Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 302 Choice
Generally, guests don't go to the laundry room; the laundry is washed and then returned to the guest's room. But Li Wei wanted to go, so he easily evaded the staff and went to the underground laundry room, found number 217, and casually knocked on the door.

The door is unlocked.

Li Wei walked into the laundry room and saw an elderly laundry maid working there, rubbing someone's clothes under her hands.

"Looks like these aren't my clothes."

Li Wei glanced at the clothes in the basin and commented.

"Hello, Sir Levi."

The laundry maid didn't even look up; she just vigorously rubbed the clothes on the washboard while talking.

"I apologize for the hasty invitation. The reason I invited you here is that there are some things I would like to discuss with you in person."

Li Wei leaned against the wall, not saying a word, just staring at the other person. He wasn't sure if this laundry maid was sent by the three major families or someone else; anyway, he was just going to listen to what she said, and he would deal with the rest after he finished listening.

The laundry maid just kept talking to herself.

"You've been in Cairo for the past few days, so you should have learned something about the three major families. And I have some information I'd like to share with you..."

The laundry maid paused for a moment at this point.

"...In a few days, the three major families will be holding a very grand event. We don't know the specifics, but the foreman has already given orders for everyone to finish their work and prepare during this period."

"What do you want from me?"

Li Wei asked directly.

"…Please save this city! The three great families have ruled this city for many years. We have nowhere else to go but here. We've heard about what you've done in Fog City…"

"who are you?"

Li Wei interrupted the other person before they finished speaking, which was very impolite. But in fact, Li Wei treated this as an interrogation, which is also a way the police conduct investigations. They don't let the other person finish speaking; instead, they interrupt their narration. If the other person is making up lies, it's like making someone who was originally walking in the road turn onto the sidewalk—the whole thing gets stuck.

"...We are ravens."

After saying that, the laundry maid didn't say anything more. According to her plan, Li Wei would then ask why they were called Raven, and then she would slowly introduce their origins.

However, after waiting for a long time without receiving a reply from Li Wei, the laundry maid turned around and was surprised to find that she was the only person in the entire laundry room.

Li Wei had already left sometime earlier, without anyone noticing.

Unlike the Queen, Levi did not actually intend to join forces with the people here.

The reason is simple: the three major families have controlled the city for decades. According to Li Wei's understanding, the people of the city are both victims and accomplices.

His idea was simpler: capture as many people as possible from the three major families, and then the rest would be easier to use.

As for why they think this way, the reason is simple: the three major families have controlled Caisablanca for so many years, yet there are still people who can keep themselves clean and not associate with them. They are either smart and capable, or hopelessly stupid, or just useless.

As for this Raven... Li Wei wasn't even willing to cooperate with them. Looking at their pathetic underground organization, they spoke in such a secretive and secretive manner. Although he knew that this was just them trying to bargain and gain weight, Li Wei didn't think this organization was very smart.

They clearly knew they were the only option, yet they still played coy, haggling and deceiving, not a single word of their statements being true. Of course, given the living conditions in such a place, caution was inevitable. But for them to still be so evasive and manipulative in front of him, Li Wei was certain they lacked the decisiveness to act on their own.

So he decisively gave up the idea of ​​cooperating with the other party.

Working with this kind of organization is a waste of time; you offer a suggestion, and they'll discuss it for ages. But Inspector Lestrade, once they've identified the suspect, they arrest him without wasting a single minute. These kinds of investigations are a race against time; if every word you say requires a meeting, then the case is pointless, everyone might as well go home and sleep.

Moreover, this kind of organization might very well contain spies from the three major families...

As the saying goes, it's not the formidable opponent you should fear, but the incompetent teammate.

Li Wei has already categorized this crow as a "pig teammate".

However, the information provided by the other party still caught Li Wei's attention.

Li Wei had also been curious as to why the three major families had given up so easily. In his understanding, the three major families had extensive influence in Cairo. If they really broke off relations, it wouldn't be impossible for them to send people to seal off the hotel at night and then send hundreds of gunmen to storm in.

So their cowardice was quite unexpected for Li Wei.

However, based on the information provided, Levi suddenly felt that he had a pretty good idea of ​​what the three families were thinking. It was obvious that they were going to hold a big event in Caesarblanca, and Levi's continued stay here would obviously not be in line with their requirements and plans.

This is similar to a city undertaking a sanitation project, a 100-day peace campaign, or a city-wide race. During such events, all parties strive to prevent incidents from occurring. Otherwise, whether it's an accident or a crime, it would be utterly disheartening for the city government's top leadership.

Although the three major families are dynamic organizations, when it comes to organizing their own events, they naturally hope for a smooth and safe process. They certainly don't want events to be chaotic and plagued by various problems – that's the last thing the organizers want to see.

If that's the case, then getting rid of Li Wei, this fierce god, before the event starts is obviously the most cost-effective approach.

But what kind of event are they planning to hold in Caisablanca?
They can't really be planning to go independent, can they?

Li Wei dismissed it as a joke. Melesia dared to declare independence because it was geographically isolated overseas. Caesarblanca, on the other hand, was an old capital located deep within the empire; if it dared to declare independence, the Queen would have blown it up immediately. The three major families were clearly not that foolish.

Judging solely from the evidence... well, considering the little mermaid still playing in the bathtub, the three major families are probably currently focused on the auction.

But for the sake of an auction, would you rather swallow your pride and give yourself away?

No, an auction that features a mermaid as the final item... the people attending must be extraordinary.

Um……………

Thinking of this, Li Wei frowned.

At present, the most likely problem is the auction.

As for the specifics... let's see how things go tonight.

Li Wei returned to his room, ordered room service, had lunch, and then spent afternoon tea with the little mermaid—the little mermaid didn't seem to like hot tea, but she loved chewing tea leaves and eating snacks…

Well, it's one way of eating it.

Then in the evening, after dinner, Li Wei left the hotel.

The invitation only mentioned the time, not the location, meaning Li Wei could choose any place. Clearly, this was a veiled show of force: it implied that all of Caesarblanca was in the hands of their three families, and Li Wei couldn't escape no matter where he went. Li Wei didn't think much of it and went straight to the city park. The city planning in the empire was all similar; there was usually a park in front of the city hall. However, it was evening, and everyone was off work. The entire city hall looked dark, and the park was full of trees, completely dark, without even a homeless person in sight.

Li Wei sat on a park bench, closing his eyes to rest.

Time passed slowly, and after a while, Li Wei heard footsteps. He opened his eyes and saw a group of men wearing wide-brimmed hats and black overcoats, dressed like gangsters from a movie, walking towards him. The leader was a young man in a suit and glasses, who looked more like an office worker.

Good evening, Sir Levi.

The white-collar man gave Li Wei a perfunctory bow.

"What? Came to say hello?"

Li Wei remained seated in his chair, looking at the white-collar man before him with a slight smile.

"I thought dozens of people would jump out of the woods and shoot me to pieces."

Li Wei wasn't joking; the location he chose was perfect for an ambush. The plaza was wide open, surrounded by dense woods. If the other party really wanted to, they could easily hide in the woods and shoot themselves. However, Li Wei had just scanned the area with [Soul Vision] and found no one in the woods.

This is a little strange.

He chose such a good location, yet the other party didn't make a move. It seems he's truly afraid of the worst-case scenario.

"You must be joking."

The white-collar man still had a smile on his face and looked very obsequious. Then he waved his hand. Li Wei then saw the thugs bring in several people.

The latter were all tightly bound and wearing hoods, but judging from their robust physiques, they were clearly not women.

"What does it mean?"

Li Wei raised an eyebrow. He had considered the possibility that the other party might use a honey trap, but using a man as a trap was going too far. If the other party really thought he liked men, Li Wei would have to massacre the entire city of Caesarblanca today.

"Actually, it's just a misunderstanding between us and Sir Levi."

The white-collar man was clearly just relaying a message, and he hurriedly spoke up.

"The incident at the Exploration News editorial department was because the editorial department wanted to find out the secrets of our three families, so we wanted to warn them. We didn't expect this to happen. We also didn't expect you to come. If we had known you would come, we would never have taken action. After all, you are the Imperial Detective, and I think our little tricks are no match for you."

"so?"

"So, we've brought you the people who did it that day."

The white-collar man gestured to the group of people who were tied up, as if he were introducing a recipe.

"They were ordered to issue a warning that day, but these men were hot-tempered and used to running rampant in Cairo. They completely ignored our orders and went to kill people as soon as they arrived... It was indeed our fault. Now, we have arrested all of them. Please take a look."

"oh……………"

Hearing the white-collar man speak, Li Wei nodded, then stood up and walked over to the group of people, circling around them.

"Yes, it is indeed them."

"You know?"

Hearing Li Wei's answer, the white-collar man breathed a sigh of relief, and then he immediately realized what was going on.

"Ah, no, what I mean is... I originally thought you would think we just randomly picked a few people to be scapegoats..."

"You can tell just by looking at the footprints. I remember all the footprints of the intruders at the scene. I can tell who is who at a glance."

As Li Wei spoke, he glanced at the white-collar man's feet, who smiled awkwardly and quickly took two steps back.

"Since that's the case, then I won't waste any more words. Please allow me to apologize to you on behalf of the three major families."

As he spoke, the white-collar man lowered his head, and at the same time, the thugs pulled out guns from their pockets and pulled the triggers on the thugs.

"Bang bang bang bang!"

Immediately afterwards, the thugs' heads exploded and they fell to the ground. Li Wei simply stood by, watching the scene without saying a word.

"This is our sincerity."

The white-collar man looked up at Li Wei with a smile.

"So you mean to wipe the slate clean?"

"Yes."

As the white-collar man spoke, he reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope.

"Let's be frank, Sir Levi, we hope you can leave Caesarblanca. I believe you understand what we mean. Here is a train ticket for tomorrow morning and a bearer check with five thousand pounds, which can be cashed at major banks."

What if I don't want to leave?

"If you don't want to leave, that's fine too."

The white-collar man was clearly prepared for Li Wei's question.

“Coincidentally, we have a case to investigate. If you, the Imperial Detective, are willing to lend a hand, that would be wonderful.”

"…………………"

Li Wei stared at the white-collar man without saying a word. He understood what the other man meant. Clearly, Li Wei was being asked to make a choice: either take the money and leave quickly, or stay and join them in their corrupt practices.

Of course, Li Wei could refuse the money and refuse to join, choosing to stay here. However, if he did that, a large group of people might actually storm into the hotel tonight.

Although he wasn't afraid, there was a little mermaid by his side after all, hmm...

Having thought this through, Li Wei had already made his decision.

(End of this chapter)