“Huh?” A gasp rose from the crowd.
Everyone instinctively backed away, leaving an empty space around Lin Xinyi.
“It’s him?!”
The tone of the onlookers was filled with horror, as if they were regretting how close they had just been to a murderer.
“It’s him!!”
The voices of the police officers at the scene were already tinged with annoyance and anger:
It didn't matter who the criminal was, but why did it have to be this guy who had just mocked the police for their incompetence?
He commits murder and abandons the corpse, yet doesn't run away, staying here to openly mock the police.
This is simply insane!
Those young police officers felt a surge of blood rush to their heads, and then aggressively surrounded him:
“How dare you provoke the Tokyo Police like this?”
“Bastard, you’re under arrest!”
“Hey, hey, hey, hey—”
Lin Xinyi’s expression habitually remained calm, but his mood was unavoidably somewhat astonished:
“That High School Student pointed a finger, and you immediately confirmed I am the murderer?”
“As the police, don’t you know that handling a case requires evidence to speak?”
He vaguely felt that the situation was not quite right.
He was clearly just a High School Student, yet he possessed the authority to make the police and the public instinctively trust his words.
In this world, the presence of the police seemed rather weak, while the prestige of a Famous Detective seemed excessively large.
“Evidence.”
Lin Xinyi, unmoved, faced the gazes cast toward him directly:
“No corpse, no case. The most crucial evidence is often in the corpse itself.”
“You haven’t even examined the corpse, how can you jump to conclusions?”
“Uh—”
The police officers exchanged glances but still did not relax their vigilance toward Lin Xinyi.
However, Shinichi Kudo timely spoke up:
“Everyone, calm down.”
“I do not have direct evidence proving Mr. Lin Xinyi is the murderer.”
“Asking him to cooperate with the investigation is merely judging him as a suspect based on deduction.”
“Understood.”
Inspector Megure nodded, promptly stopping his subordinates’ impulse to take coercive measures against Lin Xinyi.
Then, he naturally revealed a gentle and approachable smile, speaking to Lin Xinyi in a kind tone:
“Mr. Lin Xinyi, is that right?”
“A young man as outstanding as you does not look like a villain who would commit murder and dismember a corpse, and I believe you are unrelated to this matter.”
“I believe that through our police investigation, your suspicion will surely be cleared.”
The words sounded warm, as if this Inspector Megure was not a strict law enforcement officer, but a kind uncle looking out for Lin Xinyi’s best interests.
But Lin Xinyi silently rolled his eyes:
Well, Inspector Megure.
He’s an old Detective right from the start.
Although he used to be a Forensic Doctor and didn't participate in interrogations, he had learned quite a bit of extracurricular knowledge from his Detective colleagues who handled cases:
This tactic by Inspector Megure is called the "Emotional Involvement Method" in interrogation psychology, mainly used in the opening phase of an interrogation. It involves using language that expresses trust and actively makes excuses for the suspect from a personal perspective, causing the person being questioned to lower their guard and eliminate adversarial emotions.
And the impulsiveness of those young police officers might not have been impulsiveness at all, but rather a routine coordinated with Inspector Megure to begin the interrogation.
That tactic is called the "Positioning Stimulation Method," where they immediately slap the label of criminal onto the suspect right at the start, in order to observe the suspect’s subtle reaction when being accused face-to-face, thereby understanding the degree of the suspect’s "set mindset"—
The set mindset, meaning the relatively stable psychological preparation the suspect has made in advance to deal with the interrogation.
Both the Positioning Stimulation Method and the Emotional Involvement Method are preparations for the subsequent breakthrough of the suspect’s set mindset.
These two tactics combined are the well-known old routine:
One plays the bad cop, the other plays the good cop.
After applying pressure to the suspect’s set mindset at the start of the interrogation using these two moves, the interrogator will often first ask some irrelevant questions to further close the psychological distance with the suspect.
According to procedure, they usually start with questions like gender, age, and origin—questions they already know the answer to—which also serves to create an instinctive reaction to the interrogation through a series of simple, mechanical question-and-answer exchanges.
However, when the suspect’s identity and background are completely unknown, the first thing the police must do is still to understand the suspect’s personal situation through a series of questions.
And an adult’s life is basically composed of two parts: work and family.
So, Inspector Megure will most likely ask next:
“Where do you work?” Lin Xinyi murmured softly.
“Where do you work?” Inspector Megure asked in the same breath.
“……”
A moment of silence.
The scene was strangely quiet.
Inspector Megure’s expression was subtle, and he thought to himself:
This kid is a bit strange, and his performance is somewhat familiar.
That’s right, he interrogated a corrupt police officer who broke the law before; the suspect in that case also displayed such professionalism.
“This is troublesome.”
“The suspect’s set mindset stability is extremely strong; he will be difficult to deal with.”
Inspector Megure inwardly felt this was bad, yet also felt relieved:
Since Lin Xinyi showed such strong resistance from the start, his suspicion as the criminal was clearly even greater.
“Then, Mr. Lin, could you tell us your profession?”
Inspector Megure continued to conduct the questioning in an orderly manner.
Lin Xinyi: “……”
Inspector Megure persisted through 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 asked, several silences returned.
After several rounds of questioning, everyone present looked at Lin Xinyi differently:
He won’t cooperate with such simple questions? That’s not normal.
If you don’t answer when the police question you, who else would be the criminal?
Lin Xinyi’s suspicion as a criminal grew heavier.
And the police officers present were further provoked by Lin Xinyi’s behavior, feeling indignant:
Silence, maintaining silence on every question—
This was no longer just a guilty conscience; it was blatant disregard.
This suspect was clearly provoking the police unreservedly, arrogantly issuing them a challenge:
“I won’t explain. Suspect me if you want; come and arrest me if you have the evidence!”
Thinking of this, the police officers, who had just been unintentionally humiliated by Lin Xinyi moments ago, had their gazes become even sharper.
Lin Xinyi, however, felt wronged under their stares:
This isn't me provoking them!
I want to know the answers to those questions too!
Soul transmigration without memory transfer is too much of a curse; he’s about to get himself thrown into prison right at the start.
Should he just confess that he has "Amnesia"? No.
That would look even more like he was lying through his teeth, openly provoking the police without restraint.
“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 highly scrutinized High School Detective and said:
“Shinichi Kudo, may I ask…”
“What clue did you use to confirm I am a suspect?”
Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly reacted:
That’s right, they had all been distracted by Lin Xinyi’s abnormal behavior and had forgotten to watch the most exciting part—the deduction performance by the Famous Detective Shinichi Kudo.
According to a well-known unwritten rule, the criminal usually kneels down to confess bitterly only after the Famous Detective has finished his deduction with great flair.
Arresting the criminal now was indeed a bit premature; it was understandable that the "criminal" was stubbornly refusing to speak.
Thus, everyone present cast their expectant gazes toward Shinichi Kudo.
And that Young High School Detective smiled without any timidity:
“Of course, I have evidence.”
“I wouldn’t accuse someone without any basis.”
“Now then, everyone, please listen to this very simple deduction!”
Shinichi Kudo confidently stepped forward, drawing the attention of everyone present, including Lin Xinyi.
Only Inspector Megure secretly shifted his gaze, staring intently at Lin Xinyi with extreme vigilance:
This kid not only refused to answer questions but turned around and asked one himself.
With just a casual remark, he completely disrupted the interrogation rhythm the police had established.
Hiss! What a move—Taking the host's place!
He’s an old criminal right from the start.
The Human Life stained on his hands might be more than one.
Inspector Megure broke out in a sweat, feeling like he had encountered the strongest enemy in his twenty years on the force.