Chapter 322: The Truth About Moriarty

"I am actually a bit curious. I shouldn't know you, so why, when you made your move, did you seem to have already confirmed that the Moriarty in the carriage was a fake, and that I am the real one?"

Seeing Colonel Moran's exposed expression, Professor Moriarty realized that there was no point in continuing to pretend, so he asked Shengzai, who was leaning behind him, with a look of confusion.

"Holmes's notes mentioned that Professor Moriarty is a mysterious and cautious figure, to the point that only his confidant, Colonel Moran, knows his true face.

Moreover, big shots generally like to use body doubles while keeping themselves in a safe position.

Of course, the main reason is that you yourself have too many flaws. It is rumored that Professor Moriarty is a fashionable old man who likes to use ancient dragon perfume. Even if you changed clothes with the coachman, the scent of the perfume cannot lie. That is the first point.

And I don't believe an ordinary coachman would have the money to buy such expensive leather shoes. Changing clothes but not shoes—that is the second place where you exposed yourself.

Professor Moriarty is a powerful and influential big shot in London. The coachman who drives for him must be an excellent driver, in addition to being his confidant.

But your skills are too mediocre; even Yuanzi, whose acting is clumsy, was almost hit. If you were a big shot, would you hire a driver... a coachman with such poor driving skills?"

"Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap—!"

After hearing Shengzai's deduction, even Professor Moriarty, who currently had a knife held to his neck by Shengzai, could not help but clap with an extremely appreciative expression.

"A quite beautiful deduction, and combined with that level of skill, it is really hard to believe that you are just a child.

Using such methods to hold me hostage, you shouldn't be Holmes's people, right?

At the very least, I don't believe that the group of brats under Holmes, who are like stray dogs, would have your abilities."

Although Professor Moriarty and Holmes are mortal enemies, they are also quite knowledgeable about each other.

Holmes is keen on investigating cases and deduction; he generally does not take extreme actions before mastering concrete evidence.

Therefore, judging from Shengzai's style of conduct, he does not believe Shengzai would come under Holmes's orders, and in fact, he is not Holmes's person at all.

"Professor, we indeed don't have much of a relationship with Holmes, and we have no intention of being your enemy.

But now your people seem to have had a little misunderstanding with us. Before we sit down and talk, could you let your subordinates release my friends first?"

Upon hearing Shengzai's words, Yuanzi had long since run in front of Colonel Moran, acting like a fox assuming the tiger's might, and pushed the large Colonel Moran repeatedly, attempting to rescue her best friend.

Seeing such a disrespectful Yuanzi, Colonel Moran, who had never suffered such indignity, was just about to raise his gun at Yuanzi to finish off this woman who was courting death, when an extremely cold voice forced him to stop his actions.

"If you dare to touch a single hair on her, not only will your boss die, but none of the rest of you will live either!

If you think I am just a brat and ignore my warning, then you can feel free to try!

Not only you, I will also find your families and make them all be buried with you!"

Seeing Yuanzi suddenly being targeted by a gun, Shengzai, who had originally looked gentle like a neighbor's younger brother, suddenly erupted with an extremely grim killing intent.

Even Colonel Moran, who had experienced great storms and could even be called a seasoned killer, could not help but feel a sense of palpitation when feeling the killing intent radiating from Shengzai and that predatory gaze.

Especially Professor Moriarty, who was closest to Shengzai at the moment; although he could not see Shengzai's face while leaning against him, that substantial killing intent made him extremely surprised. He really could not figure out why Shengzai, who clearly looked like just a brat, would have such terrifying killing intent.

Jack the Ripper is a madman, right? He only gradually slipped out of his control after committing crimes in succession.

But this brat holding him hostage, how old is he, damn it? Relying solely on killing intent and aura, he was actually already enough to deter a ruthless person like Colonel Moran!

This is no brat at all! This is simply a monster even crazier than Jack the Ripper!

The reason he hasn't gone berserk yet is probably because the woman in front of him has become the shackle that binds and protects him.

Once this shackle is gone, this world will likely have one more true devil!

And for this kind of true madman, Professor Moriarty's current thought is to avoid provoking him as much as possible, since there is no grudge between the two sides.

Once the other party is truly provoked, who knows what this madman will do.

And don't forget, his own life is currently in the other party's hands; reasoning with a madman is undoubtedly the most foolish thing.

"Moran, do as this young lady says!"

Honestly, even if Professor Moriarty didn't say it, Colonel Moran didn't intend to fight to the death with Shengzai at this moment.

Through the killing intent Shengzai just radiated and that predatory gaze, Colonel Moran could be 100% sure that the other party was definitely a truly ruthless character.

The number of lives lost at his own hands, compared to the other party, is probably just a drop in the bucket.

Moreover, the other party's childlike appearance is definitely not his true age; after all, it's not like this world doesn't have strange illnesses like "dwarfism."

"Did you hear what your boss said? Hurry up and release Xiaolan for this young lady, otherwise, I will immediately have my little brother chop up your whole family!"

Seeing that Colonel Moran and his lackeys were scared, Yuanzi stood with her hands on her hips, looking like she was incredibly proud of herself.

She was even thinking that the 19th-century London gangs weren't anything special after all.

Her little brother just threatened them a little, and these people actually chickened out.

If she had known these people were so timid, she, Yuanzi, could have handled everything all by herself.

Seeing the thick-skinned Yuanzi, Conan and the others who were rescued were speechless.

Professor Moriarty and Colonel Moran are dangerous figures in 19th-century London; would they feel fear because of such a "joke"-like threat?

It was obvious that the aura radiated by Shengzai when he said the threatening words and Yuanzi's fox-assuming-the-tiger's-might threat were two completely different things; they just didn't understand the nuances.

It is quite normal for Professor Moriarty and Colonel Moran to feel palpitations because of the aura Shengzai radiated.

After all, in this world, although he is a rich young master, in other worlds, he has already experienced countless bloody battles.

As for Conan and the others not noticing the nuances, that is naturally because the target of Shengzai's killing intent was not them.

However, the only one present who would think that these gang members like Colonel Moran were easily scared was probably the thick-skinned Yuanzi.

Of course, a large part of the reason is also because, in Yuanzi's eyes, her own little brother has always been the obedient and sensible type; she never even thought about the possibility of him making thugs afraid.

(End of chapter)