Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 98-Awakening
Gunshots rang out, and Black Wolf was instantly engulfed in the exploding flames. He howled and jumped away hastily. Almost at the same time, a figure appeared in Olivia's field of vision.

"That's why I like this. The self-confession of the mastermind is more useful than any investigation."

Li Wei raised his cane gun, aimed at the two giant wolves in front of him, and glanced at the system notification that had appeared earlier.

[Quest "The Mystery of the Curse" Activated]

Mission Objective: Destroy the curse of the Baskerville family.

There are many ways to break a curse, although according to Sir Baskerville, performing some kind of ritual might also break it.

But isn't there another way?

If all the people who are cursed are eliminated, then the curse will be eliminated, right?
Death Eyes!
Time began to slow down. Li Wei raised his gun, aimed at the target, and pulled the trigger. He loaded a bullet, pulled the bolt, and pulled the trigger again.

After three consecutive attempts, Li Wei threw away his cane gun, picked up his revolver, and fired all the bullets in it in one go. Then he reloaded and fired again.

Then, the passage of time returned to normal.

“Bang bang bang bang bang!!!”

Olivia was completely bewildered by what was happening. She only heard several gunshots, followed by flashes of light, explosions, and the howling of wind, filling her entire field of vision. Just then, a hand reached out from the side and patted Olivia on the shoulder. Olivia turned around in surprise and saw a handsome face that would leave a lasting impression on anyone standing in front of her.

"Detective?"

"Are you alright, Miss Baskerville?"

As Li Wei spoke, he gripped the Persuader's Grip again, staring intently ahead. This time, he was using an enhanced version of the one used against Little Red Riding Hood, far superior in both power and sheer numbers. Normally, such a saturation attack would be more than enough to kill an ordinary werewolf.

Generally speaking.

"boom!"

The smaller black wolf collapsed to the ground, twitching twice. On the other side, the giant wolf, nearly four meters tall, stood up, its body swaying, coldly staring at Li Wei. A chilling killing intent flickered in its scarlet eyes. The raging flames burning on its body seemed to have no effect whatsoever on the old wolf; even its hide, pierced and torn by armor-piercing bullets, was rapidly regenerating at a visible speed.

As expected, the final boss is not easy to deal with.

Li Wei silently calculated the number of bullets he had left. The previous volley hadn't killed this guy, and another volley probably wouldn't be much of a use… mainly because he'd used up too many bullets dealing with the wolves, and because Olivia had been captured, he hadn't had time to go back and resupply…

After entering the BOSS battle, Li Wei realized he hadn't saved the game. That's how he feels right now.

"I am fine."

Olivia, unaware of Levi's thoughts, simply nodded and took a step back. Then, with a flick of her right hand, another dagger slid from her sleeve and was grasped in her hand… Levi glanced silently at the young lady before looking away.

Is this young lady perhaps a knife seller?
"who are you?"

Old Wolf stared at Li Wei and spoke coldly.

"I never expected anyone would follow us... Who are you?"

"My name is Li Wei, and I'm a detective."

Li Wei answered calmly, secretly deciding to stall for time and see how things went.

"A detective? So, in that case, this little girl finding the Emerald Heart is also thanks to you?"

"And the corpses of the babies you killed."

Li Wei chuckled softly.

"If you hadn't buried the baby's body under the statue back then, maybe things wouldn't be like this now."

"what are you saying?"

However, Old Wolf's answer was somewhat unexpected.

"What statue?"

"The bodies of the two babies you killed are buried beneath the giant wolf statue in the ancestral tomb of the Baskervilles."

Li Wei carefully examined the old wolf and then spoke.

“Although I don’t know exactly what happened, I’m sure that the curses you’ve encountered might be related to this… You can’t be saying you know nothing about it, can you?”

Although it was hard to believe, Li Wei could tell from the wolf's expression and actions that it was quite surprised by the news.

"That's impossible! I clearly buried the body under the tree in the cemetery! I told my son to do the same!"

"A cemetery? Why?"

"you still need to ask?"

Old Wolf glanced at Li Wei.

"Although they are baby girls, they are still of the Baskerville family bloodline and are certainly entitled to be buried in the family cemetery. Even without coffins and tombstones, this is my final act of pity for them..."

"Killing infants and then talking about compassion! It's disgusting!"

Olivia coldly interrupted the old wolf's explanation, glaring at him angrily. If at first Olivia had regarded Sir Baskerville as a pitiful victim, now, in her eyes, he was a complete madman and killer.

"Could it be that your cult friends gave you this idea?"

However, Levi's words startled old Baskerville.

"What are you saying..."

“I already know that you have close ties with Luddites.”

"Hey?"

Upon hearing Li Wei's words, Olivia looked at him with some surprise, while Li Wei turned his head and winked at Olivia.

"I suspect it was your Luddite friends who encouraged you to kill your sister and seize the position of family head."

“……………………………”

Old Wolf remained silent, but his attitude spoke volumes. This was perfectly reasonable; if what Li Wei said was false, he could naturally dismiss it with disdain.

However, if what Li Wei said is true, including instigating him to kill his sister to seize the position of family head, murdering the baby girl, and then burying her in the family cemetery—then the answer to why the baby's remains appeared under the wolf-shaped statue in the ancestral tomb becomes obvious.

If Sir Baskerville had even a modicum of imagination, he would surely have guessed why he had become this way.

Even Olivia noticed the unpredictable expression on Old Wolf's face, so Levi naturally saw it even more clearly.

Sure enough.

After learning from Chief McMillan that old Baskerville had associated with Luddites in his youth, Levy felt he had found the crux of the problem.

It's only natural that old Baskerville wanted to seize the headship of the family; such trivial matters are common in noble families and are hardly considered a problem.

So what benefits do Luddites gain from this?

Then, Levi quickly recalled that when he first came to the manor with him, Chief McMillan had hinted that the Baskerville family, as the rulers of the Delict area, had always hoped to promote the steam mechanization of agriculture, but had not succeeded due to opposition from the local people.

At that time, Chief McMillan suspected that what happened to the Baskerville family might be related to the Luddites. After all, in his view, the Luddites had a motive to do such a thing, and as long as the Baskerville family remained plagued by the curse, agricultural mechanization reforms could not proceed, thus achieving their goal. However, Chief McMillan never found any evidence to prove this.

But now it seems that Chief McMillan's initial prediction was correct, except that he never expected that the Luddites would take such a drastic approach to deal with the Baskerville family.

Those bastards are like a persistent ghost.

Li Wei cursed inwardly.

More importantly, these bastards now seem to have some real skills.

Although Li Wei was cursing inwardly, he remained remarkably calm and composed, as if everything was under control.

"I suspect that the so-called method to lift the curse was also told to you by your friends."

"roar-----!"

The wolf did not answer, but the roar that came from its throat proved Levi's guess.

"Are you sure you want to be a pawn and continue doing what they say?"

Although he knew the chances were slim, Levi still wanted to try and win this unfortunate fellow over. After all, even if old Sir Baskerville was foolish, he should have already realized that everything he was going through was orchestrated by the Luddites. So, if he was willing to defect, perhaps the crisis would be resolved?

However, reality is clearly not so rosy.

"...Hmph, kid, you're quite the talker."

The old wolf remained silent for a moment, then let out a cold laugh.

"But it's impossible for me to believe your nonsense! As long as I devour this girl, I can completely control the Emerald Heart, and as long as I destroy it, my curse will be completely lifted! I don't need to believe your lies!"

Yes, I had already guessed this would be the ending. That's how bosses are; the sunk costs are too high. Even if he wants to believe it, he doesn't dare to.

Forget it, if you're not convinced, then there's no point in saying anything.

Li Wei stared at the old wolf in front of him, his mind racing.

It seems unlikely that he and Olivia can defeat this guy, but it's not impossible. Thinking about it carefully, this old man just said that as long as he devours Olivia's flesh and blood, he can completely control the Emerald Heart.

Werewolves possess the ability to transform into their prey, a fact Levi already knew from Little Red Riding Hood. Therefore, Levi could understand the meaning behind the old wolf's words: clearly, the old wolf intended to devour Olivia, transform into her, and then seize the Emerald Heart.

But how can this be controlled? At least after Olivia got the necklace, Levi didn't notice anything unusual... Hmm?

and many more!

Li Wei suddenly remembered the stone carving that sealed the Jade Heart in the secret room.

Could it be that…

"Olivia, where's the necklace?"

Li Wei tilted his head and asked in a low voice, while Olivia shook her head and glared at the old wolf.

“It took it.”

"Tsk."

Following Olivia's gaze, Levi finally saw that the old wolf was holding the necklace in his right hand, and he was speechless.

"I'm going to take it back."

"Take it back?"

"Yes."

Li Wei looked at Olivia.

Do you remember that stone carving?

"You mean..."

Upon hearing Li Wei's question, Olivia paused for a moment, then seemed to understand something.

"Do it that way."

Li Wei gripped the gun handle tightly again, staring intently at Old Wolf.

The flow of time changed again in the next moment!
Death Eyes!
Li Wei suddenly raised his gun, aimed at Old Wolf, and pulled the trigger once again!
"boom!"

As time passed and things returned to normal, the spinning incendiary bomb whistled out and hit the old wolf directly in the face, instantly engulfing its head in flames!

"Awooooooo—!"

The wolf let out a sharp, piercing howl, while Li Wei flashed into the shadows, emerging from the tree trunks beside it. However, the wolf was also in danger. It roared and swung its claws wildly; a single touch from those outstretched claws could easily result in a bloody, lacerated wound.

Li Wei stared at the old wolf's waving arm, then activated it again—[Death Eye]!
The waving arm began to slow down gradually. Li Wei raised the muzzle of his gun, aimed it at Old Wolf's right arm, and pulled the trigger again. Armor-piercing bullets and silver bullets flew out and flew towards the arm.

Then, the passage of time resumed.

"Bang bang bang bang!"

The armor-piercing bullet tore through the muscle, shattered the bone, and completely blew open Old Wolf's right arm. The silver bullet that followed quickly penetrated into the flesh, bringing excruciating pain.

"Ah ah ah ah ah!!"

At this moment, the old wolf could no longer hold back and let out a miserable howl. At the same time, its right hand loosened, and the Emerald Heart that it had been tightly holding fell to the ground.

Before the necklace even hit the ground, Li Wei darted out of the shadows and grabbed it.

"give me back!"

Almost at the same time, Old Wolf stomped down heavily, stepping directly on Li Wei and trampling him!
"Detective!"

Upon seeing this, Olivia screamed in alarm. But when the old wolf looked closely, he realized that what he was stepping on was not Levi's corpse, but a flattened doll that looked like a bird!

"Olivia!"

At the same time, Levi, having completed the [Shadow Shift] with the doll bird, arrived beside Olivia and threw the necklace in his hand at her.

At this moment, Olivia did not hesitate. She flipped the dagger and stabbed her own palm, then opened it towards the necklace.

Then, he grabbed it tightly.

At that moment, the blood mingled with the red gemstone.

Immediately afterwards…

"Woof woof—!"

Suddenly, a dog's bark appeared in the void.

　I slept until 6 PM today, but I still managed to write 10,000 words today. Pretty good, right?

　　
　
(End of this chapter)