Injury Report

Chapter 40: Assessing Injuries

Mouri Ran and Lin Xinyi were incredibly quick to seal off the scene.

Not a single passenger who had been waiting on the platform managed to escape; they all remained.

When Kudo Shinichi then stepped forward and revealed his identity, word spread that the Famous Detective was here, poised to perform a live deduction. The passengers' emotions calmed down for the time being—

In comparison, although Lin Xinyi, still relatively new to the scene, had gained some recognition, he was nowhere near as popular, authoritative, or influential as Kudo.

Soon after, the train station's security and staff quickly arrived.

Under Kudo's direction, they called the police and then took over the scene.

The security personnel worked together to gather and supervise the passengers on the platform, ensuring no one had the chance to sneak away.

Theoretically, there was a high probability that the killer was now trapped among these passengers.

The pool of suspects had been narrowed down to a relatively limited extent.

However...

"There are still too many people."

"There are over 100 passengers on this platform!"

Kudo Shinichi scanned the faces of the more than one hundred passengers, one by one, yet found no immediate clues.

He had also just questioned the passengers present:

When the killer quietly escaped from the restroom, most of them were chatting, spacing out, or reading newspapers. No one had noticed anything near the restroom.

This meant the killer had successfully avoided being sighted at the scene, silently blending in with the more than 100 waiting passengers.

"It's basically impossible to pick out the killer from among them just by observation."

"It seems we still need to investigate the crime scene first—only by finding useful clues left by the killer at the scene can we more accurately pinpoint him from the crowd."

Kudo Shinichi quickly determined the direction of the investigation.

Then, facing this sudden challenge, a different kind of excitement surged from deep within him.

"Mr. Lin Xinyi."

Kudo turned his head, his gaze toward Lin Xinyi filled with a peculiar fighting spirit:

"Although it's an unfortunate accident..."

"This case might be another opportunity for a showdown."

Lin Xinyi: "..."

It feels like I just heard something similar yesterday.

And it's been less than a day, and the "showdown" is really happening again.

This is uncanny... After today, I should try to avoid Detective Kudo as much as possible.

Lin Xinyi thought this to himself, but his response was still a vague agreement:

"Mm, let's go check the scene first."

He couldn't ignore the case unfolding before him.

Moreover, Lin Xinyi was about to be sent to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department as an undercover agent.

According to the undercover plan set by Boss GIN, the most important thing he needed to do now was to solve more cases, raise his reputation, and build a respected, upright public image.

Yes, it sounded a bit strange to say, but it was true—

If Lin Xinyi didn't actively combat crime, a certain criminal would be very unhappy.

So, Lin Xinyi half-heartedly accepted Kudo's so-called challenge.

"Alright!"

A look of spirited determination appeared on Kudo's lips:

"Mr. Lin Xinyi, let's go investigate the scene now."

With that, he eagerly strode off, heading straight for the murder scene without a second thought.

But Lin Xinyi did not follow immediately.

He instinctively took a few steps, then, as if something occurred to him, suddenly stopped.

"Um, Miss Suzuki?"

Lin Xinyi walked over to Suzuki Sonoko.

She was currently tearfully clutching her best friend Mouri Ran's arm, her face filled with lingering fear, recounting her experience of being ambushed by the killer in the restroom.

However, as soon as she heard Lin Xinyi's voice...

Miss Suzuki abruptly stopped crying, wiped away the tears welling in her eyes, and asked expectantly:

"Mr. Lin, is something wrong?"

"I want to check your injury." Lin Xinyi asked directly, "When you came out, you were holding your neck. Were you injured in the neck by the killer?"

"Y-Yeah."

"That guy gave me a really hard chop to the back of my neck, and it still hurts."

Suzuki Sonoko touched her injured neck, a little curious despite herself:

"But are you looking at my injury to investigate the case?"

"No, this has nothing to do with the case."

Lin Xinyi answered without hesitation:

"A neck injury can be very dangerous."

"I'm pretty much a doctor, so let me see how bad your injury is."

"If it's serious, it's best to go to the hospital for further examination as soon as possible."

"Huh?"

Suzuki Sonoko and Mouri Ran were both slightly taken aback.

They hadn't expected Lin Xinyi to be in no hurry to investigate the case now, but rather to come and help examine an injury.

"Mr. Lin Xinyi, aren't you going to the scene now?"

"Kudo has already gone ahead to investigate!"

Suzuki Sonoko asked, puzzled.

"I'm not interested in any deduction competitions."

"Since the scene and the body are well preserved there, it doesn't matter if I'm a minute or two late."

"As a medical professional, taking care of the injured person first is the most important thing."

A forensic officer is also a medical professional, and forensic students, during their studies, must intern at hospitals and treat living people as doctors.

And for Lin Xinyi, being a minute late to examine the corpse made no difference at all.

However, examining and treating living people should be done as early as possible.

What's more, Lin Xinyi knew very well that the neck is a very "delicate" part of the human body, and if it's not examined in time after an injury, it could lead to very serious consequences.

For example, he heard a case from his teacher when he was in school:

Someone felt persistent neck pain and slight difficulty swallowing after a neck injury, thinking it was a minor injury that would heal on its own, so they didn't go to the hospital for an examination.

As a result, two days later, that person died of asphyxiation because damaged and inflamed arytenoid cartilage led to congestion, edema, and bleeding, blocking the airway, and they couldn't be saved even after being rushed to the hospital.

In addition, there are many terrifying cases where people didn't get treatment for neck injuries, resulting in paralysis due to cervical spinal cord damage, or sudden death due to atlantoaxial dislocation.

"Let me see."

"A severe blow to the back of the neck is no laughing matter."

Lin Xinyi said with a serious tone.

"Mmm."

Suzuki Sonoko hummed softly in agreement, showing her rare quiet side as a young lady.

Then, she turned around and gently lifted her hair, revealing the injury on the back of her neck.

"The bruising is quite severe, but the area isn't large; it looks okay…"

"So, Miss Suzuki, do you have symptoms like dizziness, lightheadedness, difficulty breathing, or numbness in your upper limbs?"

Lin Xinyi asked methodically.

"No," Sonoko replied.

"That's good, at least the most serious situation hasn't occurred."

"Press your upper trapezius muscle—that's the area where your neck meets your shoulder and back—and see if it hurts?"

"It doesn't hurt." Sonoko lightly pressed her shoulder and back with her finger, answering truthfully.

"Excellent, the pain also hasn't radiated to your shoulder and back."

"It seems to be just a surface bruise; your cervical spine is fine."

Lin Xinyi said to himself, then added one last thing:

"Try turning your neck again. If it's just slight surface pain from the bruise, and you don't feel your neck stiff or restricted in movement, then there shouldn't be any major problem."

"Mmhmm!"

Suzuki Sonoko responded softly, her eyes sparkling.

Sure enough, the handsome guy she'd taken a liking to this time was not only smart but also very considerate.

He was nothing like that deduction-obsessed maniac Ran liked.

Whenever Kudo encountered a case, he'd forget his childhood friend and rush to the front alone, regardless of anything else.

But Lin Xinyi was completely different; he was willing to speak for the dead and also willing to stop for the living.

Comparatively, the latter was clearly better!

If she could just snag this guy, then it would be Ran's turn to be envious of her!

Wahahaha!

Miss Suzuki was cackling maniacally in her mind.

Lin Xinyi, however, had no idea that his purely instinctive act of helping to examine her injury had once again made someone covet him.

Right now, he was simply engrossed in his own thoughts:

"The assailant attacked Suzuki Sonoko's back of the neck with great force, clearly intending to knock her unconscious."

"But the assailant probably watched too many movies."

"That's not how you knock someone out."

Movies generally get it mostly right; hitting the neck can indeed cause someone to faint.

Medically, this type of fainting triggered by external force is called carotid sinus syncope.

However, if one wants to cause unconsciousness by reducing blood flow to the brain this way, attacking the side of the neck, which is closest to the carotid artery, is far more effective than the back of the neck.

The assailant clearly didn't know this, which is why they chose to attack the back of the neck.

Because of this, coupled with Suzuki Sonoko's generally good health and blood pressure, she wasn't knocked out by a single blow from the assailant.

Of course, it was also fortunate that the assailant didn't intend to kill her from the start, otherwise, the consequences would definitely not have been so pleasant.

It's really dangerous being around the Famous Detective Kudo Shinichi, Lin Xinyi lamented in his heart.

Then, since Sonoko's injury had been examined, he continued on his way, preparing to head to the murder scene in the restroom.

"Oh, right."

Lin Xinyi stopped after only a few steps and spoke up to remind her:

"Miss Suzuki, it's best to ice the bruise in the early stages to reduce inflammation and swelling."

"There are no ice packs here, but you can buy a bottle of iced cola from the vending machine to use instead."

"Hm?"

Suzuki Sonoko's heart skipped a beat:

That man stopped for her again!

Hahahaha, as expected, my charm as a young lady still works, doesn't it?!

So, she immediately pulled out all the stops, releasing her personal charm with a weak and pitiful demeanor:

"Then, Mr. Lin Xinyi..."

"My neck still hurts a lot, and it's hard to move much."

"Could you... could you help me with that ice treatment again?"

"..."

"No."

"Buy your own iced cola."

Lin Xinyi decisively refused and scampered away with quick, small steps.

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