"Moriarty?" Russell paused in the middle of drinking his coffee.
"Did he knock people out with drugs?"
"No... well, he didn't kill anyone." Lestrade shook his head. "He stole things."
"What a surprise. What else would Moriarty do if not steal? Organize crime?"
Just as he was speaking, Charlotte, sitting across from him, finally couldn't take it anymore.
"Sometimes I find your ability to express yourself incredibly worrying, Lestrade."
As she spoke, she tossed the newspaper in her hand over to Russell.
"See for yourself."
Russell caught the newspaper, his gaze landing on today's front-page headline.
There, in bold, thick black font, the editor's excitement and agitation were vented frantically:
[Midnight Phantom: Lloyds Bank Ransacked, Legendary Thief Moriarty Shows His Divine Might Again!]
The newspaper described in detail the attack that occurred underground at the bank last night, portraying Moriarty as a dark hero who held the fort alone against ten thousand enemies.
"These reporters really don't mind blowing things out of proportion," Russell complained seemingly casually while eating his lunch.
"Writing about a thief as if he were Zorro."
"That is exactly what they need." Charlotte took a sip of her coffee.
"The citizens need a hero, even if he is a criminal. Scotland Yard needs an enemy so they can apply for a bigger budget. And the newspaper office needs a star to guarantee their sales."
She continued calmly, "Moriarty's appearance satisfies everyone's needs—except for those unlucky bastards he visits."
Russell remained noncommittal about this.
He turned the page, his gaze falling on a corner of the social news section, where an inconspicuous little report was published.
[Former Cabinet Minister Ethan Roy was sent to the asylum yesterday.]
Serves him right.
He made a silent comment in his heart, then closed the newspaper and looked at Lestrade.
"So, Lloyds Bank was ransacked last night?"
"To say it was ransacked is a bit much; after all, the losses weren't too heavy, but it did encounter an attack." Lestrade nodded.
"A criminal gang bribed one of the guards and sneaked in through the safety passage while the system was undergoing maintenance last night."
"And then?" Russell pressed, and Charlotte also looked over.
"Then, by the time our men arrived, the gunfight was already over."
Lestrade's expression turned odd. He rubbed his temples, seemingly trying to organize his language to describe that absurd scene.
"That criminal gang, five people in total, were all lying on the ground. Not a single one escaped."
"Are they all dead?" Russell asked subconsciously. He should have held back his strength last night.
"No," Lestrade shook his head.
"None of them died. Two had their hands and feet pierced by pistol rounds, and three suffered heavy blows to the back of the head. The most serious injury is just a concussion; there's no danger to their lives."
"Quite professional," Charlotte evaluated. "Moriarty did it?"
"The officers on the scene had all fainted, except for that mole, who was knocked out physically. Aside from that, there was another guy who was drugged and locked in the storage room, so... I think so."
Lestrade nodded.
"He impersonated one of the officers to mix into the underground storage room. Perhaps he initially just wanted to steal something, but he didn't expect someone would actually attack the bank."
He paused for a moment.
"Although it's strange to say this, but... fortunately, he set his sights on Lloyds Bank. This counts as a blessing amidst misfortunes."
He drank another mouthful of coffee before continuing:
"Actually, at the very beginning, we didn't know about this at all. Because the security system was under maintenance, the emergency alarm connecting to Scotland Yard didn't activate."
"In the latter half of the night, we received a report call. The person on the other end said someone in their apartment had been drugged and knocked out."
"When we rushed over and woke that guy up, he said he was a staff member of Lloyds Bank and was supposed to go on shift tonight."
"Then, you realized something was wrong," Charlotte supplemented the follow-up.
"Immediately after, you contacted the person in charge of the bank. That guy knew it was bad as soon as he heard it—a thief had entered the underground storage room."
"But when you rushed to the bank in a hurry and opened the door to the underground storage room, the battle between Moriarty and that gang of bandits was already over."
"He thoughtfully solved the trouble for you, then casually stole something and fled, correct?"
"Uh... pretty much." Lestrade nodded.
"He opened a safe, took the things inside, and left."
"Whose safe?"
"I don't know. There was no name marked on it, and the situation at the time didn't allow us to care about that."
"So, Inspector, you came to ask Charlotte for help in catching Moriarty?" Russell asked about the purpose of Lestrade's trip.
"If Charlotte is willing, I would actually—" Lestrade didn't finish, but turned his head to glance at Charlotte.
However, Charlotte just drank the coffee in her cup without saying a word.
"Alright, looks like she isn't willing." Lestrade shrugged at Russell.
"To be honest, Moriarty did us a big favor this time, so I intend to turn a blind eye to this matter. Although he stole some things, but... you know, he is Moriarty after all, right?"
"The things that guy steals will eventually be returned," Russell added a sentence.
"Right, that's what I mean. Although the person in charge at Lloyds Bank keeps rushing us... we actually don't have much energy to focus on Moriarty right now."
Lestrade nodded.
"I came this time actually for another matter."
"What matter?" Russell asked.
"We interrogated those surviving robbers, asking them why they attacked Lloyds Bank and who gave them the idea."
"They said it was a mysterious person with the codename 'The Professor' who planned this operation."
"The Professor?" Charlotte raised an eyebrow, seemingly interested.
"Go on."
"According to the confession of those robbers, this Professor seems to be a legendary figure in the London underground world," Lestrade explained.
"A criminal planner, a true genius. It is said that every time he makes a move, he can orchestrate a perfect crime without leaving any traces."
"However, this Professor had disappeared for nearly a year. No one knew where he went, or even if he was dead or alive."
"Until last night?"
"To be precise, until five days ago," Lestrade said.
"Five days ago, the long-lost Professor appeared again and sent that gang the map of Lloyds Bank, the shift schedule, the system maintenance loopholes, and even the plan for the entire operation process."
"He maintained a rhythm of one letter a day. Until the fourth day, when the final letter was delivered, the entire operation plan was thus formed."
"Four days to plan an attack on the largest private bank in all of London... if not for the variable that is Moriarty, he would have succeeded," Charlotte murmured to herself.
"Interesting."
She put down her coffee, then suddenly stood up and threw on her coat.
"Let's go, you two."
"Go where?" Russell asked vaguely, a half-eaten fried egg hanging from his mouth.
"To the police station," Charlotte said without looking back.
"I need to ask some questions."
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