Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 278 The Crime of Deception
"boom!"

With the sound of gunfire, another spider girl was engulfed in flames, howling in agony, before turning into a pile of charred remains.

Li Wei held the Persuader's hand and looked at the huge shadow at the end of the corridor.

It was also a spider, but this spider was much older than the girls. She had white hair and a face full of wrinkles. At this moment, she was glaring at Li Wei with gritted teeth, her expression filled with resentment and anger.

"If I'm not mistaken, you are the dean?"

Looking at the spider-like human head before him, Li Wei asked. If she were properly groomed, she might have been considered a kind-faced old woman, but now, her狰狞扭扭的expression was so cold and chilling.

"Who sent you here!"

The old woman glared at Li Wei and roared angrily.

How did you find this place!?

"I'm more interested in you the way you are."

Li Wei stared at the old woman in front of him and said softly.

"If I'm not mistaken, you're the author of 'Legends and Beliefs: A Historical Exploration of the Great Salt Lake,' aren't you? I never imagined that the person who so confidently claimed in the book that legends were merely fiction and exaggeration would turn out like this. What? Don't you believe in history as much as you used to?"

"That book...that book..."

Perhaps upon hearing the title of her book, the old woman's originally resentful and ferocious expression began to soften somewhat.

"Hahaha, yes, legends and beliefs... are all fiction... that's what I used to think... that's what I've always thought!"

As she spoke, the old woman lowered her head and looked at her hairy, spider-like body and slender limbs.

"But this is not reality! Reality is not like this! Deans showed me, showed me the truth hidden behind this world! We humans think we understand this world, but in reality we are just like ants... no, we are just like cells, completely unaware of our own situation! Even if we are observed under a microscope, manipulated, and played with, we will know nothing about it!"

"oh……………"

Li Wei shrugged; he didn't really understand that feeling.

Many films and novels have depicted scholars and researchers who, upon discovering that their world is nothing more than a speck of dust, an insignificant existence, become completely corrupted or even collapse.

But Li Wei simply couldn't understand their inner journey.

In fact, Li Wei had seen similar movies before. At the end of a movie about aliens, there was a long shot that pulled out from where the protagonist was, showing the entire continent, then Earth, then the solar system, then the Milky Way, and then the universe composed of countless galaxies.

The final shot reveals that these universes are actually just marbles in the pocket of another alien being.

A similar scenario was used in the sequel to this film, where the protagonist sees a civilization inside a cabinet and feels sorry for them. Then, the protagonist's partner kicks open another door, and the protagonist is surprised to discover that the world he lives in is also a cabinet.

These close-up shots were quite captivating and indeed very impactful, but after watching them, Li Wei felt... well, that's about it.

After all, in his world, humanity hadn't even left the solar system yet, so he had no right to worry about what was happening outside.

Oh, and that old man at the nursing home too, always saying things like you have no idea about the secrets and truths of this world... and then what?

You went crazy just because you found out? You turned evil?

Li Wei was completely baffled. For most people, the essence and truth of the world are not important. Most people care more about how much money they earn in a month, whether it is enough to support their family, buy a house and a car, and pay for retirement and medical care... Li Wei's pursuit is actually just these things. Being able to live peacefully and enjoy a comfortable life is enough.

Or is the world like in a certain movie, where all humans live in a virtual world, and in reality they are human batteries?

Knowing this truth is indeed a bit unsettling.

But so what?

Was Zhuangzi dreaming of being a butterfly, or was the butterfly dreaming of being Zhuangzi?

Life is like a drama, drama is like life.

This is all the case.

In Li Wei's opinion, those who constantly claim to be scientific are not qualified scientists. True science should involve accepting, acknowledging, and studying objective facts.

Anne, for example, never categorically denies anything; she simply infers from clues and theories. If something exists, she records it and then figures out the underlying principles.

So what if they're sea monsters or nightmares? In Annie's eyes, they're just unclassified new species. She can simply discover them, record them, and then study them slowly, right? Even if they possess some kind of magical ability, it doesn't arise from nothing; there must be a way to figure out its principles…

Unlike these guys, who are all armchair strategists, once they find that reality doesn't match their understanding, they start cursing reality for betraying them—that's really unfair to reality.

After all, they've been perfectly fine here all along; you just didn't notice. And when you finally did, instead of scolding yourself for being stupid, you blamed reality for betraying you. How should I put it...?

Do you really think you're the creator? Is what you see reality? Just like those players in shooting games who get ambushed by the mastermind, instead of cursing themselves for being blind, they curse the other party for being treacherous and cunning.

"So how did you become like this?"

Li Wei felt he couldn't empathize with this kind of person, which wasn't surprising. Even when he watched foreign sci-fi movies, he was only interested in the special effects and monsters; he basically didn't care about the plot.

After all, if you delve too deeply into the illogical parts, you won't be able to continue reading.

"How could I have become like this... "

Upon hearing Li Wei's question, the old lady seemed to come to her senses. She lowered her head and looked at her strange body.

“Yes, why did I become like this? I wanted to live, I wanted more time, I wanted to uncover the secrets of this world… Then Deans told me that he had a way to make my wishes come true, that he would make me a being I could never have imagined, and that I would have an infinite lifespan…”

When the old lady spoke of these things, her tone was full of hatred and resentment, while Li Wei seemed very calm.

Didn't they keep their word?
Look at yourself now, aren't you an unimaginable being?
Moreover, the entire city has been destroyed, yet you have survived for so long. Isn't that an infinite lifespan?
It can only be said that the old lady is getting on in years, and her mind isn't very clear anymore.

Did Deans think she was easy to fool because of her dementia?
"But I was too lonely by myself, so I chose a few good children to keep me company..."

At this point, a kind smile appeared on the old lady's face.

“They are all good kids, very hardworking and diligent. I like them very much… That’s why I secretly brought them here and let them live with me…”

"So you turned them into these monsters too?"

"I am not a monster!"

The old lady suddenly roared.

"I just want them to experience this power with me, this magical and powerful power!"

"Forget it, I don't want to discuss this with you. Just hand over the sacred stone disc."

"As expected, you've come here for the sacred stone disc too!"

Upon hearing Li Wei's words, the old lady's expression changed.

"Don't even think about it! The sacred stone disc is mine, and I won't give it to anyone, not you or anyone else! Deans told me it belongs to me! Only I am qualified to use the sacred stone disc and obtain that mysterious and great power!"

Does the sacred stone disc possess mysterious power?

Li Wei was stunned for a moment.

He had previously used [Soul Vision] to examine another sacred stone disc, but he didn't discover any mysterious power.

"I will absolutely not give it to you!!"

At that moment, the old woman roared and lunged at Li Wei with both hands and feet!

It was only then that Li Wei noticed that the sacred stone disc was hanging around the old woman's neck!

Could this sacred stone disc truly possess some magical power?
At this moment, Li Wei did not hesitate. He quickly drew the Punisher, raised his twin pistols, and aimed them at the huge human-headed spider in front of him!
At the same time, time slowed down again!
Death Eyes!
"Bang bang bang bang bang bang...!"

Gunshots rang out like a torrential downpour. To be on the safe side, Li Wei fired almost all the bullets from both guns in one go. In just a moment, blood blossomed all over the giant human-headed spider's body, and raging flames erupted instantly. In the blink of an eye, the old woman fell to the ground completely, lifeless, amidst screams and wails.

"Well……………"

Looking at the giant spider corpse lying in front of him, now a pile of charred remains, Li Wei was completely dumbfounded.

It's like watching a cutscene and then the boss suddenly pounces on you with overwhelming force, and you were originally planning to launch a fierce attack to test the waters first.

As a result, the BOSS just kicked the bucket?

Wasn't it supposed to be some kind of mysterious and great power?
How could he... die like that?
Could it be that Deans was also lying to the old lady, just so she would protect this sacred stone disc?

Moreover, judging from what the old lady said earlier, Deans told her that this sacred stone disc was related to her power; otherwise, the old lady might have handed it over...

Could this old lady have really been fooled and become crippled?
In any case, we got the other stone disc.

Li Wei retrieved the stone disc from the corpse and examined it closely. Surprisingly, the disc was still intact... It seemed to be quite interesting.

In short, let's go back first.

(End of this chapter)