The Return of the God Level Assassin

Chapter 1197 YUNYUE VS FENGHUANG (XXXII)

1197 YUNYUE VS FENGHUANG (XXXII)

SHEN JI YUN waited for Holmes to settle into his seat before taking his own. Luo Yan, who glanced between the two, sat down beside Shen Ji Yun. After a moment of silence, Shen Ji Yun spoke. "Mr. Holmes, I have always wondered—does a great detective rely more on knowledge or instinct?"

Holmes smiled slightly. "A question with an answer that changes depending on whom you ask. If you were to inquire with the police, they would say knowledge is paramount—records, statements, evidence. If you were to ask a gambler, he might say instinct, as deduction is nothing but reading the odds. And if you were to ask me—" He paused, considering. "I would say neither."

Luo Yan tilted his head. "Neither?"

Holmes gestured vaguely. "Knowledge is essential, yes, but it is useless without context. Instinct may guide you, but alone, it is unreliable. The true answer is observation. One can memorize every law book in London, but if he cannot see what is before him, he will never solve a crime. And instinct, however strong, must be refined by what the eyes and mind perceive. The key is in the details—ones that others overlook."

Shen Ji Yun remained impassive, but his mind kept working. The answer had come too quickly, too naturally. An imposter would have hesitated, but this man hadn't. Either he was just that smart, or he truly was Sherlock Holmes.

Still, he needed more.

He leaned back slightly, crossing one leg over the other. "I recall hearing about a peculiar case some years ago," he mused. "A man who sought your help over a missing butler. By the time you arrived at his home, you informed him there was no case at all." @@@@

Holmes gave a slight, approving nod, his eyes gleaming with interest. "By all means."

"We suspect there are people helping the Ripper," Shen Ji Yun said.

Holmes arched a brow, unsurprised by the revelation. His response only confirmed it. "I had my suspicions. A lone man, no matter how cunning, could not have moved so freely—twice—without drawing attention. It presents a curious problem. The train departed from Paris only yesterday, yet he has already secured assistance. That suggests prior acquaintance. And yet... such forethought does not align with the Ripper's known behavior."

Holmes tapped his fingers against the armrest, his gaze sharpening as he continued. "The Ripper, as we know him, is not a man of patience. He thrives in chaos, striking swiftly and vanishing before order can reassert itself. His crimes, while brutal, are not carefully orchestrated—they are acts of impulse, driven by an urge he cannot suppress. A man like that does not seek alliances. He does not plan ahead. He does not recruit." He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly. "And yet, here we are. A confined space, limited in variables, and somehow, he has found assistance. That is an anomaly. Either we are dealing with a man who has evolved beyond his known habits, or someone else has taken it upon themselves to aid him for their own reasons." Holmes exhaled softly, as if the contradiction both intrigued and irritated him. "But tell me, Your Grace—what kind of person would willingly align themselves with a man who butchers without remorse?"

This time, it was Luo Yan who answered. "Maybe they didn't have a choice." "A man always has a choice," Holmes countered.

Well, if you were competing in a match, playing to win meant following the game's rules—there was no real choice in the matter. But this was something Luo Yan couldn't exactly explain to Holmes. So instead, he simply smiled.

"Of course, you're right, Mr. Holmes," he said. "Now, shall we have breakfast first and continue our discussion later?"