Ke Xue World: The Confrontation between Black and Red

November 28th is a good day to get married.

Early in the morning, the sun was surrounded by clouds, like a groom who was so excited that he couldn't sleep all night because he was about to marry his lover.

Happily spreading his happiness to every corner of the earth.

But in reality, not everyone can feel this happiness.

For example, Jinpei Matsuda, who was busy all night.

At this moment, standing under the shade of trees, his mind was full of thoughts about what went wrong in the first place and why he agreed to his colleague's request to change shifts.

He gave up his good rest day to go on this field trip.

Also, what time will this high-class wedding banquet for a high-ranking official start, and can it be finished in the morning?

He was really sleepy.

Matsuda Jinpei yawned and, while enjoying the breeze, tried hard to suppress the sleepiness that was coming over him.

At around six in the morning, Qianhe Mansion was filled with busy figures, and everyone was preparing for today's wedding banquet.

As expected, the security at the scene was once again jointly handled by the Metropolitan Police Department and the National Police Agency.

Under layers of security, a small team of explosive disposal police officers led by Jinpei Matsuda inspected the entire Chizuru Mansion inside and out, top to bottom, overnight.

Of course, you can’t leave right after the examination.

Before the wedding banquet was over, just in case, Matsuda Jinpei and others had to stay here on standby.

So, while people around him were busy making final preparations before the wedding banquet, Jinpei Matsuda stood under the shade of trees, feeling so sleepy that he could fall asleep in the next second.

Suddenly, he smelled a strong fragrance in the wind, which made him frown immediately, and his eyes, which had been closed, suddenly opened.

When Hagiwara Kenji walked over, he saw Matsuda Jinpei staring at two rows of waiters holding freesia potted plants and walking towards the lobby of the main building of the mansion with great concentration.

“Does Zhen Ping like freesia very much?

Since you are watching it so intently, why don’t we go to the flower shop and buy a pot to grow on the balcony when we return?

This kind of flower is easy to grow and blooms beautifully.”

Seeing that Matsuda Jinpei's expression was not right, Hagiwara Kenji also turned his gaze and asked:

"Is there something wrong with those wait staff?"

Could it be that Xiao Jiangu has sneaked in again disguised as a waiter?

Matsuda Jinpei shook his head slightly and said:

"I just smelled a very pungent floral scent."

"Eh, choking? The scent of freesia is known as the sweet smell of happiness.

Maybe your nose is too sensitive, Xiao Zhenping."

Hagiwara Kenji turned his head and said with a mischievous smile:

"Maybe the smell of happiness in the air is too strong, so as a single guy, Xiao Zhenping feels that the smell of freesia is choking."

Jinpei Matsuda turned his head and rolled his eyes.

"The smells are different. Some of the flowers smell much stronger than others, with a faint stench of decay."

Hagiwara Kenji put away the mischief on his face and thought seriously:

"It smells different? And it has a faint stench? Can you confirm which pot it is, Zhenping?"

Of course, it is impossible to be sure about Jinpei Matsuda.

When he opened his eyes, several waiters from the two rows had already walked past him.

Holding the same flowerpot in his hand, and the flowers looked almost the same, he initially thought that all the flowers smelled the same.

I was wondering why such pungent and slightly smelly flowers were placed here.

It was not until all the waiters had walked over that he realized that there was something wrong with one or several pots of flowers.

Then, before he could catch up to confirm, Kenji Hagiwara came over.

"Then go check it out."

Kenji Hagiwara once again turned his gaze to the group of waiters, watching them about to enter the main building lobby, and followed them.

Jinpei Matsuda followed without any hesitation.

The two of them walked quite fast. Before the last waiter carrying a flower pot walked into the hall, they followed the waiter steadily one meter behind him.

Watching the two rows of waiters placing flower pots on the windowsills of each open window.

The freesias bathed in the morning sunshine are covered with a layer of light golden light, and the fresh and sweet fragrance permeates the air, filling the air with the sweet taste of happiness.

Jinpei Matsuda walked into the wide hall and stopped in front of one of the windowsills after a few seconds.

Kenji Hagiwara took a closer look and smelled it, and sure enough, he also smelled a faint stench of decay.

He looked at the pot of freesia, and the next second he reached out decisively and picked up the freesia from the windowsill along with the pot and the flower.

Jinpei Matsuda on the side quickly covered his nose and took two steps to the side.

This smell, which is both fragrant and slightly stinky, is really irritating for someone with a sensitive nose.

The reason why I didn't spit it out on the spot was entirely because of the current situation.

Seeing this, Hagiwara Kenji opened his mouth to remind:

Xiao Zhenping, why don't you step back a little bit."

Jinpei Matsuda was confused, and then he saw Kenji Hagiwara carefully put the potted plant on the ground, and then took out a pair of disposable gloves from his pocket.

One second he put it on, and the next second he started digging the soil in the pot.

Hojo Lianzong, who saw the unusual movement from a distance, came over with his butler. Before they got close, they saw that the curly-haired young man who had covered his nose with his hands suddenly bent over and vomited.

Vomiting and cursing:

"Ugh~ Is there a dead mouse buried in this flowerpot? Why does it stink so bad? Ugh~"

Kenji Hagiwara looked at what he had dug out from the flowerpot and fell into deep thought.

Are there any freesias with black flowers?

Hojo Liansong took a few steps forward and saw clearly what Hagiwara Kenji was holding.

They were black flowers, covered in mud, and their petals were wrinkled and tattered from having been buried in the soil.

The old butler who followed Hojo Lianzong was shocked after seeing the black flower clearly:

"Why is there a black lily buried in this flowerpot? This is a deliberate attempt to curse Master Xiuzai."

Hearing this, Matsuda Jinpei couldn't help but take two steps forward, but the next second he was forced back by the fragrant yet stinky smell.

As soon as he recovered, he bent over and vomited violently again, wishing he could vomit out all the bile.

Soon, the movement here was known to all parties.

When Inspector Megure came with Sato Miwako and others, they happened to meet the public security team led by Kazami Yuya at the door.

Without bothering to say hello, both parties went straight to the window sill where several people had already gathered.

Hojo Yoshihito and Hojo Reie stood beside Hojo Lianzong, looking very unhappy.

As far as the couple could see, there were seven or eight pots of flowers placed everywhere, and black lilies were buried in the soil of each pot.

Among them, the reason why they looked ugly was not only because of the black lilies in the soil, but also because the plants planted in the flower pots with the black lilies were not the freesias that symbolized happiness.

But in Japanese culture, the lily is associated with death and is a memorial flower that only appears at funerals.

The two look very similar, and there are differences, but they are very subtle.

It is difficult for people who are not proficient in flower arrangement, do not know much about plants and flowers, or have not studied this area specifically to distinguish them.

Coincidentally, Hojo Reie was a person who was proficient in flower arrangement and had accumulated considerable knowledge of various flowers.

The reason why Hojo Yoshihito and Hojo Butler were able to recognize it was because they had seen the bouquet of tricolor lilies sent to Hojo Lianzong.

I was impressed by the black lily which had a faint rotten smell.

The lilies on the ground are white and red, and paired with the black lilies in the soil, they are simply a replica of the bouquet of three-color lilies that Hojo Lianzong received.

Finally, after the police search and with the help of Jinpei Matsuda's sense of smell, the number of lilies on the ground increased from seven or eight pots to thirty-two pots.

Twenty pots of white lilies and twelve pots of red lilies.

The soil below was filled with black lilies.

Putting them together, the feeling, for Jinpei Matsuda, was just like sitting among a pile of dead rats and listening to them have a meeting.

Matsuda Jinpei, who had already vomited out everything he could, had a pale face and leaned weakly against another windowsill, but his eyes were always focused on Kotsujinran Hagiwara Kenji.

Over there, Hagiwara Kenji, who had just finished asking Hojo Yoshihito and had already made a rough guess in his mind, walked towards Hojo Butler with a clear goal in mind and asked:

"Mr. Butler, do you remember how many flowers there were in the bouquet of tricolor lilies that Chairman Hojo received, and how many of each color were there?"

Butler Hojo thought about it and shook his head:

"Can not remember."

He remembered the colors of the bouquet of lilies, but he couldn't remember how many of each color there were.

"Twenty white, six red, and six black, a total of thirty-two."

The person who answered this question was Hojo Shuya, who hurried over from another building in the mansion.

He was wearing a slim-fitting white suit that looked expensive. He was in a hurry and hadn't even started to tidy up his hair, so it was a little messy from the wind.

"Thirty-two, red, white, and black. This seems to be the information that the criminal specifically told you, Chairman Hojo."

"Hey, why is it thirty-two, and not the number of each type of flower?"

After hearing what Hagiwara Kenji said, Inspector Megure, who had just learned the general situation from Hojo Liansou and made some brief inquiries and was walking slowly behind Hojo Liansou, asked in confusion.

"The flowers the prisoner sent both times were in three colors. Could there be some mystery hidden in the number of flowers of different colors?"

"Because the number of different colored flowers hasn't actually changed."

Hojo Reie, who had just finished answering the police's questions and walked to her son Hojo Shuya's side, suddenly spoke up.

“The twelve pots of red lilies are actually made up of two colors, one is rose red and the other is purple red, and the corresponding quantity is six pots.

Although the freesia flower looks like a lily, it is not black. ”

Inspector Megure suddenly realized:

"I see. That's why the criminal chose purple lilies as a substitute for black lilies."

Hagiwara Kenji nodded and said:

"As for burying the black lilies in the soil, I think it was to cover up the smell of the black lilies and to create a replica of the three-color lily bouquet that has the meaning of revenge."

Therefore, the most important information here is the number thirty-two, and the three colors black, white and red.

This was also the criminal's declaration of revenge against Chairman Hojo.

This kind of information is very clear and the identity of the criminal is undoubtedly someone who once had a feud with Chairman Hojo because of these things.

After deducing this, Kenji Hagiwara looked at Hojo Liansou, and other Inspector Megure and others who realized this also looked at Hojo Liansou in unison.

A complicated look flashed in Hojo Lianzong's eyes, but he did not speak immediately.

"Father, it's already so late. What are you worried about? The guests will be here soon. Today is Shuya's wedding day."

Hojo Yoshihito, who had always been very submissive in front of Hojo Yoshimune, was anxious when he saw his father being silent again.

"There are too many people here, why don't we go to the lounge next door and chat?"

Hojo Reie pulled her excited husband and made a suggestion.

After collecting evidence, the police moved out the 32 pots of lilies, and the waiter who was responsible for carrying the flowers was taken aside by the police for questioning.

But at this moment, there were still many waiters and servants of the Hojo family busy in the hall.

Hojo Yoshihito took a deep breath and returned to his previous submissive state:

"I'm so sorry, father."

Hojo Shuya watched all this calmly, and after following his parents and grandfather into the lounge near the stairs in the hall, before Hojo Lianzong spoke, he suddenly spoke:

"It's related to the thirty-two murders that happened in Tokyo fourteen years ago."

Hojo Lianzong looked at his grandson with some surprise and nodded slightly.

Hojo Yoshihito and his wife also looked at their son in surprise. They didn't expect that he could guess the correct answer based on just this little information.

Yuya Kazami, who was standing by, took out his cell phone and was about to ask someone to check the details of the case that happened fourteen years ago, when he heard Inspector Megure say with a look of realization and shock:

"So it's that case. That case caused quite a stir in Tokyo back then."

Fourteen years ago in April, a horrific serial murder case occurred in Tokyo when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom.

Starting from the beginning of April, in just over ten days, as many as twenty-three victims were killed.

These people died at different times and in various ways, and have no connection with each other except that they died in Tokyo.

The only reason that could link them together and identify them as a serial murder case was that before they died, someone had peeled off a piece of their skin from their waist, abdomen, or back.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department immediately dispatched elite personnel to conduct an investigation, but to no avail.

And during the time when the police were investigating the case, several such cases occurred one after another.

Among them, due to the special identity of one of the victims, the public security also got involved.

Later, the case was successfully solved by the police on the last day of April.

Not only did they successfully rescue the 32nd victim, but they also eradicated the real culprit behind the serial murders, a criminal gang called a football club but actually a murder club.

The reason why this murder club killed 32 people in a row and took a piece of skin from their bodies alive was because this murder club held a killing activity every month.

The content of the event will be decided by the club director through a blind box draw on the first day of each month.

On April 1st fourteen years ago, the activity that this murder club was awarded was to make a human skin football in thirty-two colors.

Therefore, this serial murder case was finally named by the police as the Thirty-two Color Murder Case.