Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 322 Aftermath
Tonight will be another sleepless night for Li Wei.

After cleaning up all the strange things in the cave and making sure there were no remnants, Levi returned to the Steel City to check on Dr. Franco and Qiya.

Fortunately, Dr. Franco survived, but unfortunately... his right leg was severely injured, and he may never be able to move around again.

Li Wei wore a tearful expression on his face, but was secretly laughing inside.

He had already learned the whole story from the surviving soldiers, and he discovered that Dr. Franco was a real troublemaker. What's worse, he was quite famous, and when he wanted to court death, no one could stop him. Now, he'll probably be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Well—he deserved it!
That's right, serves them right!
Li Wei was also gritting his teeth in anger. He had discovered a mysterious signal reading, but instead of reporting it to MI7 immediately, he had formed an investigation team to find it himself.
What? You think you're so tough? If it weren't for the Governor of Steel City insisting on assigning you a platoon of bodyguards, you'd be dead out there by now!
It was Qi Ya who was sensible enough to ask him for help; otherwise, Li Wei probably wouldn't have known about this until their bodies had gone cold!

What a senile old fool!
What Li Wei hates most is those scenes in science fiction movies where scientists or capitalists discover some kind of secret alien base, and you know there's a problem, but instead of reporting it to the government, you secretly investigate to try and monopolize the information, and then you cause a huge mess, making the whole world suffer along with you for no reason.

Fortunately, he was old enough to speak with the governor of Steel City. If Dr. Franco were young and impetuous, he probably would have formed a team and gone to his death in the deep mountains without saying a word.

The governor of Steel City, on the other hand, was very official—"I don't know what's there, but as a high-ranking official, you mustn't make any mistakes!"

Without hesitation, a platoon plus four mechs were dispatched.

It turned out that these soldiers, whom Dr. Franco looked down upon, were the ones who saved their lives.

They may not understand functions, but they can save lives!
"Why……………"

Thinking of this, Li Wei sighed silently and looked at Qi Ya in front of him. He had already talked to Qi Ya and learned about the alien creature. Fortunately, although Qi Ya seemed a little nervous, she was still quite articulate when describing it. At least Li Wei knew that those monsters did indeed have a way to disguise themselves as humans.

Incidentally, the monster's human skin mask and gloves had also been found. Li Wei looked at them and confirmed that they should be the same man who had gone to buy the can of brains.

It's a pity that if this thing hadn't run so fast, Li Wei might have discovered its true form much earlier.

As for the spy who colluded with the aliens, he has been arrested and is currently being tortured and interrogated by agents of MI7.

Li Wei was used to such traitors. Perhaps people in this world couldn't understand it yet, but modern Li Wei had already seen all sorts of monsters and demons online. Some people even thought that humanity was doomed and it would be better to rely on aliens to rule them, willingly becoming their guides, and even justifying it by claiming it was for the future of human civilization.

This guy was the same, so after chatting with him for a bit and learning his thoughts and tactics, Li Wei simply handed him over to the agents of MI7 to be properly entertained.

However, it might really come down to talent.

Looking at Qi Ya lying on the hospital bed, tightly clutching her kitten, Li Wei couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion. From Qi Ya's description, she had not only met the monster, but it had also transformed in front of her. Of course, Qi Ya was terrified, but unlike Henry's report, she didn't experience a mental breakdown or become hysterical, requiring tranquilizers, simply from seeing such a monster…

Does this thing also depend on one's manners?

Some people are born fearless, while others collapse at the sight of them?
But before that... um...

Li Wei looked at the kitten in Qi Ya's arms with a strange expression.

The reason is simple: the soul radiance of this thing is... blue.

What's going on in the Empire lately? Is there a massive outbreak of fantasy species?

According to Qi Ya, she found it by the roadside during her expedition.

You can find fantasy species on the roadside?
But considering that she herself had found a little mermaid at the zoo, this wasn't too outrageous for Qi Ya.

Furthermore, Qi Ya also mentioned that the kitten was very brave and even attacked the monster on their behalf, preventing the monster from attacking Dr. Franco. Well, that's not surprising, because Levi has already discovered that although the Fantasy Species are Fantasy Species, they are all native creatures, and native creatures seem to have a natural hostility towards alien creatures.

This is normal, though. Animals have a natural sense of territory, and they will naturally retaliate if their territory is invaded. Extraterrestrial beings are not native to this planet, so they will be seen as intruders by all life forms on the planet.

As for now…

"Meow...meow..."

The kitten was still rolling around in Qi Ya's arms, acting all cute and vulnerable, but Li Wei knew it was all an act. He knew that Olivia's Cerberus was also an adorable puppy after its transformation.

But that doesn't stop them from tearing the enemy to pieces.

However... the rules that need to be followed still need to be followed.

"You must be tired too, get some rest."

"Okay, Brother Li Wei..."

Qi Ya was also exhausted. She had been under a lot of stress, and now that she knew her grandfather was alright, she was overcome with sleepiness and soon fell into a deep sleep.

The little kitten also tried to snuggle into Qi Ya's arms and sleep with her—but Li Wei grabbed it by the scruff of its neck and lifted it up.

"Meow?"

The kitten was clearly taken aback when this human picked it up, and stared at him with wide, bewildered eyes. Li Wei then carried the kitten out of the room, found a secluded spot, and began to watch it intently. "Alright, stop pretending. I know you're not an ordinary kitten, and you can understand what I'm saying."

Levi was aware of the intelligence of the fantasy species. Whether it was the three-headed dog, the little mermaid, or his own dog Betty, they were all intelligent enough to understand human speech. Of course, whether they could communicate was another matter.

Sure enough, upon hearing Li Wei's words, the little kitten that had been baring its teeth and claws paused for a moment, then stopped, staring at Li Wei without saying a word.

Not only that, its originally blue kitten eyes suddenly turned gold!
A powerful aura suddenly emerged from the kitten and pressed down on Li Wei!

Li Wei could even feel that the terrifying aura seemed to have transformed into a massive, towering wave, rising high as if to crush him to death!
However, this momentum only lasted for a few seconds before dissipating, and the kitten's golden eyes turned back to blue.

Li Wei was not surprised by this. He also noticed that the kitten was at its last gasp. Otherwise, it would have killed those alien monsters on its own long ago, instead of being beaten up and running around everywhere.

“You should know the current situation of this world. If you don’t, staying by Qi Ya’s side will help you understand some things. So I must tell you, don’t think you’re so great. If you cause trouble in the human world, no one can save you. Not only will Qi Ya suffer because of you, but you yourself will also die without a burial place.”

"Meow!"

Upon hearing Li Wei's warning, the kitten meowed angrily, looking like it was saying, "How could that be? I don't believe it."

"In short, you better behave yourself and don't do anything rash. Listen more, observe more, and don't cause trouble, or I'll deal with you."

Li Wei stared at the kitten and spoke coldly, while the kitten stared back at Li Wei, looking stubborn and completely unconvinced.

Li Wei didn't expect the little kitten to bow down to him immediately. In fact, he wanted to see how capable these fantasy species were of self-management when they weren't under his control. Since Qi Ya could find fantasy species on the roadside, the number of fantasy species in the empire might increase in the future. Would they possess a certain level of intelligence and know that going against humans was wrong, or would they foolishly go out and cause trouble?

Let's see how this little kitten reacts.

Li Wei warned the kitten a few times and then threw it back, while the kitten crawled directly into Qi Ya's bed, looking sullen, and then slowly fell asleep.

Li Wei did not return to the Fog City, but instead found a hotel in the Steel City, booked a room, and went to rest.

After all, he needs a good night's sleep before he has the energy to yell at people.

As for who to criticize...

Of the fifty soldiers, only four survived.

The next day, after waking up, Li Wei stood in the ward, looking at Dr. Franco, whose face was ashen, with a serious expression.

"Of the twenty expedition team members, all but you and Miss Qiya perished."

"………………………"

Dr. Franco, like a defeated rooster, hung his head, speechless. Though a scientist, he wasn't without humanity. He finally came to his senses and realized he'd messed up.

"You don't need to pay the compensation; after all, they were soldiers of the Empire, and the Empire will take care of it. As for the families of those expedition members, the Empire will also provide some compensation. Of course, they won't be coming back, but at least they'll get some money."

Li Wei didn't utter a single insult to Dr. Franco, but he was subtly mocking him. The latter, at this point, had no energy left to retort and hung his head in dejection, like a defeated rooster.

"I hope that next time, Dr. Franco, you will have a similar situation and will think carefully about the Empire's financial burden."

Li Wei didn't utter a single curse, but to Dr. Franco, it sounded incredibly malicious.

"Well then, I'll take my leave now. I still have many things to do."

Li Wei didn't stand on ceremony with Dr. Franco. Besides, he was just staying at home, and if it weren't for Dr. Franco causing this mess, he wouldn't have rushed over here. Now that things were settled, he could leave the follow-up issues to the old butler and go home to sleep.

“Please, please wait, Sir Levi, that… about the machines those monsters used…”

"MI7 has recovered all of them and will conduct research and analysis."

"Then I can join too..."

"This is not a decision I can make. I would appreciate it if Dr. Franco could submit his own report."

Li Wei silently took a step back. This doctor was indeed impressive, but his stubbornness could be a headache at times. Hopefully, he could learn from this experience.

"Then, I shall take my leave."

　Oh no! I was planning to write an update after dinner, then I lay in bed for a while, and I remember writing an update. Then I opened my eyes and... I realized I had fallen asleep! Waaaaah, I was clearly writing it in my dream, and now I have to write it again after waking up...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)