Chapter 225 154: Madwoman! Bitch! Identity! (Part 2)

The Capital City's holding cells were actually quite decent, especially the treatment for suspects not thought to be the killer. This one had a padded bed, as well as a stool and table.

The woman was currently unconscious on the bed.

Unlike before, she was now dressed in clothes provided for her and was no longer naked.

What did she look like?

You couldn't see. Her face was still covered by that sheet of human skin, sewn on with thick, black, blood-soaked thread, creating a gruesome sight.

The police had tried to remove the skin from her face, but she had become extremely agitated, even resorting to self-harm.

Helpless, they could only treat her wounds, disinfect them, and put the matter aside for the time being.

Recalling from memory, her own skin was snow-white and smooth, her fingers were pale and slender, and her legs were long and shapely.

"From the perspective of the crime's execution, and from an emotional standpoint, she doesn't seem like the killer."

After watching for a long time, Xu Huo's brows furrowed.

"Flaying a person alive isn't something a single individual can accomplish."

"Even if it were, it would have to be an experienced man in his prime."

"The suspect's hands are soft and pale, with no calluses. I'd guess she doesn't even hold a knife on a daily basis. She doesn't meet the basic requirements to commit this crime."

Killing someone takes a lot of effort.

Let alone skinning a person alive!

First, you have to restrain your victim, and then you have to completely remove the skin in a short amount of time.

Even if the victim was drugged and immobile, the strength required for the flaying is more than an ordinary person could manage in one go.

Let alone doing it to a live person in a short time!

"Second... the madwoman's feelings for the deceased are very strange."

Xu Huo frowned, his gaze landing on a mirror in the distance.

The mirror wasn't in the room itself, but was a two-way mirror. However, the person inside could still see their reflection.

"Her mental state is very poor, but when she looks in the mirror with that face sewn on, she becomes very quiet. The emotion in her eyes is a very strange kind of sorrow."

'Would you feel sorrow for someone you killed?'

'Maybe if it was accidental.'

'But not for a meticulously planned Murder, or an act of revenge.'

"Considering her appearance as well, I suspect that the madwoman wasn't always mad."

Xu Huo suddenly spoke, pointing to her hands.

"But she went mad after the victim was flayed."

The madwoman was well-kept. If she had always been insane and lacked a rational mind, it would be difficult to maintain such an appearance.

Zhang Liang paused for a moment, then raised an eyebrow.

"Are you saying..."

"That the relationship between the suspect and the victim wasn't ordinary? That they were close?"

"It's very likely."

Xu Huo nodded.

"If that's the case, then are both of them victims in this case?" Zhang Liang's brows knitted together.

"Hard to say."

Xu Huo shook his head. "It's like I said before, there are no obvious external injuries on her body."

Any kind of abduction would leave some sort of trace, more or less.

But besides the marks from her own needle and thread, the madwoman had no other wounds.

A close relationship doesn't mean a crime can't happen.

There are plenty of cases of patricide and matricide, of people killing their wives or husbands.

"And..."

As he spoke, Xu Huo sniffed the air, the expression in his eyes growing even stranger.

"Did you run a DNA test on her?"

Zhang Liang looked at the police officers behind him.

A Level 1 Police Chief stepped forward and nodded. "We did. No match in the database."

Xu Huo wasn't concerned about that. On the contrary, he was interested in something else.

"What about a nucleic acid test, or a urinalysis?" Xu Huo asked.

This time, the Police Chief was at a loss for words.

"Go run the tests."

Xu Huo waved his hand, gesturing for him to go.

"What did you find?" Zhang Liang asked, confused.

Running those kinds of tests wasn't part of normal police investigation procedures...

"Just a guess."

Xu Huo waved his hand dismissively and deactivated [Wang Die's Scent].

The rank, foul odor lingering in his nostrils vanished along with it.

"Any new leads from the medical examiner?"

Xu Huo looked at the madwoman, then shifted the topic back to the forensics team.

"No. The only things we could determine from the surface of the skin were those two pieces of information from last night."

The Police Chief shook his head and reported.

There were only two pieces of information from the M.E.

One: flayed alive.

Two: the victim was a female between the ages of 16 and 20.

There was no other information.

"Let's just call her 18, then."

"An 18-year-old girl..."

Xu Huo's brow furrowed as he carefully examined the human skin sewn onto her face with thick, black thread.

The skin had been removed in one piece, so it was impossible to make out any features.

But he could deduce the condition of the skin before death.

It was very pale and delicate.

To be honest, if a person knows how to dress well and has pale, delicate skin, they're generally not going to be ugly.

Even with average facial features, possessing those first two qualities would make them stand out in a crowd.

In other words, the victim was, at worst, average-looking.

With even a little potential, she could have been a real beauty!

"Who would kill her?"

"What kind of conflict would drive someone to be so ruthless to a pretty young girl!?"

Xu Huo muttered aloud as the two questions popped into his mind.

Honestly, human beings are a strange species.

The saying "beauty is justice" is no joke.

The same act, performed by two people of different appearances, will receive a completely different reception.

An ugly woman with buck teeth spitting would be considered disgusting.

In contrast, a beautiful woman spitting might even be seen as exciting by some.

Furthermore, you can feel the disparity caused by appearance in everyday life.

If you're stunningly beautiful, you'll never lack for suitors or sycophants. Your life will be smooth sailing; everything you do will be praised.

And this is only in daily life?

No, it's even true for murder!

In his past life, there was a case abroad that was a testament to the diverse and baffling standards of humanity.