Chapter 9

Lin Xinyi had given his answer.

Everyone present reconstructed the full picture of the case in their minds:

Roughly three hours ago, the victim drowned. Due to their large body size, the corpse immediately floated to the surface, drifting in the dark waters unnoticed.

Just minutes ago, the body accidentally collided with a passing cruise ship and was pulled into the propeller.

The immense force of the spinning blades chopped the corpse into several pieces, leaving behind numerous chaotic cutting wounds.

As the body and propeller spun violently, it scraped against the hull multiple times, causing extensive skin detachment.

The cruise ship continued on its course, leaving the dismembered remains behind.

Blood seeped from the shattered body, staining the river red. That gruesome sight was what Kudo Shinichi and Mōri Ran had stumbled upon.

"So that's what happened..."

"A simple accident ended up making the case seem far more complicated than it really was."

Now that the truth was clear, Inspector Megure couldn't help but sigh.

Still, the idea of a body being unintentionally dismembered by a ship's propeller was bizarre.

Yet no one—not even Kudo Shinichi—could dispute Lin Xinyi's conclusion.

Every word he spoke was backed by evidence.

As he put it himself, he wasn't solving the case—he was merely letting the dead speak.

"Wait a minute," Inspector Megure suddenly realized another issue. "The evidence only proves that the victim drowned and was later caught in the propeller. But it doesn't prove this was a suicide."

"Lin, my friend."

Casually adopting a more familiar tone, he asked, "Why were you so sure from the beginning that the victim took their own life?"

"Oh, that..."

"The key clue that suggests suicide is on the victim's waist and abdomen."

Lin Xinyi cast a meaningful glance at Kudo Shinichi.

Earlier, when the young detective first saw the remains, his gaze had immediately locked onto the victim's midsection.

Clearly, he had noticed something too.

"That's right," Kudo Shinichi nodded, explaining under Lin Xinyi's gaze:

"I noticed from the start—a distinct ligature mark around the victim's waist, caused by a rope."

"Was the victim tied up by the murderer?" Megure instinctively speculated.

"No, most likely the victim tied it themselves," Lin Xinyi corrected.

"Because if you look at the victim's wrist—even though we've only recovered one hand—we can see there are no rope marks there."

"The waist was tied, but the hands were left free?"

"If this were a murder, would the killer leave the victim's hands untied?"

"With free hands, the victim could simply untie the rope after being pushed into the water."

"So, there's only one likely explanation for these rope marks..."

He paused slightly, and Kudo Shinichi seamlessly picked up the thread:

"A suicide by drowning."

"People attempting suicide by drowning often tie a weight around their waist to prevent themselves from floating up after entering the water."

"That's why there are ligature marks on the waist but none on the wrists."

"Given these marks and the fact that the victim drowned, this was most likely a suicide."

Kudo Shinichi reconstructed the scene with precision:

"The victim likely tied a weight to their waist before entering the water, causing them to sink and drown."

"Over the next three hours, the currents gradually loosened the rope, and the corpse eventually surfaced."

"That's the entire truth of this case."

With this, Kudo Shinichi reached his conclusion.

Lin Xinyi, however, spoke with professional caution, carefully choosing his words:

"It's too early to say it's definitive. Right now, I can only conduct an external examination—I can't completely rule out other possibilities."

"But based on the current evidence, suicide is the most probable scenario."

"Next, divers should be sent to search the riverbed. They should be able to find the rope and weight the victim left behind."

"The police also need to confirm the victim's identity and investigate whether they had any prior suicidal intent."

"If possible, a full autopsy should be performed to rule out any pre-death injuries causing subcutaneous bleeding."

"Understood!"

Inspector Megure let out a long breath.

Even though Lin Xinyi left room for doubt, it was clear—this case was nearly wrapped up.

"So that's all there was to it!"

In the end, there wasn't even a murderer.

What had seemed like a gruesome, high-pressure dismemberment case was effortlessly resolved by Lin Xinyi and Kudo Shinichi, the two "Xinyis."

With that realization, the officers visibly relaxed.

But while everyone else looked relieved, Kudo Shinichi was deep in thought.

"Yes, it really was that simple."

"A boat, a propeller—just an accident."

"So why didn't I see it sooner?"

For a detective of his caliber, the answer wasn't difficult.

If he'd had more time, he would've uncovered the truth as well.

But no matter how he looked at it—

This time, Lin Xinyi had outpaced him.

While he had hesitated, Lin Xinyi had already seen through everything.

This match between detectives ended in his defeat.

Come to think of it… was this the first time he had ever lost such a battle?

He lifted his head, his gaze toward Lin Xinyi now changed.

In his eyes was frustration—yet also respect and admiration.

"Lin Xinyi, are you also a detective?"

"No."

Lin Xinyi shook his head without hesitation.

"I'm not some famous detective like you imagine, and I'm not particularly smarter than the average person either."

"You lagged behind me this time simply because you lack some knowledge and experience."

Despite having worked on numerous major cases, Lin Xinyi never saw himself as some near-omniscient fictional detective.

Just as programmers code, architects design, and mathematicians calculate—

For him, forensic work was simply a skill, nothing more.

His proficiency wasn't due to superior intellect—

He had simply spent more time mastering it than the average person.

"I see..."

Kudo Shinichi nodded thoughtfully.

"I usually focus on non-corpse-related crime scene clues. Examining wounds and forensic evidence isn't my forte."

"If I knew more, perhaps I too could have seen the truth right away."

For a high schooler, Kudo Shinichi's knowledge was already remarkable.

After all, he had a father who could do just about anything—

A father who had even sent him to an absurdly overpowered "Hawaiian training camp."

That camp had taught him how to drive, sail, and even fly a plane—

But forensics? Not so much.

Because reading about autopsies wasn't enough—

Only long-term hands-on practice could build real skill.

Even forensic science graduates, after years of study, were clueless during their first internships—mostly relegated to moving bodies for their mentors.

It took seeing enough crime scenes, examining enough corpses, to develop the instincts of a seasoned forensic expert.

And today, Kudo Shinichi had lost simply due to that lack of experience—

He couldn't yet "hear" what the corpse was telling him.

"I understand."

"I'll work hard to improve in this area!"

Kudo Shinichi declared with newfound determination.

"Uh... good luck with that."

Lin Xinyi chuckled noncommittally.

A high schooler... and training in forensic work?

Where was he going to find enough dead bodies to practice on?

Was he planning to stumble across corpses every day?

Better off studying hard and getting into a good medical school.

"Lin Xinyi!"

Kudo Shinichi's eyes gleamed.

"I hope we'll have another chance to compete."

"..."

Lin Xinyi's smile stiffened.

Who would want another case like this?

How could someone be so excited after stumbling across a dismembered corpse?

Was this guy really a high school student?

"Did I... end up in some kind of weird world?"

Lin Xinyi was beginning to realize—

Something about this place was seriously off.