Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 180: Abundant Martial Arts
Li Wei was extremely relieved that he wasn't fighting this thing alone.

This is something no one person can handle at all!
Under the searchlights, countless zombies, intertwined in a dense mass, formed a giant serpent, its head raised and thrashing about. At the same time, artillery pieces that had been set up in all directions opened fire.

Admittedly, this bizarre thing was truly terrifying. Li Wei estimated that the monster was hundreds of meters thick. In this 3,000-meter-deep crater, it looked like a small blade of grass swaying in the wind, but upon closer inspection, it resembled an enormous, monstrous python, capable of swallowing a train as big as the Oriental Express whole without any problem.

What's even more critical is that... against such a behemoth, simple attacks are unlikely to be effective.

When the weapons were initially set up, everyone prepared for dealing with a single giant monster, so they chose weapons with high power and penetration. However, this thing was actually a collection of countless zombies. This meant that even if part of it was blown apart, more zombies would quickly replace it. Simply bombarding it with artillery or machine gun fire was largely ineffective against these inherently fearless zombies!

"Henry!"

Li Wei frowned as he looked at the battlefield before him. Not far away, sparks of fire occasionally burst from the giant serpent of corpses, blasting hordes of zombies off its body, but it was all in vain!

To deal with this kind of thing, sheer power isn't enough; you have to inflict total damage!
"Captain, what do we do now?"

As a soldier, Henry naturally realized the situation was dire. Moreover, the enemy wasn't just taking the hits; it would lock onto the artillery firing position and then ram into it. Then, he saw part of the monster rapidly disintegrate, transforming into hundreds of zombies and mutants that charged directly at the soldiers positioned in the attack zone.

Faced with such an offensive, the soldiers also suffered considerable losses. If the fighting continued like this, they might collapse.

There is only one way.

Staring intently at the skeletal giant snake, Li Wei gritted his teeth, his mind racing as he considered a countermeasure.

"A way?"

"That's right, to use an old saying... use fire to purify everything!"

Livy turned to look at Henry.

"Do you have any combustible fuels or similar items?"

"Of course, there is..."

"Pour it all down, soak this thing like cured meat! Then set it on fire!"

"But this could very well ignite the coal reserves below..."

"Let it burn for a while, then put out the fire with holy water."

Li Wei employed a combination of "merciless water and fire," first burning it fiercely with fire, then purifying it thoroughly with holy water. He refused to believe that this thing wouldn't die even after all that.

"Well…………………"

Hearing this, Henry was speechless. He looked at Levi, not knowing what to say for a moment.

"Go quickly, and while you're at it, order the others to prepare for a retreat."

Although there's no natural gas here, and even if there's coal underneath, the fire wouldn't burn indefinitely. But water and fire are merciless; if they just keep burning like this and then pour water on it, the entire lower level of the Rune Mine will be like a steamer, and might actually cook a person alive.

Since artillery and machine guns pose little threat to this monster, staying here is a sure way to die.

"Yes."

Soon, with the order given, the surrounding soldiers quickly dropped their weapons and began to evacuate. At Henry's call, airships soon arrived above the mine, and Levi saw large oil drums falling from above, crashing down on the giant serpent corpse. According to Henry, this oil was mainly for the flamethrower—after all, while jets were full of energy, they still required special fuel to propel flames.

Incidentally, there is oil in this world; Li Wei even saw people selling bottled oil on the street.

However… it is not used as fuel, but as a health supplement.

That's right, it's a health supplement. Vendors call it "health-promoting sesame oil," claiming that drinking it can prolong life and improve health.

Li Wei naturally...did not buy it.

After all, he didn't have the courage to drink oil.

Why do humans in this era put everything they discover into their mouths? We're not those stupid little animals...

Unfortunately, although humans have discovered the properties of petroleum, they have no intention of using it to replace coal.

The reason... well, it's understandable.

After all, a small piece of jet can provide enough energy to sustain a mech at full capacity for several days, and as a solid substance, jet is easy to carry. If all else fails, a few pieces in a bag will be enough for several months. In contrast, fuel requires more space and special storage.

Not to mention that, apart from being a bit troublesome to mine, jet itself is not scarce, so it is not the kind of particularly expensive or rare type.

For people in this world who are used to using coal, oil can only be considered a less convenient fuel.

Hundreds of iron barrels rained down from the sky, crashing heavily onto the skeletal serpent and cracking it open. Of course, this level of attack didn't even amount to much damage to the skeletal serpent. The oil inside the barrels splattered out and gradually seeped into the skeletal serpent's body.

Great, everything went smoothly.

The giant serpent seemed to lack intelligence, acting purely on instinct. It was currently stretching its body, straining to fight back. However, this time the airship had learned from the previous unfortunate victim and hadn't descended too low. Therefore, in Li Wei's view, the creature was merely futilely shaking its body.

"Captain, everyone is in position!"

"Very well, let's go."

Upon hearing Henry's report, Levi glanced once more at the struggling, skeletal giant snake, then boarded the train—so many soldiers certainly couldn't be transported by elevator, so naturally they would be carried by train.

However, the train also had a problem—its tracks were spiraled around the edge of the mine, which meant that… when the train started moving…

"Waaaaahh ...

With the sound of the train whistle, the giant serpent, which had been struggling in vain, suddenly changed direction and set its sights on the train speeding along the tracks.

Then it roared and charged headlong into the train!

"Boom, boom, boom!"

The giant serpent's power was far greater than imagined; merely brushing against the stone wall was enough to crush it into pieces. It relentlessly pursued the speeding train, showing no sign of giving up.

"What a nuisance." Looking at the gaping maw behind him formed from countless zombies, Li Wei snorted coldly. Then he opened the car door and raised the Persuader in his hand.

While chase scenes are indeed a classic trope in blockbusters, only the audience enjoys them; how could anyone actually be in the middle of it possibly like such scenes?

While inwardly complaining, Li Wei raised the Persuader and aimed it at the giant serpent corpse behind him, which was larger than a train.

These bullets couldn't kill it at all, and Li Wei was well aware of this, but it didn't matter, since Li Wei hadn't originally intended to kill it with his own strength.

All he had to do was pull the trigger.

"boom!"

The bullet flew out and struck the giant skeletal snake, then scattered white phosphorus flames unfolded like fireworks.

Then, flames soared into the sky.

The raging flames erupted completely at that moment, engulfing the writhing skeletal serpent like a dragon's breath. The serpent let out a piercing scream, frantically shaking its body in an attempt to break free, but to no avail. Soon, the flames completely engulfed the skeletal dragon; its desperate struggles only ignited the surrounding coal ore layers.

Soon, the entire bottom of the mine was engulfed in flames.

When Li Wei's train reached the top of the mine again, the entire bottom of the mine had been completely engulfed in flames, like a giant furnace. Even standing there, one could feel the intense heat emanating from it.

"Is the evacuation of the people okay?"

Looking at the raging flames below, Li Wei asked a question, and Elizabeth nodded.

"The people below the 30th floor have all been evacuated, there are no problems."

"Okay, let's burn it again, and then put it out with holy water."

"Shouldn't they be eliminated by now?"

Elizabeth and Henry were surprised to hear Li Wei's order. After all, in their view, the flames had filled the entire bottom of the pit, and the strange monster's figure had completely disappeared into the flames. Wasn't this the end?

"In case."

Li Wei stared at the system in front of him and spoke. Indeed, what he saw looked like the ending of a monster movie. A massive explosion, then the monster being swallowed up, the protagonist escaping to safety—all the elements of a happy ending were confirmed.

But... But, Li Wei still remembers that many monster movies, after the credits roll, show scenes of unhatched eggs or surviving cubs among the wreckage!

Not to mention, I haven't even finished my own mission yet, which means this thing is definitely not dead!

At least he's not completely dead!
Li Wei didn't want another "Deadmine 2" or similar dungeon to come later. Wouldn't it be better to just finish it in one go?

"Get ready to do it."

Although they felt that Li Wei's actions were a bit of an overreaction, the two did not say much, after all—this time a large army had come, and there were more supplies than they could use.

Since Li Wei wants to carry out a comprehensive disinfection, then let's do as he says.

Anyway, it's the government's money, so I don't need to claim it myself.

"As ordered."

The flames burned fiercely.

The entire area below the hundredth floor was completely engulfed in flames, with every inch burning in the scorching heat. Yet, even so, the vile evil had not been completely annihilated.

“…Waaaaah… Waaaah…”

Although most of its body was engulfed by flames, its true core remained hidden underground, curled up in a ball, feeling the intense heat above, too afraid to move an inch.

It's alright, the flames won't reach here.

Once the flames are extinguished, you can leave.

As long as we can hold on until then...

"Splash—!"

Suddenly, the scorching temperature began to drop, which delighted the filthy creature. But before it could figure out what was happening, the sound of flowing water sent a shiver down its spine.

Could it be that……………

"Splash—!"

The scalding holy water surged down from the cracks in the ground, instantly enveloping the filthy core.

"Aaaaaaahh ...

Ordinary holy water would have been enough to inflict great harm on this filthy and evil being, but now, the holy water, almost as hot as boiling water, mercilessly and completely destroyed its body. Its already scorched body was swept away by the scalding holy water, relentlessly washed away, and shattered.

It opened its mouth and instinctively let out a painful scream, but before it could even utter a sound, boiling holy water rushed down its throat and directly into the body of this filthy core.

At this moment, the outcome is decided.

"Aaaaaaahh ...

A piercing scream came from underground, making everyone tremble involuntarily. Henry, in particular, gripped his weapon tightly in surprise, staring wide-eyed at the steaming pit.

"This monster is actually still alive?"

"Monsters are all like that, they're incredibly tough, they don't die so easily."

Li Wei looked at the mine again, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that the system had displayed a task completion message.

"Alright, problem solved. The cleanup is up to you now."

(End of this chapter)