Dead Men Tell No Tales.

–English Proverb

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“Those parasitized by Frankenstein’s Black Worm are drained of all their internal energy from the dantian, and then their brains are offered as food. From that point on, they can’t even be called a Living Dead. They transform into a monster devoid of any human emotion.”

Now I think I understand.

The strange scent mingled with the fragrance of lilies at yesterday’s murder scene must have been the preservative used to create the Living Dead man.

“In that case, the ‘corpse poison’ you mentioned?”

“The process of making this one’s corpse poison is unique. It completes by processing the deep hatred the host harbored in life, that is, the neurotransmitters created by the brain. It’s commonly referred to as Heart Poison.”

Yan’s gaze was hollow, and his voice was cold. Was he recalling the time when he cooperated with the Tang Clan’s human experiments for the declining Yan Clan?

“The creature occupying the body will avenge its host, but after that, it will start spreading death to all living things around it.”

Undoubtedly, the most malicious man-made poisonous Worm of all.

The experimental subject from the prestigious Chenzhou Yan Clan family, known for their Dead Men techniques, defined the creature occupying Hope’s skull in such a way.

“Anyway, to heal wounds at such a speed, a large amount of energy is needed. I wonder where it sourced such power.”

Hearing Yan’s words, Watson shivered as if recalling something.

“I see. The corpse was found at the Physic Garden…”

“Yes. It’s probably as you think.”

It wasn’t just the severed head where the bugs were hiding.

The same creatures must be lurking in each part of the severed body.

“They must have spent an enormous amount of energy reattaching the shattered corpse. That would have made them very hungry.”

The ravenous bugs must have headed to the Physic Garden after reattaching the body that had been struck by the Lily Sword Technique, just as they had combined the recently split head.

Their instincts whispered that following the powerful energy of elixirs would lead to a satisfying feast.

The formation meant to beguile living humans wouldn’t have been able to stop their intrusion.

-Bang! Bang! Bang!!

As soon as the words were spoken, someone knocked vigorously on the front door.

“Is anyone there!! I’m here to see Mr. Holmes!”

When Yan opened the door, the policeman we saw at lunch walked in and handed me a thick bundle of documents.

“This is the list of elixirs you asked to be investigated and recorded.”

I accepted it and turned the pages one by one.

I had clearly asked to list only the missing elixirs, but somehow, the number of elixirs recorded seemed to be in the hundreds.

Were they planning to falsely report the loss to illegitimately claim insurance money?

“It seems there is some mistake, I asked you to list only the missing elixirs.”

“Yes. This list definitely contains only the types and numbers of the missing elixirs, as you instructed.”

As soon as I heard the officer’s reply, a chill ran down my spine.

Most of my deductions were correct, but the Worm’s appetite was far beyond my imagination.

“Watson! Check Hope’s oral mucosa immediately! There might be traces of elixir consumption!”

“There’s nothing. Just a piece of root stuck between the teeth.”

“What about traces that flowed through the esophagus?”

“None at all. The elixir’s components didn’t even touch the esophageal mucosa. They all remained in the oral cavity and disappeared.”

“My goodness.”

Assuming he absorbed only a third of the elixir’s energy he consumed, the total amount of his power would roughly be on par with a Transcendent realmed master…or even beyond.

When night falls and the Worm awakens from its slumber, one couldn’t imagine what disaster might unfold.

Of course, measures had been set in place for any contingency.

“I recall asking Inspector Lestrade for another favor.”

The officer nodded.

“Arrangements have already been made.”

Immediately, a loud bell began to ring in the distance.

It was a signal to inform the common folk of an emergency.

“We have blocked all roads between the London Metropolitan Police morgue and Baker, and evacuated the citizens.”

“Well done. Don’t forget to bring ‘that man’ later.”

“I will remember.”

The day the creature succeeds in avenging Hope, all of London will be engulfed in malice.

I had already deduced how the parasite manages to find the nemesis designated by the host.

Somehow, we must incapacitate the Dead Man before it kills Stangerson.

“What on earth are you planning to do by blocking the roads?”

Meanwhile, Watson was looking back and forth between me and the officer, as if she didn’t understand.

“It’s nothing.”

I took the ring that had fallen from Drebber’s body and showed it to her.

“A guest is expected to come looking for this tonight.”

I was prepared, but it seems that calming the vengeful spirit wandering the underworld will ultimately be my role.

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After securing a carriage from the police, we returned straight to the cozy boarding house at 221B Baker Street.

Just as I had before the regression, I also had the tools and chemicals needed for chemical experiments set up in the living room of this world.

Previously, I mainly used them to make poisons or other substances needed for investigations, but the items here were mainly used for extracting essences of elixirs.

“I need to finish quickly so the smell doesn’t linger. Mrs. Hudson might get angry.”

“What are you planning, Holmes?”

“Just wait. I’m trying to recall the recipe.”

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but please, I beg you, hurry up. Didn’t you say earlier that the dreadful Dead Man might target either us or Stangerson?”

“Yes, it will come looking for us soon.”

As I turned my head, I saw Watson hurriedly packing valuables into her bag.

“What are you doing now, Watson?”

“Can’t you see? I’m packing. According to what you said, we can’t afford to be leisurely, can we? If we want to evacuate to a safe place, we must hurry.”

“Don’t panic. Don’t worry. I have a way to handle it.”

“…I’m not sure if I can believe that yet.”

“You said it yourself. I’m a Peak realm master.”

Only then did Watson clap her hands and stand up.

“My goodness. I’ve been so focused on the case that I momentarily forgot how high your martial skills are!”

“Since it’s embarrassing, let’s leave it at that.”

In truth, even if I’ve reached the Peak realm, I can only handle about half of the internal power possessed by the Sherlock Holmes of this world.

It will take a little more time to fully make the learned techniques my own.

However, no matter what, I am confident I can handle at least one Dead Man.

No matter how much they doped themselves with elixirs, it’s just insects moving a corpse.

A mere creature cannot defeat humans, the masters of all creation.

“So, how do you plan to deal with it? Is there anything I can help with?”

“Hmm. Let’s see. Something you can help with…”

The Black Worm is nocturnal.

And there’s still a bit of time left before sunset.

“There’s nothing. Just unpack your bags again and rest.”

“Really?”

“Of course, if you help with the experiment, that would be great.”

“…Experiment?”

“Yes. The experiment.”

I planned to finish preparing to incapacitate the mysterious immortal creature before the sun set.

“Before anything else, fancy a cuppa?”

Borrowing the power of none other than Kung-Fu Science.

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A moment later.

As soon as I emptied the teacup, I immediately started the task.

“Hmm…”

Even while I was taking out the vial containing the potion, Watson couldn’t hide her uneasy expression.

I could understand what she was feeling.

Witnessing things like Worms and Dead Men that are hard to hear about even in rumors must have left her mind bewildered.

The enemy not only possessed an absurd regenerative ability but was also the ultimate Worm insect that moved corpses at will.

Hearing that such a monster would graft corpses to come after us, it would be difficult for her, as a doctor, to accept it in many ways.

“The creature is nocturnal, isn’t it? Then why not go straight to Scotland Yard where the body is kept and deal with it directly now.”

“That’s not the right approach. We must make effective use of the remaining time before it starts its activity.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Eliminating it beforehand is impossible at this point. No matter what we do, it will restore itself as we saw earlier. So, the key is to seal its strangely strong regenerative ability…”

“Do you have any clever trick up your sleeve, Holmes?”

“Of course. There’s always a way.”

I nodded lightly and pointed to the window.

“First, pick the fruit from the plant you see there and bring it to me. Don’t forget to wear gloves. As many as you can.”

“This is…”

Watson let out a small sigh upon seeing the appearance of the plant with tiny red berries clustered like raspberries among the green leaves.

“Isn’t this Arisaema heterophyllum

?”

“You recognized it right away.”

For reference, Arisaema heterophyllum1 is not some kind of mysterious elixir.

“I used it when making Energy-Regulating Wind-Dispelling Powder.”

Watson carefully picked a cluster of berries with her gloved hand and handed it to me.

Arisaema heterophyllum berries are quite toxic but can be processed into ingredients for decoctions.

The Energy-Regulating Wind-Dispelling Powder Watson mentioned is a special remedy used for patients with symptoms like facial paralysis, as it smooths the flow of energy regulation and dispels wind.

“There was a classmate during my university days who recklessly ate this. Couldn’t taste anything for a week.”

“Is that friend still alive?”

“Fortunately, he spat it out in time, so nothing serious happened.”

In the East, it is said that this ingredient is used for the poison given to criminals, but it seemed not all students of the University of London were as smart as Watson.

“If you’re using Arisaema heterophyllum, it won’t be to brew a decoction… Are you thinking of making a poison?”

“If it were that easy to kill, there would be no need for such trouble. What I’m making is bait for the creature.”

“You’re not thinking of taming it, are you?!”

Watson flinched and stepped back.

“Why on earth would I do something so dangerous?”

As I replied to Watson, I took out Hope’s head, and just then, Mrs. Hudson came clattering up to the second floor with a silver tray of refreshments.

“Why don’t you have some tea while you AHH—”

The moment she saw the severed head, her eyes rolled and she fainted.

It was thanks to Watson who supported her in time that she didn’t hit her head on the floor.

“I thought she’d evacuated, but it seems she was still at home. As usual, Mrs. Hudson’s overbearing kindness does have its drawbacks. By the way, it seems that I’ve acquired quite the stand.”

After clearing away the snacks brought by the Mrs. Hudson, I placed the silver tray on the experiment table.

A perfect size for placing a head infested with bugs.

“A combination of a severed head on a silver tray. It’s like St. John the Baptist.”

Ignoring Watson’s remark, I moved my hands.

Carefully placing the head on the tray, I resumed the preparation of the potion.

First, I crushed the fruit of the Arisaema heterophyllum, then finely chopped the elixir I brought earlier—

“Wait, isn’t that Tripterygium wilfordii?!2 Where did you get such a precious item!”

“Where else, didn’t we stop by the Physic Garden earlier?”

“You stole it?!”

“I told you, I’ve never lost my way.”

The Physic Garden’s formation mechanism was much easier to break through than the one my master had confined me with, making it harder to get lost.

Earlier, when I disappeared from Watson’s view ahead of the guard, it was to gather the necessary elixirs, not because I was lost.

When I checked the corpse, I had already decided which elixirs to take, so it was easy to retrieve them.

“So, when you asked for a list of the missing elixirs…”

“Considering common sense, no one would suspect that the person who asked for the list took the elixirs.”

1. ED: *Arisaema heterophyllum*, the dancing crane cobra lily, is a perennial, rhizomatous herb native to temperate East Asia. The rhizome is often used in Chinese traditional medicine as a treatment for coughs, epilepsy, and tetanus ️

2. ED: *Tripterygium wilfordii*, commonly known as thunder god vine, is a perennial commonly grown in southeast China. It has reportedly been used for hundreds of years in traditional Chinese medicine. It is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease, lupus, psoriasis, fever, and other conditions ️