After listening to Charlotte's summary, Russell fell silent for a while. He chewed on a biscuit, then sipped his warm tea to balance the sweetness on his tongue.
"That means we're stuck at both ends, aren't we?" he said, finally breaking the long silence. "Bilson's fled, Charles is out of his mind, and there's no telling when things might turn around. If Bilson's already left London, searching for him could be meaningless."
"Not necessarily," Charlotte said. "Bilson might go into hiding, but there's no way he'd actually leave London."
"Why not?"
"He's definitely waiting for new instructions from the professor. That's his only chance to turn things around," Charlotte said confidently. "Right now, all of Bilson's assets and accounts are frozen—he probably has very little cash left. And Lestrade's already sent out urgent arrest notices to every newspaper, so even if the guy had some money, he won't have a comfortable life. Even if he tries to take a ship or train out of London, he won't make it past the ticket checks."
"Since when did the authorities in London enforce travel this strictly?"
"We have no choice. The nature of this case is too severe," Charlotte shrugged. "Lloyds Bank holds the safe deposit contracts for nearly all upper-class families in London. Even if the bank insists everything's fine, if you were them, would you really trust a couple lines from the board of directors?"
"No, I wouldn't."
"Exactly," Charlotte said, taking another cookie. "Plus, this whole affair was reported in The Times as resolved 'thanks to Moriarty.' For them, the name 'Moriarty' is probably more terrifying than a bank robber—how could anyone not worry?"
"I see..." Russell nodded thoughtfully. "So now would be the perfect time to ramp up the sense of danger, wouldn't it?" he mused, watching as Charlotte connected several dots on a map with a red string.
"So waiting is all we can do?"
"Until Lestrade manages to bring Bilson to me, yes," Charlotte said, pushing a thumbtack firmly into the little bar in Southwark, as if pausing the investigation at that very spot.
"Boring wait," she muttered, barely audibly.
Russell nodded. Without bothering Charlotte further, he quietly picked up the nearly empty plate of cookies and left her room.
Back in his bedroom, Russell closed the door, shutting out the tangled mess of the case. The sky outside the window had grown completely dark. He sat on his bed, leaning against the window frame, and stared at the system panel reflected in the pane—a display only he could see.
[Name: Russell Watson]
[Reputation: Notorious (Gains 30% more Malice Points)]
[Role: Phantom Thief]
[Skills: Combat (C++), Stealth (B+), Climbing (C), Practical Skills (B+), Recon (C++), Listening (C+), Dance (D+)]
[Available Upgradeable Attributes:]
Current Malice Points: 1470
[Store has been refreshed.]
Charles Roy and Ethan Roy are like reliable gold mines, churning out some Malice every day.
The amount isn't much, but it's better than nothing.
Much easier than going out of my way to annoy new people every day.
Russell thought for a moment, then brought up the system shop. Last time, he'd only glanced at it and hadn't checked out the specifics of the update. Well, there's nothing else to do right now—why not take a look?
After a moment's focus, the shop interface gradually came into view. The first thing to catch Russell's eye, naturally, was the item he bought most often: the map blind box. Now, blind boxes dropped more often in high-society areas, and the map view had evolved from a flat grid to a vivid 3D model.
Russell needed only to use his mind to move around on the virtual map—a definite improvement. He nodded with satisfaction.
This time, there was even a new option called the "Advanced Challenge."
By spending 50 extra Malice Points, you could upgrade your blind box. If you completed the action within the allotted time, the purchase cost would be refunded, and you'd receive an additional 20% Malice Point bonus on top of the existing 30% boost from your reputation. Best of all, all Malice spent on these operations counted as guaranteed rewards.
Put simply: if the total cost was 500 Malice Points for an item, you'd always earn at least 500 back after the challenge.
Interesting. If you succeed, it's huge profit with no up-front loss at all.
But Russell didn't rush to buy a blind box, instead scanning through the other newly updated store items.
[Consumables]
Universal Key (Consumable): Ignores physical locks; single use, but permanently copies the key after unlocking.
Price: 400 Malice Points
Ghost Hand: Allows remote manipulation of objects within 10 meters, duration 3 minutes. Effectiveness depends on user's stats.
Price: 500 Malice Points
Teleport Anchor: Allows you to set an anchor point and instantly teleport back within 1 meter later on. Anchors persist indefinitely but disappear upon use; up to 2 can exist at a time.
Price: 1000 Malice Points
Paraglider: Enables gliding through the air, available in various colors; can be used anytime.
Price: 500 Malice Points
Prices had gone up significantly, but so had the power of each item. You got what you paid for.
Russell raised his eyebrows as he browsed the new selection, recalling that he'd purchased a Universal Key before. It had been a premium consumable designed precisely for emergencies like last night's fiasco. Now it was pricier, but more reliable and efficient—and you got to keep a spare key for next time. Not bad.
As for the "Ghost Hand".... Russell absent-mindedly tapped his fingers in the air, imagining the sensation of snatching things from afar. The perfect gadget for a phantom thief. The 10-meter range was interesting—could it be used to unlock doors remotely, too? Not just locks; with a little imagination, the possibilities were endless. 500 Malice wasn't cheap, but still within reason.
Then came the Teleport Anchor... There was no question it would be extremely useful—if you could afford it. Russell glanced at his wallet. Even if he emptied his entire stash, he could only buy one.
"Let's look at the upgraded blind box again," he mused, eyeing the new challenge mode. It offered higher risk, higher rewards, and a guaranteed minimum return.
Russell no longer hesitated. He'd give it a shot—maybe, just maybe, he could turn his bicycle into a motorcycle!