"I will say a few words as a reminder so that you can think about today's events. We will talk about the rest after we return to the office."
In the back seat of the taxi, the detective in a tattered white coat raised four fingers and said to Bilan with an inscrutable expression.
Hugo's voice was low and clear, and every time he spoke a word, a finger would fold back into the palm of his hand.
"Gifts, neighbors, rocks, interests."
"What?" Under Bi Lan's confused gaze, the detective turned back and leaned against the seat cushion. He had no intention of explaining this and just closed his eyes to rest.
The drive back to the city center from the western district of Feiyun City is too long, and there is also a competitive side to Bilan's character. After a brief period of confusion, the assistant lady immediately activated the gray cells in her brain, combined with the crime scene and the following intelligence information, and began a logical deduction——
The "gift" the detective mentioned should refer to the flower pot on the bookshelf. Under that clump of succulents that didn't require much care, the murderer was buried - the ghost-type Galar Sun Coral.
Before the detective raised the trophy and smashed it into the flower pot, Bi Lan actually didn't pay special attention to the inconspicuous little potted plant. She was stunned by the large blood stains on the ground and couldn't observe calmly.
Because of this, I only have a partial understanding of the original appearance of the potted plant. With a short moment of memory, Bilan vaguely remembered that the small flower pot had no features at all, and it was placed alone next to the books. It’s not pretty, nor does it make a messy house more cluttered. The location of the flowerpots was actually inappropriate. The potted plants looked very out of place on the bookshelf. It was probably just the result of the victim placing them randomly during his lifetime.
Even if he is not Hugo, Bilan who has searched the scene can easily see that the deceased Greta is an informal trainer. It is unlikely that such a person will take the initiative to buy and raise potted plants that cannot participate in Pokémon battles.
So, why did Hugo use the word "gift" as the first element in reasoning about the truth of the event? It was just a flowerpot that appeared inexplicably in the deceased's house. There were as many theories as possible to explain it. Why did it have to be a gift?
Of course there are other possibilities such as...such as...
At this time, the assistant lady was surprised to find that the answer that the flowerpot was sent to the secret room as a gift was actually the only reasonable explanation for the presence of the flowerpot in the deceased's home.
But how could that potted plant be a gift? Bilan couldn't easily believe the conclusion obtained by the elimination method, because the flowerpot looked too shabby, and no one could connect it with the word "gift"——
Is there any message on that ordinary and plain brick-colored flowerpot that hints at its gift quality? Is there a gift message or the giver's initials? Not so - there isn't even a single pattern on its simple and rough basin wall!
What's more, the succulents planted in flower pots look like simple transplants, which are neither good-looking nor of practical value, and will most likely not survive more than a year.
Bilan felt that giving such a useless potted plant to the trainer of the Sandstorm Team was more of a mockery than conveying kindness.
It doesn’t look like a gift that you would give to someone close to you at all.
The girl shook her head and thought - if it were to be a gift, this potted plant could only be given as a gift to a stranger whom they met for the first time. It was as if the gift-giver was trying his best to choose the right details in order not to leave an overly impressive impression on the other person. Uncreative gifts end up looking very shabby...
stranger? Meeting gift?
"So that's it!" Thinking of this, Bilan finally understood the detective's intention. It turned out that after Hugo ruled out the possibility that Mr. Greta had purchased the flowerpot himself, he immediately realized that its origin might be related to the visit of a stranger.
The deceased and the murderer had not formally known each other before the murder. After the two parties met for the first time, the potted plant containing the Galar Sun Coral was delivered to the victim.
It is very obvious that the stranger who came to visit gave Greta a "gift" that contained murderous intentions in the form of a greeting gift.
Moreover, the only people who can do this easily without arousing suspicion are the "neighbors" of the deceased!
They are in the second secret room formed by the apartment building, so they don't have to worry about being remembered by the doorman or the cameras outside.
When she discovered that the second word prompted by the detective appeared, Bilan couldn't help but waved her fist happily - the idea was right!
What happened next was natural. Mr. Greta passed by the bookshelf, ready to read a book or consult an illustrated book, without any awareness of the crisis hidden in the flower pot.
Then, Sun Coral took action, piercing the unsuspecting victim's abdomen with its cone-shaped rock. Since it is not a skill of this type, the power of the move is relatively small. The rocks left behind by the "sharp stone attack" released by Coral look like they have shrunk.
The victim did not die immediately. He struggled desperately in his home, but no one responded. The mobile phone that can make emergency calls is on the table one step away, and the six elves who live with him day and night are sleeping in the medical device, but he can only die helplessly like this, without even knowing the name of the murderer or the motive for the crime.
Who planned this crime and for what reasons? The first question has been answered. They are the six young men who carried many low-level Pokémon, but what was their motive for killing?
As the reasoning progressed, Bilan's confusion was not relieved, but became more and more unexplainable.
The girl believed that the detective's last two clues revealed the murderer's motive for the crime, and it was based on these that Hugo uncovered the gang of criminals who committed crimes. But what do those two words mean?
"rock"? Why rocks?
Mr. Greta is an expert on the sandstorm team. Among his hand-held elves, the Rock Temple Crab, Pang Rock Monster, and Banguiras are all rock attributes, which can greatly improve their combat effectiveness in sandstorm weather. But they did not appear at all in this case, so how are they connected with the young people's criminal motives?
There is also a final prompt word "interest". Did Hugo mean that there was some irresolvable conflict of interest between the six young men and Mr. Greta, whom they met for the first time, which led to the murder?
But according to the earliest reasoning, they only met for the first time recently. What kind of interests caused two groups of strangers to have to resolve conflicts in such an extreme way?
Because the keywords provided by the detective were too difficult to understand, Bilan decided to reorganize the motive of the crime according to his own ideas.
When it comes to the motive of the crime, the first thing that comes to the girl's mind is the dark history brought about by Greta's identity as a trainer.
As we all know, Pokémon trainers are a very harsh industry. As a star trainer, Mr. Greta may have developed a grudge against someone during his trip to participate in the league competition. This assassination was revenge for him.
However, this does not make sense. The people who would form a grudge against Greta are at least trainers who were at the same level as him. The strength of those young people is completely inferior, and it is impossible to become the target of grudges.
Bilan suddenly thought of another person - the apartment manager who used a long-haired dog. That person's command was completely like a veteran who had experienced battles in the field. If there is someone in the apartment building who has a grudge against Greta, this old man is highly suspected, and he is also the first person to discover the body of the deceased... He even has a spare key to the secret room!
Thinking of this, the girl was horrified——
Could it be that Hugo was misled by the apartment manager? As the apartment manager, he also had the opportunity to give potted plants to Mr. Greta. It is entirely possible that the last chaotic battle was directed and performed by the old man, who used his heroic performance to completely eliminate the suspicion of crime. Those young people may be acquitted due to lack of evidence soon, and the case will become unsolved... …
"You're thinking wrong." A lazy voice sounded in Bilan's ears.
"Looking at your surprised look, you are really not as calm as a detective assistant should be. Did you throw away the few tips I gave you and start thinking wildly?"
Bilan turned to look, and Detective Hugo's teasing smile came into view.
