"Judging from the motive of flaying skins from a young age, there’s a possibility of making skin suits. The Awakened are the best material for skin suits due to their innate affinity with Spiritual Ability. The ’785’ case required the use of quite a few skin suits, indicating some correlation, though other conditions in the case don’t overlap," Tang Chendan said.

"The skin suits used in ’785’ shouldn’t have all disappeared, right? Do any of them match with those in the Little Skinner case?" Li Xin pondered and asked.

"The problem is, we assumed ’785’ used skin suits, but in reality, no traces were found at the scene. If our deduction is correct, either skin suits weren’t used, or there’s a strong organization cleaning up after the fact," Jiang Wu stated.

The meeting room fell silent. Li Xin’s mind kept racing. His judgment on ’785’ was that there were no victims, but he hadn’t considered if skin suits had been used. This could be evaluated later.

Li Xin suddenly thought of something and glanced at Meng Po, "Sister Meng, have you made any calculations?"

The Life Master could make certain predictions about the case.

"We’ve been interfered with. Both ’785’ and Little Skinner involve powerful Hidden Powers, leading the Life Master and Prophets to receive varying degrees of interference. Additionally, the lack of information often results in vague judgments," Meng Po shook her head and said, "For this case, the Night Patrol even consulted Prophets from other organizations, but to no avail."

"After such prolonged investigation, are there any distinct traits of the killer?" Li Xin inquired.

"Yes, during the crimes, the sound of a rattle drum could be heard. Multiple people near the crime scenes reported hearing it," Jiang Wu replied.

"A rattle drum?" Li Xin pondered, turning his right hand slightly, "Is it the kind that swings left and right with two small strings clacking?"

Jiang Wu nodded, "Exactly, it’s a traditional children’s toy among Beijing people. Due to the Little Skinner case, rattle drums have been banned from sale. Recently, during Little Skinner’s crimes, people near the scenes heard it again. Currently, it’s being dismissed as hallucinations, just like in past years. However, if Little Skinner continues committing crimes and witnesses continue to grow, the truth will eventually come to light, greatly affecting Dragon Capital’s security and the Night Patrol’s credibility. Both the Night Patrol and Shadow Owl have declined to this state, so this case has huge implications. If the public discovers that the wrong person was caught six years ago, Shadow Owl could be dismantled."

Saying this, everyone held their breath. Their faces turned grim, though Old Tuo’s face couldn’t get any worse. The elusive killer had managed to evade capture even when the entire city was mobilized. Now, only Shadow Owl was left to handle the case. The problem was, they couldn’t make any large-scale moves anymore.

"Does the killer have any other traits or habits?" Li Xin asked, feeling that dissolution was a minor issue. If things went south, the higher-ups might scapegoat Shadow Owl, and he’d be left in an even worse position.

"Small in stature, agile, extremely powerful, capable of subduing victims quickly. Among the victims are the Hall Master of Hundred Martial Hall, known for high combat skills, and cadres from Secret Organizations. It’s possible, however, that the killer is using skin suits as a disguise, deliberately leaving such weaknesses. Witnesses appear occasionally, possibly to mislead us and cover up the truth," Tang Chendan explained.

"What does the Church Court say?" Li Xin believed the perpetrator was likely a High-tier Mask Maker. Such a significant matter shouldn’t be solely on the Night Patrol. The squeaky wheel gets the grease; higher-ups need to step in.

"What does the Church Court need to tell us? The case is in Shadow Owl’s hands now," Jiang Wu replied with a wry smile.

Li Xin widened his eyes, "Are we really so unwelcome?"

It sounded like, in the worst-case scenario, Shadow Owl would become the scapegoat.

"Li Yinxiao, we’re the Night Patrol, and it’s our duty regardless of whose responsibility it is. Shadow Owl is among the best and mustn’t shirk this responsibility!" Tang Chendan said coldly.

Li Xin pursed his lips; they weren’t even allowing complaints. The higher-ups seemed more concerned with public opinion than actual victims.

"The Metropolitan’s stance is that the lack of progress over the years suggests a problem with our investigative approach. Li Yinxiao is thereby tasked with leading this case. Li Yinxiao, what are your thoughts?" Jiang Wu asked with a grin.

Li Xin didn’t immediately agree. Having failed to solve the case for years, it wasn’t the challenging nature of the case he feared, but rather the potential repercussions it might have on Kathy.

"Captain, I’m willing to take on this case. Although Li Yinxiao just arrived and coincidentally solved ’785,’ the Little Skinner case has a much larger impact, so he can assist me," Tang Chendan suggested.

Jiang Wu gestured with his hand, "No rush. This isn’t any one person’s responsibility. If it goes wrong, I’ll, as the captain, take the blame. If we succeed, we’ll credit those deserving. Shadow Owl won’t pass the buck, and Li Yinxiao shouldn’t feel burdened. If you’re really unwilling, there’s no force."

The leader’s words were twofold, but it wasn’t appropriate to refuse after this speech.

"Captain, I’m willing to take on this case, but having just arrived, as Tang Yinxiao mentioned, solving ’785’ had an element of luck. This case will need everyone’s support," Li Xin said.

"Haha, of course, it’s not just your affair. It’s the heavy responsibility of us all at Shadow Owl, me included. We shall support you," Jiang Wu beamed, visibly relieved.

"Li Yinxiao, what are your thoughts on this case?" Tang Chendan asked coolly, everyone immediately looking at Li Xin with anticipation in their eyes.

Li Xin pressed his lips tightly. This woman was like an attractive thimble; having only heard a summary, he had no clear ideas yet.

"Is the rattle drum a type of Secret Item? Has it been investigated?" Li Xin inquired.

"Yes, and there’s no relevant record in the Church Court," Snake Skin replied. "According to witnesses, hearing the sound of the rattle drum causes anxiety, but it’s not hallucinogenic."

Li Xin thought for a moment and shook his head, "Currently, we have two more definite pieces of information: the Little Skinner’s small stature and the rattle drum. Compared to stature, the rattle drum seems more concrete. Could it be that because Moon God’s Court isn’t a native church of Li Long, their records are incomplete? The rattle drum is a traditional toy for Beijing people with thousands of years of history. Was there ever a powerful Secret Item of a rattle drum in ancient times?"

The meeting room suddenly fell silent. It wasn’t possible they overlooked such an important clue as the rattle drum; they had thoroughly investigated it but found nothing.

Jiang Wu furrowed his brow, "I’ve never heard of such a powerful Secret Item. If it existed, it wouldn’t be obscure."

"There are a few hypotheses. If the rattle drum is ineffective, the killer is a pervert. If it is effective, it’s a necessary tool for their crimes. Regardless, determining if such an item exists is crucial; it’s either old or new," Li Xin concluded. "I think we should first rule out one possibility. As a highly effective Secret Item, it would presumably be hard to create. The killer is most likely a Mask Maker, so our focus shouldn’t be on similar Secret Items."

"We’ll likely need to investigate in the Black Market and among those Secret Organizations," Snake Skin mentioned.

"Snake Skin, you’ll be responsible for that," Jiang Wu instructed. "Li Yinxiao, any other thoughts?"