[After Irene went in, Stangerson died from the poison's onset. Hope, having succeeded in his revenge, finally relented.]
[In his words, since both Fu Li's group and the mysterious party had helped him, he was willing to reveal some information. However, he said it was impossible for him to directly expose the other party.]
[Neither Charlotte nor Vill-V was satisfied with this answer, but in the subsequent interrogation, Hope refused to say another word.]
[Against a dying man, such coercive methods were no longer effective.]
[Thus, you turned your attention to Fred. But by the time you arrived, Fred had already committed suicide, the cause of death being a poison capsule he had bitten through in his mouth.]
---o---
The next day, at Vill-V's home.
"Damn it, that guy actually killed himself!! His loyalty is insane! Damn it!!"
Vill-V sat at the dining table, puffing out her cheeks in frustration as she stabbed a piece of steak with her fork, feeling a little deflated.
She truly hadn't expected the man to commit suicide just like that. Now, their biggest lead was completely severed, leaving only the clues provided by Hope.
The Underground Emperor of London, the criminal mastermind?
No, this has to be related to Li's secret. And Li's secret must also be connected to Charlotte, otherwise, there would have been no need to arrange for them to live next door.
Is it that owl?
An organization being investigated by a detective... could it be some kind of criminal organization?
In that case, is that criminal mastermind one of its members?
If that were the case, what was Fu Li's identity? He could mobilize the DA, a state apparatus, and also have some unclear connection to that owl organization.
Vill-V's brow furrowed. As her thoughts churned, a cup of coffee was silently placed on her table, and the faint, drifting aroma immediately filled her nostrils.
"Hm? Li, what's this?"
"This is a special coffee I prepared. I added some rosemary mint syrup and a suitable amount of ice to cold brew coffee. It creates a richer, more layered flavor and can help with thinking."
"Oh, is that so... Thanks."
Vill-V picked up the cup and took a sip. In an instant, a rich, mellow fragrance blossomed in her mouth.
This tastes so good.
Vill-V looked at Fu Li, who had a gentle expression like a big brother from next door. She found it truly difficult to connect him with the leader of a criminal organization.
Besides, even if Li really were a crime boss, she would never distance herself from him because of it.
Perhaps she could find a way to destroy Li's organization, then create an unbreakable rope to bind him tightly to her side, ensuring he could never leave her for his entire life.
As for earning money to support Li, if she put her mind to it, that wouldn't be a problem at all.
The moment this thought surfaced, Vill-V instinctively began to map out various methods in her mind, searching for the most feasible path.
"By the way, Vill-V, your birthday is next month. Do you want to go out and have some fun for a day?"
"Mmm, next month?"
Fu Li's words promptly interrupted Vill-V's dangerous train of thought. After a moment of consideration, she did feel that she ought to give herself a break.
"For next month, can we go to the military museum? I want to see the real weapons there. It should be very helpful for my inventions."
"Is that so..." Fu Li broke into a sweat and suggested, "Vill-V, a birthday is a very important day for a person. You can't keep working like this all the time."
"Huh? Working like this?" Vill-V was a bit puzzled. "But I think studying like this is a lot of fun. If anything, those people who do nothing but play every day are the ones wasting their time."
Listen to that. Spoken like a true workaholic.
Fu Li was speechless. Looking at Vill-V, who was as straightforward as steel when it came to work, he gently tapped her on the head.
"Anyway, if you want to see the military museum, we can pick any time to go. But on your birthday, let's do something else. For example, how about performing some magic? I can help you rent a venue."
"Mmm, perform magic?" Vill-V crossed her arms and thought for a moment. "That could work. I've thought of a few fun tricks recently. But Li, we don't have much of a reputation right now. We probably can't rent a big venue."
"That's not a problem at all," Fu Li said with a smile. "As long as you have money, you can go wherever you want. But, do you want to invite Charlotte and Watson? They're your friends now, aren't they?"
"What? You say she and I are friends??"
Vill-V suddenly bristled and retorted:
"We're not friends, we're rivals, okay? We just happen to be able to talk about the same things sometimes. But if you absolutely insist on inviting them, I suppose it's not out of the question."
"Oh, I see. So that means you want me to invite them."
"Hmph. I never said that. Fine, do whatever you want. I'm going to read."
Vill-V put down her teacup and stomped off to her room, leaving Fu Li to shrug helplessly without another word.
---o---
[In the days that followed, you heard that Moriarty was furious about Fred's death, even losing his composure, a rare sight.]
[To ensure that man wouldn't cause any trouble, you secretly arranged for several teams of Lycoris to protect Charlotte, Watson, and their families.]
[At the same time, under your direction, the 'Alan Institute' began to extend an olive branch to the scientific talents it had assisted in recent years, including the currently prominent Mobius.]
[As expected, under the prodigiously generous conditions you offered, Mobius and her research team accepted the recruitment, establishing the Alan First Laboratory.]
[Other recruited scientific geniuses formed the Alan Second Laboratory.]
[It is worth noting that upon seeing the treatment and resources of the First Laboratory, many from the Second Laboratory requested to transfer, but you refused.]
[As your plans began to fall into place, Charlotte and Vill-V also embarked on their own adventures.]
[After the 'Study in Scarlet' incident, Vill-V, in addition to her two great loves of magic and mechanics, would occasionally participate in other interesting cases.]
[However, perhaps because you had eliminated one of Moriarty's 'hands', criminal activities related to him had recently decreased, leaving both Charlotte and Vill-V feeling somewhat bored.]
[Finally, after a month of boredom, you found another magic troupe that happened to be touring London. Persuaded by money, they agreed to let Vill-V perform as the grand finale guest.]
[This time, you personally extended an invitation to Charlotte and Watson, asking them to attend as audience members.]