The street is so cramped that only a single carriage can go forward and turn around. The male residents and pedestrians on both sides are wearing simple shirts and overcoats, or simply a washed yellow cloth with rolled sleeves. It is very tall, and the hats on the head are mostly old styles.

This kind of dress is rarely seen on the streets of ordinary urban areas, because it is not gentle enough, and wearing this kind of clothes can't even hold your head up and talk to some people in formal clothes.

Because of his clothes, he is inferior.

As for women, they are basically the same simple dresses. Unlike other areas in the city, they are not big and beautiful. They also wear aprons around their waists and abdomens, which are almost the same as the maids in ordinary people's homes.

In fact, nearly 50% of them had the experience of being a maid in a big family, and the remaining 50% included the elderly and children.

Don't get me wrong, being a maid in this era is not a shameful thing. On the contrary, as a person at the bottom of the society, being a maid in a decent family is actually a good thing that is expected. High, if you are lucky enough to meet a generous host, you may also get some extra income.

If luck was better, young poor girls might be able to get out of today's poor life, and even if they couldn't become rich wives, they could become the mistress of a middle-class family, wear decent dresses to watch operas, and enjoy troupe performances. This is the life that most slum girls have been pursuing all their lives.

Among these people, Donald and Sherlock seemed a little out of tune, which was not only reflected in their clothes, but also in their own unique temperament.

This caused many people around to look at them, with good and bad meanings in their sight, but it was not so comfortable after all.

"Sir, where is 6 Farney Street? We have something to entrust to the Ratcatcher."

As an assistant, Donald didn't have the power to be shy and embarrassed. He adjusted his emotions and met a passer-by who looked kind-hearted. He successfully knew the route.

Even in the Bangli District, the rat catcher lives in a relatively remote place, because he often deals with rats. In order to conduct some experiments on rat trapping, the number of rats in his house is no less than that from some garbage dumps.

Although they are all locked in iron cages, living next to such a family will definitely bring a lot of pressure to my heart. What if I wake up one day and find mice all over the floor?

This isn't a horror movie, but it's not that bad either.

"It's just in front, right?"

Sherlock pointed to an extended wooden sign 20 meters ahead, on which was drawn the outline of a mouse and a red cross that covered most of it.

Compared with the area I passed by just now, this place looks more desolate. Almost all the houses are two-story buildings in disrepair, with cracks, broken wooden boards, and their shaky appearance. It seems to say that as long as the wind is stronger, it will dare to go directly to it. down.

"There don't seem to be any guests around..."

In the past, I saw that many of the surrounding houses had empty doors open, not to mention the inside of the door, even the ground outside the door had accumulated a lot of dust.

"It should be an abandoned area. People go to the empty building. After a while, some government departments will tear it down or rent out the whole piece of land to build a factory. This kind of thing is very common recently, and the land in the city is cheaper than this. I can't find a few pieces."

The construction of the factory attaches great importance to the land price, which is a cost issue. Compared with some shops, this type of building can obviously find good construction land in the slum area.

The government naturally agrees. The factory will not only provide a large amount of tax, but also provide jobs, so that some people in the slum area who usually have nothing to do have jobs, they will not go to the city to hang out, and the crime rate will also decrease accordingly. .

It's a good thing!

At the entrance of the mousetrap shop, the door was closed, and the curtain was still drawn inside.

dong dong~

"Is anyone there? We have a mousetrap commission!"

Sherlock went up to knock on the door, waited for 5 seconds, but got no response.

"Going out? Well, the rat catcher, his usual job is to catch mice from various houses outside."

It's a bit frustrating to say that, this mousetrap is the key clue at the moment, whether it's a thief or not, there is always some information, but if people can't find it, how can they go down?

"Don't worry, look here, the lights are on inside, be careful later."

There was a small hole in the curtain of the window next to it, and when Sherlock knocked on the door, he saw a light inside.

During the day, I draw the curtains and light the kerosene lamps. It's really hard not to make people suspicious, but after waiting for another 10 seconds, no one opens the door.

Donald stepped forward and shot the door twice.

"You have the lights on inside and you don't open the door, what do you mean? Even if you don't pick up the job, you have to say it face to face. My brother has a bad temper. I'll smash the front of your house later, don't blame us for the heavy hand!"

If people don't open the door, it is still necessary to use some means.

squeak~

"Two gentlemen, I'm old and have limited mobility. I'm sorry."

Looking down, the old man in front of him had a strange figure, with a hunched back and a hunched waist. His figure only reached Sherlock's chest. On top of his head, he wore a black wide-brimmed silk top hat mentioned by the jeweler Abel, covering his entire face. Only by his drooping gray beard and his hoarse voice can tell that he is not young.

In addition, he was covered with a black cloak, part of which was dragged to the ground, and the bulge behind him was disturbing from the heart.

The tone of his speech was very gentle, he apologized after opening the door, but instead made Donald very embarrassed.

"Can we go in and talk? Actually, there are some things I want to ask for evidence."

"Yes, yes... Are you sure you want to come in? No customer in the past has been able to stay in the store for more than a minute."

The Ratcatcher's words made Donald and Sherlock look at each other, listening to the continuous creaking behind the door, they could probably imagine what was behind the door.

In order to handle the case, this risk still has to be taken. Without hesitation, I stepped over the threshold. Sherlock walked in the front, Donald walked in the last closing the door. He didn't close the door, but just gently covered it. Entering this kind of place has to give it to yourself. Stay behind and close the door tightly, that is to make trouble for yourself.

The scene on the rooftop is vivid in my mind.

Because the windows were completely covered by curtains, the house was dimly lit. It was supported by the kerosene lamps on the middle beams. The hall, which was about 20 square meters, was filled with black iron cages of various sizes and shapes.

Mouse, mouse, mouse!

Even a person who is not afraid of this kind of creature will get chills layer by layer when they go to such a place, and goosebumps will not stop from beginning to end.

Donald is like this, and Sherlock is probably the same, except that they both have a certain ability to restrain their emotions. Even if they are disturbed by the unstoppable barking of the mice around them, their expressions are all expressionless.

The Ratcatcher was standing behind the inner workbench. On the table was wire, pliers, and a half-finished cage. What caught Donald's attention was an old metal bell, similar to the one used to call cattle on the farm. resemblance.

There is also a large wooden cabinet behind this workbench, with many partitions.

"Don't you two want to catch mice? Ordinary employers won't come in, what's the matter?"

The Ratcatcher still didn't look up, just playing with the iron cage on the table.

"The warehouse of the jeweler Bad Abel was stolen. You should have been to his house a few days ago. Did you find anything strange?"

Sherlock didn't directly say what he and Donald were guessing, but he also revealed some information in order to see the reaction of the Ratcatcher.

As soon as the voice fell, the movements of the mousetrap's hands suddenly stopped, and the squeaks behind the two suddenly became noisy... Donald's hands tightened behind his back, and he glanced at Sherlock's right hand. On the waistline of the trousers, the black windbreaker covering the outside did not know when to unbutton it.

"Have you found it?"

The Ratcatcher asked without end.

"What did you find?"

"Those mice...they're not right!"

The Ratcatcher said this in a hoarse tone, and he seemed to know something.

"What's wrong?"

Sherlock asked.

"About half a month ago, the number of people who came to me suddenly increased. They told me that there were mice in the house, and groups of mice! They drilled into the pipes in the house from the sewers, and appeared in warehouses and storage rooms. Destroying furniture, contaminating food... This should not be the habit of mice, I have never seen such a blatant group of mice before, I even saw a huge mouse during a few mouse hunts some time ago. , UU Reading www.uukanshu.com It knows how to think...I'm sure of that!"

The Ratcatcher expressed his opinion, which coincides with the previous conjecture of the two.

"Is it that big?"

Donald gestured the shapes.

"Yes, I saw it on the farm. At that time, it was bringing a group of mice to a little lamb, biting, gnawing, and full of ferocity. Have you seen it?"

"Okay, now is not the time to discuss who has seen big mice. Did you find anything unusual when you hunted mice in Abel's house? Why do mice appear in large numbers in his house, I want to know this."

Knowing that these mice do have a problem, the rest is to find the source of the problem step by step.

"I don't know... Normally, this is not the case. In the past, large groups of mice were usually found in pubs, shopping malls and other large buildings, and rarely in residential buildings. I went to Mr. Abel. When I was at home, I was also shocked. Those mice who did not know where they got into his house must have a passage..."

The Ratcatcher spoke to himself, his words stuttering.

"Where did you catch the most mice? Now that you have completed the commission, you must have caught the mice, right?"

"Of course, my craft was passed down to me by my father. The place with the most rats... Near the sink where the kitchen was washed, I remembered something strange. The pipes in Mr. Abel's house are very thick. It's different from ordinary people's homes."

"The plumbing...that's the plumber!"

Sherlock turned his head, his face full of excitement, he found the key to breaking the game.

At this time, Donald's eyes were looking at the mouser's house. His narrowed eyes did not show any light, and he held a pinch of silver-gray powder between his fingers, which was sprinkled when he entered the door.