Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 11 Showdown (Happy Dragon Boat Festival everyone!)
Levi gripped his pistol and glanced toward the doorway. He then saw Officer Fletcher walk in with his hands raised, followed by a short figure—no doubt, it was Dr. Doolittle.

He was holding a gun to Officer Fletcher's back, his face flushed, staring at them with a ferocious and serious expression.

"…………………"

Levi frowned and remained silent, while Katie was clearly at a loss as to what to do about this unexpected turn of events.

"Drop the gun you're holding, now!"

"And then you let this monster kill us? Do you take me for an idiot?"

At this moment, Inspector Lestrade clutched his wound, gritted his teeth, and glared fiercely at Dr. Dolittle. Clearly, he wasn't going to surrender so easily, and Dr. Dolittle roared in response.

"Then I'll kill him!"

"Then go ahead and do it!"

Inspector Lestrade was clearly not intimidated by Dr. Doolittle's bluff; he stared at Dr. Doolittle with wide eyes.

“We finally found this monster, we absolutely cannot let it get away! You can kill him, but we will kill this monster too! At least that way, the world will be a safer place! He's a policeman, he knows his duty!”

"…………………"

For a moment, Inspector Lestrade and Dr. Dolittle stared at each other, locked in a stalemate. Clearly, at this point, any rash action could lead to unpredictable consequences. Katie clenched her small fists, glanced at the monster, then at Dr. Dolittle, and ultimately remained standing there, wary of the monster's movements.

At this moment, Li Wei spoke up.

"Although I don't want to think this way, this monster... could it be Miss Emilia?"

"Hey?"

Katie was taken aback by what Li Wei said, while Dr. Dolittle's expression darkened.

"How did you know?"

"My guess."

Li Wei glanced at the monster that was still howling on the ground.

“When we investigated the bodies before, we found that they were dissected very professionally, not like an amateur’s work. And I also heard that Emilia was a top student in the Royal Academy of Medicine, very skilled in human anatomy and anatomy, and yet she died…”

As he spoke, Li Wei glanced at the monster again.

"However, her current state is truly beyond my expectations."

"This is only temporary!"

Dr. Du Lide gritted his teeth.

"As long as the ritual is completed, Emilia will be fully resurrected!"

"So you killed those courtesans and took their organs?"

Li Wei raised an eyebrow and stared at Dr. Dolittle, who nodded in response.

"It seems you really do know quite a bit, but that's not surprising..."

Of course! Seeing that eerie magic circle and those glass jars filled with internal organs on the operating table, anyone could guess what was going on. As someone born into an information-saturated society, isn't that exactly what the cultists in those horror movies Li Wei watched did?

"But why a socialite?"

At this point, Lestrade spoke up.

"If you want to kill, there are so many people you could kill. Why do you have to kill those poor socialites?"

"Because they are sinners."

This time, Dr. Dolittle's answer was very calm.

"The Holy Lord granted them new life; those lives came into this world as their salvation. Yet, these sinners, for their own selfish gain, killed them! Parricide is a grave crime! A heinous offense! They must be punished!"

As he spoke, Dr. Dolittle began to recite in a low voice.

"The Holy Lord created all things in this world, and all living beings are His miracles and our brothers and sisters. Those who wantonly take away life will surely be punished!"

Then, he raised his head again and stared at the two of them.

"The blood of sinners can turn everything upside down, and the flesh of sinners will bring new life! As long as enough sinner marks are collected, Emilia can be resurrected...! Those courtesans deserved to die! They were foolish, depraved, and didn't even respect the teachings of God! They must be punished!"

"This is insane..."

Upon hearing Dr. Doolittle's reply, Inspector Lestrade gritted his teeth.

“But I still don’t understand.”

However, Li Wei was still very puzzled.

"With so many social butterflies around, how can you guarantee that this monster will kill the right person every time? I mean, it doesn't seem to have much intelligence."

Li Wei glanced at the monster again; it was now lying on the ground, glaring angrily at them.

But as for how intelligent this monster is, that's hard to say. Li Wei figured it couldn't possibly be like an assassin, searching for people one by one with photos.

"And what are those little monsters?"

"Of course I have a way."

Dr. Dolittle gave a cold laugh.

“I ground one of Emilia’s finger bones into powder and mixed it into the medicine. That way, as soon as those sinners take the medicine, Emilia will sense them and kill them! As for those little monsters, they are none other than the children of those courtesans! They were not truly killed; I saved their abandoned lives!”

"what!?"

Upon hearing this, Katie exclaimed in surprise, glancing uneasily at the corpses of the little monsters around her, and instinctively took a step back.

Good heavens, this is really something.

Li Wei could only sigh silently. He used to think the world was quite scientific, but now it seemed that the world wasn't so scientific after all.

Hmm? No, that's not right. Judging from the monster's movement pattern... I've got it.

Thinking of this, Li Wei suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

"Then how about we each take a step back?"

He stared at Dr. Dolittle and began to speak.

“I can release this monster, but you have to release Officer Fletcher.”

"...?"

Hearing Levi's words, Lestrade paused for a moment, but remained silent. Katie opened her mouth as if to say something, but ultimately said nothing. Dr. Dolittle pondered for a moment, then glanced at Lestrade. "But this inspector seems to have a different opinion."

"Human life is very precious, and each person only has one life."

Li Wei sighed.

“We hope to guarantee Officer Fletcher’s safety, and you will take this monster and leave this place. I swear to God, I will never kill you.”

For people in this world, oaths still carry considerable weight, especially those oaths made by people of high status.

As he spoke, Levi put down his revolver and threw it on the ground. Officer Fletcher was shocked to see this.

“Mr. Levi, you can’t do this! Inspector Lestrade is right! We must destroy that monster! Don’t worry about me…!”

"...Where is the police inspector?"

"……………snort."

Inspector Lestrade glanced at Levi, who gave him a meaningful look, so he could only snort coldly and remain silent. Seeing this, Dr. Doolittle also laughed.

"Very well, I can agree to your request. Indeed, the empire is so vast that staying here would be unwise. Now, get out of my way!"

Upon hearing Dr. Dolittle's words, Levi raised his hands and stepped back. Dr. Dolittle, meanwhile, pressed his gun against Officer Fletcher, cautiously approached the monster, and then kicked Officer Fletcher in the backside, sending him flying. At the same time, he didn't forget to keep his gun aimed at the man.

Katie stood to the side, glaring angrily at him like a baring-toothed puppy, but considering the gun in his hand, she also refrained from making any rash moves.

"Alright, then we'll take our leave now. Hopefully, we won't meet again."

"We certainly won't."

Li Wei nodded.

"But I have one last question."

"what is the problem?"

"The Holy Lord created all things in this world, and all living beings are His miracles and our brothers and sisters. Those who wantonly take away life will be punished."

Li Wei stared at Dr. Dolittle and recited the passage of scripture he had just read.

"Then, doctor, who plotted to kill those poor women, aren't you also a sinner? After all, in the Holy Scriptures, only the Holy Lord has the authority to condemn and punish, while humans have no right to carry out disciplinary actions in the name of the Holy Lord. Aren't you afraid that your actions are blasphemous?"

So what if he's a sinner?

Dr. Dolittle clearly dismissed this.

"I only wish that Emilia, my only daughter, can live... As long as she can live, I would gladly become a sinner..."

"Pfft."

Before Dr. Dolittle could finish speaking, a flash of cold light appeared on his throat. Immediately afterward, blood gushed out. His eyes widened as he turned to see the monster staring coldly at him, its eyes devoid of any pity.

“——————!!”

Looking at the monster before him, Dr. Dolittle opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but it was too late.

The next moment, the monster's blade pierced into Dr. Dolittle's body.

Meanwhile, Li Wei picked up the gun he had thrown on the ground and aimed it at the monster. The monster was now engrossed in cutting into Dr. Doolittle's body; its thin arms were so agile, like those of a skilled surgeon.

Li Wei glanced at Dr. Dolittle, who was now completely lifeless.

"I told you, I would never kill you."

Li Wei spoke quietly, then aimed at the monster in front of him and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

“Bang bang bang bang bang bang!!!”

This time, Li Wei fired all six bullets into the monster's head in one go, and the monster let out a wail, collapsed to the ground, and never reacted again.

Only then did everyone realize what was happening and look at the scene before them in astonishment.

"What, what's going on?"

Katie blinked, looking puzzled.

Why would this monster target Dr. Dolittle?

"Because he is a sinner."

Li Wei put away his gun and looked at Dr. Doolittle, whose abdomen had been disemboweled.

"He said that this monster needs the flesh and blood of sinners to be resurrected, so it will definitely target sinners, or at least those it deems sinners."

"But if that's the case, why didn't this monster make a move earlier?"

"Perhaps Dr. Dolittle hadn't considered this aspect before; perhaps he still saw himself as a righteous messenger acting on behalf of God."

Li Wei chuckled.

"That's why I decided to give it a try and see if the monster would attack him if he admitted to being a sinner... Hmm, it seems I guessed right. I have to say, it's really... a bit amazing."

Upon hearing Levi's explanation, Katie and Officer Fletcher were completely dumbfounded, never expecting such a solution.

"and many more."

Just then, Katie suddenly thought of a question.

"What if your method doesn't work? Are you really going to just watch them escape?"

"how is this possible?"

Li Wei glanced at Katie silently. Her once fair face was now covered in black dust and blood, with only her blue eyes blinking, which was rather cute.

“I’ll definitely knock the gun out of Dr. Doolittle’s hand first, let you deal with him, and then I’ll take the opportunity to kill that monster. I think with your skills, dealing with an old man who has difficulty walking shouldn’t be a problem.”

"Ugh...that's what they say..."

Katie's expression was clearly complicated at this moment. Obviously, even if she could fight against strange and distorted monsters, it didn't mean she enjoyed beating up old people who couldn't fight back.

"In any case, it's all over now."

Li Wei withdrew his gaze and looked at the mess in front of him.

"The rest is up to the police."

(End of this chapter)