I control the AI ​​empire thanks to the geniuses in my group.

The two jumped out of the car and saw at the end of the alley a low wooden house that had been burned black, with thick smoke billowing around it. Several neighbors were gathered outside, frantically carrying buckets of water and shouting, but no one dared to get too close.

In 17th-century London, rows of wooden houses were so densely packed that a single fire could engulf an entire street, and nobody wanted to get themselves caught in the crossfire.

"What's going on?" Newton jumped off the carriage.

A woman, her face covered in soot, gasped for breath, "Gibbens came back late and drank a lot... By the time we found him, the fire had already blocked the door. He couldn't escape and probably burned to death!"

What?

Gibbons is dead? How could that be?

It is important to know that later records show that Charonnay was hanged in March 1699.

However, the name Gibbons was only mentioned once, and then disappeared without a trace from relevant information.

Therefore, Su Zhou did not know whether Gibbons died in the fire or escaped by burning down the house.

Su Zhou subconsciously glanced at both ends of the alley.

There's no one suspicious.

These days there are no surveillance cameras, so it would be very difficult to find out what actually happened.

The only thing we can do now is go inside and look for evidence.

Looking at the wooden house billowing black smoke, Su Zhou asked, "Mr. Newton, when will the firefighters arrive?"

Newton frowned and said, "I don't know. Their arrival time is uncertain; they probably haven't received the news yet."

What the hell!

Is the fire protection system in this area still under construction?

If we wait any longer, the contents inside will burn to a crisp!

Su Zhou said urgently, "There might be important evidence inside. We need to get everyone involved to go in and search."

Newton thought for a moment, then immediately turned to the onlookers and said, "Neighbors, we're from the Royal Mint. There are some of our mint's things in this room. Could someone go in and help us search?"

Before he could finish speaking, a rough-looking man rolled his eyes and said with a sneer, "Mint lord? Give me a break. What does it have to do with me, a worker who only makes thirty shillings a month, if you're looking for something? I'm here to watch the show, not to be roasted pork belly."

Before Su Zhou could speak, Newton, who was standing to the side, suddenly moved.

He stepped forward, expressionless, and pulled a heavy money bag from his pocket, shaking it as he muttered under his breath, "I never thought I'd have to apply the new law that money can make the devil do circular motion. So much money, I really can't bear to part with it."

He then loudly proclaimed, "I hereby declare that whoever digs out anything with papers or booklets from the rubble will be personally rewarded with ten shillings on the spot!"

Ten shillings?!

Five shillings are enough for a family to eat bread for half a month, and ten shillings can even allow a family to eat meat!

The rough man who had been babbling on just moments before immediately widened his eyes.

He roared, "For the glory of the mint!" He grabbed a broken bucket from the roadside, poured it over himself, and then plunged into the still-smoking ruins.

As it turns out, whether in the 17th or 21st century, there is never a shortage of highly motivated and ambitious people when a generous reward is offered.

The onlookers instantly transformed into elite royal rescue personnel, frantically digging through the rubble under the scorching black ash.

The thick smoke gradually dissipated, and the roof beams occasionally emitted muffled crackling sounds.

About ten minutes later, a young man covered in soot crawled out, carrying a box that was burned to half its original size. He excitedly shouted, "Sir! This thing was under the bed!"

Newton took the box, tossed the man a small bag of coins, and gave a few pennies as a reward to the others who participated in the search. The crowd cheered.

Su Zhou and Newton didn't linger. They climbed back into the carriage, put the box on their laps, and opened it with a snap.

A strong smell of burning filled the air. The silk clothes in the box were mostly carbonized, but the stack of parchment documents at the bottom miraculously retained some of their remains because they were isolated from the air.

Ignoring the heat, Su Zhou immediately pulled out the pile of tattered pages and quickly scanned them using the dim light coming through the car window.

Newton held out his hand and pointed to one of the delivery slips with charred edges: "Look at the secret mark and shipping address on this; it says One-Eyed Thomas on Holburn Street."

Who is this person?

This involves Su Zhou's area of ​​blind spot.

"Hmm, I don't know this person either. I'll probably have to look into it."

"Should we go straight to his house?"

Newton hesitated and said, "If we go directly to his house, I'm afraid we'll get wind of it. We can go to the Leaky Cauldron first to inquire."

"And what about Gibbons here?"

"We can only wait for the local sheriff to arrive. You don't intend to go down and perform an autopsy, do you?" After spending a few days together, Newton no longer found anything Su Zhou did strange.

"Of course not!" Su Zhou hurriedly waved his hand.

He performed the autopsy?

He gets scared even when he sees others playing Resident Evil, let alone seeing charred corpses with his own eyes.

As the two were talking, the sound of horses' hooves and chaotic footsteps suddenly came from outside.

The local sheriff arrived with several men, their uniforms covered in dust and their faces showing exhaustion.

They first walked around the ruins, and then one of them knocked on the carriage door.

Newton and Su Zhou got out of the car. Su Zhou deliberately imitated Newton, raising his head slightly and striking a pose.

"And who are you?"

Newton tapped his cane, his tone as calm as ever: "Isaac Newton, from the Mint. We came to ask John Gibbons something, only to find this place on fire."

The sheriff was clearly taken aback.

Newton's personal appearance at the fire was no small matter.

He immediately straightened his posture and bowed slightly: "So it's Mr. Newton. I'm Sheriff Harold here. I'm sorry to have startled you. The fire started too quickly, and we just arrived."

Newton nodded: "Any clues?"

Harold glanced at the still-smoking house and whispered, "Someone has found the dead. The house is badly collapsed. We need to get the body out first, and then take inventory of any identifiable items."

Su Zhou stood aside without saying a word.

These days, the conditions for handling cases are almost like opening a blind box. Often, the investigators have limited abilities, making it very difficult to find clues.

It's unclear whether the other party can confirm that the body is Gibbons himself.

At that moment, a low shout suddenly came from inside the house.

"They've brought them out!"

Two men wrapped in damp cloths carried a door panel out of the house, one in front of the other. The door panel was covered with a coarse cloth, but the cloth was too short to cover it completely.

The protruding part of the object was shiny black, curled up like a dried tree root rather than a human hand.

Su Zhou only glanced at it, and his scalp tingled instantly.

What the hell!

One second he's playing Sherlock Holmes in the carriage, the next he's switched to a live-action Resident Evil special, and it's the uncut version!

Su Zhou instinctively jumped back a step, almost stepping on his own heel, and his face turned pale instantly.

The men put the door down, and the people around them shook their heads and sighed.

"What a pity."

"The person is burned to this extent."

"Fortunately, his family had always lived in the countryside and didn't stay in London with him, otherwise, this fire would have killed more than one person."

"Yes, if his wife and children were here, they probably wouldn't even be left with bones."

As Su Zhou listened to these words, his stomach churned. He tried to look away from the charred corpse, but the more he tried not to look, the clearer the dark human figure in his mind became.

As a successor of socialism, the most explicit things he usually watches are historical documentaries and game CGs; he's never seen anything like this live!

Su Zhou couldn't hold on any longer and quickly walked to the side to dry heave.

At that moment, a young man rushed into the scene, shouting, "Ha, I didn't expect Gibbons to actually be dead!"

"You coward who bullies the weak and fears the strong! Did you ever think about this day when you were bullying others? The more people like you there are, the more rotten this kingdom becomes!"

"I wonder who did this good deed!"

The sheriff frowned, waved his hand, and ordered his men to seize the man.

The young man suddenly felt a figure flash in front of him, and before he could react, his wrist was firmly grabbed by a hand.

He looked up and saw an Eastern boy.

"Don't move."

Su Zhou turned around, patted the young man on the shoulder, and said seriously, "I think you're right, join our team!"

young people:?

P.S. Please give me your monthly votes and recommendations! I'm currently on the recommendation list, so I can't update too much. I'll make it up to everyone by updating 10,000 words a day after the book is officially released. Please don't let the book sit unread!