Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 460 Unbelievable
"To be honest, this is the first time I've been asked to identify a body."

Looking at Lestrade in front of him, Levi was incredulous.

"Because during our investigation of the body, we found records in his notebook indicating that he had met with you, which is why we came to inquire."

Lestrade looked at Levi and asked curiously.

"What's going on? Did he come to you with a case?"

"Well, it's hard to say whether it's a case or not... Anyway, he claims he killed someone."

"Claiming? Nobody saw the body?"

"That's the problem. He claimed that only he could see the body."

"...Ah, is that why he came to see you?"

Lestrade understood immediately.

"So you're planning to help him investigate?"

“I suggested he see a psychiatrist first… to see if it’s a mental health issue.”

Li Wei shook his head. The reason he didn't immediately go with Baron Hanklis to see him was simple. Firstly, the man's home was in another region, a long journey. Secondly, Li Wei had used [Soul Vision] to examine him and found his soul to be normal, without any problems, and it didn't seem to be cursed or anything like that.

Besides, he believed he had killed someone, not that someone wanted to kill him…

“He did see a doctor, and we also questioned the doctor.”

"Oh? What did the doctor say?"

"The doctor said he said some very strange things."

"Weird words?"

"Yes, the doctor asked about his family situation and what had happened to him recently, etc..."

"oh……………"

This is a method commonly used by psychiatrists.

"Then he gave some strange answers, and the doctor thought he might actually have a mental problem."

"How to say?"

"You'll understand once you listen."

As Lestrade spoke, he handed over a punch card.

Levi took the punch card, inserted it into the tape recorder, and then Baron Hancock's voice came on.

"My family situation? Ah, I have a younger brother. He went to the front lines to fight. You know, the situation there is terrible. He wrote to me saying that many people are dying, so many people, people are dying every day. Maybe one day he will die too. I am really worried about him. I can even see him dying painfully in the trenches when I close my eyes..."

"The situation at the front is terrible? What is he talking about?"

Listening to the other person's words, Li Wei was completely bewildered. If it weren't for the fact that it was indeed Baron Hanklis's voice coming from inside, he would have suspected that the other person was telling a story.

The situation at the front is terrible? People are dying every day? How come I didn't know?
If such a thing were to happen, wouldn't I have been summoned to the front lines long ago?

When Levi met with Baron Henkles, he only listened to him talk about the situation and didn't discuss these everyday topics at all.

"The doctor didn't understand either; he was just going along with what Baron Hanklis said. He thought it might be because Baron Hanklis was overly sensitive. His brother was serving in the army, and he was particularly worried that his brother would go to the battlefield. Therefore, he overthought things and developed this hallucination, which he eventually took as reality."

"What about his brother? What happened?"

"No such person can be found. Earl Hanklis is an only son, and no one in his family is serving in the army."

"this……………"

Upon hearing Lestrade's reply, Levi was speechless for a moment. It really did seem like a delusional psychotic.

"What was the cause of death?"

Li Wei thought about it and decided to stop paying attention to the other person's mental state. He couldn't understand the thoughts of a mentally ill person anyway, so he decided to focus on the normal ones instead.

"The shooting itself is quite strange."

Lestrade introduced him to Levi.

"According to those who were there at the time, Baron Hanklis was dining in the restaurant when he suddenly looked up as if he had seen someone, clutched his chest, and collapsed to the ground. Everyone thought he had a sudden illness, but when the doctor examined him, he found a gunshot wound on his chest."

How many people were in the restaurant at the time?

"They were mostly waiters, and there were also a few customers."

Lestrade said, frowning.

“Strangely, when we asked the guests and the waiters at the time, they all said in unison that when Baron Hanklis stood up, there was no one in the direction he was looking… because they were also looking in that direction.”

Yes, that's perfectly normal. Imagine you're eating, and suddenly someone stands up loudly. You look at them and see them staring in a certain direction with a look of fear and unease. A normal person would naturally look in that direction to see what's going on.

"They didn't hear any gunshots either?"

"They didn't hear anything."

"But bullets were indeed found on Baron Hanklis?"

"Yes, and..."

"and?"

"Upon inspection, it was confirmed to be rifle bullets, specifically Krant's standard rifle bullets."

"Krant's standard rifle bullets? Appearing in the Imperial Capital?"

Li Wei felt that the case was getting stranger and stranger.

"I want to see the body."

"No problem at all."

When Levi arrived at the morgue and actually saw the body, he realized that Lestrade's assessment was still an understatement. "Three shots in total, from different directions and angles."

Levi stared at Baron Hanklis's body lying on the morgue and the gunshot wounds on it, quickly making a judgment. After all, going to the battlefield and seeing more corpses was more valuable experience than anything else.

"Judging from the wound, it's probably about five to ten meters away... You really didn't see anyone?"

“I didn’t see anyone, and Baron Hanklis was sitting at the back of the restaurant. If it was that distance, then the person who fired the shot would have had to go inside the restaurant.”

"What the hell?"

Levi frowned, looking at Baron Hanklis's corpse before him, then at the three bullet fragments unearthed beside it. They were indeed standard-issue rifle bullets from the Kingdom of Krant. Logically, if these were fired, anyone nearby would definitely hear it; even if the Kingdom of Krant had invented a silencer, it shouldn't be this loud…

"Let's go see the scene."

Baron Hanklis was staying at a five-star hotel, and he was having breakfast in the restaurant at the time, a fact that the restaurant staff vividly remembered.

"Is that where Baron Hanklis is sitting?"

Li Wei looked around the restaurant and, following the waiter's directions, found Baron Hanklis's seat. He wasn't sitting by the window, but rather on the inside against the wall.

Based on his conclusions, if the other party had fired at Baron Hancock from a distance of five to ten meters, he would have inevitably rushed into the restaurant and attracted everyone's attention.

But they said they didn't see anything...

"Describe the situation again."

Li Weiwang spoke to the waiter.

"Yes, yes, sir!"

When Li Wei asked the question, the waiter's face turned red with excitement. He nodded vigorously and then began to talk excitedly.

"This guest was having breakfast here. He had baked beans, bacon, fried eggs, and black pudding..."

"Was there anything unusual about his expression at that time? Like anxiety or anything?"

"No, sir, his expression was very calm, no different from the other guests who came for breakfast. Later... I was working over there when I heard a noise coming from this side, and when I turned around, I saw this guest stand up, staring wide-eyed at the front door, as if there was something incredible there."

"Is there something there?"

"No, nothing."

The waiter shook his head firmly.

"and then?"

"Then, I worried that he might be feeling unwell or have suddenly fallen ill, so I went up to him and asked, 'Sir, is there anything I can help you with?' Then the guest looked at me—his gaze was very strange..."

"strangeness?"

"Yes, the way he looked at me was as if he thought I was crazy, as if I shouldn't have asked him that question at that moment. Then he looked at me and stared ahead. I turned my head to look too, but there was only the door there."

"Um……………"

Li Wei looked in the direction the waiter pointed, and indeed, Baron Hanklis could see the main entrance from his seat. Imagine him sitting there; if someone entered or exited through the main entrance, he would definitely be able to see them. However, the main entrance was a double door made of solid wood, meaning that Baron Hanklis could not see outside through the door.

"nobody?"

"Yes, there's nothing there."

"continue."

"Then the guest suddenly looked terrified. He raised his hands as if to say something, and then the next moment, his body trembled, and he clutched his chest and fell backward to the ground."

"Could you imitate his movements back then?"

"Okay, my lord."

The waiter thought for a moment, then raised his hands and looked towards the door.

"That's pretty much it."

Raise both hands? Isn't that a gesture someone would only make if they had a gun?

Levi stared at the door. He could imagine that if someone rushed into the restaurant with a gun, it would indeed be surprising, and when they pointed the gun at you, you would naturally raise your hands. But the problem was… Levi's [Soul Vision] didn't see anything strange here.

There was no trace or remnant of any mysterious power...

But Baron Hanklis was indeed killed, and by three shots, from different angles, from different guns…

Perhaps he should go to Baron Hanklis's house and investigate the mysterious murder he mentioned.

Baron Hanklis's house was located in the northeastern part of the empire, near the border. It took Levi almost a day to get there using the Eye of the Sky. Then, following the address, he arrived at the gate of Baron Hanklis's house and knocked on the door.

Soon, the door opened, and a butler came out. He was also taken aback when he saw Li Wei.

"You are..."

"I am Li Wei. I am here to visit you, as I have some matters I wish to investigate."

Looking at the butler in front of him, Li Wei was somewhat hesitant to tell him about Baron Hanklis's death—after all, he hadn't expected that the man would actually die, had he?

"Ah, Lord Li Wei, please come in."

Upon hearing Li Wei's introduction, the butler hurriedly invited him into the room before leaving in a rush. Li Wei, meanwhile, sat in the lounge, sipping tea and carefully observing his surroundings.

Is this the lounge that Baron Hanklis mentioned? Yes, it is indeed as he said. There's a chaise lounge by the fireplace. He was reading in that chaise lounge when he fell asleep. When he opened his eyes, he found someone trying to attack him, so Baron Hanklis drew his gun and returned fire…

“Thump…thump…thump…”

Just then, footsteps sounded, and Li Wei turned around to see a man walk in. He looked to be in his fifties, dressed in fine clothes, with a meticulously trimmed mustache, and looked very energetic.

"Sir Levy, I never expected you to visit. May I ask what brings you here?"

The person who appeared before Li Wei was none other than Baron Habert Henkles.

(End of this chapter)