Chapter 143: The Vanity and Inferiority of Rose—Cosmetic Surgery or Wearing a Human Skin Mask?

Finding Rose’s New Identity.

This has become the most crucial and important task for Su Ming, Lin Tian, and the others at the moment.

Of course, within the Xicheng Criminal Investigation Team of Gusu City, finding the new identity of the poison, or “Rose,” is also the only task currently assigned to Liu Yang, Bai Yu, and the others.

From the initial investigation into Zhou Shiru, to the poison, and then to Rose, it’s become very clear…

After joining this drug trafficking organization, in order to make the case’s clues harder to find, or to completely erase the inherent flaws in the murder, the members of this drug trafficking group would, after the case’s attention dies down, or even before the incident takes place, choose to abandon their original identities and adopt entirely new ones to live or walk through society.

It’s like…

The poison who had their original identity canceled, and Rose who supposedly went abroad to study and never returned.

This method of clearing clues is undeniably effective, especially when paired with Rose’s human skin mask.

It can be said that the members of this drug trafficking organization each have at least two social identities, which undoubtedly increases the difficulty of tracking them down many times over.

—

At this moment, inside the meeting room of the Yuhua Criminal Investigation Team.

With the assistance of the technical department and the victim’s boyfriend, Gao Chao had already placed Lan Yujun’s social circle content and a transfer record onto the projection screen.

“I initially wanted to check the bank card receipt information of Rose’s parents to judge…”

“Whether, during these five years of supposed immigration to the U.S., Rose had sent her parents any living expenses, and if so, where the transfers were made.”

“That is, using the bank’s branch code to find relevant information.”

“But unfortunately, in these five years, Rose did not send any money to her parents.”

“And I noticed something.”

“Three days before the so-called study abroad, Rose transferred all her visible savings to her mother, totaling 1.2 million.”

“Being a mortician is indeed a well-paying job, as long as they can overcome their inner fear.”

“At the same time, the deceased’s family often gives out red envelopes just to get the mortician to handle the deceased with extra care and appearance.”

“Under such circumstances…”

“In just a few years, Rose saving 1.2 million isn’t particularly hard, but this was probably most of her savings at the time.”

“There’s another important piece of information.”

“Rose’s relationship with her parents doesn’t seem very good, and there seems to be some resentment.”

“This can be roughly inferred from Rose’s father asking Rose to support his younger brother’s education after he lost his ability to work.”

“At that time, transferring the 1.2 million savings to her parents actually meant that Rose was very clear that she would never use the identity of Lan Yujun again.”

“After taking out the 1.2 million, it was as if she had severed ties with her original family—completely free from any debt.”

Hearing this, Guo Ping, a strong man with dark skin, though not very good at reasoning, couldn’t help but speak up as he looked at the projection screen.

“If she’s no longer using the identity of Lan Yujun, then why waste time updating her social circle? Wouldn’t it be better to just stop updating it?”

“I’ve seen Rose’s social circle, and there are many carefully taken photos, and several mutual friends with the victim’s boyfriend have liked and commented.”

“This choice to keep updating and maintaining her social circle seems like it would only increase the risk of exposure, right?”

Sitting next to him, Lan Jing, adjusting her large black-framed glasses, confidently explained.

“Maintaining her social circle is likely due to Rose’s personality and vanity.”

“First, based on earlier case analysis and criminal psychology, we can be certain…”

“Rose belongs to a pathological group that needs attention and is extremely vain, with a very high sense of self-esteem.”

“These points can be seen from how Rose cruelly peeled off the deceased’s face, seeking revenge for the attention the deceased received in the past, drawing all eyes away from her.”

“Then, her inner vanity and high self-esteem are evident in how she used the deceased’s cosmetics after stealing them and how she reacted when receiving the same cosmetics as a birthday gift from the deceased—angry and abusive, like a cat whose tail was stepped on.”

“When the deceased and her boyfriend were financially struggling, Rose probably didn’t want to help from the bottom of her heart, but rather, to fulfill her deep-rooted vanity.”

“Once the most affluent, with a family so well-off she could freely choose her college major, but now reduced to a pitiful state—imagine her, with a bit of spare cash, wouldn’t she seem to lend money, but actually show off?”

“That’s why she was so furious when her offer was rejected by the deceased.”

“Because the show-off she had long expected never took place. Instead, she was forcibly reminded of how the deceased’s boyfriend had once rejected her and showed affection for the deceased.”

“And since Rose had already told the deceased that she was going to study abroad in the U.S…”

“She likely mentioned it to other classmates too. Moreover, from the content on the projection screen, the posts about her departure and arrival in the U.S. did indeed attract a lot of likes.”

“In this aspect, Rose definitely gained unprecedented satisfaction.”

“That’s why she chose to update her social circle, purely to show off and make up for her sense of inferiority during her university years.”

“From a criminal psychology perspective, Rose needed the admiration and envy from those college classmates or alumni more than anyone else’s.”

“Because she firmly believed that her college years were the most humiliating, insignificant, and unnoticed period of her life.”

“Thus, she needed their recognition, and this might have been one of the reasons she chose to kill the deceased.”

“She believed…”

“That most of her brilliance during college had been overshadowed by the deceased.”

“So I can basically confirm one thing.”

At this point, Lan Jing pointed at the photos on the projection screen with the confidence of someone holding a doctorate in advanced psychology.

“These photos are real, not synthesized or taken from the internet.”

“Because Rose is very afraid of being exposed. We can see this from how she hid her career as a mortician. She really cares about how others perceive her, especially her college classmates.”

“So to avoid being accused of using online photos or faking her study abroad, Rose, as a member of a drug trafficking organization with unimaginable wealth, and with a brand new, flawless identity…”

“She spends a few days every year traveling abroad, taking photos under the name of Lan Yujun. This isn’t difficult at all.”

“My only uncertainty is…”

“Did Rose undergo cosmetic surgery, like Zhou Shiru, to maintain her original identity by wearing a human skin mask?”

“Or…”

“Has she never had surgery, and when appearing in public, always wears a human skin mask?”