Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 173 Unexpected Win
As Levi followed Elizabeth into the Rune Mine, he was quite surprised by the scene before him.

Unlike other cities, almost all the houses in the Rune Mines are built in caves carved into the rock walls. This reminded Li Wei of the fantasy novels he had read before, and he felt that if other races existed in this world, it wouldn't be wrong to say that this was a city of dwarves.

Moreover, the ramps were much wider than they appeared from the air. From the airship, Li Wei felt as if it were a narrow, winding path between cliffs in the mountains, barely wide enough for one person to walk sideways, where one wrong step could send you tumbling down. But once there, he discovered that these "narrow paths" were actually quite wide, large enough to park dozens of trains side by side.

The reason for using this analogy is that these roads are like tracks, and according to Elizabeth, these tracks are the lifeline of the entire Rune mine. The coal mined is transported out via these mine carts, and then materials from outside are transported in via the same mine carts.

And those minecarts were all large, basically no different from freight trains... This is not the kind of rail minecart that you often see in games, which can only carry one or two people.

However, almost all of these trains are now out of service to prevent the spread of infection. Elizabeth also said that initially, many low-level miners hijacked the trains in an attempt to break through the blockade and escape the Rune mines, but they were all killed.

So now the trains have been completely shut down, and as for how long the supplies on each floor will last... that depends on when this crisis will end.

If the plague can be dealt with in time, then there will be no problem.

However, if it cannot be resolved... the Empire has also prepared countermeasures.

Just look at the airships flying in the sky and the huge bombs they carry.

However, Li Wei also knew that unless it was absolutely necessary and there was no other way, this was definitely the worst possible option. After all, the Rune Mine produced more than half of the coal essence needed by the Empire. If the mine were to be completely blown up, the negative impact on the Empire would be immeasurable.

Not to mention that this place is equivalent to a city. According to Elizabeth's description, the entire Rune Mine alone has 35,000 people working in the area below the 30th floor.

This is still a registration process. Considering that the lower levels are almost an unpredictable black box for the management above, it is estimated that there are at least 50,000 people involved.

Even the Queen didn't have the guts to kill 50,000 people at once.

Therefore, Livy and Elizabeth were ordered to find the source of the plague as soon as possible and then find a way to cure it.

If it can be cured, then there will be far fewer problems.

but……………

"But it's not easy."

Elizabeth looked somewhat tired.

“Those infected will die. These viruses are very active and can mutate in a short period of time. We haven’t even had a chance to test a vaccine…”

“Miss Elizabeth, you know a lot about these things.”

Levi was somewhat surprised by Elizabeth's use of technical jargon, while she slowed her pace and glanced at him.

“I specialize in disease and modern treatments at the Holy Lord Medical College.”

"Uh...so you're a doctor?"

"Yes, Mr. Li Wei."

Wow, so you're the healer for our group!

Li Wei silently complained to himself, "A nun who is also a doctor. Although, in fantasy games, nuns and priestesses are mostly healing professions."

But isn't your "treatment" a bit too scientific?

As they spoke, the two arrived at an iron gate. Outside the gate stood fully armed soldiers. Upon seeing Elizabeth, they quickly saluted her, and Elizabeth returned the salute.

"Open the door."

Upon hearing Elizabeth's command, one of the soldiers took out a key and opened the heavy iron gate. Elizabeth then took out two masks, putting one on herself and handing the other to Levi. Levi took the mask, put it on, and then followed Elizabeth inside.

"Waaaaah... Waaaah...!"

As soon as Li Wei stepped through the gate, he heard a low growl, which made him frown. This place looked like a dug-out prison, with sealed cells everywhere. Li Wei looked around; most of the cells were empty.

"We have released most of the minor offenders and transformed this place into a prison for those who... have come back from the dead."

How did you catch them?

"We didn't catch it."

Elizabeth sighed as she spoke.

“We just put the bodies of patients who died from the disease here, and they will naturally turn into that appearance.”

As they spoke, the two arrived at the end of the prison, where several patients were imprisoned. From the outside, they were no different from ordinary people, except that they were dressed in tattered clothes and stood there swaying, motionless.

But as Levi and Elizabeth approached, they seemed to sense something, letting out a low "woof" sound as they slowly walked towards them, instinctively reaching out to grab the two men—only to be stopped by the bars inside the cell.

"As you can see, Mr. Levi."

Although Elizabeth was wearing a nun's habit, she gave Levi the feeling of being a researcher.

"The resurrected are very slow, and they seem to have lost their sight, only able to find their prey by sound. Then they will tear at their prey and devour their flesh. But strangely, they do not devour each other. Like now, these resurrected have been locked up for several days, but they have not attacked their other companions in the same cell. It is a very strange thing."

"is it?"

“Yes, survival is a biological instinct. Not just animals, even humans will resort to cannibalism if there's nothing to eat. I can only suspect that their attacks on humans weren't motivated by a desire for food.” “Then what is it?”

"In more religious terms, is it hatred of the dead towards the living?"

Elizabeth said something that might have been a joke, and then changed the subject.

"But the situation below seems to be different. We previously sent a train with soldiers deep into the mine to explore, and they sent back news that there seemed to be some kind of more ferocious monster deep in the mine. But unfortunately, we lost contact with them in the end, and the train never returned."

"What is the political situation here? What is the ruler's reaction?"

"They were very panicked, perhaps because Her Majesty the Queen told them that if they didn't handle this incident properly, they would be buried with the mine."

"Tsk tsk tsk..."

As expected of Her Majesty the Queen. Speaking of which, that unfortunate governor of Steel City will probably suffer a similar fate.

"Do I need to meet with him?"

"No, the mine manager is not meeting with anyone right now. To avoid infection, he has completely isolated himself. However, we have Her Majesty's permission to move freely within this mine."

Have you figured out the transmission route?

"Currently, blood transmission and infection are confirmed, followed by airborne transmission, but it will not be transmitted through water or food."

Elizabeth's expression was very clear, and she had the air of a scholar. To be honest, Livy hadn't met her many times, but now it seemed that this nun was indeed very clear-headed.

"So what is your plan?"

“If you need, we can send another small team by train to the bottom of the mine.”

"Hmm...no, it's best not to do that. I'll go check out the situation by myself first."

"you sure?"

Upon hearing Li Wei's answer, Elizabeth's eyes widened, revealing obvious surprise and astonishment.

"I'm certain that in this situation, a large force would only be a problem unless it advances layer by layer."

Li Wei was absolutely certain of this: the narrow mine shafts were the least suitable place for group operations. Although a few people could completely seal them off, they couldn't pinpoint every inch of the mine. There was a chance someone might get infected and suddenly explode within the group.

"If I'm alone, it's easier for me to travel back and forth, and if anything happens, it's easier for me to run away."

Li Wei always prioritizes his own safety above all else. If the enemy this time wasn't some plague or zombies, he would definitely agree to send a large number of people to be his scapegoats to reduce the chances of him being killed.

But the problem is this thing... if you bring a whole bunch of people, then they're not just scapegoats, they're vengeful ghosts who will come back to haunt you even after they've died.

On the contrary, if it were just Li Wei alone, it would be much easier for him to fight or run away.

"I understand. In that case, I can grant you access to the elevator, but in return, you must report to me on every floor you go to. If you make a mistake, please retreat immediately."

"Don't worry, I cherish my life very much, and I'm not at the point where I have to sacrifice myself for the empire."

Since the rulers here had isolated him, Livy was free to do whatever he wanted. He discussed it with Elizabeth and decided to take the elevator down first, see what the situation was like, and then decide what to do next.

After all, each floor has a communication device that connects directly to the ground, and those communication devices should still be working... assuming they haven't been damaged.

Levi then went to the armory to replenish his ammunition—of course, Elizabeth warned him that these resurrected beings were extremely sensitive to sound, and if he fired, it would inevitably alert a large number of them. Levi could only reply—we'll see how it goes.

But before that...

"Let's open this box after all."

After replenishing his ammunition in the armory, Li Wei looked around to make sure no one was watching, and decided to open the box anyway. Who knows, he might find something that could help with the investigation.

Thinking of this, Li Wei reached out his hand and summoned the treasure chest.

Then give it a gentle tap.

"Click."

The treasure chest opened with a click, revealing a golden light.

Oh, gold! In mobile games, gold items are usually good stuff when you draw cards!
With such anticipation, Li Wei stared at what was in front of him. After a moment, the golden light dissipated, and then... a pitch-black coffin appeared before Li Wei.

"………………………"

What does this system mean? Is it telling me to just lie down and get in without going through any procedures?
I think I can still put up a fight?

While inwardly grumbling, Li Wei curiously reached out and opened the coffin in front of him. After seeing what was inside, his eyes lit up.

"This is really a fun and interesting gadget!"

　It's not chicken wings, it's chicken drumsticks, the kind that are the size of the fried chicken drumsticks sold at KFC. The broth from these drumsticks isn't very oily, it's quite good. How could it possibly be chicken wings...?

　　
　
(End of this chapter)