Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 35: Secret Base

For this plan, Levi was in complete agreement.

After all, many rumors and gossip, unless they resulted in deaths or caused major consequences, would never attract the attention of the authorities.

And local residents would never go to the police just because of a ghost story or an utterly ridiculous rumor.

On the contrary, turning these rumors into stories and sending them to the editorial office carried no risk.

Levi and his team could also filter these letters to detect early signs of certain mysterious incidents.

Of course, such investigations could not possibly be handled by Levi alone.

According to the Old Butler, the authorities planned to make Levi their figurehead, placing him under the spotlight — everyone knew that the more attention the leading actor drew, the more effectively the extras could conceal themselves.

In this way, even if Levi did not personally go to a location for investigation, they would still dispatch other investigation squads.

Perhaps the other side, seeing Levi absent, would lower their guard and end up caught by surprise.

According to the Old Butler, the department had currently organized several investigation squads, mainly responsible for surveying the surrounding regions.

Levi welcomed this wholeheartedly; it was impossible for him to run all over Mist City by himself — in a metropolis of several million people, was that a joke? He would run himself to death.

As for payment, it was given according to the cases solved by Levi.

Of course, the fixed salary was not much, but all expenses incurred during Levi’s investigations would be reimbursed………

Hmm, reimbursement, what a pleasant word.

After this, Levi finally had his wish fulfilled — he arrived at the secret base hidden deep within the editorial office — of course, not nearly as covert as 007’s.

Basically, several people would step into the elevator, insert a special punched card, and the elevator would take them to the basement of the building where the secret base was located.

Unlike the editorial office, upon stepping out of the elevator, the first thing Levi saw was a massive door as thick as a bank vault, guarded outside by fully armed soldiers.

“Here is our command center.”

The Old Butler remained upstairs.

This time, the one responsible for introducing everything to Levi was Mr.

Benjamin Thomson.

He led Levi through the heavy metal door, and Levi then saw the narrow room inside, bustling with busy people.

“This is the communications processing center. Any communication, whether telegraph or telephone, will be recorded for future reference.”

Benjamin pointed at the busy workers nearby, then walked toward the center of the basement.

“And here lies its heart, Mr. Levi. Come and witness our Difference Engine No. 13 — Contemplation!”

Levi stepped forward beside Benjamin, lifting his gaze to the colossal machine before him.

It stood nearly two stories high, shaped like a rectangle.

From a distance, it resembled a beast forged entirely from metal, its levers its bones, its rotating gears its joints.

The constantly turning bearings pulled and shifted rows of gears, producing the sound of “clack-clack,” as dense as raindrops striking the ground.

Around it, several researchers walked back and forth, checking the data spewed out from its printer before classifying and storing it.

Levi did not understand such a contraption, but he had to admit that witnessing such a magnificent human creation firsthand, it was difficult not to feel awe and reverence for the power of machinery.

After all, this was something created by human hands.

“Magnificent.”

Levi sighed, and Benjamin burst out laughing.

“This one is considered small. If you ever have the chance, you must visit the City of Steel. The difference engines there are truly grand and majestic……… But enough of that, follow me. I have much more to show you.”

At this moment, Benjamin had completely lost his earlier sternness.

He was excited, like a child eager to show off his treasured collection, leading Levi to a room marked with the sign 【Laboratory】.

Upon entering, Levi was greatly astonished.

The walls of the room were lined with all sorts of weapons — from heavy machine guns to pistols, every kind of firearm and launcher imaginable.

The place felt far more like an armory than a laboratory.

“I read your report. Those monsters are indeed difficult to handle. With current weapons, it is very hard to deal them serious damage.”

Benjamin tried hard to keep his tone serious, but Levi’s 【Investigation】 easily caught the excitement and glee in his voice, as though a madman had finally found the perfect excuse to destroy everything.

“Therefore, I’ve prepared entirely new ammunition for your weapon……… May I see your gun?”

Levi drew his revolver and handed it over.

Benjamin received it carefully with both hands, examining it closely.

“Ah, excellent, a standard .455 caliber. She’s a true beauty. Does she have a name?”

“Not yet.”

“I suggest you give her a name. She will be your closest partner, your comrade in life and death. She will never abandon you, never dishearten or betray you, never make you weep, never bid you farewell, never wound you with lies. In some sense, a gun is the most reliable lover for a man — unlike women.”

“That’s a good idea.”

Levi nodded.

Indeed, this revolver had saved him multiple times.

Perhaps it did deserve a name.

Hmm……… Levi stared at the weapon for a moment in silence.

“Let’s call her the Persuader.”

Levi believed that at the sight of this gun, very few would fail to be persuaded.

“Good name.”

Benjamin praised, then bent down to retrieve several wooden boxes, opening them to reveal rows of bullets.

“These are new types of ammunition I developed based on your earlier reports. Of course, I also drew some inspiration from folk legends.”

“Oh?”

Levi stepped closer, just as Benjamin took out a few red-colored bullets.

“First, this one — I call it Hellfire. It uses a chemical substance known as phosphorus. Once fired, upon striking the target, it explodes automatically, releasing phosphorus that clings to the body. It then ignites spontaneously, and even water can hardly extinguish it.”

As he explained, Benjamin walked to the wall and pressed a button.

The wall rose, revealing a firing range on the other side.

Handing Levi one of the bullets, Benjamin watched him eagerly.

“Go on, try it! You’ll be satisfied!”

“………………….”

Levi silently examined the bullet, then loaded it into his revolver.

He raised the gun, aimed at the human-shaped target on the range, and pulled the trigger.

“Bang!”

With the gunshot, the distant target was instantly engulfed in roaring flames.

“Yes! That’s it!”

Benjamin pumped his fist in excitement.

“Next time you encounter such monsters, this will surely do the trick! Ah, by the way, these bullets require special storage. I’m sure you wouldn’t want them exploding in your pocket.”

Naturally not.

Staring at the burning target, Levi’s expression was complicated.

On the one hand, he admitted its tremendous power, but on the other……… wasn’t this power a bit excessive?

“Now, look at this one.”

Benjamin eagerly presented another creation — a gray bullet.

“The Curse of Ash. I filled the tip with mercury. Once the bullet enters the body, the mercury sprays out, seeping quickly into every organ……… though outwardly, there will be no sign. You may shoot the target, and they might not even realize until they die.”

Benjamin demonstrated before setting it aside.

“Perhaps I should get you a dog to try it on?”

“Uh……… better not.”

“Yes, I tried before. Once dead, you can’t eat it, such a waste.”

Muttering, Benjamin pushed those bullets aside and took out a batch of silver-white rounds.

“These……… well, these are silver bullets.”

“Silver bullets?”

“That’s right, bullets made of silver.”

Even Benjamin could not hide his helplessness and puzzlement.

“I told you, I drew from folk legends. Many say monsters, ghosts, and spirits fear silver weapons. Aren’t vampires and werewolves slain by silver swords? So I thought of making silver bullets to test their effectiveness. Unfortunately, I couldn’t test them — I couldn’t find any ghosts, vampires, or werewolves. But I can guarantee that against ordinary humans, they work no differently than regular bullets.”

“I’ll experiment with them. Hopefully they’ll be effective.”

Levi was not sure either, but better to have them than not.

“Then I’ll leave it to you. I look forward to your user feedback.”

Benjamin’s expectant smile gave Levi the feeling he was about to say, “Please give me a five-star rating.”

“In addition, I’ve prepared a little gift for you.”

Benjamin walked over, picking up an object and handing it to Levi.

Curious, Levi accepted it.

It was a silver cane, ornate and artistic in design.

“This is no mere cane.”

As expected, Benjamin was not giving Levi an art piece.

Taking it back, he proudly twisted a mechanism.

With a hiss of compressed air, the cane split open, a trigger popped out from the handle, the casing below forming a support.

At the same time, the rear of the weapon lifted, revealing a sniper scope.

“I thought you’d need a long-range reconnaissance tool, so I prepared this just for you. It’s bolt-action, with a range of around 800 meters, chambered for 7.7x56mm rounds. I even outfitted it with armor-piercing bullets. But that’s not all……….”

As he spoke, Benjamin pressed a hidden switch on the handle.

With a sharp “swish,” a short bayonet extended below the muzzle, gleaming coldly.

“You can also detach it and use it as a dagger. I think this suits you perfectly.”

“Quite good indeed.”

Looking at the peculiar cane in his hands, Levi twitched the corner of his mouth.

In the end, he still smiled and nodded to Benjamin.

“Thank you very much for the gift. I like it.”