chsdbacks Chapter 61 The Secret Room That Can Be Seen Through at a Glance
Chapter 61 The Secret Room That Can Be Seen Through at a Glance
At first glance, Mr. Greta's place appears rather spacious by studio apartment standards.
Of course, it wasn't Hugo's place to lament about this, since he was renting a place in the Feathered Residence. However, anyone who had observed the traces inside the house could tell that this trainer, skilled in sandstorm tactics, was not someone who was keen on a refined lifestyle.
The furniture, such as tables, chairs, and sofas, clashes drastically with the upscale décor of the apartment. Their main characteristic is their sturdiness and durability; placed in the elegant stone-floored living room, they resemble a pile of colorful building blocks on a fine dining table.
The room's windows were inexplicably locked. As Officer Jenny had described, they were securely bolted from the inside. It was impossible for anyone or any elf to escape through the windows, as they would be unable to lock them from the outside.
Strangely, despite the room's lack of refinement and ventilation, there wasn't much dust accumulated. The occupants seemed to clean the room frequently, with cleaning tools displayed in a corner of the living room, indicating that they used it regularly.
There seemed to be several rows of books on a shelf on one side of the living room, with other miscellaneous items behind them. From a distance, the bookshelf contained at least a hardcover paper version of the National Pokémon Pokédex, as well as a large stack of monthly subscriptions to battle-related magazines. There were also a few other books of unknown content, but they were placed in a very obscure position on the shelf.
The room directly opposite the main entrance was open, and it was clear that the door had been widened to allow larger Pokémon to enter and exit freely. The healing device that Greta had been using to store her Pokémon was in that room at the time of the incident, and by home standards, the quality of the device was quite good.
Hugo wanted to continue reading the room in front of him, but unfortunately, due to the limitations of his perspective and the layout of the room, he could not see any more content for the time being.
.
However, contrary to what the detective saw and thought, what was presented to the assistant as she entered the room was a red room made up of large patches of blood.
The ground was covered with dark red patches that were hard to look at. Having already grasped some anatomical knowledge, she knew that this represented blood that had been left for a certain period of time.
Even though Azure had already been through the ordeal of the hospital morgue, the girl's face was still ashen as paper in the face of the horrific scene before her and the lingering smell of rust and blood.
"This is the crime scene. The stone awl did not hit a part that would have been immediately fatal, so the victim was still struggling and moving after being stabbed in the abdomen, which caused such a large area of bloodstains."
Officer Jenny's voice, which sounded like an explanation, rang in everyone's ears. The two officers who were still taking notes inside looked at the group of four who entered with some surprise. When they saw the detective with her assistant, they wisely put down their work and left the crime scene to the experts in investigation.
Seeing the police officer close the door behind him as he left the locked room, Detective Hugo eagerly strode into the depths of the room, launching into a long monologue as he went—
“I noticed that the victim’s bloody handprints were all located under the furniture, which indicates that the victim was unable to stand up at the time. Officer Jenny, was the victim’s cell phone found at the crime scene?”
“Yes, there are. On that table, there are also missed calls from his partner,” Officer Jenny replied cooperatively.
“Oh.” The detective exhaled through his nose behind his mask, looking as if he had finally understood: “This explains why the victim had ten minutes to struggle but did not try to call for emergency services or the police—because of the pain and blood loss, he could no longer reach the things on the table.”
The struggle of a dying person is very pitiful, but continuing to imagine such a scene is useless. Hugo carefully avoided the bloodstains by wearing shoe covers and entered the living room, heading straight towards the direction with the most blood.
Azure raised her gloved hand and asked, "I find something very strange. Why didn't Mr. Greta leave any traces that hinted at the killer's identity?"
“All sorts of explanations are possible,” Hugo explained without turning his head. “Perhaps he forgot because of the excruciating pain; perhaps he was so focused on saving himself or finding his phone to call for emergency help that he forgot to identify the murderer; or perhaps he knew the murderer who stabbed the stone but wanted to protect him…”
Without even glancing at the human figure marked by white lines—the crime scene markers indicating the area of death—Hugo continued speaking, simply following the trail of blood on the ground.
"However, if we follow the conjecture I proposed earlier, the most likely explanation is that the deceased himself did not know how the stone cone appeared. He was just at home when he was inexplicably stabbed in the abdomen. He had no idea how the incident happened or why he died."
Hugo stopped in his tracks, now standing before the largest pool of blood in the room.
However, the detective immediately shook his head, muttered to himself, and pointed to the pool of blood in front of him.
“This is not where the deceased was attacked. The stone cone was not sharp. To pierce the deceased, he would have had to be pushed backward a distance first. During this process, the victim would likely have changed direction. This is just the place where he first got up after being knocked to the ground by the stone cone.”
Then the detective began to look around again, searching for the spot where the victim had stood when he was stabbed.
At that moment, something placed before Mr. Greta launched a deadly and silent attack on him.
The detective's gaze swept over the surrounding objects in turn—a simple computer desk, a kitchen with a dishwasher, a cabinet storing all the certificates, trophies, and medals the trainer had won, a bookshelf displaying succulent plants and books, a square dining table...
Suddenly, the detective's face lit up with realization, and his eyes gleamed.
"Here!"
Upon seeing something, Hugo let out a low shout, completely ignoring the bloodstains on the ground, and strode straight towards the cabinet next to the bookshelf where the trainer trophies were displayed.
“Hey, Hugo—” Officer Jenny was about to speak up to stop the detective who was trampling on the evidence at the scene, but she immediately stopped herself. Because she also saw Hugo making a gesture behind his back with his index finger and thumb—a full C-shape.
Officer Jenny, Azure, and Sera exchanged glances, simultaneously recalling Hugo's earlier conjecture at the door, and immediately understood the meaning of the detective's hand gesture—there's a Pokémon ahead, get your Poké Ball ready!
The ladies subtly took their hands on the Poké Balls containing their partners.
It seems the detective has discovered the Pokémon hiding in the secret room; the murderer, about 20 to 30 centimeters long, is currently hiding in the display case filled with trophies. Hugo plans to use himself as bait to lure it out.
One step, two steps. In the blink of an eye, Hugo arrived in front of the cabinet and slowly pulled open the glass in front of the trophy.
The trophies in the cabinet record all the honors the deceased had achieved in the field of battle, including certificates symbolizing advanced trainers, tickets to a league tournament, boxes containing collected gym badges, and gold medals representing the champions of doubles competitions...
The most prestigious and prestigious award is the Unova League Battle Frontier Certified Star Trainer Trophy. Made of sterling silver, the trophy features a classic cup shape and is about the size of a human head.
Hugo grasped the bottom of the extremely valuable trophy and lifted it up.
"This trophy has already been inspected..."
Before Officer Jenny could finish speaking, the detective in the white coat suddenly moved like a thug, grabbing the silver trophy with both hands and swinging it like a baseball bat, turning around and smashing it at something on the bookshelf behind him—the succulent plant behind the bookshelf!
However, the detective's diversionary attack failed—because a thick rock pillar appeared out of nowhere, blocking the waving trophy.
Clang!
The sound of rocks shattering rang out, and the trophy slipped from the detective's hand, falling to the ground with a heavy thud.
Hugo didn't pick up the trophy, nor did he continue to confront the flowerpot. Instead, he covered his head and ran behind the three ladies.
"In the Pokédex, some Ghost-type Pokémon calculate their size based on their spirit form. In certain states, they can shrink into an inconspicuous form, about the size of an ordinary rock. After they enter a state of feigned death, even highly skilled psychics may not be able to detect their whereabouts."
The detective spoke at an incredibly fast pace behind the group, who were now on high alert.
"Among Ghost-type Pokémon, there are two that can learn both Rock-type moves and the Feign Death move: the Sinnoh-native Venusaur and the Galar form of Corsola. Judging from its size, since it can hide in a flowerpot like this, I tend to think it's the latter..."
As the detective anxiously explained, the succulent plant pot, which had escaped the onslaught of the trophy, began to spontaneously crack.
One after another, transparent, coral-like horns pierced through the pot's walls, and the soil slowly emerged from the pot, gradually revealing a smooth, round stone with many large holes on it, from which the transparent horns extended.
The smooth stone opened its eyes; the deep black eyes seemed empty, and within those empty eyes, a faint red light seemed to flicker intermittently.
A rock less than 20 centimeters high instantly transformed into a cluster of transparent corals 50 centimeters tall, exuding a sinister and ghostly aura.
On the ladies' side, Little Ibrahimovic and Thunder Zebra made their appearances.
Sera sent out a winter-looking budding deer, its unique white fur extending from its belly to its shoulders like a breastplate, and its bare white antlers reflecting a cold, sharp light.
"Take it down quickly, that guy can also use 'self-destruct'!" the detective shouted a warning.