Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 129 Phantom
The night was pitch black, and the rain poured down.

The mercenaries spurred their horses and galloped towards the train in front of them.

"Boom!"

Lightning flashed and thunder roared.

Just as the thunder roared, several mercenaries at the back of the column shuddered and then collapsed from their horses.

However, no one noticed this eerie scene. To the mercenaries, all they could see was the train drawing ever closer. In the pitch-black night, even visibility was poor. The torrential rain, combined with the howling wind, made all other sounds barely audible.

Therefore, even as their companions behind them fell to the ground one by one in the storm, they were completely unaware.

"Boom!"

Thunder sounded again.

"———————!"

A dark shadow flashed.

The mercenary on horseback behind saw his companion suddenly fall backward and tumble from his horse. Before he could even figure out what had happened, a spinning bullet pierced his forehead, and he fell to the ground without a sound, following his companion in death.

"Boom!!!"

The thunder sounded for the third time.

The train is almost in sight.

The mercenary leader gripped the reins tightly and galloped forward with all his might. Then he leaped and rushed onto the train!
"Quick! Attack together!"

With one foot planted on the connecting part of the carriage, the mercenary leader shouted quickly while turning his head to look back.

However... when he turned around, he found that the mercenaries behind him were not the ones he had expected who would rush in.

Instead, there was... no one at all.

"Splash splash splash..."

In the pouring rain, all was pitch black, and his men seemed to have been swallowed up by the night, disappearing without a trace.

How is this going?

"Click."

Before the mercenary leader could even figure out what was happening, a cold gun barrel was pressed against his head. Trembling, the mercenary leader turned around and saw Li Wei standing by the car door, smiling calmly as he watched him.

"Alright, you're the only one left now, so just surrender."

"………………………"

Staring at the dark muzzle of a gun, the mercenary leader was dumbfounded. At that moment, only one thing was on his mind.

In the end what happened?
In the end what happened?
This is also the question that Adams and Hancock wanted to know.

After secretly contacting the mercenaries, they waited anxiously for good news. However, to their surprise, after waiting all night until dawn, they learned that the entire mercenary force that attacked the Explorer train had been wiped out, and their leader had been captured by Levi and handed over to the local Imperial garrison at the next station!
It was only at this point that the two realized their plan had failed!
"Damn it, how is this possible? Didn't the Continental Council say that those mercenaries have never failed?"

Adams slammed his fist on the table in anger, and Hancock, who had been so high-spirited, was now a shadow of his former self. Upon learning of this, he immediately sought out the Continental Congress's contact, only to be refused entry. Clearly, the other party intended to completely distance themselves from the matter.

If the Empire were to interrogate the mercenary leader, their involvement in the train attack on their behalf would undoubtedly be exposed. Hancock didn't believe the mercenary leader had any professional ethics to keep their secret. He might even betray them outright.

But what can we do now?
They had nowhere else to go.

As for the specifics, Hancock had no way of knowing. He only heard from his informant that this morning, when the Explorer stopped at the platform, Levi got off the train with a man and handed him over to the local Imperial garrison, saying that the man had tried to attack the train last night.

The specifics are unknown, and Li Wei only gave it to one person; what happened to the others is unknown.

According to the informant, the prisoner appeared extremely terrified at the time.

What exactly happened last night? Why did the attack fail? Did someone leak information? No, even if someone leaked information, a mercenary group of dozens of people, fully armed, shouldn't be so easily defeated.

Forget it, there's no point in thinking about it now.

Now that things have come to this...

"We have no choice but to go find that person."

"You mean that assassin?"

Adams frowned upon hearing Hancock's words.

"Do we really have to find that guy? To be honest, I think he's weird. And..."

He was recommended by Clyburn.

That's right. Actually, during their previous meeting, Clyburn had asked the two of them to find a certain assassin. But Adams refused, feeling that the assassin was strange and not like a normal person. So they relied on their connections to find another way to deal with Levi, but they failed.

"We have no other way out now, we have to fight it out. Hopefully, that assassin is really as formidable as Mr. Clyburn said."

"………………………"

Adams remained silent in response to Hancock's words.

Indeed, as Hancock said, they had no way out.

"I'll lead the way."

At that moment, Adams also made a decision and stood up.

In any case, what they are going to do cannot be stopped.

That was for them, for everyone, for the future of all of Melicia.

After that, the two rode to a small hill outside the city of Fahiat, where a small house could be seen in the woods.

"right here?"

Hancock frowned, looking at the hut before him. Unlike the square huts that the Melician people usually lived in, this hut was cone-shaped, with strange bones hanging from the branches outside. This reminded Hancock of the stories his mother told him when he was a child, to keep him from running off to the forest to play—stories about forest witches who ate children.

The place has that kind of atmosphere right now, and Hancock even wonders if there might actually be a witch living there.

"right here."

Adams dismounted, went to the door, and knocked.

"Dong dong dong."

"…………………"

There is no sound.

"Dong dong dong."

Adams knocked on the door again, and this time, the tightly closed wooden door opened with a soft creak, which, for some reason, sounded to Hancock like a scream coming from the door.

Then, a person completely covered in a cloak came out.

Hancock didn't know if the person was male or female, but the moment he saw them, he felt uneasy. Previously, Hancock had thought Adams was being overly sensitive; after all, they'd even hired a hitman, so why would they be afraid of hiring one?
But now, only after seeing the man in front of him with his own eyes did Hancock understand Adams's unease.

It was just like the witch or devil that would appear in a story, and Hancock wouldn't be surprised if the other party asked him to sign a contract with Adams' soul.

He always had a feeling that what was under that cloak was not human at all.

"I'm very sorry to bother you again."

Adams, looking very embarrassed, said in a low voice.

"I've come here today... hoping you'll accept this commission..."

"hehe……………"

Upon hearing Adams's words, the figure let out a laugh. The laughter sent chills down Hancock's spine; it was as jarring as someone scratching a blackboard with fingernails. For a moment, he even considered turning away. This figure, by all accounts, didn't seem like a normal person.

Hancock even began to have doubts about his decision to come. He had previously believed that it was the right thing to do, for himself, for everyone, and for the future of Melicia.

Hancock hasn't changed his mind, but he's thought about it a step further.

Is it really okay to make a deal with such a strange guy?
"This is the reward."

Adams handed over the money bag he was holding.

"The target is Detective Levi. There's no time left. I hope you can kill him as soon as possible."

"Hehehe..."

The other person let out that dry laugh again, then took the money bag Adams offered. Hancock instinctively stared at the other person's cuff, but saw nothing; the cuff, like a living creature, swallowed the money bag whole.

"Well then, we'll take our leave."

Adams seemed to have reached his limit; after saying that, he turned and left. Logically, this was somewhat impolite. But Hancock seemed to understand his feelings. After all, staying here was really strange, or rather, this wasn't a place a human being should belong.

Although this place looks no different from any other ordinary mountain forest, they always have a feeling of sitting on pins and needles, as if the surrounding flowers, trees, and even the mountain itself do not welcome them.

The two rode their horses at breakneck speed, unaware of what they were running for, but driven by an instinctive sense of urgency to leave as quickly as possible.

It was as if something terrible would happen to them if they didn't leave quickly.

It wasn't until they stepped back into the city of Fayhart and looked at the streets and crowds before them that the two breathed a sigh of relief and exchanged a glance.

Only then did they realize that their backs were covered in a cold sweat.

Was this really the right choice?
But for the two of them, there was no turning back.

The same applies to Li Wei.

Tonight is the most important night.

As the sun set again, Li Wei squinted, his expression serious.

This is the last night of his three-day, two-night journey from Mullers to Fayhart; he will arrive in Fayhart tomorrow.

Last night's farce was meaningless to Li Wei. Although it was indeed a bit unexpected that something like a train robbery in a Western movie actually happened, for Li Wei, dealing with those mercenaries disguised as bandits was an extremely easy task.

After all, it was a dark and windy night, and Li Wei also had [Soul Vision], which, combined with [Bouncing Shot] and [Death Eye], made dealing with a group of mercenaries who were practically blind easy.

It's like dealing with low-level AI in FPS games that can't even find cover.

However, things should be different today.

Livy toyed with the Persuader in his hand, opened it, and then closed it.

What exactly is the Phantom Killer?
Based on Li Wei's investigation, this is likely a legend from some primitive tribe—after all, people in such places tend to pay more attention to legends than people in civilized environments.

The problem is, they probably don't have many people. Primitive tribes are already small in number, and even if everyone believed in this so-called Phantom Assassin, the opponent's power shouldn't be too great.

Or perhaps it's related to the land?

But at least, Levi was certain he had weakened the Phantom Assassin's power; he had fought him that night in Claythington. At the time, Levi had a feeling his opponent was running out of steam; for example, their escape at the end seemed quite pathetic.

So, is this the relationship between the Phantom Assassin and the Continental Parliament? The Continental Parliament needs the Phantom Assassin to help them eliminate their enemies, while simultaneously using the media to promote the Phantom Assassin and grant them even greater power?
However, Li Wei did see such a book.

A name has power.

It was a book describing folk tales. According to the author, the monsters in these folk tales were named using very simple and easy-to-understand words.

Because legends are meant to be simple and easy for others to understand.

For example, the term "socialite killer" immediately suggests that the person in question is someone who kills socialites.

Vampire, you can tell from the name that it's about sucking blood.

Werewolves, you can tell just by looking at them that they are inextricably linked to wolves.

According to the author, simplicity and ease of understanding are important foundations for folklore. He even gave an example: if someone wants to tell a story about a "Galatpicka," then the explanation should start from what "Galatpicka" means... But once you've explained it all, the story loses its appeal, and no one wants to listen anymore.

In fact, Li Wei had seen similar things in some third-rate movies. The director would deliberately create suspense by using a word that no one had ever seen before, and then keep the audience in suspense, not letting them know what it was.

In the end, the audience realized that the terrifying monster whose name couldn't even be spoken was actually a vampire.

Therefore, many suspense films become the least interesting when the truth is finally revealed.

Monsters are powerful precisely because they are unknown.

Once something becomes known, it has boundaries.

So how does the Phantom Killer work?
Its name is also very simple, Phantom. So what exactly does the term "Phantom Killer" mean?

Is this a way of implanting one's own ideas into the minds of others?

Simple words that represent characteristics.

Vampires are blood-sucking monsters, while werewolves are a hybrid of wolves and humans.

What does the "phantom" in "phantom killer" represent?
When you first learn about this word, has a certain concept already been implanted in your subconscious?
Is this concept the essence of the Phantom Killer?

Does the word "completely" in the mission's "completely eliminate the Phantom Assassin" have this kind of meaning?

Before Li Wei realized what was happening, it was already dark.

The carriage was completely dark, with only the dim headlights illuminating the surroundings.

"Clang clang... clang clang..."

The sound of train tracks came from outside the window. Li Wei stood up and walked out of the room. He went to the dining car. Generally speaking, it should be dinner time by now, but strangely, the train attendant hadn't come to call him for dinner.

"Click."

Li Wei arrived at the dining car, then pushed open the door and went inside.

A cold light flashed.

A kitchen knife suddenly appeared in front of him and slashed down directly at Li Wei. Faced with this sudden attack, Li Wei did not hesitate and raised his gun, pulling the trigger.

"boom!"

The figure holding the cleaver trembled slightly before collapsing to the ground. Only then did Li Wei see clearly that it was a man with brown skin, dressed in clothing resembling that of a primitive tribe, his face painted with greasepaint. His eyes were wide open, and his mouth was agape, like a Tarzan about to roar.

But Li Wei recognized the face, because it was the same face he had seen before in Lexington, the face of the assassin.

"Click!"

But it wasn't over yet, because at that moment, the car door behind Li Wei opened, and then a person walked in.

He was dressed in primitive tribal clothing, carried a short knife, and had brown skin with his face painted. His wide eyes and mouth made him look like a roaring Tarzan.

Or rather, he looked exactly like the person lying on the ground.

"Ugh... Kill him..."

Staring at Li Wei, the man opened his mouth and roared.

Then he leaped up and pounced on Li Wei.

He was just as agile as that day, but Li Wei didn't care. He raised his gun again and pulled the trigger.

"boom!"

Then, the assassin, who was in mid-air, fell to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

Li Wei didn't even glance at him, and looked towards the car door again.

There, a third assassin appeared.

(End of this chapter)