Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 153 Heavy Rain
Li Wei sat in the car, looking at the weather outside.

A day later, the weather not only did not improve, but became even worse.

Accompanied by a low rumble of thunder, large raindrops pattered against the carriage and windows, creating a somewhat unsettling sound.

"The rest of the way is a complete mess, boss."

Anthony sneaked back into the salon carriage, but this time he also had a bitter look on his face.

"Is it that uncomfortable?"

"It's definitely not comparable to first class. Can you imagine? A bunch of filthy men crammed into the carriage, smelling sour and foul, it's nauseating. And they're shouting loudly, spitting everywhere..."

Anthony made a disgusted face.

"What an unlucky job."

As he spoke, Anthony glanced at the salon carriage in front of him.

"It's so nice here, quiet, relaxing, and there's music..."

At this point, Anthony lowered his voice.

"But boss, there's something I need to tell you here."

"what's up?"

"I've heard some people say that they consider it an ominous sign that the train is stopped here."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Li Wei put down his teacup.

"What do you mean?"

"They say that when this railway was being built, many construction workers disappeared in this forest, which is why it is also known as the Forest of Death. Legend has it that this forest will devour those who stray into it and make them disappear completely."

"So how was this railway finally built?"

"I heard that the army blew a passage here and then repaired the road. But they also said that even so, workers who patrol and maintain the railway still occasionally go missing... Of course, this is just a rumor."

Anthony repeated himself, but both he and Levi knew that so-called "rumors" were often the most deadly thing.

Not to mention that this train never stops, whether it's early in the morning or late at night, but it just so happens to stop in this forest... Well, if you're going to call it a coincidence, it's definitely too much of a coincidence.

"Go and inquire again to find out the details."

"Hey?"

"You don't want to disappear without anyone noticing, do you?"

"That's not how it works... Oh well..."

Anthony left the salon carriage with a bitter face. After finishing his tea, Levi found the train conductor and offered his advice.

"Can we go back to the last station and rest for a while? There's no village or shop in sight here, and it's not very safe for the people on the train."

"Well………………"

Upon hearing Li Wei's suggestion, the train conductor showed a slightly troubled expression.

"...Is there a problem?"

Li Wei remained calm and composed; what else could he do? This wasn't the first time he'd encountered something like this.

"Yes, that's what we thought before, but then..."

"result?"

"The area behind us is also blocked by mudslides, so we can't leave for at least the time being."

"Ok."

Li Wei nodded silently.

"But please rest assured, our train has enough food and supplies to last the entire crew for a week. I think by then, this sudden downpour should have passed, and the roads should be cleared."

"Hmm... I hope so."

In other words, we only have one week of good days left.

Li Wei stepped into the corridor and glanced outside. In the torrential rain, only the blurry silhouettes of the forest were visible. The trees swayed violently in the storm, like the fine hairs on an animal's body.

"How? How could this be!"

Suddenly, another scream rang out, attracting Li Wei's attention. He turned his head and saw a hunched-over man holding a briefcase staring wide-eyed at the train conductor.

"Didn't you say you'd arrive on time?! Why, why the delay?"

“This is not our problem, sir.”

The train conductor had no choice but to explain to the other party.

"No one can predict such a sudden situation, and the rain is very heavy. At times like this, it is very likely to cause disasters in other places, so all we can do now is wait."

"Yes, yes, yes..."

The man was clearly not good with words; he scratched his messy hair and looked dejected.

"But we'll be late!"

"We can only express our deepest apologies for this."

"…………"

Faced with the train conductor's answer, the man paced anxiously in circles like a trapped beast. Then he saw Li Wei, paused for a moment, and without looking back, hurriedly turned and walked towards his room.

However, just as the man reached the corridor, a guest room door suddenly opened, and Olivia stepped out. The two, unable to dodge in time, collided. Olivia's small bag flew to the ground, and the suitcase the man was carrying fell from his arms—then—with a loud bang.

Then, a bunch of things flew out of it.

Have you ever seen a suitcase that has been compressed to the extreme opened, with its contents flying everywhere?

The briefcase now presents an animation-like effect; as the box opens, all sorts of things seem to eagerly fly out, including a water bottle, toothbrush, a large stack of books, clothes, shoes, a map, sausages, a tea set… and coins jingling and scattering all over the floor…

Are you on vacation or moving house?

Li Wei was dumbfounded at the sight before him. It reminded him of migrant workers returning home for the Spring Festival, always carrying a large sack filled with New Year's goods... But you're not going home for the Spring Festival, are you? Come to think of it, why didn't you just put all that stuff in a suitcase? Why did you have to use a briefcase? And why did you put so much money in it?

Even Olivia was stunned when she saw the pile of clutter that almost covered her ankles. The girl obviously couldn't imagine how so many things could be stuffed into such a small briefcase.

"Ah, yes, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

The man was now panicked, apologizing profusely as he knelt down and began tidying up the pile of clutter on the floor. He grabbed the items and frantically stuffed them into the file box. Olivia sighed helplessly, then knelt down and, together with her maid, began helping the man organize the mess.

The man, his face flushed, frantically swept everything on the floor into his briefcase. Then he hurriedly stood up and bowed to Olivia in thanks.

"Thank you, Miss."

"You need to be more careful in the future, and also..."

However, before Olivia could finish speaking, she saw the man carrying the still-open file box hurriedly cross the carriage and disappear from sight.

"What a reckless person."

Watching the man's departing figure, Olivia grumbled and then took the small bag that the maid had picked up from the ground.

At that moment, Li Wei also walked over.

"Perhaps they're just not good at talking to beautiful ladies."

"That's right, he shouldn't have just left like that. I wanted to let him check if he had packed everything properly..."

As she spoke, Olivia glanced at the carpeted floor beneath her feet. It appeared to be empty, suggesting that everything had been put away.

"Speaking of which, what happened?"

"It's actually not a big deal."

Li Wei explained to Olivia what he had heard from the train conductor, after which Olivia frowned.

"That means we might be late."

"Well, if it's just a little later, that's fine, but..."

"But what?"

"It's better to be careful."

As he spoke, Li Wei reached out and patted the head of the puppy that had crawled out of Olivia's arms.

"Be careful, if anything seems amiss... beware of danger."

“…Okay, I understand.”

Although there was a maid nearby, Levi didn't say it directly, but Olivia understood what he meant from his actions.

After that, Levi and Olivia had lunch together, and then went back to their rooms to rest.

However, this good fortune didn't last long...

"Boom boom boom, boom boom boom."

Just as he was asleep, a series of urgent knocks woke Li Wei up. He opened his eyes, stretched, stood up, and opened the door.

"what's up?"

“I’m very sorry to bother you, Mr. Li Wei.”

Standing outside the door was a train conductor, whose face was pale and who was drenched in sweat.

"We need your help."

"………………………"

Seeing his expression, Li Wei knew without asking what had happened.

And the truth was pretty much what he had guessed.

When Li Wei arrived at the adjacent carriage, led by the train conductor, many passengers were already standing there, anxiously whispering among themselves. Upon seeing Li Wei, they quickly made way for him. Li Wei then entered the carriage, walked through the corridor, and arrived at the crime scene.

It was a first-class cabin, and the room was in a mess. A man lay on the floor, his eyes wide open, and he was already lifeless.

This man was none other than the guy who always liked to carry around a file box.

Good heavens, this is really something.

Li Wei stood there, silent.

Did Inspector Lestrade really hit the nail on the head?
"Why……………"

"Mr. Li Wei?"

Hearing Li Wei sigh, the train conductor next to him looked at him in confusion, while Li Wei waved his hand.

"It's nothing, I just feel mentally exhausted... Tell me what's going on."

"Ah, okay."

The train conductor nodded and then began to explain.

"Since it was almost afternoon tea time, I came to ask the guest if he would like afternoon tea... He always asked me to bring it directly to his room, whether it was brunch, afternoon tea, or any of his meals. So I came to ask as instructed, but I kept knocking and no one answered, so I felt something was wrong... This gentleman rarely leaves his room, so I suspected he might have suddenly fallen ill. I used the train's master key to open the door to check on him, and then..."

"result?"

"Then I saw him lying on the ground, already... dead."

"Um……………"

Li Wei surveyed the scene, then glanced to the side. Unsurprisingly, he spotted Anthony among them. He then extended his hand and gestured to Anthony. Upon seeing Li Wei's gesture, Anthony immediately scurried over.

"Boss, did you need something?"

"Ah."

Li Wei pulled Anthony to a secluded spot on the other side, stared at him, and then asked.

"Tell me the truth, did you do it?"

(End of this chapter)