It was August 30, 1855. This is the gravel asphalt road on Hosferre Street, and the crisscrossing telegram lines were filled with pigeons. On the ground covered with white pigeon dung, a small and exquisite carriage was parked. The image records from the Herkup camera in the Criminal Anthropometry Division. A noble woman in her thirties stood in front of the carriage with a sad face, and behind her was a middle-aged man in casual clothes with a cold face.

The noble woman was watching a young man of oriental descent, wearing a black and gray striped shirt and thin black pants, a slightly wide belt with metal lion hooks and a plaid deer hunting hat, while talking, staring at the camera. He was stretching out a gray umbrella, and behind him, the shorter oriental woman was holding a black wooden stick with silver jewelry on the end of the stick. The woman had a sharp look in her eyes, wearing a man's clothing, a silver badge on her white silk shirt, and the legs of the suit pants were rolled up, revealing her slender ankles.

They are Eda Byron, Ebenezer Frazer, Su Jing, and Lu Mengyao.

The Differential Computer Computing Center, officially known as the headquarters building of the Central Bureau of Statistics, is located in the core area of ​​Westminster District where government agencies are concentrated. The pyramid-like appearance is covered with tall chimneys, and there are endless rotating exhaust fans everywhere. The crisscrossing thick telegram lines climb and spread on the limestone shell like blood vessels. The wires extend along the pipes and cantilevers, and are diverted out through hundreds of wire poles.

"Someone is monitoring us." Standing at the main entrance of the headquarters of the Bureau of Statistics, Su Jing said, staring at the roof of the building opposite.

"What did you say? Oh, I know. It's them." The British Prime Minister's daughter waved her hand in dismay, "We can't get rid of them no matter where we go. Just learn to ignore them... Wait. What did you say just now? Can you feel them?"

Su Jing held up the umbrella to block a piece of fallen bird droppings for Lu Mengyao.

"My feeling is more keen." Su Jing said calmly.

"Those are British police departments or similar structural organizations. They may think they have the responsibility to supervise anything here. They think they are responsible for the country, but the real master..." Byron shivered slightly, as if he felt a little cold. Two flushings appeared on her pale cheeks, and Su Jing could smell the slight smell of alcohol in her mouth.

"So, the Royal Foundation of Goethe needs to use my power and talents. It's really interesting. They actually think of me." Ada Byron is different from ordinary noble women. She is a rebellious person in every way. Not only is she a talented female scientist, but there are often rumors about her among the lower class people. For example, her unpredictable history and her bad deeds in gambling places. Some people say she is looking for a "gold model", a calculation program that can calculate the winning rate of the dealer in gambling. For this, she keeps appearing in the casino and even squandering all her private property.

It is precisely because of this situation that she was unable to refuse the high salary offered by Ludwig Goethe and promised to pay her high debt. The Prime Minister's daughter needs more dignity and pomp, even if she hates these so-called dignity.

"I have a good friendship with Mr. Goethe and Mr. Meng Shenji, so I promise to work for the Foundation. In particular, the two of you solved several algorithmic problems for me, so that we can improve existing computers within a few months and improve work efficiency dozens of times. Where did you come from? Mr. Goethe claims that they are a global scientist organization. However, I have never heard of your existence before."

"There are many secrets in this world, Miss Byron." Su Jing tried to vaguely pass.

"I know you have your secrets, but you spent several hours solving the problems that the elites of the Royal Society have studied for more than ten years. And we... are already the most cutting-edge learning in this world." Byron shook his head in disbelief and coughed twice.

"This world is very big." Su Jing looked at the roof opposite again. The feeling of spying just now has disappeared.

"Maybe I shouldn't ask too much." The female scientist covered her nose with a handkerchief in depression. The stench of London City had already reached its limit under the evaporation of heat, and even the center of the government office could smell the stench. "Even if you are the devil from hell, the current situation does not allow us to miss the opportunity. The person you are looking for, that is, the thing on this 'sp-001', I have found some clues. I will leave the next one to you."

Su Jing took the report from her hand. There were purple marks left by aniline ink on Byron's fingertips, which was a common problem for differential machine operators. He noticed that the proud daughter's face was a little old and haggard. She was only thirty years old in her physiological age, but she looked even more decayed than women of the same age. The long-term high-intensity work, thinking, and dependence on drugs and alcohol seemed to drag down her body, making her look a little weak.

"See you next time." Su Jing bent down to greet her, "The foundation will have more and more work affairs, and you will also play a more important role."

"Ha, I knew this offer was not kind." The Prime Minister's daughter boarded the carriage, and the expressionless bodyguard sat in front and asked the coachman to drive the carriage away.

Su Jing held an umbrella with one hand and flipped through the documents with the other hand. It took about five minutes to finish reading. He handed the documents to Lu Mengyao, who seemed to be idle, and then held her hand to find a hotel to live in.

The hotels of this era did not have any good environment, but there were many empty spaces. After inquiring, I realized that the pollution in London these days was too serious. Most wealthy and status fled the city and went to the suburbs to take shelter. The people who stayed in the city were not that rich and could only continue to stay in the city to make a living. At this time, the medical knowledge was still very backward, and Su Jing couldn't stand it. He directly used the money to send the waiter to buy some white vinegar and cooked it in the corridor.

In order to cool down, there was ice in the room. Lu Mengyao sat next to the ice bucket, and the document was placed on her knees. The magician who had read it was meditating, not the kind of thinking that could quickly get the answer. Her expression now looked very strange, not like solving a problem, but like she was doing multiple-choice questions in a dilemma, hesitating and hesitating.

"What's wrong?"

Su Jing unbuttoned her two buttons, sat on the edge of the bed, and began to massage her legs. The soles of her feet under her high heels were delicate and white. Su Jing carefully trimmed her nails, while Lu Mengyao leaned up and leaned on the back of the chair.

"Jing."

"Um?"

"If I cheat you once, will you be angry?"

"It's divided into several situations."

“A serious situation.”

“Give an example.”

“…”

"Okay. If I were you, if I wanted to cheat someone, I would never say to him in advance, 'Ah, I'm going to cheat you'. Killing people is an art. You need to show no slightest expression before biting him, and even pretend to know nothing after biting him, making him think that you have always stood on the same front with him, trusting you from beginning to end, thinking that everything is just an accidental result."

Lu Mengyao closed her eyes without comment, and after Su Jing finished massage of both feet, she whispered: "The neck and shoulders are a little uncomfortable, please press it."

"Okay, come soon." Su Jing washed his hands and wiped her feet clean with a towel. Then he turned to her back, and some oil oozed out from her slender and powerful fingers. He unbuttoned two of her buckles. He took off the collar to reveal the elegant bone lines. Lu Mengyao's skin was as soft as high-end silk. It stretched on the bones without looseness or tightness. Su Jing's fingers touched the delicate skin. In an instant, the lines and outlines of the bones and muscles were drawn in his heart.

"The bird face, there are twelve cases of witnesses in this city, all concentrated along the Thames River, and unfortunately, it is the most polluted place. Usually witnesses think it is a display of some kind of weird drag lover, but every time the body is found near it. The police currently suspect that it is the murderer of some kind of serial murder case, but after further investigation, they believe that these murder cases are small cases, such as fire among gangs, or simple robbery, or vendetta. Most of the murderers in the case were caught, but why did this thing appear near the crime scene?"

"It sounds like an urban legend." Su Jing commented while rubbing her shoulders and neck.

"Or it's like a creature attracted by death. For example, a crow." Lu Mengyao sneered.

"Ah, I'm very familiar with this kind of bird." Su Jing said happily, "I've played similar roles before."

"It is said that it is an ‘observer’. Maybe it likes to observe various special actions of human beings, such as murders between the same species. Maybe this behavior is a very fresh move for it, maybe it can get fun from it... it's hard to say. If we deliberately kill a few people, do you think it will appear near the scene?"

"It seems not good to take the initiative to kill people... it is impossible to judge whether this behavior can make it disgusted with us." Su Jing rejected this idea.

"Well. The only other way is to follow the river bank and slowly search for its traces. We are like playing a detective game to see if we can find the footprints of birds." The magician's somewhat stiff body suddenly relaxed. She raised her head and looked at Su Jing, "Carry me to the bed."

"Understood."

When taking off his clothes, Lu Mengyao commented thoughtfully: "Any matter is left to experts in this field. This is common sense for leadership."

"Um?"

"You are in bed, and you are also an expert." She smiled frivolously, "Come and bring me happiness."

Su Jing hugged her in his arms and kissed her softly: "You have learned well, and you have always been like this."

The fact that matter determines the spirit is indeed true. Lu Mengyao, who was relieved in her body, recovered her former motivation. She quickly and with her outstanding action, she led Su Jing away from the hotel and arrived at the "notorious" Thames River.

In 1858, the sewage that could not be removed in time in the summer of London and the wastewater from the Thames fermented in surprisingly hot weather, carrying forward the stench that was usually unbearable and enveloped the entire city of London. This incident was historically called "greatstink/forced gstink". In this world, due to the industrial development brought by differential machines, this catastrophic stench came several years ahead of schedule.

The "big stench" in history has caused a catastrophic impact. The Thames River is described as a sewer. This description does not deviate from the facts. Whether it is industrial wastewater, excrement from ordinary sewers and water for residents, they are all excreted into this river. The dirty and messy environment will naturally lead to the spread of plagues and diseases. In fact, before "greatstink", cholera broke out in London in 1840 and 1854 respectively.

The stench of 1858 was finally over by a heavy rainfall. The next year, the London Municipal Government, which finally paid attention to it, began to improve the urban sewage treatment system on a large scale. This project took six years, and the second year after the project began, that is, in 1860, the third cholera broke out.

Even in different world lines, the Thames River in this world can be called hell on earth. Lu Mengyao and Su Jing finally couldn't help but use their abilities to block all the stench and filth, looking at this chaotic area.

The people at the bottom of London who could not leave their territory were undoubtedly the people who suffered the greatest disaster. Su Jing could see that the people on the road were wearing some simple homemade protective props, and floating dead bodies seemed to be seen on the river bank. It was just that it was difficult to see whether it was an animal or a human. Su Jing endured the discomfort and approached a little, and found that there were all kinds of filthy things floating in the river water that could not be seen. Dead fish and dead mice could be seen everywhere, and there were even real human corpses.

"I don't know if it was fumigated or beaten to death, and then left here." Su Jing smiled wryly, "I'm afraid even the police don't want to catch this body."

The stench spread to the decline of government control. As the two walked along the slums on the river bank, they found that the order here was almost completely in chaos. People on the road were openly carrying weapons, some simple standard guns, and a large number of knives. You could see gangs and groups of thugs walking on the streets. The anarchist atmosphere spread on the streets. Su Jing believed that some thugs seemed to be sailors, some were retired soldiers, and more were blind gangs.

Under the chaotic order, this three-regional area seems to be trapped in pathological violence. (To be continued...)

ps: An elder I know recently was diagnosed with severe illness, and I am afraid I haven't had much time to go.

I sigh again, life is impermanent.
Chapter completed!