Pokémon Detective Case Files

Chapter 351 Detoxification – The Invisible Poison

Chapter 353 Detoxification – The Invisible Poison

The detective pulled out an armchair from the row of chairs next to the long table and sat down without any hesitation, like a dark raven taking over its nest.

"As Miss Pachira said, those who arrived at the scene immediately after Douzi and the others discovered that Akroma had been poisoned are my prime suspects."

"Is there a killer among them?" the news anchor asked impatiently after receiving an affirmative answer.

"It's not only the murderer who should be suspected, but we can't rule out that possibility either." Hugo shook his head. "Although poisoning usually doesn't require the perpetrator to be present, every crime inevitably involves some unintentional oversight. Many criminals will deliberately return to the crime scene out of concern that they might have missed some clue. However, my suspicion of those present is not based on that reason."

"Of course I understand, but why is that?" Detective assistant Azure asked.

Number of people.

The detective in the white coat spoke succinctly, his gaze as deep as the hardwood table before him—

"Do you remember how Ms. Touko described the scene of the crime when she was on the phone?"

Bilan recalled, "She seemed to say that this place was like an underground nest of iron ants, and it was packed with people."

"Don't you find it strange?" Hugo spread his hands. "This exclusive grand meeting room for champions is already almost too spacious."

Even if twenty people could sit together without feeling cramped, Douzi still felt crowded in that environment—at that time,

How many people actually entered the meeting room?

"Forty, no, at least fifty people. That includes the first aid equipment they bring, and the space occupied by the Pokémon assisting in the investigation."

Lingju squinted and looked around the room, drawing her own conclusion.

He flipped a gold coin between his fingers, the golden disc moving up and down between the gambler's fingers like a living thing. "But Your Excellency, do you also have doubts about the medical staff who came to your aid?"

:

"No, judging from Akromar's near-death condition at the time, if any of the emergency responders had had malicious intentions, that guy would probably be dead by now."

Hugo shook his head regretfully.

"What I want to point out is—is it really necessary for so many people to rush in at the same time just for rescue and on-site investigation? Putting aside the medical personnel and alliance officials, those responsible for on-site investigation and evidence collection must have understood the importance of protecting the crime scene as soon as possible, right? But at the time, no one stood up to point this out. Everyone let the crowded people, like leaf-eating gnaws, constantly destroy the traces and evidence at the scene."

During the conversation, Hugo gently tapped the long table at the crime scene with his knuckles, producing a monotonous sound like the ticking of a second hand. One couldn't help but wonder what stance he took to so brazenly criticize others' awareness of protecting evidence.

However, no one criticized the detective's actions at the moment.

There is only one reason—Hugo's current title is Unova Champion. Even if he is not well known, even if he has some unspeakable secrets about his combat strength, even if even Azur Lane sometimes forgets this setting, he is still a genuine League Champion.

Even though a murder had occurred there, this meeting room remained his private space, and he undoubtedly had the right to use any of the equipment there.

"Could it be a case committed by one of the high-ranking security officials here?" Pachira speculated with interest.

"To cover up their crimes, the perpetrator deliberately caused chaos and disturbance, letting too many outsiders into the meeting room to tamper with the crime scene. Wouldn't it have been more advantageous to slip into the crime scene under such circumstances and personally destroy the evidence?"

"As I've already said, my focus isn't on guessing the killer," Hugo Champion said dismissively. "While screening based on 'having the opportunity to control the number of people entering the scene' could significantly narrow down the suspects, there are still quite a few people in the United Federation who could do that. Even if we find the initiators who proposed the home invasion investigation, they might be pawns or bait deliberately manipulated by the real killer to achieve their goal. After all, this was an open poisoning incident."

Even if there's a high probability of insider involvement, trying to identify the culprit by eliminating suspects would lead to an endless cycle of investigation.

"So that's why we need to start with the criminal's motives and methods?" Azure asked.

The detective, seated in his chair, nodded: "Yes. And the key point is precisely—why did the perpetrator put so many people into the room at the crime scene?"

"Isn't it to destroy evidence?" The Fire King raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"While a large number of people will certainly bring some chaos and may also destroy easily overlooked criminal traces such as footprints, more intruders will also bring more eyes to watch."

The second hand, which had been tapping on the table, stopped ticking. The detective, his gaze deep and thoughtful, said—

"For a criminal trying to destroy evidence, whether they intend to eliminate the hidden dangers themselves or wait for the chaos to cover up the evidence on its own, introducing so many random variables at once is extremely dangerous. Among so many investigators and intruders, there might be some astute individuals who would discover the clues before the criminal does—but why did the criminal ultimately choose this method of handling the aftermath with so many eyes and ears?"

"Perhaps out of desperation, the criminal had no choice but to use the crowd as cover to achieve his goal; or perhaps he was confident that the traces he left behind would not be detected by normal search methods—or perhaps it was a combination of both."

Seeing Azure and Pachira remain silent, the Dark-type Elite Four member, who was used to devising schemes, sighed and stopped flipping through the gold coin chips in his hand.

"So what kind of technique was it?"

Azure looked back and forth between Hugo and Blueberry, unsure of who to ask for the answer to this question.

"I think King Yueju should be able to guess this tactic," Hugo said to the gambler, leaning back in his chair. "Most casinos of any size are prepared for that kind of trick."

Blueberry shook her head: "It's really unfortunate, Hugo. I'm not a detective. Although I know the rules of the casino like the back of my hand, I still have no clue about this poisoning case."

"This is simply because your thinking is constrained, and that's exactly the effect the killer wanted to achieve."

The champion, seated in his chair, chuckled softly.

"Try not to think of this as a poisoning. Imagine this scenario—what if Mr. Akromar was seriously injured due to suffocation or other physical harm, and the meeting room was locked until it was discovered? If such a locked-room incident occurred within the Alliance, what judgment would your gambler's intuition make?"

"When Akroma was discovered, the gate wasn't locked," Blueberry subtly reminded the reporter, avoiding a direct answer to the question.

However, the camera in the outer corridor can capture the area outside the meeting room door. This camera, which doesn't capture anyone other than Akromma, serves the same purpose as a door lock in restricting access. Similarly, no footprints or Pokémon energy were detected in the ventilation ducts connecting to this area. The possibility of Pokémon capable of passing through walls or "teleporting" accidentally entering the scene has already been completely ruled out by Ms. Pachira. Therefore, it's certainly plausible that it's a surveillance-type locked room.

Hugo observed the Dark Elite Four member's expression with great interest; his attitude of knowing the answer but deliberately waiting for others to guess was particularly annoying.

As Bilan watched the two's conversation, doubts arose once again—Hugo's usual style of revealing answers was not like this. Was it because his mentality had changed after becoming the champion? Or was it for some other reason?

Hopefully he has a reason to do this. At the same time, the gold coin chip in Yueju's fingertip flipped instantly, and his suddenly enlarged pupils were reflected on the metal surface.

"Are you referring to invisibility?"

Upon hearing this, the detective's lips immediately curled into a subtle smile—

"That's right. This is also the truth behind why the Plasma Cluster scientists are afflicted with a deadly poison. I imagine those on the other side of the Alliance headquarters, who have been keeping a close eye on Mr. Akromar's safety, should also be taking action soon."

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