Five minutes later, the body was finally recovered from the water.
Of course, the body brought ashore was incomplete.
It had already been dismembered beyond recognition. The parts floating on the surface were chunks with more soft tissue and greater buoyancy. Other pieces hovered half-submerged beneath the water, making them difficult to retrieve.
So far, they had recovered the left thigh, the right arm with the hand still attached, a mangled and incomplete head, and a relatively intact upper torso.
The officers from the Forensics Division carefully arranged them on a flat white plastic sheet, barely piecing together something close to a complete human form.
It was not difficult to tell from the body type that the victim had been a rather obese adult woman.
The cross-sections of the severed limbs were a mangled mess of flesh and blood, too gruesome to look at.
The broken body was also covered in large patches of crimson, rotting abrasion wounds, a horrifying sight.
Even Inspector Megure, who had seen plenty of death in his career, instinctively felt a chill at such a cruel scene:
"What do you have to say, Mr. Lin Xinyi?"
His voice carried a trace of barely concealed anger.
Clearly, the victim's tragic fate had stirred this righteous criminal investigator's hatred toward the murderer.
"You've seen the body."
"Do you have anything to say now?"
The gazes fixed on Lin Xinyi grew even more intense.
He seemed like a grotesque zombie from a horror movie—frightening and repulsive.
Then, under the fearful and hateful stares of the onlookers,
this "Dismemberment Case demon" actually smiled.
Yes, Lin Xinyi merely glanced at the body, and the corners of his lips immediately curled into a relieved smile.
To the police, that smile looked like provocation. To the crowd, it was pure perversion.
But before they could indignantly speak up to condemn him, Lin Xinyi's calm, powerful voice slowly echoed through the scene. "This is very unprofessional."
"Very unprofessional?" Inspector Megure froze slightly.
"That's right." Lin Xinyi remained calm. "Very unprofessional."
"Although the most critical part, the head, was sliced in half, and the face suffered extensive epidermal loss that appears to have been caused by abrasions—making it difficult to identify the victim by her appearance."
"However, the victim's upper torso remained largely intact."
"And as long as the torso is available, there is no need to recover the entire body. An experienced forensic examiner can estimate the victim's weight by measuring the fat thickness around the clavicle, sternum, upper abdomen, and lower abdomen."
"Furthermore, the condition of the teeth and pubic symphysis can help a forensic examiner make a comprehensive estimate of the victim's age."
"Height can be calculated through multiple regression equations based on several long bones, narrowing the error to within four centimeters."
"With data on height, weight, and age, comparing them against missing-person records would make confirming the victim's identity fairly easy."
"Not to mention that, as everyone can see, some of the victim's clothing is still on the body."
"Though the garment is badly torn, it is clearly an extra-large women's nightgown. Its color, style, and brand should all be easy to determine. That makes it another strong clue for identifying the victim."
Lin Xinyi delivered a lengthy explanation.
Everyone else was thoroughly confused, but Kudo Shinichi caught the implication.
What Lin Xinyi was plainly saying was that he had not done this.
If a "professional" like him had done it, he would never have left behind such intact body parts, giving the police a chance to trace the victim's identity.
But why was Lin Xinyi so adamant about declaring his position this early?
Could it be that with that single glance just now,
he had already found evidence on the body sufficient to prove that he was not the murderer?
Kudo Shinichi's heart stirred slightly, half excited and half anxious.
He had not even noticed anything wrong yet. Could someone have discovered the clue and found the truth before him?
At that thought, the famous detective's gaze toward Lin Xinyi changed.
Previously, he had been looking at a criminal suspect. Now, he seemed to be looking at an opponent on the path of deduction.
"Don't look at me."
Lin Xinyi noticed Kudo Shinichi's stare.
"If you want to find the evidence, you should be looking at the body more."
"Look carefully. Once you understand it, you'll know the murderer wasn't me."
As he spoke, he turned his head and swept his gaze across the officers at the scene one by one.
In the end, his eyes locked firmly onto a young officer carrying a large toolbox.
Lin Xinyi knew that toolbox well. It was an examination kit essential for forensic examiners at crime scenes.
"Are you the medical examiner? What should I call you?"
Lin Xinyi casually moved closer.
"Uh... I guess I'm a medical examiner."
"Komatsu Koichiro. Just call me Officer Komatsu."
Officer Komatsu from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department nodded awkwardly, then only afterward realized what was happening. "Did you need something from me?"
"Come take a look too!"
Without giving him a choice, Lin Xinyi pulled the somewhat dazed-looking Officer Komatsu over.
"Examining the body is your job. Why are you standing off to the side daydreaming?"
"Uh..." Komatsu finally snapped to attention and stepped closer. "I thought that since the famous detective Kudo Shinichi was here this time, I wouldn't need to do anything."
"..."
Hearing that, Lin Xinyi became even more speechless.
The police in this world relied far too heavily on famous detectives. It was abnormal—extremely abnormal.
What normal law enforcement agency depended so much on civilians to solve cases? It was not as though they were writing a detective novel.
While silently criticizing them, he pulled Officer Komatsu over to inspect the body.
And so,
under Lin Xinyi's guidance, Kudo Shinichi and Officer Komatsu stared at the mutilated body together for over half a minute.
Officer Komatsu finally displayed a bit of professional competence. He carefully put on latex gloves, cautiously leaned closer, and tentatively pressed lightly on various parts of the body.
"So, what have you both noticed?"
Lin Xinyi was clearly much more talkative than before.
He patiently guided Kudo Shinichi and Officer Komatsu to speak, looking every bit like a scholarly mentor who taught through careful questioning.
"There really is something strange."
"How could there be wounds like this around the waist...?"
Kudo Shinichi fixed his eyes on the victim's waist, his expression shifting constantly.
He stared with absolute focus, murmuring words no one could understand.
"Impossible... This is clearly a Dismemberment Case..."
"The body was cut up like this... Ran and I even saw that wave of blood. How could it possibly be...?"
The renowned detective had completely sunk into tangled contemplation.
He had already discovered the inconsistency, but he still lacked the key to unlock the door to the truth.
What secretly made him anxious was that Kudo Shinichi could tell that the man named Lin Xinyi had already found the "key" that he could not.
Could I actually lose in deduction today to a criminal suspect I happened to run into?
With that thought, Kudo Shinichi pondered even more intently.
"He's got some skill."
At the side, Lin Xinyi murmured in surprise.
Not only had he not been scared senseless by the mangled body, but he had also noticed something suspicious so quickly. For a high school student, that was unimaginably impressive.
It seemed this "Heisei Holmes" truly had some ability. His reputation was not undeserved.
"Then..."
After observing the high school detective's performance, Lin Xinyi turned his gaze toward Officer Komatsu beside him.
Officer Komatsu was a genuine Tokyo criminal investigator, a trained professional paid by the state. Lin Xinyi therefore expected far more from him than from an "amateur enthusiast" like Kudo Shinichi.
"Officer Komatsu, what did you find?"
"Uh..."
Officer Komatsu hesitated for a moment before finally speaking slowly.
"Based on my examination just now, the victim's relatively intact torso has already developed early, extensive rigor mortis."
"Considering the nighttime temperatures lately, I estimate that the victim has been dead for more than four hours."
"..."
He had already finished giving his assessment, yet Lin Xinyi continued to stare sternly at him.
"W-Why are you looking at me like that?" Officer Komatsu asked uneasily.
A question mark practically burst from Lin Xinyi's mouth. "That's it?"
"Y-Yes..." For some reason, Officer Komatsu felt as nervous as he had back when facing his instructors at the police academy.
"That's all?" Lin Xinyi's expression turned somewhat cold.
"That's all..." Officer Komatsu silently lowered his head.
"Mm..." Lin Xinyi's mouth twitched slightly before he let out a long sigh. "I understand now!"
"What do you understand?"
Kudo Shinichi suddenly stepped closer, his face full of confusion and reluctance.
But Lin Xinyi's voice held nothing but helplessness.
"I understand now..."
"Japanese police really do need a savior."
Before you continue