Chapter 539: The Death of the Japanese

Late at night, Lao Wang and another guest actor, Boqiang, headed to the bathroom. The restroom was outside the dormitory, making it inconvenient to use, especially after a few drinks.

Still slightly tipsy, they walked and laughed about how they had given the Japanese actors a hard time at dinner.

Lao Wang said, “I can’t hold it anymore. Let’s just go here.”

The night was quiet, and no one was around. They found a tree and started to relieve themselves. Lao Wang felt a chill and seemed to sober up a bit. Suddenly, he saw something in the bushes and rubbed his eyes hard.

“Boqiang, look at that!” Lao Wang called to his friend, pulling up his pants.

They parted the bushes and saw two Japanese officers tied up and kneeling there. Lao Wang froze, and then Boqiang burst out laughing, “Looks so real!”

“Haha, just like the real thing.”

They thought these were props left by the film crew. It was past midnight, exactly September 18th, which seemed fitting.

“Let’s clean it up and take it back to the props department,” Lao Wang suggested.

He reached out and touched one of the “Japanese officers,” who then fell straight to the ground. Blood flowed from under the collar. Lao Wang screamed as if he had been electrocuted, “This is… someone! Call the police, now!”

The next day, the crime scene was cordoned off by the police. Detective Peng Siyue led his team in collecting evidence while Lin Qiupu questioned the two who reported the bodies. Lao Wang said, “The dead are two Japanese guest actors from our crew, one named Tamura—written as 田村, Tamura Shinji. The other is Fujiwara Tetsu.”

Upon hearing they were foreigners, Lin Qiupu frowned, knowing this case might be troublesome.

“How did you discover them?”

“A little past midnight, Boqiang and I went to use the bathroom. We had been drinking and couldn’t hold it, so we went by the tree over there and saw them kneeling.”

“Did you notice anything unusual around at the time?”

“Unusual…”

“For example, any suspicious people?”

Both shook their heads. Lin Qiupu noted their names and contact information. One was Wang Ying, and the other was Lu Boqiang.

Back at the scene, Chen Shi was squatting to examine the bodies. Lin Qiupu asked, “Why are you here?”

“I heard from Dongxue that this case was interesting, so I came to take a look. It just so happens I’m free today.”

“Good timing. The dead are two Japanese men. If we can’t solve this case, it could be very troublesome.”

“That explains why they didn’t look like Chinese people.”

The bodies lay on the ground, dressed in cheap costumes made to look like Japanese officers. Their faces were pale. Tamura had his throat slit with a sharp object, while Fujiwara had been stabbed three times from behind. The wounds were beneath their clothes, indicating the clothes were put on later.

Preliminary judgment suggested they died around nine o’clock the previous evening. A more troublesome issue was that this small town had no surveillance cameras.

Chen Shi observed the surrounding grass, saying, “There are drag marks. This wasn’t the primary crime scene.”

“Do you know what day it is today?” Lin Qiupu asked.

“Nine-one-eight. I heard the air raid siren in the city this morning.”

“So, do you think this case could be…”

Chen Shi shook his head, “I never believe the clues deliberately shown by the murderer. Unless they continue to kill unrelated Japanese people, the national hatred theory can’t be a motive in this day and age.”

A middle-aged man wearing a beret walked over, saying, “Hello, I’m the director and producer of this film crew. I came to check on the situation.”

Lin Qiupu asked, “We’re investigating. Can you tell us about the two deceased?”

“Uh…” The director glanced at the bodies and seemed apprehensive. “They were part of our crew. I’m deeply saddened by what happened.”

“What kind of film are you shooting?”

“It’s an anti-Japanese drama called ‘Flaming Eagle,’ about a group of civilians who organize to resist the brutal Japanese invaders. We wrapped filming yesterday, so their contracts ended.”

“Labor contracts?”

“Yes, labor contracts, not employment contracts,” the director added. “According to the contract terms, we don’t need to pay compensation. Our crew is also financially strapped right now.”

“That’s not our concern. How long had they been in China?”

“Tamura had been acting here for six years and spoke decent Chinese. Fujiwara came a year ago. They weren’t from the same place, but since both were Japanese, they stuck together.”

“What about their family situations?”

“I honestly don’t know. Our interactions were purely professional.”

“How did they get along with the rest of the crew?”

“Average. There was a language barrier, so they didn’t spend their free time with others.”

Lin Dongxue came over to find Chen Shi, asking if he wanted to check out where the two lived. Chen Shi agreed.

Since this place had become a film base, local residents had converted their old houses for rent. The two Japanese men shared an apartment, paying 1,000 yuan a month. The facilities were basic.

The apartment had a combined bedroom and bathroom, with a curtain separating the sleeping area. Tamura’s side was tidier, while Fujiwara’s was messier.

Lin Dongxue opened Tamura’s drawer and found many instant noodle packages, saying, “Looks like he loved Chinese instant noodles.”

“I doubt it. His personal items are old and there’s hardly any entertainment. He seems thrifty, probably has a family. Look at Fujiwara’s side—he bought a mini-fridge with beer and snacks and a laptop. Definitely a bachelor.”

Chen Shi turned on the laptop. There was no password, and it was filled with anime and J-drama websites. Lin Dongxue remarked, “His private life was quite rich and colorful. He’s even following such old dramas!”

“You watched them?”

“Back in middle school.”

The biggest perk for foreigners in China is the free online access to all kinds of media. In some countries, even downloading a song costs money. Fujiwara seemed to be enjoying the free content to the fullest.

There were two open cans of beer and a half-eaten bag of chips on the table. Chen Shi packed them up and marked them for testing.

Standing by the window, Chen Shi watched the bustling crowd below, lost in thought. Lin Dongxue checked her phone and said, “Xiaodong found something. Last night, the guest actors had some unpleasant events at dinner.”