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"A'Zhen has always been obedient, never staying out overnight since she was young," said Sister Liang, visibly worried. "Even if she goes out to play, she would send a message, not just vanish without a word."

"God forbid," interjected an old lady from another stall. "There have been two recent cases of human skinning, and both victims were women. I hope A'Zhen is alright."

Zhu Si, standing nearby, suddenly wore an odd expression. His furious face gradually calmed, his scarred eyes concealing mockery, while the corners of his mouth curled into a sneer.

Recalling the gruesome newspaper reports, Sister Liang felt the world spinning around her, as if the sky were about to collapse.

"What should we do?" Having searched everywhere her daughter might be, Sister Liang still couldn't find her. "If anything happens to A'Zhen, I don't think I could go on living."

"Relax for now," the elder brother remained composed, and then recalled something, "Oh right, wasn't that Master Sugar Water quite skilled in fortune-telling this morning? I've heard that truly skilled masters can even locate lost items, let alone people."

"Should we consult Master Chu first?"

Someone at the entrance of the corridor cast a glance and promptly called back.

"The master is still there! Hurry up!"

Zhu Si, unperturbed, pushed the cart behind them, not partaking in the commotion.

Chu Yuening set down the gossip newspaper and looked at the anxious Sister Liang. "Don't panic, take your time to speak."

Soon, Sister Liang had laid out the details. After listening, Chu Yuening asked for A'Zhen's birth date and time. "The direction is north, towards Kowloon Tong."

There was still a chance of survival, but it was extremely risky, with her fate hanging by a thread.

A'Zhen was in grave danger.

The more Chu Yuening calculated, the more similarities she found between A'Zhen's situation and that of the deceased girl.

Suddenly—

The wooden wheels rolled on the concrete, making a sound. Someone was coming from the corridor.

Chu Yuening lifted her gaze to see Zhu Si pushing a cart past her with a grim expression, his eyes fixated on her.

His eerie gaze sent shivers down her spine.

She released her fingers from her calculations, her cold gaze following suit, turning even darker.

After Zhu Si left, she turned to Sister Liang. "Call the police right away."

Nightfall descended.

Zhu Si pushed the cart into the storage shed. Outside the low, flat-roofed house stood a makeshift pigsty with three piglets grunting as they devoured the leftovers in their feeding trough.

Looking at the pigs in the pen, Zhu Si's expression turned disdainful. "Eat, eat, eat – all you know how to do is eat! One of these days, you'll grow big enough to be consumed by humans!"

With that, he grabbed a nearby piece of firewood and tossed it at them.

The pigs, startled, scattered, leaving behind a pungent scent of feces.

Zhu Si retrieved a hog-killing knife from beside the pigsty, peeled off its wrapping, and entered the adjacent warehouse, knife in hand.

The warehouse was a stuffy tin structure, packed to the brim with rice enclosed in burlap sacks. With a sullen expression, Zhu Si laboriously shifted several bags of rice that were blocking the center, then opened the door to a disused washroom.

The girl's face was streaked with tears, her limbs bound, and a large piece of cloth stuffed in her mouth. In the midst of the previously pitch-black environment, the sudden appearance of light, coupled with the sight of Zhu Si wielding a butcher's knife, caused her to whimper in fear.

The petite bulb emits a faint, gentle glow.

A rusted wire hung above the toilet, suspending two human skins with clean, symmetrical cuts on their limbs, dried by the passing of time. The air in the room was thick with the stench of blood, and the ceramic tiles on the walls still bore traces of it.

Zhu Si removed the skins, reaching into the incisions before draping them over his scar, his eyes glowing with mania. Suddenly, he held the skin up to the girl, his smile chilling.

"A'Zhen, look, can you see my scar anymore?"

Trembling with fear, A'Zhen retreated, shaking her head frantically. She backed right up to the metal wall, her face drained of color. Zhu Si pulled off the large cloth.

She immediately begged for mercy.

"Stop, please stop now, it's not too late. With advanced medical technology, there must be a way to heal your scar. Don't do this!"

Zhu Si laughed coldly. "Stop? How can I stop after killing two people?"

He caressed the skin, his expression descending into madness. "So this is how good unblemished skin feels. Pitiful that I've gone decades without knowing."

The day before, after A'Zhen finished her job search, she planned to find Sister Liang at the marketplace. But on her way, she encountered Zhu Si pushing his cart back home, with whispers and hushed conversations from bystanders.

A'Zhen, witnessing too much malevolence, offered to assist Zhu Si with his cart. Upon arriving at Zhu Si's residence, he offered her a drink of water. She awoke later, bound within a warehouse, surrounded by human skins, one of which was still dripping blood.

She was utterly terrified.

Confused, she couldn't comprehend why her kind gesture had led to this terrifying outcome.

"Zhu Si, I've never ridiculed you. Please let me go. If I die, my mother will surely be worried."

Mentioning her mother only fueled Zhu Si's rage. "Worried? You didn't return home the day before yesterday, and she only noticed your absence today. Such irresponsibility! She doesn't deserve to be a mother!"

Zhu Si crouched down, his eyes scrutinizing A'Zhen. "But it's alright."

His smile grew more maniacal. "Your skin is so beautiful, it deserves to be preserved."

A'Zhen's pupils dilated in terror as her scream echoed through the warehouse, only to be abruptly silenced.

Zhu Si hung the two human skins back up and left the room. After a few minutes, he returned with a tripod and a camera, setting it up and focusing on A'Zhen.

Then, he leisurely turned to search for a whetstone.

Soon, the sound of honing a blade echoed in the air.

Zhu Si blissfully closed his eyes, awaiting the perfect human skin to take to the hospital.

He was going to don a new skin.

To embark on a new life.

Chapter 39

The major case unit had finished investigating the surrounding markets. The Hummer SUV pulled up hastily in front of the city hall.