r18novel Chapter 146 The Skin of the Truth
Chapter 146 The Skin of the Truth
Chapter 156 The Skin of the Truth
The detective succinctly revealed the essence of the explosion, but did not rush to tell the whole story.
For Inspector J.J. E., who was present at the scene, the part of the mystery concerning the Li Yong Police Station ceased to exist once Hugo uttered the word "kidnapping."
At this moment, the two were basically on equal footing in terms of information and position. Hugo no longer needed to extract information from Officer Jenny, and Officer Jenny silently awaited how Hugo would react from the perspective of a private detective.
This is not a scene where the puzzle solver confronts the real culprit, but rather a discussion between the police and the detective.
However, to the sheriff's surprise, Hugo, who was sitting in a chair and swaying arrogantly, chose the most shameless action.
He started bragging.
—At least that's how Officer Jenny sees it.
"Police officers investigating cases often pride themselves on their agility. They are like bees collecting pollen, diligently repeating mechanical tasks. It's as if by interviewing enough relevant people, they can get close to the core of the case; as if by collecting enough evidence, the whole picture of the case will appear before them like the truth coming out..."
But what constitutes enough?
The detective, adopting an educator's posture, began to speak eloquently to the high-ranking officials in the police station—
"Compared to an infinite denominator, even numbers in the trillions are but a drop in the ocean; compared to absolute truth, even the most perfect chain of evidence cannot be without flaws. Witnesses may lie, evidence may be forged, fingerprints are not irreplaceable, surveillance footage can be manipulated, and corpses and crime scenes can be rigged. Your proud scientific investigations are also limited by science itself. The so-called 'after eliminating all possibilities, what remains is the truth' is utter nonsense. In this vast world, possibilities are like weeds growing everywhere in a field; pulling out one only makes several more sprout. How can you possibly eliminate them all so easily?"
Hugo spread his arms wide, lamenting the global tragedy—
"Above the reality we stand upon, a myriad of Pokémon, each unique and bizarre, roam the heavens; dragons and legends, illusions and demons, superpowers and ghosts lurk in their wake; miracles and chance are everywhere; locked rooms leak from all sides; timetables are shattered; the rules of deduction are rendered meaningless; murder plots are countless; and criminal motives are utterly unrestrained..."
Officer Jenny frowned deeply and retorted, "If you doubt everything and believe nothing, how are you supposed to solve cases? And you're belittling the police so much, but what about all the cases we've solved in the past?"
"The analogy of at least three bees collecting honey is not meant to be derogatory; your work is an incredibly great achievement. Faced with endless puzzles, endless searching is a moderately good solution. In my eyes, you are comparable to the mathematicians who calculated pi using the method of exhaustion before the invention of computers."
The detective began swaying from side to side again, like a clock restarting its chimes, announcing the following words—
"The romanticism of classical reasoning has little left in the present day. Deducing the course of events based on evidence, re-filtering according to probability, eliminating the impossible, and then taking the final conclusion as the so-called truth—this approach is time-consuming and laborious, and its accuracy is still not guaranteed. Your correct reasoning in past cases is nothing more than a series of wonderful miracles. Who can guarantee that miracles will happen again tomorrow?"
Hugo continued his speech, seemingly unconcerned about praise or criticism, and then went on to answer the previous question raised by Officer Jenny—
"How to solve a case based on suspicion of everything, ah, that's a really good question!"
The detective in the white coat snapped his fingers, the crisp sound echoing in the sheriff's office.
"Inferences drawn from existing evidence and testimony are actually very fragile. Regardless of their truthfulness, they can be easily overturned by new clues or a new property revealed by the evidence. This phenomenon has been discussed by many famous mystery writers, but it is not uncommon in reality. We guys who feed on mysteries should encounter it often—for example, a hard-won deduction can be easily overturned by some overlooked details, or we can completely fall into the trap set by the criminal and accept all the misleading evidence provided by the enemy. My capable assistant often makes such mistakes. Officer Jenny, can you say that this kind of thing has never happened in the process of police investigations?"
Officer Jenny remained silent. Such things naturally happen from time to time during the investigation of cases, but... is it something that can't be helped?
Just as you must stand on the ground to walk, you must keep breathing to survive.
Finally, she couldn't help but ask, "Isn't this an essential step in solving a case? Collecting information, reasoning, summarizing, and analyzing. What other methods are there?"
“Preaching without understanding is pointless. Officer Jenny, why don’t I use this power plant explosion case as an example to show you the reasoning of a professional detective?”
The detective, his face radiating confidence, sat cross-legged on a wooden chair in the police station and continued speaking to Officer Jenny with a smile.
"However, before we begin, I must state that we live in a realistic, open, and not entirely rational world. This explosion did not take place on a closed stage; the characters involved could be anyone in the world, and it cannot be summarized by the few lines of a character list on the title page of a detective novel."
With Miss Goth standing by, Hugo continued to reveal the differences between the world-building and the books—
"Superpowers, ghosts, and mind control do exist in this world. Examples of time travel and the manifestation of illusions have occurred in the past. There are at least half a dozen large-scale criminal organizations, each of whom could jump out at any time to perform a talent. Similarly, in cases, everyone is likely to lie in their testimony, all evidence may be false, the human heart can only be speculated on and cannot be verified, and the reasons for the occurrence of the case may be absurd, bizarre, and utterly illogical. There is no omniscient and omnipotent god who can stand aside and assure us that all the conditions for deducing the truth have been listed. Have a pleasant hunt, gentlemen."
"This is truly a prerequisite that would make a mystery writer vomit blood on the spot."
Officer Jenny crossed her arms and made a succinct comment.
The detective in the white coat in front of him remained noncommittal, only lowering his voice to say—
"Then, let's begin the puzzle."
"First, I'd like to share my current investigation progress with you, Officer. I think most of it is information already known to the police, but there's also some information that you simply can't find out. Just consider that part as the foundation of my livelihood as a private investigator."
Hugo counted the following facts on his fingers to Officer Jenny—
1. According to reports from major newspapers in the United States: On November 4, a large-scale explosion of unknown cause occurred at the Liyong Power Plant. The scale of the explosion was far beyond that of ordinary production accidents, and nearby residents heard a loud explosion.
2. According to the detective and his assistant's firsthand observation at the crime scene: there was a huge crater in the factory's biomass power generation area, but no trace of a body was left. However, according to the detective's client, the body was taken away by people in police uniforms.
3. According to information obtained from within the police department: Power plant manager William was aware of the impending explosion and went to warn everyone at the plant. After the explosion, he spoke with the plant's electrical engineer, Arno, and remained silent about anything related to the explosion after the incident.
4. According to Ms. Junsa's investigation in Feiyun City: Arno, mentioned above, was on leave at the time of the incident and was an hour away from the factory when the explosion occurred. There was a publishing editor as a witness, and a group photo on a social media site as evidence.
5. According to the testimony of rock musician Lu: There was a competitive conflict between William's factory and the local old power plant, with the former focusing on developing new energy sources that could sustainably grow.
6. Also from Rue's testimony: Arnaud was in a rather awkward position in the factory. He was suspected of pushing a colleague and causing an accident, but he was unexpectedly forgiven by the factory manager, William.
7. Testimony from a Team Plasma extremist: The theoretical production capacity of the Rissun Power Plant did not meet the standards it reported to the Pokémon League. League officials had visited the plant before the explosion. Furthermore, the extremist firmly believed that Pokémon in all the factories in Rissun City were being treated harshly.
8. According to the testimony of Telt, the breeding consultant of the Liyong Power Plant: He personally witnessed that all the Pokémon in the power plant's bio-power generation module died in the explosion. At the time of their death, the Electrode and Magnemite groups were arranged in neat formations, their bodies charred and burned to death.
"There is also a ninth point, which is still just a deduction to me: after the explosion, police cars and fire trucks arrived at the scene very quickly, but no one at the scene heard the urgent sirens. This is illogical because if police and fire trucks were traveling at high speeds on the road, the drivers would definitely be sounding their sirens, but no one at the scene had any recollection of that sound that should have resounded throughout the city."
Hugo tapped the table with his knuckles and continued speaking.
"Combined with the third point above, William's strange behavior, the second point about the whereabouts of the Pokémon remains, and Officer Jenny's ambiguous attitude before, I think I have found the answer."
"That's right. It's the kidnapping you mentioned."
Officer Jenny nodded decisively and added her statement in a clear voice without hesitation.
"9. According to Chief Officer Jenny of Liyong City: Before the explosion on November 4, the police station received a call from Plant Manager William, who claimed that he had been the victim of a serious kidnapping. The hostages were the entire Liyong Power Plant, and the kidnappers were Electric-type Pokémon in the power generation modules. The Pokémon demanded the release of all the Pokémon in the plant, or they would collectively self-destruct and destroy the entire plant. Upon receiving the information, our police and the local fire department immediately mobilized and laid an ambush around the Liyong Power Plant before the explosion."
N's premeditated action was not the first protest launched by Pokémon in Lishui City; long before him, other Pokémon had already raised the banner of rebellion. They were using their lives as weights on the scales, preparing to unleash the loudest possible cry for freedom.
It was precisely because this was a "kidnapping incident" involving negotiations, discussions, and demands that Factory Manager William learned in advance about the impending explosion and promptly informed all employees.
Similarly, in such a critical moment, the factory manager, who had a good reputation among the guitarists, naturally notified the police. This explains why there were no sirens near the crime scene—the police and fire department had been waiting at the scene before the incident. To prevent their presence from provoking the kidnappers to destroy the factory, they did not sound their sirens but secretly lay in wait nearby until the explosion occurred and things became irreversible, at which point they appeared to manage the chaos.
This is the outermost layer of the explosion incident. The part that can be easily deduced. Like an appetizer before the main course. The very foundation of all foundations.
However, this foundation is also built on mere testimonies and speculations. Those with ulterior motives have plenty of ways to inject lies into it, and there is still a possibility that it can be reversed again.
Before Hugo, Officer Jenny continued her story with a heavy tone—
"Afterwards, for unknown reasons, negotiations between Factory Manager William and the kidnappers broke down, and the explosion occurred as is widely known. Then, William began to refuse to provide details of the negotiations and remained silent. In order to appease the city's residents, the local alliance and the police decided to temporarily classify the case as a production accident before thoroughly investigating the truth, in order to prevent organizations such as the Plasma Group from taking the opportunity to cause trouble in Liyong City."
"So you're still investigating?" Hugo was slightly surprised. "From the information I have, the police have let go quite completely."
"That's because the secrecy policy has been quite effective. As a result, the police department is divided into two groups: one group believes that maintaining the status quo is better, while the other believes that the investigation should continue. Just as the two groups were arguing, officials from the alliance expressed their opinion—Liyong City is in a critical period of energy supply, and it would be best to put the case on hold for a while longer."
"That's exactly the kind of tactic politicians always use... He probably wants to drag out the investigation until after his term ends, right?"
"Because I am hesitant due to the divisions within the police department, I am also not qualified to comment on the opinions of the League officials. Moreover, from a purely security perspective, I do not want news of a Pokémon riot to appear in the eyes of the public, as that would seriously tear apart the trust between humans and Pokémon."
"Wasn't that trust already torn apart the moment those Electric-type Pokémon decided to self-destruct?"
The detective spoke sarcastically, seemingly expressing some dissatisfaction with Officer Jenny and the Alliance officials' passive approach to the investigation.
“That’s beyond my control.” Officer Jenny shook her head helplessly, then glared at Hugo with displeasure.
"So, Mr. Detective, since you yourself have arbitrarily raised the difficulty of the reasoning, claiming to doubt everything, yet unwilling to continue collecting more evidence in a high-profile manner—under these two inexplicable constraints, what kind of answer can you provide?"