The detective is dead, I did it.

Chapter 63 Judgment Day

In the afternoon, as Li Ang was reading the "Detective Association Bylaws" he had found in Charlotte's study on the sofa, the door was pushed open.

He had assumed it was another visitor to see Charlotte, but it turned out to be an acquaintance.

A single strand of hair sticks up from her long blue hair; she has a cookie in her mouth and a paper bag in her hand, with the sign of a well-known bakery printed on it.

"Hey! Assistant!" Shirley casually placed the paper bag on the coffee table, scattering cookie crumbs all over the floor. "Want some? Freshly baked butter cookies."

Li Ang glanced at the cookie crumbs on the ground, then at Shirley's grinning face.

She didn't seem like a Sequence 6 armed detective at all; she was more like a naive student who had just finished school and was stopping by a classmate's house for a visit.

"Are you looking for Charlotte?"

"Yes. But it's nothing important, I just came by for fun."

Shirley's answer perfectly confirmed Li Ang's suspicions.

"I heard you have a younger sister, where is she?"

Shirley was already sitting on the sofa, her legs crossed, and she took out another cookie from the paper bag and stuffed it into her mouth.

"She's in the garden. You should have seen her when you arrived."

Ketura went to the garden with the maids to water the flowers, and she tried to pull him along, but Leon wasn't interested in that.

"Hmm...really?" Shirley tried hard to recall. "I thought everyone in the garden was a maid, I didn't notice at all."

He still spoke in his usual carefree manner, but Li Ang had gotten somewhat used to it.

Just then, Charlotte, having received the news, came downstairs.

"Shirley, aren't you supposed to be going to Dover with the Fifth Branch next week for a mission? Did you come to say goodbye?"

"Saying goodbye?" Shirley tilted her head, blinking her golden eyes twice. "No! I just came to eat cookies!"

"...Then what are you doing here?"

"I'm supposed to be at trial the day after tomorrow, but my report got returned. They said my writing didn't meet the standards. Little Titi, could you help me revise it?"

After another brief silence, Charlotte spoke up impatiently, "Where's the report?"

"Oh! It's here."

Shirley took a crumpled piece of paper with oil stains from the cookie bag and handed it to Charlotte.

The latter could only accept it with a look of disgust, then turned and walked up the stairs.

"Just wait and see."

"Wouldn't you like a couple of cookies?"

Shirley wanted to give Charlotte two small cookies, but Charlotte only gave her a cold back view, so she had no choice but to put the cookies in Leon's hand instead.

Li Ang took a cookie and tried one; to his surprise, it tasted pretty good.

At this moment, Shirley was leaning back on the sofa, with the paper bag on her stomach, looking up at the ceiling.

"Little Titi is a good person in every way, except that she doesn't like to express her feelings."

Li Ang remained silent, leaning back on the sofa as he listened to Shirley rambling on about what happened when she went to other cities on her last mission.

After a while, Ktura returned and greeted Shirley in the living room.

After a warm handshake, she also received two sweet little cookies.

Charlotte, having finished revising the report, went downstairs and handed it to Sherry.

"Oh! Thank you! You've been a great help."

Sherry wanted to give Charlotte a warm hug, but Charlotte subtly avoided it.

"The best way to repay me is if you don't come again."

Despite Charlotte's mockery, Shirley showed no embarrassment. She simply brushed the crumbs off her clothes, stuffed the last cookie from the paper bag into her mouth, and mumbled, "I'm leaving. See you the day after tomorrow."

"The day after tomorrow?" Li Ang asked, puzzled.

"Judgment Day! I'll be there for Helena's case too." Shirley walked to the door, glanced back at him, and said, "You haven't forgotten, have you?"

Li Ang had almost forgotten.

These past two days have been so peaceful that he feels those things are already over.

"I haven't forgotten," he said without changing his expression.

Shirley waved to him and Charlotte, then pushed open the door and went out.

the day after tomorrow.

It was drizzling in London on Judgment Day.

The gray clouds hung low, and rain streamed down the windowpanes, making the flowers in the garden wilt.

Li Ang was already prepared and stood at the door. Ketula held an umbrella and waved to him.

"Brother, come back soon."

"Don't worry. We'll be back before noon."

Charlotte came down the stairs and answered in place of Leon.

Her long white hair was tied into a low ponytail, revealing a section of her fair nape.

She wore a dark gray trench coat over her clothes, a light blue plaid skirt, and her ever-present white stockings.

The carriage was already waiting at the door.

After the two got into the carriage, it drove along the street. Li Ang sat in the carriage and looked out the window at the pedestrians who were hurrying by with umbrellas.

Charlotte sat opposite him with a black leather bag on her lap. The bag contained case-related documents that she would need to hand over to the presiding judge at the trial.

"Are you nervous?" she suddenly asked.

"I'm not nervous," Li Ang said. "It's not like I'm being judged."

"There will be a lot of detectives arriving later! Don't be scared out of your wits."

Li Ang shrugged, showing absolutely no sign of nervousness.

The carriage traveled through the streets of London and finally stopped in front of a grey and white building.

The building is not tall, only three stories high, with six Roman columns on the front and a set of steps leading from the entrance to the sidewalk.

Four guards in dark uniforms stood at the entrance, short sticks hanging from their waists, watching each approaching carriage warily.

Charlotte got out of the car, and Leon followed behind her. The two walked up the steps, and the guard at the door recognized Charlotte, bowed slightly, and stepped aside.

"Holmes, the judge's office is on the second floor."

The hall was quiet. Oil portraits of past presidents hung on the walls on both sides of the corridor, from the first to the current president. Li Ang's gaze lingered on the last portrait.

He had silver-gray hair, gray-blue eyes, and a very handsome face, but there was no smile on his lips, giving him an air of sharp arrogance.

Irene Adler, the current president of the Detective Association. The being who wants to see her.

The two went up to the second floor and entered a spacious courtroom.

The room was rectangular with a high ceiling and a huge crystal chandelier hanging from it, but it was not lit at the moment. Light poured in from the high windows on both sides, illuminating everything in the room very brightly.

The judge's bench was located high up, with a long table and several chairs behind it.

The left side below is the public gallery, and the right side is the defendant's seat and the witness stand.

A few people were already seated in the gallery.

Shirley sat in the front row, her short blue hair standing out in the crowd.