Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 86 Clues
Setting a fire sometimes requires a bit of skill.

For example, you have to drag the bodies together, then spread fuel all over them, and then set them on fire... Of course, in this environment, burning them to ashes isn't easy, but adding a few handfuls of firewood isn't impossible. Li Wei also kindly gifted him a few white phosphorus incendiary grenades—now that he has a car, he naturally carries more things with him.

Flames shot skyward, tearing through the pitch-black night. Li Wei stood beside the carriage, silently watching the wooden house burning fiercely in the distance. The flames illuminated the surrounding darkness with a bright red glow.

For Li Wei, this case was somewhat strange—the monsters he had encountered in the Fog City before were mostly based on rumors.

But this one actually seems more like a local specialty.

"Detective, what are your plans next? How am I supposed to explain this to everyone?"

"Either tell the truth, or say they bravely sacrificed themselves in the fight against the Black Wolf and were burned to ashes. The choice is yours."

Li Wei raised his chin and pointed to the burning wooden house in front of him.

"But what if there are still...?"

"You can try this."

Li Wei took out a silver bullet and handed it to the village chief. He had already tested it on the corpses of Black Wolf and Charlie; upon contact with the silver bullet, their skin underwent a change similar to sulfuric acid corrosion. Clearly, werewolves do have weaknesses, but he wondered what was wrong with this local werewolf…

We still need to go back and check out that wolf god's cave.

For Wolf Head Village, it was a chaotic night.

After being attacked by monsters and then spending half the night staking out the square, with bright, dazzling flames erupting in the distance, the villagers were exhausted, both physically and mentally. They dared not say anything, only huddled together, trembling, waiting—until the village chief returned, looking utterly weary.

The village chief's job was to cover up the lie; Li Wei didn't care. Only after the cabin was completely burned to ashes did Li Wei return to the village. The remaining werewolf corpse, which had been transformed from the homeless man Mick, had already been burned to ashes by the villagers.

It has to be said, fire is truly a wonderful thing. Now, when Li Wei encounters monsters, his solution is always to burn them first. After all, no matter what kind of monster it is, as long as you burn it to ashes, you won't have to worry about these guys coming out to cause trouble again.

After all, many horror movies have similar experiences. If you bury the monster or sink it underwater, a hand might suddenly emerge from underground after the credits roll, or a corpse that has been submerged in water might suddenly open its eyes.

Li Wei had absolutely no interest in making a sequel, so even if he couldn't burn everything to ashes, burning everything down to the bones would be a good option.

He refused to believe that something that had turned into bones could still rise up and cause trouble.

In short, Li Wei believes that the cleaner the burn, the lower the potential risks.

Conversely, it's hard to say; there's a possibility they might have to visit the set of the sequel.

Then, he cooperated with the village chief and used silver bullets to check everyone in the village.

Thankfully, no one else has mutated.

The village chief breathed a sigh of relief.

However, Li Wei did not relax, because for him, this was not the end.

It is not the beginning.

"This is it..."

Carrying a gas lamp, Li Wei walked into the dark cave, looking around. The cave was located halfway up the mountain outside the village, relatively high up. In the past, climbing such a high mountain would have exhausted Li Wei, but now he had his own way.

The method involves first manipulating the puppet bird to fly to a stable spot on the mountain, and then using [Shadow Shift] to directly transfer the positions of himself and the puppet bird. After repeating this several times, there's no need to climb the hill anymore.

It has to be said that after reaching level three as a [Puppeteer], Li Wei felt much safer, thanks to the incredible convenience of [Shadow Shift]. Now, Li Wei can venture deep into the cave alone without fear of any accidents. He has already placed the puppet outside the cave as a lookout, so even if the entire cave collapses, Li Wei can easily use [Shadow Shift] to switch positions with the puppet.

Furthermore, to complement this ability, Li Wei specifically asked Eileen to make some small doll toys. They were like the kind of plastic animal or insect toys sold in modern markets, made specifically for three- or four-year-old children, that could be pulled along by a rope.

They're just smaller, no bigger than a button or a watch. As long as these toy figures are kept in a safe place and within Li Wei's control, he can return to the city anytime, anywhere. Besides, these toys aren't worth much anyway, so losing them won't be a big deal.

What Li Wei threw at the entrance of the cave was a coin-sized insect doll that could be moved by pulling on a string. No one would notice it if it were thrown into the mud.

The caves are very dangerous. Although Li Wei had already used his [Soul Vision] to look inside and didn't find any wild animals or anything like that, the caves themselves are still very dangerous. Many caves are full of holes, and once you go in, you're surrounded by countless twists and turns. You might not even realize where you came from, and then you'll suffocate inside.

If Li Wei hadn't used a puppet to create an opening at the entrance so he could return to the city at any time, he wouldn't have dared to come in.

The cave was a mess, but fortunately, Li Wei found a solution easily—Little Red Riding Hood seemed to have been here before. Li Wei found her footprints without much effort and then followed them deeper into the cave.

After wandering around in circles for what seemed like forever, Li Wei finally arrived at a cave deep within the mountains.

And this was also his destination.

"This is where the mountain god lives."

Li Wei held up the gas lamp, looking at the cave before him. Thirty years had passed, and almost nothing remained in the cave. There were only some remnants of cloth and dilapidated tables and chairs. But the most eye-catching items were a tin teapot and teacups placed in a corner of the cave.

Well, this wolf god seems to have some zest for life.

Li Wei walked to the table and carefully examined the items laid out there. Many were personal belongings, such as plates, cutlery, tea sets, and even some books, though these were badly corroded; they crumbled at the slightest touch. "Hmm..."

Li Wei stared at the ruins of the cave, remaining silent.

If the villagers hadn't confirmed it was a wolf, he would have suspected that a person lived there... Perhaps, it was originally a person?

Considering that Charlie and his friends can switch between human and wolf forms, and Little Red Riding Hood can also transform into both human and wolf forms at will, then the people living here can live as humans on ordinary days and only turn into wolves when necessary.

Moreover, unlike in the legends, the werewolf that is killed will not revert to human form, but will remain in the form it was killed in. This may be the origin of the wolf head.

So here's the question: if this guy can turn into a human, why does he still live in seclusion? He could easily blend into the village or even the foggy city—big cities offer better concealment, and unless he's constantly howling at night, he's generally unlikely to be discovered.

Or perhaps he has a reason to live a secluded life...?

Li Wei was rummaging through the things on the table when he suddenly saw a metallic glint in a hole in the drawer. He immediately reached out and carefully opened the drawer, which was almost completely rotten except for the base. Inside, he saw a badge lying quietly.

The badge was filthy, but the quality seemed to be acceptable. Li Wei picked it up and took out a handkerchief to wipe it for a long time, removing most of the dust and other dirt before he could see the design clearly.

The emblem is circular, with a sharp blade standing upright in the center. A claw extends out, grips the hilt, and pierces the ground. Vines and figs surround the emblem.

This is… Upon seeing this, Li Wei's eyes paused slightly. He knew this was the crest of some kind of family. Normally, Li Wei wouldn't know which family it belonged to. But coincidentally, before setting off from Fog City, Li Wei had seen a similar pattern.

This is the coat of arms of the Baskerville family.

At the same time, a system notification appeared in Li Wei's mind.

[Quest "Exploration" Completed]

Is this the hidden secret of Wolf Head Village?
Looking at the mission completion notification, Levi frowned. It seemed that everything that happened in Wolfhead Village could indeed be traced back to this place, and everything here was related to the Baskerville family… In other words, the next step was to go to the Delicat region and investigate with the main perpetrators.

Li Wei silently put away the badge and continued looking at the mission evaluation in front of him.

[Time Spent: A]

Survey efficiency: S

[Impact/Effect: A]

Overall Rating: S

The time spent and the impact were reduced to a lower level because his investigation took too long. A super detective like him would probably have figured it out on the first night. However, Li Wei remained calm. Regardless, the problem was solved, and he was alive—that was enough.

Then comes the reward...

[Lifespan +40, additional +10]

It's relatively low, only a little over a month, but it's better than nothing.

[Special Skill Selection]

[A keen sense of smell/rapid speed/camouflage and transformation]

These must all be Little Red Riding Hood's skills.

Li Wei took a closer look. The skill [Sensitive Sense of Smell] was quite simple, just like a dog, able to smell all sorts of scents. — Li Wei thought he should pass on this skill. Compared to smelling things himself, he might as well raise a dog. Besides, sniffing around like a dog didn't suit his style.

【Rapid Speed】is an acceleration skill that can increase Li Wei's speed by 120% for a short period of time. Moreover, it is an all-around acceleration, and the speed will increase regardless of the action.

【Disguise and Transformation】is the same skill used by Little Red Riding Hood. However, unlike Little Red Riding Hood, Li Wei doesn't need to eat the target to transform. Simply put, as long as he can obtain the target's information and intelligence, as well as the items on the target's body, he can use these to transform and become identical to the original person from head to toe.

The more detailed the information, the more perfect the disguise will be.

Li Wei initially abandoned [A Keen Sense of Smell], then hesitated between [Rapid Speed] and [Disguise], and finally Li Wei chose...

【Camouflage (LV1): By collecting data on the target, you can transform yourself into the target's form. The more detailed the data, the higher the level of camouflage. Consumes 5 minutes/second】

That's it.

Li Wei silently chose to confirm. The essence of [Rapid Speed] is acceleration, which he could compensate for with [Death's Eye]. However, the ability [Disguise and Transformation] was extremely important, since it was common for detectives to disguise themselves during investigations.

Li Wei usually stands out too much, making it hard for him to go unnoticed on the street. Now, with this skill, he can disguise his identity and act in secret.

well.

Seeing that the skill [Disguise] was placed after [Disguise] and silently increased the [Disguise] value by 10 points, Li Wei nodded in satisfaction.

That's all over here. Now, let's see what happens on the Baskerville family's side.

(End of this chapter)