The Shadow of Great Britain-Chapter 678 - 331: The Master Assassin

"It seems Mr. Victor has indeed had a hard time recently," he said. "When you return, please relay a message from me to him. As long as I am at Scotland Yard, my promise to him remains in effect. Whether as a junior in police work or as an admirer of this legendary European detective, my appreciation for him has never wavered."

The coconut tree just buried his head and stirred the coffee in front of him with a spoon. The creamy milk blended with the strong black coffee as he stirred, tinting the pure black into an indistinct shade of brown.

"Mr. Hastings, I’ve also heard about that incident in Liverpool. Although the boss says you are very much to his liking, at this sensitive time, it’s too early to talk about switching sides. You were lucky to leave Liverpool safely, but that doesn’t mean the boss is lucky enough to leave Paris without trouble."

At this sensitive time, the moment the boss’s resignation letter lands on the desk of the Paris police chief, there’s no telling if his head might have to move that very evening."

Upon hearing this, Arthur simply placed a hand on the back of the chair, gazing out the window at the rainy scene, and chuckled, "I almost forgot, France has far more assassins than Britain."

"Exactly,"

The coconut tree scoffed and said, "You know what the first thing I thought of when I read about that case in the newspaper? These people are just too amateurish!"

Arthur raised an eyebrow with interest and asked, "May I hear your expert opinion?"

As someone who had experienced the turbulence of the Great Revolution and had worked with Victor in the Security Department for quite some time, the coconut tree spoke about assassination as if it were his second nature.

He began, "Firstly, using firearms in an assassination is a very foolish act. Perhaps for open battle, a pistol is a very convenient and lethal weapon, but for assassination, it’s quite ineffective. If it has any advantage, it’s that it has great propaganda value."

"Only fools who like to show off and attract attention would choose such things. If the Security Department were to investigate the case, we’d rule out the possibility that it was a meticulously planned political murder right away. The culprits would be nothing more than a bunch of second-rate ruffians."

Although there were differences in detail between the coconut tree’s speculation and the Criminal Investigation Department’s analysis, their guesses about the gang’s composition coincidentally matched.

The endorsement from the old detective of the Security Department deepened Arthur’s trust level in his previous deductions.

However, aside from analyzing the case, Arthur was more curious about—if the Liverpool assassination had been carried out by professionals, what would it have looked like? freēwēbηovel.c૦m

After all, as a Scotland Yard police officer living in the grand 19th century, even if the assassination attempt he encountered this time was amateur, he would have plenty of chances to face professional killers in the future.

Arthur asked, "So... if the Liverpool assassination had been orchestrated by the Paris police department’s Security Department, what kind of team would you have sent out?"

The coconut tree struck a match and took a strong puff from his cigar.

While blowing out smoke rings, he casually spoke, "Normally, we don’t share these things. But since this restaurant’s croissants have a genuine French style, let me give you a glimpse into our quintessential French techniques."

Arthur replied with a smile, "That’s why I highly value you, the experienced detective from the Paris Security Department. You know things that Scotland Yard has never dealt with."

The coconut tree replied with a smile, "Mr. Hasting, you’re too modest. Frankly, I just happen to be a little older than you, so I entered the field a few years earlier.

First, as I said before, if we really want to kill someone, we definitely wouldn’t choose a pistol. Although it offers the ability to shoot from a distance, this also means it’s not one hundred percent accurate.

You, as a living failed assassination attempt, should deeply understand this. You didn’t even get hit by the bullet, and even if you had, you might not necessarily have died. I got shot in the shoulder during my early years in the French Army, but look at me now, still alive and kicking, right?"

Besides, using explosives for assassination is a completely stupid choice. Because from our experience, most of the time, it’s not the target that gets blown up by the explosives, but the assassin, just like you saw in Liverpool.

Using small and medium explosives is unreliable, and using large explosives often harms the innocent, which can raise ethical issues. This would make it difficult for the act of assassination to gain sympathy in the media, damage public relations, and thereby shatter the goal of a perfect assassination.

This is similar to the aftermath of the Liverpool assassination - take a look, most of Britain’s newspapers and magazines condemned the perpetrator, which is practically the opposite effect."

Arthur nodded slightly and said, "It seems the Security Department is indeed rich in experience in this area. Have you ever practiced it personally?"

"You don’t need to ask about that."

The coconut tree quickly changed the subject: "All you need to know is that a real professional team often chooses simple yet effective tools. For example—a hammer, an ax, a wrench, a screwdriver, a set of pliers, a kitchen knife, or even a lamp stand.

In a nutshell, any solid, heavy, and conveniently carried object makes a good choice. Don’t look down on these weapons because they’re simple and crude, at least in our eyes, they have two advantages that guns lack."