Arrogant Criminal, Online Taunts

Chapter 5: Arrogant Criminal, Online Taunts

Five minutes later, the body was finally pulled ashore.

Of course, the body recovered was not intact.

The body had originally been dismembered, and only some parts with more soft tissue and greater buoyancy were floating on the water. Other parts were half-submerged, making them difficult to retrieve.

Currently, the retrieved parts included a left lower thigh, a right upper limb with a hand, a mutilated and unrecognizable head, and a relatively complete upper torso.

They were carefully arranged by officers from the Forensics Division on a flat white plastic sheet, roughly forming a nearly complete human shape.

From the body type, it was easy to see that the deceased was an adult woman of considerable weight.

The cross-sections of the severed limbs were a gruesome, twisted mess of flesh and blood, unbearable to look at.

And the fragmented body was covered in large, crimson, festering scrapes, presenting an extremely shocking sight.

Even Inspector Megure, who had witnessed countless deaths throughout his career, instinctively felt a pang of sorrow at such a cruel death:

"Well, Mr. Lin Xinyi?"

His voice clearly carried an unconcealed trace of anger.

Evidently, the victim's tragic fate had ignited the righteous detective's hatred for the perpetrator:

"You've seen the body."

"Do you have anything to say now?"

The gazes fixed on Lin Xinyi grew even more intense.

He seemed to have become a grotesque zombie from a horror movie, feared and loathed.

Then, amidst the fearful and hateful stares of the onlookers, This "dismemberment devil" actually smiled.

Yes, Lin Xinyi merely glanced at the body, and a relieved smile immediately appeared at the corner of his mouth.

To the police, this smile looked like a provocation; to the public, it was utterly deranged.

But before they could indignantly voice their accusations, Lin Xinyi's steady, powerful voice slowly resonated through the scene: "This is very unprofessional."

"Very unprofessional?" Inspector Megure paused slightly.

"Exactly," Lin Xinyi said calmly. "Very unprofessional."

"Although the most crucial part, the head, was split in half, and there's extensive epidermal detachment on the face, possibly from scrapes—making it indeed difficult to identify the deceased from their appearance alone."

"However, the deceased's upper torso is largely intact."

"And with just the torso, a seasoned forensic doctor can estimate the deceased's weight by measuring the fat thickness at the sternoclavicular region, sternum, upper abdomen, and lower abdomen, even without collecting the entire body."

"Furthermore, the morphology of the teeth and the pubic symphysis can help the forensic doctor comprehensively estimate the deceased's specific age."

"Height can be calculated using multivariate regression equations for multiple long bones, with the result confirmed within a four-centimeter margin of error."

"And with data on height, weight, and age, it's not too difficult to confirm the deceased's identity by comparing it with missing persons records."

"Not to mention, I believe you can all see that the body even has the deceased's personal clothing still on it."

"Although the clothing is badly damaged, it's clearly an oversized women's nightgown. The color, style, and brand aren't hard to determine, making it another strong clue to help confirm the deceased's identity."

Lin Xinyi delivered a lengthy explanation.

Everyone listened, bewildered, but only Kudo Shinichi understood the hidden meaning:

Lin Xinyi's words were, in fact, clearly stating that he didn't do it.

If a "professional" like him had committed the crime, he wouldn't have left such complete body parts, allowing the police a chance to trace the victim's identity.

But why was Lin Xinyi making such a firm statement so early?

Could it be that in that single glance just now, he had already found evidence from the body that proved he wasn't the killer?

Kudo Shinichi's heart stirred slightly, half-excited, half-anxious:

He hadn't even noticed anything amiss yet. Could someone have found clues and uncovered the truth earlier than him?

At this thought, the renowned detective's gaze toward Lin Xinyi changed:

Before, he was looking at a suspect, but now it was as if he was looking at a rival on the path of deduction.

"Don't look at me."

Lin Xinyi noticed Kudo Shinichi's gaze:

"If you want to find evidence, you should focus more on the body."

"Look closely, and you'll understand that I'm not the killer..."

With that, he turned his head and scanned the officers at the scene one by one.

Finally, he fixed his gaze on a young officer carrying a large toolbox.

Lin Xinyi was very familiar with that toolbox; it was the essential investigative kit for forensic doctors at a crime scene.

"You're the coroner? What's your name?"

Lin Xinyi approached him in a familiar way.

"Uh... I guess you could say I'm the coroner."

"Koichiro Komatsu. Just call me Officer Komatsu."

Officer Komatsu from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department nodded hesitantly, then reacted, "Did you need something from me?"

"Come over here and take a look!"

Lin Xinyi pulled the somewhat dazed-looking Officer Komatsu over without explanation.

"Examining the body is your job. Why are you standing there spacing out?"

"Uh..." This time, Komatsu came closer with a sudden realization. "I thought there was no need for me to be here since the famous detective Kudo Shinichi was on the case."

"..."

Hearing that, Lin Xinyi became even more speechless.

The police in this world relied too heavily on famous detectives. It was abnormal, very abnormal.

What kind of normal law enforcement agency would rely so much on private citizens to solve cases? It wasn't a Detective Novel.

While grumbling inwardly, he pulled Officer Komatsu over to examine the body.

And so...

Under Lin Xinyi's guidance, Kudo Shinichi and Officer Komatsu stared at the mutilated body for over half a minute.

Officer Komatsu finally showed a bit of professional demeanor. He carefully put on latex gloves, cautiously approached, and tentatively pressed various parts of the body.

"So, what have you both observed?"

Lin Xinyi's speaking ability was clearly much more active than before.

He unhurriedly guided Kudo Shinichi and Officer Komatsu to speak, looking just like a patient academic mentor.

"There is indeed something wrong."

"Why are there such wounds on the waist?"

Kudo Shinichi stared intently at the victim's waist, his gaze shifting.

He stared with extreme focus, muttering words no one could understand:

"Impossible... This was clearly a dismemberment case..."

"The body was dismembered like this, and Ran and I saw the blood spray. How could it be...?"

This renowned detective was completely caught up in his dilemma and thoughts.

He had already found a suspicious point, but he still lacked the key to unlock the truth.

What subtly made him anxious was that Kudo Shinichi could tell that the person named Lin Xinyi had already found the "key" he couldn't find.

Could it be that today I'll lose a deduction battle to a suspect I just happened to run into?

Thinking of this, Kudo Shinichi concentrated even harder on his thoughts.

"He's got some skill..."

Lin Xinyi, standing nearby, quietly marveled with surprise.

Not only was he not scared into a daze by the mutilated body, but he could also find something suspicious on the body so quickly. For a high school student, this was beyond imagination.

It seemed this "Heisei Holmes" indeed had some real talent and wasn't just famous for nothing.

"So..."

After observing the high school detective's performance, Lin Xinyi turned his gaze to Officer Komatsu.

Officer Komatsu was a legitimate Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department detective, a professional on the public payroll, so Lin Xinyi's expectations for him far exceeded those for the "amateur enthusiast" named Kudo Shinichi.

"Officer Komatsu, have you noticed anything?"

"Uh..."

Officer Komatsu hesitated for a moment, then finally stammered, "Based on my recent examination, the victim's relatively intact torso has already shown initial widespread rigor mortis."

"Considering the recent nighttime temperatures, I estimate the victim has been dead for over 4 hours."

"..."

He had finished stating his observations, but Lin Xinyi continued to stare at him with a serious expression.

"Wh-why are you looking at me like that?" Officer Komatsu asked, clearly uncomfortable.

A clear question mark popped out of Lin Xinyi's mouth: "That's it?"

"Y-yes..." Somehow, Officer Komatsu felt the same nervousness he had when facing his police academy instructors years ago.

"That's all?" Lin Xinyi's face grew a little cold.

"That's all..." Officer Komatsu silently lowered his head.

"Ugh," Lin Xinyi's mouth twitched slightly, then he let out a long sigh. "I finally get it!"

"Get what?" Kudo Shinichi suddenly leaned in, his face full of confusion and frustration.

But Lin Xinyi's voice held only helplessness:

"I get it now."

"The Japanese police really do need a savior."