The sky was a little gloomy, and the damp and stagnant water vapor heralded the coming of rain.
Creak. A familiar noise sounded, and with the last ray of sunlight cast by the setting sun on the floor tiles, Ed unscrewed the green painted wooden door of the detective office.
"You're back."
Eaton first raised his head and stared at him for a while, then put the pipe to his lips and said calmly.
"Otherwise, where else can I go?"
Ed shrugged, hung up his coat and hat, and took out the documents and handed them to Mr. Eaton:
"Mr. Brandon sent me three names who Floyd allegedly hired to stage the plot."
"'Jackal' Hoffender... I have heard of this name. A rogue mercenary who just didn't expect him to be connected to the Brotherhood of the Circle. "
Eaton opened the thin document book, and the smoke rising with his breath dispersed to both sides along his gray temples:
"It has been too long. It may not be easy to locate the whereabouts of these three people... Fortunately, there are difference engines and other clerks to help with the search."
As he spoke, he stood up and placed the pipe on the cork holder beside him:
"I'm going to go to the crow's nest right away. You don't have to hold the door open for me tonight."
"Yeah." Ed nodded.
There is nothing we can do about the matter dragging on until now. If the Brotherhood of the Ring had not been involved, I am afraid that the Oakland family would not have told the Bureau the truth at all.
"By the way, I was wondering... is it possible that they are still in Silvermist City?" Ed reminded behind Eaton.
It has been three months since the subway massacre. Now that Floyd, as his employer, has come to light, it stands to reason that these three people will definitely leave Silvermist City as soon as possible, and there is no way they can continue to stay in Silvermist City and wait to be caught.
But if Ed did not admit his mistake, "Rat" Fitz died in the underground network a week after the subway massacre.
Perhaps, there is some reason why he has never left Silvermist City...
"You are right...the main scope of activities of the Ring Brotherhood is in the Dongwang County area where Silvermist City is located. If they are really involved with the Ring Brotherhood, such a possibility cannot be ruled out. I will let The clerk focused his investigation on Silvermist City."
The moment he was about to step out the door, Eaton seemed to suddenly remember something, turned around and said to Ed:
"By the way, I may send you a telegram later. Remember not to sleep too much."
"knew."
After getting Ed's answer, Eaton closed the door.
Click. After hearing the door lock closing and Eaton's retreating footsteps, Ed finally breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed on the sofa——
He hasn't had a good rest these days. He only slept for less than three hours last night and went through another battle, which consumed a lot of energy.
Although the body and will of an extraordinary person can fully withstand a higher intensity of overdraft, they are still mortal bodies after all. When they relax at this moment, sleepiness can't help but sweep over them.
"Jackal", "Wild Boar", "Rat", could it be one of them?
Ed recalled the pair of silver eyes in his dream, but he could never match the images of these three people...
"Sounds like you finally have a chance for revenge, my dear good sir."
Sylvie. When he opened his eyes, which were about to squint, he saw Sylvie standing on tiptoes, looking down at him with a smile on her hands, her bright blood-red eyes like the sunset made him feel slightly uncomfortable:
"Are you talking about me or us?"
"Let's do it. If it makes you any happier."
Sylvie paced and sat on Mr. Eaton's office chair, picking up the almost extinguished pipe with interest:
"Corn cobs... It's hard to imagine that a gentleman of his age would use such a cheap thing. I would say at least it must be briar root or seafoam."
"A gentleman of his age would not casually comment on other people's habits and hobbies. A lady like you should also be polite."
He put his hands behind his head and tried not to close his eyelids.
"Hmm." Sylvie put the pipe back, "Are you looking forward to a unique revenge drama?"
"I'm afraid I don't expect that much..." Ed said helplessly.
Not everyone can die in peace, just as not everyone can live in peace. Since the original intention was not directed at him, Ed did not have such an unforgettable and strong hatred for the real culprit behind his death——
At most, you can just shoot the other person in the head, and then forgive him generously.
"More than this, I want to know how you appeared in my mind and who put you in it."
"I want to know too. You look a little tired. Do you need me to make you a cup of tea?" Sylvie said compassionately.
"No matter how good the tea is, it can't compare to eight hours of exquisite sleep. Let me rest for a while, and we will talk about the rest later."
"Then it's as you wish -"
Sylvie's figure disappeared in an instant, as if she had never appeared.
[Good night, my dear good sir. Remember not to sleep too hard. 】
A line of pale flame text flashed before Ed's eyes.
Okay, I know……
Closing his eyes, Ed quickly fell asleep with the sound of rain pattering outside the door.
…
Click click click click click click click.
The sound of the printing telegraph machine woke Ed. He did remember Mr. Eaton saying that a telegram would come later.
The room was dark. Ed stood up and turned on the light, filling the room with orange light.
What time is it now?
He took out his pocket watch, and the hands showed a quarter past ten.
It's so late...where's Quinn? She should be back by this time. Why didn't I hear the door open?
Ed couldn't help but feel worried. Although often unable to stay indoors, Quinn rarely stayed outside during this time for known reasons.
"Quinn, are you there?" he asked tentatively.
No one answered.
Since he had to take care of Charlotte on Bai Ya's behalf, the two had not seen each other very often. He originally wanted to wait for Quinn to come back and hand her the volcano pistol that fired crystal dust ammunition, but now she didn't know where she was.
Sylvie?
Sylvie did not appear, nor did she respond to him with the flame text that appeared in front of her.
An inexplicable chill surged into my heart, tearing the originally lazy sleepiness to pieces.
Sylvie can only appear when he is alone. At this time, there is no response. The most likely thing is that someone else is watching him.
However, I should at least reply with text...
Faced with a situation he had never encountered before, Ed had no choice but to remain calm and pretend that nothing happened.
His every move might be being monitored. He didn't dare to rush to the clothes hanger to retrieve his cane and pistol, otherwise he would definitely alert the enemy.
Ed walked to the telegraph machine and took off the printed note.
The code used the encryption method of the Divine Bureau, and the content was so short that he could read it even without a code book:
Hurry to the Eastern District stronghold.
