Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 64 The Immortal Alexander

“I visited Alexander’s friends and his colleagues, as well as some business partners, and learned an interesting anecdote.”

Inspector Lestrade looked rather amused at that moment, and indeed he was.

"Among those who knew Alexander, he had a nickname: Alexander the Immortal."

"Oh? Why is he called that?"

"This is actually quite interesting."

Inspector Lestrade also found the topic quite interesting.

"Initially, it was an accident. He was hiking with his friends when the weather suddenly changed. His friends watched as a bolt of lightning struck him. They were terrified, thinking he was going to die, but when they ran over, they found he was still alive. They quickly took him down the mountain to the hospital, and after treatment, he was fine."

"Oh, that's certainly quite legendary."

Upon hearing this, Li Wei raised an eyebrow. Surviving a lightning strike would be a hot topic even in modern times.

"On another occasion, he went out to sea to pick up goods, but encountered a big storm. He lost his footing and was swept into the sea. Everyone thought he was going to die, but in the end, they found that he had been swept by the waves to a nearby beach, and he escaped disaster again."

"You're really lucky."

In contrast to the beaming Inspector Lestrade, Levi remained calm. He'd seen similar things before in today's advanced information network; ultimately, some people were just lucky. But it had to be said, this kind of luck was quite interesting.

"So everyone thought Alexander was lucky, and that's why they gave him that nickname, Alexander the Immortal."

What is he actually thinking?

“He used to be a devout believer, and after experiencing two dangerous situations, he felt even more that it was God’s protection, and he often went to church to worship.”

“Devout believer…”

Upon hearing this, Li Wei sighed, then seemed to have thought of something.

"I remember that Dr. Dolittle was also a devout believer who frequented church, wasn't he?"

"Haha, now that you mention it, what a coincidence... You don't actually think there's something wrong with the church, do you?"

Inspector Lestrade chuckled, then immediately realized what was going on. As a police officer, suspecting others was his duty, not to mention that most of the higher-ups were well aware of the conflict between the Holy Bishop and the Queen.

"It's hard to say. Could you check which church Alexander frequents? If it's the same one Dr. Dolittle goes to, that would be interesting."

"That's quite interesting."

Inspector Lestrade's eyes lit up immediately. As a police officer, he was the least likely to believe in coincidences. Although he didn't understand science or the occult, police officers didn't need to. From Inspector Lestrade's perspective, there was a motive and connections, so his suspicions skyrocketed.

It's like a club where socialites and gamblers come and go. Even if you claim to be innocent, the police won't believe you; only a fool would.

"By the way, also look into Betty. I suspect she might be a devout believer who goes to church regularly."

Levi mentioned it briefly. He hadn't thought about it before, but after Inspector Lestrade mentioned the devout believers going to church several times, Levi was starting to have some doubts. This was because most religious believers in the Empire were of the Puritan sect, busy with work and life, and at most praying to the All-Seeing Eye in their rooms morning and evening—Eileen was one of those, managing to balance work, life, and faith perfectly.

Not many people actually go to church, and those who go to church and then commit crimes... seem to be even fewer.

"If that's the case, then this is really interesting! Can this case be investigated?"

Inspector Lestrade's eyes lit up, but he quickly asked a question, and Levi nodded.

"of course."

Given the relationship between MI7 and the royal family, if Inspector Lestrade's investigation is correct, and if Levy and MI7 find some evidence, Her Majesty might use this as an excuse to expel the entire Church of Christ in the Fog City.

"Okay, I'll go investigate!"

"While we're at it, let's find out which church Alexander is buried in. We might have to dig up his grave."

"Okay, wait for my message."

Inspector Lestrade, true to his veteran status, was swift and efficient, and Levi quickly received the latest information, and then…

Then they came and dug up the grave.

"I never imagined we'd end up digging up graves in a church cemetery!"

Katie was excitedly eager to try, even though it was a dark and stormy night for murder, she was as excited as if she were going to Cinderella's ball.

“Miss Katie, you seem really excited.”

Anthony, on the other hand, looked timid and hesitant, like a thief. Of course, judging from his appearance, he seemed more like someone who had just gotten out of bed with a beautiful woman and was very reluctant to come here to be exposed to the cold wind—a warm bed was much better than the cold night wind.

Because it's fun, isn't it?

"I don't know if it's interesting or not, but it is indeed quite rare."

Henry, carrying a shovel, shook his head. As a member of Levi's team and the main force in digging the grave, he knew that tonight's trip was unlikely to end well. "Alright, hurry up and dig. This is a secret operation."

Li Wei turned up the collar of his trench coat to cover his face and spoke in a low voice while holding the gas lamp.

Inspector Lestrade's investigation yielded startling results—Dr. Dolittle, Betty, and Alexander had all frequented this church; of course, everyone assumed they were devout believers attending services. Furthermore, Dr. Dolittle's body was buried there.

One more thing, Mrs. Durex's body was also buried here.

The fact that people connected to his case were all buried in this church cemetery, while not impossible, gave Li Wei a bad feeling. To paraphrase some detective novels, "In this world, there are no coincidences, only inevitabilities."

Now, the people buried in this church for three years are all connected to their cases.

"right here."

Li Wei raised the gas lamp and shone it on the tombstone.

"Let's start digging."

"Why……………"

Henry sighed and had no choice but to bite the bullet and start digging. Levi definitely wouldn't lift a finger, and Anthony didn't want to get his clothes dirty. Everyone knew Katie was very strong, but what kind of scene would it be with a group of grown men watching a young girl dig a grave?
As a soldier, Henry certainly couldn't allow himself to lose face like that, so he had no choice but to go himself.

The reason for choosing to operate stealthily like tomb raiders in the middle of the night, rather than directly sealing off the church, was that after discussing it with the old butler and Lestrade, Levi decided not to alert them. Currently, the Holy Episcopal Church still has several churches in the Fog City, which are considered the only remaining strongholds of the Holy Episcopal conservatives. If they hear rumors, they might do something drastic.

So the group of five had no choice but to become tomb raiders late at night.

"To be honest, I didn't expect this to be related to the Holy Bishops' Council at first, but thinking about it carefully, it's not surprising."

Anthony lit a cigarette and remarked with a sigh, while Levi nodded in agreement. Thinking about it carefully, from socialite assassins to vampire killers, the number of deaths wasn't large, but the main goal was to disrupt social order and stability, aiming to create social panic.

The Fog City is the capital of the empire; to pull off something like this in such a place is certainly not something a simple, dynamic organization could do. On the contrary, it's easier to understand why the Holy Church would do this. After all, they are currently hostile to Her Majesty the Queen, and based on experience from history books, Levi could guess with his own eyes why the Holy Church would do this.

It's nothing more than trying to create panic, then using that as a pretext to announce that the Queen is colluding with the devil, then throwing a stone statue into the river, killing a few fish, stuffing some paper inside, and having a few talking foxes howl in the forest or something...

So Sister Elizabeth didn't come along this time. After all, she was also a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, although it was a Protestant sect. Who knew if there were any spies among them?

"I'm saying, aren't you going to help me?"

Henry stopped what he was doing, glaring at Levi and Anthony with displeasure. A proper burial wasn't like a mass grave where you could just dig a hole and bury someone. The grave was nearly two meters deep, and the top layer of soil was compacted. They hadn't brought an excavator; did they really want to work themselves to death?

"I'll be in charge of keeping watch."

Li Wei decisively refused. Of course, he wasn't lying, because at that moment, Li Wei's puppet bird was standing on a branch above their heads. Right now, there was a small map similar to that in an FPS game in the lower right corner of Li Wei's field of vision. As long as he turned it on, he could see how many people were on it.

Li Wei would be able to spot anyone approaching immediately.

"This is a coat of top-quality fur, how can you bear to let me crawl into this pile of mud?"

Anthony spoke with such confidence, as if it were a matter of course to wear nice clothes and not waste them.

"Of course I could bear to, why don't I just take it off?"

"You want me to freeze to death?"

I want to strangle you!

Henry glared fiercely at Anthony.

"If I don't find a body later, I'll strangle you and throw you in!"

“I’ll do it, Mr. Henry.”

At this point, Katie couldn't resist and volunteered.

“I’m strong, digging this won’t be a problem.”

"Oh, how can I let such a delicate girl like you do this... Okay, I know you can do it."

Henry knew how strong Katie was; he'd seen her carrying a tall bookshelf and smashing it at the dolls in the haunted house. However, being a bit of a chauvinist, he felt bad making the girl do heavy work.

But looking at Levi and Anthony now, one feigning death and the other smoking, there was nothing he, a roughneck, could do. Levi was still their captain, and besides, back in the haunted house, they probably wouldn't have gotten out if it weren't for Levi. So Henry had no choice but to... ask Katie for help.

"Okay!"

Katie replied excitedly, then jumped down into the pit, grabbed a shovel, and immediately saw dust billowing out...

Li Wei took a look and felt it was even faster than an excavator.

Before long, as the grave was dug up, a coffin appeared before everyone. Henry didn't hesitate; he grabbed the lid and pulled it up sharply!
The coffin was opened, and everyone curiously peered inside. Li Wei also took a gas lamp and shone it closer.

Under the light of the gas lamp, there was nothing in the coffin.

(End of this chapter)