bookbashuk Chapter 311 The Detective on His Sickbed
Chapter 311 The Detective on His Sickbed
Chapter 313 The Detective on His Sickbed
"So, you want to ask me about the purpose and reason why Pluto, the former executive of Team Galactica, induced the explosion of the mansion?"
Detective Hugo leaned against the pristine white hospital bed at the Fukien Hospital, forcing himself to summarize the dilemma his client was facing.
The detective appeared dazed and confused, his eyelids barely open, and his speech was not as fluent as usual, giving the impression of extreme weakness.
"throat--."
Looking at Hugo's appearance, a long sigh came from the smartphone that was placed upright on his bedside table.
The person he was video chatting with was Officer Jenny, an intelligence agent from the Sinnoh League.
This elite investigator, who had experienced the Forest Mansion incident with Cynthia, cast a sympathetic glance at the new champion of the Unova League late at night the day after the incident ended—at 2 PM in Unova.
"Although I would like to wait a few more days until you have recovered before consulting you about this matter, the intentions of those remnants in the Galactic Group prison are too unpredictable. I am worried that things might change if I delay, so I have no choice but to bother you at this time."
Dressed in a white-collar suit and wearing glasses, Ms. Officer Jenny sat demurely in front of the phone screen, raising the interrogation report in her hand to the detective with a worried expression—
"In addition, the authorities have already interrogated them many times. As a result, they have basically figured out our interrogation strategies completely, and conventional interrogation methods can no longer extract more information from Hades and the others. Even if we want to conduct other intelligence work, we can't find any clues at all."
To be able to stump the notorious intelligence agency in the Sinnoh region, those criminals must be quite capable. Causing an explosion in a forest thousands of miles away, through thick prison walls—Miss Officer Jenny, you've certainly brought me a puzzle that's quite to my liking! If it were the usual Detective Hugo, he would probably be able to discuss this with ease.
However, pale-faced, he could only suppress his discomfort and dry throat, replying weakly, "I understand, then let's make it short, cough cough cough cough!"
Despite the detective covering his mouth with a tissue, his violent coughing still erupted like a "seed machine gun."
After defeating former United Champion Mr. Ardek, Hugo immediately contracted a very serious cold.
The reasons for catching a cold are not hard to imagine.
The detective first hid in the tomb and endured the aftershocks of the Red-faced Dragon's "Absolute Zero" attack. Then he faced the Volcano in its prime, wearing clothes that were still wet with ice water, and took a hit from the "Hot Wind" attack.
Given such extreme temperature fluctuations, it would be even stranger if he hadn't suffered any injuries and was as lively and energetic as ever the next day.
However, while Officer Jenny's guess was close to the truth, it still differed slightly from the actual situation in some details.
If Detective Hugo were still in good health at this moment, he would surely explain this by slowly shaking his finger—
On the fourth floor of the Tower of Heaven, Hugo didn't actually suffer much frostbite. After all, he hadn't directly encountered the "absolute zero" attack, and the little fire monkey he had retrieved was still in his arms.
While a beginner elf fully healed might not be able to go toe-to-toe with Alder's partners, they are certainly qualified as a warm and comforting companion.
The battle with the Volcano was also a close call.
The black coat, soaked with ice water, was actually mostly soaked intentionally by using the ice and snow left behind by the Red-faced Dragon on the fourth floor when leaving. The purpose was to counteract the intense heat caused by the Volcano Moth.
Although he looked miserable after being burned by "Hot Wind", the charred marks on his clothes were actually mostly the work of Chimchar's "Blazing" ability.
Pokémon fire won't harm their close trainers. Volcarona, caught off guard, also had its attack power weakened by a strange force near Hugo. Finally, the mist created by Piplup's "Max Water" and the dust generated by "Max Rock" further reduced the power of Volcarona's fire moves to some extent.
Therefore, after being weakened layer by layer, the damage caused by that "hot wind" was not as great as it seemed.
Throughout the entire confrontation, Hugo's body temperature remained consistently healthy.
The real problem actually arose after Hugo collapsed and lost his ability to move.
The defeated volcano moth, its victory stolen in such a manner, was naturally furious. In its rage, it flapped its red wings, radiating a large amount of heat that it had nowhere else to vent.
The first victim, naturally, was Mr. Challenger, who fell down next to it.
By then, the moisture on Hugo's clothes had long since evaporated, so it had no cooling effect whatsoever.
Meanwhile, Champion Alder and the Elite Four members who came to the scene were either trusted trainers of Volcarona, or isolated upstairs by the Psychic Barrier, or hiding behind Elite Four member Wanlong's Chandelure with the "Flash" ability. They were all coincidentally unaware of the heat that permeated the scene.
Therefore, when taking Hugo to the hospital, Queen Cattleya, who had been taken care of by her butler since childhood, naturally did not notice the temperature difference either.
Amidst the alternating chill and heat of late winter and early spring, Hugo, having just completed strenuous exercise, contracted a severe cold.
"So, you already know those people's intentions?"
Although Hugo's words were interrupted by a cough, Officer Jenny still sensed the detective's grasp of the case from his words and immediately asked him questions with shining eyes.
"The important thing is not what those people intend to do, but what you intend to do," Hugo said with difficulty.
"us?"
The intelligence officer suspiciously pointed to the tip of his nose.
"Hmm, let me think—if we don't get any information from you today, the most we can do is continue to strengthen the guard and surveillance of the former Galactic Group members. Given the personality of our current director, whom the criminals call 'paranoia,' they'll probably be transferred to a prison even more secure than the Alliance headquarters."
"Cough, cough, cough!" Hugo coughed again.
"Wasn't your boss's previous nickname 'Paper Fraud'? Has his style changed recently?"
"This information is from two years ago," Officer Jenny said, shaking her head.
"Our department has actually had three different top leaders since that incident. After the 'paper fraud' woman you mentioned who was good at portraying the dilemma of the victim, we were followed by the 'perfect tracker' who focused on practical application, and now this 'paranoia' leader who was transferred from the administrative department."
Just from these offensive nicknames, one could completely imagine the other person's style of doing things. Hugo felt his already drowsy head getting heavier and heavier.
Although they have absolutely no connection with the high and mighty gods, criminals often need to hide their real names.
Therefore, criminals in the underworld have a long-standing tradition of giving each other nicknames.
For example, the Team Aqua executive who was captured by Hugo at sea during the Mega Evolution murder incident has the nickname "Reef Alert" in the Hoenn region. The former Team Plasma kidnapper who confronted the detective in Cornerwood at the end of last year's fake Champion incident has the very dangerous-sounding nickname "Massacre." No wonder Hugo was so cautious back then, keeping his sister's Garchomp with him.
Similarly, these criminals would also give all sorts of nicknames and aliases to the Alliance police who were constantly at odds with them.
In this way, not only can Officer Jenny, who looks exactly like a clone in different places, be easily distinguished, but her nickname can also be used as a kind of code to help criminals quickly recognize the characteristics and habits of their opponents. In some cases, it can even achieve the purpose of secret communication. In short, it is beneficial to them in every way.
Since these are nicknames given to the cops by criminals, the more offensive the better.
Over time, even those in the lawful camp began to regard the nicknames given to them by criminals as badges of honor. These shameful names became an unspoken convention between hunter and prey in the dark world where life and death were at stake.
Criminals wouldn't give nicknames to those renowned dojo leaders and champions, since those titles were enough to prove their strength and experience; too many titles would only confuse them.
They also wouldn't give nicknames to ordinary citizens who posed no threat to them, or to trainers who weren't familiar with the underworld.
Because in a sense, this also represents a kind of recognition. Only rivals who have completely entered the dark world and staked their lives and futures on each other deserve this special title.
The intelligence officer, Officer Jenny, who was on the phone with Hugo, was nicknamed "Regression Hypnotist." This meant that no matter how vicious a criminal was, once brought before Officer Jenny and interrogated, they would become as if possessed, regressing in speech to that of a babbling toddler.
And the type of person that "regressive hypnosis" is least adept at dealing with is undoubtedly the very elderly.
It's unclear whether it's because her interrogations genuinely have the power to reverse psychological age, but even when she uses her so-called "time magic" on the elderly, they often experience an unusually euphoric "youthful" period before successfully extracting their secrets. This side effect significantly increases the difficulty of the investigation at the Mori Mansion.
"Leaving aside the topic of the intelligence chief, there are probably only a handful of prisons in the Sinnoh region that are more well-equipped than headquarters."
Hugo raised his finger and reminded Officer Jenny again in a weak voice, "It's more than just a handful." Officer Jenny immediately replied seriously.
"If we're talking about a prison with even tighter defenses than the League headquarters, there's only one in the Sinnoh region—the Volcano Prison, located in the middle of Mount Harsh, at the northernmost tip of Sinnoh, an ultimate fortress built using the natural barriers of mountains and geothermal energy. Only the most dangerous individuals and habitual escapees are imprisoned there. Near that prison, which emits intense heat that even flying Pokémon avoid like the plague, even if prisoners manage to escape the guards and overcome countless hardships to reach the outside of the prison, they still have no way to escape that mountain except by jumping off a cliff."
It seems I'll see quite a few old friends there—if Hugo were in a normal state right now, he would definitely be snapping his fingers and making such a casual remark.
However, the detective's energy was limited at the moment, so he did not change the subject and directly pointed out the core of the mystery: "Pluto and his group hope to cause the eruption of the volcano on Mount Harsh after being transferred to the volcano prison, so as to take the opportunity to escape from prison."
His tone was weak, but the confidence in his words was unwavering.
"Is this even possible?"
Although Officer Jenny had a similar thought when Hugo mentioned prison, it was so far-fetched that the investigator dismissed it the moment it occurred to her.
"Normally, I would list a whole bunch of evidence to increase the credibility of this conclusion, but right now I really don't have the energy for that. I just want to lie down and sleep until evening, so—cough cough—although everything below is just my speculation, I'll keep it short."
Despite feeling sleepy in the afternoon, Hugo forced himself to stay awake and continued speaking to Officer Jenny.
"A hundred years ago in Sinnoh, there was only one Pokémon capable of forging the steel beneath the Forest Mansion: Heatran, which lived near the Mt. Severus crater. According to the legends of explorers in the Sinnoh region, there was a large ancient volcanic rock at the center of Heatran's habitat, at least a hundred years old. I suspect that it has the same properties as the device that sealed Electrode."
"Ah, that stone is very famous. Could it also have been left behind by the builders of the Forest Mansion?" Officer Jenny exclaimed.
"If that's the case, then beneath that rock lies a Heatran from a hundred years ago. And if this volcano king were to go berserk, it could very well trigger a volcanic eruption... cough cough cough..."
Taking advantage of the detective's suppressed cough interrupting her words again, Officer Jenny seized the opportunity to ask, "But even if the remnants of Team Galactic were transferred to the volcanic prison near Mount Harshness, how could they possibly drive the sealed Heatran into a berserk state while it's in prison? Did Team Galactic leave behind some kind of backup plan before its collapse?"
"It's just a desperate act."
The detective said briefly, shaking his head as if he were exerting all his strength.
Officer Jenny, who is known as "regressive hypnosis," can even read the omitted details from the detective's expression. Remotely detonating the Forest Mansion, and then using this opportunity to remotely detonate Mount Harshness, thereby destroying the Volcanic Prison and allowing the executives who have just been transferred there to escape. If this can be considered a backup plan, then these guys from Team Galactic are too fond of walking a tightrope.
An organization's modus operandi is inevitably profoundly influenced by its leader. As subordinates of the extremely meticulous demon, Red Sun, the cadres could never have devised such an absurd scheme, a domino effect where each link barely connects to the next. And since they've been forced to this point, it means that the remnants of the Galactic Group in prison are truly at their wits' end.
Hmm—this kind of arrogance, leaving no room for retreat and aiming for absolute success, is in a sense also a manifestation of that ambitious person's will.
"Speaking of which, Team Galactic's research into mythology is actually no less than that of my sister."
Hugo suddenly spoke, interrupting Officer Jenny's reverie.
"Therefore, it's possible that Hades already knew the conclusions Cynthia reached in the Forest Mansion before her arrest. If so, in his view, the rediscovery of Raiden would inevitably lead to the unsealing of Heatran. Because unlike Raiden's passive sealing, Heatran, who originally belonged to the Forest Mansion, most likely deliberately fell into a deep sleep in the harsh volcano—so, what was the purpose of this sleep?"
"Sleeping for a hundred years... Could it be that it slept to await the arrival of the creator god? Or perhaps it was to await the descendant or successor of that past trainer?"
Officer Jenny, who had heard the Sinnoh Champion's mythology lecture at the Forest Mansion, immediately guessed this possibility.
"Ahem, although I don't like the idea of gods, for the sake of my nap time, let's accept both possibilities for now. So, once Heatran senses the renewed activity of Electrode—especially after bringing an item carrying Electrode's scent to its side—the Lord of the Volcano will immediately realize that his actions at the Forest Mansion have had some effect."
"Yes—it's possible that a god descended and saved Raiden; or it's possible that the mansion's builder had a successor who found it with the token. Either way, it's highly likely that Heatran will unseal itself! And the person who brought Raiden's token only needs to further instigate Heatran to drive it into a volcanic eruption powerful enough to destroy the volcanic prison!"
Officer Jenny concluded excitedly.
"But who could be the person who helped Team Galactic find the token?"
Hugo did not answer Officer Jenny's question directly, but instead asked her—
"It's been almost three years. Those members of Team Galactic who committed the least serious crimes should be starting to be released from prison by now, right?"
Officer Jenny thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Yes. Including the time spent on release education and subsequent community corrections, about twenty Team Galactic members with minor offenses and good attitudes have gradually returned to society. Do you think one of these people manipulated that Rotom, ultimately causing the explosion of the Forest Mansion, and intending to awaken Heatran? Or do you think these people brought some codes or instructions from the prison to the outside world?"
"On the contrary, cough cough cough, someone used this channel to bring information from the outside into the prison," Hugo said.
Officer Jenny frowned: "Considering that some release education centers have a tradition of having ex-convicts share their rehabilitation experiences with former inmates before release, it's not entirely impossible for someone to take advantage of this and slip in a sentence or two. But even then, it's only a matter of a sentence or two. What's the point?"
"If I'm not mistaken, someone leaked this message from the outside world—telling Hades that Medan has moved into the Forest Mansion. And this brief message, after two years of being relayed through layers of the prison, finally reached its final destination not long ago."
That is, inside Hades' ear.
"Ah, so that's why I heard Hades' confession at that time?"
Officer Jenny widened her reddish-brown eyes behind her glasses. "But how exactly is he supposed to control the timing of the Forest Mansion's explosion? Hades should have no way of contacting Rotom."
"There's no manipulation involved; it's just a coincidence," Hugo said without hesitation in a weak voice.
"Since Rotom's misunderstanding of Hayden Pharmaceuticals was deliberately planted by Hades, then Hades must know that at this point in time when he received the intelligence, it was only a matter of time before the explosion of the Forest Mansion occurred. At this critical moment, as long as your intelligence agency pays the most basic attention to that mansion, once the explosion actually happens there, regardless of whether anyone dies in the accident, you will pay utmost attention to Hades and the others in the prison—thus, the prison relocation is very likely to be put on the agenda."
"Hmm, after all, it's that officer! The one with the 'paranoia.' She's always so cautious; if she discovered a prisoner with what appears to be a means of communication with the outside world, she's very likely to do it. Could it be that Hades noticed her carefully concealed personality and nickname during the interrogation, which led him to devise this plan?"
Whether you realize it or not, this plan was already laid out the moment Team Galactic collapsed. So even if your boss is completely careless, extravagant and unrestrained, Pluto will still mention the Forest Mansion to you at this time. Hugo, who was struggling with a cold and drowsiness, did not make a sound, but Officer Jenny still saw his rebuttal in his disapproving eyes.
"If we calculate it that way, only one question remains."
Officer Jenny adjusted her glasses, looked intently at the detective whose eyelids were gradually closing, and raised her voice—
"Who is the prisoner who leaked the current situation of the Forest Mansion to the jail? Although we can check the prison's reception records over the years and the list of people who recently bought tickets to the harsh mountain, time is of the essence. We hope that Detective Hugo can provide a specific name as our main suspect."
Hugo's eyes were half-closed as the influenza virus fiercely battled his immune system.
Cough, headache, night sweats, drowsiness, muscle aches—these are minor ailments that should only last a day or two to recover from, but they are so uncomfortable until you get through them.
At this moment, the detective barely had the strength to turn over, but upon hearing Officer Jenny's words, he answered without hesitation, "Zina."
"Understood, we will make the arrest immediately."
Hearing the name of the girl she had once been close to in the mansion, Officer Jenny was not surprised at all, nor did she question Hugo's judgment. She simply nodded.
She put down the documents in her hand, reached for her phone screen, and prepared to end the abrupt video call.
"By the way, Hugo, apart from being sick, you seem to be alright, right?"
The detective forced a smile, shrugged, and shook his head, replying, "No problem, go back to your work."
The phone screen went dark and then switched to the default interface of the social media app.
The call has ended.
The detective breathed a long sigh of relief.
Pop, pop, pop.
Across from the empty ward, in front of Hugo's bed, came intermittent applause, sounding both perfunctory and mocking.
"As expected of the famous detective Hugo from the Sinnoh region, he still managed to put on a very brilliant deduction even under such difficult circumstances."
The speaker's tone was listless and affected, and even straightforward praise sounded like unrestrained flattery.
"Miss Officer Jenny certainly has a keen intuition, but why don't you tell her about your current situation? Do you still believe that everything is under your control as the detective?"
Hugo remained silent, closing his eyes as if he hadn't heard anything.
"The final step of identifying the traitor was extremely swift and decisive, which I found to be nothing short of miraculous. How exactly did you find the prisoner who leaked information about the Forest Mansion into the jail? You have to understand that the number of people who knew about the existence of the Forest Mansion was already quite limited. Excluding the Hayden Medical construction workers who were unaware of the inside story, as well as the Team Galactic members who had already been arrested by the Sinnoh League, there were only eight people left who participated in the Forest Mansion incident."
Sunlight streamed through the curtains into the ward, creating a hazy and tranquil atmosphere. The detective lay motionless, seemingly asleep, breathing steadily through his mouth and nose.
The man standing opposite him remained calm and continued speaking—
"Since the information leak occurred long before the Sinnoh League discovered the Forest Mansion, your Cynthia Champion and Officer Jenny can be ruled out as suspects. Hayden and Medal are part of a business alliance that jointly manufactures androids; they were too busy stealing Team Galactic's technology to do anything like assisting Pluton's escape. That leaves only four suspects."
Vinnie, Neil, Aying, Zina.
"Venezia is the daughter of the Master of Medan. She often bickers with her father and always exposes his hypocritical mask."
She loves shopping, and even in late winter and early spring, she bought a brand new winter outfit—it seems quite possible that she might betray her father for money. After all, it's unlikely that Hades would tell the traitor about his plan to blow up the Forest Mansion. If it wouldn't put either of them in mortal danger, and it was just a leak of a little bit of insignificant information, I believe anyone would waver between thinking, "Maybe it'll be alright," and choose to betray him.
"Neil is a research assistant living under the spotlight of a genius, but the genius he assists is already old and decadent, going further and further down the wrong path. He himself is also a half-baked trainer, catching Pokémon haphazardly without training them, and from this he has developed the bizarre fantasy that he can defeat his opponents based on scientific theories—don't you think that such a person might be very interested in the new form of Electrode? If he were that Team Galactic spy hiding in the mansion, he would definitely not hesitate to break the seal on Electrode, right?"
"Ah Ying, hehe, this person is the most suspicious. Putting aside his consistently vague name, just the fact that he was in charge of the entire renovation of the Mori Mansion should make him the prime suspect in the whole case. He really didn't realize anything at all..."
Traces left by the former owner of the mansion in the Forest Mansion? That's hard to believe. Besides, this person was actually Hayden's second-in-command; wouldn't he have wanted his employer to die in the explosion so he could take his place?
The guests who, along with Hugo, heard the entire story of the Mori Mansion incident from Officer Jenny, meticulously reviewed all those involved in the case, maliciously speculating on each person's motives. It was as if those involved, if they were actually there, might have been persuaded by this person and committed an irreparable crime.
"Why are you so certain without a doubt that the mole providing intelligence to Team Galactic isn't one of the people I mentioned above, but rather that seemingly harmless maid?"
Faced with the visitor's aggressive questioning, Hugo had no choice but to open his eyes again, clear his throat, and speak again in a dry voice, "Venetian—does indeed have a habit of buying designer goods. But logically speaking, someone who loves shopping so much is unlikely to make the mistake of forgetting to cut off the tag before wearing the suit."
"I remember this was a detail Officer Jenny noticed when the museum owner's daughter first appeared. What's the point of still dwelling on this now?"
"This means that the newly bought winter coat was a gift, purchased by someone who didn't know much about clothing sales patterns but wanted to please a girl. And Venetian, after receiving the gift, immediately put it on happily, so much so that she didn't even have time to remove the tag."
"I see. You believe that Neil and Venetian, who were present together, are actually a couple with a fairly close relationship. This greatly reduces the possibility that they are colluding with Group Galactic. After all, humans don't act without expecting something in return. Compared to the empty promises made by prisoners in jail, real-life feelings are certainly more tempting. Such a couple is unlikely to be developed into spies. So, what about Manager Aying? How did you rule him out as a suspect?"
"I investigated him in the past for other cases, and it's impossible for him to be on Team Galactic's side."
Hugo said briefly but definitively.
"Is that so? Then there's nothing we can do."
The visitor did not reprimand the detective for using off-site information to undermine the fairness of the reasoning; he simply nodded indifferently.
"Team Sinnoh's ideology is indeed difficult for the general public to accept. Since that person passed your vetting as a detective, you must be able to see that. I have nothing to say about it."
If I could, I would prefer you not to say a word—if human expressions could speak, Hugo would surely be saying this now.
However, the detective didn't waste his energy expressing his emotions. Having already deduced the case to its final step, Hugo chose to refute the visitor with the facts he had deduced—
"Actually, using the process of elimination based on motivation is a complete waste of time."
"Oh? What do you mean?"
"There is a more direct way of investigation, which is also more effective at addressing the core issues."
The detective gently raised his index finger.
"Of the four people you listed, Neil and Venetian are about the same age, and the latter has already graduated from university and started working at the research institute. Therefore, even if we include the construction workers from Haiden Pharmaceuticals and the Team Galactic members who have visited the mansion in the past, among all the people related to the whole incident, only Zina was not yet of legal age when the entire Team Galactic was arrested two years ago."
"Adult age? What does that even mean?"
"The Sinnoh League's purge of Team Galactic is absolutely strict. Therefore, even now that the organization has been destroyed, there is absolutely no possibility of any die-hard Team Galactic members remaining outside of prison—but there is only one exception, a compromise made out of humanitarian considerations."
"I see. It's to protect minors that the Sinnoh League concealed their past involvement in Team Galactic activities."
That's so rigid. At the very least, a copy should be kept in one's own file.
"The reason why no trace was left is that the Galactic Group in the past did not regard such underage followers as its members."
The ailing Hugo raised his chin provocatively and said to the person opposite him, "After all, unlike you who recklessly expand your followers, the Galactic Corps does not allow underage children to join its organization."
Even if Chi Ri's goal is to destroy the entire world, his methods still have limits.
"That's why he ultimately failed."
The visitor remained expressionless and spoke softly in his usual manner.
The afternoon sunlight shifted its angle imperceptibly, illuminating the patterns on the man's robes with a shimmering golden light. The visitor's light green hair cascaded over his shoulders, giving him the appearance of a wise sage. However, the gaze behind the single eye patch was cold and piercing.
"Mr. Hugo, the newly crowned champion of the Unova region and a private detective. May we continue our conversation?"
Quixote, the mastermind behind Team Plasma, held a magnificent dagger that was more of a work of art than a weapon in his hand, and asked politely with gentlemanly manners.