Chapter 106: Keeping Up Appearances |
Bai Mu and Misty Rain happened to stumble upon this scene. She tugged at his sleeve, her eyes darting outside the Police Headquarters, signaling that they should lay low for a while.
She figured they should stall for as long as possible and wait for the criminal investigation brigade to leave before reporting in. That way, even if they were dispatched to a Crime Scene, they would at least have some time to prepare.
However, urged on by Inspector Megure, one of the detectives dialed the number of the "new Forensic Doctor." A ringtone immediately chimed from Bai Mu's satchel.
The officers and detectives turned their heads, drawn by the sound. Instantly, four pairs of eyes locked onto each other.
"Inspector Megure, that's them!" the detective exclaimed, pointing at the pair with a look of pleasant surprise.
"What are you smiling for?" Inspector Megure snapped, slapping the man's hat. "Hurry up and welcome them!"
"Oh..." The detective scratched his head and walked over, looking slightly aggrieved.
Inside the Police Headquarters, the criminal investigation brigade was already surging outward with imposing momentum. Inspector Megure seemed to hold a rather high position, as everyone was moving under his direct orders and coordination.
There was nowhere left to hide. The detective approached them, bowing politely as he asked, "You two must be Mr. Ishikawa Shiro and Ms. Hasegawa Ame, graduates from Kyoto University, correct? Hello, I am the Patrol Officer in charge of recruitment, Endo Asuka."
"Hello," Misty Rain greeted, also shaking the detective's hand.
It seemed this counted as reporting in, for the Paradise system's notification chime rang out.
[Main Quest Updated: Perfectly play the role of a Forensic Doctor. Do not let any resident of Beika Town discover any flaws in your disguise.]
Endo spoke up, "Please forgive the poor reception. We were originally supposed to hold a welcome party for you two, but as you can see, the department is currently extremely short-handed. A murder just occurred, so I am afraid we will have to trouble you to accompany the team to the scene."
"It is no problem, Mr. Endo," Bai Mu replied. He leaned in closer and lowered his voice, "We came prepared for this. However, is that fierce-looking officer our boss?"
"You mean Inspector Megure?" Endo's ears perked up. He threw a wary glance toward the entrance of the Police Headquarters. Seeing that Inspector Megure was still busy directing the detectives, he let out a sigh of relief. "Inspector Megure is the chief of the Third Investigation Division. He is actually quite easy to get along with most of the time."
"Strictly speaking, he is not your direct superior. You were originally supposed to report to the Medical Examiner's Office, but there have been so many cases lately that they are completely overwhelmed. The department is essentially empty right now, which is why I was temporarily assigned to receive you."
"Understood," Bai Mu nodded.
"Let us skip the idle chatter, then," Endo said. "Follow me to the car. I will drive you to the scene. The investigation department will bring all the tools you might need."
Since things had reached this point, there was no room for refusal.
Bai Mu and Misty Rain had no choice but to follow Endo into the vehicle. Bai Mu took the initiative to sit in the passenger seat, while Misty Rain sensibly climbed into the back.
Up ahead, the detective squad had already driven off. Endo's car trailed at the very back of the convoy. Sirens wailed as the police cars blazed through red lights, yet despite the massive commotion, barely a single pedestrian on either side of the road even bothered to look back.
"According to the informant, the deceased is a female," Endo explained. "She was a gallery owner. There do not appear to be any obvious external injuries, so we might need you two to test her blood later to rule out certain causes of death."
Hearing the word "test," Misty Rain frowned slightly from the backseat.
No emotion could be seen on Bai Mu's face, however. His expression management had always been impeccable. Besides, Endo had just mentioned that apart from him and Misty Rain, there were no other available Forensic Doctors in the entire Police Headquarters.
This meant that it wasn't just them who were clueless about the profession—not a single person present knew the first thing about it either.
If no one understood the field, then they had plenty of room to maneuver.
This world was essentially one giant, makeshift theater troupe. As long as they kept up appearances, acted the part well enough to look convincing, and successfully bluffed their way through, that would be more than enough.
Many so-called "professionals" operated exactly like this—they simply looked intimidatingly competent on the surface.
Besides, the Main Quest only required them to avoid exposing any flaws in their disguise; it never explicitly stated that they actually had to deduce the cause of death.
With enough nerve and a thick enough skin, one could confidently declare black as white.
Bai Mu listened to Endo recount the details of the police report with a thoroughly serious expression, pen and paper in hand. He looked as though he was paying the utmost attention, taking meticulous notes, but in reality, he was just aimlessly doodling in his small notebook.
Before long, the police car pulled to a stop.
They had arrived at a luxury apartment building. Just outside the complex sat a subway station and a bustling shopping mall. The location was prime real estate; a single glance was enough to tell that housing prices here were exorbitant.
Detectives were already setting up barricades and police tape to block off the area. Bai Mu and Misty Rain stepped out of the car and followed Endo to retrieve their toolkits.
"These are the tools the medical examiners typically use," Endo said, pointing into the open trunk of a police cruiser. "I have no idea what any of these are for, so please select whatever you need."
Misty Rain looked at Bai Mu nervously. She didn't recognize more than half the items in the trunk. There were reagents with complicated names and small, peculiarly shaped instruments.
Out of this massive pile of equipment, the only things she recognized were the scalpels, tweezers, hammers, white lab coats, and medical gloves.
She was too afraid to touch anything, terrified that using a tool incorrectly would expose her as a fake Forensic Doctor. Deciding to play copycat, she waited to see what Bai Mu would do first.
Bai Mu calmly picked up a white coat and draped it over his shoulders, followed by a surgical mask and medical gloves. He flashed Misty Rain an "OK" hand sign, then turned to speak to Endo.
"Mr. Endo, take us to the scene first."
"You are not going to grab any other tools, Mr. Ishikawa?" Endo asked, looking confused.
"We need to examine the scene first before we can determine which tools are required," Bai Mu explained smoothly. "After all, there are far too many uncertainties based solely on verbal information about the deceased."
"For instance, the time of death, the age and skin condition of the victim, whether they suffered from any organ diseases, or if they were on long-term medication. If we do not factor in the actual circumstances, our testing and evidence collection will yield inaccurate results."
"As Forensic Doctors, we must strive for the utmost rigor in our work. Therefore, we must base our judgments on the physical reality of the scene."
"That makes perfect sense." Endo wore an expression of sudden realization. "Then, without further ado, I will take you to the scene immediately."
Misty Rain had already followed Bai Mu's lead and changed into her gear. From an angle where Endo couldn't see, she shot Bai Mu a thumbs-up.
Never mind Endo—even she felt like Bai Mu was a seasoned professional after listening to that speech.
The two followed Endo past the police cordon.
Endo introduced them to the other officers along the way, allowing them to familiarize themselves with everyone's faces.
They took the elevator to the very top floor of the apartment building, where a crowd of officers had surrounded a particular room.
They finally laid eyes on the deceased. It was a well-lit studio, featuring a canvas with a half-finished painting of sunflowers resting on an easel.
The victim lay collapsed in front of the easel, a paint-stained brush still clutched in her hand.