Chapter 378: The Poker Organization’s Business Chain and the Never-Ending Loan Shark Debt

The corpse belonged to a well-known model.

Chief Walker came jogging in with this piece of information, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.

Compared to interrogating members of underground gangs to gather intel on the Poker Organization, identifying the victim seemed like a far more efficient approach.

As for the victim being a model, Su Ming had already suspected as much.

When examining the body earlier, the first thing he noticed was that the victim had been financially well-off. The clothes and jewelry she wore were luxury items far beyond what an average person could afford.

Moreover, even in the generally tall population of the United States, this woman’s height was considered above average for females.

Most importantly, her skeletal structure and body proportions were clearly well-maintained. She was the type of woman who managed her figure meticulously and had strong self-discipline.

Taking all of this into account, Su Ming had guessed that the woman whose face had been skinned was likely involved in the entertainment or modeling industry.

As for why her face had been removed, aside from possibly serving as a decoy, it was very likely done to prevent immediate identification and avoid further complications.

Now, Chief Walker’s statement had only further confirmed that line of reasoning.

At that moment, Su Ming looked at Chief Walker, who was still panting from his run, and nodded slightly before speaking.

“Chief Walker.”

“Have you identified the other two male corpses? And what about the rest of the bodies? Were any of them security personnel from Queen’s Casino?”

At Su Ming’s question, Chief Walker looked a bit embarrassed. He wiped away the sweat that had trickled down from his run and quickly responded.

“No, not yet.”

“Detective Su Ming, we’ve only had the bodies back for less than two hours. There’s just no way to complete DNA testing and comparison that quickly.”

“Since this woman was the only female among all the victims, I prioritized her for DNA testing to hopefully uncover useful leads.”

“As for the rest, it’ll take some more time before we get results.”

Su Ming wasn’t surprised by that answer. He nodded slightly. The efficiency of the U.S. police really left much to be desired.

Even being able to identify one body in such a short time was already quite an achievement.

With that in mind, Su Ming didn’t dwell on the rest of the unidentified corpses. He immediately continued.

“Chief Walker.”

“You just said this victim was once a well-known model in New York. That ‘once’—does it mean she suddenly quit the modeling industry at some point?”

Chief Walker’s expression turned a little wistful, and he answered without hesitation.

“Yes.”

“The victim’s name was Ellie. About three years ago, she rose to fame in the fashion world through a stroke of luck. She received a flood of invitations from major fashion houses, and her appearance fees kept climbing.”

“Because of her stunning looks and exceptional runway presence, she was hailed as a future global supermodel.”

“But around half a year ago, Ellie suddenly held a press conference and announced she was quitting the modeling world and would no longer appear in public.”

“That announcement caused quite a stir in the U.S. fashion scene at the time.”

“Given her trajectory, Ellie had a high chance of becoming an international icon. For her to suddenly walk away from that—it’s such a waste, don’t you think?”

“Even several luxury brands tried to recruit her afterward, hoping she’d become an exclusive model for their high-end clothing and handbags.”

“No one expected that someone with such a promising future would end up like this…”

Before Chief Walker could finish, Su Ming raised a hand to cut him off, frowning as he spoke.

“Hold on, Chief Walker.”

“Think carefully. This Ellie—when exactly did she quit the fashion industry? Was it before or after the incident involving Little Morgan?”

Chief Walker paused, then furrowed his brows in thought. After a moment, he answered with certainty.

“Before. I’m sure of it.”

“After seeing that video, I memorized the date of Young Master Morgan’s incident.”

“And while I don’t remember the exact date Ellie quit, I do have a general impression. I’m confident about the sequence of events.”

“Young Master Morgan’s murder definitely happened after Ellie left the modeling world.”

“But I think… the gap between the two events was fairly long—maybe around twenty days?”

Su Ming didn’t respond immediately.

Instead, he pulled out his phone, opened a browser, and began searching for the relevant information.

A few seconds later, he held up the screen in front of Chief Walker and shook his head with a hint of helplessness.

“Chief Walker, it seems your memory isn’t as reliable as you thought.”

“While it’s true that Ellie held a press conference to announce her retirement from modeling before Little Morgan’s death, the time gap wasn’t as long as you remembered. It was only five days later that footage of Little Morgan’s murder was captured.”

“Right now, what we can confirm is that Ellie, this once-famous model, definitely knew something important about the Poker Organization. That’s why she was silenced.”

“The question is—what was that key piece of information? And why did the timing of her exit from the fashion world align so closely with Little Morgan’s death?”

“Could there be some connection or coincidence here?”

At that point, Lan Jing, who had been standing nearby, adjusted the black-rimmed glasses on his face and spoke up seriously.

“From a psychological standpoint, someone like Ellie, who rose to fame through a chance opportunity and continued to gain popularity by actively participating in fashion shows…”

“Her personality was likely very driven and career-focused. She wouldn’t be the type to give up her profession easily.”

“Standing in the spotlight would have given her a sense of vanity that’s nearly impossible to let go of—like an addiction.”

“Under normal circumstances, someone like her wouldn’t suddenly walk away from a career she had already succeeded in. There must have been a compelling reason or some form of coercion.”

At that moment, Chief Walker, who had been stunned by how quickly Su Ming and the others had pieced things together, suddenly seemed to remember something. He raised his hand and exclaimed.

“Wait, wait!”

“Detective Su Ming, I just remembered a news story. After Ellie quit the fashion industry, a few paparazzi reported that…”

“She had been frequently seen at various casinos. They speculated that she might have taken out high-interest loans and was forced to leave the modeling world because of it.”