Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 122 Secret Action
The reporter was indeed very quick.

The next morning, when Li Wei got up, a newspaper with the smell of ink was already placed in front of him.

Is he a champion of justice or a guardian of power? What is the true identity of the Phantom Assassin?

Looking at the newspaper in front of him, Li Wei could easily imagine that the person on the other side must be extremely anxious right now.

He wasn't afraid of the news not reporting it, because of their background, Melesians are naturally resistant to authority—which is obvious, since people without resistance generally don't break the law, right?

The reason why Melesia is currently able to unite and fight against the Empire is because of its resistance to such authority.

But does this mean there was no resistance to authority within Melicia?
of course not.

The Continental Parliament—currently, this parliament represents Melesia in negotiations with the Empire, and they are also the de facto rulers of Melesia.

Li Wei then raised a very pointed question—were the Phantom Assassins the private army of the Continental Council?

He believed that not only he had thought of this problem, but the reporters had also thought of it at this moment.

That's why this report was freshly published.

If the Phantom Assassin is simply a champion of justice, that's fine. But if the Phantom Assassin is a private assassin for the Continental Council, then the situation is different.

At that time, will anyone who opposes the parliament be killed by the Phantom Assassin?
If that were the case, wouldn't the Continental Parliament become just like the Empire?
How does this work?
These journalists even went further than Li Wei, believing that if the Phantom Assassins were the private army of the Continental Parliament, then the Continental Parliament could do whatever it wanted, and no one could stop them. Because anyone who dared to oppose them would be killed by the Phantom Assassins without anyone noticing, or you wouldn't even be able to confirm whether you were killed!

How terrifying! The more I think about it, the scarier it gets!
Soon, the news coverage became chaotic.

If in the past everyone was unanimously singing praises to the Phantom Killer, now there are various opinions, including those of skeptics, opponents, and strong supporters.

Some reporters even suggested that Melicia had no need to rely on such a cowardly individual; they had to protect their own territory and freedom. As for that bloodthirsty killer, they could leave that to Detective Levi!
For most people, this threat might not seem particularly powerful. But Li Wei is different. Since his debut, he's specialized in handling these kinds of mysterious cases, and he always manages to crack them effortlessly. When others say they want to catch the Phantom Assassin, everyone just laughs it off, but if Li Wei says he wants to catch… well, he might actually succeed!
Well, that's enough.

After reading the news, Li Wei nodded in satisfaction. He didn't expect to take down the Phantom Assassin directly with this. Li Wei's main concern was that if everyone in Melisia wholeheartedly supported the Phantom Assassin, the latter might receive a significant power boost, which would be the real problem.

However, now, if anyone feels uneasy, threatened, or suspicious of the Phantom Assassin, it could weaken the opponent's power.

It's hard to say exactly how bad it will be, but at least... it won't be like fighting a boss with full buffs, right?
After all, many games are like this, where you break the seal or something before a boss battle to weaken the boss's power, making the fight much easier.

If you charge straight in and face a fully buffed boss, you'll die without even knowing how.

However, even so, simply waiting passively seems like a waste of time... um...

Li Wei thought for a moment and then made a decision.

Since that Phantom Assassin specifically targets the Empire's advisors, then what I need to do is quite simple.

"...You said you wanted to be a consultant?"

It must be said that when Governor Geller heard Levy's request, he himself was a little dumbfounded.

“That’s right. Didn’t you say that many of your consultants were killed by that guy? So I think that if I become your consultant, it will increase the probability that he will attack me. Although investigation and tracking are also possible, I think the fastest way is for him to come to me directly.”

"Um………"

Governor Geller pondered for a moment when faced with Levi's request.

"Alright, I believe in your abilities, Mr. Levi. Besides, having a warrior who has single-handedly vanquished a sea monster alongside us will surely inspire those lads! Coincidentally, I'm planning to send a squad of soldiers to the fortress for troop rotation; I wonder if you would be willing to go with us?"

"of course."

Although he didn't know what Governor Geller was up to, Levi nodded without hesitation.

After that, Governor Geller sent men to take Li Wei to the training ground, where he saw the troop rotation troops that were about to head to the fortress.

If the rest of the empire gave Levi the feeling of being either backward or modern, then looking at the military equipment before him made him feel as if he had stepped into a science fiction movie.

The most eye-catching thing in the group was several gleaming mechs—but unlike the humanoid mechs in the Levi world, the mechs here did not have a human form at all.

To put it simply, this mecha is a round iron barrel, with two legs on each side of the barrel, resembling the hock joints of a horse's hind legs.

A cannon was mounted at the front of the cylinder, and two machine guns were mounted on top.

Behind the cylinder is the mecha's steam power unit, with the exhaust pipe standing tall, looking like an animal's horns.

At the forefront is the Hound-class mech, slightly taller than a human. Its primary role is reconnaissance, hence its limited firepower. Its strength lies in its lightness and agility, making it adept at maneuvering in various terrains.

Behind it is the Knight Mech, which is about the height of a two-story building. It is quite well-rounded in terms of speed, agility, and armor.

If the Hound-class mech is like having agility and speed at 5, and everything else at 1, then the Knight-class mech is like having all attributes at an average of 3—neither good nor bad. It has no particular strengths, nor any weaknesses.

Very mediocre.

Next came five hundred infantrymen armed with rifles, the standard bolt-action rifles issued by the Empire, with magazines that could hold ten rounds.

Although Li Wei really wanted to experience the thrill of riding in a mecha, unfortunately, as an advisor, he needed to ride in a different vehicle—the Rhino-class command vehicle.

From the outside, this vehicle looks quite similar to a tank. However, its tracks on both sides are diamond-shaped and mostly encased in armor, while the hull is sandwiched between two large tracks.

It lacks a firepower system similar to that of a mech, but its importance as a command vehicle is undeniable—as evidenced by the numerous antennas at the rear, its primary function is communication. In the event of war, it serves as a communication hub, allowing commanders to directly issue orders to all combat units.

Of course, if Li Wei were to say that this thing could shout "MCV, reporting in" and then transform, it would be even cooler.

Unfortunately... that's impossible, right?
Leading this force was Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith, a decisive and composed man in his fifties. He was neither overly enthusiastic nor particularly cold towards Levi's arrival; he simply greeted Levi, invited him into the command vehicle, and then the group left the port base, heading towards the fortress.

To be honest, in Li Wei's opinion, this scene was really... strange.

He stuck his head out from the roof of the vehicle and looked around. He saw several mechs moving forward in front, behind, left, and right. Protected by the mechs were five hundred fully armed soldiers carrying rifles, and their command vehicle.

How should I put it... there's a kind of beauty in the chaos of time and space.

"call……………"

Li Wei sighed, then returned to the command vehicle, sat down, and took a sip of tea.

"Well, Mr. Li Wei."

Lieutenant Colonel Smith asked as he brewed tea.

"Isn't this a bit too slow? If we could send more vehicles to take all the infantry with us, wouldn't the speed be much faster?"

Li Wei voiced his inner doubts, which were also what he couldn't understand. The Empire wasn't short of transport vehicles, so why make these soldiers walk? "Currently, we don't have enough spare parts, and some equipment has been damaged or lost."

"...Lost?"

Hearing this, Li Wei frowned. Damage was understandable, but loss?
"This is Melicia, Mr. Levi."

Lieutenant Colonel Smith gave a wry smile.

“We can’t control those people down there just because we want to. Otherwise, General Geller wouldn’t have needed to ask the council for troops to support him.”

"I see."

Hearing this, Li Wei nodded silently. He knew that the situation in Melisia was critical. But he hadn't expected it to have come to this, that even the locals would dare to steal military equipment and vehicles. General Geller clearly lacked confidence in his soldiers, which was why he had written to the council requesting reinforcements.

It is conceivable that once reinforcements from the Empire arrive, a full-scale war will be what awaits Melisia.

"Of course, you don't need to worry so much."

Perhaps noticing that Li Wei's expression was somewhat serious, Lieutenant Colonel Smith smiled and comforted him.

"Although there are many Melesians who oppose the Empire, there are also some who support the Queen. It was from them that we obtained intelligence about the rebels; otherwise, the situation might have been much worse. Of course, they are not having an easy time either."

"is it?"

"yes……………"

Lieutenant Colonel Smith sighed.

“The local factions are very powerful here. If any pro-Queen citizens are discovered, they are dragged out, covered in ink, and have feathers attached to them. Some are even beaten to death. Some people are afraid of these local factions and dare not express their opinions. Actually, I hope that reinforcements can arrive soon, so that those loyal to the Queen can feel more at ease.”

To the Melesians, anyone who supports the empire is a traitor.

They might be seen as traitors.

Interestingly, in the eyes of the pro-Queen faction, these separatists might actually be the traitors.

"report!"

Just as the two were chatting casually, the driver of the command vehicle spoke up to report.

"We have arrived at the designated location."

"Oh, okay, please wait a moment..."

Upon hearing the driver's words, Lieutenant Colonel Smith put down his teacup and took out a letter from his pocket.

"?"

Noticing the questioning look in Li Wei's eyes, Lieutenant Colonel Smith looked up and smiled apologetically at Li Wei.

"This is an order from Governor Geller. I am to open this letter and act according to the instructions on it once I arrive here."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Li Wei immediately perked up. He had initially thought this was just a routine defensive mobilization, but now it seemed there was more to it than met the eye.
It's obvious that Governor Geller's intention in having him here is... to have him participate in this operation as well?

"…………………"

Lieutenant Colonel Smith finished reading the letter, then solemnly put it away.

"Mr. Li Wei, we are about to complete a mission."

"I guess that's why I'm here. So, what are you going to do?"

"According to intelligence, Governor Geller has learned the exact location of the Native American militia's armory here. We must get there as quickly as possible and destroy the armory."

"I see."

Upon hearing this, Li Wei understood. It was clear that Governor Geller intended to weaken these militia groups by destroying the armory.

Given the pervasive nature of intelligence leaks here, he chose to use this method to transmit orders.

This means that even if someone is monitoring this unit, they will only think it is a normal rotation, and they will not expect that the unit will turn around halfway to carry out other missions.

"No problem, I'll go with you."

Li Wei wasn't too worried. He was joking; he might be timid and hesitant when facing monsters, but he would go all out against humans.

With wallhacks and X-ray vision, how can you be afraid of losing in an FPS game? Impossible!

"very good."

Lieutenant Colonel Smith nodded, then picked up the walkie-talkie and gave the order.

"Attention everyone, we are now heading towards Concord!"

Soon, following Lieutenant Colonel Smith's order, the troops, who had rested briefly, quickly turned and headed deeper into the forest.

"By the way, is there anything wrong with this route? Will we run into any trouble?"

Looking out the observation window at the dark forest, Li Wei asked in a low voice. Lieutenant Colonel Smith took out a map, looked at it, and nodded.

"There's no problem. This area is sparsely populated, with only two small towns, Concord and Lakeington, and the population is small. There is no threat to us. Moreover, Governor Geller specifically ordered in his letter that we maintain discipline and avoid unnecessary conflicts with local armed forces."

"Um……………"

Upon hearing this, Li Wei remained silent for a moment, then took out his persuader and began to examine it.

"Mr. Li Wei? What is this...?"

"In case."

When asked by Lieutenant Colonel Smith, Levi chuckled.

"Maybe we won't need it."

(End of this chapter)