Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 82 Suspicion and Hidden Feelings
As the saying goes, the city is full of tricks, I want to go back to the countryside. The roads in the countryside are slippery too, and people's hearts are even more complicated.

Looking at the corpse in front of him, Li Wei felt that these words were just right.

Fortunately, Little Red Riding Hood was the first to discover the body. She had been delivering food and medicine to Aunt Dabir on behalf of her grandmother. When she arrived and knocked on the door, no one answered. Curious, Little Red Riding Hood pushed the door open and saw the crime scene. She then rushed to find Levi in ​​a panic.

This time, Li Wei learned from his mistake. He sent Little Red Riding Hood to inform the pastor and the village chief, and then cleared the area within two meters of the wooden house entrance. By the time the other villagers arrived, the village chief and the pastor had already kept them outside. Only then did Li Wei, eating hotpot and singing, enter the crime scene to begin his investigation.

The houses in these villages are actually no different from ordinary ones, and even their functions are quite similar. Fraser's body, who died yesterday, still lies on a wooden plank in the living room; he hasn't been buried immediately. According to Little Red Riding Hood, the custom here is for the deceased to stay in their own home one last night before departing early the next morning.

So logically, today should have been Frazier's funeral day.

Now... it might have to be postponed.

Beyond the corpse in the living room lay two pale, lifeless bodies in the bedroom. Based on the footprints, Li Wei could even guess what had happened the previous night. Most likely, the deceased's wife was crying, and her brother was comforting her. Then he helped her to the bedroom, and while comforting her, the two began to kiss—at least that's what the footprints suggested.

Li Wei even suspected that this wasn't the first time, judging from their behavior. Considering that he had heard during his investigation that Frazier's brother's wife had died years ago and he had remained single (which was why he brought his drunken brother home), it wasn't impossible that he and his brother's wife had something going on behind the scenes.

Hmm, especially considering that he often pays for his brother's drinks... Could there be some other meaning behind this money?
Unfortunately, this time Li Wei could no longer ascertain the truth by reading the diary. The country folk were mostly illiterate, not highly educated young people. Who would be so bored as to write a diary?

Alright, the excitement's over, let's begin the autopsy.

Li Wei collected his thoughts and went to the window, looking at the two corpses. Roger's body lay face down on the bed, with wounds on his back similar to his brother's. Clearly, the fatal blow was also the result of a claw attack from behind.

The woman's body, on the other hand, was rather strange. Her eyes were wide open, and her mouth was agape, as if she had seen a ghost. She didn't look like someone who had just been enjoying themselves.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. The man had his back to the murderer, while the woman was facing him. Even if Roger blocked her view at first, she would naturally see him after he was killed, and it would be natural for her to show a fearful expression.

Then there's the woman's wound... it's a bit strange.

Li Wei squinted, scrutinizing the wounds on the woman's chest—four sharp gashes piercing straight down from the center of her chest, tearing downwards almost completely slicing her open. This reminded Li Wei of the case of the socialite killer, except that wound had a certain aesthetic beauty, at least sharp and defined, with a beginning and an end.

But this wound looks like it was made by a wild beast, ferocious and savage, the wound so ripped open that even the internal organs were turned inside out... Hmm?

Li Wei looked down along the wound, and then he seemed to notice something, and frowned.

Sure enough, things got complicated.

After thoroughly examining the body, Li Wei called in the village chief and the pastor. As for the people outside, they had mostly dispersed after the initial excitement was over.

"How is it, Detective?"

The village chief was a bald man in his fifties, and at this moment he was also looking at Li Wei with a solemn expression and unease.

"Judging from the marks, they are very similar to the wounds that killed Mr. Frazier yesterday."

Li Wei didn't say they were the same, and in fact, although the scars were very similar, his [Trace Detection] skill reminded him that there were still some differences between the two.

Or to put it more simply, Frazier's wounds were caused by a left claw mark, while the fatal wounds of both men this time were all right claw marks.

It's normal in a way, but maybe the killer just wanted to use both hands simultaneously?

"So, they really were killed by werewolves?"

The village chief and the pastor both had stiff expressions; clearly, they were still unable to accept this fact.

"It's possible, at least judging from the wound, it doesn't look like it was caused by a human tool, and a human couldn't create such a wound with their bare hands."

“Oh, Almighty God…”

Upon hearing this, the priest quickly grasped the badge of the All-Seeing Eye and began to pray softly, while the village chief frowned deeply. Levi merely observed them for a moment before continuing.

"But if it was done by a wild animal, then there is a problem."

"what is the problem?"

"Where did that beast come from?"

Li Wei spread his hands and glanced around.

"Judging from the size of the claw marks, whatever the beast was, it was about the size of a full-grown horse. But the windows in this house obviously couldn't have let such a beast squeeze in."

Li Wei pointed to the nearby windows. Unlike those in the city, the windows in these rural villages were very small, about the size of a person's head. They were covered with wooden planks on the outside, probably because glass was difficult to obtain.

"Isn't it from the door?"

The village chief raised his own question.

"Indeed, the door was open at first, but there were no signs of impact or scratches on it."

Considering the state of the two deceased, Li Wei was certain that they hadn't heard any such noise at all, otherwise they wouldn't have been so relaxed.

He also checked the lock; it was very simple, even rudimentary. Considering there were no marks on the lock or the door, the murderer either picked the lock or used a key to enter. Only in this way could they have entered without disturbing the two people inside the bedroom who were passionately making out.

"Oh, there's one more question. I hope you can provide some clues."

"what is the problem?"

"The woman was pregnant. I found the body of an undeveloped fetus in her body, which I estimated to be about three months along."

This is the problem Li Wei found in the female victims. Although he wasn't sure if it was related to the current events, he still explained it to the two women. This was also thanks to Dr. Dolittle's "diagnosis"—no wonder he's a gynecologist who specializes in treating socialites; he's always spot-on.

Li Wei only needs to observe carefully to determine whether the woman in front of him is pregnant and how many months pregnant she is... although this skill is really useless to him.

He's not a gynecologist.

"Oh my god..."

Hearing Levi's explanation, the priest grew increasingly uneasy. He gripped the holy emblem tightly, closed his eyes, and muttered to himself. Levi simply stared at the two of them, then spoke again.

"So, I want to ask you some questions... about Mr. Frazier's brother, Mr. Roger, and Mr. Frazier's wife. Have there been any rumors about them?"

"You, what do you mean?"

"That's exactly what I meant."

While motive isn't usually the most important factor for police officers, it can sometimes be helpful in solving cases. For example, with Frazier's murder, everyone assumed he was just unlucky—going to relieve himself alone in a haystack and being attacked by a wild animal. But Levi always had some doubts; after all, out of so many people, how could he be the only one with bad luck?

Now that it has been discovered that Frazier's wife is pregnant and may have some kind of illicit relationship with Frazier's brother, possibly a relationship that has been going on for a long time, Li Wei immediately brought up this possibility again.

After all, the story of Pan Jinlian, Ximen Qing, and Wu Dalang has endured for centuries, and remains the same in any era and any world.

So here's the question: who is Wu Song in this story?

"I haven't heard any strange rumors."

The village chief shook his head, while the pastor… the pastor remained silent.

However, his reaction already proves the point.

"Dong dong dong."

Just as Li Wei was about to have a private talk with the pastor, there was another knock on the door, and Little Red Riding Hood ran in anxiously.

"No, something terrible has happened, Village Chief, Detective!"

"what happened?"

"Everyone says we should go and kill that wolf!"

Little Red Riding Hood's face was also pale at this moment, and she was biting her lip tightly.

"They said if they didn't kill the wolf, everyone would end up like the Fraser family! So they decided to go wolf hunting!"

"What a joke!"

Upon hearing this, the village chief immediately lost his composure.

"What wolves are they hunting? Do they even know where wolves are?!"

"They said they were going to the cave from last time, saying that the wolf was in that cave before, and it must be there this time too!"

"What a bunch of idiots!"

The village chief stormed out, the pastor hurriedly took his leave, and as for Li Wei… Li Wei couldn’t be bothered to care.

As the saying goes, "If it's going to rain, it'll rain; if a woman wants to marry, she'll marry. If she wants to leave her profession, let her go."

These villagers were courting death, and Li Wei felt he had no reason to stop them. Besides, he believed that a monster capable of picking locks, whatever its nature, was not something those villagers with hunting rifles could easily handle. Furthermore, he always felt that the villagers' legend of the wolf god was strange from the very beginning.

But now…

Li Wei glanced at Little Red Riding Hood.

"Do you know who in the village is most familiar with the story of how the wolf god was killed?"

"Ah, you've come to the right person!"

Upon hearing Li Wei's question, Little Red Riding Hood immediately replied excitedly.

“My grandma has always lived in the village, and she knows everything about it better than anyone else! Let me take you to see her!”

"Um……………"

Yesterday it was too late, so Li Wei declined the old lady's dinner invitation, but now... it's still early.

"Then please lead the way."

To Li Wei's surprise, Grandma Little Red Riding Hood's house was not in the village, but in a secluded wooden house on the outskirts of the village.

To be honest, in Li Wei's opinion, this place is clearly not related to safety.

"Welcome, young man."

Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother looked to be in her seventies or eighties. She was hunched over, with loose skin hanging down from her arms and face, and she was leaning on a cane.

The old man's room looked somewhat cluttered, with a small table and chairs that were rather inconvenient for a tall person. A strong, lingering scent of aromatherapy permeated the room.

When Li Wei entered the room, he almost sneezed from the smell.

"Haha, sorry, young man, these are just some of the old man's little hobbies."

Seeing Li Wei frown and touch his nose, the old lady gave him a kind and gentle smile. She then poured him a cup of tea and sat down opposite him. Little Red Riding Hood went behind the old lady and began to massage her shoulders.

"Grandma, the detective wants to ask you about the hunting of the wolf god decades ago."

"Ah, that matter..."

The old lady sighed and looked at Li Wei.

"What? Young man, do you think what's happening in the village now is related to what happened before?"

"It may or may not be possible, but I would still like to hear from you first, as it might be helpful for this case."

Li Wei still showed great respect to the elderly.

"Ah, I heard that earlier. Those young men must have gone hunting. How interesting. It reminds me of those days when those young men were just as spirited, carrying hunting rifles and spears, heading into the deep mountains, saying they were going to hunt down the wolf god and eliminate the calamity threatening the village..."

The old woman sighed as she spoke.

"I don't know the specifics, I only know that when they returned, they had lost many men. Two young men were dead, and four others were injured... Everyone carried the wolf's head back to the village, laughing and talking. Then there was a bonfire party in the village, it was really lively. However, some people say that killing the wolf brought a curse..."

"curse?"

"Yes."

The old lady nodded.

"The four young men who were injured at the time were the bravest among those who fought against the wolf god. Although they killed the wolf god, they were wounded. Not only that, in the years that followed, their wives died one after another for various reasons. Some went missing, and some died in accidents... Therefore, there are rumors that they were cursed by the wolf god when they killed it, which is why they lost their wives."

"I hope Mr. Roger isn't inside."

Upon hearing this, Li Wei narrowed his eyes slightly. The deceased Frazier's brother Roger's wife had passed away earlier, and considering his current age, he should have been a young and strong man thirty years ago, and it was very likely that he participated in that hunt.

“That’s right, Roger, Cohen, Mick, and Cornish.”

Mick, another familiar name.

Li Wei remembered that the homeless man who had falsely accused him of stealing the wolf's head was named Mick, and he was about the same age as him...

Who is Cohen?

"Cohen was the village blacksmith, but he passed away a few years ago. Fortunately, he had two sons, Charlie and Tommy, who have now taken over their father's profession. They're doing quite well."

"Where's Cornish?"

"He is now the village pastor."

“……………………This is interesting.”

After listening to the old lady's words, Li Wei's expression changed slightly.

So far, among all the people I've met who are connected to this case, so many are actually related to the wolf-hunting incident from back then.

"*（&*（……&*%……&%"

As Li Wei was pondering, a commotion gradually rose outside the window. The old woman looked up and gazed out the window.

"Oh dear, what happened?"

"Grandma, please sit down, I'll go take a look."

Little Red Riding Hood pressed down on the old lady's shoulder, helped her sit on the sofa, and then quickly ran out.

"Click."

The door closed, and the entire room fell into silence.

Li Wei picked up his teacup and then noticed that the old woman was staring at him with her somewhat cloudy eyes.

"You're an interesting lad."

Thank you for your compliment.

Li Wei raised his teacup and took a sip of tea.

"Hehe, no need to thank me. I've met a lot of people in my life, but it's rare to see someone as interesting and handsome as you. So... I have something to tell you."

"what's up?"

Hearing the seriousness and earnestness in the old woman's tone, Li Wei sat up and stared at her. The latter, however, remained in her previous position, leaning back on the sofa.

“The wolf god’s curse is real. This village is cursed. I’m too old to escape it. But the child is still young, so… consider this my request: I hope you can protect her. This is the only thing I can do for her.”

"Is the curse real?"

Li Wei stared at the old lady.

Could you please elaborate?

“It’s not that I don’t want to talk about it, I’m just saying it’s a feeling. I can sense that something, something evil, is lurking in the village. But that’s all I know. I’m old, my eyesight is failing, and I can’t move around easily. I can’t even pick up a hunting rifle to protect myself. So, I hope that child can leave this village, go to a big city, and get away from this barren and evil place…”

"Then, could you tell me what made you think this way?"

"………………………"

The old lady closed her eyes.

“There used to be many animals around this village. Birds, mice, weasels… But now, they’re all gone, they’ve all run away. They’re afraid of this place because there are bloodthirsty spirits here… Haven’t you ever heard any birds chirping?”

"Um……………"

Hearing the old woman's words, Li Wei also felt something was amiss. Generally speaking, in a rural area like this, there should be plenty of bird calls. But since he arrived, he hadn't heard a single bird call. He hadn't paid attention before, but now that the old woman had mentioned it… it did seem a bit strange.

"Grandma! Detective!"

Little Red Riding Hood pushed open the door of the wooden house and ran back, panting.

"The hunting party is back, and they even killed that hungry wolf! They brought back its carcass!"

(End of this chapter)