Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 488 First Meeting
The Royal Botanic Gardens has now completely transformed into something else entirely.

The original glass exterior wall has been completely sealed off. Outside the botanical garden, the Empire has added another layer, which completely seals off the entire dragon's corpse. The area outside is heavily guarded, with sentries every three steps and guards every five steps. The city wall responsible for guarding it is nearly ten meters high, and there are anti-aircraft guns and heavy machine guns on the surrounding bunkers.

If you didn't know better, you'd think it was a prison for serious criminals.

However, Li Wei felt much more at ease. This thing must be kept in strict custody; otherwise, it would be a big problem.

Everyone had to pass through three checkpoints before they were allowed to enter the research institute, and Li Wei was no exception.

"Wow, this place has changed quite a bit since I last came here."

Stepping into the research institute and looking at the impressive lobby, Li Wei couldn't help but sigh. The entire lobby was clean, bright, and pristine white, giving it the feel of a modern technology company.

The only slightly spoiled thing is...

"Mr. Li Wei, what is that?"

Anne looked at the three large jars on the wall with a puzzled expression. Inside were corpses preserved in formalin, and they were human corpses.

Moreover, they were twisted and deformed human corpses.

Below are their nameplates and detailed causes of death.

"Oh, those are three stupid idiots."

Li Wei glanced at it and snorted coldly. This was back when he brought the dragon's corpse back. Three idiotic researchers, who had somehow heard rumors that drinking dragon blood could grant superhuman strength, immortality, and invulnerability, had stolen a few drops and ended up looking like this.

Upon hearing the report, Li Wei suggested that they simply turn these three idiots into specimens and place them in the hall so that others could see the fate of these fools.

In retrospect, they really did do just that.

While chatting casually, Li Wei and Annie arrived at the front desk. Upon seeing Li Wei, the receptionist quickly stood up.

"Ah, hello, Sir Levy, may I ask..."

"I'm here to see Miss Anne; I have an appointment."

“Ah, yes, but Miss Branson isn’t here…”

As she spoke, the receptionist glanced cautiously at Annie behind Li Wei, looking somewhat puzzled.

"Oh, she's Miss Anne's relative."

"Oh, I thought... I'm sorry."

Upon hearing Li Wei's answer, the receptionist nodded in sudden understanding, and then picked up the communicator.

“Ah, yes, Miss Branson? Yes, yes, Sir Levi has arrived… Okay, I understand.”

A moment later, the receptionist put down the microphone and looked at the two of them with a smile.

"plz follow me."

Led by the receptionist, the two walked deeper into the research institute and arrived at an office. The receptionist knocked on the door and then came in.

“Miss Branson, Sir Levy has arrived.”

"Please come in."

Hearing Anne's voice, Levi led "another Anne" inside.

It had been a long time since Levi had seen Annie. Ever since she started studying the dragon's corpse, Annie had stayed here and never left, giving the impression that she was oblivious to the world around her. Now, seeing Annie again, Levi noticed that she had changed somewhat.

She was thinner than before, and perhaps because she hadn't been in the sun for a long time, her skin was also a little pale. She looked at Li Wei, then glanced at the other Annie behind Li Wei, and then looked away.

"Sir Levi? Is there something you need from me?"

"Hmm? You don't seem surprised by her appearance?"

Levi was somewhat surprised by Annie's reaction. He admitted that bringing another Annie along was actually to see how his own world's Annie would react. After all, she usually had a blank expression, and if he could see her surprised, it would have been worth the trip.

Unfortunately, Li Wei did not see the reaction he expected.

"You mean this lady who looks exactly like me? That's not that strange, is it? After all, there are always people in this world who look alike... Could it be that you just wanted me to see this?"

"Um... fifty and fifty, I guess. If you don't mind, could you stand side by side so I can see?"

“………………………?”

Annie tilted her head, but still stood up, while the other Annie rolled her eyes and walked to the side.

"Hmm... there are indeed differences."

Li Wei looked at the two carefully. Although they were exactly the same in height, build, and appearance, their personal temperaments were completely different.

In short, although both of them are expressionless, perhaps due to years of persecution and struggle, Annie from the other world tends to have more negative emotions. If we were to convert it numerically, then Annie from the other world would basically maintain an expression of -1 most of the time; her brows would be slightly furrowed, making her look somewhat aggressive, as if she were about to start a fight at the slightest provocation.

However, perhaps because of her comfortable life, Anne in Levi's world is not as aggressive as her counterpart. It can be said that her emotions are basically always at zero, her eyebrows are balanced, and her gaze is not sharp. She has a calm demeanor that remains unchanged even if Mount Tai collapses in front of her.

"Of course."

"agree."

In response to Li Wei's感慨 (sentiments/reflections), both Annies offered their answers. Clearly, the more aggressive one was from the other world. The Annie from this world, however, simply uttered a single word, seemingly unconcerned about such trivial matters.

"Okay, it seems I misunderstood."

Li Wei smiled, letting the awkwardness pass. He then introduced the two of them separately. When Annie learned that her other self came from another world, her eyes widened slightly. However, upon learning that her other self was actually an expert in chimeras, Annie immediately became excited.

"Could you participate in our research? I've always wanted to figure out how the chimeras of the Kingdom of Krant are created; it's been troubling me for a long time... Is that theory called the Lifeline? Perhaps you could stay at the research institute and help us solve some of the problems..."

"Ahem, Miss Anne." Seeing Anne grab another version of himself and bombard him with questions, Levi had no choice but to quickly interrupt her.

“Miss Anne here currently has other work to do. She must prove that she has earned the Empire’s trust before she is qualified to do this work.”

That's true. Her Majesty the Queen's agreement to allow Anne from another world to participate in drug development was to give her a chance to prove herself. Since the empire in this world hasn't persecuted her, if Anne is willing to use her biotechnology knowledge to contribute to the empire, she will naturally receive praise and rewards.

And trust.

Research on dragons is one of the Empire's top secrets, and Anne is clearly not yet qualified to join the project.

"Ok."

Hearing Li Wei's answer, Annie regained her composure, released her other wrist, and nodded.

"Sorry, I got a little excited."

"Ah, um..."

The other Anne was also clearly surprised, but she just nodded and didn't say anything more.

Taking the opportunity, Li Wei steered the conversation back on track, inquiring about the progress of the dragon research. Because of her other self's presence, Annie didn't go into too much detail, only mentioning that there had indeed been some progress in the dragon research, though there were also some minor problems. These problems weren't related to the research topics themselves, but rather to interpersonal relationships.

"Professor Franklin gave me a lot of difficult problems... very difficult to solve..."

Anne briefly explained to Levi the difficulties she was currently facing; research on dragons was inherently fraught with challenges. However, the problem wasn't just that. The real issue was that many biologists were not convinced by Anne's abilities. Although she was personally appointed by Her Majesty the Queen as the investigation representative, Anne was still quite young, and many of her research findings were obtained alongside Levi.

This fueled a sense of discontent among many biologists, with Professor Franklin being a prime example. They all believed Anne was simply lucky and lacked real talent. Therefore, when it came to research, they either questioned Anne's research direction or found various reasons to argue that it was too difficult and impossible, instead focusing on their own research projects.

This gave Annie a headache, so she often had to do things on her own. This is why Levi noticed how thin Annie was; she simply couldn't find anyone to help her with many things and had to handle them all by herself.

"Are you just going to let them do whatever they want?!"

Before Li Wei could speak, another Annie couldn't help but jump up. Judging from her agitated appearance, Li Wei guessed that she had also encountered a similar situation and was now experiencing PTSD.

Compared to her other self who was experiencing PTSD, Annie in this world was quite calm.

"Originally, I planned to do it myself and didn't need their help, as long as they didn't cause trouble..."

"No, no, no, that's not how it works."

However, Anne's words were soon interrupted by another version of herself.

"Listen up, I've encountered many similar situations. These guys won't give up until they've learned their lesson! The more you try to stop them from causing you trouble, the more trouble they'll cause you!"

"But this is not good for them."

Annie seemed a little puzzled.

"If the research project is delayed, they will also bear responsibility."

"Many people do things not to benefit themselves, but to cause losses to others."

Another Anne spoke up with absolute certainty.

“If I were you… from your perspective… you were appointed by Her Majesty the Queen… right? Mr. Levi? Yes, you were appointed by Her Majesty the Queen, so you have that power, and you must use that power. You should find those who don't obey you and tell them that if they don't do as you ask, they should leave the institute. Or you could spread some rumors, such as that they aren't skilled enough, which is why they haven't produced results for so long… I think that would become a driving force for them.”

"I agree."

This time, Levi expressed his agreement from another Anne's perspective.

"Her Majesty the Queen has appointed you as the representative of the Empire, which means that the Empire trusts you. At the same time, you have the responsibility and obligation to exercise your power, Anne, in order to ensure that the Empire is not harmed."

"However, some argue that if power is allowed to intervene in science..."

"Without the support of power, science is just a castle in the air."

Li Wei spoke again.

“You must remember, Annie, this research institute you are in now was built by the Empire using its own resources, and the purpose of building this institute is to study dragons and produce results. If anyone thinks that power has tainted the sacred and pure scientific research, then they can leave this institute and do whatever projects they want at their own expense, whether it's studying pigeons or earthworms, it's up to them. But not here. The Empire has invested so much manpower, material resources, and financial resources in this institute, not so that they can pursue their own selfish interests.”

“I know you just want to do your research in peace and quiet, and I used to think so too.”

Perhaps thinking of her own past experiences, the other Annie also looked unhappy at this moment.

"I thought that as long as I did my job well, it was fine, and what others said didn't matter to me, as long as I produced results. But that's not how it is. If you don't speak up, others will smear you. Even if you achieve results, you'll be accused of stealing or plagiarizing. At that point, don't expect anyone to stand up for you. Those bureaucrats only care whether the task is completed. They don't care who completed it, as long as they can report back to their superiors! Remember, only you can save yourself!"

As she spoke, Annie gave a soft hum.

"As for those stupid idiots, they don't understand any scientific knowledge. They only know that whoever shouts the loudest is right! Most people are that stupid, stupid, and ignorant! They don't care about the truth! To them, it's just an interesting idle chatter. No matter how miserable you are, you'll only become a topic of their idle talk, and no one will sympathize with or pity you!"

"………………………"

Hearing the other Anne speak, Levi glanced at her silently. This Anne had never explained in detail what she had encountered in the Empire, but from her words, Levi could roughly guess why she was so angry and resentful whenever the Empire was mentioned.

If the Kingdom of Krant's research into bio-soldiers hadn't clashed with Dr. Darwin's ideals, he might have led an army of chimeras all the way back to Mist City to exact his revenge.

This is definitely a villainous, mad scientist character.

"Yes, you see. If we don't react, this is what will happen in the end."

Li Wei silently muttered a complaint, thinking that this person was already quite qualified as a negative example. The other Annie glared at Li Wei and angrily shut her mouth.

Annie looked at her other self, then at Levi, thought for a moment, and then nodded.

"I see."

(End of this chapter)