Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 79 Wolf Head Village

Li Wei didn't know if the story of Little Red Riding Hood existed in this world, but now it seemed as if he himself had truly entered into this story.

According to this girl—let's call her Little Red Riding Hood—her parents worked in a forest near the Fog City, so Little Red Riding Hood lived there as well. Their original home was in Wolf's Head Village, near the Delicat Mountains, but now only her grandmother still lives there.

On her days off, Little Red Riding Hood would bring food and drinks that her parents had bought from the city to visit her grandmother. Of course, because of the long distance, she would usually ride in the timber transport vehicles of the forest farm, and occasionally hitch a ride in a passing horse-drawn carriage.

However, she was unlucky this time and couldn't get a ride. Logically, it wouldn't be a problem if she didn't go back. But a letter from Wolf Head Village said that Grandma was sick, so the family was very worried. Therefore, even though she didn't get a ride, Little Red Riding Hood still decided to visit Grandma.

As for why she suddenly rushed onto the road, it was because when she was walking by the roadside, Little Red Riding Hood felt as if there were some wild animals around her. At that moment, the bushes suddenly shook, which frightened her and made her rush onto the road.

Along the way, Levi and Little Red Riding Hood chatted quite a bit. Using the conversational skills he learned from Inspector Lestrade, Levi had figured out everything about Little Red Riding Hood. Clearly, she was just an ordinary girl, and at least for now, there was nothing special about her.

But… Little Red Riding Hood… and Wolf Head Village… um…

To call it a coincidence would be an absurdity.

In short, you'll know once you go there.

Livy's steam engine was certainly faster than Little Red Riding Hood's two legs. Around afternoon, Little Red Riding Hood suddenly excitedly stretched out her hand and pointed out the window.

"Ah, over there, sir, that's the road to Wolf Head Village."

Following the direction Little Red Riding Hood was pointing, Li Wei saw a bumpy dirt road beside the asphalt road, with the accumulated ruts of horse-drawn carriages visible on it. Li Wei then turned the steering wheel and drove off the asphalt road onto this country lane.

As the Phantom entered the alley, Li Wei felt only a slight jolt, but nothing serious. Hmm, it seems the earthquake-resistant technology in this world is quite impressive.

Li Wei drove into the depths of the woods for about ten minutes, and a village appeared before him.

Compared to the concrete jungle of Chongqing, this place seems more primitive and backward; at least as far as the eye can see, all the houses are built of stone and wood. A wooden wall surrounds the village.

Hmm... If you told me I'd traveled back to the Middle Ages, I'd believe it.

But that's not surprising. Even in his world, there are some isolated villages in modern times, living a backward and impoverished life. Apart from having water and electricity, they are almost no different from this place...

"boom!"

Gunshots rang out, and Li Wei slammed on the brakes, bringing the Phantom to a stop once more. Immediately afterward, several men armed with hunting rifles appeared from the village gate, raising their guns and aiming at Li Wei's car.

"Stop! What is that? Is anyone inside?"

"It's Uncle Hunter! Sir, please let me out of the car, I'll explain everything to them!"

Upon seeing the men, Little Red Riding Hood hurriedly spoke up, while Li Wei raised an eyebrow, opened the car door, and got out.

As the car door rose, the farmers grew increasingly nervous. They raised their shotguns and stared at the door, then saw a figure emerge from it…

"boom!"

Gunshots rang out again. Before the farmers could react, they felt a tremendous impact. Before they could even react, the hunting rifles they were holding fell to the ground one after another.

"Please don't point your guns at my car."

Li Wei silently raised the persuader in his hand.

"This is a brand new car, it would be bad if it got scratched."

The atmosphere instantly became tense. Li Wei narrowed his eyes, staring at the villagers blocking his way. They were also stunned by the sudden attack and didn't know what to do. However, Li Wei wouldn't give them another chance to pick up their guns. If they dared to move again, he would once again let them taste [bouncing fire].

However, to be fair, this trick is really effective.

Li Wei held up his gun, inwardly marveling at the sight. Just moments ago, when he activated [Bouncing Shot], a very clear trajectory of the bullet appeared before his eyes, including the direction it would go, where it would hit, and where it would bounce off—he could see it all at a glance.

The shot just now was fired by Li Wei. He first hit the barrel of the gun held by the hunter on the left, then the bullet ricocheted off the barrel of the middle hunter's gun, deflected it, and then bounced down to the ground before hitting the handle of the third hunter's gun. That's how he was able to disarm all three men with a single shot.

Putting everything else aside, this trick is indeed very effective at putting on a show.

Seeing the wary looks in the eyes of the villagers opposite him, Li Wei smiled smugly to himself. He wasn't particularly intimidating, so he was sometimes easily perceived as a weak and helpless pretty boy.

But now...

"Uncle Hunter!"

Just when the atmosphere between the two sides was tense, Little Red Riding Hood's appearance finally changed the situation and averted a dangerous turn of events.

"Oh, child, what are you doing here?"

Upon seeing Little Red Riding Hood appear, the leader of the hunters was quite surprised, and Little Red Riding Hood stepped forward and gently hugged him.

"I came back to see my grandma."

"Really? There were no horse-drawn carriages from the forest farm today. I thought you weren't coming back..."

"I hitched a ride with this kind person on the street; he's not a bad person."

Little Red Riding Hood explained to the hunter while looking at everyone with a puzzled expression.

"But why is everyone so nervous? Has something happened in the village?"

"…………………"

Hearing Little Red Riding Hood's question, the hunter's expression darkened slightly. Seeing the hunter's reaction, Little Red Riding Hood's face also changed drastically. "Could it be Grandma…?"

"No, no, no, Mrs. Greta is in good health. Although she was ill before, she is well now... Actually..."

The hunter hesitated for a moment, then spoke in a low voice.

"The village has been attacked by werewolves."

"Werewolf?"

"Yes, Frazier is dead, we're all very nervous..."

Werewolf?

Upon hearing this, Li Wei, who had come closer, immediately had his eyes light up.

Isn't this a coincidence?
"That's interesting. Could you tell me what happened? I heard someone died."

"This is none of your business, you outsider!"

Upon seeing Li Wei, the hunter's expression turned grim again.

"This is a matter for our village, we'll handle it ourselves! It has nothing to do with you!"

"I'm afraid that's not the case."

Li Wei reached into his pocket, took out his ID, and showed it to the other person.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Li Wei. I am a detective and a special investigation consultant for the Chongqing Police Department. I suspect that a murder has occurred here, and therefore request an investigation."

As he spoke, Li Wei kept his eyes fixed on the hunter.

"Or do you want me to go back and report to the police? Then next time I won't be the only one coming."

Li Wei is a man of his word. Her Majesty the Queen's commission cannot be publicized for the sake of secrecy, but if someone dies in your little village, can't I call in people?

Believe it or not, if I go back now, I can send the police to completely surround your little village overnight.

Perhaps it was Li Wei's threat, or perhaps the police badge on his identification had an effect, but ultimately, the villagers agreed to let Li Wei into the village. Li Wei, without any hesitation, swaggered into the village through the gate.

For a village that was practically still living in the Middle Ages, Levi's car was like an alien arrival. Many people curiously gathered around, pointing and whispering about Levi's Phantom. However, Levi didn't care about these trivial matters. He believed that no ignorant villager would dare to touch his car.

The first thing Li Wei needs to do right now is, naturally, to perform an autopsy.

Although Li Wei did not acquire the [Dissection] skill, the [Trace Examination] skill effectively filled this gap. Moreover, Li Wei did not need to dissect; he could guess the cause of death by simply looking at the external wounds.

The victim's family was reluctant to perform an autopsy on Li Wei, but Li Wei said he just wanted to take a look and didn't intend to cut the body open, so they eventually agreed.

Li Wei soon saw the corpse.

The body was still fresh, having only been discovered this morning. However, unlike the autopsy rooms where forensic doctors conduct examinations on television, Li Wei could only conduct the examination in the deceased's home, by the bedside, surrounded by a group of relatives.

"The time of death should be around midnight."

Li Wei conducted a brief examination of the body and quickly drew a conclusion.

"He must have drunk a lot at the time. Does he drink often?"

"Yes, sir."

A peasant woman nearby, sobbing, replied, "She's probably the deceased's wife."

“After finishing his work each day, he would go to the tavern to drink and wouldn’t come back until closing time.”

"But he didn't come back last night. Did you look for him last night?"

"No."

The peasant woman shook her head.

“Sometimes when he gets drunk, he'll take him back to his brother's house to sleep. I hate how he is when he's drunk, especially when he's completely out of his mind, hitting anything he sees… So when he didn't come home last night, I just assumed he went to his brother's house again, but I never expected…”

As she spoke, the peasant woman covered her face with her hands and burst into tears.

Li Wei silently turned the body over and carefully examined the wounds on the back. Then he observed the marks on the deceased's feet.

"This should be the fatal wound, a single blow that kills."

Li Wei stared at the wounds on the dead man's back, which looked as if they had been torn apart by the claws of some ferocious beast, leaving several bloody, deep wounds that exposed the bone.

It certainly doesn't seem like something that could be made with ordinary weapons.

Li Wei turned the body over again, laid it down, pondered for a moment, and then looked at the hunter who had been watching him intently.

"Take me to the place where the dead were found."

Then, he spoke.

(End of this chapter)