novelraw Chapter 87 : The Visitor
Chapter 87 : The Visitor
Chapter 87: The Visitor
Director McMillan had not been having a good time lately.
As the director of the Delicat Police Station, his daily work was usually very leisurely.
The Delicat Region was a laid-back agricultural area, where most of the people worked in farming or jobs related to agricultural products.
Of course, occasionally a case would occur, but none of them were particularly serious.
Director McMillan remembered that since he had joined the police, the only homicide he had encountered was ten years ago.
At that time, a girl had been fooling around with her boyfriend, and accidentally pushed him down the stairs.
The latter’s head had unfortunately hit the corner of a table—and that was the end of it.
Truly pitiful.
But now, the situation had changed.
The curse of the Baskerville Family.
Director McMillan did not believe in this, but the problem did not lie in whether or not he believed such ridiculous rumors.
After all, the events had already happened—Sir Baskerville had disappeared, and two of his subordinates had died.
This had caused an uproar locally, especially with the Delicat Morning News, which had fiercely scolded the police station and its officers, claiming they had failed to fulfill their duties as policemen, even accusing them of dereliction of duty………
What the hell would those pen-wielding idiots know!
Just the thought of those harsh and biting reports in the newspaper made Director McMillan seethe with anger.
He hated journalists, believing they only wanted to stir up some big news.
They spoke endlessly of justice and truth, but in fact, they only wanted some rumor-mongering gossip and far-fetched stories.
Just like that previous homicide—at the time, the newspapers had filled their pages with all kinds of baseless speculations, from love and hatred born of quarrels, to the girl having a new lover and thus murdering to silence.
Yet when the police revealed the truth, these journalists had swept away their previous enthusiasm, showing no intention of reporting it at all.
They would rather fill the front page with “The Love Triangle Between a Girl and Two Boys Who Loved Her” than simply state, “According to police investigation, this was merely an ordinary accidental death caused by roughhousing.”
Truth? Facts?
Director McMillan scoffed at such words.
These wild dogs only wanted excitement, no different from those damned addicts.
But now, these wild dogs had already rolled away from the doors of the police station, and the case had been handed over to someone sent from higher authorities in the Mist City.
In any case, he had already done what he should have.
Now it depended on whether the person sent to investigate had any way to resolve this problem that he himself could not solve.
Thinking of this, Director McMillan’s heart grew somewhat anxious.
On one hand, he truly hoped the case could be solved.
On the other hand, deep down he secretly harbored a trace of malicious delight—for if even those sent from the Mist City could not crack the case, then it would prove that it was not his fault……… This made him hesitate, the scales in his heart swinging back and forth, not knowing which way to lean.
“Dong dong dong!”
From outside came the sound of hurried footsteps, followed by a policeman rushing in without even knocking.
“Director, Director!”
“What are you doing, flustered and panicked like that! What kind of appearance is this!”
Director McMillan snapped back from his thoughts, glaring at his subordinate in dissatisfaction.
Even if this was a countryside police station, it was still a police station! What kind of disgraceful behavior was this?
“No, no, it’s, it’s a car—a car has arrived………!”
“A car? And what of it?”
Director McMillan looked at his subordinate with bitter disappointment.
True, the Delicat Region was backward as an agricultural district, but steam cars were not unheard of.
He had also heard that recently the higher-ups were considering adopting steam machinery to improve the efficiency of sowing and harvesting crops.
Yet his subordinates acted like a bunch of country bumpkins……… Truly disgraceful!
Muttering under his breath, Director McMillan stood up and turned to look out the window.
“You lot, getting all worked up just because you see a steam car—what future can you possibly have like this? This isn’t decades ago, you young men……… What the hell!?”
Seeing the black steam car “chug-chug-chug” into the yard of the police station, Director McMillan almost spat out a curse on the spot.
What the hell was this thing?
It wasn’t as if Director McMillan had never seen a steam car.
In his youth, he had studied and worked in the Mist City before being transferred here.
But the thing before his eyes—no matter how he looked at it, it was completely different from the steam cars he remembered!
Had the city really advanced this far already?
“Let’s go down and take a look.”
Seeing this, Director McMillan’s face grew solemn as he left his office.
Though he did not yet know who had arrived, based on his experience, anyone riding in such a vehicle could not possibly be an ordinary person.
As a dignified police director (albeit of the countryside), it was not unreasonable for him to personally go and see.
When Director McMillan reached the entrance, he saw the car had already parked.
The door slowly lifted open, and a strikingly handsome young man stepped out.
He wore a top hat, held a cane, and dressed in a suit—looking every bit the nobleman.
At this sight, Director McMillan’s heart gave a tremor.
He had seen handsome men before, he had seen wealthy men before, but a man who was both handsome and stylishly dressed while driving such an impressive steam car—that, he had truly never seen.
“Hello.”
Levi stepped down from the car, adjusted his clothes, and approached the police station entrance.
There, he saw a bearded man in a police uniform, with a beer belly and an air of authority.
Smiling politely, Levi stepped forward and greeted him.
“My name is Levi. I am a Special Investigation Consultant from the Mist City Police.”
“Hello, Mr. Levi. I am McMillan Black.”
Hearing Levi’s introduction, Director McMillan breathed a sigh of relief.
He had already suspected that the man was likely an expert sent from the Mist City.
It was just that his grand entrance had been rather peculiar, making it hard to guess.
But this consultant was far too young.
Looking at Levi’s handsome and youthful face, Director McMillan could not help but think to himself: Such a young fellow—can he really solve a case?
“My apologies for arriving late. Some matters on the way caused delays. I hope you don’t mind.”
Facing Director McMillan, Levi smiled and offered his apology.
After arriving in Delicat, he had not gone straight to the police station, but first to the post office, where he had sent a telegram to MI7.
He informed them of the events at Wolf Head Village, leaving them to handle the aftermath.
As for the cave, MI7 would also need to assign people to investigate properly.
Of course, Levi would not put it so directly.
Instead, he had sent it in the form of a strange tale to the editorial department, confident that as soon as they saw his name, they would know exactly what the story meant.
“That’s quite all right—you arrived much faster than I expected, Mr. Levi.”
“Given the urgency of the situation, it could not be helped.”
Levi nodded at Director McMillan.
“Shall we speak in private?”
Director McMillan had no objection to this.
After all, it was not proper to discuss sensitive matters at the front gate.
So he led Levi to his office, where the latter gave his explanation.
“…You say, this is a new kind of criminal method?”
Hearing Levi’s words, Director McMillan was somewhat surprised.
“Yes.”
Levi nodded.
The explanation of “a new type of criminal method” was the conclusion decided upon after discussion with MI7.
After all, in this great era of the steam revolution, new inventions were constantly emerging, and so too were new methods of crime.
Just like how hackers only appeared after the invention of computers.
This was a miraculous era, where all kinds of mad, wondrous, and bizarre inventions sprang up endlessly.
Therefore, it was only natural that criminal methods evolved and changed with each passing day.
“Unlike ordinary crimes, these criminals like to exploit or fabricate various mysterious legends and stories to conceal their motives and purposes. By relying on certain special methods, they commit crimes, and in this way, they easily escape the pursuit of the law. What we must do is arrest them and bring them to justice.”
This was, in fact, very difficult.
The Old Butler had also told Levi that after the corpses of those monsters had been delivered, both the Royal Family and Parliament had shown considerable concern.
The problem, however, was that they had no way to legislate or declare such people guilty within the framework of law.
The reason was the same as before—they could not present such bizarre things before the public.
If the public learned that “someone summoned monsters to kill” or “someone turned into a monster to kill,” it would inevitably cause panic.
Therefore, the Old Butler’s hint had been———catch them in the act.
If they resist, then……… well, you know.
Of course Levi understood—this was standard procedure in a certain so-called beacon of freedom.
Empty the bullets, then call it a day.
Actually, Levi knew that what the higher-ups truly wanted was to capture them alive for interrogation.
But Levi was unwilling to take that risk.
The reason was simple—just like that joke Levi had once read in his own world———Cao Cao had ordered his men to capture Zhao Yun alive, then watched as Zhao Yun carved a bloody path through the encirclement, in and out seven times.
Enraged, Cao Cao cursed his men, and his men replied aggrievedly: “Prime Minister, we knew you wanted him alive—but he didn’t know that!”
Of course, if this were the military, soldiers would treat obeying orders as their highest duty—whether it meant climbing a mountain of blades or diving into a cauldron of boiling oil, they would not hesitate.
But Levi was not a soldier.
Why should he risk his own life for the paltry interests of the Royal Family and Parliament?
Wouldn’t it be easier to let flames purify everything?
If others wished to capture them alive, that was their business.
Levi certainly would not.
He had already discovered that these monsters possessed an extraordinary vitality—unless utterly destroyed, they could not be trusted to be dead.
And yet others wanted to capture them alive?
Easy to say—since you’re not the one doing the capturing.
If you have the ability, then you go do it yourself.
“……………That is the current situation.”
Levi quickly explained, and was rewarded with seeing Director McMillan’s face show a look of relief.
For the police, nothing was more feared than accusations of incompetence.
But Levi’s explanation neatly resolved this problem.
Delicat was a rural area; in this era there was no internet, and intelligence on the latest criminal methods could not be obtained so quickly.
Thus, this explanation offered both sides a way to save face.
“So, you mean this is a very secretive method of crime? Then, specifically, what kind of method is it?”
“I’m sorry, I cannot say for now. It requires a very high degree of expertise. Furthermore, I am not yet certain whether the disappearance of the Baskerville Family is related. I need to investigate, confirm, and then determine whether the details need to be disclosed.”
At this, Levi looked at Director McMillan and added:
“It is precisely because this technique is so obscure and rare that I came here.”
Immediately, he saw Director McMillan’s once-tense expression relax considerably.
Very good—the problem was solved.
“Then let us resolve the matter at hand.”
Levi coughed lightly, returning to the main topic.
“As for the case itself, I have only read the newspapers and official internal records……… Now, I have a few questions.”
Levi looked at Director McMillan and asked:
“When Sir Baskerville said he was going to the washroom, why were the bodies of the two officers found in the study?”
Sir Baskerville had first been playing cards in the first-floor recreation room.
There was, of course, a washroom on the first floor.
He had no reason to go to the second-floor study.
“That is also something we found strange.”
Facing Levi’s question, Director McMillan nodded.
“We can only guess that after visiting the washroom, Sir Baskerville suddenly remembered something he wished to retrieve from the study.
Thus, the two officers accompanied him.
Unfortunately, we can no longer know the answer to this question.”
“You deployed a large number of police to guard the manor’s perimeter, yet none were stationed inside the house?”
Levi was somewhat doubtful.
But Director McMillan shook his head.
“Sir Baskerville refused our proposal. Honestly, I can understand. At his status, he naturally would not want policemen casually placed inside his home. After all, who could know if there was something within his house he did not wish others to see……….”
And that secret was more important to him than his own life.
Levi silently complained inwardly, then shifted the subject.
“May I see their corpses?”
“Of course.”
The bodies of the two officers were stored in the police station’s underground morgue.
It was only because they were policemen; had they been ordinary victims, their families would surely have already insisted on taking them for burial.
After all, people of this era still valued being laid to rest in the earth.
Especially in rural places like Delicat, the strength of tradition was very powerful.
Entering the morgue, Levi soon saw the corpses of the two officers.
And their cause of death was obvious at a glance.
Under the pallid light, enormous, razor-sharp claw marks had torn through their bodies, leaving gaping wounds across their backs—almost as if the two men had been ripped apart like puppets.
Levi stretched out his hand to measure, finding that the claw marks were nearly larger than a bear’s.
“Almost instant death.”
Director McMillan’s expression was grim.
Though his face showed little change, his tone carried a trace of anger.
“May they rest in peace.”
“So, some kind of beast stood behind them, raised both claws, and struck down—killing them instantly.”
Levi stared at the wounds.
He was far from unfamiliar with such marks—only a few days ago, he had seen almost identical injuries.
“There are no beasts of such size in the Delicat Region.”
Director McMillan replied in a low voice.
“Here, the worst we usually worry about are wolf packs. But even a wolf, I believe, could never inflict such injuries.”
To this speculation, Levi said nothing more.
What he could now confirm was———the events in the Delicat Region were indeed connected, in some way, to Wolf Head Village.