- It's a awkward atmosphere.

Sitting in the study in a triangular position, they confronted each other in silence, and the three people in the room all thought in unison. Watson covered his left eye, and Sherlock held his right cheekbone, staring at the unharmed teenager in front of him. The culprit who had given them such symmetrical two bruises was now nestled in the armchair without guilt, fingers on his knees, and at the same time he did not forget to tilt his head and smile rather innocently.

…… Hehe, Chunliang.

Rolled his eyes vaguely between his fingers. If it weren't for the fact that the punch that didn't hurt at all just now did fall on his face, the doctor felt that he might have been deceived by this kid's weak appearance.

Time pulled back to ten minutes ago.

When Sherlock said that he was going to break into the house, Watson actually refused in his heart. Although he had been on the road investigating cases since he met the Great Detective, and had done this more than once or twice, as a good law-abiding citizen of London, he thought it would be better to talk to Inspector Lestrade before proceeding.

Naturally, this building was met with strong disdain from Sherlock.

"Do you want those idiots at Scotland Yard to destroy everything worthwhile?"

Expressing his gratitude to the conscientious London police. Fang's ridicule, the world's only consulting detective laughed very disdainfully:

"Or maybe a military doctor who invaded Afghanistan would be scared and think someone was hiding in that dusty room, ready to sneak up on everyone who entered the apartment?"

“……”

-- As it turned out, there were.

So, Watson, who had just gotten up from his roommate, was rightly startled by West standing at the door. According to him, it was 'the boy who didn't look like a good guy at the time smiled maliciously and came over to do something to Sherlock.' Therefore, the doctor, who has always regarded himself as a protector, will not remain indifferent, and before Browning can even draw it, his fist mercilessly beckons to the brown-haired boy's face.

But sadly, he clearly underestimated the value of his opponent's brutal force. John Watson came from a military background, and Sherlock was proficient in fencing and boxing, so it stands to reason that they wouldn't have a problem dealing with a rather thin looking teenager. It's just that, as West, who is older than the two combined, his fighting skills come entirely from years of practical mission accumulation, as well as the guidance of the Avengers guys who stand at the pinnacle of violence-

There is no doubt that the result is naturally sosad.

Much later, Dr. Watson still haunted it, and blamed it entirely on the deceptiveness of some people's tender faces. In West's opinion, he has actually released the water into Niagara Falls. After all, hand-to-hand combat is not his forte. Instead of driving these two guys who 'inexplicably say I'm not a good guy and stupidly want to punch me' crazy or just throw them out of the house with their abilities, it's really a sign of his broad-mindedness, and the preferential treatment that the doctor didn't threaten him with Browning.

And as the saying goes, if you don't fight, you don't know each other. Although West has always scoffed at this, he can't help but admit that a fight before meeting will be much more helpful for subsequent communication. At the very least, after the disgrace had made the study all over the place, one of them finally realized that they didn't even have a reason to fight—after finally pulling Watson and West apart, Sherlock finally put an end to the brawl as the only IQ left in the room.

"My friend and I are investigating the case of Lawrence Barry."

As soon as he opened his mouth, he went straight to the point, and was satisfied to see the young man's eyebrows move. After expressing his sincerity, the detective did not forget to ask the other party to exchange courtesies: "So, what about you? ”

-- I'm here to find trouble with the enemy who is chasing and killing my second father.

Rolled his eyes at the ceiling. How could it not be seen that Sherlock was trying his best to put their purpose together. The brown-haired boy shrugged, since someone gave him the stairs, he wouldn't be the kind of uninteresting person...... That's right, he's talking about the little man who was being held down and wanted to rush forward.

"West Xavier." In the end, West reached out. He had already remembered where he had seen these two faces:

"The front line in The Times yesterday was really well written, wasn't it, Mr. Holmes...... Also, his 'exclusive bachelor' Dr. Watson? ”

“……”

Half a breath stuck in his throat, John decided that he would have to talk to the reporters who liked to talk nonsense.

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

"So, Lawrence Barry died three days ago?"

I almost jumped out of my chair in shock at the news. West's eyes widened, trying to find even the slightest hint of a joke in Sherlock's eyes, only to find it in vain.

"You don't know?" Feeling able to jump higher than him, Watson looked incredibly at those blue eyes. The big detective next to him was silent, completely looking like "it really is".

Two days earlier, in the afternoon, Sherlock had received a text message from Lestrade that there had been a bizarre murder on the banks of the River Thames, and Sherlock and his doctor rushed to the scene. As the Inspector said, there were no clues left at the scene at all, and it was impossible to find anything sufficient to support his interpretation. Therefore, Sherlock decided to start with the deceased itself, and after several layers of investigation, he found out that he was actually the head of the famous Constance Manor. Therefore, after visiting Lady Aurora as Scotland Yard, Sherlock and the others found this secret house in Barry, which is why they 'trespassed on the house to investigate but encountered a strange boy and got into a fight'.

"Maybe you're actually the murderer."

Still suspicious of West, after all, there are only a few people who will secretly rub around the victim's apartment. Watson leaned back in his chair, staring at the young man's delicate face, his brows furrowed: "This place in Barry doesn't even know about Lady Aurora. And you don't want to reveal your sources, and you don't want to say what happened to him, it's really suspicious. ”

“……”

-- Although he did have such thoughts, he was only at the stage of thinking about it, and he was not ready to do it yet.

The corners of his mouth twitched unconsciously, this pot was really too big, and he really couldn't afford it. But before West could say anything to defend himself, Sherlock Holmes, who was silently watching, suddenly spoke: "No, John. ”

“What？” was robbed without warning, and the doctor did not react for a while.

"Mr. Xavier is not a murderer."

Shrugging his shoulders, he seemed to feel that this conclusion was completely obvious. The great detective met Watson and West's stunned gazes, and added lightly:

"You can see by the corners of his backpack and his coat - Xavier was a student at Oxford, and he had no relatives in England. And he had just arrived in London last night, and he didn't have time to commit the crime at all. ”

Nodding, if he hadn't known that Sherlock Holmes did have this ability, he would have thought that he had been read by someone unknowingly. West turned his head to stare at Watson, and the meaning was obvious—your detectives have said so, so don't throw this pot at me, right?

Rolling his eyes silently, John Watson felt that he had better not speak.

And after such a mess, West's original shock at Barry's death didn't know where to go. Sherlock then seemed to ask something more, but received no answer. He curled up in his armchair, playing with the black diary in his hand, combing through the information he had received so far in his mind, and after cutting out all the paradoxes, there were only a few possibilities he had obtained.

"Barry has several identities in London besides the head of Constance Manor. If I hadn't discovered something strange, he would still be on the death list of Scotland Yard as Michael Wilson, the head of a law firm. ”

His hands crossed against his jaw, and his sharp gray-green eyes stared at the young man who was contemplating without blinking. Charlotte quietly observed West's every change in expression, and her voice was low and slightly hoarse:

"So, Mr. Xavier, I sincerely hope that you will cooperate with our investigation...... I can tell that you have a lot of □□ that we don't know, and if you can share them, you will soon be able to read the news of the murderer's arrest in the newspapers. ”

- Then you have to be able to catch the murderer.

Pouting, the heart said that whether it was Elijah who killed the murderer or Lady Aurora, who found out that she was betrayed and killed, it was not a detective who could do it with Scotland. West pressed his tangled eyebrows, and was about to speak, but something suddenly flashed through his mind.

"Wait, you're saying you uncovered Barry's fake identity and found it all the way here?"

Sitting up straight, his eyes widened sharply after receiving the doctor's affirmative answer, he continued to ask, "Well, since even Lady Aurora doesn't know about Barry's apartment, how do you get the address?" ”

After all, even the Demon Shape, who was so good at gathering information, only learned about the secret residence by extreme chance. Then it was obviously impossible for Holmes and Watson, who had infiltrated the undercover agents of Conston Manor, and they would have no way of getting such information, unless-

"Sherlock and I were visiting Conston Manor when one of our guests told us."

So replied truthfully. With the approval of the great detective, the doctor thought about it, and decided to confess to this young man who was a little anxious for some reason:

He said he was a collaborator of Mr. Barry and would sometimes come to the apartment to discuss things with him...... What's that person's name, you ask? …… I didn't ask at the time, but I heard Mrs. Aurora call him Doctor, so I followed suit. ”

“……！！！！”

John Watson swore he was telling the truth, and he didn't think there was anything wrong with it. But for some reason, the young man opposite him, who had always been calm, changed his face before he finished listening, and even jumped up directly from the chair, closed his eyes inexplicably, and stretched out a finger against his temple.

“…… Damn, I knew it wouldn't be that simple. ”

After a while, West finally opened his eyes slowly. To the surprise of both Sherlock and Watson, the calm and indifference that had been lying in those blue eyes were all gone. It's like the torrential rain that comes unexpectedly on a summer evening, falling on every inch of land, and with just one glance, it can drench everyone from beginning to end.

For the first time, the memories of the two were read without permission. At this moment, the principle of those who take into account the abilities of the mind is pedantic. As time goes back to the section he wanted to see, West discovers to his horror that the mysterious man who has been entrenched in the memories of detectives and doctors with a provocative smile is indeed the old enemy he has been searching for for a long time.

Of course, Yi Lai Zhe would not be so kind to tell sù that it is very likely that he will chase the murderer and chase down the person who has chased him. The boy thought so, and his fingertips began to tremble. After stepping through a longer period of time than it seems, so many times he brushed shoulders with death, he thought that apart from his family, there was no longer anything to let himself lose control of a wolf like this. But twenty years of quiet years have passed, and now, standing at the corner of fate again, he finally realized that some injuries really can't be healed by time alone. And once in that dark and damp underground, whenever something he was afraid of came, he always did it, and even the apparent composure could not be disguised.

-- What that means, West knows all too well.

"I need you to get out of here."

His gaze suddenly became cold and sharp, and the young man looked at Sherlock and Watson, who were still confused, and his tone was very tough:

"There is no doubt that Dr. Yi deliberately provided this secret. From the moment you get here, this house can be broken in at any time...... And what those guys are here for, I don't think we're going to want to see them accomplish. ”

"You mean, he wants to silence him in case we continue to investigate?" Compared to Watson, who apparently didn't keep up with his train of thought, Sherlock's brain has always lived up to the fame that overflows the newspapers and the Internet. He put his hands together on his lips, frowned and thought, still reluctant to fall short like this:

"But I haven't had time to survey this place yet...... You know, since he's going to kill here, it means there's evidence in it that he wants to destroy - maybe it's a victim's diary or something? ”

"This is it."

The shiver had spread from his fingertips to his back. There is every reason to believe that Yi Laizhe may appear here with his army of transformers in the next second, West pinched his eyebrows, and with his other hand did not hesitate to pick up the black notebook and throw it directly into Sherlock's arms: "...... Now, get out of here and go!! ”

Glancing at Barry's diary that had been shoehorned in, the detective's eyebrows moved, but he still didn't move.

"Wait- wait, can anyone explain to me what the hell is going on?" I was a little flustered by West. The doctor raised his hand, trying to appease the nervous-looking teenager, but after all, he only waved it in the air: "You said that someone will come to kill us soon, let us leave quickly, but you yourself want to stay here...... Am I right? You really didn't plan to run for your life with us. ”

Seems to be amused by the roommate's words. The corners of Sherlock Holmes's mouth moved, but he didn't speak, but continued to observe West's every expression, one at a time to assess his next move—he trusted the boy's judgment very much, and the probability that the doctor would come and kill someone was definitely more than ninety percent...... Of course, on the premise that it is really necessary for him to kill people.

West's words alone would not convince the most deductive and logical detectives, and, even if it did, the possibility of being hunted down did not shake Sherlock's determination to continue the investigation. After all, even a wise Sherlock Holmes had no idea what kind of existence he was facing now. After all, from the very beginning, this not-so-bizarre but absolutely outlandish murder was no longer something that could be solved by Scotland Yard alone.

“…… So, it seems that we still have to understand each other. ”

How could he not see that these two people had never trusted themselves from the beginning, West sighed helplessly, and once again stretched out his finger to his temple. Although Charles has always taught him not to give up the fight for words at any time, he has not failed to hint that in situations where persuasion is useless, going straight is still the best option.

- What's more, there is no more time left for him to spend.

“Wow…… My dear, no one told me that it would be you who I met here. ”

Standing at the window, he watched the detective get into a taxi with his doctor, and soon disappeared into the warm afternoon sun. West put down his hand, and it didn't take long for an exaggerated exclamation to suddenly come from behind him.

The voice was all too familiar to him. Familiar with the unique modulation of each last note, the careless cruelty in every smile is well understood, and the humiliation that cannot be erased for twenty years has been poured with blood and tears, and the hatred has never died to this day.

"You're still ...... It's ridiculous to disgusting. ”

Turning around, his gaze swept over the hovering circle in the center of the room that allowed for spatial movement. The 'Ghost' he had fought was at the front, staring at him, eager to skin and tear West apart. Behind him, several strange-looking "humans" were standing quietly, like the best soldiers, and although they were silent now, once they woke up on the battlefield, it would be a nightmare that everyone would never forget.

However, this qiē is not what West cares about. At this moment, his gaze fell squarely on the gray-haired man in the middle. Even though the actual age is past the sixtieth year, the face is still in his thirties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, matching the hair color that only the old man has, there is a kind of weirdness that cannot be described in words.

"Elizhe."

He looked him in the eye. The blue pupils seemed to be turned upside down, and there seemed to be nothing. It is as if swallowing a black hole, and it can't reveal half of the light. Even the tone is flat, like an old-fashioned straight line without waves, connecting the past and the future.

The man raised an eyebrow, signaling that he was listening.

"Just today." Throwing the cumbersome backpack far into the corner, West said lightly: "Are you ready to die?" ”