In the darkness and thick fog, the funeral procession left Watling Street and walked towards Abney Park Cemetery.
Scotland Yard.
Rifle Brigade.
Military band.
Metropolitan Police.
City police.
Water company.
Fire Protection Association.
Thousands of public officials silently bid farewell to the deceased, followed by delegations from other cities and gentlemen who came spontaneously.
"This funeral is mainly dedicated to the memory of several gentlemen of the Braidwood family who unfortunately died in this fire..."
The old man driving the car was infected by this solemn atmosphere. He lowered his voice and said: "The fire broke out at about three o'clock in the morning, and it was barely controlled within an area ten hours later."
"Inside, buildings were ablaze, explosions were heard one after another, and eleven acres of land were burned from St. Olaf's Church to Battleship Bridge and inland from the Thames."
"Why do you understand this matter so clearly?" Lu Li asked.
"My God, sir, don't you read the newspaper?"
The old man looked at Lu Li with an expression as if he had seen a ghost, and then speculated: "It seems that you are not from London? You just came here recently."
"That's right."
"No wonder." The old man explained while driving to follow the funeral team, "The fire shocked half of the city. Onlookers came from all directions. The vendors selling beer, ginger drinks, fruits and coffee made a lot of money. Pen, even me.”
"The guests paid four times the price of the bus, but not to stay away from the danger zone, but for the space to stand on the roof of the car to broaden their horizons and see more clearly."
Recalling the scene at that time, the old man shook his head. The spectators were so enthusiastic that windowsills, roofs, tower tops, and any place where they could stay were crowded with people.
Tens of thousands of excited cheeks were lit up by the heat. No one cared about the danger and choking smoke, let alone that the firefighters were risking their lives for public safety.
Group obsession?
Suddenly, a word appeared in the old coachman's mind and told Lu Li.
Hearing this, Lu Li nodded, thoughtfully, and asked, "What are the identities of the deceased?"
"Firefighters, there are public fire departments and there are private fire departments."
"Private organizations took the lead in entering the scene. After all, there are breweries, candle factories and other flammable goods manufacturers at the site of the incident. They have their own fire-fighting teams."
"Then Mr. Braidwood from the fire department arrived and took full command of the scene."
"Later, this gentleman and several of his sons were all engulfed in fire. It is said that the fire detonated a warehouse storing potassium nitrate.
With a loud noise, an explosion suddenly appeared, swallowing up the heroes, and the burning giant bricks blocked all rescue activities. "
At this moment, Lu Li felt that he should find a pen and write down all these things.
According to the old coachman, the open fire burned for four days and went out. Currently, most areas of Tully Street, which was reduced to rubble, are still smoldering.
The reason why the fire was difficult to extinguish was that there were a large number of dangerous factories and a very large warehouse there, especially the latter, which stored thousands of barrels of tar and grease.
"boom!"
The sound of gunfire interrupted his thoughts.
Unknowingly, the funeral procession had arrived at the park cemetery, and the salute soldiers of the Rifle Brigade began firing.
One after another, the originally noisy scene became quiet again, the police officers began to retreat, and the band slowly played the death march.
Lu Li took off his deerstalker hat and saluted like those unknown fire-fighting heroes——
All immediate members of the Braidwood family died. The person responsible for the funeral was not an individual but an organization, a funeral committee composed of representatives from the London Fire Department.
"The tragedy happened so suddenly...in memory of the hero...it was decided...to rename Braidwood Street...this great family..."
Amid the mournful music, the mayor’s voice was choked with sobs.
Then, Dr. Cumming (the presiding priest) led the church members to pray for the deceased.
Speeches, eulogies.
Through this, Lu Li further learned that all the adult men in the Braidwood family died in the fire.
Including the old man's stepsons, all of them were firefighters. Some had long since died in the line of duty, and the remaining people could not escape the Tully Street fire.
When the ceremony was over, Lu Li was not in a hurry to leave. He followed the crowd and lined up to present a white flower to the victim.
There were black and white photos and a family photo on the tombstone. Looking at them, Lu Li sighed in his heart. He had made up his mind to take over the case and investigate the truth of the disaster.
"Let's go."
"Roger that, sir."
The carriage drove slowly in the thick fog.
Lu Li sat inside, stroking the mysterious book in his hand. No matter which angle he looked at it, it was blank and had nothing strange about it.
Another peaceful day.
Apart from knowing some secrets, I didn't encounter any extraordinary events.
Perhaps, so are others?
Everyone is waiting in boredom, occasionally teaching a few perverts a lesson, and looking forward to a reversal of things, such as:
Those perverts laughed wildly, tearing off the skin and flesh from their faces to reveal their true appearance.
However, the wish was frustrated again and again.
Is the principal bluffing?
The thought flashed away. No one would be so naive. There must be something brewing in the calmness.
Midnight, Baker Street.
Wow——
The chain of keys flew through the air. Lu Li looked at the lighted corridor and listened to the noise coming from above his head. He said helplessly: "It's midnight now, why aren't you sleeping?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a figure rushed down quickly.
"Sir, you are back!"
"Well, the matter is not complicated." Lu Li took off the white flowers on his chest and added, "I could have come back earlier, but there was a funeral on the way, so I simply sent those heroes away."
"The Braidwoods?"
As he spoke, Mi Gao rubbed his sleepy eyes and picked up a plastic bag from the ground, which contained a large number of fruits and vegetables.
"right."
Lu Li helped pick up the remaining bags and walked to the kitchen while saying, "Have you heard about this too?"
"Of course, the scene created by that fire was pure hell, with the Thames on fire."
Mi Gao opened the cellar, threw the bag of vegetables in his hand, and continued: "At that time, I was shining shoes for customers in the Financial City, and suddenly I saw pyramid-like flames on the horizon, and plumes of smoke rising into the sky."
"You went to the scene to join in the fun?" Lu Li frowned.
"No, but the customer who ordered the shoeshine service hurried over and threw a shilling to me without asking for change."
Mentioning this matter, the little money fan Mi Gao instantly became energetic. If he hadn't met Lu Li, that day could be said to be the luckiest moment in his life.
