A Web of Espionage and Intrigue / Gun-hair and Shirou

Shirou threw a throwing knife, piercing the dark, reflective camera and destroying the entire device.

Shirou composed himself and continued searching through the documents, finally finding the black files related to the Asteroid Company.

Fortunately, the female executive had instructed her subordinates not to disturb her tonight in order to facilitate a good relationship with Shirou, so Shirou now has plenty of time to investigate.

A dark mastermind like Moriarty would certainly not be content to remain confined to a corner of the criminal world; he must be plotting something far greater. The very fact that such a highly intelligent criminal is terrifying is precisely because we don't understand his mysterious and unknown nature.

If there were a master strategist like Holmes to dismantle his tricks one by one.

If Shirou were to fight the enemy head-on alongside the Round Table members, with the powerful Round Table members providing damage output and Merlin offering support, it wouldn't be too difficult. However, if he were kept in the dark from beginning to end, he would be gradually outmaneuvered and killed by Moriarty's elaborate schemes.

Unfortunately, there's no Holmes this time. Even without the Demon Pillar interfering, the opponent is still the Napoleon of Crime, capable of evading police investigations in every country in the world solely through intellect.

In order to deal with the powerful and evil villain, since there is no detective who can see through everything, Shirou can only rely on himself, risking infiltration to personally investigate all the information as an ace agent!

The information shows that Moriarty collects all sorts of Magecraft artifacts, including three golden Holy Grails. However, without the assistance of the Demon Pillar, and with his Spirit Origin already determined, even if he were to receive enhancements from the Holy Grails, there would still be an upper limit.

Just like Magecraft's Magic Circuit, although there are many ways to seal magic power together and unleash it all at once, due to the limitations of Magic Circuit, Magecraft cannot use more magic power than the number of circuits they have.

For Servant, one Holy Grail is enough; no matter how many there are, they cannot use them. What one Holy Grail cannot do, even if there are two, the result will often remain unchanged.

It could be said that one side gained at the expense of the other, and in fact, it was no more terrifying than the time when Shinjuku was in the Demon Realm.

Although he may side with humanity in matters of Human Order, he is still a villain at heart, as that was his initial character design. As the adversary of the righteous detective Holmes, he, like the main villains in all detective stories, is inevitably a cunning and highly intelligent criminal.

Especially this Moriarty, who somehow obtained the technology to create a physical body using the Holy Grail. He is now perhaps closest to his true self, making him even more dangerous and cunning.

If they are Servant, their personalities will differ depending on their age in the present world and their circumstances in their previous life. For example, the beautiful young Young Emperor and Iskandar the Conqueror King are indeed the same person, although it is hard to believe.

As Phantasmal Spirit, he had embodied both good and evil before merging them again. Therefore, even as Servant, he retained his good side. Because of his bond with Gudako, he was willing to help Gudako when summoned to Chaldea.

These kinds of villains have strong desires; even if they obtained the Holy Grail, they would use it to create large-scale weapons like anti-tank missiles, rather than using it for something as impractical as transforming into human bodies.

Even without changing one's physical body, one can still use the Holy Grail's magic. On the contrary, becoming human would restrict one's physical body, making it difficult to recover from injuries and causing one to become hesitant and timid in battle.

However, in a world influenced by a white god, the situation is different. The moment the god disintegrates, all worlds are restored to their original state by default, because of the god's final mercy, allowing humanity in the created world to survive.

As for other mysteries and events, although they are no longer ruled out, those that disappeared before will disappear, and those that did not will all be returned to the chronological order and start over.

As astute as this brilliant criminal professor was, he had naturally calculated the pros and cons long ago: without a human body, he would disappear. Therefore, this was the only correct choice left.

The documents show the distribution of influence of Moriarty's criminal group. He constantly sets up schemes, using stolen treasures to obtain funds and attempting to acquire and merge other industries. His influence continues to expand, and now it covers the entire Tokyo area, beginning to infiltrate both government and business circles.

"Honestly, his shadow really is everywhere!" Shirou frowned and couldn't help but complain.

In the memory he had previously acquired, the giant robot Elizabeth was the technology he had passed on, and now he actually wanted to do it again here.

In the previous world, his alter ego was wiped out along with his Servant during the berserk attack of that cosmic Emperor.

According to Merlin, that path to that world was thus severed, since his body was Projection of Divine Power, and its destruction meant that path was no longer viable.

If the dormant entity were to embark on that possible path, it would likely meet such an end, and naturally, it would be prevented from doing so.

However, while the previous world was certainly dangerous, the situation he faces now is far from pleasant.

If he were killed here, he would probably meet the same fate.

Chapter 425 A Web of Spy Intrigue

Shirou wanted to continue his investigation, but he couldn't find Moriarty's true plan.

Shirou glanced at the female executive lying asleep, thinking to himself, 'Could it be that her authority isn't high enough? She's clearly a leader-level executive. Merlin wouldn't make such a basic mistake.'

At that moment, the landline phone next to the desk suddenly rang, its ringing sound echoing in the empty room, sounding particularly jarring.

The female cadre was fast asleep on the pull-out sofa bed. Although she had previously instructed her subordinates not to disturb her, she clearly had other matters to attend to. If she didn't answer the phone, her subordinates would definitely become suspicious.

Shirou pondered for a moment, then picked up the receiver from the landline.

"Moshi Moshi, Chief, it's urgent, please come down here." A man's voice came from the other end of the phone.

Shirou calmly placed the microphone to his mouth, then pursed his lips and inhaled deeply, filling his mouth with air. He tightened his muscles, his vocal cords vibrated rapidly, and he opened his mouth, shouting loudly:

"I'm busy right now! Call me back in an hour if you have any questions!!!"

What's amazing is that the voice he used before was exactly the same as the female cadre's, and he even imitated 90% of that arrogant, sadistic queen-like demeanor. Unless you saw it with your own eyes, no one would have any reason to doubt it.

Without waiting for the other person to speak, Shirou slammed the microphone down heavily.

The reason Shirou learned this skill was thanks to Merlin's teaching. At first, when Shirou saw Merlin using voice imitation, he only used it to show off his voice at the bar to pick up girls, or to make some cutesy sounds while playing computer games.

Shirou had never understood the purpose of Merlin teaching him this kind of voice imitation, but it turned out to be quite useful.

Shirou unplugged the phone line, breathed a sigh of relief, and continued fiddling with the computer, scanning the folders.

His statement just now was consistent with the image of a hot-tempered and domineering female cadre. Because he wanted to do something good and didn't want to be disturbed, he turned off all his communication devices, including his cell phone and landline. But unexpectedly, after only a few minutes of quiet, the other party persistently came to his door.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"I'm so sorry to bother you! Leader! Please come out quickly! It's urgent!" the female cadre's subordinate called out as she reached the door.

Knock knock! Knock knock knock! Urgent knocking sounded at the door.

There was no time to hesitate. Shirou took off his clothes, and a black bodysuit similar to the female executive's Projection onto his body. He put it on, then slipped on the Projection wavy wig, and donned a black hat, transforming into a Shirou dressed entirely in black. At this moment, he looked like a female executive in drag. But anyone with a discerning eye could see that Shirou's shoulders and arms were actually a size larger than the female executive's.

While a voice can be imitated, it's difficult to change one's physical frame. He hasn't mastered Magecraft like Merlin's, which allowed him to transform into men or women.

Fortunately, with the help of the illusion magic passed down by Merlin, it can provide a completely unquestionable suggestion.

Shirou strode forward, twisted the lock, and flung the door open.

"Master... leader..." The waiter outside the door stood there anxiously.

The door slammed shut with a bang.

Shirou glared at him fiercely, his eyes turning crimson with excitement, resembling those of a hungry wolf whose prey had been stolen.

"Lead the way!" After more than ten seconds of eye contact, Shirou finally spoke to the waiter outside the door.

"Yes..." The waiter was already terrified. In his eyes was the fierce-looking female cadre's face. The murderous aura seemed to materialize into some invisible monster, making his face and body feel cold and numb.

The waiter trembled all over and dared not say another word. He ran ahead to lead the way and pressed the button at the elevator.

The two entered the elevator.

"What exactly happened?" Shirou finally confirmed that the illusion disguise was working, so he asked in a disguised voice.

"Yes, boss. The big boss's helper is here, specifically asking for you, saying there's an urgent mission," the waiter said.

"An accomplice?" Shirou muttered to himself. The Magecraft in this building were Moriarty's subordinates, not important enough to warrant much attention. Who could this accomplice be?

Shirou tentatively asked, "Did they say what kind of mission it was?"

"No, how could such a big shot possibly bother with us little minions? Only a powerful figure like you, leader, is qualified to speak with him," the waiter said, not forgetting to flatter him.

"Is that enough? You can go back to work now." Shirou knew the waiter was just an ordinary person, probably not even knowing what Magecraft was, so he waved his hand and said that he wouldn't get anything out of him.

"Yes," the waiter replied, bowing deeply as if granted a pardon.

The elevator doors arrived at the first floor and opened to one side. Shirou walked to the lobby and saw a foreign man in a suit standing there as straight as a statue, motionless. His gaze seemed to be on the symphony orchestra on the center stage, listening to the music being played, seemingly enjoying it, yet with a hint of criticism.

Just then, the previous piece ended, and Mozart's Serenade began.

In that instant, a murderous aura erupted from the man, and black demonic power burst forth from his body.

Inside the venue, the crystal chandelier above the band suddenly shattered.

"Aaaaaah!!!" Screams erupted from the crowd, and the band's performance stopped abruptly due to the falling crystal shards.

Shirou looked warily at the foreign man! He sensed a deadly aura emanating from him.

'A Servant!'

The Western man with gray curly hair and wearing a striped suit noticed Shirou and strolled over. His every move exuded the elegance of a court nobleman, but his eyes were filled with a world-weary indifference. His face was cold and unsmiling, and he did not approach anyone, nor did he take anyone else seriously.

He probably didn't even give the female officer a second glance, which is why he didn't notice anything unusual about the illusion's magic power compared to the female officer's usual magic power. However, it was precisely because of this that Shirou didn't expose his identity.

The gray-haired man glanced at the messy venue, noticing the musicians who had stopped playing, the manager rushing to salvage the situation, and the guests hurriedly leaving. A look of disdain crossed his eyes. After a long while, he turned to Shirou and coldly said, "Come with me. The professor has a task for you."

The gray-haired man led Shirou into the elevator, but this time he pressed the down button. He used magic to press the button panel, and a blue Projection appeared on the side of the panel, showing several additional buttons. The gray-haired man pressed the bottom one, which turned out to be the thirteenth basement level.

Shirou found himself in an underground arms factory, where automated machines were producing firearms and shells, and cyborgs were guarding the area.

The gray-haired man didn't say a word, but led Shirou to an office, then took a folder from a cabinet and handed it to Shirou.

"Take a look at this. Your primary task now is this. The professor said to put everything else aside for now and focus on completing Plan Two. We need the weapons there to implement Plan Three." The gray-haired man finished speaking coldly and then waved his hand, clearly having no further intention of saying anything more.

"Yes." Shirou took the folder and left.

Shirou exited the building, took the elevator, and then opened the folder, finding three project proposals labeled inside. The summary table on the first page read:

"One of the plans, Moriarty Park"

"Plan Two: The Fall of the Black Holy Lance"

"Plan Three: The Destruction of the Knights of the Round Table"

"What!?" Shirou exclaimed in surprise. So they had already been exposed? They had been targeted from the very beginning!

That was a close call. If he hadn't been lucky enough to avoid being exposed and if the enemy hadn't been unaware that he had infiltrated, he probably would have been exposed just now and surrounded and annihilated by the mutant machine soldiers in the underground arms factory.

Shirou went up to the first floor, went straight into the restroom, took off his disguise, Projection an invisibility cloak, and sneaked out through the back door.

Once they reached a secluded spot, Shirou finally turned on his communicator and contacted the club, anxiously informing Merlin that they had been exposed.

"Shirou, calm down. We already know about the exposure. As for the second plan, you need to go there now and check on the situation." Merlin projected a holographic image through the gem and calmly spoke to Shirou.

"But... I understand." Shirou didn't hesitate any longer and chose to trust Merlin's judgment.

"Yes, Shirou, it's good that you understand. Be careful," Merlin said with a light laugh.

"Leave it to me," Shirou readily agreed. He knew that even if Merlin liked to trick people, he wouldn't do it in this kind of situation, much less ask him to take risks without a reason.

"Wait! Merlin, why did you send Shirou there alone? We could have split up and gone to help, two of us!" the tall, wild-looking man grumbled unhappily.

"Calm down, Kay," Bedivere said, pulling the man back.

"No, it's that we were already caught in that professor's trap from the very beginning," Merlin said softly, shaking his head.

Shirou found the address marked on the document and came directly there.

I discovered that this place was actually a food processing plant, producing ingredients like those used in Keekey and Madonna movies. Two slices of bread, a machine-compressed beef or chicken patty in the middle, a vegetable leaf on top, and a simple American fast food burger is done.

"Where did this bug come from! Peeping outside!" A dignified female voice rang out, and then... a black, spiraling submachine gun smashed through the factory door and charged straight at Shirou.

The violently swirling air currents, like a tornado, whipped Shirou's hair into the air. Although it was flat ground, the heavy spearhead was even more terrifying than the power of a knight charging up a hill in the Middle Ages.

Shirou knew that if that spear tip even lightly touched him, his head would be instantly pierced through, and then shattered into pieces in the spinning tornado.

In the midst of the danger, Shirou had nowhere to escape.

"We've been tricked!" Shirou shouted, Projection his black and white twin blades in an attempt to trade blows.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the gray-haired man also left the underground arms factory. However, he didn't leave the black spire building; instead, he entered the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor, which was over thirty stories high.

The elevator ascended rapidly to the top floor and slowly opened.

Beneath a large panoramic window, a middle-aged man with a curly beard leisurely sipped a glass of red wine, gazing at the night view. He turned to the elevator and said, "Well done, how about a glass of your favorite Vienna red wine, Antonio?"

Yes, the man's name is Antonio Salieri, his class is Avenger, he is Servant summoned by Moriarty, and the medium he uses is that green skull. His forbidden phrase is Mozart. He is an Avenger who was suppressed during Mozart's lifetime and burdened with the infamy of murder after Mozart's death. However, in a way, he is not wrong. He does hate Mozart, so much so that he wants to kill him.

Antonio glanced at the gray-haired man with disgust. The middle-aged man on the other side said, "No need. I've already told him the plan as you said. Once he contacts those Knights of the Round Table, you can prepare your coffin and wait to die, you old codger."

"No, as for the coffin, I already prepared it from the beginning." Moriarty said with a wicked smile instead of being angry. He always carried a coffin with him, seemingly to prove his belief that he would live to be old, commit crimes until he entered his coffin.

The middle-aged man said quietly, "Besides... that level of bait is also necessary."

"You were once on his side, weren't you? You're truly heartless and ungrateful," Antonio said.

"Of course I'm grateful to him too. It was because of the cooperation with the Demon Pillar and the experience of contacting Chaldea that I learned more inside information. Whether it's the King's Holy Lance or that Shirou Emiya, it's really amazing!!!"

Moriarty threw his head back and laughed loudly, "Hehehe... Hohohohohoho!!! Shirou Emiya, the hero who embarks on the path of his ideals. What kind of sparks will fly when he clashes with the Dark King of Knights forcibly stole one of my Holy Grails? A mere Shinjuku will probably be blasted to pieces by his Noble Phantasm."

"Hmph! You only dare to say that the Holy Grail was deliberately stolen by that king. If that were the case, wouldn't your building have been destroyed too?" Antonio said coldly.

Moriarty chuckled wickedly, "Ah, it'll be destroyed, won't it? This city doesn't have the same magical amplification as the one in the Demon Realm; it's far too fragile. Even without the meteorite, I could destroy it in countless ways! But it doesn't matter. Even if all the buildings here are demolished, I can just rebuild them with the power of the Holy Grail, exactly how I like it."

"Let them fight! Let them slaughter each other! And then look at the pale faces of those Knights of the Round Table." The cunning middle-aged man raised his cup to the moonlight, making a prophecy that also sounded like a curse.

Chapter 426 Spearless and Shirou

At the factory entrance, a black, spiraling spear suddenly appeared, its momentum aimed at Shirou's head, intending to pierce and shred everything it touched.

Instead of retreating, Shirou advanced, leaping up suddenly. His black and white twin blades, Gan Jiang · Mo Ye, emitted light and transformed into long blades. Risking being pierced by a spear, he was determined to strike the enemy inside, the blade aimed at the area below the head, vowing to sever the Black Shadow's head from its neck in one blow.

At this critical moment, Shirou did the exact opposite of what he had done a second before. He stopped, released his hands, and instead of unleashing the black and white blades, he let them slip from his palms and fall to the ground.

The moment the spear tip pierced Shirou, it suddenly shuddered, withdrew its spiraling power, and stopped.