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Chapter 325: Invading Brain Cells (25)
Chapter 325: Invading Brain Cells (25)
Twenty minutes ago…
Sherlock Holmes walked past Feng Bu Jue and sat down in the chair beside the professor, placing his cigarette case on the table. “How did you deduce that the professor has a partner?”
Feng Bu Jue smiled. “Well, there are six seats here, aren’t there?”
“That’s your evidence?” Professor Moriarty asked.
“Isn’t it enough?” Feng Bu Jue leaned back in his chair, spreading his hands. “Your instinct for order and precision is second nature. Would your ‘mental world’ contain anything meaningless?” He tapped the table twice. “Theoretically, if our four otherworldly guests are all here, plus you, that’s only five people. Why a sixth seat? Simple—because there’s someone else.”
“But how do you know the person approaching the table must be the professor’s partner, not another guest?” Sherlock Holmes pressed.
“Because I guessed it was you,” Feng Bu Jue replied.
“Fuh—” Holmes exhaled a smoke ring. “You learned from Mo Jing that the professor is the boss here. After seeing that recording, you deduced both of us were in this Space.” He paused. “That I understand. But why would you think we’re partners?”
“He’s right,” Professor Moriarty added. “Most assume we’re mortal enemies.”
“You’re both dead,” Feng Bu Jue said. “What’s ‘mortal’ about that?”
“Hmph… Go on,” Holmes said with a smile.
“Archenemies are built on mutual respect and recognition. It’s rare—something you can’t force,” Feng Bu Jue explained. “Friendship, on the other hand, is easier—just tolerate each other’s flaws.” He glanced at both men. “You two are archenemies, not mortal enemies. True, you’ve clashed, but in death… those grudges fade. Like attracts like. Strip away the criminal consultant and consulting detective roles, and you’re two sides of the same coin. Under the right conditions, collaborating in villainy was inevitable.”
Professor Moriarty’s expression remained icy. “I’d applaud if your vocabulary were more refined.”
Feng Bu Jue smirked, unbothered.
“So… how did you deduce the ‘mental Space’?” Holmes asked.
“Mo Jing told me,” Feng Bu Jue replied. “Before I asked my second question, Mo Jing rushed to ask, ‘Is your second question about who the mental hosts of these two Spaces are?’ The moment he said that, I realized I didn’t need to ask.”
“Your brain, your rules,” Feng Bu Jue said, eyeing the professor. “Clearly, I’m restricted in your constructed world.” He referred to his unusable satchel menu. “Nothing I brought here works.” He pulled out a folding knife from his pocket, placing it on the table. “But in my memory Space, I can use both my original items and those taken from here. Because what I gain here becomes part of my ‘memory.’”
“As for shifting between these worlds, it’s unrelated to physical phenomena,” Feng Bu Jue continued, resting his hands behind his head. “Otherwise, my belongings would’ve been lost in the waterfall’s current. In my memory Space, those items are wet only because of the bathtub water.”
“Hmm… Not entirely accurate,” Holmes said.
“Enlighten me,” Feng Bu Jue urged.
Holmes gestured to the professor. “Let him explain.”
Moriarty fixed Feng Bu Jue with a stare. “This isn’t my solitary mental world—it’s a Space shaped by collective will. Mr. Holmes and I simply dominate it due to stronger willpower.”
“I see,” Feng Bu Jue said. “May I assume that if, even briefly—say, a few seconds—I surpass both of you mentally, I’d become the dominant force here?”
“Yes,” Moriarty replied darkly. “Try anytime. Master this Space’s rules, overpower my will, and I’ll pop like a balloon with a snap.”
“So… what are this Space’s ‘rules’?” Feng Bu Jue asked.
“That’s for you to discover,” Moriarty said.
As they spoke, a figure abruptly materialized on the chair beside Feng Bu Jue—Hong Hu.
“Hmm… Is this…” Hong Hu saw the checked task on his taskbar and understood. “The 7th floor?”
“Welcome to the Reasoning Club,” Feng Bu Jue interjected before the professor could speak.
“Feng Bu Jue…” Hong Hu surveyed the room. “Who are these two?”
“You don’t know?” Feng Bu Jue mused. “So… our memory Spaces differ.”
Hong Hu asked, “Didn’t you meet Peter Pan?”
“I encountered Mo Jing, a Succubus…” Feng Bu Jue said.
Hong Hu sighed. “I spent half an hour with a balding middle-aged man claiming to be Peter Pan. He left Neverland, chose to grow up, got a job, married, paid mortgages, insurance… Then we discussed the financial crisis, rising oil prices…” His eyes held a ten-point fear. “I don’t know why, but the more I listened, the more hopeless life seemed.”
“Wow, you had bad luck,” Feng Bu Jue said. “I had it easier. First, Mo Jing subtly told me I’m the world’s handsomest. Then I defeated Cinderella’s Stepmother and her two sisters’ ghosts, ending with a round with the Succubus.”
Hong Hu’s only reaction was feeling like he’d been stabbed again.
“Haha! I’m kidding—just testing your reaction,” Feng Bu Jue laughed.
“Warning: Don’t add me as a friend after this scenario ends,” Hong Hu said flatly.
“Ahem…” Professor Moriarty cleared his throat.
Feng Bu Jue feigned sudden realization. “Oh right, introductions!” He turned to Hong Hu. “This is Professor James Moriarty.” He gestured to the man smoking a pipe beside him. “And Sherlock Holmes.”
“Oh! Pleased to meet you!” Hong Hu started to rise.
“Don’t move,” Holmes said, flicking his pipe. The casual motion pinned Hong Hu to his seat with invisible force.
“I hadn’t finished,” Feng Bu Jue added. “The professor’s the boss here, and Holmes is his partner.”
Hong Hu’s brain short-circuited for a few seconds before muttering, “I see…”
“Exactly,” Feng Bu Jue said.
“Now that four are seated,” Professor Moriarty said, “let the game begin.”
“What game?” Hong Hu asked.
“A small game Holmes and I invented for our club’s gatherings,” Moriarty explained.
Feng Bu Jue asked, “How many club members are there?”
“Currently, just us two,” Moriarty replied.
“Did the others die in this ‘game’?” Feng Bu Jue pressed.
“Hmph…” Moriarty chuckled, leaving the answer unspoken.
“Mad Bu Jue, since you arrived first, you start,” Holmes said.
The professor snapped his fingers, and a neat stack of cards appeared on the table.
“Wow, such generosity,” Feng Bu Jue mocked.
“This game requires at least two who know the ‘truth’—Holmes and I,” Moriarty explained. “The deck holds four card types: [Implication], [Inquiry], [Speculation], and [Deduction]. Newcomers enter with [Implication].”
“So I draw an [Implication]?” Feng Bu Jue asked.
“No need to choose,” Moriarty said. The cards scattered across the table.
“Fuh—” Holmes exhaled. “The [Implications] are already given—five in total.”
Feng Bu Jue and Hong Hu realized these referred to the five earlier messages.
“You’ve encountered situations matching these implications in your memory Spaces,” Holmes said. “Each encounter consumes one implication. The remaining sentences force you to draw [Implication] cards.”
“This doesn’t sound pleasant…” Feng Bu Jue began.
Moriarty interrupted. “Read one aloud.”
“Hmph! Who’s afraid?” Feng Bu Jue slammed the table. “Face misfortune with a smile, confront calamity with tenfold courage!” As he spoke, an [Implication] card slid to him.
“High-tech, huh?” Feng Bu Jue flipped the card. It bore a Joker’s face.
The moment his eyes met the card, it slipped from his hand. His arm moved involuntarily toward the folding knife on the table…
(End of Chapter)
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