Monday, morning.
The air after the rain carried a trace of bone-chilling cold.
Russell put on a trench coat for warmth—something he hadn't done in a long time—and then leisurely went downstairs.
"Good morning, Mrs. Hudson."
Russell walked downstairs and greeted Mrs. Hudson.
"Good morning, Russell."
Mrs. Hudson walked out of the kitchen carrying a plate of freshly baked scones, a kind smile on her face.
"You're up early today. I thought you would sleep until noon again."
"I am a student, after all." Russell smiled and took the plate Mrs. Hudson handed him, picked up a steaming scone, and unceremoniously popped it into his mouth.
"Where's Charlotte?" Mrs. Hudson asked.
"Probably hasn't woken up yet." Russell shrugged, then picked up a cookie and held it in his mouth, speaking indistinctly, "I'm heading out."
"Winter is coming soon, and it's cold. Remember to wear more clothes."
"Got it——"
Imperial College.
The last row of the lecture hall was as warm as ever—at least compared to the other seats, it could be considered toasty.
Russell sat in the spot that belonged exclusively to him, where the sunlight acted like a faithful servant, pouring the most comfortable temperature over him.
He narrowed his eyes halfway and lay on the desk, as if he might melt into this warmth at any second.
The surrounding environment hadn't changed much compared to two weeks ago. In the entire back row, apart from him and Mary, no one else sat there.
The other students seemed to have gotten used to, or perhaps accepted, this unwritten rule. Even the lecturer had gradually become accustomed to the situation. As long as it didn't affect the class, he let them be.
Russell yawned comfortably.
Just then, the sound of footsteps came from behind, bringing with them a slight chill from the outdoors. The familiar scent of white tea lingered at the tip of Russell's nose. He looked up at the figure taking a seat beside him.
She was still wearing that proper school uniform. Her long silver hair was tied up with a dark blue ribbon, leaving only a few strands hanging by her ears, swaying slightly with her gentle movements.
Today's Mary was a bit different from usual.
There was an additional beige scarf around the young girl's neck. It was wrapped loosely around Mary's neck, dutifully resisting the invasion of the cold wind.
"Good morning, Russell."
The greeting, identical to usual, sounded in his ear like the opening announcement of a youth stage play.
"Good morning, Mary."
Russell spoke lazily, his gaze falling upon the scarf around the girl's neck.
"Nice scarf."
"Thanks for the compliment."
The girl smiled beautifully, then placed the textbooks she would need later on the desk.
"By the way, have you read the newspapers from the last two days?" she said, seemingly casually.
"You mean the Lloyds Bank matter?"
"Mn." Mary nodded slightly. "Scotland Yard must be sweating profusely right now, aren't they?"
"Pretty much. I hadn't even woken up yesterday morning when Lestrade came over to ask Charlotte for help."
Russell nodded slightly.
"Help?" Mary raised an eyebrow. "Hasn't the culprit already been caught? what does Charlotte need to help with? Catching Moriarty?"
"That's not it. Although Lloyds Bank has been pressuring Scotland Yard, Lestrade doesn't intend to waste time on Moriarty."
Russell shook his head.
"Why is Lloyds Bank pressuring Scotland Yard?" Mary blinked and pressed the question.
You tell me?
Russell asked back in his mind. This girl was also a master at playing dumb. Fortunately, so was he.
"Because," he paused, then looked left and right before lowering his voice and speaking mysteriously, "The vault at Lloyds Bank was pried open, but they didn't make it public."
"Who was robbed?"
"Don't know." Russell shook his head. "Lloyds Bank didn't tell Scotland Yard. According to Lestrade, the safe wasn't opened by that gang of bandits, but by Moriarty.
"He took out six bandits by himself, and then casually pried open a safe and took the contents inside. Therefore, Lloyds Bank is very anxious right now, constantly urging Scotland Yard to recover the stolen property."
"Hmm... speaking of which, my family also has things in the underground storage room at Lloyds Bank," Mary said.
"Really? It wouldn't be that much of a coincidence, would it?" Russell looked at Mary with feigned surprise.
"Who knows. Anyway, when Father called to inquire, the answer he got was that everything was fine."
Mary shrugged.
"It probably wouldn't be that much of a coincidence."
"Yes, it probably wouldn't be that much of a coincidence."
Russell nodded obediently.
"Aside from that?" Mary continued to ask. "Since Lestrade doesn't want to pay attention to Lloyds Bank's urging, but still needs Charlotte's help, there must be something else, right?"
"Mn, Lestrade sought Charlotte out primarily for another matter." Russell nodded slightly. "Mainly for a codename."
"Codename?" A flash of curiosity passed through Mary's eyes, and her body unconsciously leaned a few degrees closer to Russell.
"What codename?"
"The Professor," Russell said in a lowered voice.
The moment his voice fell, the young girl's body froze imperceptibly, but she immediately recovered to normal.
"The Professor?" Mary's intonation rose slightly at the end, carrying a bit of confusion. "What kind of codename is that?"
"Simply put, the bank attack on Saturday night was single-handedly planned by a person codenamed 'The Professor'. Those bandits who were thrown into prison were nothing more than coolies found by The Professor."
Russell explained.
"According to the interrogation results, The Professor seems to be a very formidable... consultant. A consultant in crime. He has planned several perfect crimes in the past. Until the very end, Scotland Yard never found the real culprit.
"And if Moriarty hadn't happened to choose that place as a target while in the underground storage room, The Professor's comeback operation might have truly ended perfectly."
"Comeback operation?" Mary listened quietly. Her expression showed nothing unusual, only her occasionally furrowed brows betraying the young girl's curiosity. "Why a comeback operation?"
"Because according to those guys, The Professor vanished from London's underground world about a year ago," Russell said.
"It wasn't until a few days before the crime that the leader of that gang received a letter from The Professor after a long time. The Professor provided them with a perfect action plan, and the requirement was for them to attack the underground storage room, open the door to one of the storage rooms, and take the contents of a certain safe.
"Unfortunately, all of this was ruined by Moriarty, and Charlotte's leads were cut off along with it. She complained quite a bit about that."
As he spoke, he recounted the information Lestrade had shared at the dining table in a storytelling tone.
Mary listened quietly without interrupting. She simply rested her chin on one hand, her fingertips unconsciously tapping lightly against her smooth cheek. In those azure eyes, a light shone brighter and brighter.
It was as if she were listening to someone recount her own legend.
"So, Charlotte accepted Inspector Lestrade's commission?"
When Russell's story came to an end, Mary finally asked.
"More than just accepted." Russell sighed. "She didn't even finish breakfast before she dragged me and Lestrade to Scotland Yard to interrogate those robbers."
"Any findings?" Mary pressed, a hint of tension in her tone.
"Apart from some legendary tales about The Professor, nothing." Russell shook his head. "Charlotte wanted to get The Professor's target out of the bandits, but unfortunately, of the only two who knew the safe's code, one is still wanted, and the other was scared insane by Moriarty."
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