Midnight. The early hours of the morning. Number 3, Lauriston Gardens.
Despite the time, the area around Lauriston Gardens was still brightly lit.
As the crime scene, the house was cordoned off by layers of yellow tape. Besides the police cars surrounding the perimeter, there were also numerous news vans parked just outside the barrier.
Inside the vans, a swarm of reporters, like sharks that had caught the scent of blood, aimed their cameras—which resembled long rifles and short cannons—greedily at the house.
Beside a police car, two inspectors who looked like high-ranking officials were complaining incessantly.
"Oh, damn it. These goddamned reporters. If I find out who leaked the news about this, I'll beat him to a pulp."
Inspector Gregson looked at the crowd, a wave of irritation washing over him.
Right now, he just hoped Charlotte would arrive quickly, solve the case, and then, as usual, he would take the credit while she took her bounty.
That was their usual mode of cooperation, but today was a little different.
The man next to him was Lestrade, currently the most powerful second-in-command at the station. Ordinarily, without Charlotte's assistance, Gregson wasn't entirely sure he could have secured his current position.
Today, however, his old rival had also found his own backup—a pair of sibling detectives, supposedly.
Feeling uneasy, Gregson subconsciously prodded, "Hey, Lestrade, are you sure the help you called in is any good?"
"Oh? Who knows?" Lestrade shook his head, looking somewhat proud. "In any case, these two are special talents sent down from above. They'll prove to you that official personnel are always better than some freelance upstart!"
Although Lestrade's words were confident, for someone who knew of Charlotte's capabilities, his tone still betrayed a hint of insecurity.
Clearly, while he hoped these two officials parachuting in would defeat Charlotte, he wasn't actually sure they could.
In response to his words, Gregson just shook his head, feeling helpless.
After all, whether it was the specialists sent from above or the freelance Charlotte, even if they solved the case, the credit wouldn't be due to their own abilities.
Regardless, this was turning into a contest between them.
Just as he irritably stamped out his cigarette and raised his hand, he saw two familiar headlights.
After the car pulled up, the window rolled down, revealing a beautiful face that was just begging to be punched, and that familiar, eternally mocking tone.
"Hi, Inspector Gregson. Aren't we meeting a bit too often?"
"Hmph... we certainly are."
Since he was the one asking for help, Gregson suppressed his anger. He glanced into the car, only to freeze, before hissing in a low, humiliated voice.
"Charlotte, why did you bring two children here? Don't tell me you didn't see those damn reporters outside! Oh, for God's sake."
Gregson felt a sense of despair. He used his large frame to block the car window, trying to prevent anyone else from seeing inside.
"Listen, Charlotte, they can't get out of the car. If tomorrow's papers report that underage children were present at a murder scene, our department will be crushed by public opinion!"
"Alright, Gregson, don't panic."
"How can I not panic?! Wait, what's this..."
Gregson was about to lose his temper, but he couldn't help but stare when he saw the two ID cards Charlotte presented.
On the crimson cover were only two words: Direct Attack.
Gregson had heard of this organization.
Direct Attack, or DA for short, was a special law enforcement agency founded three years ago by a joint effort of several high-ranking officials from the Mu Continent United Committee and numerous top business tycoons, established to maintain order.
All information about this organization was top secret. Its members were called 'Lycoris', and any one of them possessed absolute command authority over public security members below the rank of commissioner.
"You... you joined the national security agency?"
"Mhm, take a look. You'll understand when you see."
Gregson frowned at first, but after seeing Charlotte's helpless shake of the head, he took the IDs with some surprise. When he saw the photos on them, his eyes shot wide open.
He held up the IDs, gesturing incredulously at the people inside the car.
What the fuck. These two brats are the legendary 'Lycoris'? These are the official personnel from above that Lestrade was talking about?
This was too absurd. Making kids this young investigate a case? What could they possibly find?
Have those idiots upstairs lost their minds? Gregson even suspected that someone in the higher-ups would actually send high school girls with pistols to fight terrorists.
Though shocked, the authority represented by these ID cards was undeniable. For the sake of his future career, he couldn't refuse them.
"Fine. But I must ask you two specialists... to be mindful of your image when you get out of the car. If you're photographed, it won't be good for us or for you."
"Yes, I understand. We'll be careful. Thank you for your understanding."
Fu Li smiled and took back the IDs. After watching Inspector Gregson go to organize his officers to temporarily block the reporters, they quickly exited the car and entered the crime scene.
Lestrade, who had been maliciously sent over by Gregson to lead Fu Li, saw the dispatched specialists, and his face instantly darkened.
Dear God, these are the special agents sent from above, said to be able to rival Charlotte? No matter how you look at it, they don't look like adults!
Damn it to hell! No matter what, I've completely lost face in front of Gregson.
And here he was, thinking he could finally get one up on Gregson. Now, forget about getting one up on him, his face had probably been slapped swollen.
"So, you're the specialists sent from above?"
Unwilling to give up, he asked one last, struggling question. After receiving Fu Li's affirmative answer, he lowered his head and fell silent.
This isn't a specialist, this is some young master and young miss from a rich family here to get a fancy title on their resume.
Fuck!!! This is a homicide case, not a children's playhouse!!! How much do the higher-ups spoil their own kids?!
Although Lestrade was cursing a storm in his mind, considering his career prospects, he could only take a deep breath and forcibly suppress his anger.
They were all adults. Confronting a superior who had clearly been parachuted in with a powerful background was the stupidest thing one could do.
However, even if he swallowed his anger, his demeanor remained noticeably cold.
"Fine. Follow me."
With a frosty expression, he strode into the crime scene without waiting for them.
He had already lost face. Now, he just wanted to give these two a quick tour, and then let the real genius detective, Charlotte, solve the case quickly.
Seeing his attitude, however, Vill-V let out a dissatisfied, cold snort.
"Li, isn't this guy underestimating us a bit too much?"
"Mhm, perhaps."
Fu Li wasn't particularly bothered by Vill-V's pique. "We are quite young, after all. It's only natural that people would be suspicious, isn't it?"
"But age doesn't represent ability." Vill-V was still annoyed. Her pride made her extremely displeased with such a disdainful and contemptuous look.
It felt like being looked down upon by a stupid 'monkey'.
Finally, she noticed Charlotte's spectating gaze and let out a breath.
"Fine. In that case, let's let our skills do the talking."
As she spoke, the impetuous aura around Vill-V dissipated. Under Charlotte's curious gaze, her entire temperament suddenly shifted, becoming strangely familiar.
The current Vill-V still gave off an air of pride, but it was now tinged with a flippancy that didn't belong to her. Yet, beneath this flippant exterior was a keen, astute feeling.
The feeling was familiar, yet eerie.
Watching Vill-V, Charlotte suddenly felt as if she were looking at another version of herself. Under the effect of the uncanny valley, a wave of goosebumps uncontrollably crawled up her arms.
Vill-V, seeing her reaction, showed not a hint of guilt for 'hijacking her account' right in front of her. She adopted Charlotte's unique gait and flippantly followed behind Lestrade.
Faced with Vill-V's undisguised provocation, Charlotte felt a bit uncomfortable, but she quickly followed suit.
They walked swiftly into the house together. The first thing they saw was a dusty hallway that led to the kitchen, with a door on either side. One had clearly not been opened for a long time, while the other was the scene of the crime.
The room had obviously undergone a preliminary investigation, but the body had not been moved.
Lestrade sighed. After walking for a bit, he had clearly regained some of his composure, but he still ignored Fu Li and Vill-V, speaking directly to Charlotte:
"As you can see, at Gregson's insistence, our department has temporarily left the body in place. We've preserved the primary crime scene specifically for you, to make it easier for you to find the killer."
Charlotte raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Well, thank him for me."
"It's nothing... as long as the case can be solved quickly."
Lestrade said politely, but before he could finish, he saw Charlotte and Vill-V step forward almost in unison, eagerly walking towards the body.
Tsk... honestly...
Looking at the ungrateful pair, Lestrade was about to get angry again, but when he saw Fu Li, a strange feeling kept him from saying anything more.
As for Vill-V, she completely ignored the inspector beside her, using the same method as Charlotte to examine the corpse.
The victim's body lay on the floor, face up. He was about forty years old, not particularly tall, with a handlebar mustache.
He was respectably dressed, with a clean starched collar and cuffs, and wore a pair of light-colored trousers. A top hat lay beside him.
Clue one: The deceased was undoubtedly a respectable man. Although his clothes were plain, the details indicated he came from a good upbringing and possessed the dignity of the upper class.
And such a wealthy man would obviously not be wearing plain clothes and die in a place that clearly looked like a poor person's residence.
In other words, he was brought here. And judging from his deliberately low-key attire, he clearly didn't want anyone to know.
Meaning, he was coerced into coming here!
Mimicking Charlotte's thought process, Vill-V reached out at almost the same time as Charlotte, beginning to search the victim's body.
Seeing this, Lestrade, who had been disdainful just moments ago, frowned. Watching Vill-V's actions, which were completely at odds with her appearance, he began to feel a sliver of doubt.
Could it be that this young miss actually has some skill?
Impossible, absolutely impossible. She's just some good-for-nothing who got her position through connections.
As Lestrade thought this, he failed to notice that both Charlotte's and Vill-V's movements had quickened, as if they were racing against each other.
In the end, luck was on Charlotte's side. From the left side of the body where she was squatting, she pulled out a ring.
"Oh, looks like my luck is pretty good."
Charlotte whistled, carelessly tossing the ring to Vill-V. "Take a look. I have a feeling this is an important clue."
Her action surprised Watson, who was standing nearby.
The Charlotte she knew had always treated murder cases like a player facing an interesting puzzle game.
She would only give others a rough description of the clues she found. Even with Watson herself, she would only offer a few more words of explanation.
But now, Charlotte had proactively thrown a clue she found to Vill-V. It was as if a player who always solo-queued had, for the first time ever, invited another player to join their game.
For some reason, Watson suddenly felt a little lonely.
However, she then saw 'Player Two', Vill-V, take the ring, glance at it, and immediately toss it back.
"This clue isn't enough. We still need to examine this room carefully."
Vill-V spoke calmly, which elicited a burst of laughter from Charlotte.
"Good, good! Vill-V, I'm finding that I'm starting to like you."
"Is that so? But I don't like you."
Vill-V said coldly, her gaze sweeping over to Fu Li, who had at some point sat down in a chair and was holding a book, looking somewhat bored.
Unlike Charlotte, the puzzle she was looking forward to solving was not this kind of case.
What she wanted was something deeper.
After speaking, she took out the toolbox she usually carried with her. It was originally used for her inventions, but now it clearly had another purpose.
Following the behavioral patterns of Charlotte that she had simulated in her mind, she began her work under the other's interested gaze, sometimes measuring, sometimes observing with a magnifying glass.
She and Charlotte walked back and forth, sometimes stopping, sometimes kneeling, and sighing from time to time.
Finally, after more than twenty minutes of detailed examination, with the exception of Fu Li who had expected it, Lestrade's expression had slowly shifted from initial disdain to astonishment.
This 'young miss'... seemed to have some real skill.
Author's PS:
Reference: Gregson and Lestrade are both from the Sherlock Holmes detective stories. Gregson is Holmes's collaborator in the police force, while the other is an inspector who dislikes detectives but has to admit Holmes's ability.