Net King Whale Fall

The mountain was shrouded in mist in the early morning, and every breath carried the damp smell of earth.

Japan isn't a large country, but this unnamed mountain is rarely visited. If it weren't for that kind person who got up early to walk his dog, who knows how long it would have taken to discover the victim's body.

The location was cordoned off, and a junior police officer was on duty. It was clear that they had been notified in advance and had no doubt about the appearance of Sanada Rin and her two companions.

After a brief greeting, Sanada Rei put on gloves and shoe covers.

Having fewer people has its advantages; the scene wasn't completely destroyed.

The deserted grove, shrouded in thick fog, offered only the faint sounds of animal calls—a perfect place to dispose of a body.

Sanada Rin looked around; the place was very clean.

Apart from the white outline drawn on the ground, there was almost nothing useful; the killer was very good at counter-surveillance.

Sanada Rin didn't expect to find anything useful right away; that would be underestimating the police's capabilities.

She came here only to analyze the killer's motive and why he chose this location to dump the body, as there are many places where it wouldn't be discovered.

After measuring the entire hilltop, Sanada Rei turned to the police officer who had been following them and asked, "Is the victim's body still there?"

The young policeman nodded. "We obtained the family's consent to perform the autopsy in the autopsy room."

Upon learning the victim's information, they immediately notified the family members who had reported the disappearance years ago. The conversation was, well, a long story.

For three years, the family did not give up looking for their child. However, as the days went by, their hopes dwindled. When they received the call from the police, they were prepared for the worst.

But everything collapsed the moment they saw their daughter's body. They weren't a wealthy family, but whose child wasn't precious and beloved?

The mother fainted the moment she saw her daughter's face, and the father barely managed to stand. No one who saw the horrific scene of their child being tortured to death could say that everything was alright.

After the victim's mother woke up, she agreed to a forensic autopsy, but with one request: the murderer must be caught!

The police officer said in a low voice, "That's the situation. We haven't found any useful clues yet, and the pressure is quite high."

Fortunately, the recent bankruptcy of a certain group and the shooting incident in the street have caused quite a stir, and it's all over the news and newspapers. This has prevented the reporters from focusing on their case, giving them a little breathing room.

Of course, the last paragraph was something the police officer, who knew a bit of inside information, kept to himself; some things are better left unsaid.

Sanada Rei: "Let's go to the police station first."

It takes more than half an hour to drive from the foot of the mountain to the police station. On the way, Sanada Rin closed her eyes, deep in thought. Kudo Shinichi rubbed his chin. "What's your take on this?"

"I'm wondering why the murderer chose to dump the body here?"

Typically, serial killers don't do anything meaningless, not even something trivial.

Shinichi Kudo had also looked along the way and thought, "This mountain is not as desolate as I imagined."

Sanada Rin opened her eyes and looked out the window. Yes, there were quite a few residential houses nearby. If someone suddenly felt like exercising in the morning, they could easily get injured.

That dog walker is the best example.

Sanada Rin saw the corpse with her own eyes. It was a bit cold, but she was already used to the low temperature in the autopsy room. The impact of seeing the corpse with her own eyes was far greater than that of taking pictures.

The loss of her eyes made her entire face look terrifying. Sanada Rin carefully examined every scar on the victim's body; she could feel it.

The murderer was excited.

This is bad news, meaning the killer is likely to commit another crime. For a psychopath, once that excitement takes hold, it's hard to extinguish.

Shinichi Kudo doesn't look too good? Nobody can maintain a good mindset in the dissection room.

However, this heaviness plummeted to the bottom when he saw Sanada Rei's expression, making things even worse.

Sanada Rin was always expressionless, but after so many years, I could at least know her to a great extent, if not completely. This expression, and the emotions swirling in her eyes, wow.

Things that can energize Sanada Rin are rarely good things.

Shinichi Kudo leaned closer and lowered his voice, "What did you find?"

Sanada Rin also whispered, "It will continue to commit crimes."

Seeing Shinichi Kudo's grim expression, Rei Sanada added two words, "Soon."

Kudo Shinichi: "..."

This is really not good news. (End of Chapter)