Chapter 21 second quarter
When Honma and others arrived at the scene, the smoke and fire had subsided, but they were replaced by a crowd of people.Many onlookers of different races, costumes, and languages crowded the explosion site, and people discussed loudly, causing headaches.Had it not been for the presence of dark-skinned Indian police officers in turbans, they would have walked into the blast site and taken away what was working (or not at all) from the house.
——The bomb just exploded, aren't these guys afraid?
Honma pushed aside the crowd of spectators, walked towards the scene, and was greatly surprised.
After showing his identity card to the Indian police employed by the Industrial Bureau of the Concession, he walked into the scene of the incident.
Honma glanced at the scene of the explosion and frowned.
——It's horrible...
After the explosion and subsequent fire, Captain Oikawa's home was nearly destroyed.
Straw mats were spread on the road near the scene, and several corpses were placed on it.
Each corpse was either blown off with hands and feet, or was burnt black, in a miserable state of death. Captain Oikawa, who rushed to the scene with Honma, knelt down on one knee and silently investigated the dead.After Honma approached, he pouted his chin at the corpse of what looked like an old lady, and said regretfully, "...she is my grandmother who is a regular servant in my house." "What about the rest." Looking back, a middle-aged white man in a fedora, with a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth at an unpleasant angle, stood aside. Honma narrowed his eyes because of the backlight, and then he realized the identity of the questioner, and was slightly surprised. He was Inspector James, Commander of the Concession Police Service, which maintained law and order in the United Settlement. In the Shanghai Concession, where the rights of various countries are intricate, even if a crime related to the Japanese occurs, the Japanese Gendarmerie has no right to investigate.All incidents that occurred in the United Concession were investigated by the Concession Police Department, which was formed by the Concession Industry Bureau.In this sense, there is nothing surprising about the presence of Inspector James at the crime scene.but…… The Concession Police Department claims to be a multi-national organization composed of local Chinese, British, Americans, Indians, Russians, and Japanese, but in fact, the previous police chiefs are all exclusively British. It can be seen that this has always been the organization representing British rights. Especially after the "July 7th Incident" broke out, in order to ensure its interests in the Shanghai Concession, the British sympathized with the Chinese Nationalist Government in Chongqing, which made the Concession Police Department quite passive in investigating and responding to the frequent anti-Japanese activities in Shanghai. A few days ago, when a first-class sailor of the Japanese navy stationed in Shanghai was murdered in the concession, the police department in the concession did not actively investigate from the beginning.Not only that, but he even stated to the outside world that "this incident was a private fight caused by emotional disputes among Japanese soldiers", hoping to suppress this incident. As for the investigation of anti-Japanese activities, it is always under the repeated urging of the Japanese side that it is reluctant to take action. Today, the bombing incident has just happened, and the Japanese side should have not submitted a formal investigation commission. Why did Inspector James come to the scene so soon? Benma frowned in surprise.James ignored him, and repeatedly asked Captain Ji Chuan: "Where are the others? Is there anyone you recognize?" "Well... I'm not sure..." Captain Oikawa looked down at the ground again, pointing to the corpses one by one and said, "These two people should be the two beggars who usually sit in front of my house... And this is supposed to be the driver of the nearby rickshaw... always waiting in front of my house for me to go out, yelling for me to ride in his car, very annoying... no, I don't know his name... this woman... I see I passed by her selling vegetables across the road. As for this kid, it’s poor, he’s a neighbor’s kid, and he often plays behind my house. I don’t recognize the others. Maybe I just passed by and got caught in the explosion because of bad luck. .” "I see." Listening to Captain Oikawa's explanation, Inspector James nodded frequently, took out a notebook from his pocket, and wrote something in it.Then he closed his notebook, walked a few steps in front of the corpses lined up, then stopped suddenly, poked one of the corpses lightly with his toe and said, "This guy is the most suspicious." "The beggar? You mean, he's a suspect in the bomb terror?" "Bomb? No, no way! This guy must have been burning firewood, and the paint cans piled up against the wall exploded." Inspector James shrugged and said, then kicked away the scorched paint cans scattered on the fire scene. —Is the explosion caused by a paint can? Honma, who had been listening quietly all this time, couldn't help interjecting from the sidelines: "How is it possible! Don't be joking. Anyone who has read it will know that this incident is a terrorist incident against Captain Oikawa. Instead of talking about this kind of silly joke here If so, it is better to arrest the suspect as soon as possible." "Stop it, Sergeant Honma." Captain Oikawa stopped Honma in a low voice. "But the captain..." "It's useless, because they have no intention of investigating this case at all." ——No plan to investigate?How is this possible…… Honma was stunned for a moment, but he immediately realized the meaning of Oikawa's words and gritted his teeth. Such a serious explosion killed many people. Even the Concession Police Department could not turn a blind eye to this explosion.In this case, before the Japanese side urges, go to understand the whole incident and grasp the direction of the investigation. Inspector James must have thought so, that's why he rushed to the scene so quickly. From this point of view, the Concession Police Department has no intention of banning anti-Japanese activities or arresting terrorists.If you want to protect yourself from the anti-Japanese activities, you can only investigate and arrest the suspects yourself.But…… Honma looked around at the crowd at the explosion site, startled. Those were countless unfamiliar faces... Those who planned terrorist incidents did not wear military uniforms to attack.They usually blend in the crowd calmly, but once they see that we have an opportunity, they will suddenly attack with guns and bombs. These people are not the regular army, they are called "plainclothes team", which makes the Japanese living in Shanghai terrified. As long as the bomber is hidden in the crowd, it is almost impossible to find him. In fact, at this time, the Shanghai Gendarmerie rushed to the scene to investigate, but their number was pitifully small compared to the crowd of onlookers.Moreover, Captain Oikawa said just now that among the small number of our personnel, there are still traitors hidden... ——Can the Shanghai Gendarmerie alone fight against the anti-Japanese elements? Honma looked around desperately, and suddenly stopped his gaze. A tall man stood beside the straw mat on which the corpse was placed. It's Private Gendarmerie Toyo Yoshino. Honma's official rank is above him, but he came to Shanghai earlier than Honma, and it should be almost two years. He was born in the country, with a rough appearance and darker skin than Honma.Because of the climate, most members of the Shanghai Gendarmerie don’t wear hats, but he is the only one who is different, wearing a hat all day just like in Japan.It is said that the reason why First Class Yoshino wears a gendarmerie cap all day is because he is very concerned about his baldness. Lieutenant Yoshino stood still, unaware that Honma was approaching, and stared intently at a corpse on the straw mat. "Lieutenant Yoshino, what's wrong with you?" Homma called out to him, and Yoshino looked up in surprise.His swarthy face was inexplicably pale. "Do you know the dead man?" Facing Honma's question, Lieutenant Yoshino shook his head in a flustered expression. "No, that's not the case. I can't possibly know this man." After Lieutenant Yoshino replied briefly, he added "Excuse me for my resignation first", and raised his hand deliberately to salute.Benma didn't have time to ask, he had already turned and left. Honma walked towards the place where Sergeant Yoshino had left, and glanced at the corpse that the latter had been staring at just now.Under the impact of the explosion, the person's hands and feet were twisted into strange angles, and his clothes were scorched, so it is impossible to be sure, but it should be a Chinese teenager, about fifteen or sixteen years old, maybe even younger... Honma looked down at the corpse, thinking sideways. The teenager's face was covered in soot and was badly burned.Even if he is an acquaintance, it may be difficult to recognize him at a glance. ——No, wait. Honma knelt down on one knee and stretched out his fingers to touch the corpse.Sure enough.Thought it was just soot at first, there was a birthmark shaped like a butterfly's wings on the body's chest.Lieutenant Yoshino may have guessed the identity of the corpse by seeing this distinctive birthmark.But…… Is this just a mere coincidence?Or is this teenager related to this terrorist incident? Just as he was hesitating whether to call back Sergeant Yoshino who had left, someone called him from behind. "Sergeant Honma!" He turned around, and the rough and turbid voice belonged to Guangjing Guangyi, the captain of the Shanghai Gendarmerie.Captain Oikawa stood behind him. Honma raised his hand in salute, Captain Wakui looked at him with wide eyes. "Sergeant Honma, I heard that you were with Captain Oikawa when the explosion occurred, right?" "yes." "Then you should know, right? This is obviously a provocation to our Shanghai Gendarmerie. You assist Captain Oikawa to investigate this matter. By the way, we must first find out the source of the bomb." "Yes. In the future, I will devote myself to the investigation and find out the source of the bomb in this incident." "Well, it's up to you." Captain Wakui nodded majestically, and left the scene with Captain Oikawa. As he passed by Honma, Captain Oikawa glanced at him with a sympathetic expression. Honma watched all the way until he could no longer see the captain's back, then he lifted his salute posture and sighed helplessly. ——I was asked to investigate the source of the bomb. He has been in Shanghai for three months.During this time he learned one thing.Here, as long as you have the money, you can buy as many bombs as you want on the black market.Neither the buyer nor the seller cared at all what the bomb was used for.Finding out where the bomb came from here is like picking up a button at the seashore and trying to find out who lost it. — No, not just bombs. Here, as long as you have money, you can buy anything.But in Shanghai, the cheapest ones cost lives.
Each corpse was either blown off with hands and feet, or was burnt black, in a miserable state of death. Captain Oikawa, who rushed to the scene with Honma, knelt down on one knee and silently investigated the dead.After Honma approached, he pouted his chin at the corpse of what looked like an old lady, and said regretfully, "...she is my grandmother who is a regular servant in my house." "What about the rest." Looking back, a middle-aged white man in a fedora, with a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth at an unpleasant angle, stood aside. Honma narrowed his eyes because of the backlight, and then he realized the identity of the questioner, and was slightly surprised. He was Inspector James, Commander of the Concession Police Service, which maintained law and order in the United Settlement. In the Shanghai Concession, where the rights of various countries are intricate, even if a crime related to the Japanese occurs, the Japanese Gendarmerie has no right to investigate.All incidents that occurred in the United Concession were investigated by the Concession Police Department, which was formed by the Concession Industry Bureau.In this sense, there is nothing surprising about the presence of Inspector James at the crime scene.but…… The Concession Police Department claims to be a multi-national organization composed of local Chinese, British, Americans, Indians, Russians, and Japanese, but in fact, the previous police chiefs are all exclusively British. It can be seen that this has always been the organization representing British rights. Especially after the "July 7th Incident" broke out, in order to ensure its interests in the Shanghai Concession, the British sympathized with the Chinese Nationalist Government in Chongqing, which made the Concession Police Department quite passive in investigating and responding to the frequent anti-Japanese activities in Shanghai. A few days ago, when a first-class sailor of the Japanese navy stationed in Shanghai was murdered in the concession, the police department in the concession did not actively investigate from the beginning.Not only that, but he even stated to the outside world that "this incident was a private fight caused by emotional disputes among Japanese soldiers", hoping to suppress this incident. As for the investigation of anti-Japanese activities, it is always under the repeated urging of the Japanese side that it is reluctant to take action. Today, the bombing incident has just happened, and the Japanese side should have not submitted a formal investigation commission. Why did Inspector James come to the scene so soon? Benma frowned in surprise.James ignored him, and repeatedly asked Captain Ji Chuan: "Where are the others? Is there anyone you recognize?" "Well... I'm not sure..." Captain Oikawa looked down at the ground again, pointing to the corpses one by one and said, "These two people should be the two beggars who usually sit in front of my house... And this is supposed to be the driver of the nearby rickshaw... always waiting in front of my house for me to go out, yelling for me to ride in his car, very annoying... no, I don't know his name... this woman... I see I passed by her selling vegetables across the road. As for this kid, it’s poor, he’s a neighbor’s kid, and he often plays behind my house. I don’t recognize the others. Maybe I just passed by and got caught in the explosion because of bad luck. .” "I see." Listening to Captain Oikawa's explanation, Inspector James nodded frequently, took out a notebook from his pocket, and wrote something in it.Then he closed his notebook, walked a few steps in front of the corpses lined up, then stopped suddenly, poked one of the corpses lightly with his toe and said, "This guy is the most suspicious." "The beggar? You mean, he's a suspect in the bomb terror?" "Bomb? No, no way! This guy must have been burning firewood, and the paint cans piled up against the wall exploded." Inspector James shrugged and said, then kicked away the scorched paint cans scattered on the fire scene. —Is the explosion caused by a paint can? Honma, who had been listening quietly all this time, couldn't help interjecting from the sidelines: "How is it possible! Don't be joking. Anyone who has read it will know that this incident is a terrorist incident against Captain Oikawa. Instead of talking about this kind of silly joke here If so, it is better to arrest the suspect as soon as possible." "Stop it, Sergeant Honma." Captain Oikawa stopped Honma in a low voice. "But the captain..." "It's useless, because they have no intention of investigating this case at all." ——No plan to investigate?How is this possible…… Honma was stunned for a moment, but he immediately realized the meaning of Oikawa's words and gritted his teeth. Such a serious explosion killed many people. Even the Concession Police Department could not turn a blind eye to this explosion.In this case, before the Japanese side urges, go to understand the whole incident and grasp the direction of the investigation. Inspector James must have thought so, that's why he rushed to the scene so quickly. From this point of view, the Concession Police Department has no intention of banning anti-Japanese activities or arresting terrorists.If you want to protect yourself from the anti-Japanese activities, you can only investigate and arrest the suspects yourself.But…… Honma looked around at the crowd at the explosion site, startled. Those were countless unfamiliar faces... Those who planned terrorist incidents did not wear military uniforms to attack.They usually blend in the crowd calmly, but once they see that we have an opportunity, they will suddenly attack with guns and bombs. These people are not the regular army, they are called "plainclothes team", which makes the Japanese living in Shanghai terrified. As long as the bomber is hidden in the crowd, it is almost impossible to find him. In fact, at this time, the Shanghai Gendarmerie rushed to the scene to investigate, but their number was pitifully small compared to the crowd of onlookers.Moreover, Captain Oikawa said just now that among the small number of our personnel, there are still traitors hidden... ——Can the Shanghai Gendarmerie alone fight against the anti-Japanese elements? Honma looked around desperately, and suddenly stopped his gaze. A tall man stood beside the straw mat on which the corpse was placed. It's Private Gendarmerie Toyo Yoshino. Honma's official rank is above him, but he came to Shanghai earlier than Honma, and it should be almost two years. He was born in the country, with a rough appearance and darker skin than Honma.Because of the climate, most members of the Shanghai Gendarmerie don’t wear hats, but he is the only one who is different, wearing a hat all day just like in Japan.It is said that the reason why First Class Yoshino wears a gendarmerie cap all day is because he is very concerned about his baldness. Lieutenant Yoshino stood still, unaware that Honma was approaching, and stared intently at a corpse on the straw mat. "Lieutenant Yoshino, what's wrong with you?" Homma called out to him, and Yoshino looked up in surprise.His swarthy face was inexplicably pale. "Do you know the dead man?" Facing Honma's question, Lieutenant Yoshino shook his head in a flustered expression. "No, that's not the case. I can't possibly know this man." After Lieutenant Yoshino replied briefly, he added "Excuse me for my resignation first", and raised his hand deliberately to salute.Benma didn't have time to ask, he had already turned and left. Honma walked towards the place where Sergeant Yoshino had left, and glanced at the corpse that the latter had been staring at just now.Under the impact of the explosion, the person's hands and feet were twisted into strange angles, and his clothes were scorched, so it is impossible to be sure, but it should be a Chinese teenager, about fifteen or sixteen years old, maybe even younger... Honma looked down at the corpse, thinking sideways. The teenager's face was covered in soot and was badly burned.Even if he is an acquaintance, it may be difficult to recognize him at a glance. ——No, wait. Honma knelt down on one knee and stretched out his fingers to touch the corpse.Sure enough.Thought it was just soot at first, there was a birthmark shaped like a butterfly's wings on the body's chest.Lieutenant Yoshino may have guessed the identity of the corpse by seeing this distinctive birthmark.But…… Is this just a mere coincidence?Or is this teenager related to this terrorist incident? Just as he was hesitating whether to call back Sergeant Yoshino who had left, someone called him from behind. "Sergeant Honma!" He turned around, and the rough and turbid voice belonged to Guangjing Guangyi, the captain of the Shanghai Gendarmerie.Captain Oikawa stood behind him. Honma raised his hand in salute, Captain Wakui looked at him with wide eyes. "Sergeant Honma, I heard that you were with Captain Oikawa when the explosion occurred, right?" "yes." "Then you should know, right? This is obviously a provocation to our Shanghai Gendarmerie. You assist Captain Oikawa to investigate this matter. By the way, we must first find out the source of the bomb." "Yes. In the future, I will devote myself to the investigation and find out the source of the bomb in this incident." "Well, it's up to you." Captain Wakui nodded majestically, and left the scene with Captain Oikawa. As he passed by Honma, Captain Oikawa glanced at him with a sympathetic expression. Honma watched all the way until he could no longer see the captain's back, then he lifted his salute posture and sighed helplessly. ——I was asked to investigate the source of the bomb. He has been in Shanghai for three months.During this time he learned one thing.Here, as long as you have the money, you can buy as many bombs as you want on the black market.Neither the buyer nor the seller cared at all what the bomb was used for.Finding out where the bomb came from here is like picking up a button at the seashore and trying to find out who lost it. — No, not just bombs. Here, as long as you have money, you can buy anything.But in Shanghai, the cheapest ones cost lives.