Pokémon Detective Case Files

Chapter 483 Blind Spots in Surveillance Vision

Chapter 485 Blind Spots in Surveillance Vision

"Ultimately, in this era of ubiquitous surveillance cameras, traditional detective novels have almost completely disappeared from reality, haven't they?"

It was a sunny afternoon—at the League Champions' office, which is now probably in ruins. Blueberry heard the Ghost-type Elite Four member beside her throw out a question that was almost provocative to any detective.

"Look, whether it's a locked-room mystery or an alibi, as long as there's surveillance equipment like this near the crime scene, more than 90% of those brilliant deductive tricks that once shone in history become unusable, right?"

If Yueju remembers correctly, this private conversation was supposed to be convened by Hugo to comfort Wanlong, who had just suffered a crushing defeat in the Carlos exchange battle and was in a low mood. But for some reason, before the comforting part even began, the topic had already veered off to this completely unrelated direction.

The novelist adjusted his glasses, his mouth still moving—

"Looking at recent mystery novels, the cases seem to increasingly prefer to take place in the past, or even in completely fictional settings. Even when they do take place in the present, they are often set in places like isolated islands or locked-room mysteries."

Areas that police and technological investigative methods cannot reach for the time being. If this trend continues, the scope of detective novels in the narrow sense will likely become increasingly limited, eventually turning into an abstract concept suspended in a vacuum, unilaterally declared by the author, and merely for logical self-entertainment. The once-strong umbilical cord between it and reality is becoming increasingly thin and transparent.

"As human understanding of the world develops, detectives and detective novels must also evolve with the times."

Hugo wasn't offended by the topic; on the contrary, he quite agreed, saying, "Actually, it's not just a problem with surveillance systems. With the increasing development of transportation networks, travel between cities has become more convenient, diverse, and faster. The 'timetable trick,' once popular in detective novels, has almost completely faded from writers' view. At the same time, with the advancement of autopsy systems, readers can no longer accept a strangulated corpse disguised as a suicide or a murder case packaged as an accidental fall. And with breakthroughs in biological technology—especially DNA testing—bloodstains, which were often used as misleading clues in novels, have been given scientific significance for direct identification. Nowadays, criminals who want to hide their identities can't just wear masks and gloves; hair, dandruff, sweat, and any small detail can expose the criminal's identity. In addition, many criminal methods that used Pokémon to create mystery in the past have become simple puzzles that can be easily seen through in children's science programs in this era of widespread Pokémon knowledge and Pokédex dissemination."

Rather than seeing this as the end of the golden age of detective fiction, it's more accurate to say it reflects the overall improvement in humanity's critical thinking and knowledge base—our tolerance for "ignorance" is gradually decreasing. Therefore, instead of clinging to traditional models and forcing readers to accept the logical flaws in old-school detective stories in a modern context, detective fiction writers should expand the boundaries of their imagination, using new technologies as a premise to conceive new mysteries. This is precisely the direction detective fiction continues to explore.

"Besides, mystery works set in non-realistic backgrounds also have their unique charm. It's not about being stuck in the past and indulging in self-entertainment, but rather a kind of retro or fictional romance. For example, even if both are set in the early days of the Alliance a hundred years ago, the writing style and perspective of contemporary writers will inevitably be vastly different from those of writers from that era. This detachment from the realistic background can sometimes enhance the purity of the intellectual battle in mystery works. Ultimately, where exactly is the boundary between reality and the surreal? Even non-fiction literature contains dramatic elements at its core. Those originally real events, from the moment they are transformed into stories by writers, actually already possess a certain degree of 'fantasy' quality—as a writer, Wanlong Tianwang, you must also deeply understand this, right?"

"Hmm—that's indeed hard to refute."

The novelist nodded, chin in hand, yet still seemed somewhat resentful: "But in my personal opinion, surveillance cameras have always been an aesthetically unappealing presence. They overwhelm the qualities upon which classic detectives rely—a web of logic, unique and sharp observation, and insight into the subtleties of human nature. As a professional in this field—haven't you ever felt this way?"

"Surveillance has indeed replaced much of the work of private investigators—but mainly in a positive sense."

Hugo stated without any hesitation—

"The original private investigation profession, that is, private detectives, involved a large part of their daily work in stalking, tracking, and invading privacy. This is one of the reasons why the industry had a bad reputation before the rise of detective novels. Public surveillance facilities, to some extent, replaced many of the detectives' unsavory tasks. As for those classical aesthetics," perhaps they have always existed only in the realm of literary works. Therefore, as a detective myself, I don't care whether their aesthetics have been destroyed or not.

"You two wait a moment."

The evil-type king, who was becoming increasingly uneasy, gestured for a pause.

"We were supposed to start by talking about how to help King Wanlong get back on his feet, right? Why does it feel like the conversation is getting off-topic?"

"Because in my opinion, Wanlong doesn't need any extra encouragement. She has already regrouped."

Hugo stopped his increasingly enthusiastic conversation with Wanlong and asked Yueju directly, "I'm asking you, where did you find Miss Wanlong and bring her to this office?"

"Of course, it was her usual secluded room, the king's room. She was fast asleep, buried in a pile of blank novel manuscripts." Yueju certainly hadn't forgotten the scene she had just witnessed.

"Really?" Hugo looked at the Ghost King with a hint of seriousness, while Yueju, who was following his gaze, saw a guilty look in Wanlong's eyes as he desperately looked away.

"If I remember correctly, King Wanlong has been in poor condition lately. He has not only been staying in his King's room and not going out, but he has also turned down a lot of work from publishing houses. In fact, it is precisely for this reason that Yueju brought you here for a tea party out of concern. In that case, it seems strange that Miss Wanlong was sleeping in a pile of completely blank manuscript papers at three o'clock in the afternoon."

The new champion didn't give Wanlong any more chance to hide her true feelings, calmly dismantling the facade—

"Although it's hidden by her glasses, a closer look reveals that Miss Wanlong's dark circles are genuine, indicating that she did stay up all night to engage in some activity. Of course, this couldn't be due to creative block, since Wanlong doesn't have any urgent writing commissions, and given Wanlong's talent as a novelist, she shouldn't be unable to write a single word after staying up all night."

"So—what exactly is the reason that our Ghost King is staying up all night?"

The evil-type king narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Wanlong's slightly tense face, as if he understood something.

"No, I just spent the whole night doing nothing—yes, reading novels. I stayed up all night on my phone reading mystery novels. Writing requires nourishment, so what I did is perfectly reasonable, right?" Wanlong explained in a panic.

"For a decadent novelist who's doing nothing, you're sleeping in your everyday king-like outfit."

After understanding what had happened, Yueju tugged at her collar near her neck, her tone laced with sarcasm—

"Even that signature big scarf is still neatly tied around his neck; it looks more like an outfit for getting ready to go out than something for sleeping in."

"Miss Wanlong's real reason for staying up all night is special training, right? If we examine the soles of her shoes like the detectives of the Golden Age did, we should be able to see the mud on the road to victory."

Hugo had no interest in teasing his subjects; he looked at Wanlong and stated it directly—

"After all, the training rooms inside the headquarters are on the League's record, and there's a chance that other Elite Four members might see you. So, if you wanted to train secretly, you would naturally choose this nearest outdoor training ground. I suppose you were secretly training in the mountain paths around the League headquarters until Blueberry arrived at your door."

"I see. No wonder no one answered the door for so long and no one answered the phone."

Yueju stroked her chin and nodded repeatedly. "It seems that it wasn't because Wanlong was sleeping too soundly—but because you weren't even in that room."

"At that time, Miss Wanlong was probably busy using 'Spiritual Strike' to pass through the walls of the Heavenly King's room."

Hugo added—

"I experienced it once at the hospital before. In terms of movement speed, this skill is only slightly slower than the superpower 'teleportation.' The reason she buried herself in the manuscript paper was probably to pretend to be fast asleep in front of the person who came."

"You're probably planning to work hard secretly and then surprise everyone at the end, right?" The evil king coldly delivered the final blow.

"Heh, hehehehe————"

Wanlong slumped back into the sofa, letting out a series of weak laughs, as if some intricate mechanism had finally stopped working.

"So this is what it feels like to be relentlessly pursued by a detective as if he were a murderer. This is truly valuable writing material."

But the next second, as if remembering something, she suddenly sprang up, raised the sole of her shoe at Hugo and Lingju, and said, "But I'm sorry! There's no dust or mud on my feet. Reality isn't a detective novel, you famous detective. If you want to catch me, you'll have to produce tangible evidence!"

"Ah, they're starting to get arrogant and self-destructive—" Yueju sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"You changed your shoes after going out, which makes sense."

Hugo nodded noncommittally, then picked up the tablet he usually used for handling official business related to the championship and raised it to Wanlong.

"While it's possible to point out indirect clues like the condition of the companion spirits or wrinkles in their clothing, those kinds of things are easy to refute —"

He looked up at the bewildered Wanlong, his tone as calm as ever, "Since things have come to this, why don't we check the surveillance footage?"

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