Sherlock Holmes vs. Eight Pole Boxing Grandmaster Li Shuwen, Chapter 3: Causes of Death

Lestrade and I were stunned, looking at Holmes with horror in our eyes.

'No, no, it is impossible, Mr. Holmes,' said the uniformed inspector with a hasty wave of his hand.

That's right, it's impossible. No matter how hard the murderer tried, he could not break such a thick wall with his hands. Even with blades, it is difficult. I said

But Lin Hei'er, who had been silent until then, spoke from behind me.

...... "No," she said. I believe my brother can break this wall with his hand.

Lin Hei'er touched the hole in the wall from the inside and said confidently.

No, no, no! "

Inspector Lestreid stepped forward, waving his hands in the air.

I find it hard to believe. The wall is made of wood and plaster stucco and is four inches ten centimeters thick. How is it possible to punch such a big hole with a fist?

　Inspector Lestrade sighed.

"I don't think so. I've seen my brother break down stone walls before, thicker than this one. ”

Lin Hei'er, red clothes fluttering in the wind, retorted indifferently.

"I don't think she's joking." Holmes put his hand on my shoulder.

He said, "You're about the same size as the victim, Watson. Place your feet in the recesses of the linoleum and sit back with your hands outstretched.

"Hey, what's going on?

I did, but my legs started cramping and I couldn't stand up. My hand could reach the hole, but it was too unstable. The muscles in my legs were very tight.

I can't stick to this posture. I'm not strong enough!

I stepped hard for just a split second, the floor sunken, and taking advantage of the downward momentum, I reached my hand toward the hole in front of me. Lin Hei'er, did your brother break through the wall like this before?

"The weight is a little more even on the left and right, the feet are parallel, and the knees are open outwards."

I can't do it, I can't do it!

I fell to the ground.

"It is this special martial arts posture that can explode with the power of a cannonball after long-term training of the fist"

　Holmes put his hand beside me and lifted me up.

This assumption seems to be correct.

But what is it martial art? What martial art can you do such a crazy thing with? I asked Lin Hei'er.

"..., is a martial art in M Village, C Prefecture, H Province, Qing Dynasty." Li Shuwen is my brother's master.

　Lin Hel said proudly.

"Eight Pole Fist".

　Holmes repeated the word.

'Yes. Originally, it was a niche martial art that few people in the Qing Dynasty knew about. But when I was 15 years old, my brother met Master Li in Tianjin and learned kung fu, which is fast, subtle, simple and practical. Although most of us in the Great Knife Club belong to the Shaolin Kung Fu genre, my brother has a strong attachment to The Eight Pole Quan.

Interestingly, this is a very interesting story. In the East there are also martial arts that we don't know.

　Holmes's eyes widened in delight.

I can't believe it!

Such a thick wall, even the most muscular army soldiers can not break through. My eyebrows wrinkled even deeper, and I wondered if someone with the same physique as me really had such terrifying powers.

But if it is bare-handed, then the hole can be explained. That would also explain these two deaths well, wouldn't it?

Inspector Lestrade:

"The cause of death was poisoning, and so was both. This can be seen from the records of the corpse spots and liquid in the throat."

　He looked at Holmes. He began to speak faster, and perhaps it was Holmes's words that gave him an epiphany.

Put it this way. The two victims were locked outside and almost killed by poison, and Mr. Lin tried to break through the wall and escape, but in the process he was unable to escape due to poisoning and physical exertion.

"So far, the explanation is correct."

　Holmes turned, and he looked at the exhaust fan that led outside.

"Poison is not liquid".

Holmes muttered to himself, in a small voice.

"What do you mean?"

'Well, if it's a quick-acting poison, one person eats it and the other person notices.' If it is chronic, there is no need to lock the door from the outside.

"Lin Hei'er's brother wants to break this wall for only one reason. It was gas poison gas that was sent into the room. Brother Lin Hei'er found that the room was locked, so he punched a hole in the wall to prevent suffocation. ”

"Gas? .....”.

Lestrade snorted, and Holmes looked in the same direction.

Holmes: I've seen reports of throat sores, skin pain, spots on the body, and most conclusively, autopsies showed that both men had concomitant pulmonary edema. I've heard that the coroner has made some strange reports that the Qing people have a high incidence of heart disease, but it's best to ask someone who is more experienced. This is definitely inhaling toxic gases and dying. May be chlorine.

'How do you know what kind it is?'

Inspector Lestreid was surprised.

"The other day, I was involved in a murder involving a toxic substance that could not be identified by modern chemistry, and a toxic substance that modern science could not identify, so I was studying different types of poison gas for future use. Do you remember, Watson? ”

'Oh, you mean those horrible smell experiments you keep repeating?'　Since the events in Cornwall, I've known you have a penchant for gas crimes.

"I'm sure there will be more of that happening. This is a cruel case. Not only did they kill the wrong person, they also used poison gas. They want to test the effectiveness of their weapons. They must have blown it in from the outside through that fan. ”

Holmes explained in a low voice, then lit his pipe and let out a puff of smoke slowly.

"But there's only one thing I don't know, I don't understand.

Compared to the previous room, this room is obviously too large and not sealed. There is no way to release gas in such a large room in such a short period of time. It is possible to transport liquefied chlorine in metal containers, but with modern technology, it is difficult to transport and spray on site. On the other hand, if we want to produce here and spray immediately, we will need a very large generator. If you use a car engine or something similar, it is easy to attract the attention of others at night.

I wonder where they got these wires from? London's electricity comes from a large AC power station recently built inFord. This is the communication technology invented by the much-talked about Nikola Tesla. Its transmission range is much wider than that of the Edison power station.

These topics are written in the newspaper every day

'Calm down, Watson. London's power lines run underground. I don't think so

Digging three feet into an unfamiliar place, plugging in wires, and having an accident without being spotted. We don't have the data yet. It is wrong to conduct theoretical research without data. Let's look around and see if we're missing anything. "

Holmes packed up his things and took us out. He borrowed a ladder from the hotel and shined a magnifying glass on the window frame he thought had poured gas. He seemed to think for a moment, but quickly shook his head.

"There's also clay to hold pipes in place, it's thick," he said. It may be used for fast gas delivery.

Holmes climbed down the ladder, holding a magnifying glass in his hand, and found evidence of hoses inserted along the wall, one after the other, to determine where the equipment was installed. The ground is sparsely covered with weeds and has traces of being fixed by stone nails.

Maybe it was a windy day?　It was the wind that spread out the gas.

I looked at the roof.

Holmes said: "I investigated the weather on the day of the incident, and it has been cloudy and mild and cloudy since a few days before the incident. There is no bad weather on the day of the meeting, and as a foreigner, it is impossible to predict the weather every day. And then this one. Check this out.

Holmes picked up something from the ground.

"It's a copper wire."

　Lestrade said.

Lester, you can see Holmes's fingertips trembling with excitement. He turned, clasped his hands behind his back, and began to explain the situation.

They're using electricity, that's for sure. The size of the gas device was as big as I guessed, as I suspected. However, it is impossible for the equipment installed here to produce and deliver gas in a short period of time. The terrain of the area also makes it difficult to run electricity from other places.

"Well,......, I get it. However, the criminals we want to catch have fled to the Qing Dynasty, and I have not been unable to catch the criminals."

I looked apologetically at Lin Haer, her face was gloomy. Staring at Holmes, he didn't seem to hear what I was saying.

Then Holmes said in a solemn manner.

I've come up with some theories that we're going to get out of here. Now, have you decided, Mr. Watson?

Well?　I looked at him strangely, and he looked at me equally strangely.

Are you saying you're going to the Qing Empire to find out what Fritz Hubble did?"

"Are you sure?"

Do you know how much a journey alone costs? More importantly, think about the round-trip time! "

　I stood up in surprise and put my finger to Holmes. I thought it would be resolved in London.

Lin Hei'er hurriedly interjected.

Now we know who this man is, and we know the cause of death. Mr. Holmes. Please help me track fritz-hubble. I've been told you're the best detective in the world. Who is better suited to ask than you? I assure you that the Qing Congress will pay for your services and expenses. There is a deposit of £200 here. If you avenge my brother and save my country from danger, I will pay you another sum of the same amount.

After a while, Lin Hei'er pulled out a freshly cashed sterling note from a green linen woven bag.

Of course I intend to do that.

Holmes replied, scraping the inner wall of his pipe.

'Are you serious?'

"Are you trying to say you're too busy to do it?"　But I see you've been living pretty leisurely lately."

Holmes stared at me.

We haven't been to the Qing Dynasty and don't know the language there, right?

I tried to persuade him, but to no avail. I knew I couldn't reverse that decision. All that was left was for me to follow him.

Holmes smiled, then said out loud: "We have brains and bodies." Think about how to take advantage of them.

　Holmes teased.

Lin Hei'er excitedly put his hand on his chest and slowly gasped for breath in excitement.

"Well," said Holmes. Let's be ready.

He rearranged his hat and put it tight.