Regardless of the era, spinach is one of mankind’s favorite pastimes.
London in the 19th century was no exception. There were probably hundreds of casinos, large and small, not counting the pubs, arm wrestling and poker players on the roadside.
On the evening of the next day, three people, including Viard, gathered at 221B Baker Street.
"Considering the nature of that guy's job, he won't go to those very famous casinos." Holmes said, "The pub suits him very well, and the boxing ring is also good. Last night I had a fight with those Prussian barbers...well, some very Through a friendly conversation, I got the name of the pub where they met and we started the search around that, which made it more efficient.”
"So we have to split up?" Zhang Heng asked.
"Okay, both of us have seen that guy. You and Viard are in a group, and I am in a group. But he has also seen us, so we have to put on a little makeup." Holmes said.
As he spoke, he took out two sets of wigs and other makeup tools, "Your skin color is a problem. Orientals will be more conspicuous in London, but you can cover your body with clothes and put some soot on your face. Anyway, It's night, so you wouldn't be able to tell if you don't look carefully, but of course you'd better not get too close to him."
Holmes moved his hands as he spoke, and a moment later a boilermaker appeared, while Holmes himself was dressed as an old sailor with a smoking addiction.
Zhang Heng noted down the techniques used by Holmes. Of course, this was just a relatively basic disguise, far less vivid than the coachman Holmes had previously dressed up as. As for Irene Adler's gender-reversed gypsy busker, it was even more powerful. .
The three of them got ready, changed some change, put it in their pockets and started to act.
Zhang Heng and Holmes separated at the crossroads. Each of them contracted an area. Zhang Heng and the red-haired detective first came to a tavern called Pigeon and had a drink here. They did not meet their target. The wine here Most of the customers were gentlemen, who generally looked more elegant, and few people were gambling, so the two of them went to the boxing ring next door.
There were much more people here, and they were noisy. Two strong figures were fighting in the ring, and his people were watching. Zhang Heng and Viard had to spend some effort to get everyone together. Every corner was searched, and at this time the boxers on the stage also decided the winner. One person was knocked to the ground and did not get up again.
The crowd burst into cheers, obviously they were the ones who had made the right bet. Of course, some people were holding their heads in frustration, and it looked like they were the unlucky ones who had lost money.
In fact, after coming here a few times, Zhang Heng can understand why people who come to watch the game can't help but want to take a small gamble, because most people will be infected by the atmosphere here. Being in it, seeing someone relaxed When it comes to making money, it’s hard not to resist having a go at it. Of course, most of the time, you lose all your money.
However, the red-haired detective is obviously an exception. Zhang Heng can finally understand why he is as strict as Sherlock Holmes and praises Vuillard for having a family. This short French detective is not just a flatterer. Once he gets into work, his expression is... He will be very focused and will not be shaken by anything. Once he finds someone similar to the description, he will secretly tell Zhang Heng for confirmation as soon as possible.
However, so far, the two of them have not met the guy who escaped from the theater. Zhang Heng even wondered whether the guy would escape from London first to avoid the limelight after what happened last night.
But Holmes firmly believed that the other party was still here.
"Although a guy like this is not the decision-maker in the team, his skills are not so easy to replace. At this juncture, he will not give up the plan because of a small setback." Holmes said before the action began. road.
Zhang Heng and the red-haired detective then went to two taverns, one large and one small, and a boxing ring, but they still didn't gain anything, whether it was due to bad luck, and the night was getting darker.
"I wonder what the situation is like with Mr. Holmes." Viard took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his head and said.
But at this moment, Zhang Heng on the side suddenly stopped.
Viard followed someone's gaze and looked forward, but the target did not match the descriptions of the two people before. However, the red-haired detective was very alert and suppressed the doubts in his heart. At this time, he said nothing. Zhang Heng supported the wall and pretended to be vomiting after drinking too much. He also pretended to be concerned and patted the former's back.
The target person didn't have any suspicion. He just glanced here hastily. He seemed to be in a hurry, so he left in a hurry.
It wasn't until the man's figure disappeared into the night that Zhang Heng stopped retching and stood up.
At this time, Viard could finally ask the doubts in his heart, "Who is that guy?"
"We met a guard next to Mr. Prime Minister at the theater last night," Zhang Heng explained.
The guy who walked across from him just now was the guy who warned him not to move and planned to handcuff him. Because the two had faced each other before, and Zhang Heng's disguise was relatively basic, so he hid his face just to be on the safe side. When he got up, Zhang Heng recalled the trick that Mr. M used to bribe the nanny to fake traces of theft in the oil painting case. It seemed that the other party really liked this crime pattern, and he seemed to have plans to repeat the same trick in this operation.
"What should we do? Should we follow him?" the red-haired detective asked.
Zhang Heng thought for a moment and shook his head, "It's a good thing to be able to confirm the other party's target, but it doesn't make much sense to follow the guard. Do you still remember where he came out from?"
"Of course." Viard said.
"Let's go there first to see if the guy I fought with last night is still there."
Zhang Heng and the red-haired detective rushed into the coffee shop where the target walked out. It was already late at night and the coffee shop was about to close. There were only a few people inside. Even the waitresses were yawning. Zhang Heng looked around. Looking around, no Prussians were seen.
Then he and Viard expanded the scope of the search, but unfortunately they still couldn't find the target. In the end, they could only rejoin Holmes two streets away.
After listening to Zhang Heng's introduction to the basic situation, the latter nodded and said, "You did the right thing. The person who was bribed was not a member of the team. Let's not talk about whether the bribery can be proved. Catching him will only serve to scare the snake away. Other uses, on the contrary, now that we have grasped the opponent's goals in advance, we have taken the initiative, and then we can play this game with them."
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