Chapter 106: No Way to Escape! Everyone, Find the Culprit!

Wang Hu’s words instantly drew Su Ming and Lin Tian’s full attention.

Now that they had confirmed the human skeletons were purchased cadavers rather than the result of murder, their top priority shifted to identifying Zhou Shirui’s new identity and bringing him to justice.

At this moment, the face displayed on the screen had an oval shape with slightly curved contours, smooth cheekbones with no sharp protrusions, a high nose bridge, thick lips, and a pair of slightly wrinkled peach-blossom eyes that enhanced his overall charm.

Simply put, this face looked completely different from Zhou Shirui.

Zhou Shirui had an inherently unattractive appearance, whereas the man in the ID photo was a rather charming middle-aged gentleman.

In other words, no one would have expected that Zhou Shirui, having shed his old identity, could change so drastically.

At this point, Wang Hu pointed at the image on the computer screen and explained:

“Brother Ming, Director Lin, this Chinese sculptor named Zhou Jack is most likely Zhou Shirui’s new identity.

So far, all the information aligns with our deductions.

First, Zhou Jack holds a U.S. passport, is thirty-eight years old, and came to our country a few years ago to further his sculpting skills. He now resides in Modu.

Second, I checked international sources—before coming here, Zhou Jack had no reputation in the U.S. No presence on major social media or Wikipedia.

For a sculptor, even one who isn’t well-known, this level of obscurity is highly unusual.

Most importantly…

Despite just arriving in Modu less than a month ago, Zhou Jack produced a sculpture titled Free Flight, which gained considerable attention both domestically and abroad.

How does someone go from being a complete unknown to an overnight sensation the moment they step into our country?

It’s just too suspicious.

Finally, and most critically—

Over the past few years, Zhou Jack has rapidly risen to fame in our country’s sculpture scene and eagerly participates in various sculpting exhibitions and events.

Normally, a newly inspired artist should devote more time to their craft, yet Zhou Jack does the opposite.

Despite this, he continues to produce stunning and remarkable works.

I also noticed—Whenever Zhou Jack attended an exhibition, Zhou Shirui was never present.

Likewise, Zhou Shirui attended numerous major art events where Zhou Jack was conspicuously absent, even when both had been invited to the same venue.”

Hearing Wang Hu’s analysis, Lin Tian narrowed his eyes thoughtfully before issuing a decisive order:

“Looks like… we’re about to flush him out.

Huzi, check ticketing records immediately—see if Zhou Jack has entered Fantawild Amusement Park in the past few days.

Then, review the surveillance footage from the exit window Xiaoming selected. See if there’s any record of Zhou Jack leaving the park.

This will further confirm his identity.”

Next, Lin Tian turned to the other officers in the tech department and commanded without hesitation:

“The rest of you, find Zhou Jack’s temporary residence. Check if he has registered at any hotels.

We must act quickly—confirm his identity while also locking down his location!”

Not only was Lin Tian issuing decisive orders, but Su Ming also felt 80% certain. However, being meticulous, he couldn’t allow for any errors.

Realizing there was an even faster way to verify their suspicions, he turned to Xu Changsheng in the video feed and calmly instructed:

“Brother Sheng, could you check whether any of the human skeletons in the back row were created between late 2018 and early 2019?”

Upon hearing this, Xu Changsheng, who had just been listening to Wang Hu, immediately brightened with understanding. As he walked toward the fourth and fifth skeletons, he speculated:

“Xiaoming, are you thinking…

The reason Zhou Shirui’s new identity rose to fame so quickly is that he drew inspiration from these skeletons?

That he used a ‘Prince and the Pauper’ trick to disguise his usual sculpting techniques and pass them off as the work of Zhou Jack, a sculptor ‘newly arrived from the U.S.’?”

After a few steps, Xu Changsheng stopped at the fifth skeleton. Using a high-intensity flashlight, he carefully examined it before exclaiming with suppressed excitement:

“Found it.

Xiaoming, listen to this inscription—it should confirm whether this so-called Zhou Jack is actually Zhou Shirui’s new identity.

The inscription reads:

‘Completed on January 23, 2019. Thank you, Ms. Li Qian, for donating your remains.

With the inspiration I’ve gained from you, I will create a sculpture centered around the theme of freedom.’”

A sculpture centered on freedom?

That’s precisely the theme of Free Flight, the piece Zhou Jack created within a month of arriving in Modu!

Su Ming quickly pulled up Zhou Shirui’s past works and confirmed that, from 2019 onward, none of them had any connection to the concept of freedom.

In fact, when analyzing the number of works he produced—It was clear that in recent years, Zhou Shirui’s output had dropped to less than half of what it had been before.

Not only that, but the quality of his works had noticeably declined, leading many to speculate that he was experiencing creative burnout.

In reality, Zhou Shirui had been publishing his best works under the name Zhou Jack, laying the groundwork for his escape.

The more renowned Zhou Jack became, the more deeply ingrained his identity would be in the art world, making him a legitimate public figure rather than an inexplicably new persona.

Once the transition was complete, Zhou Shirui could fully abandon his old identity and embrace his new life as Zhou Jack.

Realizing this, Su Ming exhaled deeply before turning to Lin Tian and stating firmly:

“Director Lin, I believe we can now confirm that this so-called Zhou Jack…

Is actually Zhou Shirui, who underwent plastic surgery in Korea and carefully crafted this identity as his escape route.”

“Once he was discovered by the police…

He planned to completely discard the renowned Zhou Shirui persona and start anew as Zhou Jack.”

Just as Su Ming finished speaking, Wang Hu, who had been checking surveillance footage, suddenly exclaimed:

“Confirmed! Zhou Jack was seen exiting Fantawild Amusement Park, but ticketing records show no record of him entering in the past few days!”

Right after, the other officers in the criminal investigation tech team also reported their findings one after another:

“Zhou Jack’s vehicle was captured on road surveillance yesterday!”

“He stayed at a five-star hotel last night and checked out at seven this morning!”

“surveillance has tracked his current location—right now, he’s at today’s newly opened…

Luban Award Exhibition!!!”