Five minutes later, the corpse was finally hauled ashore.
Of course, the corpse brought ashore at this moment was not complete.
Because the corpse was already scattered into pieces, what floated on the water surface were only the body parts with more soft tissue and stronger buoyancy. A portion of the body parts were half-floating and half-submerged beneath the water, making them very difficult to retrieve.
Currently recovered are the left lower limb thigh, the right upper limb including the hand, a mutilated head whose features are unrecognizable, and the relatively intact upper torso.
These were carefully laid out by the Forensics Division officers onto a flat, white plastic sheet, barely piecing together a near-complete human shape.
From the physique, it was not difficult to tell that the deceased was a rather obese adult female.
The cross-sections of the severed limbs were rotten and twisted, sickening to look at.
And the damaged corpse was covered in large patches of scarlet, festering abrasions; the scene was extremely shocking.
Even Inspector Megure, accustomed to life and death throughout his career, instinctively felt a chill at such a cruel sight:
"How about it, Mr. Lin Xinyi?"
His voice clearly carried a hint of unconcealed anger.
Obviously, the deceased's tragic fate had ignited this righteous Detective's hatred toward the murderer:
"You have seen the corpse."
"Do you have anything to say now?"
The gazes fixed on Lin Xinyi became even more intense.
He seemed like a ferocious zombie from a horror movie, inspiring both fear and disgust.
Then, under the fearful and hateful gazes of the onlookers,
this "Dismemberment Case Demon" actually smiled.
Yes, Lin Xinyi merely glanced briefly at the corpse, and a relieved smile immediately appeared at the corner of his mouth.
To the police, this smile looked like a provocation; to the crowd, it was the epitome of perversion.
But before they could erupt in righteous indignation to accuse him, Lin Xinyi's calm and powerful sound slowly echoed at the scene: "This is unprofessional."
"Unprofessional?" Inspector Megure was slightly stunned.
"That's right," Lin Xinyi said with a calm expression. "It's unprofessional."
"Although the most crucial part, the head, was sliced in half, and the face has large areas of skin loss suspected to be from abrasions—making it difficult to identify the deceased by appearance."
"However, the deceased's upper torso remains largely intact."
"And with the torso section, even without collecting the entire body, a seasoned Forensic Doctor can calculate and speculate the deceased's Weight by measuring the fat thickness at the sternum, sternal area, upper abdomen, and lower abdomen."
"Furthermore, the condition of the corpse's teeth and the pubic symphysis morphology can help the Forensic Doctor comprehensively deduce the deceased's specific age."
"Height can be calculated using the multiple regression equation for several long bones, determining the result within an Error margin of four centimeters."
"With the data for Height, Weight, and Age, comparing it against Missing Persons records makes confirming the deceased's Identity not too difficult."
"Not to mention, I believe everyone can see that the deceased's personal clothing is even still on the corpse."
"Although the clothing is tattered, it's not hard to see it was an oversized lady's Pajamas; the color, style, and brand are easy to determine, which is another strong Clue to help confirm the deceased's Identity."
Lin Xinyi delivered a lengthy speech.
Everyone listened in a daze, only Shinichi Kudo understood the underlying meaning:
Lin Xinyi's words were clearly stating that he did not commit the act.
If a "professional" like him had done it, he wouldn't have left such complete body parts, allowing the Police to potentially trace the deceased's Identity.
But why was Lin Xinyi making such a firm declaration so early?
Could it be that during that brief glance just now,
he had already found Evidence on the corpse sufficient to prove he was not the Murderer?
Shinichi Kudo's heart stirred slightly, half excited, half anxious:
He hadn't even noticed anything unusual yet; could someone have discovered the Clue and found the Truth before him?
Thinking of this, the Famous Detective's gaze toward Lin Xinyi changed slightly:
Before, he was looking at a Suspect; now, it seemed he was looking at an Opponent on the path of Deduction.
"Stop looking at me."
Lin Xinyi noticed Shinichi Kudo's gaze:
"If you want to find Evidence, your gaze should be focused more on the corpse."
"Look closely, and once you understand, you'll know the Murderer isn't me."
Saying this, he turned his head again, his gaze sweeping over the Police Officers at the Scene one by one.
Finally, he fixed his gaze firmly on a Young police officer holding a large toolbox.
Lin Xinyi was very familiar with that toolbox; it was the essential survey toolbox for a Forensic Doctor at a Scene.
"Are you the Coroner? What is your name?"
Lin Xinyi approached him in a very familiar manner.
"Uh, I suppose I am a Coroner..."
"Komatsu Seiichiro, just call me Patrolman Komatsu."
This Police Officer Komatsu from the Metropolitan Police Department nodded stammeringly, only then reacting: "What is it you need me for?"
"Come take a look too!"
Lin Xinyi pulled the somewhat dazed Patrolman Komatsu over without asking:
"Examining the corpse is your Work; why are you Spacing Out standing on the side?"
"Uh," Komatsu now came forward in realization: "I thought since the Famous Detective Shinichi Kudo was here, I wouldn't be needed."
...
Hearing this, Lin Xinyi was even more Speechless:
The reliance of the Japanese Police on a Famous Detective was too deep—it was abnormal, very abnormal.
What normal law enforcement agency relies so heavily on civilian power to Solve the Case? It's not like they are writing a Detective Novel.
While making an Internal Complaint, he pulled Police Officer Komatsu over to examine the corpse.
And then, just like that,
under Lin Xinyi's guidance, Shinichi Kudo and Patrolman Komatsu stared at the broken corpse for a good half a minute.
Patrolman Komatsu finally showed a bit of professional demeanor; he carefully put on Latex gloves, cautiously leaned closer, and tentatively pressed lightly on various parts of the corpse.
"So, what have you all noticed?"
Lin Xinyi's verbal ability was clearly much more active than before.
He unhurriedly guided Shinichi Kudo and Patrolman Komatsu to speak, looking like an encouraging Mentor.
"There is indeed something wrong."
"Why is there an Injury like this on the Waist?"
Shinichi Kudo stared intently at the deceased's Waist, his gaze shifting constantly.
He looked incredibly focused, muttering words no one could understand:
"Impossible, this is clearly a Dismemberment case..."
"The corpse is already cut up like this, and Ran and I even saw Blood waves; how could it be..."
This renowned Famous Detective was completely caught up in conflict and Pondering.
He had discovered the anomaly, but he still lacked the key to open the door to the Truth.
What made him vaguely anxious was that Shinichi Kudo could see that the fellow named Lin Xinyi had already found the "key" he couldn't find.
Could it be that today I will lose in Deduction to a Suspect I unexpectedly encountered?
Thinking of this, Shinichi Kudo pondered even more intently.
"A bit of skill..."
Lin Xinyi beside him exclaimed lightly in surprise:
Not only was he not frightened into Spacing Out by the mutilated corpse, but he also discovered something strange on it so quickly—for a High School Student, this was already unimaginably strong.
It seemed this "Heisei's Sherlock Holmes" truly had some ability; he wasn't famous for nothing.
"Then..."
After observing the High School Detective's Performance, Lin Xinyi turned his gaze to Patrolman Komatsu beside him.
This Patrolman Komatsu was a genuine Tokyo Detective, a professional who earned his living from the government, so Lin Xinyi held far greater Expectation for him than for the "amateur enthusiast" named Shinichi Kudo.
"Patrolman Komatsu, did you notice anything?"
"Uh..."
Patrolman Komatsu hesitated for a moment, finally mumbling:
"After my initial examination, the relatively intact torso section of the deceased is already showing widespread Rigor Mortis."
"Considering the temperature tonight, I speculate the deceased has been dead for over 4 hours."
...
He had finished stating his Opinion, but Lin Xinyi was still staring at him with a stern expression.
"W-why are you looking at me?" Patrolman Komatsu asked uncomfortably.
Lin Xinyi spat out a solid question mark: "Are you done?"
"Y-yes..." For some reason, Patrolman Komatsu felt the same nervousness he had when facing his instructors at the Police Academy back That year.
"That's it?" Lin Xinyi's face turned a little cold.
"That's it," Patrolman Komatsu silently lowered his head.
"Hmph," Lin Xinyi's mouth twitched slightly, followed by a long sigh: "I finally understand!"
"Understand what?"
Shinichi Kudo suddenly leaned closer, his face full of Doubt and unwillingness.
But Lin Xinyi's voice held only Helplessness:
"I understand."
"The Japanese Police truly need a savior."