Operation Red Book

A mirror is a wonderful little thing, isn't it? I mean...

Look at it, a small and thin piece, which has undergone thousands of years of historical changes, from a tiny particle in the crevice of a mountain to a smooth and shiny surface bordered by gold and diamonds.

Who knows what this mirror has been through? In fact, who has ever thought about it?

The small mirror only utilizes some optical principles. But just as truth is born from fallacies, physics comes from the masses and serves life.

Everyone has a mirror in their home. If not, then there must be a clear and gentle stream in front of or behind the house.

The habit of looking in the mirror must be an innate instinct of human beings, but I can't explain clearly where these instincts come from.

Maybe it's narcissistic nature, or maybe it's the neural reflex of the eyeballs... In short, it's related to the brain, that's for sure.

Not only that, the human brain also likes to imagine and impose some logic and ideas on objects that do not move at all - typical idealism, the object of criticism of materialism.

Ivy has heard all these bizarre things about mirrors since she was a child, such as the legend of Bloody Mary, the magic mirror in Snow White, and the Chinese "magic mirror"...

Ivy admits that these stories are very interesting, but this cannot conceal the fact that they are fictional and fabricated.

"The mirror cannot be placed facing the bed. Mirrors are cold and gloomy. Although they can ward off evil spirits and exorcise demons, the power of the 'gods' is something that ordinary people like us cannot resist at all."

Once upon a time, Mr. Zhu reminded Ivy, and his words were earnest, with a brow so tight that it could pinch a fly to death.

"When you sleep, which is when you are at your weakest, the mirror will absorb your energy. Over time, you will become exhausted, anxious, and restless..."

"Hey! I say, you've been like this lately..."

"Bullshit, all of them!"

Ivy was so angry that she threw her chopsticks. She cursed without any restraint and left the table angrily.

"See, I was right!" Mr. Zhu laughed instead of getting angry, "Go home and move those mirrors at the head of the bed!"

"Also! It's best not to shine the light on the windows and doors..."

"Please help me move the mirror on the bedside so that it doesn't reflect the bed, window or door..."

Joshua followed Ivy's instructions and fiddled with the floor-to-ceiling mirror in the ward.

He rotated the mirror four different times, but it seemed to reflect a corner of the bed in every direction.

Joshua had no choice but to take off a bed sheet and cover the mirror from head to toe.

"Is this okay?"

Joshua straightened the hem of the bed sheet and turned to ask.

"Um……"

Ivy narrowed her eyes, looked left and right, hissed for a few seconds and clicked her tongue a few times, and finally uttered a sentence after a long while: "It looks like a ghost..."

"what?"

Joshua stood further away and took another closer look.

The gentle breeze outside the window slowly blew up the off-white bed sheets. It would have been fine if I hadn't said anything, but once I did, it really looked like that...

"Forget it!"

Ivy stopped Joshua who was about to remove the curtains, with an impatient tone.

"It's probably just the mirror in my bedroom that's problematic... Sorry, I'm being overly sensitive."

Joshua shook his head. He walked over to sit next to Ivy and considerately tucked the quilt for her.

"So, it's that mirror in your bedroom that's cursed?" Joshua asked.

"Yes, it's the mirror, the mirror is everywhere!"

"From the bedroom to the Chinese wharf to Johns newspaper office to the McMillan manor, there are mirrors everywhere, but I just ignore the mirrors as if they were air..."

"In the weeks before I fainted, I became irritable and angry, felt weak all over, and had shortness of breath and chest tightness all the time."

"At first, I thought it was just a minor cold, which I should be able to recover from soon given my physical condition, but later, things gradually became more serious."

"I went to a Chinese medicine shop at the Chinese Wharf and asked Ms. Bell to prescribe me a few bottles of magic potions that were suitable for my condition. However, my condition did not improve, but became more and more serious..."

"Plus the busy work of the past few days, and the excitement of the birthday party that night..."

At this point, it seemed as if some overlooked details were picked up by her memory. Ivy's pupils widened in an instant, and then trembled in panic when Joshua opened his mouth.

"What happened that night?"

"Nothing." Ivy replied guiltily.

Joshua bit his lower lip. He didn't ask any further questions, but just sighed softly.

"Dalton, it can only be him." Ivy quickly changed the subject.

"Those who know the Mirror of the Underworld and can easily do it, who hate me and resent me, and want to get rid of me..."

"Are you 100 percent sure?"

Ivy shook her head. She was not as good as Holmes and Moriarty at laying out details as a carpet leading to the truth. She could only narrow the scope as much as possible and use her God-given keenness and sixth sense to determine the direction.

"Whether it's true or not, Dalton should have been eliminated. I can apply to SCO..."

"Idiot!" Ivy chuckled, "GH will take care of it!"

"Whether Dalton set a mirror trap for me, they will tell us the answer eventually. There is no need to rush this matter. Anyway, we have already come out, right?"

"Uh-huh……"

Joshua stammered, his eyes wandering and his head lowered unconsciously.

Ivy obviously didn't realize that something was wrong with Joshua. She spread her arms, leaned comfortably against the head of the bed, and recalled the interactions between her and Arnold.

To be honest, she thought her negotiation skills had improved. Not only could she get intelligence from the other party, but she could also point out problems directly and catch the other party off guard.

"Killing someone with a borrowed knife... Tsk tsk tsk, what a good method. I don't know who I learned this from..."

The figure of Mrs. Emerson suddenly appeared in her mind, and Ivy's heart beat to the highest point in an instant, pulling the muscles at the bottom so hard that they hurt.

All the past events emerged in her mind one by one, the corners of her mouth twitched, and anger and unwillingness gradually appeared in Ivy's eyes.

Didn't I learn this from Mrs. Emerson? But in that failed game, Ivy was the knife that was held.

"Actually, I know what Mrs. Emerson did to you."

Joshua’s voice came softly, as light as a strip of gauze floating in the wind.

"She used hypocrisy and weakness as a trap to deceive you who were determined to do what she wanted..."

"You can't say you were determined to do it. At least at that time, you gave your heart and hope, even admiration and love. To be more ruthless, you gave your time and energy, but..."

"But your efforts were trampled upon so easily, your personality was rubbed at will, you witnessed the shame and vulgarity of the upper class, and witnessed the filth and dirtiness of this society, and you couldn't accept it for a moment."

Ivy didn't say anything. She twisted her fingers and the quilt was wrinkled.

"I can't blame you, Ivy. You're just an 18-year-old kid who just finished high school and hasn't even entered college yet..."

"But they, oh, come on, the 19th century, the upper class..."

Joshua frowned and spread his hands, as if saying these words had taken up half of his strength.

"Haha!" Ivy was amused by Joshua.

"I just want to say, oh, not again... in the 19th century, the upper class..."

"Hahahahahahahaha!" Ivy and Joshua laughed together.

The two of them laughed so hard that they fell over, as if they had watched Charlie Chaplin all night while eating popcorn.

"do you know?"

Ivy shrugged and she didn't look that sad anymore.

"She called me into her bedroom alone and told me that I was ugly, fat, had bad manners and no waist, that I wanted to marry into a rich family and that the dinner I designed was not good at all..."

“Well, fxxk them then…” Joshua blurted out.

"Pfft—hahahaha!" Ivy laughed wildly again.

The magpie on the windowsill quacked, echoing the laughter in the room.

Ivy wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and looked at Joshua with a softer look.

After laughing for a long time, Ivy looked around and asked.

"By the way, how long are we going to live here?"

"This... the situation is a little complicated. In fact, Mr. Holmes has been helping us with the lawsuit, but the outcome is still undecided."

"I can help."

"But……"

"You just had that 21st century arrogance... You don't believe me?"

"No, Ivy, it's just that it's really dangerous outside..."

"Well, fxxk them then..."

"No, that's not how it's used!"