Chapter 197: Savage Pub
“He is still not awake?” After re-entering the lounge, Chen Xiaolian turned to look at Dr Mu who was still lying on the sofa.
Lun Tai frowned and said, “I tried calling him up. I even splashed his face with water, but it is not working.”
Chen Xiaolian furrowed his eyebrows and he moved to Dr Mu’s side.
Things were getting stranger and stranger!
Dr Mu was still asleep. He was breathing at a uniform rate and it appeared as though there was no abnormality. Yet, they could not wake him up.
It was day time and the two women they brought with them had woken up.
Polly was emotionally agitated. She was almost strangled to death in the toilet within Colombo’s apartment after all. She felt that her life was in danger and she shouted for a good while.
As for the other woman – she was also the last recorded victim in the historical records.
Mary Jane Kelly.
She was much younger compared to the other victims at only twenty-six years old.
Although they had the same occupation… clearly, she was living a much better life compared to the other older victims.
It was obvious from the highly *** that she was wearing.
After waking up, the woman immediately screamed out loudly. However, Bei Tai shut her up by scaring her with a gun.
Chen Xiaolian was feeling vexed and he was not able to bring himself to go comfort the women.
He told Lun Tai, “Keep an eye on them. Make sure you have them in your sight at all times.”
“Even if they’re going to the toilet?” Lun Tai smiled wryly.
“Even if they are going to the toilet!” Chen Xiaolian nodded seriously.
…
In the day.
The old CRT TV began broadcasting the news.
The street before Dr Colombo’s apartment appeared in the news.
According to the news anchor, the police suspected that this was a terrorist attack. There was suspicion that the said terrorist had used some form of bomb in the attack.
Presently however, no organization had stepped forth to claim responsibility for this incident.
The whole street was engulfed in confusion.
It was not long before the police seemingly found some clues. The investigators at the scene found Colombo’s apartment.
The forensic doctor was considered either missing or kidnapped…
Or…
“Am I going to be labelled as a terrorist?” Worry was etched on Colombo’s face.
Researching Jack the Ripper’s case was merely his hobby. Nobody would want their future career to be ruined due to a hobby.
“Can I leave?” Colombo pitifully asked.
The request was utterly rejected.
At a time like this, neither Chen Xiaolian nor Phoenix would allow Colombo to leave – doing so would bring the police to them.
The forensic doctor expressed his dissatisfaction. However, he did not have any strength to resist.
“We will compensate you for all the damages you have incurred.”
The approach Phoenix used to comfort Colombo was to simply produce a box of money.
“Additionally, we can guarantee that after this matter ends, there will not be any trouble on your end,” Chen Xiaolian assured Colombo.
He deduced that if everything were to go according to the rules of the instance dungeon… then, once this London instance dungeon ended, the system would refresh everything – just like what happened to Tokyo.
During the day, Chen Xiaolian had asked Bei Tai to do something.
Bei Tai then left the warehouse for a few hours before returning.
He brought something from the outside and gave it to Chen Xiaolian.
In the evening, Chen Xiaolian retrieved some food from his Storage Watch and distributed them for everyone.
After that, Phoenix came over.
“Let’s go.”
“En.” Chen Xiaolian nodded his head. He stuffed the bread he was holding into his mouth and stood up.
They had discussed things through in the afternoon. The first thing they would do at night was to go to the Savage Pub to find the final victim that they had yet to find.
Considering how Jack the Ripper had only committed his crimes in the night, there was the possibility that the woman was still alive.
Catherine Eddowes, nicknamed Kate.
This was the last victim that they had yet to find. According to Polly, she might appear at a place known as the Savage Pub.
During the day, the murder of Black Annie was reported. In the news report, the police reported that the time of death of the deceased was between morning and dawn. In other words, it should be at around five in the morning.
It was probably not long after Chen Xiaolian and the others left the park.
Black Annie had probably failed to find business. Then, on the way back, she was dragged into the shrub fence and killed.
The result of the discussion between Chen Xiaolian and Phoenix was: Chen Xiaolian and Phoenix would head out to the Savage Bar and look for Catherine Eddowes. As for the others, they would stay behind to ensure the safety of the guide character, Dr Mu and also protect the other two surviving victims.
“Even if we fail to find Catherine Eddowes, with two surviving victims here, there is a chance that we could bait out Jack the Ripper.”
Phoenix did not reject this strategy from Chen Xiaolian.
Before leaving, Chen Xiaolian patted on Lun Tai’s shoulders and whispered in his ear.
“Be careful of the fellow known as Dagger… and also…” Chen Xiaolian hesitated for a moment before continuing, “Also be careful of Dr Mu.”
Lun Tai glanced at Chen Xiaolian and nodded his head.
…
“The one in the subway station should be the first victim. The second victim should be Polly. However, she is under our protection, so Jack the Ripper skipped over Polly and killed the third victim, Black Annie.
“As for the one we are looking for, Catherine Eddowes, she is the fourth victim in the historical records… according to the sequence of murder, after killing Black Annie, he would be going after Catherine Eddowes.”
While they were in the car, Chen Xiaolian drove while talking to Phoenix.
“If we are to put it that way… do you think that the one attacking the apartment during the day was not Jack the Ripper? It was the vengeful spirit?” Phoenix asked.
“Is there a problem?” Chen Xiaolian asked.
“There is a big problem there.” Phoenix turned to look at Chen Xiaolian. “If that is what you think… then, you have been secretly suspecting Dr Mu. If Jack the Ripper was the one to attack the apartment, then his first target should be Polly. If it was the vengeful spirit, then… the first target would be Dr Mu.
“If the first target is Dr Mu… this thought process of yours meant that you have been suspecting him.”
Chen Xiaolian did not say anything. He merely held on tightly onto the steering wheel.
…
The Savage Pub was located not far away from the Whitechapel area. In the streets of London where there were various pubs of varying sizes, there was nothing special about the Savage Pub.
Additionally, as the only pub located in the east side of London, this was clearly a place for low-end clientele. The furnishing were rather dilapidated and the size of the door was not that big either.
Walking inside, they found that the space was not small. However, the air was filled with the scent of tobacco, alcohol and cheap perfume.
A TV was fixed onto the wall, showing that a football game was under way. Chen Xiaolian did not pay any attention as to which teams were currently competing.
There were a considerable number of people inside the pub – perhaps it was due to the economic depression, leading to a high number of people turning to alcohol to relieve their worries.
Standing behind the bar was a man with thick figure and tattooed arms. He sported a beard and he was wiping a beer cup with a cloth.
“Good evening,” Chen Xiaolian said as he stood before the bar.
Chen Xiaolian and Phoenix’s faces and their clean clothing made them appear somewhat out of place within this slightly dirty establishment.
The man behind the bar looked at the two of them with a suspicious gaze. He asked, “What do you two need?”
“Beer.” Chen Xiaolian pulled out a bill and placed it on the table. He turned to Phoenix and asked, “You?”
“Good girls do not drink,” Phoenix replied with a faint smile. “The rooftop moment is over.”
“Then give her a glass of water.” Chen Xiaolian shrugged his shoulders.
Beer and water were soon placed on the surface of the bar.
“You people are students? Foreign tourists?” Seeing how they were ordering, the man behind the bar showed a slightly more amiable attitude: “I am the owner here. If you need anything, just tell me.”
“We are looking for a person,” said Chen Xiaolian. He quietly placed a bill on the surface of the bar.
The owner hesitated momentarily. He stared at Chen Xiaolian’s fair face and turned to look at Phoenix – he probably thought they were not police, considering their age, and eased up his sense of vigilance.
He picked up the bill and grinned, revealing his teeth that had turned yellow from cigarettes. “I am very familiar with this place.”
“Catherine Eddowes,” Chen Xiaolian quickly said in a low tone of voice. “She has a nickname, Kate. I think you should probably know her.”
The owner froze for a moment. He looked at Chen Xiaolian’s young looking face and smiled. He said, “Kate? Of course I know her… however, why are you asking about her?”
It appeared that he had misunderstood something. He then leaned forward and moved his mouth close to Chen Xiaolian’s ears. He whispered, “If you are looking for a woman… I might be able to introduce an even better one for you. Kate… for someone like you, she is probably a little too old. If you see her, you might not like her.”
Pausing, the owner pointed at a blonde woman sitting in a corner. He said, “What do you think about her? She is much younger than Kate. Additionally… hehe, you understand.”
Chen Xiaolian did not say anything.
“Merely fifty pounds,” the owner continued whispering.
“In addition to opening this pub, you also work as a part-time pimp?” Chen Xiaolian smiled.
The owner did not appear to mind and he coolly replied, “Both men and women need to eat. How about it? Are you interested? This woman and Kate are both under me.”
“Thanks … but I still want to look for Kate. Can you find her?”
The owner froze up for a moment, then he clutched his head and muttered, “The Hell … … how could such a young kid end up liking that old Kate?”
However, for the sake of the money, the owner informed him, “She usually comes over at around eight o’clock. She will drink about two cups in here and look around to see if she can find any sleepy customers. If she can find, they’ll go back… you understand, don’t you? If she can’t find any… she will probably go to the street in front to look for business.”
Chen Xiaolian looked at the time. It was almost eight o’clock.
At that moment, the door of the pub was suddenly opened and a woman stepped inside.
“Dawson, you old scoundrel! Hurry up and give me a cup! Make sure it’s strong!”
Dawson. Raw: ‘道森’, pinyin: ‘dào sēn’.