Lin Xinyi's Intent

## Chapter 11: Lin Xinyi's Purpose

Three hours later, Kasumigaseki, Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department building.

In those short three hours, the salvage team was fortunate enough to find the deceased's personal identification documents among the damaged clothing salvaged later.

Based on this, the police quickly confirmed the deceased's identity and swiftly contacted their family.

With the family's cooperation, it was confirmed that the deceased had indeed disappeared suddenly in the middle of the night yesterday, leaving a handwritten suicide note at home.

Facing this evidence, the police became even more convinced that the deceased had died by suicide through drowning.

The Dismemberment Case was thus successfully closed.

Lin Xinyi, Kudo, and Ran, who had just finished giving their statements to the police, were now completely disassociated from the case. After exchanging greetings with the officers in charge, they prepared to leave.

"Brother Lin!"

Before they parted, Inspector Megure enthusiastically patted Lin Xinyi's shoulder with his plump hand:

"This time, thanks to you, the case was solved so quickly."

"If there's a chance in the future, I hope we can cooperate more!"

The more free case-solving tools, the better, naturally.

That's why Inspector Megure wouldn't hold a grudge just because Lin Xinyi had mocked him, unlike some younger officers.

"Mhm."

Lin Xinyi responded unenthusiastically.

He had already decided to switch to a more relaxed lifestyle, and unless something unexpected happened, he wouldn't have many opportunities to cooperate with the police in the future.

However, to see a task through, Lin Xinyi still made a point to remind Inspector Megure at the last minute:

"Oh, Inspector Megure."

"When I was examining the body at the scene, I also collected a sample of the deceased's heart blood with a puncture needle."

"That blood sample is currently being kept by Officer Komatsu. If possible, please make sure that sample is sent to a professional forensic laboratory for toxicology testing."

"Wh-what?"

Inspector Megure's plump, round face trembled.

"Sending the blood sample for testing? Are you suspecting there were toxins in the deceased's body?"

"But didn't the deceased die from suicide by drowning?"

"And we've already contacted her family and found her suicide note!"

Lin Xinyi's words were like a depth charge.

Inspector Megure was left a bit stunned. Even the famous detective Kudo Shinichi, who had been busy chatting and laughing with Ran nearby, instantly forgot about his childhood friend.

"Mr. Lin Xinyi,"

"Did you discover some evidence I didn't notice again?"

Kudo Shinichi heavily emphasized the word "again."

But Lin Xinyi answered calmly:

"No, not at all."

"I didn't find any signs of poisoning on the deceased's body surface, nor did I find any traces of restraint injuries or struggle injuries on the deceased's wrists, forearms, or other areas."

"From all the evidence gathered so far, the deceased died by suicide."

"However, as I said before—"

"The biggest taboo for a forensic doctor is preconceived notions."

"You might think it's a dismemberment murder, but it could actually be a suicide by drowning."

"You might think it's a suicide by drowning, but there could be another truth hidden behind it."

He systematically outlined the direction for Inspector Megure's further investigation:

"This time, I only performed a basic external examination of the body, and many things cannot be seen with the naked eye."

"For example, the deceased might have been drugged with sleeping pills and then thrown into the water to fake a suicide."

"Such cases are not uncommon, and clues can only be found through blood tests."

"And to further confirm if the deceased committed suicide, not only blood tests, but also investigating whether the deceased had suicidal motives before death is very important."

"If possible, an autopsy must be performed to confirm whether the deceased had subcutaneous hemorrhages from injuries sustained before death—I emphasized this to you at the scene."

"Please also keep the deceased's handwritten suicide note carefully. If any doubts arise during future investigations, the police will still need to perform handwriting analysis on the note."

Finally, Lin Xinyi paused slightly and said solemnly:

"As long as there's still room for doubt, we must never easily give up on questioning."

"After all, our duty is to find the truth, not to rush to a conclusion and simply meet quotas."

"This..."

Inspector Megure blushed slightly at Lin Xinyi's words.

To be honest, both he and the other officers had felt a sense of relief upon learning that the deceased had died by suicide.

They had a result, the case was solved, and the pressure was gone.

Everyone just wanted to smoothly close the case.

With no other leads, no one would "make trouble for themselves" by digging deeper.

"I see."

"Only someone who can truly understand the victim's suffering would be able to maintain such persistent doubt," Kudo Shinichi said, further understanding Lin Xinyi's earlier words.

After some thought, Inspector Megure nodded solemnly.

"I understand, little brother Lin."

"I'll send that blood sample to the Forensic Science Laboratory for testing, and I'll also commission a forensic lab at a cooperating university to perform an autopsy on the body."

"I guarantee, if any suspicious points are found, our Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department will investigate to the very end."

"That's good."

Lin Xinyi finally felt relieved.

Although he wasn't a forensic expert or a detective, he really didn't need to be so concerned about the case.

But there was no helping it; the level of professionalism displayed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department was just too unsettling.

"Goodbye, Inspector Megure."

"And Kudo, Miss Mouri Ran."

Lin Xinyi bid farewell to the people he had met today and prepared to leave the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department directly.

"Wait!"

Kudo Shinichi hesitated for a moment but then quickly hurried after him.

"Mr. Lin Xinyi, I have another question for you."

"Go ahead," Lin Xinyi cooperatively stopped.

However, the young detective hesitated for a while before carefully choosing his words.

"Mr. Lin Xinyi."

"Someone as capable as you..."

"Why did you make that choice?"

"???" Ran and Inspector Megure both looked puzzled.

Lin Xinyi, however, merely shrugged and gave an even more incomprehensible answer: "Who knows?"

"Then we'll have a chance to meet again in the future, right?"

Kudo and Lin Xinyi's conversation was like an encrypted telegram.

Lin Xinyi replied, "Of course, the 'me' now is a brand new me."

With that, he smiled naturally, turned, and walked out of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's main gate with strong strides.

Lin Xinyi simply left.

Inspector Megure also had many things to attend to and quickly gave up thinking about it, returning to his office.

Only Ran, after a moment of bewilderment, finally pulled on Kudo Shinichi's sleeve with great curiosity.

"Shinichi, what were you and Mr. Lin talking about just now?"

"What does 'making that choice' mean? Did Mr. Lin do something I don't know about?"

"Haha."

Kudo Shinichi gave a relaxed smile.

"You really didn't notice at all, Ran."

"Stop being so mysterious!" Ran clenched her fists, annoyed.

"Ahem… Do you remember our conversation before we found the body?"

Kudo Shinichi cleared his throat, finally revealing the answer.

"What was Mr. Lin doing in the park so early in the morning, dressed in a black suit?"

"And why were his pant legs and shoes wet?"

"Oh, right…"

Ran paused slightly, realizing the problem wasn't simple.

Because his pant legs and shoes were wet, Lin Xinyi had initially been suspected as a criminal.

But now it had been proven that he wasn't the killer and had not disposed of a body, so how did his pant legs get wet for no reason?

"When I discovered the dismembered body, I immediately suspected Mr. Lin was the killer."

"And the fact that he rushed to the scene to gawk right after we found the body only deepened my suspicion."

"But actually, even before this case occurred,"

"I already had another theory about why Mr. Lin's pant legs were wet."

Kudo Shinichi paused, giving Ran a moment to think.

Seeing that Ran still hadn't guessed the answer, he continued to prompt her:

"You know, we also smelled a strong odor of smoke on Mr. Lin at the time."

"He was tidying things in his pocket then, and I saw an empty cigarette pack in his pocket."

"All signs indicated he had been smoking heavily recently, yet his fingers were remarkably clean—people who smoke heavily usually have noticeable yellowish-brown stains between their index and middle fingers."

"At the same time, I also noticed the phone he was holding:"

"There was a lot of dirt in the crevices of his phone's keypad, which suggests the owner has untidy habits, doesn't care about personal hygiene, and is generally unkempt."

"But look at him today; the suit he's wearing is impeccably neat, his collar and cuffs aren't messy at all, and his hair and face are perfectly clean."

Kudo Shinichi had practically given her the answer:

"Why would someone who doesn't usually smoke suddenly smoke so heavily?"

"Why would someone who is usually unkempt suddenly tidy himself up so much?"

"Could it be…?"

Ran gasped, covering her mouth in surprise.

She had thought of a terrifying possibility.

"That's right."

Looking in the direction where Lin Xinyi had disappeared, Kudo Shinichi sighed softly:

"Mr. Lin Xinyi is just like the deceased woman."

"He went to commit suicide."

Leaving the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department alone, Lin Xinyi recalled Kudo Shinichi's worried gaze from earlier and couldn't help but think back to his own experience upon first arriving here:

When he transmigrated that morning, he opened his eyes to find himself standing blankly in the cold river water.

Soon, Lin Xinyi vaguely realized the original owner's intention for being there, so he quickly got ashore, found a park bench, and sat down. He began searching his person for clues that could help him better understand "himself."

And then, there was his chance encounter with Kudo Shinichi and Mouri Ran.

"That famous detective is quite interesting too."

Recalling the experience, Lin Xinyi couldn't help but smile:

"He kept pestering me with questions back then, actually wanting to confirm my mental state and prevent me from jumping into the river to end my life, right?"

"Heh, he's really a good guy."

"As you said, I hope we have a chance to meet again."

Lin Xinyi thought for a moment, then added a prerequisite in his mind:

"Uh, as long as it's not at a crime scene."