Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 35 Secret Base
Li Wei wholeheartedly supports this plan.

After all, many rumors and misinformation won't attract official attention unless they result in death or cause significant disruption. And local residents are unlikely to call the police based on a ghost story or a ridiculous rumor.

Conversely, writing these rumors into stories and sending them to the editorial department carries little risk. Li Wei and his team can also use these letters to identify signs of certain related mysterious events earlier.

Of course, such an investigation couldn't be carried out by Li Wei alone. According to the old butler, the authorities intended to make Li Wei a star and put him in the spotlight—as everyone knows, the more eye-catching the lead actor is, the better the extras can hide themselves.

That way, even if Li Wei doesn't go to a certain place to investigate, they will send other investigation teams there. Perhaps the other side will lower their guard when they see Li Wei isn't there, and then be caught off guard.

According to the old butler, the department has organized several investigation teams, mainly responsible for searching and researching the surrounding areas. Li Wei welcomed this wholeheartedly. He couldn't possibly run around the entire Fog City alone; it's a megacity of millions of people—was he kidding? He'd be exhausted after running around like that!

As for compensation, it's based on the number of cases Li Wei solves. Of course, the fixed fee isn't much, but all expenses incurred during Li Wei's investigations will be reimbursed...

Hmm, reimbursement, that's a really nice-sounding word.

After that, Li Wei finally got his wish and arrived at the secret base deep inside the editorial department—of course, it wasn't as secretive as 007's. Basically, the group got into an elevator, inserted special punch cards, and the elevator took them to the secret base in the basement of the building.

Unlike the editorial office, when Li Wei stepped out of the elevator, the first thing he saw was a heavy door that resembled a bank vault, and heavily armed soldiers standing guard outside.

"This is our command center."

The old butler remained upstairs, and this time, Mr. Benjamin Thomson was the one responsible for introducing Li Wei. He led Li Wei through the open, heavy metal door, and Li Wei then saw the narrow room inside, as well as a busy crowd.

"This is the communications processing center. All communications information, whether telegrams or telephone calls, will be recorded and readily accessible."

Benjamin pointed to the group of people who were busy nearby, then walked to the center of the basement.

"And here lies its heart, Mr. Levy. Come and witness our Difference Engine XIII—Contemplation!"

Li Wei walked forward, came to Benjamin's side, and looked up at the enormous creature before him.

It looked as tall as a two-story building, with a rectangular shape. From a distance, it resembled a colossal beast sculpted from solidified metal, its levers forming its skeleton and rotating gears its joints. The constantly turning bearings pulled and moved the gears, producing a dense, clicking sound, like raindrops pattering on the ground. Beside it, several researchers walked back and forth, occasionally glancing at the data spitting out of the printer and then sorting and storing it.

Li Wei didn't understand this thing, but he had to admit that witnessing such a great human creation firsthand, it was hard not to feel a sense of admiration and awe for machinery.

After all, this thing was made by human hands.

"It's truly spectacular."

Li Wei said with emotion, and Benjamin laughed heartily upon hearing this.

"This is nothing compared to what you see in Steel City. If you have the chance, you can go and see the difference engines there. They are truly magnificent... Alright, let's not talk about that anymore. Please come with me. I have a lot to show you."

Benjamin was no longer serious. He was as excited as a child who wanted to show his treasures to his friends, and he led Levi to the room with the sign that read "Laboratory".

Upon entering the room, Li Wei was greatly surprised by everything he saw.

The walls of this room were covered with all sorts of weapons, from heavy machine guns to pistols, various firearms and launchers were everywhere. It felt more like an armory than a laboratory.

“I have read your report. Those monsters are indeed difficult to deal with, and the existing weapons are unlikely to inflict serious damage on them.”

Benjamin tried his best to keep his tone serious, but Levi was certain that his "reconnaissance" picked up on the excitement and elation in his voice, as if a madman had finally found the right excuse to destroy everything.

"Therefore, I have prepared brand new ammunition for your weapon... May I see your gun?"

Li Wei drew his revolver and handed it over. The latter took it with both hands and then examined it carefully.

"Ah, very good, a general-purpose .455 caliber, what a beauty, does she have a name?"

"not yet."

"I suggest you give this gun a name, because it will be your closest comrade-in-arms and your companion through life and death. It will never abandon you, never frustrate you or forsake you, never make you cry, never say goodbye to you, and never hurt you with lies. In a way, a gun is a man's most reliable lover, unlike a woman."

"That's a good idea."

Li Wei nodded. Indeed, this gun had helped him many times. Perhaps he should give it a name. Hmm... Li Wei stared at the weapon in front of him and remained silent for a moment.

"Let's call her the Persuader."

Li Wei believed that few people would not be convinced once they saw it.

"Good name."

Benjamin gave a compliment, then bent down, took out several wooden boxes from underneath, and opened them.

Inside were bullets.

"This is a new type of ammunition that I developed based on your previous report. Of course, I also referenced some local legends."

"Oh?"

Li Wei walked over and saw Benjamin take out several red bullets. "First is this one, I call it Hellfire. It uses a chemical called phosphorus. Once you fire it and it hits the target, it will automatically explode, and the phosphorus inside will spray out and stick to the target's body. Then it will automatically burn, and it's very difficult to extinguish even with water."

As he spoke, Benjamin walked to the wall, pressed a button, and the wall rose up, revealing the shooting range on the other side. Benjamin handed a bullet to Levi, staring at him excitedly.

"Come on, give it a try! I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

"…………………"

Li Wei silently looked at the bullet, then opened the magazine, loaded it, raised the muzzle, aimed at the human-shaped target on the shooting range, and pulled the trigger.

"boom!"

As the gunshots rang out, the humanoid target in the distance was instantly engulfed in flames.

"Yes! That's it!"

Benjamin excitedly pumped his fist.

"Next time you encounter a similar monster, this will definitely be the way to go! Oh, by the way, these bullets need to be stored specially. You don't want them to suddenly explode in your pocket, do you?"

Of course.

Looking at the burning target in the distance, Li Wei's expression was somewhat complicated. On the one hand, he admitted that this thing was indeed extremely powerful, but on the other hand... didn't this power seem a bit too much?

"Look at this again."

Benjamin couldn't wait to show Levi yet another new toy of his: a gray bullet.

"The Curse of Ashes: I added mercury to the bullet. As soon as the bullet enters the target's body, the mercury in the bullet will spray out and quickly penetrate into every part of the internal organs... It's just that it's hard to see on the surface. If you shoot the opponent, they may die before they even realize what's happening."

Benjamin showed it to Li Wei and then put it aside.

"Perhaps I should find you a dog to try?"

"Uh... I think it's better not to."

"Yeah, I tried it before. Once it died, it couldn't be eaten anymore, which was a waste."

As he spoke, Benjamin pushed the bullets to the other side and took out a bunch of silver-white bullets.

“They… well, they are silver bullets.”

"Silver bullet?"

"That's right, silver bullets."

Benjamin could not hide his helplessness and confusion.

"As I said, I consulted some local legends, which say that many monsters, ghosts, and spirits are afraid of silver weapons. Aren't vampires and werewolves even killed by silver swords? So I wanted to make some silver bullets to see if they would work. But unfortunately, I can't test that. After all, I can't find any ghosts, vampires, or werewolves. However, I can guarantee that for ordinary people, their power will be no different from that of ordinary bullets."

"I'll give it a try, and hopefully it will work."

Li Wei wasn't sure if it would work, but at least it was better than nothing.

"Then it's up to you. I look forward to hearing your user feedback."

Benjamin gave an expectant smile, giving Li Wei the feeling that he would say "give me a five-star review" at any moment.

"Also, I've prepared a small gift for you."

As he spoke, Benjamin walked to the side and handed something to Li Wei. Li Wei took it curiously and saw that it was a rather ornate silver cane with great artistic value.

"This is not a walking stick."

As expected, Benjamin clearly wasn't going to give Levi any artwork. He took the cane from Levi again and then triumphantly turned the mechanism. Levi then saw the cane instantly crack open with a hissing sound, the trigger popping out from the handle, the cracked casing forming a support. At the same time, the gun's rear sprang up, revealing a sniper scope inside.

"I figured you'd really need to do reconnaissance from a distance, so I specially prepared this weapon for you. It's bolt-action, with a range of about 800 meters, and it uses 7.7x56mm ammunition. I even specially equipped it with armor-piercing rounds, hoping you'll find it useful. And that's not all..."

As he spoke, Benjamin pressed a button in the shadows of the armrest. With a "whoosh," a short bayonet shot out from under the muzzle, gleaming with a sharp, cold light.

“You can also take it apart and use it as a dagger; I think these would be perfect for you.”

"It's really good."

Looking at the strange cane in his hand, Li Wei's lips twitched slightly, but he ultimately smiled and nodded to Benjamin.

"Thank you so much for the gift, I love it."

(End of this chapter)