Zhang Heng tossed a gold coin worth half a pound to Holmes. It was the bet they made earlier.
The latter took the gold coin and put it in his pocket. At the same time, a rare relaxed smile appeared on his angular face. "Don't be discouraged, my Eastern friend. Compared to a few months ago, you've made great progress. But like I said, what you lack is only the understanding of this city. This kind of thing can't be rushed. As long as you live in London for three to five years, you'll naturally be able to make up for similar experience and common sense."
"But to reach your level, I'm afraid it will take more than three to five years," Zhang Heng said.
"This is also something I have always been very interested in." Holmes broke the rest of the sandwich in his hand into small strips and threw them to the flock of pigeons not far away. "You seem to be obsessed with surpassing me or defeating me. Is this something very important to you?"
"For mountain climbers, climbing the highest mountain should be everyone's dream."
Holmes smiled. "I'm really flattered when you say that. My eastern friend, you compare me to the highest mountain in this field."
Just when Zhang Heng thought this guy had changed, the latter added, "Although I really can't find anyone better than me in this field."
"…"
Of course, Zhang Heng wanted to defeat Holmes not because of a man's desire to conquer, but because of the main quest. It was a hurdle that he couldn't overcome. Speaking of which, he had been in this quest for more than a hundred days, long past the original game time limit. Fortunately, the extra 24 hours on his body had come into effect, providing him with another 240 days of game time. However, after so many cases, he still couldn't defeat Holmes, not even once.
The great Victorian detective was indeed worthy of his reputation.
After stripping away the many halos around Holmes, living together with him during this period of time had allowed Zhang Heng to see a more realistic and three-dimensional Holmes. Holmes was also a human, not a god. Humans made mistakes and had weaknesses. However, he had to admit that in a fair competition and on the other's home turf, there was indeed a certain gap between the two of them.
However, Zhang Heng did not think that he had no chance at all.
Holmes's pride was justified. As he said, he was the best detective of this era. Zhang Heng, on the other hand, was no slouch either. The two of them had a lot in common — keen observation skills, excellent reasoning skills, and a calm mind.
Other than that, after so many quests, Zhang Heng was no longer the naive student he used to be. The gap between him and Holmes was not insurmountable. He estimated that Holmes' criminal investigation skills were at the peak of Lv.3, but once he broke through to Lv.2, with Irene's help, he might be able to put up a fight.
Zhang Heng estimated that the real competition would begin at that time, but he did not expect that his opportunity would come earlier than expected.
"Look at this," Holmes said with interest as he handed over the newspaper. "It looks like our boring life is over."
Zhang Heng took the newspaper and was stunned when he saw the title.
— Letter from Whitechapel Serial Murder Case, Provoking Scotland Yard. The public hopes the police will arrest the murderer as soon as possible!
When he saw the words "Whitechapel Serial Murder Case", Zhang Heng could not help but think of a certain unsolved case in the future. As he read on, the records in the newspaper overlapped with his memory.
What was the most famous case in London at the end of the 19th century? It was none other than Jack the Ripper.
In just three months, there were six murders of women in the Whitechapel area of London's East End (five of which were generally believed to be related to Jack the Ripper). The victims were all prostitutes, and the murderer's methods were extremely cruel. At the same time, due to a lack of evidence, the case remained unsolved.
So to this day, Jack the Ripper's identity remained a mystery. There were all kinds of theories, but unfortunately, it was too long ago for anyone to verify it.
If Zhang Heng remembered correctly, Jack the Ripper started his activities in the autumn of 1888. Now, he was in 1881, the year of the Scarlet Research case. Zhang Heng did not expect to bump into this famous murderer seven years in advance.
However, Zhang Heng immediately realized that this might be an opportunity for him.
Although a hundred years had passed, the interest of future generations in the serial murder case that happened near Whitechapel in 1888 did not diminish. Instead, it grew stronger. Jack the Ripper was like a popular IP, with a lot of related movies and TV series sprouting up like mushrooms after a rain.
Whether it was the police, detectives, or various fans, they all chased after the clues in their minds to find the real murderer, but no one could convince the other. Zhang Heng also briefly understood some of the theories, which also meant that he and Sherlock Holmes were finally getting closer in this case. Sherlock Holmes had the home field advantage, and Zhang Heng had all kinds of strange theories that later generations would come up with.
But at the same time, Zhang Heng knew very well that this quest wouldn't be so simple.
Take the victims for example. The current victims had different ages and names from the original case. This was understandable because Jack the Ripper's targets were random. At the same time, the crimes were committed seven years in advance. Many of the victims in the original case hadn't even started working in this industry, so naturally, they wouldn't be killed again.
And this time, the time interval between the murders was significantly shortened.
So far, three people had been killed in just half a month. At the same time, the newspaper also received the first letter that started with "Dear Boss."
All of Scotland was shocked by the murderer's arrogant attitude. Of course, most people didn't think that the murderer himself wrote the letter. At the same time, panic was spreading in the East End. Women, especially those who lived alone and were working in a certain profession, began to feel insecure. At the same time, the public began to complain about the police's incompetence.
No wonder Holmes said that his boring life was coming to an end after reading the news.
The two did not continue to stay in the park. Holmes called for a carriage immediately, and when they returned to 221B Baker Street, he saw two other carriages parked by the side of the road.
"Looks like we have a lot of visitors today," Holmes said as he knocked on the door. Mrs. Hudson opened the door.
Mrs. Hudson opened the door. She had a nervous look on her face, and it was obvious that she had never seen a situation like this before. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Zhang Heng and Holmes standing outside. "Thank God, you two are finally back. I've never seen so many police officers visiting my home in my life. I'm not very worried about Zhang. He's always been a good, law-abiding, and polite man. Mr. Holmes, on the other hand, did you get into trouble outside?"
"Don't worry. It's just some work stuff," Holmes said with a smile. Sherlock Holmes laughed and added, "And your taste is unflattering. Our Eastern friend is not as harmless as you make him out to be. Mrs. Hudson, you have not seen him in the boxing ring. He is a real beast of prey."
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