Chapter 302: Chapter 300: The Mask

The cornfield outside the village.

The cornfield was on a mountain, but on a lower slope, relatively close to the road.

Tian Ming lay in the cornfield.

A large patch of corn was flattened around him.

Tian Ming’s hands and feet were bound, and a hemp rope was tied around his neck.

He was lying on his side.

A high-powered flashlight illuminated his body, revealing the scene in stark detail.

The ground was covered in blood. His body was covered in blood. The blood loss was immense, and even his face was slick with it.

Su Miaoyi stepped closer to take a look.

Tian Ming’s face had been slashed to ribbons; it was covered in wounds.

Yue Hong and Tian Min followed her over.

The two of them pushed past the people standing in front to look at the man on the ground.

Yue Hong collapsed, plopping right onto the ground.

Tian Min stared blankly for a moment before she, too, fell to her knees.

Yue Hong began to wail, crying, "Why is my life so bitter?! How am I supposed to go on! What am I going to do all by myself now?!"

Tian Min knelt beside her, crying and holding onto Yue Hong.

The police tried to pull the two women up, but couldn’t manage it.

Su Miaoyi crouched by the body and glanced up at Yue Hong and Tian Min. Both were weeping inconsolably.

Lu Zhishen and Chu Xingrou were scanning the surrounding cornstalks with their flashlights.

Su Miaoyi examined the body. Rigor mortis had already set in. She estimated the time of death to be about six hours ago.

Six hours ago was around the time Tian Ming would have been returning to Yanjing Village from playing cards.

It was already dark by then.

Someone had dragged him into the cornfield and murdered him here.

In the daytime, the flattened corn would have been obvious. But at night, on a mountain outside the village, the road was nearly deserted. Even if someone had passed by, it would have been difficult to notice the downed stalks in the dark.

Detailed photos were taken of the body, including the specific way the knots were tied on his wrists and ankles.

Then, Su Miaoyi and Duan Wenrui turned the body over to face up and continued their examination.

Tian Ming had numerous wounds on his body. His face was severely mutilated, but he was still recognizable as Tian Ming.

Su Miaoyi counted the wounds on his body.

Arms, chest, abdomen, thighs, and calves—there were sixteen wounds in total.

They varied in depth. Some must have severed arteries, causing massive blood loss.

The wound to his abdomen was deep, likely reaching the liver.

The chest wounds were not particularly deep.

The wounds on his arms and legs also varied in depth.

The rope around his neck was not tied very tightly.

There were ligature marks on his neck, but the cervical and hyoid bones were not fractured. The neck injury wasn’t the fatal one.

The cause of death was most likely exsanguination.

The amount of blood loss was just too great.

Furthermore, the rope on his neck wasn’t very tight. This suggested that Tian Ming was likely conscious when this injury was inflicted.

The flesh and blood under his fingernails also indicated he had been conscious.

His nails had dug into the flesh of his own palms.

He must have been in extreme agony.

Lu Zhishen emerged from the cornstalks and walked over to Su Miaoyi. "This."

He held out a mask to her.

Su Miaoyi’s eyes widened in surprise when she saw it.

The mask was identical to the one she had seen the killer wearing in her vision.

"It was in the cornfield," Lu Zhishen said. "Looks like it was either tossed in casually or left there intentionally."

"A Sheep Horn God Mask?" Duan Wenrui asked, also looking.

It resembled the Sheep Horn God, but it was far more terrifying and grotesque.

Su Miaoyi’s gloves were bloody, so she didn’t touch the mask. She just examined it closely, then leaned in for a sniff. "Smells like spray paint."

"Yeah," Lu Zhishen said. "It was painted recently."

"A newly made mask," Su Miaoyi said.

"It’s the Sheep Horn God! It’s the Sheep Horn God!" Yue Hong suddenly screamed. "Ah! My life is so bitter! Why did I marry a man like him? Why did I marry a sinner, only to be widowed at such a young age! Oh, Sheep Horn God! I beg you, please protect me! Protect me!"

"What are you guys doing?!" Duan Wenrui yelled at the officers near Yue Hong. "Can’t you even get her on her feet?!"

Two more officers went to Yue Hong’s side, hauled her to her feet, and began to escort them home.

Su Miaoyi watched Yue Hong and Tian Min leave before turning her gaze back to the mask. Other than being a brighter red and looking newer than the one in her vision, she couldn’t see any other differences.

"Captain Duan, Sister Miaomiao, we checked the path. There are footprints leading to and from the cornfield down the mountain, as well as drag marks. The footprints were wiped away, but we found half a print on the edge of the road at the bottom of the mountain. We’re lifting it now. Can’t say if it belongs to the killer."

"Lift it and bring it back first. We’ll see," Duan Wenrui said.

"Let’s send the body to the city for an autopsy, too. Check for any signs of poison in his system," Su Miaoyi said.

"Alright," Duan Wenrui agreed, ordering someone to bring a body bag.

Su Miaoyi stood up and stepped to the side.

Just as she steadied herself, the scene before her eyes began to change.

’The sky was already dark, but not as dark as it was now.’

’She was walking down the road, cursing under her breath.’

’"Fucking hell! One more hand and I definitely would’ve won, but they all quit. Fucking targeting me! They did it on purpose, they just wanted to see me lose money! The moment I was getting my touch back, they call it quits. Bunch of no-good sons of bitches! Next time I’ll fleece you all dry..."’

’As she muttered, she suddenly sensed someone behind her.’

’She hadn’t heard any footsteps, but she felt something was wrong.’

’She turned to look back and saw a red, demonic-looking mask suddenly lunge at her, filling her vision.’

’It was the Sheep Horn God! The dark-faced Sheep Horn God! But it was even more terrifying than the one said to deliver sinful punishment!’

’She was so terrified she tried to scream.’

’But extreme fear choked the sound in her throat. Her legs wouldn’t obey her; she wanted to run but was frozen to the spot, unable to move.’

’And in those few seconds while her body was paralyzed with fear, a rope was tightened around her neck, and she was dragged up the mountain.’

’She wanted to cry for help but couldn’t make a sound. She struggled but couldn’t break free. She could only let herself be dragged up the mountain and into the cornfield.’

’Cornstalks were crushed beneath them. The rope was choking her, and her consciousness began to fade.’

’Then the vision stuttered, like a dropped frame in a video.’

’Next, she was plunged into darkness. A sharp pain in her thigh made her eyes snap open, and she opened her mouth to scream.’

’But her mouth was covered by the person in the demonic mask standing over her.’

’All her screams were muffled in her throat.’

’Her hands and feet had been bound at some point.’

’The masked person held one hand over her mouth and a knife in the other, slashing her chest, stabbing her abdomen, then scraping across her arm and plunging into her thigh.’

’One shallow cut, one deep stab.’

’The knife stabbed at her chest, but the angle was wrong, and it glanced off a bone twice.’

’Only when she no longer had the strength to scream did the masked person release her mouth.’

’Then, the knife began to slice across her face, cut after cut.’

’Her consciousness was fading, and everything before her eyes blurred.’

’All sensation was leaving her body. She couldn’t even feel the pain anymore.’

’Slowly, slowly, she closed her eyes, and everything went black...’

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