Chapter 109: The Organs Hidden in the Statue’s Abdomen—Su Ming Fires His First Shot!

At this moment.

The conference hall fell into prolonged silence and shock.

Every artist and master present at this sharing session found it hard to believe their eyes as they looked at Zhou Jack on stage. Their expressions were filled with indescribable astonishment.

Because—According to the lead officer who had just spoken—The rising star of the Western art world, Zhou Jack, was actually none other than the long-famous Zhou Shirui?!

And not only that—Zhou Shirui had committed a murder twenty years ago and was only being exposed today. What in the world was going on?

The information Lin Tian revealed sent chills through everyone at the scene. The media personnel were particularly wide-eyed, their excitement and exhilaration obvious. They knew they had stumbled upon a major scoop.

All eyes were now locked onto Zhou Shirui on the stage.

Yet Zhou Shirui’s expression remained unchanged—there was no sign of fear or panic whatsoever.

Or rather—From the moment Lin Tian and his team burst in until now, Zhou Shirui had maintained an eerie calm.

Only within his shadowed gaze lurked a chilling madness and extremity.

He stared at Lin Tian for a few seconds before sweeping his eyes over Su Ming and the surrounding SWAT and criminal police officers.

Then, he let out two eerie chuckles, completely ignoring Lin Tian and Su Ming as he continued his self-absorbed presentation.

“Heh… heh…”

“Now, let us turn our attention to the statue beside me—winner of the 5th Luban Award—titled The Bandaged Girl.”

“The reason I was able to create such an exceptional sculpture was that, twenty years ago, I lured a female university student from Modu University to my studio.”

“After strangling her to death, I used my sculptor’s deep understanding of human skeletal anatomy to carefully separate her limbs, torso, bones, and flesh piece by piece. Then, with unparalleled precision, I sliced her remains into exactly 618 pieces of nearly identical size and shape, before finally—”

Before Zhou Shirui could finish his sentence

BANG!!!

A sharp gunshot rang out.

A bullet grazed Zhou Shirui’s shoulder, piercing through and embedding itself in the blackboard at the back of the hall.

But before Lin Tian could say anything—Zhou Shirui immediately pulled a short dagger from his waist and pressed it against his throat, his left hand hiding behind the statue.

Only the gleaming edge of the dagger was visible, reflecting a cold silver light. His expression turned manic as he growled hoarsely:

“Lin Tian.”

“I know… I just know… You’ve spent the last twenty years nearly driving yourself insane trying to find me, haven’t you?”

“Besides that perfect artwork’s family, you’re probably the one who wants to catch me the most, right?”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk… Are you happy now? The infamous 5.13 Modu University Dismemberment Case is finally about to be solved, huh?”

“But I think, apart from arresting me and securing this so-called justice that’s already twenty years too late—What you really want… is information about the drug trafficking organization Qu Pengfei joined, isn’t it?”

“I can tell you. I have no moral qualms about dragging those people down with me. But on one condition—You must wait until I finish presenting my proudest and most cherished work. Only then will I obediently kneel down and surrender.”

“This is a fair trade.”

The moment those words left his mouth—The entire hall erupted in uproar.

All the esteemed artists present could not believe what they had just heard, their horrified gazes shifting between Zhou Jack and the Luban Award-winning sculpture.

No—at this point, they should be calling him Zhou Shirui.

Because in his own words, he had already admitted it.

Not only had he committed a murder twenty years ago, but the crime he had committed was none other than the infamously gruesome 5.13 Modu University Dismemberment Case.

What sent chills down everyone’s spines—the fact that these art-world masters found hardest to accept—was that—According to Zhou Shirui, the inspiration for his Luban Award-winning piece had come from an actual murder and dismemberment.

This was utterly abhorrent—an unforgivable atrocity.

And worse, it had forever tainted the Luban Award, the highest honor in the sculpting world, with an irreversible stain.

After today—Who would ever take pride in winning the Luban Award again? People would go out of their way to avoid it!

As for Zhou Shirui’s so-called deal—

Lin Tian had no intention whatsoever of engaging in negotiations. The police would never make deals with criminals. However, one thing Zhou Shirui said was true.

If this were solely about bringing long-overdue justice to the 5.13 Modu University Dismemberment Case

Then—Lin Tian would not hesitate to shoot, taking every possible measure to subdue Zhou Shirui. He would bet that the man wouldn’t actually go through with suicide.

And if Zhou Shirui really did have the guts to kill himself, so be it.

A life for a life.

That would be the best possible outcome.

Moreover—It would save the time required for detainment, trial, and appeals, cutting short Zhou Shirui’s remaining days.

But now—That was no longer an option. Zhou Shirui had to be kept alive to extract intelligence about the massive drug trafficking organization.

Lin Tian frowned slightly, glancing at the SWAT commander beside him and whispering without hesitation:

“Is there a sniper positioned for a clear shot?”

“Can we directly shoot through Zhou Shirui’s hand to make him drop the knife?”

The SWAT commander surveyed the surroundings and shook his head in frustration.

“No way.”

“There are no high-rise buildings nearby, and the hall’s windows have curtains drawn, blocking any sightlines.”

“However—”

“If Zhou Shirui’s left hand moves out from behind the statue, I’m confident…”

“I can use my rifle to hit his arm.”

Meanwhile, Su Ming, who had been silent since entering the hall, had yet to draw his gun.

His right hand, however, rested lightly on his waist, his finger subtly flicking off the safety, ensuring that his firearm was always ready to fire.

Eyes locked on Zhou Shirui, he narrowed his gaze and spoke with quiet confidence:

“Director Lin.”

“In a moment, I have a way to make Zhou Shirui drop the dagger, but we need to wait for the right opportunity.”

These words—Made both Lin Tian and the SWAT commander instinctively turn to look at Su Ming.

Lin Tian, who should have been preventing Su Ming from taking unnecessary risks—Thought about the composure and capabilities Su Ming had demonstrated since joining, then simply gave a quiet reminder:

“Don’t push yourself, Xiao Ming.”

“Wait for the right moment. We may only get one chance.”

As the three of them whispered their strategy—Zhou Shirui, his face contorted in fanatical excitement, continued his deranged monologue.

“Every single mark on this statue—was made by my own hand when I carved into that university girl’s body.”

“This—this is true artistic creation!”

“Who would have thought—”

“That something as simple as horizontal cuts, when covering an entire human body, could turn out so exquisite?”

“This surpasses even the golden ratio of 0.618—it’s truly mesmerizing.”

“Of course—If it were only this, it wouldn’t be my most perfect work.”

“Now—Let me show you what makes this statue truly outstanding and flawless.”

Saying this—Zhou Shirui pulled a small sculpting hammer from his pocket, gripping it tightly in his right hand.

Then—He suddenly swung it down onto the stomach of The Bandaged Girl statue.

THUD!!!

The statue was not solid.

With just one hammer strike, the thin layer of plaster on the abdomen cracked and shattered, fragments scattering to the ground.

And inside the broken abdomen—

A pile of shriveled, mummified organs was revealed!

These were the victim’s internal organs—preserved in formalin for nearly twenty years.

At that moment—The entire hall erupted into chaos.

The renowned artists present felt their scalps go numb, some even retching on the spot.

Who could have imagined—That Zhou Shirui had hidden the internal organs of his victim inside the statue?!

For twenty years!!!

Just then—

BANG!!!

The third gunshot rang out in the hall.