Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 429 Underwater Exploration
Midnight.

"That concludes today's broadcast. Sweet dreams to everyone."

After saying his last words into the microphone, Curly-haired Man turned it off and looked around. He was the only one in the radio station; everyone else had gone home two hours earlier.

"call……………"

Looking at the silent, empty room, Curly-haired man sighed. Then, his expression instantly became extremely serious and solemn. He reached out, pulled a punch card from his pocket, and inserted it into the radio reader.

Then, the curly-haired man put his headphones back on and carefully began to turn the knob beside him.

He was so focused that the curly-haired man didn't notice that inside his collar, a pair of small eyes were also watching the scene intently...

Soon, the night passed.

The air in the mountains was noticeably better than in the fog. Li Wei awoke from his sleep feeling refreshed and clear-headed. All his fatigue vanished. If it weren't for the amount of work he still had to do in Fog City, Li Wei would have loved to spend his entire life in this manor.

But now...

Li Wei yawned, changed his clothes, and washed up before arriving at the dining room. The little girls were already sitting at the table, ready to have breakfast.

"Oh, Mr. Li Wei, why are you only getting up now?"

Upon seeing Levi, Katie immediately began to complain.

"I went to bed a little late last night... Okay, let's start eating."

Levi sat down at the table, and then Eileen brought him breakfast. The food in Delicett was always fresher and tastier. It was a good choice for starting the day.

"By the way, Qi Ya."

Li Wei took a bite of the fried egg, then looked at Qi Ya, who was eating across from him.

"Is something the matter, Brother Li Wei?"

How much do you know about radio stations?

"A radio station?"

Upon hearing Li Wei's question, Qi Ya tilted her head slightly.

"I know a little about it. My grandfather and I were involved in the research and development of radio station equipment before. What's wrong?"

"What's the card reader on the radio station's control system mainly used for?"

"Ah, that."

Qi Ya nodded, seemingly understanding Li Wei's meaning.

"Actually, it's nothing much; it's mainly used for reading and playing music."

"Is there any other use for it? For example, would it work if other punch cards were inserted?"

"No."

This time, Qi Ya answered very decisively.

“The radio station’s system is very simple, unlike a typical differential receiver. The card reader is designed to only read audio cards; other punched cards, even if inserted, cannot be recognized or used. This is because it is not designed to have the functions of a typical differential receiver.”

"I see..."

Just like a game console can't read the installation disc of design software?

Upon hearing Qi Ya's answer, Li Wei frowned slightly. Just then, Qi Ya seemed to have thought of something and spoke up.

"But if I had to say, it can also read FM cards."

"FM card?"

"A special card for radios, mainly responsible for determining a fixed frequency band, because the originally adjusted frequency may be changed after maintenance. Therefore, the frequency data can be pre-printed on a punch card, and after each maintenance, simply insert the FM card and let the differential unit read the data to reset the frequency."

Oh, I see. It's somewhat similar to a one-click system restore?
"So, can the radio receive signals?"

"A radio station's transmission tower can't be used to receive signals; its only purpose is to transmit signals... What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I just went to the radio station yesterday and became quite interested in this kind of thing."

As Li Wei finished eating the last bite of bread, he looked at everyone.

What are you planning to do today?

"Sophia and I are going on a picnic with Katie and Olivia."

Alice grabbed Sophia's hand and raised it, speaking happily. Sophia looked at Levi somewhat shyly and nodded.

"I think I'll stay home and rest, and maybe read a book for a while..."

Qi Ya still looked like a completely exhausted salted fish, and it seemed like she wouldn't recover for at least ten days to two weeks.

The little mermaid is blowing bubbles in the pond right now, seemingly planning to go underwater for a stroll, hmm...

"Then I'll go to the radio station and finish recording the rest of the songs."

Since he had nothing better to do, Li Wei wanted to see what that curly-haired guy was up to.

As the group finished breakfast and went about their own business, the little mermaid, like everyone else, was enjoying her vacation. She was leisurely swimming in the lake. Although she felt good at home in the misty city, she felt even more relaxed and at ease in nature. Sunlight shone into the deep lake, bringing a crystal-clear brilliance. Water plants swayed gently, and fish swam in and out, occasionally gathering around the little mermaid to swim alongside her.

For humans, diving is just a fun form of entertainment, but for the little mermaid who is a water fairy, it is something much more meaningful.

The flowing water brought warmth, and it also brought feelings to the aquatic creatures: curiosity, unease, leisure, fear…

"?"

The little mermaid suddenly stopped moving and looked curiously at a cave at the edge of the lake. She could sense that the water flowing from there was not as warm as elsewhere; on the contrary, it felt icy cold, filled with chill, and carried a hint of hatred and anger…

The little mermaid stared at the cave, pondered for a moment, then flicked her tail and swiftly disappeared inside.

The cave was pitch black, without a single ray of light. A human would likely have long since perished inside, lost and disoriented. But the little mermaid, being a water fairy, obviously had no such problem. She swam deeper and deeper into the cave, and after an unknown amount of time, she finally emerged.

This place looks like a river, with the rushing water carrying everything forward. Only the little mermaid can swim upstream without a care in the world, following the cold current.

At the bottom of the river, there were shipwrecks everywhere, and even piles of white bones could be seen floating in the mud and sand. The little mermaid carefully avoided these wrecks and then came to the other side of the river.

Then, she opened her eyes wide with curiosity.

At the bottom of the dimly lit river, a structure resembling both a temple and a tomb lay submerged. The little mermaid swam curiously to this strange building, and she could feel the terrifying, chilling current emanating from it, a current capable of freezing even the soul.

What exactly is inside?
The little mermaid cautiously approached the gate of the building, but at that moment, as if sensing the little mermaid's presence, the tightly closed tomb gate trembled violently, as if something was about to rush out from inside the gate!

"Boom!"

A series of bubbles burst, startling the little mermaid who hurriedly turned around and swam away to the distant shipwreck. She timidly poked out half her head and warily stared at the tomb.

"………………………"

The latter remained silent after that.

"………………………"

The little mermaid warily watched the tomb. Suddenly, strands of seaweed drifted silently towards her, seemingly just moving with the current. However, as they approached, they transformed into venomous snakes, coiling around her body!

"————!"

It must be said that the little mermaid truly lived up to her reputation as a water fairy. At the very moment when these water plants attacked her, she seemed to sense the danger from the surging water and suddenly accelerated, leaping upwards like a swimming fish. The water plants were not to be outdone and suddenly stretched out and wrapped around the little mermaid's tail!

However, the attack of the water plants was too late. Although they managed to grab the little mermaid's tail, her body was much wetter than expected. She easily broke free from the water plants' grasp and darted forward in a flash!
Even so, the aquatic plants' offensive did not stop. Like venomous snakes waiting for their chance, they all pounced on the little mermaid! They intertwined, forming a dense, spiderweb-like net that completely blocked the little mermaid's path.

Seeing that she had nowhere to escape, the little mermaid stopped in her tracks, stared at the large net of seaweed in front of her, and then took a deep breath.

Then, the little mermaid opened her mouth.

"—————————!"

The next moment, a powerful sonic wave emanated from the little mermaid's mouth, causing the surrounding water to churn violently. The seaweed blocking the little mermaid's path trembled violently and was torn to shreds.

Then the little mermaid sped forward again, flicked her tail, and quickly darted back into the hole she had come from.

The underwater world became deathly still again, with only fragments of aquatic plants drifting with the current and quickly disappearing into the murky river.

Soon, the day passed.

When Li Wei returned to the manor, it was already afternoon. Aside from recording songs, he hadn't accomplished anything else that day. Of course, Li Wei also casually inquired about the curly-haired guy with the other radio station staff, discovering that most people had a fairly positive opinion of him.

Of course, aside from those useless things, one piece of information caught Li Wei's attention: as the radio station manager, Curly-haired Man always insisted on being in charge of the last program broadcast late at night, while everyone else could go home early.

He's been like this ever since he came to the radio station, which is why he's so loved and respected by everyone.

This is interesting. What is he doing all night long, alone at the radio station?

As Li Wei pondered this, he walked towards the manor. Just as he reached the lake, a sudden "splash" was heard, and then the little mermaid's head emerged from the water. Seeing Li Wei, the little mermaid immediately smiled happily and raised her hands towards him.

"Hey little girl, what's up? Are you having fun here?"

Upon seeing the little mermaid, Li Wei crouched down and patted her head. However, the little mermaid shook her head slightly, then looked at Li Wei and began to sing.

It's close to midnight and something evil's lucking in the dark.

Under the moonlight, you see a sight that almost stops your heart.

You try to scream, but terror takes the sound before you make it.

You start to freeze as horror looks right between your eyes.

You're paralyzed.

"Ok?"

Hearing this, Li Wei frowned. He recognized the song; it was a fairly famous pop song. But the problem wasn't the song itself, but the fact that the little mermaid was singing it to him!
The meaning of these lyrics is……………

"Did you encounter something terrifying underwater?"

Hearing Li Wei's question, the little mermaid nodded vigorously.

Upon seeing the little mermaid's appearance, Li Wei's expression immediately turned serious.

"Tell me what happened."

(End of this chapter)