Chapter 12 License Plate: 36955
Inside the meeting room of the Muhe Municipal Bureau.
"So, their bone structure is the killer's target, right?"
Long Hao crossed his arms, scrutinizing the three women before him.
Half an hour ago, he had checked the shops in the Red Lotus District that remained open at night, including their staff.
As soon as Chen Mo saw the photos of the materials brought over, he specifically requested these three people.
Given the factors the killer used to select targets, it wasn't hard to guess this.
"No, the bone structure of these three only matches the killer's requirements by thirty percent."
The forensic examiner answered on behalf of Chen Mo. Although he didn't know what the 'Four Great Evil Techniques' were, he knew the word 'makeup'.
He immediately understood that Brother Mo wanted to set a trap for the killer.
This method was simple and effective; it was practically a way to bypass difficulties and get results.
Having gone through two cases, he had subtly changed his form of address.
It was a sign of respect for the strong.
"But if we use makeup, it can be raised to fifty percent, which perfectly meets the killer's requirements for a target."
When Long Hao heard the word 'makeup', a roar echoed in his brain!
He wanted to praise the forensic examiner, but considering the reason these three were brought here, he turned his gaze to Chen Mo.
So, from the moment he walked out of the warehouse, had Chen Mo already considered this step?
He had actually thought Chen Mo intended to screen everyone in the entire area.
It seemed he had thought wrong.
"Right! Makeup is a good idea!"
Long Hao shook his head helplessly. How had he not thought of this before?
Makeup was clearly not some obscure thing.
Regarding Long Hao's annoyance, Chen Mo could only attribute it to a cognitive issue.
Having not seen the makeup techniques of later generations, even if they had thought about using makeup to fish, they would have eventually given up because they hadn't seen the ultimate meaning of makeup: 'Head-Swapping Technique'.
As a person from the future, the reason makeup could be called an evil technique was that an expert could transform a very ugly person into a beauty that fit the public's perception through makeup.
He remembered watching a beauty blogger; one second it was an older woman, and just as he was about to keep scrolling, she turned into a beautiful stunner.
The comment section was full of 'WTF'.
"Fifty is a bit conservative."
"I think there's no problem raising the bone structure similarity to eighty percent."
He wasn't bragging. Any girl from the future who knew how to apply makeup could change the visual effect of facial features with a 'contouring palette'.
The killer would be confused no matter how they looked at it.
"Is it that powerful? Then whoever possesses this skill basically has the 'Art of Disguise'?"
"This is very disadvantageous for our police investigation."
Long Hao looked serious. He didn't doubt the truth of Chen Mo's words because it could be verified immediately.
He only worried about what would happen if the suspect learned it.
Chen Mo couldn't be bothered to explain future matters to him.
"Do you know how to use a contouring palette?"
He cast his gaze on one of the women who worked in the bar industry.
The woman's name was Shen Ying. She looked quite innocent after removing her makeup, seemingly just in her early twenties.
"I know how to use a contouring palette, but I don't know what this 'bone structure' thing you're talking about is."
Shen Ying looked conflicted and embarrassed. Realizing she might have said the wrong thing, she quickly added, "It's not that I'm not cooperating with you; I just don't know what to do."
Bone structure and such didn't mean much to ordinary people.
Seeing her nervousness, Chen Mo signaled her to calm down before reorganizing his words: "Simply put, it's just applying highlighter and shadow according to my requirements."
"I believe this won't be difficult for you."
Shen Ying looked left and right, then nodded. These things were indeed not difficult; it was as simple as one plus one.
"Then let's get to work!"
Ten minutes later, Shen Ying's makeup was done.
Her appearance hadn't changed much, but the three-dimensionality of her facial features had changed.
In other words, her bone structure had changed visually.
It perfectly met Chen Mo's requirements, though there were still some flaws.
After nodding in approval, he signaled Shen Ying to do the same for the other two.
After some busy work and giving the three women instructions, the time had rushed to 1:00 AM.
In reality, police officers had already been lying in ambush nearby for a long time.
However, given that the previous two victims had finished work after 3:00, arriving at 1:00 wasn't too late.
The entire Red Lotus District was very lively.
The bars where the two victims worked were separated only by a food street.
It was brightly lit and crowded here.
It turned out that the culture of nightlife had already formed in this era.
"Want something to eat?" Long Hao asked from a van parked on the side of the road.
The two were currently at the entrance of the food street, and the air was filled with the aroma of various snacks.
After arranging everything for the three women, they had been busy with operational deployment, which meant they hadn't eaten dinner.
"I am indeed hungry."
Long Hao nodded, signaling Chen Mo to wait in the car while he went to buy food.
He was the only one left in the car.
He gazed at the crowd outside the window, his mind racing to review whether there were any shortcomings in this operation.
In fact, there were.
The issue was that there were too many people nearby, and he couldn't guarantee whether the killer would take extreme measures during the arrest, such as taking hostages.
How to avoid this?
Chen Mo touched the pistol at his waist.
The killer had mental issues and had killed two people in a row. If there was any resistance or refusal to be arrested, he could completely open fire.
Legally shooting in the street—this was something unimaginable in his previous life.
The only memory of shooting was in the game PUBG.
"A portion of 'Tiancan Potato', two skewers of grilled squid. Eat up."
Long Hao handed it in through the car window, then began to look around. Of course, the veteran detective had the acting skills.
Just as the two had finished eating, a voice came through the walkie-talkie.
— *Static* —
"Captain Long, Brother Mo, we just received news from Shen Ying. There's a problem with the bar's speakers, so they're getting off work early today."
Long Hao glanced at his watch; it wasn't even 1:30 yet.
He picked up the walkie-talkie and asked about the cause of the equipment damage.
"According to the manager, it's due to overuse of the speakers. This happens every month, and they forgot to arrange for a technician to maintain them this month."
"Understood. Everyone else stay put. Chen Mo and I are heading over."
Long Hao finished his stuffed bun in one bite and drove toward the bar entrance.
Meanwhile, Chen Mo was texting Shen Ying.
Shen Ying: [What should I do now?]
Chen Mo: [Don't be nervous. Just get off work and go home as usual. We will be following right behind you.]
After sending the message, Chen Mo considered that Shen Ying, as a woman, might be timid, so he added: [Actually, the killer's crime time has always been after 3:00. There's a high probability he won't target you. Just be natural.]
The van stopped at the bar entrance, where various neon lights were flashing.
Shen Ying was wearing a cool black short skirt, exposing her fair, chopstick-like legs, her hips swaying slightly as she walked.
She wore high-heeled sandals, her ten round, cute toes painted with red nail polish. Her makeup was also very well maintained, and she waved to several colleagues.
She looked at the taxis at the bar entrance repeatedly, seemingly choosing one, when a taxi stopped directly in front of her.
"Check the information for the owner of license plate Mu: 36955."
Chen Mo frowned and immediately picked up the walkie-talkie to shout.
"Taxis all snatch customers like this; it's normal."
Long Hao explained to Chen Mo the driver's action of stopping directly in front of Shen Ying.
"No, I just saw Shen Ying smile at the driver. This means she knows the driver."
"And before, she was looking at the taxis, obviously hesitating about which one to take. This means the driver's appearance was beyond her expectations."
Of course, it was entirely possible that Shen Ying often took that driver's car when getting off work.
But the current situation was that the killer could strike at any time.
Any unexpected situation could not be ignored.
Long Hao's expression also became serious.
At this moment, the walkie-talkie sounded again.
— *Static* —
"Report, license plate Mu: 36955 is a fake plate. Additionally, three days ago, a taxi driver reported that he had lost a blue taxi."
"The driver currently driving the taxi is very likely that killer!!!"