[Masterpiece] Mask and Accomplice

"Leo Locke tackles three kinds of problems: chemical, legal, and... Things that shouldn't exist." This sentence is circulated in the London underground world, but no one knows the true appearance of this mysterious gentleman. No one knows that hidden under the identity of "Leo Locke" is a young woman who burned her skirt, learned to change her voice, and used her father's old suit to enter the male world - Lillian. When her father died accidentally due to a chemical experiment, she was left with only huge debts and a house full of equations. Eighteen-year-old Lillian chose to become "Leo", using knowledge and disguise to open up a third way in this era that does not allow women to survive independently. She has three identities: In the sunshine, he is a non-staff chemical consultant to Scotland Yard, using science to solve cold cases. At night, he is the owner of "Locke Consulting Firm", specializing in difficult tasks - from recovering stolen national treasures to providing new identities for desperate people. When necessary, he is the captain of "Leviathan" and drives the "Shadow" across the strait to combat the slave trade and recover stolen cultural relics. Her laws are as clear as a chemical equation: ①No human life involved ②Do not help evildoers ③Exist in the name of Leo Locke forever - until death Until one rainy night, there was a knock on the door. The man standing outside the door was soaked to the skin, and his eyes looked like he had just crawled out of a grave. He handed over three items: a secret letter from 1815, a piece of blood-stained fabric, and a bottle of custom-made poison. "I need analysis reports," he said, "and... The truth about a 'dead man'." Leo detected that the secret letter's ink contained arsenic, the fabric was stained with lime unique to Château d'If, and the poison was enough to disguise a heart attack. As for the "dead man" - sailor Edmond Dantès, official records show that he died of illness fourteen years ago at Chateau d'If. "You are investigating an unjust case." Leo raised his eyes, "But what you want to do is not just redress the case." The man - who later became known as the Count of Monte Cristo - slightly raised his lips: "I want to know what a 'dead man' can do when the truth cannot be enforced through the law." A dangerous conspiracy begins. Leo used chemical analysis to lock down evidence, used intelligence networks to weave traps, and used gray means to obtain testimony. The count used wealth and wisdom to set up a chess game, used dramatic revelations to awaken public opinion, and wrapped the core of revenge with a legal cloak. They teamed up to make bankers bankrupt due to their false accounts, let prosecutors be backlashed by the crimes they covered up, and let generals be ruined in front of the medals they received with their own hands. Every "trial" has solid evidence, and every "coincidence" is carefully designed. When the law is silent, they let the truth speak for itself. And in the gaps between masks and lies, something quietly grows. The count found that Leo always used his left hand when adjusting his glasses - that was a female habit; the skeleton of his wrist was unreasonably slender; occasionally, when he was tired, his voice would reveal a hint of softness. But he asked nothing. If the world forces him to hide the truth in order to survive, then he will help him guard this secret until the day he is willing to reveal it himself. When the last enemy fell, the earl found Leo fishing in the morning mist of the Thames. "The game is over," he said. "Now, can I see the real you?" Leo put down his fishing rod and took off the monocle he had been wearing for so many years. The morning light pierced the thick fog and illuminated a face that was somewhere between a boy and a young man - no beard, and the Adam's apple was not obvious. "This is the real me," he said. "From the day I became Leo, this is the only me." The Count knelt on one knee on the wet river bank, holding his hand that smelled like fish—the hand was slender than that of an ordinary man, but the joints were strong. "So, can I ask for one last commission?" "Teach me how to... Love someone who doesn't need to be saved, just needs to be understood." --- This is a story about disguise and truth, revenge and redemption. Two people wearing heavy masks, under the fog of London and the starlight of the Mediterranean, use chemistry, lies and just the right "coincidence" to seek justice for the silent souls. And under all the masks, what they finally discovered was the unquenchable light deep in each other's souls. [Reading Tips] · The heroine wears men's clothing throughout the whole process, and her social identity is male · Gray methods but do not touch the bottom line (no killing/no drug involvement) · Revenge main line + unit case, emotional line gradually · Strong alliances, intellectual games, two-way redemption "I don't offer the tools of lynching, only the science that brings the truth to the surface — and who those things that surface drown will be determined by their own sins." ——Leo Locke Intention: Do what you like.