Chapter 102: Unearthing Zhou Shirui’s Dismemberment Chamber—Over Twenty Human Skeletons Discovered!

Time had passed.

Yet his appearance had not changed at all!

This alone was enough to prove that something was off about Zhou Shirui.

After all, there was no such thing as an elixir of immortality in this world. On top of that, Zhou Shirui had a known habit of using drugs. Even if he were consuming high-purity substances, it should have inevitably led to a gaunt face and an unhealthy complexion.

Yet now, despite the passing of time, there was no change whatsoever.

This completely confirmed Su Ming’s earlier deductions.

After all, if Zhou Shirui was wearing a human-skin mask over his face, it would naturally conceal the emaciation and sickly pallor associated with drug addiction.

Moreover, South Korea was renowned for its plastic surgery industry.

This added even more credibility to the theory. At this point, they could be almost 100% certain—Zhou Shirui had walked into Fantawild Amusement Park wearing a human-skin mask that replicated his original face.

Then—Somewhere in the park, he found a secluded spot without surveillance cameras, removed the human-skin mask, and changed his clothes.

With a completely altered appearance, he boldly walked out of Fantawild Amusement Park.

…

At that moment—Lin Tian no longer hesitated. Sweeping his gaze over the forensic team, he immediately issued a crucial order:

“Everyone except for An Quan, rewatch the twenty-minute surveillance footage that Xiao Ming flagged earlier. Identify anyone resembling a drug addict.”

“Run a thorough check on their details. If necessary, compare them with the footage from the park entrance. We must identify Zhou Shirui after his plastic surgery.”

“From the perspective of disguise—Although we can’t determine the exact facial details now, we can roughly assess his height and clothing choices.”

“First, height is easier to increase than decrease. It’s nearly impossible to shrink in stature. Based on my judgment, Zhou Shirui likely wore height-boosting shoes.”

“But he wouldn’t have gone overboard with it—otherwise, he’d attract too much attention. He likely adjusted his height to a common standard, around 175 cm.”

“Next is his clothing.”

“Since he went into the park wearing black, to avoid suspicion, it’s highly probable that he exited wearing white.”

“This would create the first impression that—He couldn’t possibly be Zhou Shirui, thus avoiding initial scrutiny.”

“Lastly, pay special attention to anyone who deliberately stayed close to other people while leaving the park and avoided looking around too much.”

“In my years of experience—Most criminals who know a location is heavily monitored will instinctively suppress their behavior. They avoid making eye contact, fearing that our trained instincts will pick up on their unease.”

“Even though Zhou Shirui changed his face, out of caution, he would likely try to blend in as much as possible, behaving like a normal visitor rather than constantly looking around.”

“By sticking close to other visitors, he could minimize his presence.”

These seasoned insights—Earned Su Ming’s nod of approval.

Although Zhou Shirui had been extremely brazen in his actions yesterday—going as far as provoking the police with a dismemberment video—They could not forget: that was before he removed his human-skin mask.

At the time, he was still maintaining his original identity, so he had the freedom to be arrogant and reckless.

But the moment he took off the mask—He would have to be cautious. At the very least, he couldn’t afford to be too bold.

Because—A false identity could never withstand scrutiny.

If the police took notice of him again, now that he had revealed his true face, Zhou Shirui wouldn’t get a second chance to slip away.

Once it was confirmed that Zhou Shirui hadn’t disappeared into thin air—Su Ming immediately pulled out his phone and dialed Xu Changsheng.

After a few seconds—The call connected, accompanied by the roaring sound of a speeding engine.

Su Ming didn’t hesitate and spoke immediately:

“Brother Sheng.”

“We’ve found a critical lead on Zhou Shirui.”

“So when you arrive at the sculpture studio, no matter who you see inside—no matter how young they appear, no matter how different they look from Zhou Shirui—Subdue them first. No questions asked!”

“If no one’s there, then search the studio for evidence.”

“And one more thing—If you don’t find the internal organs of the 5.13 dismemberment case victims, check carefully for a sculpture titled The Bandaged Girl.”

“I strongly suspect—The stomach of that sculpture has been hollowed out, and the victims’ internal organs are hidden inside.”

“That’s all for now. No further instructions.”

After finishing, Su Ming hung up immediately and returned to the surveillance footage, determined to find Zhou Shirui’s altered appearance as soon as possible.

…

Three minutes later.

Four police cars and two SWAT armored vehicles arrived at Zhou Shirui’s sculpture studio—or rather, a secluded villa.

A large number of officers surrounded the entire villa, setting up blue police cordons to prevent anyone from entering or leaving.

At the forefront, fully armed SWAT officers carried riot shields. Faced with the locked entrance, they showed no courtesy, immediately producing bolt cutters and a cutting saw.

Within seconds—The villa’s front door was forcefully breached. SWAT officers holding riot shields stormed inside, advancing systematically through the interior.

At the same time—One SWAT member equipped with infrared imaging conducted a meticulous scan, ensuring no unexpected surprises.

Meanwhile—Xu Changsheng and his criminal investigators remained outside, waiting.

Professional tasks were best left to professionals. It was the safest approach and minimized unnecessary casualties.

After three minutes—A SWAT officer emerged from the villa, removing his gas mask. He nodded at Xu Changsheng.

“Captain Xu.”

“We’ve searched thoroughly. No explosives detected.”

“No one is inside the villa at the moment, but there are clear signs of recent activity. You’ll need to inspect it yourselves.”

Xu Changsheng nodded, patted the SWAT officer’s shoulder, and signaled his team to take over the scene, beginning the search for clues and evidence.

The villa had two floors.

The first floor was a gallery showcasing Zhou Shirui’s various plaster sculptures, including numerous award-winning pieces from both domestic and international competitions.

However—After carefully checking multiple times, Xu Changsheng didn’t find The Bandaged Girl mentioned in Su Ming’s call.

So, he proceeded to the second floor.

The second floor—Had been deliberately modified by Zhou Shirui.

Aside from a single forcibly breached room, there were no walls or separate rooms—only a vast, open space with no windows, making it appear simple yet massive.

A massive wall-mounted mirror was installed, likely to enhance the sense of space and allow Zhou Shirui to scrutinize his sculpting details.

In other words—The entire second floor was his workspace. Tools were neatly arranged along the walls, their meticulous order suggesting severe obsessive-compulsive tendencies.

Next—Xu Changsheng pushed open the only door on this floor, intending to examine its contents.

Inside, the room was similarly spartan, devoid of any decorations.

There was only a computer, a design workstation, and a plain bookshelf lined with various trophies.

After surveying the villa—Xu Changsheng found nothing particularly valuable on this floor, let alone useful clues.

At this moment—He fell into deep thought.

Something wasn’t right.

Given Zhou Shirui’s twisted mindset—treating murder as art—how could he not leave behind some sort of “trophy” as a keepsake?

Moreover—The room in the dismemberment video wasn’t large. It certainly didn’t occupy the entire second floor of this villa.

The entire second floor…?

At that instant—A realization struck Xu Changsheng.

He quickly returned to the main workspace and carefully observed its dimensions.

Then, pacing across the room, he began measuring its length and width with his steps.

Seconds later—His eyes widened in shock.

The actual size of the workspace—Was smaller than it appeared.

Clearly—There had to be a hidden chamber.

Without hesitation, Xu Changsheng returned to the small office and examined the bookshelf.

Upon closer inspection—He discovered that the trophy bases were glued down, ensuring they wouldn’t fall even if the shelf was moved.

This peculiar design—Confirmed his suspicions.

He immediately pushed the bookshelf aside, revealing a hidden security door painted to blend with the wall.

Without delay—He called over two SWAT officers, who swiftly used riot shields and cutting tools to breach the door.

A minute later—The moment the door was pried open—Before anyone could even step inside—A pungent formalin stench gushed out.

Then—As flashlight beams pierced the darkness—Over twenty neatly arranged, flesh-stripped human skeletons came into view…