"How did you get your hands on it?" Wu Shuang placed the two human skins together, astonished, and asked Xiao Lin.

"I exchanged them for my own dignity." Xiao Lin watched the forensic scientist conducting various comparative analyses under the microscope. It was close to nine o'clock at night, and he really couldn't understand why he had to stay here in the basement of the police station, a place that felt no different from the Underworld, cold and chilling.

"Forensic scientist, how much longer will it take?"

"You can choose to wait upstairs." The forensic scientist coolly threw down the suggestion and continued to bury himself in his work.

"That's not a bad idea." Indeed, they were of no use here. Xiao Lin, just about to leave, was pulled back by Wu Shuang.

"What are you doing?"

"You're not allowed to go anywhere; we're staying right here."

Xiao Lin glared at Wu Shuang, confused, then realized her intention. He regretted his impulsiveness, which made this woman constantly alert.

Helplessly, he pulled over a chair to sit down, the sound of dragging on the cement floor piercingly sharp.

"Liang Feng still needs more protection from Officer Wu," Xiao Lin said, picking up the two human skins and examining them.

"We've already dispatched people for a twenty-four-hour tight watch."

Under harsh white light, the two human skins in Xiao Lin's hands appeared exceptionally gloomy. "Officer Wu, have you ever seen a Korean horror film that delves into the story of human skin masks? Once..."

"Stop! Stop!" Before Xiao Lin could continue, Wu Shuang loudly interrupted. "That's just a movie; nothing to talk about, it's fake."

"Many films are based on real events." The forensic scientist, back to them, carried on with the topic, which drew a chuckle from Xiao Lin.

"Forensic scientist, is it possible for someone to leave the same mistake in different places?"

"Under normal circumstances, there wouldn't be."

"Then look here." Xiao Lin stacked the human skins on the table, then pointed to a small protrusion at the right earlobe. "Both human skins have the same feature, right here."

The forensic scientist leaned away from his microscope, and Wu Shuang approached to take a closer look.

"Underneath is Lin Jiaqi's father, and this one is Lin Jiaqi's mother. The man's face is larger than the woman's, but both have the same protrusion beneath the earlobe. From the cutting patterns, this person is skilled with knives; every corner is sharply defined. So, what's this mistake for?"

"This person is left-handed," the forensic scientist confirmed firmly after some research.

"This protrusion is due to a supportive measure when fixing the right hand's position. It could be nails or pliers-like tools, prepared to better stabilize the right hand. Cutting the whole face off, given the elasticity of human skin, dead people can't restore their original appearance. The longer it takes, the less likely it can be restored, so these two are already deceased."

"Left-handed?" Xiao Lin picked a screw out from the forensic scientist's jars and then grabbed a scalpel, simulating the scenario he had just described.

"You're also a physician; you ought to know how to remove epidermal tissue." The forensic scientist put down his current task, and his glasses reflected the light, obscuring his eyes.

"The cut point with the right hand differs from that with the left, and the succession sequence varies too. However, although this person is left-handed, he moves counterclockwise." The forensic scientist pointed to the area parallel to the protrusion, continuing, "Here is a small notch indicating the second knife stroke was a gesture change at the left earlobe, a fairly rare habit."

Xiao Lin attempted to use the scalpel from the bottom of the right earlobe, curving around the neck to the left earlobe, and further upwards, where the hand's position became hard to maintain smoothly. A change in hold was necessary for continued cutting here, signaling a personal habit rather than a technical issue. Thus, finding someone with such a unique habit might indeed be easier.

Now the issue became where to search and whom to look for.

"That's the conclusion; nothing particularly special." The forensic scientist swiftly finished the report and handed it to Wu Shuang. "On the male mask, there's a stain possibly scraped during removal, seemingly moss. Moss in this season is kind of strange."

"Hold on, did you mention moss?" Xiao Lin suddenly grabbed the forensic scientist's hand. "A left-handed person with a counterclockwise habit, moss, right?"

"Precisely."

"I know who it is now." Xiao Lin leaped up. How stupid of him! Just the person right in front of him, and he missed the realization.

"Where are you heading?" Wu Shuang chased after him out the door.

"You can't go there; it's too dangerous. Lend me your car keys!"

"No, I'm accompanying you. This matter concerns us both; I can't let you face danger alone. I depend on you to solve this case." Wu Shuang ignored Xiao Lin and got into the car by herself.

"Do you want to come up?"

The car sped along the highway as Wu Shuang felt an inexplicable excitement upon learning that they were going to the underground city—a mysterious realm she had only heard of, yet surprisingly close.

"Is it really here?"

After leaving the highway, Xiao Lin directed her to a T-junction: "Further down is the deserted area, where the old railway used to be."

"Do you want to stay in the car or come with me?"

The abandoned area had no lights and no people; the moon overhead cast a bleak glow, making it hard to see the cobblestone path. It was already midnight, and in this deserted area, Wu Shuang firmly clung to Xiao Lin's arm, unwilling to stay alone in the car—being there would scare her even if nothing happened.

"I think it'll be better if we come back tomorrow morning."

"I'm afraid we're already late," Wu Shuang's voice trembled, whether from cold or fear, and Xiao Lin pulled her hand in: "No matter what you see later, don't make a sound, don't do anything, just follow me."

She saw safety awareness signs in red and blue lettering appear in front of them. What lay beneath the bridge tunnel entrance? Xiao Lin wondered if that oddly-shaped Shih Tzu was still there.

The sound of footsteps on gravel contrasted starkly with the rain from last time, lacking the damp stickiness but adding a touch of eeriness; their breaths slowly expanded in the night.

Looking from the entrance, there was a faint light deep within the bridge tunnel. Xiao Lin lit a lighter and stepped down the stairs one by one.

There were no sounds of native dogs barking; puddles on the ground had somehow dried up, revealing a series of bottom pits. The wind gathered under the bridge tunnel, even the windproof lighter struggled against the gusts as he shielded it with a hand, trying to keep the flame from going out.

Wind swirled past, lifting a scattering of scraps and trash. Xiao Lin raised his head; the previous darkness brightened under the dull glow of old lights. He felt along the walls; stones were hard to find now: "They've gone; they've already gone."

"What do you mean?" Wu Shuang didn't understand as she watched him search the walls: "What are you looking for?"

"The door, the door into the underground city," Xiao Lin muttered, staring into the depths of the tunnel: "No dogs. Heh, even the only work connecting the underground city isn't here anymore."

"Dogs?"

"Come on, let's look for the person we're searching for," Xiao Lin pulled Wu Shuang.

"Isn't she in the city?"

"I thought she was in the city, or at least I believed she should be, but I was wrong." Xiao Lin strode forward; without the underground city, there was no danger here.

"What exactly are you looking for?" Wu Shuang's teeth clattered; she felt cold—colder than the police station's basement.

"Looking for a native dog and an old woman."

At the end of the bridge tunnel lay emptiness—no dogs, no people, not even the bed that should be here. If not for residual signs on the floor from previous placements, he would have thought it was all imagined.

Xiao Lin stood there, turning his gaze to the distant stairs. An old woman collected rainwater in a jar. Cleaning the jar was not odd for a scavenger, so Xiao Lin had no doubts. Now, standing here recalling the scene, the strange detail was surprisingly apparent—the old woman was left-handed, spinning the jar counterclockwise.

Haha! Haha! Suddenly, Xiao Lin laughed heartily; the person he sought was mere feet away, yet he missed them.

"Let's go!"

Two shadows emerged from the bridge tunnel; the car headlights illuminated the path back. Xiao Lin turned back, again staring at the pitch-black tunnel, lost in thought, then returned to the car.

"Someone's here with us." Once inside the car, Wu Shuang locked the door, retrieved a gun from the glove compartment. She felt eyes on them when exiting the tunnel: "Should we..."

"Let's go!" Xiao Lin pressed Wu Shuang's hand holding the gun: "If they wanted to kill us, they'd have done it when we entered the tunnel."

Xiao Lin intentionally ignored those watching eyes; the underground city door's disappearance implied their departure. He couldn't understand—what reason was there to leave? Just because he knew about the one who could make human skins?

The car bumped and jostled backward; there was only one way in and out of this deserted area, no branches, so they had to retreat back to the main road before turning around.

With a thud, Wu Shuang glanced at Xiao Lin: "Did we hit something?"

"Don't stop, keep driving." Xiao Lin rose from the passenger seat, stepping on Wu Shuang's right foot, pressing the pedal to the floor, the car roaring.

"You're crazy!" (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to vote for it on Qidian.com with recommendations and monthly votes, your support is my greatest motivation.)

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