radicalducati Chapter 128 N's Reasoning
Chapter 128 N's Reasoning
Chapter 128 N's Reasoning
"Can the truth of the bombing be ascertained based solely on these ambiguous secondhand testimonies?"
Hugo's gray eyes were cold as he looked at the white-clad youth in front of him with suspicion.
"I'm very good at deriving formulas based on known conditions. Douzi seems to call this reasoning."
N smiled modestly, but met the detective's gaze without flinching—
"The scale of the explosion was unprecedented. All the Pokémon in the factory died without exception. The police and fire department arrived at the scene ahead of time. The factory's production capacity was seriously mismatched with its claimed output. The factory manager remained tight-lipped. League officials had secretly entered the factory... What kind of formula can these known conditions be combined to form?"
“Solving a case isn’t a game of permutations and combinations, and your source of information isn’t reliable enough.” Hugo shook his head, dismissing the claim from a professional perspective. “Now is not the time to play the armchair detective game. Your speculations from afar will only lead you to answers that are completely off-topic.”
N ignored the detective's attempt to dampen his enthusiasm and continued talking to himself—
"Adding all this information together, we can arrive at an obvious conclusion—the explosion a week ago was a meticulously planned performance. The League government of Liyong City was the planner of the performance, the police and fire department were the actors, the factory was the stage, the employees inside were the audience, and the Pokémon corpses... were props consumed in the performance."
The detective narrowed his eyes and asked, as if confirming, "You deduced this based on the two pieces of information: the police arrived at the scene early and alliance officials entered and exited the factory?"
"Yes. And based on the above reasoning, the explosion was deliberately caused by someone, so a new question naturally arises - since the explosion was just a performance, why were there any Pokémon killed? It was then that I thought, could those Electric-type Pokémon that seemed to have died in the explosion have actually lost their lives before the explosion occurred?"
"How is this possible?" Even Azure couldn't believe it. "Besides an explosion, what could possibly cause so many Pokémon to die at the same time?"
“They didn’t die at the same time.” N sighed, the sadness on his face deepening.
"They died from exhaustion in different factories and were eventually sent to the Liyong Power Plant."
"What does it mean?"
"I visited different power plants in Liyong City, and the Pokémon there all said the same thing: the work pressure has been increasing lately, and there have been several cases of Pokémon going missing recently. Considering the Liyong Power Plant's rapid rise in recent years, its sudden explosion, and the discrepancy in its power output, what can you think of?"
Bilan shook her head; even she couldn't see any connection between them.
"This is just a simple calculation problem. The total power supply of a city is stable. This data is linked to the city's heating and power transmission. There is no need or possibility to falsify it. However, the power deficit of Liyong Power Plant is a real phenomenon. The only possible reason for this phenomenon is that this plant has diverted the power generated by other power plants."
"Misappropriating power generation?" Azure was completely bewildered. Not only were her questions unanswered, but even more arose. "Why would Liyong Power Plant do this?"
Detective Hugo promptly offered an explanation, dispelling his assistant's doubts.
"Liyong Power Plant claims to be clean energy, which allows it to receive more subsidies under the policy. What this Mr. N means is that the plant manager reached some kind of agreement with his peers to buy non-clean energy from other plants at high prices and then sell it to the Alliance under the name of clean electricity, thereby earning a difference in government subsidies and also building the reputation of the United States' No. 1 energy company. It's like 'electricity laundering', which is similar to 'money laundering'."
N nodded: "And those other power plants want to increase their output and earn extra profits, but they can only urge their own Pokémon to increase their output. As a result, the Pokémon's workload increases, and there is even a possibility that Electric-type Pokémon will die from exhaustion."
The detective chuckled coldly: "I guess what you're going to say next is that such violations are destined to be unsustainable, and the fact that Alliance officials personally visited the Liyong Power Plant likely means this electricity-washing scheme has been exposed. But for the sake of the overall reputation of Liyong City's energy industry, the Alliance has decided to resolve this issue in a more appropriate way..."
"Yes, that's the truth behind that earth-shattering explosion. The reason the League official left the factory so satisfied before was because he had achieved a complete victory in his negotiations with the factory manager. The latter not only wanted to use the explosion to cover up his own depleted power, but also to cover up the fact that Pokémon in other factories had died from overwork."
"That's why there were so many elf corpses at the explosion site?"
Azure frowned and retorted, "Why would Factory Manager William do this? It doesn't benefit him at all!"
"No, the explosion not only covered up the fact that the electric washer was being washed, but also that all seventy-one electric spirits in the factory disappeared because the factory manager had turned them all into his private property."
N said in a somber tone—
"After this incident, whether the factory manager sells them as props or uses them as capital to start a new business, he can make up for the losses he suffered in the explosion. The only ones who suffer misfortune are those spirits who become consumables in endless labor."
“And then there are the power plant workers who have been laid off and are now unemployed,” Hugo interjected inappropriately, then asked seriously—
"Is this all your reasoning? A cunning capitalist who couldn't run a shady business, so he's trying to escape by using the explosion as an excuse, like a ninja evolving into a demon?"
N nodded, put his baseball cap back on, and his blue eyes, hidden beneath the brim, appeared utterly indifferent.
"Yes, as mentioned above, I have already uncovered the truth behind the Liyong City bombing, so I no longer need your assistance. The travel expenses for your long journey have been left with Miss Douzi; it's definitely a price that will satisfy you."
"What if I believe your reasoning is flawed from beginning to end?"
The detective interrupted N's farewell in a casual tone, but then uttered something extraordinary.
"Regardless of your thoughts, I will begin my own actions after tomorrow. At that time, whether the truth of the case is as I say will naturally become clear. I suggest that you two leave Liyong City as soon as possible to avoid being implicated in any accidents."
The green-haired youth lowered the brim of his hat, revealing a somewhat sharp and assertive demeanor.
"Bogaman, use the 'Water Cannon' to wash the face of our noble King."
The detective issued the order without warning.
Upon hearing this, the little penguin, which had been standing on the outside of the three, immediately rushed forward with tiny steps. Meeting the green-haired youth's astonished gaze, blue water rippled and gathered at its beak.
The assistant was startled and instinctively took a step back, afraid of being affected by the failed skill move.
However, an even more incredible scene unfolded—Bogarman did not fall on the road, but only staggered slightly, yet the gathering of his skill did not stop.
Then, the "Water Cannon" skill was successfully activated, and a powerful blue jet of water shot out in front of Piplup—
Strands of hair brushed against the green-haired youth's face and flew out of the window.
"How are you? Are you more awake now?"
Hugo remained expressionless, unfazed by everything before him, and calmly asked N.
"Your reasoning, like the trajectory of this 'water cannon,' has completely deviated from the truth. I will not withdraw from the investigation, because the fog surrounding the bombing has not yet completely lifted. Do whatever you want, but if it involves anything illegal that crosses the line, don't blame me for sending you to the detention center."
Seeing this, Azure, who was hiding to the side, was also moved and said loudly, "Me too."