Fraudulent Deduction

Dusk in Old Dunling was far from beautiful. Endless steam formed a hazy dome beneath the gloomy sky, obscuring everything. The sun's afterglow could not pierce those layers of gloom, leaving only a blurred crimson tide, like fiery rain descending upon the world.

The Zeppelin drifted slowly through the clouds like a giant whale, visible from the ground only as a shadow that seemed to have emerged from myth.

Lorenzo sat comfortably in the driver's seat. Ever since he had altered the Steam Tram's route, those suspects had vanished from his sight.

"Detective, we can work together."

Ignoring Eve behind him, Lorenzo spoke into the raging wind.

"Our target is the same group. Catch them, and we'll get those valuable clues. As for what comes after, we can deal with that later. What do you think?"

Eve considered it for a moment. Amid the jolting ride, she lowered her gun. Though they had known each other only briefly, Lorenzo had left an astonishing impression on her in that short time.

She had never met anyone so... composed, as if everything lay within his control. Deep and powerful.

"So, do you agree to the proposal now?"

Lorenzo looked at her with enigmatic eyes, as if some hidden scheme were brewing beneath that gray-blue gaze.

"Lorenzo Holmes."

A name was the first step toward trust.

Eve hesitantly extended her hand, but just as she was about to say her name, Lorenzo withdrew his.

"Eve Vorshal. I know your name."

"How could you?"

Eve immediately became wary again. She began regretting this brief alliance.

"I'm a detective. This sort of thing is simple." Lorenzo's gaze wandered carelessly over her.

"A brand-new uniform, neat attire. You're obviously a rookie who just reported to the police station... You should see what your colleagues usually look like. They're practically drunks. Someone like you stands out completely among them."

Lorenzo appraised her as though she were an object on display.

"Full of drive, overflowing with enthusiasm, fiercely opposed to evil. You're a typical graduate, full of fantasies about the world. You love this line of work and are desperate to make a name for yourself."

Lorenzo shook his head with a troubled look.

"Another child misled by glamorous news reports. This job isn't as simple as you imagine. It's not a world where you shout 'Hands up!' and criminals obediently raise their hands. Cowards turn and run, while the bold ones shoot you before you even finish speaking."

His words were vicious and precise, at least to Eve. Yet she felt somewhat angry too, as if her secrets had been exposed and laid bare beneath the sun.

"You're also from a noble family. I can tell from your necklace."

Lorenzo pointed at Eve's smooth neck. A fingernail-sized ruby hung from a silver necklace. It had been hidden beneath her clothes, but the violent impact had knocked it out.

"This isn't something an ordinary noble can afford to wear... Did you know? The police rookie list usually has markings. They give special treatment to nobles, so those young masters don't accidentally get themselves killed. When you go back, take a look. And that list is easy to get—it's posted on your bulletin board."

Lorenzo smiled. In Eve's eyes, he became incomparably mysterious and powerful.

"How... do you know about the police station?"

Suaran Hall was not somewhere just anyone could casually enter. Eve could not understand it.

"My poor nephew died this morning. I went to file a report. That's allowed, isn't it?" Lorenzo said with a smile.

Whether it was Suaran Hall or City Hall, Lorenzo was never intimidated by the name. As long as one had a proper reason, they were places ordinary people could enter.

"There are only a few marked young nobles, and only one of them is a woman. I guessed that person was you, right?"

"Eve Vorshal."

Eve was utterly stunned by Lorenzo's words. Seeing her frightened expression, Lorenzo was immensely satisfied.

Lorenzo Holmes was merely a second-rate detective skilled at deception. That was how he evaluated himself. There was no such thing as superhuman intelligence in this world. Even if there were, such a person should not be a detective—they should be locked away by those madmen at the Mechanical Institute until they died.

A brain capable of advancing the world's technological tree, used to fight criminals? What a waste.

The most perfect deception had to be mixed with truth. He would not tell Eve that the poor girl's police badge had fallen out during the earlier collision, with all her information at the station recorded on it. Nor would he tell her that, for Shrike's business in the Lower District, Shrike had long since planted informants inside Suaran Hall. Any personnel movements would be reported to that terrifying Butcher Bird at nightfall.

A true result paired with unfathomable reasoning—this was what Lorenzo had always done. Even if the logic was riddled with holes, faced with a true result, people could only believe it. It was like a mathematical formula: as long as the derivation was correct, no matter how absurd the answer seemed, it had to be correct.

"Can you believe I'm a detective now?"

Lorenzo flashed his trademark smile. Everything was in the bag.

"Where are we going now?"

Though they were temporarily on the same side, Eve had not let down her guard.

"To intercept them. Their destination is the Lower District. There are many routes that can get them there quickly, but only one crossing can let them pass through fast."

To govern the chaotic Lower District, Old Dunling's solution had been isolation. Tall buildings and walls divided the two districts, leaving only several broad crossings that were easy to guard.

They could still reach the Lower District without using the crossings. For profit, tunnels had long been dug between the buildings. But those people were on horseback, and if they wanted to pass quickly, they had to use a crossing.

They were not only being pursued by Lorenzo. Suaran Hall's mounted police had likely caught up with them already, and fierce gunfights had broken out along the way.

"How can you be sure we'll catch them?"

Eve did not understand. Lorenzo merely pointed upward, at the route map hanging inside the driver's cabin.

"You should pay more attention to the daily news... For example, the Lower District is being brought into Iron Snake's operating range as well."

Lorenzo's habit was reading newspapers. Every week, he went to City Hall to see whether there were any new ordinances.

He had picked up that habit from a film in one of his dreams. In that film, Earth failed to visit Galactic City Hall in time to check the ordinances, and as a result, it was blown up to make way for a cosmic highway... A story filled with dark humor.

Enough about old dreams. Back to the present.

Several months ago, Old Dunling had decided to extend Iron Snake into the Lower District. Lorenzo guessed that some higher-up intended to make a move against the Lower District, just as they had long ago.

Once the tracks spread through the Lower District and the old armored Iron Snake was put into operation, Old Dunling could purge the filth of the Lower District whenever it wished. Unfortunately, the operation had failed almost as soon as it began.

Tracks had indeed been laid through the Lower District, but not a single Iron Snake dared enter it. Those desperate criminals were more united than anyone had imagined. The project was quickly halted, and the tracks instead became routes for gangs to transport goods. The black-market economy surged, and Shrike had been overjoyed at the time.

"Though it failed, the Lower District's tracks are connected to the Outer District. It's just that no one dares drive there!"

Overlaying the map in his mind with the route map in the driver's cabin, Lorenzo could intercept them outside the Lower District.

Both hands on the control panel, he guided Iron Snake through the city's complex routes. Changing tracks was clearly an impossible task to leave to a switchman, so Iron Snake now relied on Switching Machines to change rails, allowing Lorenzo to alter its route without leaving the cabin.

"Charge!"

Lorenzo shouted joyfully.

The group raced forward. The unforeseen events in this operation had far exceeded their expectations. Just as Lorenzo had said, Suaran Hall's mounted police had caught up with them. Piercing police whistles echoed without end, like a Death Knell before the apocalypse.

Though the situation was dire, the Lower District was right before them. Once they reached it, even Suaran Hall would find things troublesome. Once they got there, this terrible day would be over.

In truth, most of the sky had already darkened. Only the red clouds at the horizon still gave off their final faint glow.

This was Old Dunling's interval—the day was ending, but night had yet to arrive.

A faintly cool wind swept past, and the shriek of steam echoed back and forth.

They were almost there, but then a roar rang out. The entire street began trembling slightly, and then the steel serpent burst through the fog.

"Finally caught you!"

The mist split apart, and the great detective made his dazzling entrance.

Lorenzo stood in the driver's cabin with a Winchester raised, firing without mercy. The mounted police behind him also opened fire. In their eyes, Lorenzo was one of the enemies as well. After the gunfire, several bullet holes appeared in the carriage.

Almost there!

That was what they thought, but then Iron Snake accelerated and appeared behind them.

Gunfire and explosions threw their vision into chaos. Violent impacts and the cries of the crowd filled their ears. Everything rolled amid warm blood.

Iron Snake derailed.

The first thing the gangs had done after the tracks were completed was sever the Lower District's rails from those of the Outer District. The route did lead straight through, but it was broken.

Iron Snake crushed the enemies beneath it as it rolled on and on. In the end, it became nothing more than a huge twisted heap of scrap metal. Long streaks of blood stained the ground, while those not yet dead let out feeble groans.

Eve's head hurt terribly. Her whole body felt as if it were falling apart. She had been thrown out in the final moment, and tears brought on by the pain blurred her vision. Struggling to stand, she saw a black figure beneath the fiery clouds.

Lorenzo held a Shotgun in one hand and his cane in the other. Not far from the wreckage of Iron Snake, his foot was planted on a man who had yet to die.

"Looks like you're the only one left, friend."

The black muzzle hung low. No one knew whether Lorenzo would suddenly pull the trigger.

"I won't say anything."

The man spoke calmly, utterly unconcerned by his approaching death.

"Oh?"

Lorenzo smiled. He was best at dealing with people of such strong will. But just as he was about to say something, the head beneath his foot suddenly exploded... He was dead.

His smile gradually stiffened. Looking ahead, he saw a wounded figure beneath the old buildings staring hard at Lorenzo. The figure tucked the still-smoking muzzle beneath his coat, then turned and left.

It was the man serving as insurance. He had survived to the end.

This time, Lorenzo was truly enraged. But just as he raised a foot to give chase, he stopped. More people emerged from all around him, gripping guns and swords with fierce expressions.

As if he had suddenly realized something, Lorenzo turned around. The prosperous city lay less than a hundred meters away. The mounted police stood in a neat row, their gun barrels raised, like an iron curtain dividing luxury from filth as they coldly watched everything unfold.

Lorenzo had entered the Lower District. Iron Snake had rolled over and crushed the enemies, but its impact had also carried it into the Lower District.

More gang members emerged, spreading out like a sea of people.

There was no way out now. Going back meant arrest by the mounted police. Going forward meant being hacked to death by a storm of blades. Just as Lorenzo was at his wits' end, another gunshot rang out.

Eve gripped her gun with a terrified expression. Before her lay a thug who had been knocked down by a single shot. Noticing Lorenzo's gaze, she hurriedly explained.

"He... he touched me first!"

The situation was somewhat awkward. Before Lorenzo could say anything, the black mass of people surged toward them.