The Return Of The God Level Assassin

Chapter 1206: YUNYUE VS FENGHUANG (XLI)

SHEN JI YUN was the one who answered. ”The assumption that the Ripper is male comes from the nature of the crimes. The victims are all women, and the brutality of the attacks suggests a level of physical strength typically associated with men. Not to mention, the letters sent to the police were signed ʼJack the Ripper,ʼ which only reinforces the idea of a male perpetrator.”

Of course, Luo Yan also believed that the real Ripper must be a man. But this was a VR game, and the people who wrote the script might have deliberately made Jack the Ripper female to throw everyone off. Given all the red herrings theyʼd encountered during the investigation, the possibility of the gameʼs staff gender-bending Jack the Ripper was definitely a possibility.

But he couldnʼt give that same explanation to Holmes. Who knew what consequences there might be if the detective started to suspect they werenʼt the characters they were pretending to be?

So, Luo Yan had to come up with reasoning that would justify his theory without making Holmes suspect they werenʼt who they claimed to be.

Luo Yan met Holmesʼ gaze. ”The assumption that the Ripper must be male relies on the idea that brute strength was necessary to overpower the victims. But what if that wasnʼt the case? What if the Ripper used other methods—like chemicals or tools—to incapacitate the victims first? On this train, weʼve seen evidence of that. The victims were likely rendered unconscious before they were attacked, eliminating the need for physical strength. That means the Ripper could just as easily be a woman.”

Luo Yan noticed the corner of Holmesʼ lips twitch, a faint glimmer of approval in his eyes. ”A compelling argument,” Holmes remarked. ”But why, pray tell, have you zeroed in on Mrs. Winslow? Are you not her adopted daughter?” He then turned to Shen Ji Yun, his gaze narrowing. ”And you, Your Grace—are you not her lover? Yet you seem unperturbed by Miss Maryʼs accusation. Curious, is it not?”

”Because I believe it to be true,” Shen Ji Yun said without hesitation. ”Iʼve noticed something odd about the entire situation. As you pointed out, I was her lover. And yet, she and her adopted daughter chose to stay in a second-class cabin when I could easily have arranged for them to stay in first class. Why do you think that is? Because she had an agenda, obviously. Even adopting a daughter was likely part of that plan—to get close to the real target of this murder spree, to lower their defenses, and perhaps to see how the object of her hatred had been faring all these years.”

Luo Yan glanced at Shen Ji Yun. He was glad that without him saying anything, the two of them were always on the same wavelength.

Although they lacked detailed background information about the characters they were playing, what they knew was enough to form these assumptions. For one, the fact that Mrs. Winslow could leave a note for Shen Ji Yun and expect him to feel remorseful—even entrusting her supposed daughter to him—showed just how deep their relationship was supposed to be. If that were truly the case, Shen Ji Yunʼs character, the duke, wouldnʼt have allowed the woman he loved to stay in a second-class cabin. The fact that Mrs. Winslow chose to stay there, sharing the space with two other ʼstrangers,ʼ suggested that Shen Ji Yunʼs theory about her hidden agenda wasnʼt far-fetched at all.

”Hmm…” Holmes murmured, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the table. ”And youʼre suggesting that Mrs. Winslowʼs true target is one of the individuals sharing her cabin? In this case, I presume youʼre referring to Mrs. Thompson.”

”Donʼt you think the same?” Luo Yan countered. ”You wouldnʼt have asked His Grace if Mrs. Thompson had another child besides Miss Thompson if you didnʼt already have your own suspicions.”

It was one of the reasons Luo Yanʼs suspicion grew stronger. Holmes wouldnʼt have asked such a question without a reason, and thatʼs when Luo Yan truly began connecting the dots—or at least, the ones that made sense.

Jack the Ripper was known for targeting women of ill repute, and the killer on the train had continued that pattern, focusing on women with tarnished pasts. This brought Luo Yanʼs thoughts back to Mrs. Thompson. If she had another child—one sheʼd been forced to leave behind—one might think she would be the next target precisely because of that reason.

But Luo Yan had another idea. He believed it could be personal—at least for the Ripper. And if it was personal, it fit the narrative perfectly, especially if Mrs. Winslow was the Ripper. The backstory he pieced together was exactly the kind of intricate, dramatic twist Moonlight Mediaʼs staff would come up with. It was right up their alley.

”So, letʼs not beat around the bush, Mr. Holmes,” Luo Yan continued. ”Youʼre thinking the same thing we are. Letʼs not waste any more time and focus on how to apprehend her.”

Holmes blinked, then let out a hearty laugh. ”How very astute of you, young lady. But youʼre right—I do have my own suspicions. However, we canʼt act without solid evidence.”

”What do you suggest we do?” Shen Ji Yun asked.

Holmes leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers, a sly smirk playing on his lips. ”Why, my dear duke, we simply catch her in the act. Thereʼs no better evidence than witnessing the crime firsthand.”

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And so, here they were. After all the planning, they had indeed managed to catch Mrs. Winslow in the act. Luo Yan had been nervous at first, though he hadnʼt let it show to his teammates. Deep down, heʼd worried there was a chance they could be wrong—that someone else on the train might be the Ripper, and someone other than Mrs. Thompson could have been the third victim.

He was just genuinely relieved theyʼd been right.

”Get off me, you little brat!” Mrs. Winslow snarled, her voice low and feral, her eyes blazing with fury.