Three hours later, at Kasumigaseki, the Metropolitan Police Department building.
In these short three hours, the recovery team fortunately found the deceased's identification among the damaged clothing salvaged later.
Based on this, the police quickly confirmed the deceased's identity and promptly contacted her family.
With the cooperation and confirmation from the deceased's family, it was established that the deceased had suddenly disappeared around midnight yesterday, leaving behind a handwritten will at home.
Faced with this evidence, the police were even more certain that the deceased died by suicide through drowning.
This dismemberment case was thus considered successfully solved.
Lin Xinyi, Kudo, and Ran, who had just finished cooperating with the police to give their records, were completely cleared of any connection to the case. They bid farewell to the officers in charge and prepared to leave.
"Brother Lin!"
Before they parted, Inspector Megure enthusiastically patted Lin Xinyi's shoulder with his chubby hand:
"It's all thanks to you that the case was solved so quickly this time."
"If there's a chance in the future, I hope we can cooperate more!"
The more free case-solving tools available, the better.
That's why Inspector Megure didn't develop any friction with Lin Xinyi, unlike some of the young police officers who felt slighted after being mocked by him.
"Mm,"
Lin Xinyi responded without much sincerity:
He had already made up his mind to switch to a more relaxed lifestyle, and barring any accidents, there wouldn't be any opportunities to cooperate with the police in the future.
However, seeing the job through to the end, Lin Xinyi made a point to remind Inspector Megure at the last moment:
"That's right, Inspector Megure."
"When I performed the external examination at the scene, I also collected a blood sample from the deceased's heart using a puncture needle."
"Patrolman Komatsu is currently keeping that blood sample safe. If possible, please ensure that sample is sent to a professional institution for toxicology testing."
"W-What?"
Inspector Megure's round, chubby face trembled:
"You're suggesting the deceased had toxins inside her body by requesting a blood test?"
"But didn't the deceased die from drowning in a suicide?"
"And we've already contacted her family and found her will!"
Lin Xinyi's words were like a deep-sea depth charge.
Inspector Megure was momentarily stunned. The famous Detective Kudo, who had been chatting and laughing with Ran nearby, was instantly jolted out of his conversation with his Childhood Sweetheart:
"Mr. Lin Xinyi,"
"Did you discover some evidence I missed again?"
Shinichi Kudo heavily emphasized the word "again."
But Lin Xinyi replied calmly:
"No, not at all."
"I found no signs of poisoning on the deceased's body surface, nor did I find any traces of restraint injuries or defensive wounds on her wrist or forearm."
"Based on all the evidence collected so far, the deceased died by suicide."
"However, I said before,"
"The biggest taboo for a Forensic Doctor is having a preconceived notion."
"You assumed it was homicide via dismemberment, but it might actually be suicide by drowning."
"You assume it's suicide by drowning, but there might be another truth hidden behind it."
He methodically pointed out the next investigation direction to Inspector Megure:
"This time, I only performed a basic external examination on the deceased, and many things cannot be seen with the naked eye."
"For example, the deceased might have been drugged with sleeping pills, thrown into the water, and disguised as a suicide."
"Such cases are not uncommon, and the clue can only be found through blood testing."
"And to further confirm it was suicide, not only is blood testing important, but investigating whether the deceased had a motive for suicide before death is also crucial."
"If possible, an autopsy must be performed to confirm if the deceased suffered any subcutaneous hemorrhage caused by injuries sustained before death—I emphasized this to you at the scene."
"Please also preserve the will written in the deceased's own hand carefully. If any doubts arise during subsequent investigation, the police may still need to conduct a handwriting analysis on the will."
Finally, Lin Xinyi paused slightly and said solemnly:
"As long as there is room for suspicion, we must never give up doubting easily."
"After all, our duty is to find the truth, not to rush to a conclusion just to close the case and meet targets."
"This..."
Inspector Megure blushed slightly at Lin Xinyi's words.
To be honest, both he and the other police officers felt a sense of relief upon learning the death was a suicide.
There was a result, the case was solved, and the pressure was gone.
Everyone just wanted to resolve the case smoothly.
Without any other clues, no one would "look for trouble" by suspecting anything deeper.
"I see..."
"Only someone who can truly understand the deceased's pain can maintain this persistence to doubt everything to the end."
Shinichi Kudo further understood what Lin Xinyi had meant earlier.
Inspector Megure, after some thought, nodded solemnly:
"I understand, Brother Lin."
"I will send that blood sample to the Forensics Research Institute for testing, and the corpse will be sent to the forensic laboratory at our cooperating university for an autopsy."
"I guarantee that if any doubts are found, our Metropolitan Police Department will investigate it to the end."
"That's good then."
Lin Xinyi finally felt relieved.
Although his current identity was neither a Forensic Doctor nor a Detective, and he had no obligation to worry about the case details, the professional level displayed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department was truly too unsettling.
"Goodbye, Inspector Megure."
"And Kudo, Miss Mori Ran."
Lin Xinyi bid farewell to the people he had met that day and prepared to leave the Metropolitan Police Department immediately.
"Wait!"
Shinichi Kudo hesitated briefly, but ultimately hurried to catch up:
"Mr. Lin Xinyi, I have one more question for you."
"Ask away," Lin Xinyi stopped cooperatively.
But the young famous detective hesitated for a moment before carefully choosing his words:
"Mr. Lin Xinyi."
"Someone with your ability..."
"Why did you make that choice?"
"???" Ran and Inspector Megure both looked utterly confused.
Lin Xinyi just shrugged and gave an even more incomprehensible reply: "Who knows?"
"Then we will have a chance to meet again in the future, right?"
Kudo's conversation with Lin Xinyi was like an encrypted telegram.
Lin Xinyi replied again: "Of course, the 'me' right now is an entirely new me."
With that, he smiled naturally and turned, walking out of the Metropolitan Police Department entrance with strong steps.
Lin Xinyi left just like that.
Inspector Megure also had many things to attend to and soon stopped thinking about it, returning to his office.
Only Ran, after a moment of blankness, finally tugged at Shinichi Kudo's sleeve curiously:
"Shinichi, what exactly were you and Mr. Lin talking about?"
"What do you mean by making 'that choice'? Did Mr. Lin do something I don't know about?"
"Haha,"
Shinichi Kudo gave a relaxed smile:
"You really didn't notice at all, Ran."
"Stop being mysterious!" Ran clenched her fist in annoyance.
"Ahem. Do you remember our conversation before we discovered the corpse?"
Shinichi Kudo cleared his throat and finally revealed the answer:
"Why was Mr. Lin wearing a black suit in the park early in the morning?"
"And why were his trouser legs and shoes wet?"
"Oh, that's right..."
Ran slightly paused, realizing the issue wasn't simple.
It was because his trouser legs and shoes were wet that Lin Xinyi was initially suspected as a criminal suspect.
But now that it was proven he wasn't the murderer and had no part in disposing of the body, why would his trouser legs be wet for no reason?
"When I discovered the dismembered corpse, I immediately suspected Mr. Lin was the murderer."
"And his immediate arrival at the scene to watch after we discovered the body deepened my suspicion."
"But actually, before this case happened..."
"I had another guess as to why Mr. Lin's trouser legs were wet."
Shinichi Kudo lowered his voice, giving Ran a moment to think.
Seeing that Ran still hadn't guessed the answer, he continued to remind her:
"You must remember that we also smelled a strong scent of smoke on Mr. Lin at the time."
"He was also organizing things in his pocket then, and I saw an empty cigarette box in his pocket."
"All signs indicated he had smoked a large number of cigarettes recently, but his fingers were very clean—people who smoke heavily often have distinct yellowish-brown stains between their index and middle fingers."
"And at the same time, I also noticed the mobile phone he was holding:"
"There was a lot of dirt accumulated in the crevices of his phone keypad, which indicates the owner has sloppy living habits, neglects personal hygiene, and is unkempt."
"But look at him today, his suit is impeccably neat, his collar and cuffs are not messy at all, and his hair and face are cleaned up perfectly."
Shinichi Kudo had almost given the answer:
"Why would someone who doesn't usually smoke suddenly smoke so heavily?"
"Why would someone who is usually unkempt suddenly clean himself up so thoroughly?"
"Could it be?"
Ran covered her mouth in surprise.
She thought of a terrifying guess.
"That's right."
Looking in the direction Lin Xinyi had disappeared, Shinichi Kudo sighed softly:
"Mr. Lin Xinyi, just like that deceased lady..."
"He was going to commit suicide."
Walking out of the Metropolitan Police Department alone, recalling the worried gaze Shinichi Kudo had just given him, Lin Xinyi also couldn't help but recall his own experience upon arriving here:
When he woke up this morning, he found himself Spacing Out in that cold River water.
Soon, Lin Xinyi vaguely realized the Original Owner's intention for being here, quickly got ashore, found a park bench to sit on, and began searching his body for clues that could help him further understand "himself."
After that came his chance encounter with Shinichi Kudo and Ran Mouri.
"That famous detective is quite interesting too."
Recalling the experience at the time, Lin Xinyi couldn't help but smile:
"He was pestering me with questions back then, actually trying to check my mental state, to prevent me from jumping into the river again, right?"
"Heh, what a good guy..."
"As you said, I hope we have a chance to meet again in the future."
Lin Xinyi thought for a moment, then added a condition in his mind:
"Well, as long as it's not at a crime scene."