A Core Ship From The Start
Chapter 1196 - Chapter 1196 Chapter 813 Trouble Arises Again_2

Chapter 1196: Chapter 813: Trouble Arises Again_2 Chapter 1196: Chapter 813: Trouble Arises Again_2 “Another case? You never mentioned this before.”

“Because it wasn’t our district’s case to handle. It was only when we brought the files back to headquarters for investigation that we discovered the name Koji Nishi had appeared in another murder a few days prior. The victim of that case was a female anchor named Mayumi Yamano, and Koji Nishi was the first to discover the body and the one who called the police. And…”

At this point, Dort lowered his voice.

“The victim in that case was also found hanging dead on a telephone pole.”

“Isn’t that good? You have a lead now?”

“No!”

The desperation in Dort’s tone was so palpable that Duanmu Ai could feel it through the handset.

“We formed an investigation team with the officers in charge of that case, but so far, we have no leads. We do have a suspect, but he has an alibi for the night of the murder. The problem now is that the media has caught wind of this, and in a couple of days, the news and papers will be filled with tales of a serial killer… Just thinking about it gives me a headache.”

“Hehe…”

To this, Duanmu Ai just let out a detached chuckle, as it had nothing to do with her after all.

“What about you? Any results on your end?”

“To disappoint you, Koji Nishi was just an ordinary student at school, no one disliked her. The only rumor is that she had some conflict with her father because she worked part-time at a nearby supermarket. Other than that, no other useful clues.”

“Ah… alright then, I’ll have to think of another way…”

“Oh, right.”

At that moment, Duanmu Ai suddenly remembered a piece of news from a classmate.

“Someone said they saw someone who looked like Koji Nishi on a TV program in the evening or at night, on the very night she disappeared.”

“Really?”

Sure enough, Dort quickly perked up at this information.

“Which channel?”

“I don’t know about that. Actually, he himself was half-asleep at the time, not sure if he was dreaming or truly saw it. It might have been a dream for all he knew, but there aren’t that many TV stations nowadays anyway. You could check them one by one.”

After all, humanity was still in the midst of rebuilding, and the media had been similarly devastated. A TV would at most have a dozen channels, and only one or two local stations’ programs, so investigating would be quite easy.

“Okay, thanks. I’ll take a look and see if there are any leads.”

Finally having received a lead, Dort brightened up considerably and hung up the phone with enthusiasm.

Well… what to say?

Duanmu Ai was particularly curious about what his face would look like when he found out that the Gang of Thieves would strike again in a few days.

Time would tell.

And just as Dort had said, the next day the media linked Koji Nishi’s death with that of Anchor Yamano, even broadcasting a two-hour special report. Thanks to the media’s pervasive interviews, Duanmu Ai also learned the full story from the television.

First was the first victim, Anchor Yamano, a TV host and also a politician’s mistress. And for that reason, the police initially considered that politician the killer. The logic was sound: the mistress wanted to move up, the politician refused to divorce, and in the midst of their argument, an accidental murder occurred–a common theme in love crime cases.

But after careful investigation, the police found the politician lacked the time to commit the murder and had a solid alibi.

It was Koji Nishi who had discovered Anchor Yamano’s body and reported it to the police. As for why she was killed, the media was full of speculation, with some suggesting it could be a warning from Anchor Yamano’s killer, given that it was Koji Nishi who had originally reported the crime… Who knows?

The following days, Dort hadn’t called Duanmu Ai, which one could imagine meant he was frantically busy. Just as the frenzy over the serial killings started to die down, another case surfaced.

The famous artist Banmu, who was holding a personal art exhibition, held a press conference admitting how he plagiarized his disciples’ works, even turning a blind eye to the death of one such disciple. This revelation caused a massive shock, and soon this news story overshadowed Koji Nishi’s death–the latter, after all, was just an ordinary schoolgirl, how could she compete with the scandal of a well-known artist?

More importantly, according to the art gallery staff, they had also received a warning letter from the Gang of Thieves…

Soon after, discussions about the Gang of Thieves began again.

As for Dort… he was pretty much ready to commit suicide.

“You need to figure out a solution, or I might as well resign.”

The voice that came through the phone sounded like Dort was already standing on a chair, a noose of white silk three feet above his head, ready to meet his maker.

“Even if you ask me for a solution… it’s not easy to catch these guys…”

Duanmu Ai spread her hands helplessly. Although she had indeed identified the members of the Gang of Thieves because of the Banmu incident, the problem was the lack of evidence. Even though she had recordings and Banmu had confessed, these were only circumstantial evidence. Without catching the perpetrator red-handed, it was useless.

Yet… Duanmu Ai wasn’t entirely without ideas.

“You want me to come up with a solution, well, I have one that can temporarily relieve your troubles and hit the Gang of Thieves hard.”

“What is it?”

Dort suddenly became attentive, but Duanmu Ai’s next words took him by surprise.

“Simple, we could start a rumor that the serial killings are linked to the Gang of Thieves.”

“What?”

Dort was startled.

“Are they connected?”

“As it stands, no, but that doesn’t stop us from spreading rumors. Spreading them is easy, dispelling them takes a lot more effort. By then, those thieves will probably have bigger things to worry about than playing hero.”

“But, but… we as the police can’t do that, can we?”

“Of course not, but I can. I’ll release the rumors online, and if any reporters ask, you just need to keep a ‘no comment’ attitude… I mean, you’re supposed to prevent leaks of information anyway, right?”

“This…”

Faced with Duanmu Ai’s suggestion, Dort felt conflicted.

“It could divert the public’s attention away from you, and it could even throw the actual murderer off guard, potentially causing the Gang of Thieves to slip up. Isn’t it like killing three birds with one stone? Besides, neither side are good people, what’s wrong with a dog eat dog situation?”

“Fine then, if you say so… I’ll pretend I don’t know anything.”

“Leave it to me.”

Hearing Dort agree, Duanmu Ai scoffed.

“Stirring trouble is my specialty.”

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