An infinite journey starting from paradise

"The next matter still needs to be handed over to the local police. I have other official business to attend to. Please take note of this..."

Xu Hai Wenzhi was giving instructions when suddenly a male voice sounded from the railroad tracks behind him.

"The deceased woman, judging by her skin condition and tooth wear, was around fifteen years old. Calluses were visible on the first joint of her right middle finger, the result of prolonged pen-holding. She was right-handed and likely a student or scribe... I'm more inclined to believe she was a student. If she were a scribe with an independent income, she wouldn't be wearing such childish clothing. But today is Thursday..."

"Hey!"

Xu Hai Wenzhi turned around and saw a tall man in a black patent leather windbreaker standing next to the corpse and "commenting". Two beautiful girls with long hair were following him. One of them hugged his arm tightly, perhaps because of fear or something else. The other girl, who was slightly shorter, was looking at the crushed legs with interest.

"Who are you? Stay away from the body and don't destroy the scene!"

But those people seemed not to hear what he said, especially the man in black, who was still talking to himself.

"There are scratches on the bend of my thigh and the inside of my arm from bumps, and there's dirt under my fingernails... Yura, loosen up a little, I'll go over there and take a look. Ah, no need, I see the scratches on the ground right there."

Lin Shangren turned on the [Caterpillar God of War's Telescope] and saw several scratches from human hands between the rails not far away.

"It looked like he was trying to stand up... It's almost certain it wasn't suicide."

"Malu Yalang, don't you understand what I'm saying? Bastard, this is not a place for passers-by to stay!"

Xu Hai Wenzhi rushed over and tried to catch the arrogant guy, but saw him suddenly put his hand into his coat.

"He's going to pull out a gun?!"

Xu Hai Wenzhi was startled. Just as he was about to stop, he felt something slap him in the face. It was a pair of medical rubber gloves, and the person opposite him was so fast that he couldn't see clearly.

"you!"

"Put it on. If you're not an expert, don't mess with me. You, a police officer, bring that squatting girl over here. Also, see that pillar over there? Bring those two big bags over there too."

"ah…?"

"What are you standing there for?!"

Faced with the other person's dog-training tone, Xu Hai Wenzhi didn't know how to react for a moment. The other person didn't have the demeanor of an ordinary person. Could he be some important figure?

"I, the medical examiner, will help you solve the case. You, cooperate. Understand?"

"..."

"Damn it. Never mind. I'll do it myself."

As he spoke, Lin Shangren walked straight towards the squatting girl. At the same time, he used shadow touch to confirm the contents of the two suitcases.

"Tell me, why did you push her down? Aren't you lovers?" Lin Shangren asked directly.

"???"

Xu Hai Wenzhi was confused for a moment. What was going on?

However, the next moment, the squatting girl let out the same wail of repentance as Conan the criminal.

"I'm sorry... I was just impulsive... I didn't mean it... wuwuwu..."

At this moment, let alone Xu Hai Wenzhi, everyone around was stunned.

What happened? Why did the eyewitness suddenly confess?!

Chapter 131 Simple Reasoning, the Third Case

"Please wait a moment! How can you be sure that this case is not an accident? How can you confirm that this little girl is the murderer?" Xu Hai Wenzhi asked Lin Shangren, and he subconsciously used honorifics.

Lin Shangren smiled slightly and said, "Analysis."

"analyze?"

"It's very simple. You can analyze and judge it with just a little brainpower. The first step is to confirm the nature of the case. Come, officer, take a look at the victim's limbs and tell me, what do you see?"

"what?"

Compared to the bodies of those who had committed suicide by lying on the railway tracks that Xu Hai Wenzhi had seen before, this one was relatively well-preserved, at least not to the point of being shattered here and there. The legs were especially well-preserved. Aside from the shockingly crushed fractures, the knee bends, and the bruises on the calves, the lower thighs and calves still looked smooth and lifelike.

"What's wrong with her leg?" Xu Hai Wenzhi didn't see anything wrong.

Lin Shangren didn't explain, but instead offered another hint. He pointed to the scratch marks in the dirt between the railroad ties and said, "Look at that mark again. Combine it with the wounds on the victim's legs. What conclusion can you draw?"

"what?"

Xu Hai Wenzhi opened his mouth wide, revealing an expression of confusion like old Biden.

"Ugh."

Lin Shangren shook his head helplessly. It seemed that the reasoning ability of the Japanese police at that time was indeed not very good. He explained: "This shows that the deceased did not lie on the railway track by himself, but was pushed down or fell accidentally."

"why?"

"There are generally two scenarios for suicide by lying on the tracks: one, lying down on the tracks early and waiting for the train to run them over; the other, jumping off the tracks as the train approaches, allowing the train to crush them. Both scenarios would likely result in injuries to the victim's legs, but they would be large scrapes, not bruises on the back of her legs. Therefore, it can be inferred that she was pushed off the platform before the train approached or accidentally fell onto the tracks and was crushed to death because she was unable to stand up in time."

"Isn't that a bit too arbitrary?" Dongzi suddenly interjected, "She could have accidentally injured herself before committing suicide. For example, she might have suddenly decided to commit suicide, injured herself when she jumped, and then been run over by a train."

"Yes!" Xu Hai Wenzhi echoed.

"Look at the location of the wound," Lin Shangren said. "Dongzi, if someone wants to commit suicide by jumping on the tracks, would they leap forward or backward?"

"Eh..." Dongzi was stunned.

"Judging from the wound, she fell backwards. Now, look at the scratch marks on the dirt over here. There's only one intact left palm mark. Judging from the direction of the fingers, it's confirmed that she fell backwards.

When a person falls suddenly, their hands will subconsciously grab something to lean on, and they will also use their palms to support themselves on the ground. While doing so, their fingers will unconsciously grab hard. This is how the scratch is formed. But there is only one scratch on the ground, so..."

"She wants to catch something, or someone!" Dongzi reacted immediately.

Lin Shangren smiled and added, "Dongzi's analysis is correct. So, based on the above clues, we can infer that the deceased was suddenly pushed off the platform, and the person who pushed her was face to face with her. Perhaps they had some kind of argument at the time.

Of course, the deceased could have fallen accidentally. But if that were the case, she wouldn't have concealed her relationship with the deceased."

Lin Shangren pointed at the girl who was still squatting on the ground and sobbing.

"So, how did you confirm their relationship? And you said they were... lovers?"

"Easier. Observe."

As he said that, Lin Shangren jumped off the platform, took something from the female corpse's hand, and put it into the evidence bag he was carrying.

"This thing is called a bond rope."

Lin Shangren showed everyone what was in the evidence bag, which was a strange knot made of pure white hemp rope.

"This item comes from the Benzaiten Shrine in Inokashira Park in Tokyo. It's said to strengthen the bond between lovers. Look at what that little girl is wearing on her left ring finger."

"It's the same knot! But... what if it's a coincidence? They happened to pray for the same thing at the same shrine." Inu Hai Bunji asked.

"That's why I asked you to get those two duffel bags to check."

Lin Shangren shook his head helplessly. This case was really very simple. He didn't even need to use his previous reasoning about the way the deceased fell to the ground. He only needed to investigate the identities of the deceased and the witnesses, and use some interrogation skills to confirm the truth.

"So this isn't the third mystery I need to solve, right?"

While Lin Shangren was sending a message to Xiao Ai in his mind, he expanded the task panel. The task "I'm just a detective passing by" was triggered again, and the progress at this time was (3/5).

"Is there another case around here?"

Recalling the case in Inokashira Park, Lin Shangren wondered if there was something buried underground in this train station?

While thinking, Lin Shangren extended his shadow touch and explored the underground space within a radius of 20 meters, but did not find anything suspicious.

"Isn't there even a dead body?"

Since he had no clue, Lin Shangren decided to finish the case at hand first.

Although the murderer girl was crying to the point where she couldn't speak complete sentences, Lin Shangren still roughly guessed the ins and outs of the matter.

Two female students from Tokyo, who are also a same-sex couple, came to Gifu Prefecture, far away from Tokyo, on a school day, carrying two bags with them. It was obvious that they were eloping.

They probably didn't plan too much for their elopement, as evidenced by the items in their luggage and the cash they carried with them.

The reason for their quarrel was most likely money.

As for whether it was true or not, Lin Shangren didn't bother to care. It had nothing to do with him anyway.

Not long after, the local police arrived and took over the matter. Originally, the local police wanted to keep Hayashi Naoto and his group and Inui Bunji to take a statement, but after the two presented their credentials, they sensibly avoided bothering the police chief from the neighboring prefecture and the forensic consultant from Tokyo.

After the high-pressure water gun washed the tracks, trains resumed traffic, as if the incident in the morning had never happened.

Lin Shangren and his family of three were about to board another train bound for Yamagata City, where Renxing Township was located. As for the case that had suddenly been triggered, Lin Shangren didn't pay much attention to it. He was sure that even if he didn't look for the case, it would find him on its own.

Coincidentally, Officer Xu Hai Wenzhi, whose overall level was not as good as Yuzumi Jiasan, also took this bus, and he sat opposite Lin Shangren and the other two in a very familiar manner.

"Mr. Forensic, we meet again."

Xu Hai Wenzhi forced a somewhat awkward smile.

"My name is Xu Hai, and I'm a police inspector in the Toyama Prefecture Investigation Division."

"Lin Shangren, part-time forensic pathologist."

"Ah...and who are these two beautiful ladies?"

"My sister Yura, and my fiancée Fuyuko."

Yura had no objection to the identity of "sister", she just held Lin Shangren's arm blindly. Dongzi also accepted the term "fiancée" calmly, even though Lin Shangren, a playboy, had not proposed to her yet.

"Oh, it's an honor to meet you... Um... Well, where are you going this time?"

"Inspector Xu Hai, do you have something to talk to me about?" Lin Shangren interrupted Xu Hai Bunzhi's not very fluent polite words.

"Forehead……"

"Just say it directly." Lin Shangren continued, "Is it because I am impressed by my reasoning ability that you want me to help you solve a difficult mystery?"

"Ah! Is this another result of your deductions?"

Lin Shangren didn't respond to his question, but asked directly: "What case is it? It happens that I have nothing to do and I'm quite bored. Tell me about it. Maybe I can really help."

"Ah, to be honest. That was an old case from over ten years ago. I went back there, back to the Doll Village, to prevent it from happening again."

"Human-shaped village?" Lin Shangren thought in his heart, but he remained calm on the surface and continued to listen to Xu Hai Wenzhi's story.

"Well, that case was ultimately attributed to the gods, but I've always felt there was something fishy about it. It just so happens that the Ame-no-Child Festival, which happens to take place once every ten years, is back, and I have official business to go to Yamagata City. So I wanted to take this opportunity to re-investigate..."

"What kind of case is this?" Lin Shangren asked.

"Well...it all starts with the Son of Heaven Festival eighteen years ago."

As he spoke, Xu Hai Wenzhi took out a somewhat old notebook from his pocket. It was bulging and seemed to contain a lot of photos and other things.

"Eighteen years ago, in the isolated village of Doll Village... a series of murders and dismemberment cases suddenly occurred..."

Chapter 132: Haunted Things Like Dolls

Ningyo Village, a village largely isolated from Japanese society, is a place where its residents revere the two families that control the village's lifeline: the Hinagami family and the Shikusa family, more than the Japanese government and legal authority.

The Hinagami family controls land, food, and medicine, while the Shikakusa family controls shrines and religious beliefs. The two families are openly at odds with each other. The Hinagami family has been striving for advancement in recent decades, seeking to establish more connections with the outside world, while the Shikakusa family tends to be conservative, clinging to the village's centuries-old way of life.

Because of the conflict in ideas, the two families looked down on each other and even had friction from time to time.

But the two families also cooperated sometimes, and that was the "Son of Heaven Festival" held every ten years or so.

In reality, the festival dedicated to the Hinako-goddess is held every spring, with the Shikusa family taking full responsibility. Only when the "Child of Heaven" arrives do the two families collaborate, transforming the usual festival into the "Child of Heaven" festival.

As for what "Children of Heaven" actually are, even Inui Bunji, who was born in Ningyo Village, wasn't entirely clear. He only knew that the Children of Heaven were always women, and that the Uzuru family would receive some kind of revelation before the arrival of a Child of Heaven. Afterward, the Child of Heaven would reside as a guest at the Uzuru Shrine until the festival was over, at which point they would marry into the Hinami family.

This is the tradition of the village. The head of the Hinagami family marries the "Son of Heaven" as a ceremony to worship the Hinagami God. It is precisely because the Hinagami family married the "Son of Heaven" that their family has the right to rule the village.

Hearing this, Lin Shangren suddenly sneered, "Oh, the king's right is granted by God, right? This whole ceremony is just to declare the legitimacy of the ruling power... The so-called Son of Heaven is most likely the daughter of the Shicao family who was born secretly? Raised secretly, and when she is old enough, she will be sent back to marry into the Hinami family.

The two families may appear at odds, but they're actually on the same page. A dominant power is more likely to spark resistance, but if those at the bottom are given some choice, problems are less likely to arise. It's like the two-party system in so-called democracies.

Add to that the superstitious rituals used to scare people and the strong propaganda in the name of the gods. No wonder the two families have ruled the village for hundreds of years."

Just through Xu Hai Wenzhi's few words, Lin Shangren roughly figured out the power structure at the bottom of Renxing Village.

Xu Hai Wenzhi was completely stunned. He had never thought about it in this way before.

"That makes sense..."

"Let's continue with the case. Is the case from over ten years ago related to this Son of Heaven Festival?"

"Yes, the case happened the day after the festival." Xu Hai Wenzhi flipped through his notes and found the photo of the corpse taken at that time.

The deceased was a middle-aged woman in a kimono, her limbs severed and her stomach disemboweled. Her condition was somewhat similar to that of the "Shell Girl," yet distinct. Her uterus had not been removed, but rather, something had been found inside—a clay baby doll.

"What is this puppet?"

"It's a specialty of Ningyo Village. It's because of the production of these clay dolls that it got the name Ningyo Village." Inuhi Bunji explained, "This doll is related to the legend of the Hina Doll God.

The founders of the Doll Village were a family of puppeteers from the Warring States Period. To escape the chaos of war, the family and their neighbors fled deep into the mountains. There, the head of the puppeteer family encountered the mountain deity, Hina Gougami.