The detective is dead, I did it.

Chapter 27 Come beg me!

Charlotte stood up, turned around, and walked back to the mansion, with Leon following behind her.

"It seems that fat pig was right." She lowered her voice so that only Li Ang could hear her. "There really was a traitor among his servants. Only an insider could dig a hole in the garden without being detected, and do it so precisely."

"So what do we do now?" Li Ang asked.

"Simple. Just tell him about the discovery, and the case will be closed."

Li Ang paused for a moment, then slowed his pace.

"Haven't we found the real culprit yet?"

"There's no need to find the murderer." Charlotte turned to look at him. "What do you think the viscount will do after he finds out about this?"

Li Ang shook his head.

"He will arrange for the police to surround the entire mansion. Because the crime involves people with superpowers, the Armed Detective Association will also get involved."

"All the servants will be sent to prison. They will be tortured and interrogated one by one until someone confesses."

"That fat pig has wanted to do this for a long time. The only reason he called me here is to get me to provide testimony that this was an inside job involving a superhuman. He'll handle the rest himself."

Li Ang stood there, listening to these words, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

He remembered the maids trembling with fear outside the study.

Most of them don't even earn enough to buy a decent pair of shoes a month. They live in basement servants' quarters, eat leftovers from their employers, work sixteen hours a day, and are scolded for the slightest mistake.

Now, just because their owner lost a gem, they are implicated and sent to prison to be tortured, even though 90% of them are innocent.

"Isn't there a better way?"

Li Ang didn't consider himself a good person, otherwise he wouldn't have killed so many thugs in the slums yesterday.

Even now, he doesn't regret it, because those people deserved to die.

But he still couldn't bear to watch so many innocent people die in vain.

It wasn't a case of maternal instinct acting up, but simply because he could do something about it.

Just like that old saying.

Being poor cares themselves, being wealthy cares the world.

"Of course I do." Charlotte turned around, her hands behind her back, and looked at him. "But what reason will you give me to convince me? After all, what do the lives and deaths of these maids have to do with me?"

Her tone was light and casual, as if she were talking about something trivial.

Li Ang wanted to say, "How can you be so cold-blooded? So selfish?", but saying it would be moral blackmail, and he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Besides, he knew that Charlotte wasn't cold-blooded, just too clear-headed.

She knew perfectly well that in this world, some people's lives were more valuable than others'.

A nobleman losing a gem can mobilize the entire Sheriff's Department, but if an old Tom dies in the slums, not a single person will announce his death.

This wasn't caused by her; it's the truth of this world.

"But at least there are still so many lives at stake." Li Ang looked up at her. "And there are definitely innocent people among them. You said that detectives can't just designate criminals because they have to have actually committed a crime."

"That's for identifying a criminal," Charlotte corrected. "Torture isn't an identification. Torture only requires suspicion."

"That's different."

"What's the difference? The result is the same."

"The result is the same, but the nature is different. I don't want to see innocent people suffer because of my inaction, so I'm here to find out the real culprit. Don't tell that fat pig about this yet."

Charlotte stared at Leon, a glint of something unreadable flashing in her blue eyes.

"Oh? It seems you're a kind-hearted guy, Pochi."

She clapped her hands, her tone suddenly becoming exaggerated, "This is really troublesome. After all, how can you possibly deal with that ability user by yourself? What should we do?"

She lightly touched her upturned lips with her finger, blinked at Li Ang, and her expression conveyed the message: Come and beg me.

Li Ang took a deep breath. "...Please."

"Hmm? The sound is too soft to hear."

"Please, Miss Detective!" Li Ang raised his voice, gritting his teeth, "Please help me, help them, find the real killer!"

Charlotte nodded in satisfaction, but she couldn't suppress the smile on her face.

"That's my good assistant. I've accepted your request."

She turned and walked towards the study. Li Ang followed behind, watching her back, and suddenly had a strange feeling.

This woman seems to be saying that on purpose.

She deliberately said she was going to close the case, and deliberately said that the Viscount would arrest and torture all the servants, just so that I would beg her.

"Actually..." He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but immediately swallowed his words back.

Li Ang originally wanted to say, "Actually, I can find the murderer myself." He just needed to call all the maids together and look at them one by one. Whoever had the "Ability User" label on their head was the mole.

But he can't.

Because he had told Charlotte that his ability could only see objects, not living people.

He hadn't figured out what the "fake" hint on the other person meant yet, so he couldn't reveal his hand so quickly.

I'll find an opportunity to observe those maids later.

Li Ang made up his mind.

The two returned to the study.

Viscount Cavendish was pacing anxiously at his desk when he saw Charlotte return and immediately went to greet her.

"How's it going, Miss Holmes? Where does the tunnel lead? Have you caught anyone?"

"The tunnel leads to the garden." Charlotte sat down on the sofa, casually crossing her legs. "And I'm certain this was an inside job. No outsider could have dug a tunnel in your mansion without inside help."

"Just as I expected!" The Viscount slammed his fist on the table. "I'll go get the police right now and arrest all those bastards! Interrogate them one by one, and see who's the toughest!"

He moved to walk outside, but he was called back after only a few steps.

"stop."

The viscount stopped and turned around, his anger still simmering.

"Miss Holmes, is there a problem?"

"Are you doubting my abilities?" Charlotte leaned back on the sofa, her eyes coldly fixed on him. "Do you doubt that I can't find the real killer and that I need you to interrogate them one by one?"

The viscount was stunned for a moment, then quickly forced a smile, rearranging the fat on his face to create an ugly grin.

"Of course not, of course not. I was just worried that you, Miss Holmes, would be working too hard. Leave these small things to me."

"No need," Charlotte said firmly. "You don't need to do anything. I'll find the real killer for you."

The viscount stood there, his expression a fascinating mix, but in the end, he gave in.