Chapter 89: You Got It Wrong
Mori, a famous detective well-known in Y-City, appeared three years ago. Whenever a murder case occurred in Y-City, Mori would always appear at the scene in time and solve it with his superhuman reasoning and keen observational skills. In three years, he solved over two hundred cases, big and small, resolving many difficult murders that troubled the police. He was thus hailed as the savior of the police.
However, whenever Mori appeared, he always presented himself as a shadow, never revealing his true face. People believed Mori hid his appearance to avoid retaliation from criminals. Each time after solving a case, he would recount his deductions in the form of a shadow, bringing the criminals to justice.
Because of his unique demeanor, he was also known as the "Shadow of Truth."
Now that Mori had appeared, everyone immediately calmed down from their panic. They subconsciously believed that with Mori present, the murder case would be solved in a heartbeat, and the killer would surely be apprehended.
"The savior of the police?"
King was deep in thought. "So, this is why Child Emperor and the police are acquainted?"
Dastar's expression shifted slightly. After a moment's thought, he forced himself to remain calm and said, "Everyone, compared to finding the murderer, I think the urgent matter is to deal with the zombie virus. After all, none of us knows if it's contagious. If the zombie virus is contagious, then its danger would be terrifying."
"Roar—"
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone's heart jolted. They subconsciously looked at Luya, who had been bitten, only to see that he was no longer in pain. Instead, his veins were bulging, his face was ferocious, and he was letting out a low growl.
"Explosive Energy Blast!"
King raised an eyebrow slightly, glanced at the expressionless Dastar, and fired an energy blast from his outstretched hand.
Boom!
An explosion rang out, and Luya was taken out before he could complete his transformation into a zombie.
"This gentleman is a hero, right? Lightning Genji?"
Both of King's energy blasts were blue, similar to electricity, so he was unexpectedly mistaken for Lightning Genji.
Everyone looked curiously at King, whose face was concealed by a baseball cap, and began speculating about his identity.
"Cough, cough, everyone, now is not the time to focus on heroes. The murderer is still at large, which means the zombie virus has the potential to spread."
At this moment, the "Mori" shadow on the wall flickered and spoke up, bringing the topic back. "Only by apprehending the murderer can we control the zombie virus. Otherwise, once it spreads, it will surely cause unrest in Y-City."
King raised an eyebrow, staring intently at Dastar. However, he temporarily held back. Although various signs indicated that the person with the zombie virus was Dastar, he decided to wait for Child Emperor to deduce the truth and reveal the culprit before making a move to avoid wrongly accusing an innocent person.
"Mr. Mori, who exactly is the murderer?"
Everyone finally recalled the danger they were in. After a moment of unease, they impatiently asked "Mori."
"Mori" took out a "magnifying glass (which was actually the shadow of a lollipop!)," shook it, and said in a low voice, "There is only one truth. The murderer is..."
"It's me."
A sudden voice cut in, directly interrupting Child Emperor's performance.
"Huh? Dastar?"
Everyone looked at Dastar in surprise, instinctively backing away from him.
Dastar glanced at the crowd's varied expressions and gave a wry smile. "That's right. I'm the one who killed my old man, and I'm also the one who injected him with the zombie virus."
Mori: "...Could you let me say a few words?"
"Although I knew my murder plot wasn't perfect, I didn't expect you to see through it so quickly."
Dastar's face was filled with despair.
"Mori" smiled. "The great philosopher Schwartzgeid once said, 'A thousand-mile dike can collapse from a tiny anthill.' For us detectives, as long as you leave the slightest trace, I can follow the clues to find you. The only difference is how long it takes."
Dastar fell silent for a moment, then said hoarsely, "Can you tell me when you confirmed I was the murderer?"
"The moment your father mutated into a zombie."
"I see." Dastar suddenly understood and gave a self-deprecating smile. "Was I too obvious?" He took a deep breath, stared at King, and said in a deep voice, "May I know your name? I want to know who I lost to."
"Me?" King pointed at himself and chuckled in disbelief. "You've got it wrong. It was Mori who deduced you were the murderer. What does that have to do with me?"
"Mori? Heh, don't be ridiculous. Anyone here who isn't blind could guess that the person impersonating Mori was that little boy who was with you earlier, right? The same baseball cap, the same aura. Are you... father and son?"
King: "..."
Child Emperor: "..."
Everyone: "..."
Dastar said faintly, "If I'm not mistaken, you taught that little boy, the fake Mori, the deduction process, didn't you? From the very beginning, your gaze was fixed on me. I know you had already seen through my hidden identity as the murderer. What I didn't expect, however, was that you would pass this honor to Mori, intending to use his identity to announce the truth of the case. But..."
He gave a grim smile. "You exposed me, and the animosity between us has grown. I won't let you hide behind the scenes as you wish. I'm going to expose you right here and now for having that little boy impersonate Mori, so that you're exposed too. That way, we'll be even."
King's mouth twitched. "Your imagination is really something. You're right, after I found the card on Robert, I suspected you might be the murderer, which is why I glanced at you a few extra times. But Child Emperor impersonating Mori truly has nothing to do with me, and those deductions have even less to do with me! You've got the wrong person!"
Child Emperor, seeing he had been exposed, awkwardly turned off the light, and the shadow on the wall immediately vanished. Carrying his small backpack and gnawing on a lollipop, he reluctantly came out from behind the pillar. Seeing that everyone was convinced King was the one who had deduced the truth, he felt like crying but couldn't shed a tear. He felt wronged, but he couldn't say a word.
Grell looked at Dastar seriously. "Where did you get the zombie virus?"
Dastar lit a cigar, took a puff, and exhaled the smoke from his nostrils with a relaxed smile. "It's a by-product of genetic experiments from my private biological research institute. Don't worry, there's only a little of it, and it hasn't been traded to anyone else."
"Phew~"
Grell let out a sigh of relief. An infectious zombie virus, once spread, would pose an enormous danger and could not be taken lightly.
King glanced sideways at the precocious Child Emperor and said, "Hey, the case is solved. Let's go." Now that Dastar's identity as the murderer was exposed, the police could handle the rest. There was no need for them to get involved. It was better to hurry back and finish collecting the experimental data so he could make time for a trip to Z-City.
"Alright!"
Child Emperor pouted, reluctantly agreeing to King's suggestion.
(end of chapter)