Sato was equally baffled:
"Yeah. According to Lawyer Fei's estimate, from the time Miss Ikezawa rushed to the apartment, was killed, and the police were called, the entire process shouldn't have taken more than twenty minutes. How could two living people be turned into this in such a short time?"
Any friend who had killed someone would surely know that killing was easy, but disposing of a body was difficult. Properly handling a corpse was no easy task.
Especially since both victims' skin remained largely intact, while all the blood and tissue inside had vanished.
According to their internal estimates, even a professional would likely need three to five days to accomplish something like this.
"The police have no leads either?"
Fei Yingli was not particularly surprised. After all, she knew very well what the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department was capable of.
As she spoke, the great lawyer's gaze shifted toward Yin Kong.
"Mr. Yin Kong, do you have any thoughts?"
Yin Kong's earlier act of clearing Fujie Akiyoshi of suspicion inevitably reminded her of a certain childhood friend of her daughter's.
But compared with the hot-blooded, flamboyant Kudo Shinichi, Fei Yingli found Yin Kong far more pleasing to the eye.
Moreover, although she had stepped forward to eliminate the two men as suspects, the lawyer's doubts had not entirely faded.
After all, even if Yin Kong and Ono Yoko had not acted personally, she had handled more than one lawsuit involving hired killers.
Though Yin Kong found the question somewhat unexpected, he quickly shook his head.
"To be honest, I've never seen such an evil way to die."
Pointing at the dent he had smashed into the wall and the enormous claw marks left by the [Chameleon Witch], he said slowly:
"Were these marks really left by a human?"
Sato and Takagi exchanged glances. Naturally, they understood what Yin Kong meant.
In fact, the police also suspected that the killer might not have been human at all, but some large predatory beast.
Otherwise, they would not have deployed so many officers to seal off the entire apartment building.
Unfortunately, their search was destined to yield nothing.
Fei Yingli adjusted her glasses. A streak of white light flashed across the lenses as she said noncommittally:
"Are you suggesting that the killer was some legendary monster, Mr. Yin Kong?"
Yin Kong immediately denied it.
"Of course not. It's just that this scene really reminds me of a legend from my hometown."
Fei Yingli frowned slightly and pressed on.
"What legend?"
Yin Kong spoke slowly.
"Legend has it that there is a demon called Painted Skin. It has a blue face, fangs, and a fierce, grotesque appearance, but usually wears human skin and disguises itself as a beautiful human woman. After luring men to deserted places, it reveals its true form and devours them..."
To be fair, Painted Skin was not an especially terrifying story.
But Yin Kong's description matched the traces at the crime scene far too well.
Especially those two corpses that had been reduced to nothing but skin, still lying on the floor with their eyes wide open in death.
Just then, a cold gust of wind blew through the room, making everyone shudder as an uncontrollable chill rose from the depths of their hearts.
Just as the room had fallen into an eerie silence because of Yin Kong's tale, the sound of an argument from the elevator made everyone unconsciously breathe a sigh of relief.
They soon learned the source of the dispute. Ikezawa Yuko's father had arrived.
But the man seemed to be a compulsive gambler, while Ikezawa Yuko's mother had fled when Yuko was still young, unable to endure the domestic violence.
After hearing of his biological daughter's death, the man showed no grief at all. Instead, he thought he could use the opportunity to extort a large sum of money.
So when the police told him that he could not receive compensation before the killer was caught, he naturally became extremely dissatisfied and started loudly making a scene in the elevator.
Of course, after realizing that throwing a tantrum was useless against the police, he left while cursing under his breath.
He could not even be bothered to look at his own daughter's corpse.
Compared to that, Yamagishi Ei's situation was slightly better.
Both his parents had died early. Though he had once been married, he had divorced several years ago, and his child had always lived with his ex-wife. They rarely had chances to meet.
Any familial affection had long since faded.
At the very least, Yin Kong did not sense much sorrow from the mother and son.
After seeing off the two groups of relatives, the pot-bellied Inspector Megure finally arrived late.
Pulling Away Unscathed
"Lawyer Fei, you're here too?"
Inspector Megure wiped the sweat from his forehead. As he looked around the scene, he unexpectedly spotted several familiar faces.
Especially when he saw Fei Yingli, the inspector's expression became somewhat complicated.
He had just seen Mori Ran in the roller coaster case, and now he had run into her mother.
Was he somehow at odds with the Mouri Family?
A dreadful premonition rose in Inspector Megure's heart. Could he possibly encounter another case today, then see that muddleheaded former colleague, Mori Kogoro?
No, no, no. How could there possibly be such an absurd coincidence in this world?
Inspector Megure shook his head inwardly, deciding that he was overthinking it.
Under their efforts, Beika Town had always been a friendly, welcoming, and wholesome place. Where would so many vicious crimes come from?
Inspector Megure, who had yet to endure the baptism of countless future cases and remained somewhat innocent, clearly had no proper understanding of just how cursed the main cast was.
"So, the two missing people are very likely major suspects, correct?"
Inspector Megure quickly read through the compiled case summary, but his expression grew even more troubled.
"Will the higher-ups really believe a report like this?"
If the crime scene had not been right before his eyes, and if he had not personally seen those unbelievable traces, then upon reading the case report, his first reaction would probably have been to summon Sato and Takagi, give them a severe scolding, and send them back to rewrite it.
Noticing that Yin Kong seemed to have something to say, Inspector Megure immediately asked:
"Brother Yin Kong, did you find some clue?"
Inspector Megure had a very good impression of Yin Kong, who had helped them solve a murder case. The way he addressed him had unconsciously changed from "Mr. Yin Kong" to the relatively intimate "Brother Yin Kong."
As expected of the legendary wielder of the Bro-Bro Fruit.
After sighing inwardly, Yin Kong finally took the chance to bring up his true purpose for coming here.
"Inspector Megure, doesn't the police have a department specifically for handling cases like this? Some mysterious organization like the Demon Slayer Corps, Soul Society, or Kamen Rider?"
Inspector Megure froze in place for several seconds after hearing the question. Only then did he understand what Yin Kong meant, and he said speechlessly:
"Young people these days, why do you all like watching such strange things?
Unfortunately, those mysterious organizations you mentioned only exist in movies and manga. They simply do not exist in reality."
Takagi looked even more disappointed than Yin Kong himself. Unwilling to give up, he asked:
"Inspector Megure, there really isn't one?"
After hearing Yin Kong's story, the more he looked at the case before him, the more he felt that it had been committed by the demon called Painted Skin.
"Of course not, Takagi. You're a police officer. How can you believe in such unscientific things?"
Inspector Megure rarely put on a stern face, rebuking his subordinate with an expression of exasperation.
If they blamed every situation they could not understand on legendary ghosts and monsters, then how were they supposed to investigate cases?
But clearly, Inspector Megure's lecture did not have much effect.
Seeing that not only Takagi, but the other officers at the scene also wore unconvinced expressions, he said helplessly:
"At the very least, I have no idea whether such an organization exists."
At this point, Inspector Megure looked toward Fei Yingli.
"Come to think of it, you should be asking Lawyer Fei about this sort of thing. I'm only a lowly police inspector. I don't have many opportunities to deal with those important people."
Inspector Megure's words were somewhat self-deprecating, but they were essentially true.
If an official mysterious organization really existed, then no matter how secretive it was, it could never remain hidden from the wealthy and powerful figures of high society.
With everyone's eyes focused on her, Fei Yingli shook her head.
She knew of quite a few shrines and temples, but they mostly served as platforms or intermediaries for connecting wealthy elites and influential figures.
"As for exorcising spirits and dispelling evil, it can only be said that they offer a bit of psychological comfort."
She had seen plenty of shameless open and secret struggles among the wealthy.
But as far as she remembered, she had never encountered such a bizarre method of death.
[Under the Shadows] Chapter 1 [Keep a Low Profile for Now, Develop Stealthily] completed.
Obtained rewards [Primogem ×30, Hero's Wit ×2, Mora ×20000].
Yin Kong could not help but pause when he received the system prompt. Theoretically, this meant that his investigation had already gone far enough.
Lowering his head, he exchanged a glance with Miss Yoko. He could see the disappointment in her eyes.
Clearly, even though the idol had come to trust Yin Kong deeply, she still instinctively hoped to find an official organization she could rely on.
"Even Lawyer Fei says so. It seems there really isn't one."
Yin Kong, on the other hand, was not all that surprised.
After all, those two colossal beings had been battling in the city for nearly an entire day, practically sweeping away every demon Yin Kong had seen.
If a mysterious organization specifically tasked with handling such situations truly existed, there was no way it would have failed to notice.
Yet the reality was that Yin Kong had not seen any third-party force appear from beginning to end.
Still, that was not entirely a bad thing. At the very least, Yin Kong would have fewer concerns when acting in the future.
Of course, it also meant he could only rely on himself when difficulties arose.
Fortunately, Yin Kong felt that he could switch Zhongli out from the background at any moment, so he was not worried.
The sense of security that the Geo Archon gave him was simply overwhelming.
What followed was merely routine procedure. Thanks to Fei Yingli's alibi, Inspector Megure only asked Yin Kong and Ono Yoko a few simple questions. After telling them to remain available for contact, he let them go.
As Ono Yoko left the apartment building, she could not help letting out a long breath.
Though they had prepared their story in advance, lying to the police for the first time still put enormous psychological pressure on her.
Fei Yingli did not think too much about it. After leaving that eerie crime scene, she too felt much more relaxed.
"You two, do you need me to take you to the hospital? And Miss Yoko, do you have somewhere to stay tonight?"
Ono Yoko froze before realizing that, with her apartment sealed off by the police, she had temporarily lost her place to stay.
After thinking for a moment, she replied:
"There's no need for the hospital, Lawyer Fei. Just take us to Cunning Rabbit House."
Having successfully pulled themselves out of the murder case, she and Yin Kong needed to properly discuss what to do next.
Naturally, Fei Yingli interpreted that statement differently. But after such a terrifying experience, it was perfectly normal for the two of them to need some private space.
Help Me, Mr. Zhongli
After dropping Yin Kong and Ono Yoko at the entrance of Cunning Rabbit House, Fei Yingli exchanged contact information with them and promptly said goodbye.
"Traveler!" When they opened the apartment door, Paimon's bright smile greeted them as expected. "You're finally back! I waited so long that I'm starving."
A smile also appeared on Yin Kong's face.
"You're only hungry? Looks like you weren't worried about me at all."
Paimon chuckled, taking it for granted.
"Of course! You were with Zhongli, so how could you possibly run into any danger... Huh? Miss Yoko is hurt?"
Before you continue