A Scientific Urban Detective

“So,” after talking with the guard instructor for a few sentences, the mind-reading ability user asked again, “Where is the underground arena? And when is its so-called next season?”

Shibata Saburo shook his head: “I don’t know… No, it’s not that I’m deliberately hiding it, I really don’t know. Because the location of each match is different, including the address, the time, and the way to get there, the secret codes, etc. All this information is highly confidential and is sent to us via anonymous email with encrypted information only twenty-four hours before the official start of the match. Before that, no one knows any information.”

“Your phone and email account will now be taken over by the guard unit,” the guard in charge of the interrogation said immediately.

Shibata Saburo nodded, then shook his head again: “Of course, that’s no problem, I’ve already been arrested…”

He raised his hand to show the handcuffs on his wrists, and then said, “But I think it’s unlikely that I’ll receive any emails—the organizers must have already known that I was arrested. They can’t risk being discovered and continue to contact me.”

For some reason, Shibata Saburo seemed much more relaxed now, without the tense, hysterical feeling he had before.

It was as if he felt safer after entering the prison.

“You seem very afraid of them?” the guard asked.

“Of course,” Shibata Saburo admitted without hesitation, “How could an organization that hosts such terrible matches be kind little white rabbits? It is said that the organizers have the strength to suppress all the competitors, so they can dominate the entire underground arena.”

“And…” Shibata Saburo said with lingering fear, “I also heard that a certain partner once tried to leak information about the underground arena, and as a result, disappeared a few days later, and no one has ever seen that person again.”

Therefore, after realizing that the situation was irreversible and that he could not escape the sanctions of the guard unit, Shibata Saburo went to the other extreme and decisively demanded immediate imprisonment.

——Faced with the assassination attempts of the underground arena organizers, I am afraid that only the guard unit’s prison is the safest place.

“In the end, we still failed to obtain any substantive information,” Kofuku Misaka said with great regret.

After the interrogation, Lin Wuming and the other two, as key figures in solving the case, also underwent written investigations by the guard unit.

It was not until the afternoon that they left the guard unit headquarters.

Lin Wuming asked, “Kofuku, are you also investigating the underground arena?”

“Yes, actually…”

Kofuku Misaka no longer concealed anything and explained the contents of her discussion with Serigaya Tsugio and Kurotsuma Meryu yesterday.

Through today's series of events, she realized that Lin Wuming had a talent for detective reasoning, so she could ask him to help search for clues about the "underground arena."

Lin Wuming smiled wryly after hearing her thoughts: “You think too highly of me, Kofuku. Their security is too good, and I don’t have any clues.”

Kofuku Misaka was not too disappointed, but continued to ask: “Then where should we start investigating next? Wuming, do you have any suggestions?”

Lin Wuming said: “The idea is actually very clear. First, we must find that underground arena—otherwise, nothing can be discussed. Since Shibata Saburo may have already been detected being arrested, then let’s change our target and let him ‘take us’ to that arena…”

In fact, the idea mentioned by Lin Wuming is exactly the next direction of investigation for the guard unit.

Because now they have obtained key information—the source of the underground arena’s prize money.

The organizers chose to use "life insurance" to "raise" the prize money. They actually do not need to pay any price, which is equivalent to getting something for nothing; such a useful plan cannot be declared over just because a partner is lost.

It can be determined that the organizers of the underground arena must still have the same cooperation with other insurance companies.

Therefore, the next line of investigation is very clear. Investigate all insurance companies in Academy City. By checking or letting them self-check the flow of funds within the company, any flow of funds involving tens of billions can basically determine the target.

The insurance company itself is probably unlikely to do such a losing business, so there should also be internal personnel like Shibata Saburo who have been won over by the organizers to become their partners.

As long as these people can be found, the underground arena itself can be contacted through them without attracting the attention of the organizers.

Therefore, although a fairly large-scale investigation has been launched, the entire investigation is being conducted in secret in order to avoid alerting the enemy.

Lin Wuming and the others, who proposed the same idea, were also asked to keep it secret and not to disclose the operation to the outside world.

Moreover, because it involves investigations targeting large enterprises, it has already exceeded the scope of the Anti-Skill's authority, so Lin Wuming and the others have no reason to continue to follow up on this case.

Lin Wuming and Torabachi Toumi didn't care. They were just a little curious, but they didn't have much attachment to the "underground arena" case itself.

The most ⊥ new ⊥ small ⊥ said ⊥ is ⊥ at ⊥ six ⊥ 9 ⊥⊥ book ⊥⊥ bar ⊥⊥ first ⊥ hair!

But Kofuku Misaka is different. Her former partner has been involved in the underground arena and is still missing. Moreover, she is also shouldering Kurotsuma Meryu's expectations to find out more valuable information through Anti-Skill channels to prepare for rescuing her partner.

After realizing the danger of the underground arena—especially its death rate of over 99 percent—Kofuku Misaka couldn't sit still.

She couldn't care too much, put down her face and dignity, and bowed her head to beg Lin Wuming for help, wondering if there were any other breakthroughs available for investigation.

Lin Wuming also felt a headache about this, not because he was unwilling to help, but because…

“I told you, I’m really not a detective,” Lin Wuming smiled wryly, “I can’t offer any valuable suggestions!”

That's right, it's not that he doesn't want to help, it's just that Lin Wuming really can't think of any more ideas.

“Don’t be modest anymore, Wuming!” Kofuku Misaka didn’t believe it, “Your judgment and reasoning ability are obvious to all. In this ‘100 million yen theft case,’ you played a key role, and even came up with the next idea faster than the guard instructors every time.”

“Also,” Kofuku Misaka also investigated a lot, “In those few actions before you joined Anti-Skill, didn’t you accurately destroy multiple illegal experimental institutions and save so many innocent children without any information?”

Kofuku Misaka looked at Lin Wuming with expectant eyes.