawa finally woke up from his thoughts. He hurriedly opened his mailbox, and then sent a new email to the guy who claimed to be a famous detective as quickly as possible.

"The Metropolitan Police Department has sent people to Maebashi City to investigate the case three years ago. What will your next judgment be?"

After Hosokawa wrote this sentence, he subconsciously wanted to send it. However, when the mouse moved to the send button, Hosokawa suddenly hesitated.

"Are you interested in being my informant? If you can provide any valuable clues, I can pay you!"

After he added this sentence, Hosokawa resent the email.

"Whoosh!"

Just a few minutes after Hosokawa sent it, the other party responded quickly to the email.

"How many?"

There was only one short line in the email, but Hosokawa seemed to have smelled prey and couldn't help but throw out his bait.

"It depends on the value of the clues you provide. If it's a clue related to the Shinjuku case, like this one, I can give you 50,000 yen, but... if you can find the murderer before the police, it will be

1 million yen is no problem!”

Hosokawa sent the email to the other party again, and then waited in front of the computer with anticipation. After a while, the weirdo who called himself a famous detective replied to him again:

"Have you ever considered why a person who handled the scene in such an orderly manner that the forensic officers of the Metropolitan Police Department could not find any useful clues would randomly dump the body of the deceased in the parking lot after killing him?

Such a conspicuous place! Don’t you think it’s strange?”

"Then what do you mean..."

After Hosokawa finished reading the email, he sent another new email to inquire about the following content. But this time, the other party directly sent a bank account number and a question.

"If you are really sincere, please pay me the reward for the last clue first! And let me ask one more question, will you betray me to the police?"

"Please rest assured that protecting the identity of the informant is the cornerstone of Wenchun's survival. If we disclose the identity of the informant to the police, no one will provide us with information in the future!"

After Hosokawa replied to the message, he immediately logged into his account and transferred 50,000 yen to the other party. Then, after waiting for a while, his mailbox received another new email.

"The murderer took the risk of putting the body in the trunk of the deceased's car in the parking lot, probably to let someone know about Hirono's death! Maybe... this is the real reason why the organized crime countermeasures department and the public security intervened... You can start from
Chapter completed!