"December 2nd," Watanabe answered.
Feng Bujue asked, "The first video took place on November 24th, correct?"
"That's right."
"Then, what are the dates of the second and third videos?" Feng Bujue asked again.
Watanabe did not answer immediately. He seemed to need some time to think about it, but Officer Tachibana was more familiar with the case, so he answered, "Fukui was shot on November 26th. That afternoon, he sent all the helpers away. The reason was … to meet your wife, Haruko Sato." When he said that, he hesitated for a moment, probably trying to come up with a more suitable explanation. "Personally, I think a man like Fukui deserved to die, but you dragged my men into this because you wanted to get the murder weapon. I will not show you any mercy."
Watanabe then added, "Fukui's body was only found the next day at noon. Since it was a gunshot, the investigation was very careful. That day, Hirata-kun went to work as usual. He was very calm, but Haruko Sato was absent from work. That night, the incident in the third video took place. "
"Then … Officer Yamada's disappearance should have happened between the time Hirata left the company on November 24th and the morning of November 26th, right?"
Officer Tachibana answered, "On the night of the 25th, he rode his bicycle out on patrol, and no one saw him after that."
"Has the bicycle been discovered?" Feng Bujue asked.
"I'm asking you where he is!" Tachibana yelled.
"So, there isn't one …" Feng Bujue sighed. "Hmm … I see."
"Kid, do you need a beating from that tone?" Tachibana tossed away the cigarette butt and charged at Chen Ge again.
Feng Bujue ignored him and continued, "Based on what I know, the security in Japan is not bad. The ratio of police officers to the population is quite high. If this is a big city, only the police officers and special forces will be armed with guns. But in a small town like this, I believe … everything from security to criminal cases will be handled by a fixed and limited number of people, so … it is not surprising that Yamada would become a target. " He paused for a moment before continuing. "Here's what I'm thinking. Assuming that Hirata plans to steal Yamada's gun, he has two options. The first is to steal it, and the second is to rob it.
Stealing a gun requires skill, not to mention stealing a police gun. Once caught, he would definitely go to jail, and his intention to murder Fukui would be exposed. Hirata did not care about the consequences of his actions, but that was under the premise that he had successfully killed Fukui. Before he completed his crime, he would not allow anything to go wrong. Then … the probability of snatching was obviously higher than stealing. Of course, the crime was also heavier. However, a man who planned to kill had already realized this.
Since it was a robbery, there was no need for any skills. He just needed to find a place where there was no one around at night, attack the defenseless Yamada from behind, and then take away the gun. But if that was the case, Yamada wouldn't have gone missing … At most, he would have fainted on the side of the road.
Now that Yamada has indeed gone missing, it means that there was an accident when Hirata tried to steal the gun. Perhaps he only planned to knock Officer Yamada out, but he accidentally killed him during the operation … "
"You b * stard!" This time, Tachibana was serious. He walked forward to grab Feng Bujue by the collar. "You've finally admitted to your crime! Tell me! Where is Yamada's body? "
Feng Bujue continued to explain calmly. "I don't know. I'm just speculating based on the clues that you've given me … Er …" At this point, Tachibana landed a heavy punch on his stomach. His Life Points dropped by thirty percent, and he was inflicted with the status of Paralysis.
"Officer Tachibana!" Watanabe walked forward to pull the man away. "Please do not abuse your authority on the suspect!"
"Suspect? This kid has killed at least two people! "Tachibana roared.
"That's enough, Officer Tachibana. That's enough," Watanabe advised.
Feng Bujue had no choice but to swallow the insult. The breath in his chest was uneven, and it took him a long time to catch his breath. Without even realizing it, he was immersed in the joy of deduction. This punch made him realize that he was inside a Nightmare mode scenario. Even if the two NPCs before him were humanoid NPCs that he could communicate with, there was no such thing as' safety '. Any small mistake could lead to his death. If he said the wrong thing, or even if his attitude was bad, there was a chance that he would trigger a death flag. Any random NPC could kill him instantly.
"Ha … Ha …" Feng Bujue gasped for air and swallowed. He continued the sentence that was interrupted earlier. "If Hirata ambushed Officer Yamada when he was on patrol and killed him, then … the bike should have been found."
Tachibana seemed to have calmed down, and Watanabe released his grip. The two of them turned to look at Feng Bujue, waiting to hear what he had to say.
"When Hirata realized that he had accidentally killed an officer, there were only two possible reactions. The first was to grab the gun and run; the second was to deal with the body before running away. Even if it was the second scenario, he wouldn't have been able to move the body and the bike at the same time. At most, he would have tossed the bike to an inconspicuous corner and tried to move the body away … "At this point, he paused." By the way, does Hirata own a car? "
"No," Watanabe replied. "Actually, he doesn't have a driver's license."
"Then, we can basically rule out the possibility that he ran over Yamada with his car and tossed the body and the bike into the trunk." Feng Bujue said with some thought. He paused for about ten seconds to arrange his thoughts. "I have three hypotheses. First, after Hirata ambushed Yamada, he dragged the body away and disposed of it in a secluded place. The bike was left by the side of the road and was found by a third person. This third person probably didn't witness the crime, and that was why he dared to pick up the bike. The chance of him being a homeless person is very high. Perhaps he has already left the small town, or perhaps he found out that the bike was related to some incident and tossed it into the river out of fear or even dismantled it.
"Second, after Hirata ambushed Yamada, the latter did not die or faint, and he even saw Hirata's face clearly. Hirata had no choice. If he let Yamada go, he would be arrested soon. Therefore, he had no choice but to use the gun that he had stolen to kidnap Yamada and drag him to a secluded place to detain him … or kill him. "If that was the case, Yamada was the one who pushed the bike away, and Hirata was the one holding him hostage.
"Third, after Hirata realized that he had accidentally killed Yamada, he did run away with the gun. However, after he left, someone else must have gotten rid of the body and the bike. "
"What do you mean? Do you have an accomplice? "Officer Tachibana demanded sternly.
"That is just a logical hypothesis. Theoretically, that is completely possible. For example, someone might have seen what happened in the dark, and that person happened to know Hirata personally. Therefore, after Hirata escaped, he cleaned up the crime scene to try and cover up the incident. In the future, he could use this incident to extort money from Hirata. In fact, he could even have Hirata use the gun to kill someone for him, "Feng Bujue answered.
"That's enough! That's enough of your bullshit! When are you going to stop pretending? Tell us Yamada's whereabouts now! "Officer Tachibana's patience had reached its limit.
"Please wait a moment. There are still some things that I'm not sure about …" Feng Bujue said. "On the afternoon of the 24th of November, Hirata came up with a motive to kill Yamada. On the night of the 25th of November, he managed to get the gun from Yamada. On the afternoon of the 26th of November, he went to Fukui's mansion to catch Yamada in the act of committing murder …" He looked at Watanabe. "Since there are no witnesses, how do you know that Haruko was in the room when Hirata broke into the room that afternoon?"
"That was based on Hirata's own description and the conclusion from the investigation of the crime scene," Watanabe said. "He said that when he opened the door, he saw Haruko lying on the bed. A monster was attacking Haruko, so he used the gun to kill the monster. Then, we asked him where he got the gun, but he said that he couldn't remember. "
"So Haruko didn't die at the time?" Feng Bujue asked.
"On the night of the 27th, the police received a call and rushed to the scene. They found Haruko Sato's body inside Hirata's house. From the evidence left behind at the scene, it was a suicide. The estimated time of death was the afternoon of the 27th. At the time, Hirata was working at the company as usual," Watanabe said.
"In other words … on the 26th, after Hirata went to the mansion to kill someone, he brought Haruko home. The next day, Hirata showed up at the company as if nothing had happened, but his wife committed suicide at home. " Feng Bujue continued. "It's unlikely that Haruko Sato committed suicide to commit suicide with her lover. She also did not report the case to the police … That means that her suicide was either due to mental trauma or due to guilt and fear toward her husband."
"There's no need for you to repeat things that we already know," Tachibana grumbled impatiently.
"What you already know, these three videos have more or less been reconstructed." Feng Bujue continued. "But what you don't know … is Officer Yamada's whereabouts. They are stored in Hirata Shuichi's mind, which has already gone mad." He moved his gaze to Doctor Watanabe's face. "So, Doctor Watanabe is trying to help you awaken Hirata's memory?"
"Have you remembered anything?" Watanabe asked. "Mr. F?"
"I'm sorry," Feng Bujue answered. "The memory that I saw was also from the three videos, but the content was different from the ones in your videos. What I saw appeared to be the world of monsters in Hirata's imagination."
Watanabe sighed. "When a person's brain is seriously traumatized, their memory might be affected. For example, if a person was beaten or tortured when he was young, due to the pain of the memory being too much for his mind to handle, his brain might seal off the related memory, and the person will forget everything that happened, as if it never happened. "Sometimes, the memory is not 'sealed' but 'changed'. For example, in Hirata-san's case, perhaps in his memory, he only remembered that he saw his wife being attacked by a monster, but in reality …" Chen Ge continued, "Sometimes, the memory is not 'sealed off' but 'changed', like Hirata-san. Perhaps in his memory, he only remembers seeing his wife being attacked by monsters, but in reality …
"I know that." Feng Bujue cut him off. "I know a thing or two about this." He moved his neck that was pinned down and uncomfortable. "When one's memory is' sealed ', it might lead to multiple personality disorder, and if it is' changed ', it might lead to hallucinations …"
"After all that, where is Yamada?! Do you know or not?! Do you remember?! " Officer Tachibana stood before Feng Bujue and glared at him harshly. It looked like he was going to use violence again.
Even though Feng Bujue did not want to take another punch, he had no way of resisting. His whole body was bound, and he could only take the beating. He did not attempt to use Body Enhancement Spell because based on the setting and the words and actions of these two NPCs, if he suddenly used that kind of supernatural skill, then … before he managed to break free, Watanabe would be scared into retreating, and Tachibana would draw their guns without hesitation. That kind of development would lead to his death.
"To find out where Yamada is, I have to go back …" Feng Bujue said in a hurry.
"What did you say?" Tachibana was confused.
"I have to return to that black and white world to investigate," Feng Bujue said.
Watanabe looked at him and frowned. "You mean … you have to return to Hirata's mental world?" He asked probingly, "How do you do that? Watch the video again? "
"No … that's no longer useful." Feng Bujue said. "Didn't I watch the video earlier? I only saw the normal footage … When 'Hirata' was watching the video, I experienced the distorted memory in his mental world, and then I was transported here. Is there any way for me to return?" He said darkly. "And I have to return to a time before the evening of 25th November …"
"Very good. Since you're willing to cooperate, you can talk to the doctor now." Tachibana's tone suddenly changed. It was so calm that it was unsettling.
Feng Bujue was startled when he heard that. "What?" He turned to look at Watanabe. "Haven't I been talking to Doctor Watanabe …"
Watanabe cut him off. "You've already recovered the memory of the case and recognized your mental condition. You've also locked onto the memory blind spot of Yamada, so we can rest easy now."
"Huh?" Feng Bujue had no idea what they were talking about. "You two suddenly …"
Before he could finish his question, he lost the ability to speak because he had returned to the state where he was watching the cinematic from the first person perspective. The scene before his eyes changed again.
Feng Bujue felt like he was being toyed with by this scenario. Initially, he thought it was a normal ghost story setting, and then he thought it was a supernatural event that progressed through multiple storylines. In the end, he realized that the first three incidents were in a reversed timeline, and they were merely the distorted memory of a mental patient. The scenario had turned into a murder in the real world.
And then … he had no idea what was going to happen next.
Buzz!
It was the sound of an incandescent lamp. A blinding white light jolted Feng Bujue out of his temporary daze.
He closed one of his eyes and turned his head to the side. After two seconds, he got used to the sudden increase in light, and he could see his surroundings clearly.
Feng Bujue was wearing a patient's garb with stripes on it. He was sitting before a table. His hands were cuffed to the arms of the chair, and his feet were cuffed together.
There was a lamp on the table, and there were some paper documents spread out on the table. Sitting across from the table was a man in a white coat. He looked to be in his fifties, and his forehead was crawling with wrinkles. He was holding a piece of paper in his hand, and he was using a pen to write something on it. There was a mini tape recorder next to him.
The room was not enclosed. There was a very small window with iron bars at the top, and a ray of moonlight filtered through the gap. There was a bed in the corner of the room, and there was a toilet in the other corner. The walls were no longer the monotonous color of cement, but they were painted with soft and bright colors. Feng Bujue could see the door that led to the exit. There was a very small window above the door. The window was not made of glass but was filled with a very tight, intersecting iron mesh. There was a board at the bottom of the door, and it appeared like it could only be opened from the outside. That should be the opening for the prisoner to deliver food.
"Then … Hirata-kun, if you're ready, let's start this conversation," the man in the white coat said.
Feng Bujue sighed. "I'm sorry, but there are three things that I need you to tell me."
The man was silent for two seconds, and he looked at him with a frown. "What are they?"
"Who are you, where am I, and … today's date," Feng Bujue asked.
The man took a deep breath and sighed heavily. "Sigh …" He picked up the mini tape recorder next to him, pressed the recording button, and spoke into his mouth. "March 9, 2005, Patient 0098, Hirata Shuichi. Recorder, Takura Taro. "Takura placed the recorder to the side and told Feng Bujue," You don't remember me? "
Feng Bujue ignored him. He tried his best to lower his head and touch his face with the back of his hand. After touching it twice, he could confirm that his face had not aged by fifteen years. Even though he looked like he was wearing a prisoner's outfit, when he opened the game menu, the outfit tab had not changed. Regardless, from the NPC's perspective, the man before him was undeniably Hirata Shuichi in his forties.
"You …" Takura appeared to be a very perceptive person. "Who are you? Are you Hirata? Watanabe? Tachibana? Or someone else? "
There was a lot of information in this question, but Feng Bujue reacted quickly. "I have multiple personality disorder?"
"Yes," Takura replied. He picked up the document and sighed. "Since 1991 … when you were sent here, many doctors have participated in your treatment and research. Currently, there are three confirmed personalities. The main one is Hirata Shuichi, and there are two others. One is a psychiatrist called Watanabe, and the other is a police officer called Tachibana. So, which one are you? Or none of them? "
Feng Bujue leaned back in his chair. "You can call me Mr. F." He looked at the ceiling. "Watanabe represents Hirata's rationality and wisdom, and Tachibana represents Hirata's conscience and self-blame. As for Hirata himself … I don't know. I haven't met him before. "
"Mr. F? Rationality? Conscience? "Gao Cang coldly snorted," All right, Mr. F. Then what do you represent? Your identity, occupation … "
"Me?" Feng Bujue smiled. "I am a mystery novelist. I came from a higher dimension and entered this body." He looked relaxed. "I am slowly breaking out of some kind of cage created by my own thoughts. The main body could be the Hirata that I have not met before, or it could be something else. From the most chaotic and blurry memory world, I broke through to the mental world of the subconscious. Then, I picked up some important memories and arrived here. " He nudged his body forward. "Now, I seriously suspect that Doctor Takura, you, and this prison cell, are real or just a symbol of another prison …"
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