He Speaks Like an Old Criminal

"Huh?" A gasp rippled through the crowd.

Everyone instinctively recoiled, and an empty space automatically formed around Lin Xinyi.

"It's him?!"

The onlookers' voices were filled with shock, as if they were scared by how close they had just been to a murderer.

"It's him!!"

The police officers on scene, however, sounded annoyed and angry:

Anyone but him! Why did it have to be the guy who just ridiculed the police for their incompetence?

He killed someone, dumped the body, didn't run, and even stayed here to mock the police to their faces—

This was sheer madness!

Blood rushed to the young officers' heads, and they aggressively closed in:

"How dare you provoke the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department like this?!"

"Bastard, you're under arrest!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa…"

Lin Xinyi's expression remained habitually calm, but he couldn't help but feel a little stunned:

"That high schooler pointed at me, and you immediately confirmed I'm the killer?"

"As police officers, don't you understand that cases should be built on evidence?"

He vaguely felt that something wasn't quite right.

Despite being just a high schooler, he had the kind of authority that made both the police and the public instinctively trust his words.

In this world, the police's presence seemed rather weak, while a famous detective's prestige seemed excessively high.

"Evidence."

Lin Xinyi met the gazes fixed on him head-on, his expression unchanged:

"No body, no case. The most crucial evidence is often found on the body itself."

"How can you jump to conclusions without even examining the body?"

"Uh…"

The officers exchanged glances but still didn't lower their guard against Lin Xinyi.

Then, Kudo Shinichi spoke up in time:

"Everyone, calm down."

"I don't have direct evidence proving that Mr. Lin Xinyi is the killer."

"Asking him to cooperate with the investigation is merely based on a deduction that he is a suspect."

"Understood."

Inspector Megure nodded, timely stopping his subordinates' impulsive urge to take coercive action against Lin Xinyi.

Then, he naturally displayed a warm and approachable smile and spoke gently to Lin Xinyi:

"Mr. Lin Xinyi, is that right?"

"Such an outstanding young man like yourself doesn't look like a villain who would commit murder and dismemberment. I also believe you have nothing to do with this."

"I'm sure that through our police investigation, your suspicions will be cleared."

The words sounded very comforting, as if Inspector Megure wasn't a strict law enforcement officer at all, but a kindly uncle who was genuinely looking out for Lin Xinyi.

But Lin Xinyi silently rolled his eyes:

Right, Inspector Megure…

As soon as he opens his mouth, you know he's a seasoned detective.

He used to be a forensic doctor and didn't participate in interrogations, but he had learned a lot of "extra-curricular knowledge" from his detective colleagues who worked on cases with him:

Inspector Megure's tactic is called the "Emotional Involvement Method" in interrogation psychology, primarily used at the beginning of an interrogation. It involves using language that expresses trust from a personal perspective and proactively exonerates the suspect, making the person being interrogated lower their guard and eliminate antagonistic emotions.

And the young officers' impulsiveness might not have been impulsive at all, but rather a tactic to cooperate with Inspector Megure in the interrogation.

That tactic is called the "Positioning Stimulation Method." It involves immediately slapping a big "criminal" label on the suspect at the very beginning to observe the suspect's subtle reactions when directly accused of a crime, and to understand the extent of the suspect's "Set Psychological State"—

A Set Psychological State is the relatively stable psychological preparation a suspect makes in advance to deal with an interrogation.

Both the Positioning Stimulation Method and the Emotional Involvement Method are preparations for breaking through the suspect's Set Psychological State later on.

These two tactics combined are the well-known old trick:

One plays the bad cop, and one plays the good cop.

After applying pressure to the suspect with these two tactics at the beginning of the interrogation, the interrogator will often ask some irrelevant questions to further close the psychological distance with the suspect.

According to protocol, it usually starts with "knowing questions" like gender, age, and place of origin. This can also create a psychological habit of instinctively responding to the interrogation through a series of simple, mechanical questions and answers.

However, given that they currently knew nothing about the suspect's identity or background, the police's first step was to ask a series of questions to learn about his personal situation.

An adult's life is generally composed of two parts: work and family.

So, Inspector Megure would most likely ask...

"Where do you work?" Lin Xinyi murmured softly.

"Where do you work?" Inspector Megure asked, speaking at the exact same moment.

"..."

A moment of silence.

An inexplicable quiet settled over the scene.

Inspector Megure's expression was particularly nuanced, and he grumbled inwardly:

This kid is a bit strange… and his behavior feels familiar.

Right, I once handled a case involving a corrupt police officer who broke the law, and the suspect back then behaved just as professionally.

"This is troublesome…"

"The suspect's Set Psychological State is extremely stable; he won't be easy to deal with."

Inspector Megure secretly thought this was bad, but also felt a sense of relief:

Lin Xinyi showed such strong resistance from the start, making him an even greater suspect.

"So, Mr. Lin, could you tell us your profession?"

Inspector Megure continued his methodical questioning.

Lin Xinyi: "..."

Inspector Megure persisted with his questions despite the awkward silence: "Where do you live, and who is in your family?"

Lin Xinyi: "..."

"Do you have a girlfriend? Are you married?"

Lin Xinyi: "..."

"What were you doing from last night until this morning?"

Lin Xinyi: "..."

Several questions were met with several silences.

After a few rounds of questions and answers, everyone present looked at Lin Xinyi with suspicion:

He won't even cooperate with such simple questions? That's too abnormal.

The police are asking questions, and you're not saying a word. If you're not the criminal, then who is?

The suspicion surrounding Lin Xinyi grew heavier.

And the officers present were further angered by Lin Xinyi's behavior:

Silence, maintaining silence on all questions—

This is no longer just a guilty conscience; it's outright brazenness.

This suspect is clearly and unashamedly provoking the police, arrogantly issuing a challenge to them:

"I won't explain. Suspect me if you want. If you're capable, bring evidence and arrest me, huh?"

Thinking this, the officers who had just been unintentionally humiliated by Lin Xinyi suddenly had sharper eyes.

Lin Xinyi, however, was being stared at so intensely he couldn't voice his frustration:

How am I provoking them?

I want to know the answers to these questions you're asking too!

Transmigrating without memories is such a scam; right from the start, it's trying to land me in jail.

Should I just admit that I have "amnesia"? No…

That would look even more like I'm lying through my teeth, brazenly provoking the police.

"Um…"

After a long silence, Lin Xinyi, who had maintained a poker face, finally spoke.

But he still didn't answer Inspector Megure's question. Instead, he turned to the high school detective, who was the center of attention, and said:

"Kudo Shinichi, may I ask..."

"What clues led you to suspect me of a crime?"

Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly realized:

That's right, they had all been distracted by Lin Xinyi's unusual behavior, even forgetting to watch the brilliant deduction performance of the famous detective Kudo Shinichi.

According to a certain well-known unspoken rule, a criminal usually cries and kneels to confess only after the famous detective coolly finishes his deduction.

It was indeed a bit too early to arrest the criminal now, and it was understandable that the "criminal" was stubbornly refusing to speak.

So, everyone present turned their expectant gazes to Kudo Shinichi.

The young high school detective, completely unfazed, gave a slight smile.

"Of course I have evidence."

"I wouldn't accuse someone without proof."

"Well then, everyone, please listen to this very simple deduction..."

Kudo Shinichi confidently stepped forward, drawing the attention of everyone present, including Lin Xinyi.

Only Inspector Megure subtly shifted his gaze, fixing Lin Xinyi with an extremely wary stare.

This kid didn't answer the question, but instead turned it around and asked his own.

He just casually said a few words, and the interrogation rhythm the police had established was completely disrupted by him.

Hiss... what a cunning move, "Reverse Roles"!

He opens his mouth and it's clear he's a veteran criminal.

He might have more than one life on his hands.

Sweat beaded on Inspector Megure's forehead. He felt as though he had encountered the strongest adversary in his twenty years on the force.