Mary's Nineteenth Century

Smelly, dirty, greasy, rotten...

These sound like adjectives, but when you step into the London underground water pipes, they seem to corrode your sensory nerves with all-pervasive substance.

The theory of bacteria in the air has only been proven for eight years.

Even with the latest mask from the east on the market, it can't cover up the ubiquitous disgusting smell.

Mary didn't realize it, and insisted on making her think about unimportant things, because she missed the head-mounted flashlight a little.It is really inconvenient to carry a kerosene lamp for lighting, but it is a pity that the light bulb has not yet been invented and made.

Watson's expression was stiff, but he didn't want to back down at all.It's good, it's like getting used to the harsh environment that medical students may face in advance.

The two walked through the sewage according to the established route.

The road condition of the underground line that is suspected to be used by robbers to commit crimes is worse than the above.

In a nutshell, the ground and walls of the main road are potholed, and there are some piles of abandoned building materials.However, the sewage flow in the pipeline is very low, and the highest point is just below the instep.

This section of road is mostly an alternate pipeline route that has not been fully constructed.

It is not usually responsible for sewage discharge, and only in special weather such as heavy rain will open the gate to help divert the flow.

The water flow is low, which makes it easy for humans to walk.

Watson originally worried that even if there was a map of underground pipelines, would the two of them get lost in the maze-like world of dark pipelines?

Now he is not worried, Mr. Minton who is walking ahead has a great sense of direction.In addition, the two also found some marks on the pipe wall, similar to directional symbols marked with black paint such as "↖↗↘↙".

The paint marks are very clear and have not been more than two months since it was applied.

It should have been left by the suspicious looters, so as not to go in the wrong direction in the underground pipeline.

Now it becomes a new clue.

According to the sign, it is in the same direction as the underground vault of the French AB Bank, which further proves that the robbery of the vault is not a fantasy.

"There is an iron door."

After 15 minutes, Watson saw the obstacle ahead.The slightly rusted iron gate was closed tightly, as if to indicate that the road was blocked.

"It's normal to have a door."

Mary was not surprised.

There were no leftovers in sight along the way.Assuming that the wall of the vault is going to be dug soon, even if the robber thinks that the probability of being suspected of committing the crime is very low, he will more or less keep a hand, otherwise it would be too wrong to be hit by a tramp and break into the vault by mistake.

walk in.

The chains that locked the gate were new, apparently recently added.

An iron chain can stop a tramp who strays into this place, but it cannot stop Mary, the master lockpicker.

This time it was many times more equipped than when the dense forest stone chamber was trapped.

Mary carried small iron pieces of different shapes, and was ready to open the door, and it came in handy as expected.

'Click——'

The iron lock quickly opened, echoing in the long and narrow underground pipe.

But no more people can appreciate this unlocking technology up close.

Going forward, there is still no movement from other humans.I would also like to thank the culling of mice during the cholera eradication in the past few years, so that not even a single mouse was seen here.

It didn't take too long, and after another 10 minutes of walking, we reached the end of the sewer.

The two kerosene lamps couldn't provide daytime light, but it was enough for people to see the hole-digging tools on the ground and the big holes dug on the wall.

The diameter of the hole is about half a meter, and facing inward is a newly excavated tunnel.

It is worth mentioning that the burrowing is very professional.A rough look shows that the wall of the cave has been coated with a little cement, and there are also wooden supports installed in several places.

Good guy!

Watson's eyes widened. He memorized the underground pipeline diagram before going down to the ground.This location is only 12 meters away from the vault of the French AB bank.

Now, there is almost irrefutable evidence that someone wants to rob a bank vault.

"I'll crawl in and have a look."

Mary needs to confirm the stage of the burglary project, "I can do it alone. "The best brandy" please stay here, and warn me if you hear any changes. "

The two first smeared their faces with black charcoal, and then put on masks and entered the sewer.

Just in case the identity cannot be revealed, it has been negotiated long ago to enter the cave and call it a code name.I took the "best brandy" and "I want to eat candy when I see the candy wrappers", which were very careless, and they came from Mary's mouth as soon as I heard them.

Watson understood that there should be one person staying behind, but he was unable to contribute to a series of technical tasks such as drawing the road map, guiding the way after going to the ground, and unlocking the iron door lock.

Right now, the last hurdle needs to be drilled into a robbery hole, and he is not doing the hard work, and he just needs to guard the hole without any effort.

In this way, Watson inevitably felt ashamed, or he was a little redundant.

"'Best brandy' Please don't be discouraged.You know, it is the luckiest thing for us not to need you.As a lucky star, you are indispensable. "

Mary put down these words without any nonsense, and carried a lantern into the tunnel of the robbery.

Watson: Mr. Minton is telling the truth again.I have to say, the truth is really nice, and it cheers him up again.

In fact, the two had already made a clear division of labor.

Watson is responsible for driving, watching the wind, and in case of an accidental robbery gang, he can work together to subdue the opponent.At this time, his little annoyance was unnecessary, but the first investigation inevitably required an adaptation process.

Mary has already gone deep into the corridor. The corridor of about 12 meters is not long, and the end is the wall that has been dug.

No matter how unbreakable this wall once claimed to be, there are only a dozen hours left before it is completely pierced.She didn't stay long, scraped off some wall powder and put it into a small paper bag, and then returned to the original road while clearing away the traces of her past.

This is coming and going.

It took less than an hour for the two of them to lift the manhole cover and go down to the ground to get back on the ground and get in the carriage.

It was quiet at midnight, and the whole street seemed to have fallen asleep.

Watson was driving the carriage, but he was hardly sleepy at the moment, thinking that he had actually verified the evidence of the robbery of the treasury.

"Obviously, the group of robbers had full confidence in the treasury robbery plan. One thing to say, this underground robbery plan is really an eye-opener."

Obviously, it is impossible for looters to dig the hole overnight.The footprints at the end of the sewer showed that five people were active here, and in terms of the amount of work, it was conservatively estimated that it would take two months, enough for them to become familiar with the layout of the underground pipes from unfamiliarity.

In addition, if the location of the vault wall of the French AB Bank can be identified, it is very likely that the bank has entered the bank under the guise of deposits, or has internal members.

This is not an impulsive crime, but an organized and premeditated plan.

Originally, if there were no accidents, they would sneak into the vault without anyone noticing on the consecutive holidays, and they would be able to escape smoothly after transporting the money.

When the bank reopens, you will face a ransacked vault.

Some people would say that the description of empty is not accurate. After all, the gold nuggets are very heavy, and there should be no way to completely remove them, so the treasury will at least end up in a mess.

"But unfortunately, an accident happened."

Watson praised, "Mr. Minton, those people would never think that the root cause of the failure is because you took one extra look in the crowd."

"This world is full of secrets, the difference lies in whether there are eyes that discover the secrets. It's just that those people are unlucky, who made them speak Arabic, which reminds me of the ancient Egyptology criminal Tori."

Mary, who wouldn't say she was bored, had some fun on her last day of subway research and unearthed a case just by finding one.

The cause is not important.

Mary faintly regretted that the treasury robbery that was still in the making was not complicated enough.The robbery gang was still not cautious enough, and did not send people to stay behind 24 hours a day, so there was no chance of a violent conflict tonight.

Forget it, mosquitoes are meat if they have less meat.

She smiled and looked at Watson again, "'The best brandy', do you think this time is not enough to let you show off your skills?So what do you think about booking your next adventure in advance? "

Mary: Be the first to act.

Now that I have made an appointment, even if Watson has another job in the future, he can still come out to earn extra money.

"Oh! By God, I certainly think so."

Watson agreed without thinking, forgetting the vague premonition when he woke up yesterday.Perhaps, he was born with a curiosity to explore mysteries, and as long as he practiced it once, he would be aroused with hidden preferences.

"However, I have a suggestion that must be spoken directly."

Watson wanted to correct one thing for a long time, holding back for more than an hour. "Can I change the name of the quest? 'Best brandy', it doesn't suit me. "

"so……"

Mary blinked, "Don't you think "The First Dragon Breeder" is better? "

Watson: Please do not extract pronoun keywords from his previous words and gifts.Can't say they sound weird, it's just hilarious.

"No, please let me think for myself."

Watson declined to be named, "I will definitely think of a suitable code name before the need next time."

"Okay, as long as you are happy."

Mary never struggled with such little things.He took out his pocket watch, "It's 00:18. Today is Saturday, the last working day of this week, and there are still about [-] hours before the bank closes in the afternoon. The time is not too urgent, just find a suitable guide."

The vault heist will start after the bank closes.

Considering the possibility that there may be insiders, if you want to arrange a good catch in the vault, it is best to directly contact the reliable senior management of the bank.

If there are not only 16 hours left, this matter can be settled slowly.For example, looking for a certain professor from the British Museum, and then through him to get in touch with the senior management of the French AB Bank.

However, there is not enough time.

Mary chooses rationally, it is better to give this opportunity to do good to acquaintances. "French AB Bank entered London last year. Those who have money will join in the money market. Mr. Darcy should have received the invitation, and I don't know if he has deposited a symbolic amount of money."

Watson understood, "We are all acquaintances. Of course we can't just sit and watch Mr. Darcy lose money. Although it is not etiquette to come to the door early in the morning without an appointment in advance, it is urgent, right?"

"Exactly."

Mary nodded, "I just don't know if Mr. Darcy has left London. On August 8, the social season is over. Maybe he and Miss Georgiana have returned to Derbyshire."

***

February 8, 25:07 in the morning.

Darcy's house in the West End of London.In the dining room, the siblings put down their knives and forks. They had just finished breakfast.

I got up earlier today than in the past, taking advantage of the clear weather, I was going to set off from London back to Derbyshire as soon as possible.

Social season is over.Compared with the foggy London, the sea of ​​flowers and the blue sky in the Derbyshire manor are obviously more suitable for living.Not to mention the mixed flow of people in London, not everyone can live a leisurely life here.

"Chirp, chirp—"

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, three robins with chubby bellies stopped on a branch and began to comb each other.

Looking at the fluffy birds chirping, Georgiana smiled with crooked eyebrows.

"There is a robin jumping, bright eyes, brown chest. His crisp singing can be heard at sunrise and sunset" ① such a morning feels good.

"Brother, I think I will have good luck today."

Georgiana said softly, "Look how merrily the bird of God sings."

Just as Darcy wanted to nod in agreement with his sister, he saw the butler coming.

"Sorry to disturb you."

The butler said, "There are two visitors, Mr. Minton and Mr. Watson. They have very urgent matters and hope to see Mr. Darcy, which is said to be related to the banking business in the City of London."

Georgiana immediately widened her eyes.

Is it so effective?Say good luck, good luck will come.

"Tell those two to go to the study, I'll be there soon."

While Darcy was talking to the housekeeper, he kept his sister's expression in his eyes.Well, the brother and sister's reactions to unexpected visitors were not exactly the same, or quite different.

This kind of urgent matter of not making an appointment and visiting unexpectedly in the early morning is probably not a good thing.

Darcy: Out of sight, out of mind.

Why not leave London one day earlier, just one day earlier!

Darcy wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin and stood up. "I'll be leaving for a while. Maybe I can leave later today. You might as well arrange this time yourself."

"Okay. Brother."

Georgiana nodded obediently, and watching her brother leave, she couldn't help but feel a hint of secret curiosity.

The so-called urgent matter related to banking business, is it that a certain bank stock is about to rise or fall sharply, and it will involve big business of tens of millions of pounds every minute?

The author has something to say:

① Author Whitman, the United States, selected from "Singing in the Season of Lilac Bloom"