MC Bookstore Chapter 184 A Series of Bizarre Murders
Chapter 184 A Series of Bizarre Murders
Chapter 184 A Series of Bizarre Murders
Police searched the entire city for traces of the strange creature.
They took the golden tail and the strange stone in the room back for inspection.
After an investigation, the police found trace amounts of radiation on the stone, and learned that it was a meteorite whose main component was carbon.
The meteorite has a spherical hole about eight centimeters in the center.
However, no matter how they investigated, they were unable to find out what items were supposed to be inside.
Is it directly related to the object that attacked Kino and Ichi?
Kinou and Ichi died between 9 and 10 p.m., which was the time when the meteor shower occurred.
Based on the above information, the police made a deduction about the perpetrator.
An investigation into the victim's social relationships revealed that the two people with whom the victim had the best relationship were Yutaka Banno and Motoharu Shitani.
Police are investigating Yutaka Banno and Motoharu Shitani separately.
When he learned that Banno Yutaka was resting in his living room when Kaneo and Ichi were murdered.
However, because Yutaka Banno lives alone, no one can provide him with an alibi.
Motoharu Shimotani's alibi was very thorough.
Because when Kinoo was murdered, he was watching a meteor shower in Kawamoto City.
During the live broadcast, his face was even clearly visible.
It can be said that almost all the viewers in the country were his witnesses, so he was instantly cleared of suspicion!
As a result, the suspicion against Yutaka Banno grew stronger.
For him, the only thing that could clear him of suspicion was the unknown monster and the locked room.
As long as the police cannot resolve these two points of doubt, they cannot arrest Yutaka Banno!
Banno Yutaka may have been eager to prove his innocence, or perhaps he was under increasing pressure.
Whenever he thinks seriously, his stomach will be wracked with pain.
"It's starting again!"
Banno Yutaka clutched his stomach, his forehead covered in sweat.
What's wrong with me? Why do I suddenly have a stomachache when I'm usually fine?
When did this excruciating pain begin?
Banno Yutaka recalled the past and remembered that his stomachache started on the day Kino and Ichi were attacked by a monster.
Could all of this be related to the monster that disappeared in the room in Kino?
His colleagues were very worried about him when they saw him like this.
One of the associate professors who teaches art believes that Banno Yutaka's stomachache must be directly related to the police questioning.
Therefore, it was suggested that Banno Yutaka should shift his focus, paint some oil paintings, release the pressure in his heart, and purify his mind.
Don't keep thinking about how Kin'o and Ichi were murdered; it's just creating trouble for yourself.
Banno Yutaka was in excruciating stomach pain and initially wanted to refuse.
But when Yutaka Banno was invited into the studio, his attitude changed completely.
He quickly spent money to buy a set of professional painting supplies, and then went home to start painting in oils.
As if to relieve stress, Yutaka Banno locked himself in his house and painted a lot of pictures.
However, all the paintings were very similar; they were all oval-shaped eggs.
Clearly, that wasn't an egg, but the meteorite that he and Kinwei had retrieved!
Because of his love for sports, Yutaka Banno has always had great stamina and can paint two to three meteorite paintings a day. As a result, he uses up his paints very quickly and needs to go to the art supply store to refill them frequently.
As Banno Yutaka painted more and more pictures, his complexion improved considerably.
On this day, just as Banno Yutaka was about to continue painting.
The clock in the room suddenly chimed; it was six o'clock in the afternoon.
Banno Yutaka felt hungry and decided to eat.
Since Yutaka Banno doesn't cook at home, he ordered takeout.
Perhaps because he was too hungry or something, Banno Yutaka ordered a yakisoba and a curry rice takeout for himself.
When the takeout arrived, Banno immediately took her dinner back inside and enjoyed it.
But as soon as he swallowed the food, Banno Yutaka's stomach started hurting again.
It felt like something was scratching inside my stomach!
Banno Yutaka tightened his crocodile skin belt, trying to suppress the pain, but to no avail.
The food I had just eaten was quickly vomited up.
Banno Yutaka kept pressing his abdomen, and accidentally bumped his back against the wall.
The excruciating pain caused Banno Yutaka to lose his mind, and he suddenly lay back on the table.
The table could no longer bear the weight, and all four legs broke, scattering lighters, cigarettes, matches, and other items all over the floor.
Even unopened bottles of foreign liquor rolled onto the ground.
Amidst the chaos, Banno Yutaka accidentally bumped the back of his head, causing some blood to flow.
But when he sat up and tried to stand up, his stomach started to hurt violently again!
He suddenly lost his balance, his back slammed heavily to the ground, and he lost consciousness.
With things having come to this point, the second case seemed to have ended rather uneventfully.
But that's not the case.
Because what happened next was even more terrifying and bizarre!
One of Banno Yutaka's students is busy working at night, but he can never get up in the morning.
Because of the low attendance rate, in order to prevent Banno Yutaka from making him repeat a grade, he decided to go to Banno Yutaka's house and apologize to him in person.
The student rang the doorbell of Banno Yutaka's room, but no one answered the door.
Out of curiosity, the student put his hand on the doorknob.
Unexpectedly, he opened the door with ease.
The students went into the room and shouted Banno Yutaka's name, but still received no response.
Moreover, the students sensed that there were people in the room.
The more the student thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong, so he left Banno Yutaka's house.
Then they went around to the side of the house, where they could see Banno's room.
The room's windows were locked, and rose-patterned curtains were drawn inside.
Because of the curtains, the students could not see what was inside the room.
The only way to see a man's chest and legs was through a gap of about ten centimeters on the side of the curtain.
Behind the man was a broken tabletop.
Scattered around were eerie paintings, as if they were offerings to him in remembrance.
"We have no choice but to go in."
Just as the students were about to go in and take a look.
The man's body suddenly began to tremble, and then he shook his body incessantly, just like a patient with a fever.
As the man's body trembled more and more violently, his body began to swell continuously!
Double, triple —
As his body began to swell, the shirt could no longer contain him, and the shirt buttons popped off one after another into the air.
This bizarre scene terrified the students standing outside the window.
But that's not even the most terrifying and bizarre part.
It was as if something was about to burst out of the man's swollen body!
With a loud bang, a blood-red object flew out of his body!
It's no surprise that the object was the mysterious object found in the meteorite brought back by Banno Yutaka and Kaneo!
The thing was very beautiful, semi-transparent, and fell to the ground after hitting the roof, where it was covered by the man's body!
The man lying on the ground had a large hole in his abdomen.
Dark red blood splattered everywhere!
The students who came to visit were terrified when they witnessed this horrific scene.
He rushed to a nearby phone booth, dialed the police, and explained to the officers everything he had witnessed at the scene!
The police station dispatched the same group of officers who had investigated the case of Kinomi and Ichi last time.
In order to escape the shame brought about by the murder of Kino and Ichi.
This time, the police were all working with full force.
After all, the police had already faced strong criticism from the media and the public for failing to catch the monster that killed Kinou Yoichi last time.
When the police entered the scene, a man with a large hole in his abdomen was lying on the ground.
The room was covered in splattered blood and reeked of its stench.
After identification by the students, it was confirmed that the deceased was Banno Yutaka.
The forensic team stepped over the blood-stained liquor bottle and walked toward the victim, who was covered in stomach acid and blood.
Untie the tightly bound belt of the victim and take off the victim's shirt.
The forensic team gasped.
Because it's obvious that this case is the same as the last one.
This is definitely not the work of a human; it might be the same monster as last time!
Banno Yutaka died from massive internal bleeding caused by ruptured internal organs.
The ribs protruded from the body.
The only other external injury was a wound on the back of the head.
However, during the autopsy, the forensic team also discovered several unbelievable wounds in Banno Yutaka's mouth.
These wounds traveled from the mouth through the throat and all the way to the stomach.
Judging from the fact that Banno Yutaka's stomach burst open, it must have been caused by an unknown creature forcibly entering his body through his mouth!
To prevent further victimization, police expanded the search area several times over.
They wanted to find the monster that stuck to Kin'e's face, strangled him, and then crawled into Banno Yutaka's stomach and burst out!
After the autopsy, an old detective found strange writing left by Yutaka Banno on the carpet.
A very scribbled "X".
This is clearly a death message from Yutaka Banno!
Shota Fukasaku scratched the back of his head.
The expression on his face was no longer one of fear and confusion, but of excitement!
Because Shota Fukasaku discovered that the short story "X from the Universe" was not a standard mystery story at all, but rather a mystery puzzle posed by the author to the reader.
The detailed descriptions in the story, though seemingly tedious and verbose, are clearly the foreshadowing that Maijo Kyosuke has hidden in the story!
Shota Fukasaku has always loved to be number one since he was a child.
Strive to be number one in academics, and number one in sports.
Even after graduating, when he joined his father's film crew as an assistant director, he still wanted to be number one in his father's crew!
Unfortunately, no matter how talented he was, he couldn't show it in front of his father, a famous director.
After all, her father was a renowned director who directed and wrote films such as "A War Without Honor and Humanity," "Proof of Humanity," and "The Yagyu Family Conspiracy."
To surpass one's father's achievements is virtually impossible.
Shota Fukasaku glanced furtively at his father beside him and couldn't help but sigh.
To dispel the pent-up emotions in my heart.
Shota Fukasaku plans to have a battle of wits with Kyosuke Maijo from afar!
I will definitely do it!
Before the mystery is revealed, we must use the clues that Maijo Kyosuke planted in "X from the Universe" to find the real culprit hidden in the story!
Two close friends were murdered one after the other.
As the only person involved in this series of events.
Motoharu Shimotani naturally became the police's prime suspect.
Although he had an absolutely perfect alibi in the incident involving Kinou and Ichi.
However, this was completely absent in the case of Yutaka Banno.
Especially the death message "X" in Banno Yutaka's room.
What makes it even more suspicious is that it was actually the character "下" that Banno Yutaka had not finished writing!
However, Motoharu Shimotani himself has absolutely no need to worry about being investigated by the police.
Because Motoharu Shitani had already been murdered before the police investigation began.
Motoharu Shitani was murdered in his home.
Like the two before him, Shimotani also lives alone.
Because Motoharu Shitani has recently become interested in raising koi, he dug a pond in his backyard with a shovel.
The incident occurred the day after Yutaka Banno was murdered, at 11:00 AM.
Similar to the previous two incidents.
There was also a witness to the incident this time.
The witness was a young man who worked as a courier for a delivery company.
He likes to put a radio on his truck and listen to music while delivering packages.
"The recipient's name is Shimotani Motoharu."
The deliveryman picked up Motoharu Shimotani's package.
Inside was a box with a brandy label.
The deliveryman drove to Shimotani Motoharu's door, picked up the box, and rang the doorbell.
Soon, a man opened the door.
The deliveryman could see through the gap that the man looked very tired, with dark circles under his eyes and bloodshot eyes.
However, his eyes were full of light, as if he had encountered something happy.
"Is this Mr. Motoharu Shitani?"
The man nodded, then stretched out his cold, water-drenched hand through the crack in the door.
He snatched the delivery box away and slammed the door shut!
The deliveryman was furious with the man's behavior and felt completely baffled.
It's one thing that there was no warm thanks, but why didn't this guy sign his autograph?
If I don't sign for the package, I'll definitely get yelled at by my boss when I get back to the courier company!
The deliveryman, his previous calm demeanor vanished, and began banging on the door.
In anger, he started turning the doorknob, but the door was locked and he couldn't open it.
The deliveryman tried to open the door for a few minutes, but found that no one was paying any attention to him.
They were just about to leave.
Just then, a strange shout came from inside the room!
"いやだ!いやだ! (No! iyada)"
The deliveryman heard strange noises coming from inside the door, along with cries for help, so he hurriedly rammed the door with his body.
With a third violent impact, the door was finally forced open!
The deliveryman strode into the room.
But I was stunned by what I saw!
The entryway of Motoharu Shimotani's house is covered with tiles, and there is a ventilation box that is 10 centimeters high and 20 centimeters wide at the entrance.
After climbing the steps, there is a corridor that extends inward.
Strangely, every half meter or so, there was a hole about 20 centimeters in diameter in the corridor floor!
There are about a dozen such holes.
Moreover, the floor was very damp and had some strange marks on it.
The marks resembled the footprints of some kind of creature, with each footprint showing five toes and a foot-like structure near the toes.
However, its toes are twice the length of a human's, while its feet are only half the size of a human's.
What kind of monster is it? It can even break through solid floorboards!
The only one that comes to mind is the monster "X" that emerged from the meteorite, first attaching itself to Kinwei and Ichiro's face, strangling them with its tail, and then bursting out of Banno Yutaka's stomach!
The deliveryman mustered his courage and followed the trail of footprints into the corridor.
But the next second, a huge black shadow, four meters tall, appeared at the end of the corridor!
Although the dark figure was enormous, it moved with extraordinary agility. It swiftly rushed out of the corridor and into the open room. The deliveryman was terrified, but he still followed it cautiously.
But by the time he arrived at his room, it was too late.
The monster "X" had long since disappeared, and the person who had just roughly snatched the package from his hands was gone.
His whole body burst into flames!
It was emitting black smoke and struggling desperately in great pain!
The man bumped into the table, causing the table lamp to fall to the ground and a long brandy bottle to roll onto the carpet!
The fire grew larger and larger, and the man was clearly unable to bear the excruciating pain!
He smashed the windows in the house and jumped into the pond he had dug himself.
Unfortunately, the pond had not yet been filled with water, and the man collapsed into the pit in the pond while billowing black smoke!
The deliveryman was so frightened by the scene that he turned pale.
He immediately ran outside to the street, found a phone booth, and dialed the police station.
So how exactly did this monster break into the secluded home of Motoharu Shitani?
How did they escape?
Subsequent investigations revealed that all the doors and windows in Motoharu Shitani's house were locked from the inside.
In other words, was the monster already in the house before the deliveryman arrived?
However, according to the deliveryman, he did not sense any monster in the house when he saw Motoharu Shitani.
So—where exactly is that monster "X" hiding now?
Since then, I don't think I've ever heard any more rumors about the monster "X".
Similarly, the police were also at a loss about this matter.
Did it grow wings and fly back to the planet that rightfully belonged to it?
Or perhaps it hides inside someone's body and continues to grow?
Shota Fukasaku grimaced as if he had a toothache.
Aside from gasping for breath, he couldn't say a word.
Because it's just so weird!
Previously, the deaths of both Kinou Yoichi and Banno Yutaka were within acceptable limits.
But—the death of Motoharu Shitani?
Is Maijo Kyosuke deliberately playing a joke on the readers?
A locked room, giant footprints, a four-meter-tall monster silhouette, and a victim engulfed in flames?
Can you deduce the real culprit by following the hidden clues?
What's the point of even trying to solve this kind of riddle?!
There's simply no way to answer that, is there?
Shota Fukasaku was deeply affected.
Originally, I wanted to see through Maishiro Kyosuke's scheme and then give Maishiro Kyosuke's fanatical fans a good talking-to during the "Maishiro Great Debate".
But right now, Shota Fukasaku has no clue how to deduce the truth.
Because "Object from the Universe X" is like a joke!
It's the kind of mystery novel that's packed full of intrigue!
Although Shota Fukasaku had never seen Kyosuke Maijo's debut work, "The Tokyo Zodiac Murders".
However, while participating in the "Dance City Debate," I had already learned about the general plot of "The Tokyo Zodiac Murders" through some critics' synopses.
Although Shota Fukasaku admired the astonishing mystery and trickery of "The Tokyo Zodiac Murders," he didn't find the mystery particularly outrageous.
But this time, "Object from Space X" really opened Shota Fukasaku's eyes!
This is more than just a shocking riddle.
This has simply shattered the ceiling of mystery novels in terms of puzzle design!
Even Edgar Allan Poe wouldn't dare write something like that!
Even if this story were included in a series of unsolved mysteries of the world, it would probably take hundreds of pages to solve it.
Shota Fukasaku gave up on the idea of competing with Kyosuke Maijo from afar.
I am even more convinced that Maijo Kyosuke is also incapable of writing a perfect answer!
According to Shota Fukasaku, "Object from Space X" has completely "broken down"!
"boring""
Shota Fukasaku grumbled.
I opened "Object X from the Universe" again.
This time, Shota Fukasaku felt a slight sense of disappointment.
Because he had completely lost patience with the story.
Continuing to watch is merely a way to relentlessly torture Maishiro Kyosuke's fans during the "Maishiro Grand Debate"—