Ren Yuanhao looked utterly drained, thinking to himself: *Today, I’ve been tortured physically, and now I have to suffer mentally too. Damn it, this is too much!*
**Beep beep! System detects employer’s unresolved doubts. Suggestion: Transform into a detective, uncover the truth, and improve satisfaction rating. Conan Edogawa buff activated!**
A sudden clarity washed over Ren Yuanhao’s mind, followed by a chilling sensation.
With Conan’s intellect now coursing through him, his IQ skyrocketed instantly.
"Murong Yan, what you’re implying is that the victim didn’t drown—she was already dead before entering the water, which is why no water entered her lungs?"
"Exactly! You and I are on the same page!"
Ren Yuanhao’s brow lifted slightly as he continued, "If that’s the case, the killer dumped her body in the sea to avoid attracting attention from fishermen or passing boats. So, is it possible they injected something into her body or skin to mask the smell of decomposition?"
"That could explain it. Seawater has high salinity, and the farther out you go, the more microbes are killed by the salt. Combined with the ocean currents, over time, the smell could indeed fade."
Murong Yan paused her work and was about to call the relevant authorities when the victim’s family member suddenly pushed open the door—a middle-aged man in his forties.
His face was haggard, his eyes swollen from crying. He looked closer to sixty.
"Sir, this is a restricted area. Unauthorized personnel aren’t allowed," Murong Yan said firmly.
"I’m not unauthorized! I’m her father!"
"You’re her father?" Murong Yan glanced at the pale, bloated face of the deceased. Given her estimated age of around twenty, it wasn’t impossible for her to have a father this old.
"Oh heavens, what sin have I committed to deserve this?!"
The man seemed unable to contain his grief, his entire body trembling with sorrow.
Ren Yuanhao studied him carefully. The man’s eyes were bloodshot, his hands rough and calloused. His left shoulder was slightly higher than his right—likely from years of hauling fishing nets with his dominant right side.
But something still felt off. Had this father really not contacted his daughter at all during her disappearance? And why was he so certain her death was due to drowning rather than foul play?
"Sir, your relationship with your daughter wasn’t very good, was it?"
Murong Yan frowned, about to reprimand Ren Yuanhao, but the man nodded and said, "We had a fight before she left. That’s why I didn’t reach out. It’s happened before—she’d always come back once she cooled down. But this time..."
"But this time, she didn’t go to a friend’s place. Instead, she chose to end her life. Am I right?" Ren Yuanhao pressed further. Murong Yan hesitated but soon understood his intent and didn’t intervene.
The man simply nodded silently, then pulled out a set of clothes from his coat and knelt before Murong Yan, tears streaming down his face.
"Master, please… dress her in these. They were her favorite. She loved cleanliness, and this… is the last thing I can do for her."
It was a turquoise strapless dress. After Murong Yan took it, the man retreated with a somber expression, leaving the two alone again.
"Did you notice anything?" Murong Yan now regarded Ren Yuanhao as someone reliable—a man she could trust.
Ren Yuanhao pointed at the dress. "Inspect that clothing carefully."
Though puzzled, Murong Yan complied. She spread out the garment, examining it closely but found nothing unusual.
"Smell it," Ren Yuanhao suggested, tapping his temple.
Murong Yan leaned in and inhaled—a crisp, floral fragrance filled her nostrils.
"It’s just as he said. She was very particular about cleanliness. Nothing seems off."
Ren Yuanhao’s lips curled slightly as he glanced at the sunlight filtering through the window, deep in thought.
"Think about it. Based on that man’s physical traits, I’m certain he’s a fisherman. And from his words, it sounds like he lived with his daughter. Fishermen’s homes are prone to dampness, even mold, and usually reek of fish. But does this dress carry even a hint of those odors?"
"That *is* strange. And if the daughter ran away, she would’ve taken her favorite clothes with her. For the father to bring this now, yet not realize that inconsistency… something’s not right."
Ren Yuanhao’s gaze sharpened. "Which proves one thing—he’s lying."
"Exactly. From the moment he insisted his daughter drowned herself, I found it hard to believe."
"So you suspect he’s the mastermind behind this?"
"We have no evidence. And in this place, even if we had a hundred arguments, we couldn’t convince the friends and family waiting outside. A single ‘let the dead rest in peace’ would be enough to justify cremating the body. Once it’s gone, there’s no proof left!"