Operation Red Book

"Boom——"

A huge flame like a hot air balloon exploded in the air, momentarily drowning out all the sounds in the world.

The heat wave overturned Ivy on the shore, some nearby stalls, and the ground and buildings of the entire Chinese Plaza.

Ivy slumped on the ground, watching the water all around her being lit up by flames, as if the unknown fire on the sea had awakened the brutal god in the water.

The heat wave swept through the river, creating waves several meters high.

The large ship in the distance shook three times, and then began to sway slowly with the waves.

The small boats nearby were almost overturned, and many wooden boats that were affected sank to the bottom of the water.

The worst hit was the steamship sailing in the center of the water. Huge waves overturned the ship. The dim yellow lights flickered on the water, and the black hull blended into the night.

"Zhao Minghua!"

Ivy crawled to the shore, shouting Zhao Minghua's name loudly.

He appeared quickly this time, and as soon as he poked his head out, he calmly comforted her:

"It's okay, Miss Ivy. The nearby mermaids have already rushed to the rescue. There won't be any casualties, don't worry."

Hearing Zhao Minghua's words, Ivy immediately felt relieved.

The wooden boat nearby was salvaged by the mermaids lurking at the bottom of the water, and the boats in the distance were also surrounded by several mermaids.

But then, Ivy remembered the small figure on the eve of the explosion. For a moment, her heartbeat quickened again, and the stone that had sunk with great difficulty was lifted up again.

"That...that child! Have you seen that child? The child among you mermaids!"

Ivy said anxiously, her voice still hoarse.

"The mermaid's child, are you talking about Beichen?"

Zhao Minghua hesitated for a few seconds and replied with his head tilted.

"Yes... yes! A moment before the explosion, I saw his tail concentrate the explosives and change direction, but he was too close to the bomb, he would be hurt!"

Ivy was a little out of control, she was shaking all over and put her hands into the cold water.

"Go find that child! That little mermaid also needs rescue! Go! Quickly..."

Before Ivy finished her words, the water in front of her turned dark, and a small vortex suddenly appeared next to her hand and began to spin.

"Hululu..."

A bubbling sound suddenly rang out, followed by a sinking of the palm of the hand.

Ivy was startled. Her fingers seemed to have touched a soft-bodied creature like a jellyfish, which was slippery and difficult to catch.

A tear fell, Ivy held her breath, and slowly raised her hands...

A child with delicate features was leaning on her palm, smiling at her. It was the little mermaid Beichen whom she had asked Zhao Minghua to find.

"Eh!"

Ivy was a little panicked. She blinked at the little mermaid and the corners of her eyes suddenly turned red.

"My name is Beichen! Thank you, Sister Ivy!"

The little mermaid laughed in a childish voice and gave Ivy a big smile.

So cute...so cute that it makes me want to cry...

Ivy smiled slightly and gently kneaded his soft little face with her fingers.

"Beichen, I'll take you to the king to treat your wounds first, okay?"

Zhao Minghua said on the side, and Ivy realized that a large piece of his fish tail was missing, obviously damaged by the explosion just now.

“It doesn’t hurt at all!”

The little mermaid puffed up her lips and said, he stood up and hugged Zhao Minghua, his broken tail fin slapping the water surface.

"Beichen is a hero!"

"Yeah." Zhao Minghua responded with a barely perceptible smile on his lips.

"You're awesome, little hero!"

At this moment, Ivy burst into laughter and reached out to touch the little mermaid's wet head.

"Thank you for saving the people on that boat!"

"You're welcome!"

The little mermaid laughed so happily that her eyes disappeared, and some blush quickly appeared behind her ears.

"Let's go, Miss Ivy, first think about how to deal with those people behind you."

Zhao Minghua said to Ivy, he pointed behind Ivy and dived down a little.

"Behind?"

After the explosion, Ivy still had some tinnitus and it was difficult for her to speak normally.

The tinnitus situation was better now, and the noise coming from all directions also entered her ears.

She looked back and realized that she was surrounded by people.

"What a sound!"

"Did you just hear that?"

"It seems like an explosion... Did it explode..."

"Of course it is. Smell the gunpowder in the air and look at the wooden planks on the water!"

The people around were talking about it, all of them discussing the loud noise that had just happened.

Fortunately, the boat that was overturned by the huge waves has been righted, and the river water has returned to its original dark state, except for a few scattered burning fragments still floating on the water.

As the crowd grew larger and larger, Ivy became a little nervous that the mermaid in the water would be discovered by others. But when she turned around, Zhao Minghua had already disappeared without a trace with the little mermaid.

"Huh..." She sighed and stood up hesitantly.

"Little Ivy!"

Before he could stand firm, Lestrade's voice came from beside him. He turned around and saw a group of policemen surrounding the scene and moving the crowded crowd to the back with yellow lines.

"You're not hurt!"

Lestrade's head was covered with sweat. He took a quick look at the dazed Ivy and frowned anxiously.

"It's okay. The New Year is coming soon. I was testing fireworks here just now, but I accidentally ignited all of them."

Ivy lied without blinking or beating her heart, and every time she opened her mouth, she had a perfect excuse.

“You can explain it to people like this…”

After saying that, Ivy pointed at the crowd that was crowded around to watch the excitement, but unexpectedly discovered two unexpected people.

"Sherlock? And Mr. Moriarty?"

Ivy muttered in astonishment, but Holmes quickly gestured to her to keep quiet.

"Didn't he accompany his brother to the parliament? Um... I didn't see him..."

Lestrade looked in the direction Ivy pointed, but there was no one in sight.

"Did your brain get blown up, little Ivy?"

"certainly not!"

Ivy replied angrily, but her sweaty head did not dispel Lestrade's doubts.

"Well, no matter what, you have to go with me to the medical team..."

Lestrade took Ivy's arm without saying anything and sent her to the honest young adjutant.

Ivy struggled a few times, but was scolded by the stern Lestrade. She had no choice but to follow the adjutant obediently and walked towards the medical ship step by step.

Halfway through the walk, the noise behind us started up again, the crowd dispersed in a swarm, and the stage lights shone again.

The final ranking will probably be announced soon... I don't know who will be the champion between the gypsy girl and Joshua...

Ivy thought to herself, and unconsciously a warm current flowed slowly along the corners of her mouth into her heart, as bright and beautiful as a spring day.

Anyway, the crisis of explosives has been resolved, and she can finally rest assured...

right?

She followed the adjutant into the dressing room of the medical wing, but accidentally spotted a familiar figure on the opposite ship.

"Right...where is that ship on the opposite side?" Ivy leaned against the window and asked the adjutant in a trembling voice.

"It's lively, right? It's Shisanfang. Apart from the market, that's where the most people gather!" the adjutant replied with a smile.

Of course... Ivy knew, she was very familiar with it...

"There are the most people... Indeed, there are the most people..."

Ivy murmured to herself, her heart felt as if it had fallen into a bottomless ice cellar, so cold that it made her shiver.

The black and white figure of the clown stood out among the moving crowd.

Those sinister and cunning eyes looked straight at Ivy through the glass window.

He gave a smug smile, and the creepy sneer almost penetrated Ivy's bones.