Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 361: The Myth Reappears
The doll cat peeked out and looked into the deep, dark depths.

Li Wei stared wide-eyed at it.

Then he saw...

"………………………"

Li Wei manipulated the puppet cat, quietly retracting its head and rubbing its eyes.

Did it start too fast and make my eyes blurry?
Then, the doll cat poked its head out again and looked down.

In the depths of the dark abyss lay a treasure trove shimmering with golden light.

Li Wei had seen a similar scene in a movie: gold coins flooded the void before him like a lake, with only the massive stone pillars supporting the entire city and connecting to the cave ceiling protruding from within, stretching high into the darkness. And on this small mountain of gold coins, a huge, terrifying monster lay there.

It was enormous, its body covered in scales. In fact, a faint red light could be seen flickering in the gaps between the scales. It was these lights that allowed Li Wei to barely make out the true appearance of this behemoth in front of him.

It had a massive, scaly body, a long neck, a long tail, and wings folded behind its back. Surrounding the dragon were all sorts of twisted vines and plants. From between the scales of the dragon's body, a fiery light emerged, flickering with each breath.

Good heavens, this really is a hero fighting dragons!
Li Wei gasped, silently averting his gaze to Katie beside him.

Your mouth is really blessed!
"What's wrong, Mr. Li Wei? What's next?"

Katie noticed that Levi's expression was off and asked him in a low voice, to which Levi replied in a low voice.

"dragon."

"…………………Why?"

Upon hearing Li Wei's answer, Katie almost cried out, but she quickly covered her mouth and stared at Li Wei with wide eyes, while Li Wei slowly nodded.

"Is it really a dragon? What do we do now?"

"Let's go back and get more people."

Li Wei immediately changed his mind. This thing was a dragon! To use it as the first battle for the Sky Eye would be far too much. It was like a hero facing the Four Heavenly Kings right after leaving the starting village—it was utterly illogical.

If this happened at the start of a game, it would be a guaranteed death!

Fighting a dragon head-on? Are you out of your mind?

Li Wei has decided that this matter must be reported to Her Majesty the Queen, and at least an entire air fleet must be called in to provide support. This is something no one can handle alone. This isn't Dungeons & Dragons; even in games, players team up. How could two people possibly slay a dragon?
That's cheating!
However, just as Levi and Katie were about to turn and leave, a deep roar suddenly came from behind them, followed by a voice in Levi and Katie's minds.

Ah… I smell… the scent of humans…

Even though the language that appeared in his mind was not one that Li Wei knew, he could completely ignore it and clearly understand the meaning of the sentence!
Damn!

This sent chills down Li Wei's spine. Although talking dragons were part of the setting in fantasy games, actually encountering a talking dragon was a completely different story! This creature's ability to speak meant it possessed intelligence; its ability to communicate with humans was secondary. More importantly, it meant it wasn't stupid! It wasn't just an ordinary beast!

[Thief... After many years... another thief has come to my lair... Humans... Foolish and ignorant insects...]

"Katie."

Suppressing his inner tension, Li Weiqiang looked at Katie and gave the order in a low voice.

"Go back immediately, quick, back to the airdrop capsule, prepare for emergency takeoff."

"Oh? Mr. Li Wei, what about you?"

"You go first, I'll be there right away."

Fortunately, on the way here, Li Wei had taken precautions and scattered many small figurines along the way, much like the siblings in the fairy tale who scattered breadcrumbs in the forest to avoid getting lost. Of course, this wasn't a forest, and what Li Wei scattered wasn't breadcrumbs.

The advantage is that you won't get eaten by crows.

By using [Shadow Swap] to switch places with these puppets, Levi could instantly escape the dragon, but Katie would have to run away on her own. Therefore, he told Katie to go back and prepare, while he saw if he could buy some time. Of course, subduing the enemy without a fight would be ideal.

Unfortunately... Li Wei felt that this was unlikely.

"Ok."

Katie knew this wasn't the time to delay, so she nodded and quickly turned to leave. Levi extinguished his lantern, staring into the dark abyss before him, where bright, crimson light was slowly rising. Then, with a loud crash, a massive claw gripped the edge of the platform.

Then, the dragon's head emerged from below, staring at the passage before it, its golden, lizard-like eyes darting about.

I can sense your presence, mortal. Running away is useless...

"I do not think so."

Seeing the dragon looking in the direction Katie had run off to, Levi's heart stirred. He then straightened his clothes and stepped out of the shadows beside him.

Upon hearing Li Wei's voice, the dragon quickly turned its head and stared at him.

"———————!"

The moment he was stared at by the dragon, Li Wei suddenly felt an unparalleled and terrifying pressure coming toward him. The invisible fear was like a heavy hammer that struck his chest.

At this moment, Li Wei felt weak all over and almost collapsed to the ground. However, just as this fear was about to completely seize his soul, it quietly disappeared without a trace, as if it had never existed.

Is this the Dragon's Might? It's even more exaggerated than in the game!
Li Wei's expression remained outwardly unchanged, but inwardly he breathed a sigh of relief; his previously palpitating and violently beating heart quickly calmed down. Just moments before, Li Wei had felt as if his heart was about to leap out of his throat, but now, he had returned to his usual composure.

It was as if what was in front of him was not a ferocious and terrifying dragon, but an ordinary large lizard.

Sure enough, [Stabilizing Mindset] works best.

Li Wei silently breathed a sigh of relief, then fiddled with the cane in his hand, staring at the dragon, pondering what to do next.

To be honest, Li Wei never expected to encounter a giant dragon here.

Although he had killed dragons while playing games, that was a completely different matter, not to mention that the dragons in the game were just as difficult to deal with.

"I apologize for disturbing your slumber, dragon. I did not intend to come here, nor did I know you were sleeping here..."

[Interesting mortals...]

Seeing that Li Wei could still remain calm in front of it, the dragon's eyes narrowed slightly, clearly surprised. Under the dragon's gaze, Li Wei calmly continued speaking.

"So... could you please have mercy and let me leave here?"

[Interesting...really interesting...]

The dragon lowered its head, stared at Li Wei, and narrowed its eyes.

People occasionally invade my territory, and then they are transformed into twisted monsters by my rage and curses. But look closely, you are indeed much more handsome than the average human, but that's fine...

As it spoke, the dragon opened its gaping maw.

[I haven't eaten such beautiful and delicious food in a long time!] "……………………"

You, a dragon, are so particular about the color, aroma, and taste of your food? Speaking of which, was the strange occurrence in the forest outside really your doing?

Li Wei was speechless upon hearing the dragon's reply.

"So it seems our negotiations have failed?"

That's right, you mortal, you have no right to make demands of me!

The dragon raised its head again, spread its wings, and glared angrily at Li Wei.

You are nothing but a lowly mortal! To be devoured by me is your glory! Cry out, scream, and then die! The more your soul agonizes, the more delicious it will be!

Wow, this is a dragon from the evil faction!

Hearing this, Li Wei silently complained to himself. Although he didn't know how many types of dragons were divided in this world, judging from what this dragon had just said, it clearly belonged to the evil faction in the games he had played.

It's just unclear whether it belongs to chaotic evil or lawful evil.

"Then it seems there's no point in talking."

Li Wei reached out, pressed his hand to the brim of his hat, and nodded to the dragon.

"Then, I shall take my leave."

As he spoke, Li Wei raised the Persuader in his hand and then pulled the trigger.

"boom!"

A dazzling flare shot out, illuminating the originally dark tunnel with blinding white light. Even the dragon was taken aback by the sudden burst of light—it had never imagined that such a radiance, comparable to the sun and even more dazzling than the sun at this moment, would appear. It hurriedly retreated.

Then, the dragon saw the flare fly past it and disappear to the side.

When it turned its head, Li Wei was no longer on the floor in front of it. Only a doll the size of a keychain was sitting there, looking at it with a grin, as if mocking its stupidity.

【mortal----!】

At that moment, the dragon's fury, a result of being fooled, erupted completely from its body. It lowered its head and roared as it charged forward!

I will never let you go! You will experience pain that even your soul cannot withstand! And then you will die a miserable death!

That's really terrifying.

Hearing the roar of the dragon in his mind, Li Wei mentally complained and quickly ran forward, picking up a walkie-talkie.

"Eye of the Sky! Calling the Eye of the Sky! Can you hear me?"

"This is the Eye of the Sky, sir. What happened?"

"Prepare for battle. I want you to aim your searchlights at the entrance and all your cannons at it, and load high-explosive armor-piercing rounds! Katie and I will initiate the emergency escape procedure! Everyone, get ready, listen to my orders, and be prepared to fire at any moment, understand?"

"Yes, sir!"

Li Wei turned off the communication and glanced at the corner of his eye, where a mission prompt was now appearing.

[Activate the quest "Myth Reappears"]

[Mission Requirements: Escape from the dragon, or kill it]

So, you mean it's okay to kill him?

Seeing this mission prompt, Li Wei immediately felt relieved. The system wouldn't give him mission objectives he couldn't accomplish. Escaping was a given, and being able to kill it meant the system believed Li Wei was currently capable of taking down the dragon.

Naturally, since the system did not provide a taming option, it means that Li Wei cannot tame this thing.

Sigh, the dragon knight was pretty cool too...

“Thump…thump…thump…”

Just then, heavy footsteps sounded behind Li Wei. Turning around, he saw that the dragon's head had now turned across the corridor and was looking in Li Wei's direction.

At the same time, it opened its mouth and took a deep breath. Seeing this, Li Wei's heart tightened, and in the next instant, his figure disappeared from the spot, replaced by a small puppet.

"boom-------!"

At the same time, roaring flames arrived, and the small doll was completely engulfed by the flames in the blink of an eye, turning into ashes.

Feeling the intense heat emanating from behind, Li Wei gritted his teeth and continued sprinting forward. He raised the Persuader in his hand, aimed behind him, and pulled the trigger. With a gunshot, the bullet spun out and struck the dragon's body. But the next moment, it was easily deflected.

[Foolish! Arrogant! Ignorant!]

The dragon's roar buzzed in Li Wei's mind, as if representing its burning rage.

Human swords and arrows are useless against me! My scales are as strong as steel! My claws are as sharp as blades and spears! This is my territory, and all intruders who dare to come here will only meet their demise!

Hearing the dragon's roar, Li Wei took another step forward—this step spanned a hundred-meter corridor. Flames erupted behind him, and scorching waves of air surged out from behind, almost engulfing Li Wei completely.

"Mr. Li Wei, hurry!"

Li Wei looked up and saw the drop pod not far ahead. Katie was standing at the door, waving vigorously at him. The roar and tremors behind him grew more intense, but Li Wei gritted his teeth and sprinted forward. He reached Katie, grabbed her, and rushed into the drop pod. Before he could even fasten his seatbelt, Li Wei forcefully pulled the emergency escape switch.

"———————!"

The drop pod and anchor, originally fixed to the ground, suddenly rose from the ground like rocket boosters, ascending upwards. But this wasn't the end, because Li Wei's spiritual vision could see that the giant dragon had already burst out of the tunnel and was looking up at the ascending drop pod. It seemed a little puzzled by this strange thing, but soon, the dragon flapped its wings again and soared into the air! It charged towards the drop pod!
Dragons really can fly, I'm not surprised at all.

Li Wei stared intently down below. The dragon was flying faster than the parachute was ascending, but it was clearly impatient. Li Wei saw the dragon open its mouth and take a deep breath…

"Katie, grab me! Jump!"

Seeing this, Li Wei was shocked. He couldn't care less about anything else at that moment and hurriedly pulled the emergency escape system. With a loud "bang," the previously sealed hatch burst open. Then, Li Wei, holding Katie in his arms, jumped from the rapidly ascending drop pod!

"boom-----!"

Right behind Li Wei, flames erupted from the ground, engulfing the entire drop pod. Li Wei's cloak also unfurled again, transforming into wings that barely maintained their stability, allowing them to glide to the side like paragliders.

Li Wei turned his head and saw what looked like flames erupting like a volcanic eruption, and then the figure of the dragon appeared.

At that moment, Li Wei hurriedly picked up the walkie-talkie and issued the order.

"Fire!"

(End of this chapter)