Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 274 Unable to Overcome
As Li Wei once said, all fear stems from insufficient firepower.

But now, that statement needs to be changed.

"I'm saying, you really aren't going in?"

"No, no, no, no!"

When asked by Levi, Katie shook her head vigorously.

"Absolutely not! I'd rather die than go!"

"Haa..."

Looking at Katie shaking her head frantically, Levi was speechless. They were currently standing outside the gates of an academy located on the west side of the city. This academy also looked extremely luxurious; it was more like an art museum than an academy.

At first, Katie was quite excited and volunteered to walk in front—until she opened the academy gates and saw a ghost float past her.

And then it became like this.

"By the way, why are you afraid of ghosts?"

Seeing Katie trembling, Levi sighed helplessly and asked, "Katie has seen ghosts with me several times, but why is she always so afraid of them? Is it just because she can't hit them?"
"Ugh... because it's scary, isn't it?"

"What's scary about it?"

Li Wei really wanted to know what Katie's "terrible" standard was.

"...Because ghosts can come out from anywhere, right...?"

"ah……………"

To be fair, Katie's statement is not wrong. After all, she is a ghost, so naturally she can ignore the laws of physics.

"But monsters can emerge from anywhere, and I don't see you being afraid of them, do I?"

Li Wei remembered that when they were investigating the monastery, a monster suddenly attacked Katie from behind and grabbed her. It only startled her, and then she dragged the unfortunate monster out.

"How can these be the same?"

Katie raised her eyebrows unhappily and glared at Levi.

"Attacking from a place where I can get out isn't scary at all. I can also assess my surroundings, so I'm mentally prepared even if I'm attacked. But the ghost is too much..."

"what………"

Hearing Katie say this, others might not understand what she meant, but Levi vaguely understood.

To put it bluntly, Katie just thinks Ghost cheated.

It's like playing a multiplayer shooter and engaging in close-quarters combat. At a T-junction, enemies attack from the left, right, and rear, all within the player's expectations. After all, there are only three paths for a person to walk on, so the player can predict the enemy's direction by understanding the surrounding map environment and features such as footsteps.

Even if you get eliminated, it's just because you're not skilled enough or your reaction is too slow. You can just keep trying next time.

But what if someone uses a cheat to directly hack through walls and kill you?

That would be disgusting; I'd quit the game immediately.

In Katie's eyes, Ghost was like that guy who could drive a knife that could pass through walls.

And there's no way to punish the other party.

Li Wei hadn't thought of it that way, but after Katie said it—well, he really didn't like it.

"In short, I absolutely will not go in!"

"Then you and Miss Krant can stay outside."

"Huh? Is Mr. Levi going to leave us behind and go into this terrifying haunted house by himself?"

"Have you forgotten why we came here?"

"Well…………………"

Faced with Levi's accusations, Katie was speechless for a moment. Indeed, they hadn't come here to visit a haunted house, but to retrieve sacred objects.

"Then you should go and come back soon, okay? If you don't come back..."

"What if I don't come back?"

"Then I'll tear this place down!"

"Please show mercy..."

Because it's actually possible to do it, it's even more frightening.

However, Li Wei didn't dare take Katie with him. After all, Katie seemed genuinely afraid of and hated ghosts, and schools are large and complex places. If she got scared and lost, he would have to look for her, which would only cause more trouble. It would be more convenient for her to stay outside.

“Then, you and Sophia can go back to that bar. I remember it's right at the entrance. Just wait for me there. Katie, protect Miss Krant.”

"Don't worry, leave it to me!"

Katie thumped her chest, her spirits lifting again after learning they didn't have to go into the haunted place. She happily took the hand of a bewildered Sophia, and the two retraced their steps.

It's really... how should I put it...

Watching the two figures disappear, Li Wei sighed with a wry smile.

Katie's emotions are truly distinct.

But then again... ghosts... I don't really like them either.

Li Wei silently checked the Persuader and Punisher, replaced the bullets inside with silver bullets, and then looked at the open gate, revealing a pitch-black academy.

Never mind, let's go in.

In horror works, schools are always a popular haunted location. To be honest, even Li Wei is somewhat worried about haunted schools.

Fortunately, perhaps due to the different era and location, the school here was different from the school Li Wei was familiar with; it looked more like a large art museum. Even the interior design didn't resemble a school, making Li Wei feel quite unfamiliar with it.

but………

"Yes, it was the right decision not to let Katie in."

Carrying a gas lamp, Li Wei strolled through the pitch-black academy, muttering to himself. To the average person, it appeared to be an empty school, but in Li Wei's [Soul Vision], it was bustling with activity.

To put it bluntly, ghosts are floating around everywhere.

To the average person, the classroom door, which had been tightly shut in the deathly silent, dimly lit corridor, suddenly opened and then slammed shut. From inside the closed room came terrifying, unsettling sobs. Occasionally, there were also piercing screams and horrifying ghostly faces flashing in the mirror.

All of this is enough to terrify an ordinary person to the point of losing their composure and fainting.

But in Li Wei's eyes, it was a completely different scene.

Under the [Soul Vision], Li Wei could see dozens of students running back and forth in the corridor, from one room to another, as if searching for something. In a tightly closed room, a petite girl was curled up in a ball, sobbing incessantly and muttering to herself.

"It wasn't me, it wasn't me, I didn't do it... I didn't do it..."

In addition, some students were arguing in the hallway.

"It's you!"

"Who else could it be but you!"

"Tell me, was it you?!"

What exactly happened here?

Listening to the ghosts' argument and observing their behavior, Levi's detective instincts kicked in. He remembered many records saying that ghosts would repeatedly relive their past lives. According to this theory, it was clear that these ghosts were searching for something before they died.

What are they looking for?
Out of curiosity, Li Wei struck up a conversation with them, but the ghosts seemed completely unaware of his presence, acting like programmed NPCs in a game, going about their own business.

Well then, it seems there's no way to communicate with these ghosts. Let's find the sacred object and leave as soon as possible.

After locating the exhibition hall on the map in the school lobby, Li Wei went straight there.

Although we encountered many ghostly incidents along the way, as mentioned before, it is indeed very eerie if you can't see the ghosts, but if you can see them, then it's not so eerie.

However, the sheer number of souls in this place is definitely suspicious. Li Wei frequently uses [Soul Vision], but he rarely manages to actually see souls. Even in a megacity like Fog City with millions of inhabitants, Li Wei seldom encounters ghosts.

So, there's an entire school of ghosts here? Is this place cursed?

Li Wei's question was quickly answered.

"Good heavens..."

Standing in the exhibition hall, looking at the booth in front of him, Li Wei was speechless.

Moonlight streamed through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows into the luxuriously decorated exhibition hall, where exhibits were displayed one by one.

Except for one.

Looking at the display stand before him, the broken glass case, and the nameplate covered in dust that read "[Sacred Relic Stone Plate - Donation Date XXXX]", Li Wei was utterly speechless.

Before arriving here, Li Wei had considered that there might be evil spirits guarding the sacred relic, or even some indescribable terrifying monster.

But he never expected that the sacred object would be gone?
Where am I supposed to find this? Do you really want to dig up the entire academy?
Wait a minute, could it be that what those ghosts were so desperately looking for was the stone disc? Because the stone disc was lost, they all turned into ghosts?

"—————————!"

Just as Li Wei was thinking about this, suddenly, the moonlight shining through the French windows became even brighter and more dazzling. The dazzling moonlight made Li Wei involuntarily reach out to shield his eyes.

A moment later, a voice suddenly rang out from behind Li Wei.

"Could you please help investigate this case, officer?"

"?"

Upon hearing this voice, Li Wei lowered his hand and turned around. When he looked at the scene before him again, he was taken aback.

The once dark, dimly lit, and dust-covered exhibition hall was now bright and clean, with warm sunlight streaming through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, accompanied by the rustling of leaves in the gentle breeze. Before Li Wei stood an old woman, her face serious and her gaze fixed intently on him.

"Officer, are you alright?"

"I'm fine..."

Li Wei, as expected of a seasoned veteran who had experienced all sorts of situations, immediately composed himself. Then, he took out his notebook from his pocket.

"Please tell me the details of the incident again."

"Didn't I just say that once already?"

"Now we need to make a record, please repeat it."

"Ok."

The old woman nodded.

“This morning, while I was in class, I came to the exhibition hall to check on things and discovered that our school’s most important collection, the sacred stone disc, had been stolen. So I immediately called the police and hope that you can solve the case and help us find the stone disc.”

When was the last time you saw the stone disc?

“Last night, I was on night patrol to check if the children had all gone back to their dormitories to sleep. When I passed by the exhibition hall, the stone slab was still there.”

Do you know the exact time?

"It was probably just past midnight, because I heard the bells ringing."

"Is it possible that the crime was committed by outsiders?"

“That’s unlikely, officer. Our school is always under complete lockdown. And the security measures around the school are quite tight. We’re more inclined to believe it was an inside job.”

"Um……………"

So that's what those ghosts keep searching for.

After listening to the old woman's story, Li Wei pondered for a moment.

"Please let me investigate and handle this matter."

Then, he spoke.

(End of this chapter)