Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 1: On the Misty Streets

Am I still alive?

Levi stared blankly at his surroundings.

He was certain that just a moment ago, he had still been lying in the hospital bed, hearing the cold, urgent beeping of the machines by his ears, perhaps even catching glimpses of a few blurry figures in white coats gathered around him.

Yet Levi had paid no attention to any of that.

He could feel the flame of his life about to go out, like a candle burning down to its end.

But Levi did not think this was heaven or hell, because he was standing here perfectly upright, feeling the solid gravel beneath his feet.

Around him loomed dimly lit, towering buildings.

In the hazy glow of the lamps, he could see that the entire street was filled with a faint mist, like steam in a sauna.

Cold moisture rushed into his nose and filled his lungs.

It was almost like a dream.

Levi could not even remember the last time he had breathed so easily.

Since his diagnosis, his condition had worsened day by day.

Even the slightest movement, even a single breath of air, had felt like unbearable pain and tearing.

But now his body was so light, so healthy — at least, there was no sign of any illness torturing him.

Still, what was going on?

Was this a dream he was having at death’s door?

If so, then this dream was far too real.

Levi walked up to a nearby window, but the reflection that appeared on it made him freeze in surprise———

It was indeed him, but the clothes he wore were far beyond his expectations.

A three-piece suit: vest, coat, overcoat, white shirt, and a tall top hat.

This felt odd to Levi.

Why was he dressed like this?

This looked less like everyday wear and more like a cosplay outfit one might see at a convention.

But where exactly was this place?

Was he dreaming?

A hallucination before death?

Or… had he transmigrated?

Levi had, of course, read those transmigration novels before, but he did not understand why it would happen to him.

Thinking carefully… what exactly had happened…

Levi closed his eyes, trying to recall what had happened earlier.

He only remembered being in the hospital, with little time left.

Then… right, Levi remembered — he had had a dream.

In that dream, Levi was not sick.

He was still doing his old job — a streamer.

Facing the computer and camera, he played a new game while explaining it to the audience.

What game it was, Levi could no longer recall.

He only remembered creating a character, then seeing several random cards appear on the screen for him to choose from, after which he casually picked one…

“Hm?”

Just then, Levi noticed something in his hand.

Looking down, he saw a black, tarot-like rectangular card resting quietly in his right palm.

Its back was pitch black, decorated with a golden skull.

As for its front…

Before Levi could flip it over to see clearly, the card suddenly ignited and burned away in an instant, leaving not even a trace of ash.

“Ugh…”

At the same moment the card burned away, Levi felt a sharp pain in his head, like being pricked by needles.

Immediately after, a strange line of text appeared out of thin air before him.

【Profession draw complete】

【》》》》》Generating character data】

【Levi】

【Profession: Detective】

【Attributes】

【Strength: 40 (You are not suited for a life relying on physical labor)】

【Constitution: 35 (Your constitution is somewhat weak)】

【Agility: 60 (Your reaction speed is a bit better than the average person)】

【Intelligence: 70 (Though not a genius, your wide reading has given you much broader knowledge than most)】

【Willpower: 75 (Not even illness was able to break you)】

【Perception: 75 (Nothing unusual escapes your eyes)】

【Appearance: 90 (Women may faint from excitement just by approaching you)】

【Charm: 85 (Your outstanding looks, refined manners, and elegant speech easily earn people’s goodwill)】

【Skills】

【Shooting: 90 (For you, “never missing a shot” is no exaggeration)】

【Disguise: 55 (You must disguise yourself to erase your presence)】

【Investigation: 70 (You can see in all directions and hear from every angle)】

【Psychology: 70 (For one skilled at reading people, this world has few secrets)】

【Enchantment: 85 (Before your gentle whispers and dazzling looks, few can resist your charm)】

【Details】

【Lifespan: 10 days】

【Credit: 45 (Your finances are still fairly abundant)】

【Address: No. 312, White Oak Street, Filler District】

What was this?

Staring at what looked exactly like a game character’s stat sheet floating in front of him, Levi was dumbfounded.

He even suspected for a moment that he was dreaming.

Indeed, Levi had a fair idea of his own abilities.

Before falling ill, he had streamed shooting games for a while and even participated in competitions.

His looks were decent, and with his skills, he had gained a certain amount of online popularity.

When traveling abroad before, he had also taken part in shooting range training.

But Levi had never thought his hobbies could be tied to numbers like this.

“Step step step…”

Just as Levi was about to investigate further, he suddenly caught the sound of approaching footsteps.

Not only that, he also heard faint clinking sounds.

Alongside these sounds, an image gradually formed in his mind.

Two people — one tall and thin, the other short and fat.

They wore police uniforms, with batons and handcuffs hanging from their belts.

Levi could even retrieve the information from his mind, confirming that the sound came from the baton and handcuffs knocking together.

Almost at the same moment this image formed in his mind, Levi saw figures emerging from the mist ahead.

Leading them was the short, plump man with a bulging beer belly, sporting two well-groomed mustaches under his nose, his face radiating a look of good fortune.

Beside him was the tall, skinny young man, looking like a newcomer fresh into the workforce.

He carried a gas lamp, glancing about nervously.

When they saw Levi, they froze for a moment, then the tall, skinny officer hastily reached for the pistol at his waist———

Luckily, the short, plump man with the mustache stopped him.

“Hello, sir.”

The mustached man smiled slightly upon seeing Levi, then asked,

“May I ask, what are you doing here so late at night?”

“I…”

Levi stared at the man while thinking rapidly.

Up to this point, he still had no idea what his current situation was.

But he knew the circumstances were unfavorable to him — a well-dressed man wandering alone on the streets at night, stopped and questioned by the police.

So… what should he say?

Although the mustached officer looked friendly and easygoing, Levi’s experience told him such people were the best at extracting information.

When traveling abroad before, he had met this type before — compared to those who openly showed hostility, it was the smiling ones hiding knives who were the most dangerous.

Otherwise, you might unknowingly have every detail about yourself laid bare to them.

Thinking of this, Levi immediately recalled the thing that had just appeared before him, something like the character attributes in a video game.

“My name is Levi, and I am a detective.”

He answered decisively.

Since the system had given him the identity of 【Detective】, Levi might as well say it outright.

“Ah, I see.”

Hearing Levi’s answer, the mustached man nodded.

“You’re also here for that bounty, Detective? Perhaps I should remind you, this is no easy task………… But before that, please allow me to see your identification and citizen number.”

“………………”

Levi reached out, almost instinctively pulling a wallet from the pocket of his overcoat, then took out a plastic-like card slightly larger than a business card and handed it over.

The entire action was smooth and practiced, as if he had done it countless times.

“………………”

The mustached man took the card, studied it carefully, then compared it with Levi’s face.

He pulled out a notebook, jotted down something, and finally returned the card to Levi.

Levi took the card back, suppressing the urge to take a closer look at what it was, and put it back into his wallet.

“It’s dangerous for you to be out alone so late. Why don’t we escort you, Mr. Levi?”

“Of course, it would be my honor.”

Levi naturally would not refuse the offer.

After all, he had just arrived in this world and still had no idea what was going on.

Besides, with police escort, it would be at least a little safer.

So Levi joined the two of them, walking forward together.

Through conversation, Levi learned that the mustached policeman was named Lestrade, and the young man beside him was his partner, Fletcher.

Lestrade was clearly a chatterbox; even while walking, he was constantly finding topics to talk about.

“So, Detective, have you found any clues?”

“Not yet.”

“I thought so, it’s never that easy.”

Lestrade laughed at Levi’s answer, strutting ahead with his belly swaying.

“The Courtesan Killer is not easy to catch, you know? Detective, those reporters think we police are useless, but what can we do? It’s not our fault we’re short-handed. And those lords would rather post a bounty in the newspapers than allocate more funds to our station. Thanks to them, the city has been unsettled lately. Every day people report seeing the Courtesan Killer, but they can’t even describe what the killer looks like…………”

Courtesan Killer.

Hearing this term, Levi’s mind immediately triggered as if a keyword had been hit, and details about it quickly surfaced.

In this city’s streets, there had been repeated late-night murders of women.

Their necks were severed, their bodies split open, and their organs removed.

Since the victims were all courtesans soliciting customers at night, the culprit came to be called the Courtesan Killer.

Hmm, this reminded Levi of a similar case from his own world.

Just like that case, no one knew whether the Courtesan Killer was male or female, young or old.

But several cases had already occurred, causing public panic.

The city council had even posted a bounty in the newspapers, declaring that anyone who could provide information on the killer, or capture them, would receive a large sum of money.

Where there is a heavy reward, there will be brave men.

Indeed, after that, some had summoned the courage to hunt for the Courtesan Killer, and others had called the newspapers and police claiming to have clues.

Unfortunately, all had been fruitless, wasting a great deal of police time and effort.

No wonder Mr. Lestrade was so dissatisfied and full of complaints.

“Ah———————!”

At that moment, suddenly, a woman’s high-pitched scream rang out from not far away.

Almost simultaneously, Lestrade and his partner Fletcher shot forward like arrows.

Seeing this, Levi froze for a moment, but quickly followed after them.

Lestrade, despite his round belly and appearance like a walking ball, ran far faster than Levi had imagined.

His legs moved with a frequency Levi could never have pictured, propelling his ball-like body forward.

Even the tall, lanky Fletcher could not match his speed.

They dashed through mist-shrouded streets, where under the dim gaslight, everything looked dreamlike.

It was not long before they saw a figure collapsed on the ground, trembling as she sat.

“Miss, what happened?”

Lestrade stepped up to her.

She was a young woman in a somewhat shabby coat, with yellowed hair and a pale face.

Before Levi even reached her, a pungent whiff of cheap perfume hit him.

The woman did not even glance at Lestrade, staring blankly into the darkness of the nearby alley without a word.

“You stay here.”

Lestrade ordered Fletcher, then stood up and walked forward with the gas lamp.

Levi hesitated a moment, then followed behind Lestrade———

He wasn’t sure if it was his instinct for gossip, his desire to watch some drama, or simply the curiosity common to everyone.

But to Levi, that dark alley ahead seemed to hold a certain irresistible allure.

One step, two steps, three steps.

On the main street, the dim yellow glow of the gas lamps pushed back the darkness.

Perhaps for this reason, the alley ahead appeared even darker, as if all the driven-away shadows had gathered in the depths beyond the reach of light.

The light from Lestrade’s gas lamp seemed to dim as well, barely illuminating a small patch of ground ahead.

In the lamplight, they first saw the black, hard, cobblestone-paved road.

Then came the blood — thick, sticky, a large pool spreading outward.

Like a flood bursting through a dike, it flowed in all directions, covering everything around in a dull red.

Finally, there was the body.

It was a young woman, eyes wide open, mouth agape, her eyes bulging as if about to pop out.

Her twisted expression proved she had seen something horrifying.

Her neck had been cut open in a deep gash, her head barely attached by a strip of skin.

Like a slaughtered pig, her body had been split open, her organs removed, left there to bleed………

“Damn it……………”

Lestrade cursed under his breath, while Levi stared at the body.

It was his first time seeing a corpse in real life, but surprisingly, he felt calm.

He had seen plenty of TV shows, novels, and games.

They all said that many people’s first time seeing a body would bring fear, unease, or even excitement.

But Levi felt none of that.

He looked at the corpse as if it were a math problem in the college entrance exam.

Now, he had to break down the equation, solve the problem, and find the answer.

It was not difficult.

The body showed no mess or signs of struggle.

From her expression, she had died almost instantly.

She had seen something, then been killed so quickly she had no time to change her expression.

The cut was neat, sharp — not from an ordinary dagger or kitchen knife.

Those might sever a neck, but could not slice open a body so smoothly.

Then what exactly was inside…

“Mr. Levi.”

Lestrade’s voice sounded by Levi’s ear, snapping him back to his senses.

Only then did he realize he was already leaning over the corpse, peering inside.

Like a student unknowingly leaning closer to an exam question.

“I understand your thoughts as a detective, but please do not damage the scene.”

“Sorry.”

Levi stepped back two paces, straightened his clothes, but his mind still could not stop working through the problem.

He already had a rough idea — this woman had followed someone into the alley.

The latter revealed their true face, terrifying her, and before she could scream, the killer struck———

The incomplete spray of blood on the wall was proof; when the blow was dealt, the killer must have been standing in front of her.

Then……… the victim fell, the killer laid her down, and then………

Levi’s gaze returned to the woman’s face.

Her twisted, terrified expression was frozen in the instant of death.

At that moment, what exactly had she seen?

Just then, Lestrade came to the woman’s side.

He looked at her, muttered a short prayer, then placed the gas lamp beside her.

In the hazy light, Levi suddenly saw a twisting black shadow flash across her dim, clouded eyes.

Over there!

In an instant, Levi turned his head, his right hand reaching for his waist and gripping the gun’s handle———

Levi had never been aware of this gun before, but just like earlier, his action was practiced, as if repeated countless times.

The hard, cold ivory grip felt both strange and familiar.

Levi raised the gun, aimed upward, and pulled the trigger.

At the same time, a dark shadow dropped from above, pouncing toward Levi and Lestrade!