Silent Crown

Chapter 123 The Demon’s Dark Eyes

"It’s midnight and you, an inspector with a promising career, didn’t go home but let yourself get drunk as a pig. I suppose that you must be in a very bad mood, and maybe saw some terrible things, so I shall give you my sympathy!

"But I still can’t imagine that you would pick such a dirty downtown tavern to buy a drink, even to relax. Are you strapped for cash?

"What a surprise! If you go to midtown, I’m sure those kiss-up men would know who you are, and would give you a discount. No doubt something happened, so you can’t have a drink for free anymore, not at least now.

"Hmm… pale face, red neck, and dilated pupils…you smoked opiates! Interesting! A cop smoking opiates!Have you always had such a special hobby?"

Lestrade froze, his pupils constricted out of fear—his secret had been discovered! He tried to say something, but the hoarse laughter did not wait for his words.

"Oh, sorry to digress! Let’s get back on topic. Oh, look at those scratches on the neck and arms. Must’ve been from someone’s sharp nails. Look at the pink nail polish left on the wound. Was it a prostitute?

"No, prostitutes would choose a brighter and more charming color. What’s more, they know who you are. They wouldn’t dare to harm a hair, even if you beat them up.

"There is obvious ring-shaped mark, but no ring. Where did the ring go? Well, from your look, you didn’t lose it. You just took it off, didn’t you?

"Your sleeves, oh, they’re turning black. You’re well-dressed, but a gentleman would never wear dirty clothes! And look at your nails. Is there dirt underneath them? Terrible! You’d better go home right now and take a nice bath. You haven’t been home these past two days, right?

"Your hands caught my attention too. They’re full of calluses. It tells me that you must have worked very hard before. Are you a craftsman? No, everyone knows that you’re an inspector. The only explanation is that you’ve worked at a workshop before.

"According to your age, let me guess, it was family workshop, wasn’t it? You must have been in charge of tanning the leather, right? Your fingers and palms don’t have the same skin color, which proves that your fingers must have been soaked in some kind of agent for a long time. The agents for tanning leather can corrode things to some degree. This explains why red marks appear whenever you drink.

"Then, my next question is, how can the son of a leather workshop owner occupy such an important position in a national police agency where there are so many elites and noblemen? The only explanation is that you have a good wife and a father-in-law in parliament.

"But it seems that her father doesn’t really like you, and always finds fault with you. Otherwise, he wouldn’t give you his old clothing as gifts. I can tell that you really like this coat, but it’s a pity that this coat was fashionable ten years ago.

"Maybe you have made a name for yourself, but you just can’t be acknowledged by those elites and become one of them. My advice for you is to find a mannerism teacher, or you will not even be able to correct your abnormal knees.

"In conclusion, there must have been some conflicts between the gloomy inspector Lestrade, and his elite wife who regrets to have married such a poor man."

There was deathly silence.

The cane lifting Lestrade’s chin was lowered, but Lestrade could not move at all. In the silence, Lestrade felt that even the air had solidified. Something like an invisible boa twined around him, restricting him. He even felt the cold and wet scales on his skin, slowly dragging him into the chasm of fear. As if he was standing in front of his father-in-law again, he felt long-gone humiliation and fear. No, it was worse than that. He had no secrets that this man did not already know.

"You…you…" Lestrade opened his mouth but had no idea what to say. It was like he was naked walking over the snow. Blazing sun shone on his body, but it gave him no warmth, only cruelly revealing his secrets. The whole world was laughing at him, laughing at this over-confident downtown redneck. He shook with great humiliation.

"Don’t be afraid. Aren’t I your friend?" A cold hand stroked his hair, "Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. You help me and I will help you."

"You, what?" Gathering his courage, he glared at the man, "What do you want from me?"

"We can talk about it later. As your good friend, I care about your situation right now." This man named Sherlock Holmes shook his head and sighed, "You’ve been down on your luck ever since the Shaman came back. First, those downtown cases made you almost lose your job. You were a competent employee to your boss, but now you’re just useless waste. Then your ways of earning money were cut off. Those big guys who used to pay you disappeared one by one, and I’m afraid that the last rat willing to give you money disappeared last night too.

"You’re used to indulging, but you’ve run out of money, haven’t you? Otherwise, you wouldn’t have quarreled with your wife because you can’t afford the expenses of holding dinner parties and luxuries any more, right?"

Silent for a long time, Lestrade finally nodded slowly. He surrendered.

A friendly hand grabbed Lestrade’s, clenching it tightly. A hoarse voice said, "There is still a chance, Lestrade, there is a chance, do not give up!" The man hummed a motivational song and said passionately, "No matter what, please don't forget that you still have friends behind you…You have me!"

What Lestrade felt was just a great chill from head to toe. His hands trembled, but he did not have the courage to break away from the 'friendship.' He did not dare to. He was afraid that something would be waiting for him if he refused. "…What do you want?"

"I want to help you." The sound seemed to come from a demon, with a vicious ' friendliness.’"You will prove that you are not a waste, that you are a young and promising detective—the nemesis of downtown's criminals! In the eyes of your father-in-law, you will be the perfect son-in-law! As long as you provide some insignificant information, I will provide you with the power to rise up."

Lestrade was speechless. In the silence, his breaths became heavy at times, stopping at others. His pupils dilated and constricted. His mind was struggling and hesitating.

In his hesitation, Holmes took out a thick paper bag and pushed it slowly against Lestrade’s face. "The Pyramid Scheme is over, you know. Here is the Pyramid King’s contacts, and his secret channels for smuggling. Imagine what your future would be like when you catch him…"

At that moment, Lestrade almost subconsciously reached out for the paper bag.

When a child gives in to the temptation of sweets, a whip will teach his hand a stern lesson. The cane cruelly swept Lestrade’s hand, pushing the lamp on the table to the paper bag. Bit by bit, the oil lamp tilted. The oil spilled, each drop spreading and reflecting the impending flames.

Just as the oil lamp was about to topple over, Lestrade moved. He swept the oil lamp aside like a madman and grabbed the paper bag. He forgot the pain of his broken finger and the shame he had just endured. His eyes were full of fanaticism and greed, "Deal!" He clung to the thing greedily. "I can tell you everything you want to know!"

On the ground, the overturned light jumped one last time, vaguely illuminating the side of the man’s face in the shadow, as well as his lips, curled into a cheerful smile.

Maybe he really had made a deal with demon. Lestrade stared at the eyes of the demon in a daze. The demon’s eyes…were black.

-

Ten minutes later, Ye Qingxuan opened the door of the tavern and walked into the night.

Soon after, the sober Lestrade ran out, clutching the paper bag. He glanced around. Seeing that no one was following him, he ran to the police station like a mad dog. Starting tomorrow, he would be the nemesis of downtown’s villains. Congratulations to him.

In the shadows, Ye Qingxuan looked away and smiled, high-fiving the girl beside him.

"I didn't expect you to be that talented, Cousin." Bai Xi gave him a thumbs up, "I give you a ten out of ten for that act!"

Ye Qingxuan shrugged, "For soft men like that, you just have to frighten them a little and they’ll tell you everything!"

Bai Xi smirked and imitated his hoarse voice, "Your neck, your palm, your ring! Oh, you smoked mandala! Did you and your wife fight with each other? It was so real that I almost believed you!"

"Well, it was just acting. It was all because of you." Ye Qingxuan did not dare to take credit. After all, the nonsense that he had made up was based on information from Bai Xi. Everything he had pretended to analyze came from BaiXi’s research! He just searched for a reason, and then read the script…

"Psh, of course! What do you think I used to do in the Downtown District? The servants all have big mouths. If you ask them a few questions when shopping, you can even figure out the eight generations of his master’s ancestors." She hummed with pride, but suddenly paused and asked, "Wait, how did you know his father-in-law actually despises him?"

"Well ..." Ye Qingxuan smiled mysteriously, "That’s what’s great about deduction."

The girl rolled her eyes and looked in the direction where Lestrade had gone. She looked disgusted. "Even I can tell that guy is soft and completely unreliable. Cousin, what did you put in all that effort for? Even if you get him, he's going to sell us out just like he did to the others if something happens to us."

"Don't look down on that guy, Bai Xi," Ye Qingxuan murmured. "Even if he is soft, don't forget that he has the entire Avalon police force behind him. As soon as that guy can turn over, he will definitely be very useful.

"With him, we’ll have eyes in Avalon. With him, even the confidential files in the police department will be transparent to us, let alone the actions of the gangs."

"Why are you so confident in him? What did he tell you?"

"Well, I was just going to inquire about the situation in downtown, but I didn’t expect to get such a good bargain..."

"Bargain?" Bai Xi's eyes lit up. "How much of a bargain?"

Ye Qingxuan thought for a while, and smiled mysteriously, "That depends on how much those Indians are willing pay."

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