Operation Red Book

Chapter 222 The Fear of the Perpetrator

According to intelligence, Madison was born in a poor and backward town in the southern United States. His father was a bricklayer and his mother died of plague early.

He made his fortune during the Civil War. When the army was hurt, he made money from the disaster areas in the North, and when the people were hurt, he robbed supplies from the South.

Such a rogue who made both the North and South of the United States helpless actually set his sights on Chinese assets backed by the Thames.

For an ordinary American businessman to create such a big stir in the UK, in addition to the American capital behind the scenes, he also could not escape the support of certain forces in the UK.

It could be the London Chamber of Commerce, it could be the political arena in Downing Street, it could be the hype in the news media, or even worse, it could be the intervention of the British royal family.

It is not difficult to guess that as a person with a little bit of topicality, Ivy is very easy to be targeted by the media from all walks of life. Unfortunately, she is just an unlucky person to be blamed.

The iceberg wanted to hit the "Chinese Dock District", a large ship that did not belong to either the Antarctic or the Arctic.

"The Chinese dock area has been blocked off. You should know this."

Moriarty pulled out a few stacks of newspapers and spoke slowly.

Joshua knew this of course, because he went to the Chinese wharf the day after Ivy fainted.

In his eyes, Mr. Zhu is a mysterious Oriental, and this idea is ultimately due to Western stereotypes.

Oriental treatment methods are different from those of the West. Joshua had long heard that it could regrow flesh on withered bones and bring spring to the hands. Perhaps it would be very effective for Ivy's difficult and complicated illness.

Besides, Ivy once said that if she was absent from work without reason again, Mr. Zhu would first fire her and then drive her out of the Chinese Wharf.

Thinking of this, Joshua looked at Ivy's pale face again, with reluctance and guilt flowing in his eyes, and he was thinking about how to tell her what happened next.

The Chinese wharf had long been deserted, the workers who usually worked there were nowhere to be seen, and only the rickety grey boats remained on the calm Thames.

Joshua couldn't get into the gate of the Chinese wharf at all. The brown-haired, blue-eyed British people surrounded the three outer layers. They were all ragged homeless people.

This group of people were violent and rude, pushing and shoving each other, using obscene slang, and each of them held a wooden stick as thick as their arm.

"We want to denounce the Chinese wharf! Why is it not open? Why is Shisanfang not open?"

"We want to denounce the Orientals! Why do you build your country on London's territory?"

"Hand over that what-is-her-name...little girl! Hand over Boss Zhu! Hand over the girls too!"

"What are we having for dinner today! I want to go in and eat!"

“Ooo ...

"Excuse me, can you let me pass for a moment?"

"Who are you? You're dressed nicely yet you come to steal our business... What, are you here to look for someone? There's no one here!"

"So what are you all protesting here for?"

"How would we know? Just do whatever the boss tells us to do. We're all working like slaves anyway..."

"Boss? Aren't you guys here willingly?"

"You know nothing! What are you doing here? Go away... There are bosses giving out missions on the corner and on the other side of the street!"

"Task?"

"It only costs a penny to shout for an entire afternoon. Those middle-class people are just stingy..."

"The nobles gave a lot, but you have to curse them to death..."

Anyway, Joshua couldn't even reach the iron gate, and the phone numbers of various departments at the Chinese wharf that he had tried so hard to find didn't work. He and Mr. Johnson called for several days but no one answered.

"The Prime Minister issued an order to surround the Chinese wharf and block all exits. No one outside is allowed to enter, and no one inside is allowed to leave."

Moriarty continued, his voice calm and his expression as composed as ever.

"What?" Joshua was a little surprised. "The government took action?"

"Yes, as you said, Madison is not that simple. I think the whole incident might be a big trap."

"You mean... Madison went to the Chinese dock with a purpose..."

"Intentionally causing trouble, intentionally being humiliated, intentionally arranging media, intentionally making a big fuss... It's an extremely simple trap. As long as you use your walnut-sized brains... Alas, I always forget that you are children with clean brains. It's really my fault."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Moriarty."

"Now you can identify the enemy you are going to deal with." Moriarty sighed and continued.

"The British Government?"

Joshua's face was a little pale. Facing such a powerful enemy, he was a little flustered. Such a friendly address made him feel more guilty.

"anything else."

“The U.S. government must have been involved.”

"more than."

"Chamber of Commerce, the British Chamber of Commerce, the American Chamber of Commerce, the Indian Chamber of Commerce... the Chinese Chamber of Commerce..."

Joshua swallowed and his breathing became rapid again.

Moriarty seemed calm. He shook his head and looked at Joshua with a serious look.

"Now that you've thought of this, why not be a little bolder?"

"Be bolder... I, I can only think of the United Nations, but the United Nations was not born for several decades..."

Moriarty paused, then chuckled.

"Put it this way." His voice was cold, without a trace of warmth.

"As the perpetrator, what are you most afraid of?"

"I'm most afraid of great detectives like Mr. Holmes. But I feel more excited than afraid. Mr. Holmes is personally investigating my case..."

"anything else?"

"The judge, the court, the law, the police, the pistol, the looks in people's eyes, the same scene, the clues that suddenly came to mind, the news I heard or saw... none of them?"

Joshua's eyebrows were twisted into a knot. He had said everything he could think of.

“The perpetrator is most afraid of the victim.”

Moriarty's voice was light and without any emotion.

The whole sentence was like a revolver pressed against Joshua's back. Starting from the waist, the tremor spread all over his skin, making his scalp numb.

Joshua's mind seemed to be opened up by an iron rod, and the whole context of the matter took shape in his mind.

The lines of the case are intertwined and stacked like a spider web.

The Chinese Wharf was formed in the 1940s and 1950s. Initially, the people gathered there were Chinese who had fled from China. It was only in the past decade that it became a leading commercial territory under the leadership of Mr. Zhu.

The prosperity of the economy, the development of personal connections, the increase in numbers, the growth of power...

Such an important place attracts many people who are jealous and wary.

The person who is most eager to be eradicated and most worried and fearful about being eradicated is, of course, the leader of this group of jealous people.

The Chinese at the Chinese wharf all fled from China and they were the victims.

They are the perpetrators of Great Britain, which has never stopped invading since 1840, bringing disease, drugs, poverty and war.

The perpetrator is not only afraid of the victim's revenge, but also of the natural fear and avoidance of the past.

Not wanting to recall the sins that had been committed - this is arrogance engraved into the bones.

"If the perpetrator wants to eliminate the panic in his heart and maintain his dignity, there is only one way - to make the victim unable to turn over forever."

"Things are more serious than expected. This is exactly what they want: first make Ivy the focus of the riot, and then let Mr. Zhu fall from his throne."

"It is inevitable to remove the thorn in the flesh of the Chinese wharf, but this is only the first step. In the end, what will be in our pocket is the entire country on the other side of the Pacific Ocean."

"Now do you know who your biggest enemy is?"

After making so many inferences, Moriarty ended with just one light remark.

"Her Majesty Queen Victoria," Joshua said in the same light voice.

"Yes, there is progress. So, this matter is very troublesome, and Mr. Holmes is handling it... But he has offended many people. If it weren't for his brother to back him up, he would have been exiled to Wales long ago."

"I have another question...Why must it be Madison? Why did the Americans want to get involved in the feud between the Queen of England and the Chinese docks?"

"Wouldn't the nobles, who are at the heart of the people, have a much greater influence on this matter, as did Mrs. Emerson?"

Joshua raised his head in confusion and saw Moriarty's unhidden eye roll.

"On the one hand, the Queen hopes to promote friendship with the United States, on the other hand, the government hopes to reach cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce, and there is another important reason..."

Moriarty couldn't help rolling his eyes again. He put down the teacup in his hand heavily, and the crisp sound of porcelain colliding echoed in his ear canal.

"The nobles all wore tall hats, and they would just hold their heads high, smoke their cigars and shout 'God save the Queen' and 'Loyalty to the Country'."

"When the big thing happens, these people will definitely run faster than anyone else. They won't worry at all because they have tens of millions of scapegoats behind them - civilians."

“It is no exaggeration to say that as a British person I never had any hope for them.”