"John H. Watson, do you like drastic measures in handling prisoners?"

The echo through the vents makes it known that an enemy is a man.

"Who are you?" Watson asked. Even if he is not sure, the other person will hear it or not.

"I'm going to give an 'offer' to you and your partner. But wait for a second. My subordinates are picking up your partner."

CRUSH!!!

Watson punched a steel wall with all his might. In his right hand appeared self-healing fibers to heal the torn wound. Watson ignored his injuries and hit the wall again, again and again. This iron wall was thicker than the iron chain that used to tie him, but it didn't matter.

...Nothing will prevent him from going to Holmes...

"I know you're on a rampage," the mysterious male voice spoke again. "But I would suggest you stop using force and listen to what I have to say. Sherlock Holmes was now standing beside me. And a quick-witted man like you knows that no matter how hard you rampage or rush your whole life, it's never faster than me pulling the trigger once."

Watson stopped his fists from breaking the wall. There is time for the special fibers to combine to heal both hands. The iron wall in front of him had already been punched enough to distort.

………………………………………………………

"First of all, you don't seem surprised to see me here, Mr. Holmes."

Sherlock Holmes stared at a man in an expensive suit. The reddish-brown hair was always neatly combed back. A man who just sits still can spread an atmosphere of terror to others.

"Mr. Griswald Armstrong, I'm sorry I couldn't find Mr. Wainwright Armstrong or your family's armlet," said Holmes. Wainwright was still alive until Irene and a member of the Diamond Hunt Organization killed him and taken the armlet. Holmes looked down at the man who had lied to him from the start.

"The employment contract between us will end here."

"Hmm, then Mr. Holmes would be interested in writing a new contract here?" Griswald said with a playful, half-serious expression.

"Why did you hire me by lied that Mr. Wainwright disappeared? While Mr. Wainwright was in the middle of kidnapping Behruz. Zacharia to find a hidden treasure. I think it's because of Watson." Holmes remembers when he first met Griswald praising Watson for being a good helper. And when Griswald last came to him, he asked about Watson as well.

"This is my assumption. You the one who bought information from The Truth Watcher and tricked Watson and me into an auction and then kidnapped Watson. All this is your plan. Mr. Wainwright was only responsible for keeping Watson here but didn't know the detail. am I right?"

As he recounted his inference, Holmes stared at the man in front of him with an estimated look. When they first meet, Griswald tells the story of the Armstrong family. This man showed unfeigned pride. When he mentioned Wainwright in terms of respect, it wasn't a lie. But considering the situation that Wainwright had just died and the family property was taken away. Griswald's expression was surprisingly calm.

It was as if… another target had already been set.

"I've listened to you reviewing the past and it makes me want to talk about it. You're right. My initial goal was your assistant...John H. Watson." said Griswald. "Watson must have told you, right? About a perfect performance dealing with bank robbers. I was at the bank that day too."

………………………………………………………

On the other side, the sealed basement Watson, standing in the dark, clearly heard the conversation between Holmes and Griswald. Indeed… the sight he could feel in the bank robbery incident was Griswald's eyes.

"I have many great subordinates, but none of them can move as sharply as Watson. Martial skills were excellent, but there was something even more remarkable. I saw with my own eyes that Watson was shot in the left abdomen. But he didn't show any pain and continued to deal with the other robbers with the same flawlessness. Don't you think this is an ideal unit? If there is only one person in possession, whatever job, can make its success."

As he spoke, Griswald's face looked ahead. A picture of a plan to make the most of Watson's good use was drawn in his head. In contrast to Holmes, who stared at Griswald with cold eyes.

"After that, I researched everything about Watson. So I knew that no matter how many people I had, I couldn't be an opponent at all, so I planned to get closer. Make up a trick for you guys to meet The Truth Watcher. Oh, that invitation card is mine. The Armstrong family was always privileged at auctions. And the end result, as we know, Watson is trapped here."

"The end result was a failed plan. Watson walked out on his own," Sherlock Holmes said.

"Heh, too bad. I already pissed you off, Mr. Holmes. Haven't made an offer yet." Griswald laughed wickedly. "My offer is that Mr. Sherlock Holmes and John H. Watson be allegiance to the Armstrong family. Vowed to serve the Armstrong family forever. If you refuse, I will torture you to the point of begging for death."

Sherlock Holmes revealed a smile on his lips. Now he understood Griswald's cold expression.

"When Mr. Wainwright and dozens of good men all died. So your Armstrong family status is going bad. So you need a helper," said Holmes in a scornful tone. "You must be planning to revenge the organization that killed Wainwright and retrieves the family treasure diamond armlet."

"A smart person is brilliant no matter what. If Holmes agrees, Watson will agree too. I'll give you both the right-hand position and the raid leader. The Armstrong family has power and wealth, and you're about to become part of us. This offer… you wouldn't refuse, right."

"No, I won't negotiate with criminals," Sherlock Holmes immediately replied without hesitation.

Griswald grinned. He already knew he is rejected as Sherlock Holmes was Scotland Yard's ally. But his motto is that if he doesn't get what he wants, no one will get it. The Brentford incident from he heard when Wainwright couldn't get Watson, he also ordered to burn the house. As expected, one of the two heads of the Armstrong family. Both he and Wainwright had many similarities in attitudes, speech, and action, but he wasn't as soft heart as Wainwright.

"I need to make you aware of your status, Sherlock Holmes."

THUMP!

Holmes fell to the ground by a knee kick from behind. He knelt down in front of Griswald's ruthless smile. Then the next second, both arms were pulled backward in an unnatural stance. Holmes gritted his teeth to suppress the pain.

"The brain position doesn't need hands or feet, is that right?" Griswald said.

"Ah… aah...aaaaaargh!."

Sherlock Holmes groaned as his arms were pulled back more and more. The golden-haired man who threw a dart at him first stepped on his back and pulled his arm back little by little. The pain was so intense that his brain had turned white. The more he was pulled, the more he felt that his bones and muscles were going to be unbearable.

"Want to change your mind, Mr. Holmes?" Griswald asked.

"Ha...aah…hah...hmm," Holmes gasped several times, still unable to make a sound. Then, finally, he gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and looked up at Griswald. If he refused, he would suffer more. But the answer... it wasn't his answer alone.

"No… I will never cooperate with you." He never allows Watson to be under the control of someone like Griswald.

Slap!!!

Holmes's youthful face flickered to the other side. The slap made him feel tinnitus, his ears blurred, his slapped cheeks felt a burning sensation all over the place. Then, without giving a break, Griswald swung his legs to kick Holmes again. The man who locked Holmes' arms had released him. But the detective still couldn't get up or move.

Bam!

He was kicked again, and again his joints in both arms were so sore that he couldn't lift his arms to protect his chest from being kicked. He can't see ahead. The pain that he thought was severe now started to numb, until he feels no pain.