Imperial Treasure

Chapter 666 - 428: Thirteen, Nineteen! _2

Hammer, Great Shield...? These names sound more like Imperial Guards’ code names. Sui Yi exchanged a glance with Gong Jiu. However, the three Shen Que were from Sui Yi’s past acquaintance; their eyes met, and they slightly nodded to Sui Yi.

"But I think you’re more interested in who exactly the prey targeted by the murderer is, Cao Yu, Xiao Xianting, Pu Qinghan, Gong Jiu, Fu Ling, Lin Junyun, Zheng Wen, Zhuang Ziliu, Su Zimu, Duan Rong, Li Cuiyu, Wen Xiukai, Han Feng. Why you were targeted, I think it’s not good to say clearly. In fact, we are also not very clear why the killer was aiming at you."

Is that so? Someone snorted indifferently and laughed, while Sui Yi looked out the window.

The first few people she recognized; this Duan Rong was the old man who sat alone before, a businessman and also a president of a trading company, and, more importantly, he was the chairman of a charity foundation.

Li Cuiyu, a member of the Li family, also the sister of Li Zhang.

Wen Xiukai, a man whose appearance was refined and cultivated, easily recognizable as a literary worker, a fairly famous novelist.

The last one, Han Feng...that fat man, was an official, the head of customs.

These names are what she had noted from the complete list found through online human flesh searches, which also generously provided the identities of these people, sparing Sui Yi and their team the effort of looking them up themselves.

"Then there are the third type of people, including the outstanding Miss Sui Yi, and this Teacher with a bow...you all come here to protect someone..."

"So how did you determine that we are the next targets of the killer?" Gong Jiu asked, feeling a bit wronged; however, looking at Su Zimu, she felt maybe she wasn’t that innocent...

How did such a demure and artistically inclined girl get mixed up in this...could it be because she’s as unlucky as Pu Qinghan?

"’Skin,’" Yue Beiqing said one word, skin.

The thirteen of them suddenly felt a chill on their skin; Gong Jiu touched her arm and uttered, "What does that mean?"

"The killer wants a skin. Even if you haven’t seen it with your own eyes, I guess you’ve heard of the first victim, Li Yu, hanged and the words left on the wall made up of several types of ancient text. I think there are a few here skilled in these texts, who would have realized its meaning immediately..."

Some looked towards Sui Yi, others toward Fu Ling and the Old Master...still others towards Su Zimu.

"If I am destined to kill, why not let death come sooner? I have slept too long and now only lack a skin..."

The crowd looked at Zhuang Ziliu, who faintly smiled, "I apologize, although I am only a shopkeeper, I have always enjoyed indulging in elegance."

Yue Beiqing looked at him, giving an evaluation, "This hobby is not bad."

"One skin? But he already got a skin...that is, Li Yu’s...no, it’s several skins!" Cao Ling said and even glanced at Li Cuiyu, whose expression was somewhat wooden.

"It’s several, but none completely taken away..."

What!

Everyone was shocked!

The Old Master knocked his pipe, saying, "Complete?"

"The ones taken were incomplete, a small part was taken from the first victim, and the other victims also lacked a small part, each one different..."

Wen Xiukai frowned, "You mean...he wants to piece together a complete human skin from different people?"

"Yes!" Yue Beiqing nodded.

"Then...back to that question, how did you know that we thirteen..."

This question was not answered by Yue Beiqing, but by a woman who walked out of the kitchen, carrying a plate of freshly baked pancakes, leaned against the wall, picked up a piece of pancake, ate, and said, "Area."

"Each piece of human skin has roughly the same area. Given what we can guess about the killer’s height, the total area of skin he would need... he still needs thirteen people. I think the specific details are not appropriate to explain to you all; otherwise, you likely won’t be able to sleep."

"You might still ask why specifically you thirteen people? I can only say...the chairs you were sitting on decided everything," Ming Lanyuan finished half the pancake.

What the hell?

Gong Jiu reflexively flipped the chair she was sitting on.

"Uh, not the chairs here, but those at the auction at Duke Zheng’s Mansion. Underneath the chairs you were sitting on during the auction, there was a number," Yue Beiqing said, looking towards Pu Qinghan, "Miss Pu, this was discovered from you."

"Me?"

"Yes, under the chair you were sitting on in the medical room was written a number in blood. Our people discovered this while inspecting the scene, and we quickly checked the chairs at the auction and other places. Before the one written ’one’ under the chair Li Yu sat on in the second floor box intending to harm you, he was the second, then the third, the fourth...respective individuals like Liu Qian, up until the nineteenth!"