Fishermen's live stream: Twelve bodies were retrieved at the start.

Lin Mo took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the turmoil in his mind.

He took two steps forward, looking directly at Qi Lei.

"Captain Qi."

Qi Lei shifted his gaze from the body bag to Lin Mo, his brows furrowing instantly.

"This is none of your business. I expect you to take your crew and step back so as not to obstruct our official duties."

In his view, an ordinary fisherman, after witnessing such a horrific crime scene...

The best thing to do is to stay far away, rather than trying to get close.

Lin Mo did not back down.

"Captain Qi, I think I might be able to help in some way."

Upon hearing this, not only Qi Lei, but also the coast guard members behind him were stunned, and then showed an incredulous expression.

Qi Lei's face darkened, and his tone became stern.

"Comrade Lin Mo, I'll say it again, this is not something you should be getting involved in."

"This isn't a movie, nor is it a script from your live stream. This is reality, a major murder case that killed twelve people!"

"The murderer was extremely vicious, and his methods were so cruel as to be utterly appalling!"

"You're just an ordinary citizen; getting involved is pointless except for putting yourself in danger!"

"Now, step back immediately!"

Lin Siyu, standing behind Lin Mo, nervously gripped her brother's clothes, her palms sweating profusely.

She didn't understand why her brother had to step forward at this time.

This is a murder case!

The live stream room erupted in excitement once again because of this sudden confrontation.

[Is the streamer crazy? What is he trying to do? Does he want to get involved in solving the case?]

[Holy crap, I admit the streamer's got guts, but this is way too much! That's a coast guard captain, why are you talking back to him?]

[Please, streamer, listen to advice. This is really not something we can get involved in.]

Why not just be a law-abiding citizen who reports a crime and receive a commendation for bravery?

[Why do I feel like this anchor isn't an ordinary fisherman? His composure is incredible; he didn't even flinch when facing the coast guard captain.]

[They're even actively involved in solving cases? Are they some retired special forces soldier experiencing life?]

[Please tone down your wild imagination, upstairs! But seriously, this is terrifying.]

[I've been sailing at sea for twenty years, and I've never seen even one, let alone twelve! Who would dare come to this area again!]

[Actually, I kind of understand the streamer... Think about it, the seas you sail every day are teeming with ruthless killers.]

Who wouldn't be scared? Who wouldn't want the killer caught as soon as possible? It concerns their own life and fortune!

On the deck, Lin Mo calmly looked at Qi Lei in the face of his reprimand.

He knew that Qi Lei was right.

From the perspective of a normal police officer, protecting civilians is their duty.

It was absolutely the right choice to refuse to involve an ordinary person in such a dangerous case.

But Lin Mo is not an ordinary fisherman.

He knew that relying solely on conventional criminal investigation methods would not lead to finding clues on this vast and boundless sea.

It's like looking for a needle in a haystack.

And he might be able to offer a direction that no one could have imagined.

Just when the two sides were deadlocked.

Lin Siyu suddenly said timidly.

"Um... Officer... Officer!"

She clung tightly to Lin Mo's arm, her body still trembling slightly, looking pitifully terrified.

When Qi Lei saw her like this, his originally tense poker face softened involuntarily.

Faced with a vicious criminal, he could rush forward without hesitation.

But when faced with a little girl who was so frightened that she was completely at a loss, he didn't know where to put his toughness.

"Is there...something wrong?"

Qi Lei's tone unconsciously softened considerably.

Lin Siyu bit her lip, mustered her courage, and took another small step forward.

"Officer, we...we're really scared."

Her voice was choked with sobs, making her sound especially pitiful.

"Just thinking about... just thinking about those terrible bad guys, right here on the sea where we fish every day."

"I...I was so scared I couldn't sleep."

"My brother... he didn't mean to cause you trouble, he just... he just wanted to catch the bad guys as soon as possible."

"It allows us to set sail with peace of mind."

"Just... just listen to what he has to say, okay? Just for a little while, alright?"

Lin looked at Qi Lei pitifully.

These words, coupled with her appearance, were exponentially more damaging.

The young coast guards behind Qi Lei looked somewhat shaken.

Qi Lei himself was also having a headache.

He remained silent for a moment, then glanced at the team members who were still standing by, ready to move the body bags.

The whole process does take some time.

Finally, he sighed.

"Alright."

Qi Lei relented and turned his gaze back to Lin Mo.

"It will take my team a little while to get this bag onto the speedboat."

"I'll give you this little bit of time to tell me your thoughts."

"I'd like to hear what insightful opinions you, a fisherman, could possibly have."

Although his words still carried a hint of disapproval, he eventually agreed.

Lin Mo felt relieved and gave his sister behind him an approving look.

He wasted no time and spoke immediately.

"Captain Qi, I'm not a criminal investigation expert. I'll just share a few observations from a fisherman's perspective."

He held up one finger.

"First, regarding the time of death."

"Look, this bag is tied very tightly, but it's not completely sealed; water is constantly seeping out."

Lin Mo pointed to the pool of murky, bloody liquid on the deck.

"The seeping water has a distinct red tinge. This indicates that the bloodstains inside the bag have not been completely washed away by the seawater."

"Having spent so many years at sea, I know very well how corrosive and erosive seawater is."

"Anything, if soaked in the sea long enough, will have its bloodstains completely removed."

"In my experience, this process should not take more than two days."

"If these bodies had been in the sea for more than two days, what we would be seeing now would be clear water, not blood."

Qi Lei raised an eyebrow slightly, but did not refute.

Lin Mo then extended his second finger.

"Secondly, it still concerns the time of death, which can be determined from the degree of decomposition of the body."

"The coast guard officer just said that the body was highly decomposed and had been eaten."

"That's normal; fish and crabs in the sea love these things."

"However, he also said that twelve more skulls and vertebrae could be found."

"This means that the body still retains a basic human form and has not completely turned into a pile of bones."

"Captain Qi, you should also know that this is in tropical and subtropical seas."

"The time it takes for a body to go from sinking to becoming a skeleton depends on the water temperature and the activity level of marine life."

"It usually takes one to two weeks."

"The water temperature is high now, and all kinds of organisms are very active, so this process will only be faster."

"The fact that so many remains were left, including some not-yet-completely-rotted flesh and blood, proves once again that they died very recently."

"Considering both points, I can confidently assert that these people died no more than two days ago!"

After he finished speaking, the entire deck fell silent.

The coast guard members behind Qi Lei all looked surprised.

They never expected that an ordinary fisherman could draw such accurate conclusions from these details.

Qi Lei nodded and said in a deep voice.

"Your analysis is correct, and the forensic doctor's preliminary judgment is almost identical to your conclusion."

With the captain's affirmation, Lin Mo's confidence grew even stronger.

Without pausing, he immediately offered his speculation.

"So, the third and most important point is: where are the killers, and who are they?"

"Captain Qi, have you ever wondered why this case wasn't discovered until we retrieved this bag?"

Lin Mo countered with a question.

"Twelve people, that's no small number."

"If this murder had happened in any city in the country, even a remote town."

"The disappearance of twelve people at the same time would immediately attract the attention of the police and might even become national news."

"But have we heard anything about a mass disappearance so far?"

Lin Mo looked around, and everyone subconsciously shook their heads.

"Therefore, I have a bold hypothesis."

"These twelve people may not have been killed on the mainland at all!"

"They were murdered on this vast ocean!"

"Because only on the open sea can a dozen people disappear silently, without being noticed by anyone!"

Qi Lei's pupils suddenly contracted!

"And someone with the ability and the courage to kill twelve people at once on the high seas, and then dispose of the bodies in this way to destroy the evidence..."

Lin Mo uttered his last words.

"Most likely, they're pirates!"