The Dead Are Not Dead

A question.

If Holmes exposed your identity as a reborn person outside the police station on your first day after transmigrating, how should you defend yourself?

"Watson believes I should remain silent about this, even asking me to conceal the truth. I find his overly cautious attitude rather ridiculous."

"There must be some Secrecy here that we do not understand. Do you think I am right?"

Ye Yan desperately wanted to jump out the window and run.

Holmes's meaning was already obvious. He knew that the original owner of this body had committed suicide. Watson must have discovered signs of it during his examination, yet thoughtfully chose to remain silent and told the detective not to mention it again, just as he had not.

The secret Ye Yan had carefully concealed was like a goldfish in a transparent glass tank, laid completely bare before them.

But there was nothing he could do.

Ye Yan could hardly say that the original owner was already dead, and that an soul from another world now occupied this body.

The embers in the pipe flickered brightly and dimly as curling smoke cast shadows across Holmes's face.

Though he could not even see the detective's expression clearly, Ye Yan felt the other man's gaze piercing him as if it had substance, making him afraid to make another reckless move.

"Vodka mixed with powdered Soul-Soothing Fruit can create a hallucinogenic drug that traps a person in endless nightmares until they are frightened to death. It is called Nightmare Wine, also known as Devil's Blood."

"Because those who drink it sleep directly into death, there are rumors that it is Peaceful Sleep Wine, capable of letting one die in one's sleep."

The moment he heard that, Ye Yan's last shred of hope died. Vodka mixed with Soul-Soothing Fruit powder—this was precisely the "euthanasia" potion the original owner had taken.

"The alcohol scent on your body and the Soul-Soothing Fruit residue beneath your fingernails prove it."

Out of interest in the Serial Horse-Belly Corpse Case, Holmes had studied various drugs with hypnotic and hallucinogenic effects, and Nightmare Wine happened to be among them.

Holmes's tone was exceptionally calm.

Yet to Ye Yan, that emotionless statement was like a Sharpness surgical knife, cutting straight through the skin of his disguise and exposing the bloody truth beneath.

For a frustrated boy who had just lost both parents, euthanasia might truly have been what he desired.

Bullying, insults, mockery, pain.

And, of course, betrayal and attempted murder by those closest to him.

The original owner might not have seen through it due to his lack of experience, but Ye Yan, who had inherited his memories, saw everything clearly.

The world-weary remarks made "unintentionally" at the dinner table, the Soul-Soothing Fruit powder "accidentally" left behind in the room—those had all been methods used by the uncle to lure his nephew into suicide, so that after the nephew's death, he could claim his brother's inheritance for himself.

This was a tragedy of family ethics.

But with Philip Dalmans's unexpected death, the case had become complicated again.

Of course.

Even Holmes might not know about these things...

Just as Ye Yan thought this, Holmes's words directly overturned his guess.

"Soul-Soothing Fruit is not something a child could get hold of, so it must have been provided by someone close to you."

"And that person wanted to lure you into suicide."

After saying that, Holmes's brow twitched almost imperceptibly. He raised his eyes slightly, attempting to find traces of hatred on the face of the person before him.

Yet the boy, noticing his gaze, actually avoided eye contact and revealed a faintly guilty expression.

"..."

Holmes fell silent for two or three seconds.

His gaze gradually deepened as he continued, "But then something interesting happened. A second corpse appeared in Apartment 222: Philip Dalmans, who had been missing for three days. And you—"

His voice suddenly lowered.

"The corpse that should have remained lying down came back to life."

Ye Yan desperately wanted to pretend he did not understand.

But the facts perfectly matched what Holmes had said.

Even the original owner, the person involved, might not have seen certain things as clearly as the detective did.

"I..."

Ye Yan's voice was terrifyingly dry.

He wanted to say that he had ultimately become afraid of death, that he had merely drunk vodka and passed out on the bed without mixing in the prepared Soul-Soothing Fruit powder.

But when the words reached his lips, he found them far too forced.

Because if that were true, there would definitely still be Soul-Soothing Fruit powder in the original owner's room.

If the patrol officers had searched it, the lie would have fallen apart on its own.

And Holmes seemed to know Ye Yan was about to argue. He opened the carriage's glove compartment and took out a syringe kit. "I can draw your blood and test it right now to see whether there are still drug residues in your body."

Hm?

Holmes was actually saying he would draw blood and test it on the spot?!

Ye Yan immediately sensed that something was off.

A blood test sounded intimidating.

Unfortunately, the detective probably did not know that there was an unequal gap in information between them.

Had not the detective himself said things like, "A hypothesis without evidence is absolutely wrong"? How could he now rush to a conclusion without even having collected evidence through a blood test?

Thinking carefully, Holmes had never explicitly stated from beginning to end that Ye Yan had truly taken drugs to commit suicide.

Instead, he had used all sorts of metaphors and implications.

Something about a corpse that should have remained lying down sitting before him again, something about someone luring him into suicide.

He had even said at the very beginning that there was some unknown Secrecy involved.

Following that line of thought, Doctor Watson's attitude was also very strange.

If, as the detective said, the doctor had seen from Ye Yan's examination that the original owner had taken drugs to commit suicide, then he should not have acted that way earlier or said, "It's all right now."

Taking a step back.

If there truly had been a problem, Ye Yan would probably have been locked in a laboratory long ago. How could he still be leisurely chatting with Holmes?

There were traces of drug use on his body, and he had previously shown suicidal tendencies, yet a blood test showed everything was normal. Most importantly, he was still alive for no apparent reason.

That was probably why the detective could not be certain.

All things considered, the detective probably did not have enough evidence, so he was trying to bluff Ye Yan into admitting it himself.

Was his deduction correct?

One test would tell.

"I did not take any drugs, because I suddenly decided I did not want to die."

Ye Yan smiled. "If you do not believe me, you can draw my blood, test it, or even dissect me. But before that, could you let me have a proper meal? I have not eaten for nearly a day."

"Grrr—"

His stomach cooperatively voiced its protest.

Holmes set down his pipe and studied Ye Yan with an indescribable look. His gaze seemed to be looking at an idiot spouting nonsense, yet it also carried a hint of contemplation.

"Your answer surprises me somewhat."

"But let me state this in advance: I never dissect living specimens. Besides, compared with your corpse, I am more interested in the structure of your brain."

He tapped the pipe in his hand.

"Please forgive my rudeness. The things I said just now were, in fact, a deliberate attempt to test you."

As he spoke, Holmes emptied the ashes from his pipe into an ashtray resting on a wooden stand. "Through your microexpressions and body language, I am certain that you are not sad."

"The betrayal of your relatives has not affected you in the slightest."

"Watson, on the other hand, stubbornly insisted that I understand only logic and deduction, not the human heart or compassion. He said that revealing such a cruel truth to a child would only make him break down again."

Holmes raised his chin slightly.

"The facts prove that I have not been confident enough in myself."

For a moment, Ye Yan did not even know how to evaluate Holmes's extraordinary self-confidence.

Still, this Holmes, who could mock, scheme, and even be a little arrogant, felt far more real than the flawless legend in his mind.

It made Ye Yan feel that the detective was actually just like him.

They were both human.

Just like now, when he even dared to give the "smartest brain in the world" the cold shoulder.

In truth, Ye Yan simply did not know what to say.

"..."

"..."

And so, the two of them fell silent.

"Young Master Sherlock, I told you not to frighten the child. Look, now he thinks you are a mad scientist."

An elderly voice from the front of the carriage broke the silence. Only then did Ye Yan realize that aside from himself and Holmes, there was a third person present: the coachman.

No!

His memory was not that poor.

He had clearly glanced at the coachman before getting into the carriage, yet he had somehow forgotten the man's existence the moment he turned away.

Ye Yan's heart jolted, and he secretly made a guess.

That inconspicuous-looking coachman might possess some ability to reduce his own sense of presence. It felt somewhat similar to Doctor Watson's ability.

"Old Jack, this is a necessary means of seeking the truth."

Holmes displeasedly tapped the carriage floor with his cane, then fixed Ye Yan firmly with those lead-gray eyes.

"However, I am certain that my deductions cannot be wrong. If there is any contradiction, then there must be some other Secrecy involved, and sooner or later, I will uncover it."

The moment his words fell.

The scratching sound of a pen moving across paper rang out beside Ye Yan's ear, like a quill writing upon soft parchment. Gray ink left words upon the Diary.

Then, following the earlier contents, words began appearing on the second page.

[Will he help clear me of suspicion? I do not know...

Because I unexpectedly fainted.]

Skipping over the parts he had personally experienced, Ye Yan looked directly at the end of the Diary.

[Mr. Holmes has always been suspicious of me and said that he will definitely uncover the truth hidden within me.

I feel a little depressed. I want to go home.]

The Diary confirmed that Holmes had set his sights on him.

But that was all right. As long as his identity as a transmigrator remained safe, this was good news to him.

[You have successfully written your first complete Diary and obtained the qualification to write one selected book.]

[Lantern Bearer / Homeless One / Exile]

[Please select one as your pen name.]

[Your pen name represents the Transcendental Ladder you will embark upon in the future. Please choose carefully.]