That's right, many people could probably think of this possibility.
—Kimura Saionji provided a weapon to Sawayoshi, who then personally carried out the crime.
Kimura Saionji, who had a criminal record, a motive, and the ability to modify firearms, would naturally be a prime suspect after the murder of Chief Superintendent Itou, attracting considerable attention.
On the other hand, the bento shop boy, who lacked technical skills and had a clean record wouldn't raise suspicion, He seemed like an outsider. There was no apparent connection between them.
So, by diverting the attention of the detectives towards Kimura Saionji, Sawayoshi could commit the crime as an alibi for him. It was indeed a feasible plan.
However, speculations were just speculations. They needed evidence to turn this into an airtight truth.
But for now, they hadn't even found the murder weapon, let alone evidence.
"Ugh... What kind of gun did they use, anyway?" Sato Miwako scratched her head. "Without knowing that, we're at a loss!"
As they walked toward the parked cars, they didn't anticipate that they would see a group of kids with water guns engaged in a playful "battle." Some of the kids were shooting their water guns at the cars, seemingly oblivious to the consequences.
"Hey! It's dangerous! No climbing!" Seeing a few kids who appeared to be playing detectives while lying on the car roof, shooting from a high vantage point, Takagi and Chiba hurried over.
"Oh no, the detective uncles are here!"
Hearing Takagi and Chiba's shouts, the kids on the car roof quickly got down. Meanwhile, their companions, seeing the approaching adults, started spraying water at Takagi and Chiba.
A barrage of water hit their faces, causing both of them to involuntarily halt. Taking advantage of the distraction, the mischievous kids jumped down from the cars and disappeared into an adjacent alley.
"Damn... the car paint got scuffed..." Takagi looked at the car's body with frustration.
"Well, it's a public vehicle, and it can be repaired. If it were my own car, I'd either make those kids' parents compensate or have to pay for it myself," Sato Miwako said with relief.
"In that case, Officer Senichi is also quite lucky. His car didn't suffer the mischief of those rascals. Otherwise, Officer Senichi would be heartbroken," Chiba teased, "Isn't that right, Officer Senichi?"
However, this question received no response. Senichi's gaze remained fixed on the alley where the kids had disappeared, showing no signs of returning to reality.
"Officer Senichi?"
"So, that's it!! I got it!"
Senichi snapped back to attention upon hearing Takagi's shout, and he excitedly turned to the three of them, saying, "It's compressed air! What the culprit used!"
"Compressed air!?"
The three exchanged puzzled glances, unsure of what Senichi meant.
"If I had to put it simply, it's similar in principle to the water guns those kids were playing with just now," Senichi smiled and walked over to his GTR R32, opening the car door. "Rather than explaining it in words, it's easier to understand when you see it with your own eyes."
...
On the way, the red and black cars turned into streaks as they raced down the road.
It was noon, and there weren't many vehicles on the road. The two seasoned drivers drove at full throttle, giving Chiba and Takagi a taste of the thrill of a "death race."
Upon reaching the police headquarters, Senichi and Sato Miwako hurriedly headed to the forensic department, leaving behind Takagi and Chiba, who were still looking pale and supporting each other.
"We've been waiting for you. As expected, it was Officer Senichi who spoke, and the props were immediately delivered," Officer Tome said as he greeted them at the entrance of the forensic department. "The simulation room is this way."
Inside the room, they could see a large dummy placed in the middle. Near where the group stood, there was a square box with a cylindrical shape in the center.
"This is an air compressor, typically used as a tool for inflating bicycle tires and lifebuoys," Officer Tome tapped the black box on the table and explained, "It's quite common in the market, a very ordinary tool."
"But when you add this to it, it becomes extraordinary, right?" Senichi picked up a long steel pipe.
"What's this?" Sato Miwako looked at a long steel pipe with a hexagonal screw-like interface.
"It's just an ordinary steel pipe," Officer Tome explained with a smile. "But the only difference is that I've recently added a spiral shape inside, meaning there's a spiral groove inside."
Hearing this, Sato Miwako, who was a detective familiar with firearms, immediately grasped the situation. "So, this is a gun barrel!?"
"That's right!"
Senichi handed the steel pipe he had been examining to Officer Tome and asked him to attach it to the air compressor's outlet. He explained, "As you probably know, when a bullet passes through the rifling inside the barrel, it becomes more accurate, increasing the hit rate. For this kind of rough and unorthodox firearm, it's crucial because it's useless if you can't hit the target."
"That's right, and creating rifling inside a steel pipe isn't a particularly difficult technique," Officer Tome chimed in.
"What about the bullets?" Sato Miwako seemed to remember something and quickly asked Mr. Norimasa.
"For now, let's use regular bullets." Officer Tome took out a standard bullet and inserted it into one side of the steel pipe with a hexagonal screw cap. Afterward, he tightly secured the hexagonal side of the steel pipe to the interface on the air compressor's outlet.
After some adjustments, he set the air compressor to the maximum setting, aimed the long, slender steel pipe at a dummy not far away, and then pressed the start button.
"Bang!"
In the next moment, there was a burst of "hissing" sounds as air jetted out, followed by a muffled bang, and a deep dent appeared in the dummy's chest. The bullet had buried itself directly into the dummy's chest.
"That's a lot of firepower!"
Sato Miwako looked at the bullet lodged in the dummy's chest with a serious expression. "This shot has enough firing speed and power to cause significant harm. I'm afraid even without using gunpowder, it could easily kill someone with its tremendous lethality."
"But this air compressor is a bit too big..."
Takagi, who had been listening to their conversation while feeling carsick, couldn't help but speak up. "Look at the size of it. If the culprit was carrying such a heavy tool, they would have been discovered long ago."
"Using a car can perfectly offset this drawback," Senichi smiled and said, "And if you only open the car window, it also ensures concealment."
"But what about the bullets? What are those missing bullets?" Sato Miwako couldn't help but ask.
To this, Senichi replied with a meaningful tone, "If I'm not mistaken..."
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