by Feng Yue
Lestrade studied him cautiously, but the man just smiled, waiting patiently. Lestrade wanted to leave but the chill in his body made him hesitate. After a long time, he pointed to the glass on the right.
“Beep! Beep! Wrong!” The man flipped the glass, revealing the emptiness. “There’s a punishment for choosing wrong.”
Crack!
Before Lestrade could react, his face started burning in pain. It was a slap. A slap that was full of disdain and mockery, taunting him.
“F*ck…” Lestrade slammed his fist down in anger, ready to punch the man hard, but he saw the man look up and order, “I told you, sit down!”
Thud!
Lestrade fell into his seat, unable to control his own body. Biting coldness shot from his feet to the back of his skull. A chill known as fear pierced his mind, jolting him from his drunken haze, but he would have rather been drunk.
“Okay, let’s continue our game.” The two glasses started moving again. Quickly, they stopped. The man chuckled, “It’s time to choose again.”
“What do you want?!” Lestrade glared at the figure before him. “Behave yourself, *sshole, or else you’ll be in jail getting ‘loved’ by all of the men!”
“Ha, are you finally awake?” The ghostly man chuckled, “How unfortunate. I wanted to play some more, but now it seems that we can start conversing happily.”
“Converse? In your dreams!” Lestrade spat. He had seen through this guy’s nature. Sneering, he said, “Wait until tomorrow morning and we’ll have a nice conversation in prison. Then you’ll know what regret means.” He jabbed the man’s chest, his expression dark. “Best if you find out who I am!”
“So unfriendly,” The man sighed, gripping Lestrade’s finger. “Just so unfriendly.”
Lestrade flinched. He tried yanking his hand back, but the man’s grip was like a clamp around his finger! He could not budge at all.
“I know who you are. But you don’t know,” there was hoarse laughter, “…who I am.”
Crack! There was a crisp noise. It was the sound of bone shattering.
Lestrade’s face twisted and he opened his mouth to scream, but his voice was stuck in his throat. Pain attacked his nerves in waves, pushing him to the brink of sanity. He shook, holding his broken finger and screaming silently. His body twisted and trembled in pain. His eyes practically bulged out of their sockets.
“You can calm down now, right? Mr. Lestrade, I came to find you so we could have a friendly conversation. Why must you be so rude?” The man smiled. He lowered his eyes, looking at Lestrade. “Or has your argument with that rich lady made you lose all reason?”
In extreme pain and fury, Lestrade finally understood one thing: the man before him was…a complete lunatic!
Glaring, he forced out, “You stalked me!”
“Stalk? You?” The man who called himself Holmes was taken aback, as if he had heard a joke. He gazed at Lestrade’s face and shook his head seriously. His nonchalant reply was full of scorn and coldness.
Lestrade’s humiliation multiplied. He panted heavily, his face red and his eyes murderous. “I don’t care how you found out, *sshole, but I will get rid of you. Understood? Get rid of you! You and everything you inquired about will be thrown into the sewer!”
“Inquire? Haha, look at yourself, sir. Everything’s written on your face.” The d*mned fellow laughed. He suddenly rose, stepping onto the table to look down. He used is cane to lift Lestrade’s chin, gazing at his pale face. “Do you know the method of deduction? Should I demonstrate it for you?” He paused and let out a hearty laugh, “Now, it’s time for reasoning.”
123 The Demon’s Dark Eyes
“It’s midnight and you, an inspector with a promising career, didn’t go home but let yourself get drunk as a pig. I suppose that you must be in a very bad mood, and maybe saw some terrible things, so I shall give you my sympathy!
“But I still can’t imagine that you would pick such a dirty downtown tavern to buy a drink, even to relax. Are you strapped for cash?
“What a surprise! If you go to midtown, I’m sure those kiss-up men would know who you are, and would give you a discount. No doubt something happened, so you can’t have a drink for free anymore, not at least now.
“Hmm… pale face, red neck, and dilated pupils…you smoked opiates! Interesting! A cop smoking opiates!Have you always had such a special hobby?”
Lestrade froze, his pupils constricted out of fear—his secret had been discovered! He tried to say something, but the hoarse laughter did not wait for his words.
“Oh, sorry to digress! Let’s get back on topic. Oh, look at those scratches on the neck and arms. Must’ve been from someone’s sharp nails. Look at the pink nail polish left on the wound. Was it a prostitute?
“No, prostitutes would choose a brighter and more charming color. What’s more, they know who you are. They wouldn’t dare to harm a hair, even if you beat them up.
“There is obvious ring-shaped mark, but no ring. Where did the ring go? Well, from your look, you didn’t lose it. You just took it off, didn’t you?
“Your sleeves, oh, they’re turning black. You’re well-dressed, but a gentleman would never wear dirty clothes! And look at your nails. Is there dirt underneath them? Terrible! You’d better go home right now and take a nice bath. You haven’t been home these past two days, right?
“Your hands caught my attention too. They’re full of calluses. It tells me that you must have worked very hard before. Are you a craftsman? No, everyone knows that you’re an inspector. The only explanation is that you’ve worked at a workshop before.
“According to your age, let me guess, it was family workshop, wasn’t it? You must have been in charge of tanning the leather, right? Your fingers and palms don’t have the same skin color, which proves that your fingers must have been soaked in some kind of agent for a long time. The agents for tanning leather can corrode things to some degree. This explains why red marks appear whenever you drink.
“Then, my next question is, how can the son of a leather workshop owner occupy such an important position in a national police agency where there are so many elites and noblemen? The only explanation is that you have a good wife and a father-in-law in parliament.
“But it seems that her father doesn’t really like you, and always finds fault with you. Otherwise, he wouldn’t give you his old clothing as gifts. I can tell that you really like this coat, but it’s a pity that this coat was fashionable ten years ago.
“Maybe you have made a name for yourself, but you just can’t be acknowledged by those elites and become one of them. My advice for you is to find a mannerism teacher, or you will not even be able to correct your abnormal knees.
“In conclusion, there must have been some conflicts between the gloomy inspector Lestrade, and his elite wife who regrets to have married such a poor man.”
There was deathly silence.
The cane lifting Lestrade’s chin was lowered, but Lestrade could not move at all. In the silence, Lestrade felt that even the air had solidified. Something like an invisible boa twined around him, restricting him. He even felt the cold and wet scales on his skin, slowly dragging him into the chasm of fear. As if he was standing in front of his father-in-law again, he felt long-gone humiliation and fear. No, it was worse than that. He had no secrets that this man did not already know.
“You…you…” Lestrade opened his mouth but had no idea what to say. It was like he was naked walking over the snow. Blazing sun shone on his body, but it gave him no warmth, only cruelly revealing his secrets. The whole world was laughing at him, laughing at this over-confident downtown redneck. He shook with great humiliation.
“Don’t be afraid. Aren’t I your friend?” A cold hand stroked his hair, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. You help me and I will help you.”
“You, what?” Gathering his courage, he glared at the man, “What do you want from me?”
“We can talk about it later. As your good friend, I ca
re about your situation right now.” This man named Sherlock Holmes shook his head and sighed, “You’ve been down on your luck ever since the Shaman came back. First, those downtown cases made you almost lose your job. You were a competent employee to your boss, but now you’re just useless waste. Then your ways of earning money were cut off. Those big guys who used to pay you disappeared one by one, and I’m afraid that the last rat willing to give you money disappeared last night too.
“You’re used to indulging, but you’ve run out of money, haven’t you? Otherwise, you wouldn’t have quarreled with your wife because you can’t afford the expenses of holding dinner parties and luxuries any more, right?”
Silent for a long time, Lestrade finally nodded slowly. He surrendered.
A friendly hand grabbed Lestrade’s, clenching it tightly. A hoarse voice said, “There is still a chance, Lestrade, there is a chance, do not give up!” The man hummed a motivational song and said passionately, “No matter what, please don’t forget that you still have friends behind you…You have me!”
What Lestrade felt was just a great chill from head to toe. His hands trembled, but he did not have the courage to break away from the ‘friendship.’ He did not dare to. He was afraid that something would be waiting for him if he refused. “…What do you want?”
“I want to help you.” The sound seemed to come from a demon, with a vicious ‘ friendliness.’“You will prove that you are not a waste, that you are a young and promising detective—the nemesis of downtown’s criminals! In the eyes of your father-in-law, you will be the perfect son-in-law! As long as you provide some insignificant information, I will provide you with the power to rise up.”
Lestrade was speechless. In the silence, his breaths became heavy at times, stopping at others. His pupils dilated and constricted. His mind was struggling and hesitating.
In his hesitation, Holmes took out a thick paper bag and pushed it slowly against Lestrade’s face. “The Pyramid Scheme is over, you know. Here is the Pyramid King’s contacts, and his secret channels for smuggling. Imagine what your future would be like when you catch him…”
At that moment, Lestrade almost subconsciously reached out for the paper bag.
When a child gives in to the temptation of sweets, a whip will teach his hand a stern lesson. The cane cruelly swept Lestrade’s hand, pushing the lamp on the table to the paper bag. Bit by bit, the oil lamp tilted. The oil spilled, each drop spreading and reflecting the impending flames.
Just as the oil lamp was about to topple over, Lestrade moved. He swept the oil lamp aside like a madman and grabbed the paper bag. He forgot the pain of his broken finger and the shame he had just endured. His eyes were full of fanaticism and greed, “Deal!” He clung to the thing greedily. “I can tell you everything you want to know!”
On the ground, the overturned light jumped one last time, vaguely illuminating the side of the man’s face in the shadow, as well as his lips, curled into a cheerful smile.
Maybe he really had made a deal with demon. Lestrade stared at the eyes of the demon in a daze. The demon’s eyes…were black.
-
Ten minutes later, Ye Qingxuan opened the door of the tavern and walked into the night.
Soon after, the sober Lestrade ran out, clutching the paper bag. He glanced around. Seeing that no one was following him, he ran to the police station like a mad dog. Starting tomorrow, he would be the nemesis of downtown’s villains. Congratulations to him.
In the shadows, Ye Qingxuan looked away and smiled, high-fiving the girl beside him.
“I didn’t expect you to be that talented, Cousin.” Bai Xi gave him a thumbs up, “I give you a ten out of ten for that act!”
Ye Qingxuan shrugged, “For soft men like that, you just have to frighten them a little and they’ll tell you everything!”
Bai Xi smirked and imitated his hoarse voice, “Your neck, your palm, your ring! Oh, you smoked mandala! Did you and your wife fight with each other? It was so real that I almost believed you!”
“Well, it was just acting. It was all because of you.” Ye Qingxuan did not dare to take credit. After all, the nonsense that he had made up was based on information from Bai Xi. Everything he had pretended to analyze came from BaiXi’s research! He just searched for a reason, and then read the script…
“Psh, of course! What do you think I used to do in the Downtown District? The servants all have big mouths. If you ask them a few questions when shopping, you can even figure out the eight generations of his master’s ancestors.” She hummed with pride, but suddenly paused and asked, “Wait, how did you know his father-in-law actually despises him?”
“Well …” Ye Qingxuan smiled mysteriously, “That’s what’s great about deduction.”
The girl rolled her eyes and looked in the direction where Lestrade had gone. She looked disgusted. “Even I can tell that guy is soft and completely unreliable. Cousin, what did you put in all that effort for? Even if you get him, he’s going to sell us out just like he did to the others if something happens to us.”
“Don’t look down on that guy, Bai Xi,” Ye Qingxuan murmured. “Even if he is soft, don’t forget that he has the entire Avalon police force behind him. As soon as that guy can turn over, he will definitely be very useful.
“With him, we’ll have eyes in Avalon. With him, even the confidential files in the police department will be transparent to us, let alone the actions of the gangs.”
“Why are you so confident in him? What did he tell you?”
“Well, I was just going to inquire about the situation in downtown, but I didn’t expect to get such a good bargain…”
“Bargain?” Bai Xi’s eyes lit up. “How much of a bargain?”
Ye Qingxuan thought for a while, and smiled mysteriously, “That depends on how much those Indians are willing pay.”
124 Empty Room
In Ganlu City’s downtown, heavy incense burned in the fire. Smoke rose, snaking into the air of the hall, along with the sound of drums and the singing of dancers. Bare-chested men rested on the couch smoking hookah, their eyes drunk. Beautiful performing girls laid in their arms, rubbing against the mens’ chests. They were dazzling and intoxicating. Tanned servants in turbans shuttled through the hall with wooden platters, working fervently to provide each guest with wine, piper betel, betel nuts, and oyster powder.
“My esteemed guests, please enjoy these delicacies from my home.” The servants poured wine for the guests. Then they cut the betel nuts, dipped them into oyster powder, and used piper betel to wrap them into triangular shapes. The servants practically hand-fed the guests.
Two young men stood behind the table, one tall and one short. They looked like brothers. Both were dark-skinned and clad in a long robe. Their black curly hair was wrapped in a turban, and a gold pendant hung from their necks. They looked just like every other Indian in Avalon, and complemented this Indian brothel.
Yes, this was an Indian brothel. Ganlu City, also known as the sea of milk and drugs, was the biggest goldmine for Indians in Avalon. It apparently made one bushel of gold per day. Other than the women, they also had other more aggressive businesses in the beneath the surface, such as dealing opiates and soma wine. All of them were connected to Ganlu City.
The elder brother smiled, tossing a piper betel wrap into his mouth. Patting his brother’s shoulder, he said in a heavy Indian accent, “Shah, try one and stop being so down. We’re here to entertain ourselves! Ladies, come and sing for this unhappy boy!” With that, he threw a handful of money onto the table.
The performers giggled sweetly and began dancing and singing before the table.
‘Shah’s’ expression twisted instantly. He asked in a low voice, “Hey, cousin, your so-called bargain is to bring me here to look at prostitutes?”
“Patience. The good stuff hasn’t come yet,”‘cousin’ patted his shoulder and waved for the steward. He gave the man a thick wad of money and leered, “My brother Shah can’t wait any longer. Please send
the girls over.”
Seeing the cash, the steward smiled instantly, “Of course, of course.”
In a blink of the eye, the smell of heavy perfume rushed in from all directions. Bai Xi could hardly breathe. Amidst sweet and delicate voices, dozens of haughty and sexy girls appeared out of nowhere. The enthusiastic girls practically squeezed onto Bai Xi’s lap, hugging her arms and cooing.
Bai Xi just wanted to throw up. Thankfully the dark oil on her skin hid the greenness.
“Master, are you satisfied?” the steward asked Ye Qingxuan, rubbing his hands together. Ye Qingxuan glanced at the girls and furrowed his brows. “My cousin, Shah, doesn’t like them. Give me another group!”
Bai Xi’s expression changed quickly. Seeing more girls rushing over, she cried in panic, “I like them! I really like them! No need to change!”
“Tsk,” Ye Qingxuan shook his head and stated in the Indian accent, “Shah, this place is blessed by the gods. You’ll be able to find your type of girl. If you’re shy, let me look for you…”
Before Bai Xi could refuse, Ye Qingxuan turned to the steward and said sternly, “He likes girls like this, this, and this…”
He gestured with his hands. The steward’s face practically turned green, “Isn’t that a f*cking ball?”
“Oh?!” Ye Qingxuan pretended to be furious.
“No, no, no, beautiful! Beautiful!” the steward lied through his teeth.
“Do you have this type?”
“Yes!” the steward replied, clenching his teeth. “But…your request is a bit unique. The person might not be able to serve you well.”
Ye Qingxuan shrugged, “It’s okay as long you have it!”
Soon, the floorboards began trembling. A fat and dark woman appeared. She shook her butt and smiled, and opened her giant mouth. Two splotches of blush had been applied to her cheeks. She looked as terrifying as the Black Bull King of Indian myths! After asking who her client was, the ball smiled and rushed forward.