随着克希拉的消失,全世界电子设备屏幕上的绿色信号相继消失。
远在日本的芝滨体育场。
当体育场上方中央大屏的绿色逐渐消退,人们瞳孔中的绿色随之消失。
观众席上的人纷纷从僵硬的姿势中恢复...
SportsStadiuminShibuya,Japan.Thegreenglowthathadbeenpulsingacrossthescreenbegantofade,leavingbehindadull,lifelesshue.Theaudience,sensingsomethingwasamiss,slowlyrelaxedfromtheirrigidposes,theireyesdartingtowardsthescreenwithamixofconfusionandconcern.
Asthelastremnantsofthegreenlightdisappeared,thestadiumfellintoaneeriesilence.Theonlysoundwasthesofthumoftheprojector,stillcastinganetherealglowoverthecrowd.Itwasasiftheveryfabricofrealityhadbeenmomentarilyaltered,leavingeveryonefeelingdisorientedandoutofplace.
Moriarty,whohadbeenobservingthescenefromadistance,couldn‘thelpbutfeelasenseofsatisfaction.Hisplan,thoughnotdirectlyintendedtoharm,hadcertainlydisruptedtheworldinawaythatnoonecouldhavepredicted.Thegreenglow,whichhadoncesymbolizedhopeandunity,wasnownothingmorethanadistantmemory.
Butashegazedoutattheseaofconfusedfaces,Moriartycouldn‘tshakeoffthefeelingthatsomethingwasoff.Itwasn‘tjustthephysicalabsenceofthegreenlightthatunsettledhim;itwasthesenseofuneasethatlingeredintheair,likeafaintwhisperthatrefusedtobesilenced.
Asthesecondstickedby,thesilencebegantobreak.murmursandwhispersspreadthroughthecrowd,aspeoplestruggledtomakesenseofwhathadjusthappened.Somewerequicktoattributeittosomekindoftechnicalglitch,whileothersspeculatedaboutmoresinisterexplanations.
Lestrade,whohadbeenwatchingfromasecuredistance,wasoneofthefirsttopiecetogethertheeventsthathadtranspired.Hequicklysentamessagetohisteam,alertingthemtothepotentialimplicationsofMoriarty‘sactions.
“ItappearsthatMoriartyhastriggeredsomekindofglobalphenomenon,“Lestradetypedout.“Thedisappearanceofthegreenlightisnotjustatechnicalissue;it‘sasignofsomethingmuchlargeratplay.“
Asthenewsspread,panicbegantosetin.Governmentsandinstitutionsscrambledtorespondtothesituation,sendingteamsofexpertstoinvestigatethecauseofthephenomenon.
ButMoriartywasalreadyonestepahead.Hehadbeenanticipatingthisreactionallalong,knowingthathisactionswouldsendshockwavesaroundtheworld.Andnow,withthegreenglowgone,hefeltasenseofliberationwashoverhim.
Thegame,astheysay,wasfarfromover.
Withthegreenlightgone,Moriarty‘splanwassetinmotion.Hehadcreatedaworldwhererealityitselfwasupforgrabs,wherethelinesbetweentruthanddeceptionwereblurredbeyondrecognition.
Andastheworldstruggledtocometotermswithwhathadhappened,Moriartysatinhisdarkenedlair,acoldsmilespreadingacrosshisface.Thegamewason,andhewasreadytoplay.