Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 360 Going deep underground
Venturing deep underground was no easy task. The Sky Eye circled the mountain twice before Li Wei finally decided to enter through a cave near the summit. Although he didn't know what was inside, this cave was probably the closest he could get to that strange thing.

"Then, according to the plan."

Li Wei stood in front of the drop pod and addressed the others.

"After Katie and I land, you will secure this drop pod to it and maintain a certain distance from here. Be ready to act on my orders at any time. Meanwhile, have the lookouts keep watch on the surroundings. If anything changes in the vicinity, contact me immediately. Remember, just keep the altitude below 500 meters."

"Sir, I think it would be safer for us to act with you."

Henry patted the steam machine gun in his hand.

"If you encounter any problems, we can also help you solve them."

“If I needed your help, I certainly wouldn’t hesitate, but this time the situation is different.”

Li Wei shrugged.

“I can sense that the thing down there is huge, incredibly huge, something we can’t handle with ordinary weapons. In fact, we’re not going down there to destroy it, because the two of us simply can’t do it alone. What we’re going to do is lure it out, and then let the Eye of the Sky deliver a devastating blow—you wouldn’t use your machine guns to attack a battleship, would you? In other words, if the firepower isn’t sufficient, we probably won’t be able to destroy it.”

"Can……………"

"Moreover, it's easier for Katie and me to escape. Although your steam armor is sturdy, it's too slow and not suitable for this operation."

As he spoke, Levi patted Henry on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, your time will come. It's just that this time the target isn't suitable for you."

"Yes, sir, I understand."

Henry knew that Levi wasn't just talking nonsense. After all, he and Levi had worked together several times, and he knew that Levi wasn't the kind of fool who would rush in headfirst with just enthusiasm. So he nodded and agreed.

As for Li Wei's requirement that the Eye of the Sky be no more than 500 meters above the ground, the reason is simple: Li Wei had already secretly placed an eye in his own cabin. If the situation became critical, he could use [Teleportation] to return directly to the city. This is also why Li Wei only brought Katie; because Katie's strength is outstanding, she is not afraid of encountering too much danger. Even if they encounter any tricky troubles, they can easily handle them.

But the others don't have the skills of Levi and Katie, so going down there would be suicide.

Levi and Katie stepped into the drop pod, sat down, and fastened their seatbelts. With a soft thud, the drop pod slowly moved forward, like a gondola, from one end of the pod to the other. Then the hatch opened, and Levi looked down to see the mountains below and the dark cave.

Sigh, even though I've ridden in it several times, I still just can't get used to it.

As the orbital drop capsule slowly came to a stop, Li Wei took a deep breath. This thing slid to the ground via steel cables. However, its safety wasn't particularly high. The orbital drop capsule operated by first launching an anchor and cable from the airship for fixation, and then determining the exact distance between the airship and the ground based on the length of the cable.

Next, based on this distance, the altitude of the airdrop pod was pre-set, and then...

"call-----!"

The drop pod plummeted downwards, and at that moment, Li Wei felt as if he were in a runaway elevator. He could only see the scenery rushing past outside the window, hurtling upwards. But soon, as a dark cave swallowed the drop pod, all Li Wei could see was darkness.

Of course, if this speed were maintained, it would eventually be smashed to pieces. However, because the altitude and distance were pre-set, after the airdrop pod reached a certain altitude, it would…

"boom---!"

A sudden explosion, like a blast, came from below. The immense force even made Li Wei feel a jolt beneath his backside. At the same time, the rapidly falling drop pod began to slow down. This was due to the jet thrusters beneath the pod using recoil to counteract the downward force to some extent.

Once the jets are activated, the cable connecting the drop pod to the drop pod will begin to tighten gradually, and the pod, which was falling out of control, will gradually return to a reassuring speed.

"Dangdang!"

Finally, the airdrop pod landed heavily on the ground, and at the same time, the hatch opened.

"call………"

Li Wei loosened his seatbelt, let out a long breath, and then stepped off the airdrop pod. Looking up, he saw that only a tiny patch of sky, no bigger than a fingernail, remained above him.

It seems they've fallen quite deep.

Li Wei reached out and pressed a button inside the drop pod. The next moment, dazzling lights illuminated the surrounding darkness, completely dispelling the deep, bottomless darkness.

At this moment, Katie stretched and walked down from the other side.

"Ugh... Mr. Li Wei? We've arrived?"

"More or less, how do you feel?"

"Hmm? It's alright, it's quite fun."

If this were made into an amusement park attraction, I definitely wouldn't ride it.

But then again…

"We've really come to an amazing place."

Using the searchlight from the drop pod, Li Wei looked ahead and muttered to himself.

Before entering the cave, Li Wei thought it would be an ordinary natural cave. However, after seeing the scene clearly with the help of a searchlight, he realized that it was worse than he had imagined.

Because what Li Wei was facing was not a cave, but a city.

That’s right, the city.

Li Wei had seen similar designs in some fantasy movies—royal cities built by dwarves, nestled deep in mountain caves, magnificent and spectacular. But those were just artistic embellishments in movies; Li Wei never imagined he would actually see similar architecture in the real world.

However, his eyes could not deceive him.

Under the searchlight, one could clearly see the enormous stone carvings on either side of the cliff. Although they looked very old, one could still vaguely make out that they were warriors clad in armor. Between the two stone statues, each as tall as a five or six-story building, was a tunnel leading forward, with towering stone pillars standing alongside, creating a truly magnificent sight.

"Waaaaah..."

Seeing this scene, Katie exclaimed in excitement.

"What is this? Where is this place, Mr. Li Wei?"

"I don't know either, but it must have been a place where people used to live."

Li Wei silently took out the Persuader. Although he had already scanned the surroundings with [Soul Vision], he hadn't found any other points of light besides the huge red soul light. Logically speaking, there shouldn't be anything else here...

"It's supposed to be a horror movie, but it feels like it's turning into a fantasy. Could there be a dragon in it...?"

Li Wei muttered a complaint to himself, then lit the lantern and hung it at his waist.

"Alright, Katie, let's go."

"Oh? Shall we go in, Mr. Li Wei?"

"What else? It seems like this is the only way."

As Li Wei spoke, he used [Soul Vision] to stare down below. Under [Soul Vision], everything in front of him was shrouded in red soul radiance. However, this did not mean that everything here was being corrupted, but rather that the radiance was so dazzling that it enveloped everything in front of him.

What the hell is this thing?

It can't really be a dragon! Li Wei adjusted the lighting mode of the airdrop pod to low light to avoid being detected by other possible things, then took out the radio and connected to the Sky Eye.

"This is Li Wei, Eye of the Sky, can you receive this?"

Soon, Lieutenant Horn's voice reached Li Wei's ears.

"This is the Eye of the Sky, sir. The signal is fine, and the sound is very clear."

"Good, we have reached the designated location, but we encountered some strange things."

"weird stuff?"

“A city, an abandoned city.”

"Excuse me, sir?"

Lieutenant Horn's voice was full of questions; perhaps he wasn't even sure what he'd heard. Well, Levi could understand. He felt the same way; it was like a horror movie suddenly switching to a fantasy film – the feeling was indeed unbearable.

"After everything is over, if this thing is still here, you can bring people over to see the excitement. I believe this kind of excitement is hard to see on ordinary days."

By blockbuster standards, such a magnificent building would inevitably crumble into pieces and be buried deep underground. If Annie were here, she'd be incredibly excited; thankfully, she's not…

"I'm looking forward to it, sir. Do you need reinforcements?"

"No need, proceed according to the original plan."

"Yes, sir."

After exchanging a few words, Li Wei disconnected the communication, gestured to Katie, who then hung the lantern on her waist and followed Li Wei into the dark city.

“Da…Da…Da…”

The city looked abandoned for a long time, with thick dust covering the ground. However, it was clear that the place was built quite solidly, with most things remaining intact. Moreover, in Li Wei's [Soul Vision], the radiance of other beings' souls could not be seen.

However, Li Wei did not let his guard down. In similar movies, even without monsters like goblins or giants, there are still traps, mechanisms, moving statues, and the like.

He didn't know if it was here, but it never hurts to be careful, right?

"Wow, this place is really interesting."

Instead, Katie excitedly carried the greatsword, curiously looking around—this sword was the reward Li Wei had obtained after eliminating those alien creatures; he couldn't use it anymore, so he gave it to Katie. Katie didn't actually like such things, after all, the sword was taller than her, but considering the danger of this mission, and the fact that the soul light she had seen was far too large, Li Wei still let Katie take the Heavenly Punishment Greatsword.

Just in case.

Incidentally, Katie grabbed the greatsword that Levi couldn't lift with both hands with just one hand, and she was carrying it on her shoulder, looking around curiously.

"Mr. Li Wei, Mr. Li Wei!"

"What's wrong, Katie?"

"This reminds me of storybooks I used to read!"

"Storybook?"

"Yes."

As Katie spoke, she picked up the Heavenly Punishment Greatsword and slashed it a few times in the air.

"To rescue the princess who had been captured by a dragon, the knight bravely ventured into the dragon's lair located in a volcano, ultimately slaying the dragon, rescuing the princess, and acquiring the wealth the dragon had amassed!"

"Ah, um, it does look quite similar."

It seems there are similar stories and legends in this world, but that's quite normal.

"If I were captured by the evil dragon, would you come to my rescue, Mr. Li Wei?"

"I certainly won't use my sword to save you."

Looking at the powerful greatsword in Katie's hand, Li Wei couldn't help but make a comment.

However, at this moment…

"call-------!"

A sound like a groan rang out; it was so faint, yet it was like thunder, echoing in the empty tunnel.

Li Wei and Katie were both startled and quickly looked ahead.

Fortunately, there was still no reaction from there.

"W-what's going on, Mr. Li Wei?"

"Maybe it's that monster snoring."

Li Wei certainly hadn't forgotten that there was a huge creature not far beneath him, though he couldn't tell what it was.

Because under the [Soul Vision], a creature radiating soul light appears to Li Wei as a glowing silhouette. Simply put, if it were a human, it would be easier to recognize—two legs, two arms, a head, and a body.

However, if it is a round shape with only one raised shadow, then Li Wei would not know what it is.

It could be a pangolin curled up in a ball, or a snake coiled up in a ball; either is possible.

The same applies to this thing right now.

In short, proceed with caution.

"Ah, um..."

After this strange turn of events, the two became even more cautious. They crossed the streets and walked along deserted side streets, the eerie sound still occasionally appearing, which relieved Li Wei. It seemed to be the thing snoring, rather than discovering them.

As for what it is... I believe I'll find out soon enough.

At this moment, Li Wei and Katie had reached the edge of a high platform, where the crimson soul radiance lay below, coiled up and motionless.

"Wait here for me, I'll go take a look."

Levi whispered to Katie, who nodded solemnly and gripped the greatsword tightly.

Then, Li Wei approached the platform step by step, crawling on his body to the edge of the platform.

Then, Li Wei reached out his hand—and with his movement, a doll-like cat silently landed on the ground. It then slowly walked to the edge of the platform, poked its head out, and looked down.

Then, through the eyes of the doll cat, Li Wei finally saw the true form of that radiant soul.

(End of this chapter)