A Core Ship From The Start
/ A Core Ship From The Start Chapter 680
Chapter 680: Chapter 505: Across the Great Ocean_1 Chapter 680: Chapter 505: Across the Great Ocean_1 Duanmu Huai finally understood why detectives in movies, TV shows, video games, and animations look so bored.
The reason is very simple, it's because…….
There's simply too much free time!!!
At this moment, Duanmu Huai was leaning back in his chair, watching a horse race on TV and sipping cola. Yes, he felt more and more like that bumbling detective from some movie who liked to randomly put on hats.
Why did this happen?
Duanmu Huai couldn't understand. He had converted one floor of the building into an antique shop to attract customers. After all, if someone needed something to ward off evil, they were bound to have similar worries at some point. At that time, they could let Lorena introduce them naturally, and wouldn't that bring the customer right to him?
Two birds with one stone, wasn't this a great idea?
But…..according to Lorena's report, although the antique shop was not thriving, it still had decent business. Most of the customers who came here would buy items to ward off evil or stabilize their homes. Some even bought demon-fighting weapons. So why did nobody come to him?
He had spent a considerable amount of money advertising on TV and in newspapers. Was all of that money wasted?
“So this is how it is… do you have anything around to kill my time?”
Having no other options, Duanmu Huai finally had to call Anthony to see if there were any cases from the authorities.
After listening to Duanmu Huai's complaints, Anthony looked speechless.
“So you mean, you feel very idle and want to find something to do?”
“Exactly, I initially thought that by opening a detective agency, there would be plenty of cases. However, it's so boring… if there's anything you can't handle, why not refer it to me?”
While stroking the black cat and white rabbit in his arms, Duanmu Huai grumbled.
“That's easier said than done, but I don't have that many cases…”
Hearing Duanmu Huai's request, Anthony rolled his eyes, speechless. If they were regular police, they'd undoubtedly have a ton of crime cases each day. But these U-level cases weren't so frequent. If one cropped up every day, wouldn't that mean people were attempting to destroy the world every day?
It would make more sense to call for Ultraman in such a situation.
However…….
“Actually, there's one particularly troublesome case, but it's in another country… Have you heard of Jack the Ripper?”
“Oh? I've heard of it.”
Hearing this, Duanmu Huai instantly perked up.
“In fact, a series of serial killings are currently happening in Fog City. Preliminary judgment categorizes this as a U-level case, but it's very hard to investigate. The investigators over there have already claimed several lives… Since you're so eager to get involved, why don't I give you a referral and you go turn things around there?”
U-level cases in this world essentially belong to shared global intelligence, similar to Interpol in movies, as these cases are far from being general arms smuggling or drug trafficking, where success would merely bring disaster to one country. Conversely, if these cultists or the likes succeed, the whole world would be in trouble.
So under these circumstances, cross-country actions become easier.
After all, saving the world is the priority.
Of course, the average player wouldn't be in a position to do this because… going abroad is expensive. If you didn't roll a good die at the start, you'd likely still be wondering where to beg for food, let alone have the mood to travel abroad for investigation and research.
“No problem, leave it to me.”
Duanmu Huai didn't roll that well or that badly in the game, just middle-class level, so he mainly stayed within the country. But now it's different, he's rich and willful. Travelling abroad? Of course! Hey, it's all just for fun!
Besides, the missions abroad give a lot more experience. Maybe after completing this task, he would be able to level up to C-Level… Well, that sounds unlikely.
Anyway, let's see how it goes.
Duanmu Huai immediately took action after getting the referral and a copy of the case file from Anthony.
Traveling to Fog City wasn't easy, primarily because he had to go to the East Coast and then cross the Atlantic Ocean. For ordinary people, this might not be a problem, but for Duanmu Huai, with his significant size, deciding on transportation was a serious concern.
Luckily, any problem that can be solved with money isn't a problem nowadays. Soon, Duanmu Huai managed to sort out the arrangements for travelling to Fog City through his own connections.
First, he would take the “Pacific Railway” train from Arkham City to the West Coast, and then fly to Fog City on the “Full Moon Starlit” airship.
He chose these two means of transportation because he had no other options. The train was a tight fit, but luckily there was a luxury cabin available. As long as Duanmu Huai provided enough money, he could have a cabin to himself. Although the train wasn't fast, the sight of a three to four days' trip was pretty remarkable.
As for why he chose an airship instead of a plane or a ship, the reasons were even more obvious.
Duanmu Huai wouldn't fit into a plane; cargo hold was the only option for him. As for ships laying a joke? In a world with Cthulhu, you want to take a ship across the ocean?
That's commendable courage.
And so, an airship turned out to be a good choice.
Its speed is slower than an airplane, but faster than a ship, and offers relatively ample space, allowing Duanmu Huai to comfortably roll around inside. More importantly, airships are toys for the wealthy. This ensures that there won't be too many passengers, making it relatively quiet and comfortable.
Of course, the most crucial point is that planes do not allow pets, but airships do…
So, after getting everything ready, Duanmu Huai boarded the train to the west coast with Lorena, Ling'Nu, and Tutu. As for the maid, he left her behind to look after the house and take care of the antique shop's business — after all, everything sold is money, and everything purchased is a soul. He couldn't afford to lose a single one.
I must say, having money is nice. Although he had to pay several times the price of a regular sleeper, Duanmu Huai secured an exclusive luxury compartment, divided into a master and a guest room. The guest room is located near the door, and the rest is entirely allocated for the master bedroom — all right, though the space isn't huge, it was enough for Duanmu Huai to roll around.
Apart from that, the service in the compartment was naturally top-notch; they could order meals directly over the phone, and waiters would deliver their meals to their compartment personally. This was another point Duanmu Huai greatly appreciated, or else his slender build would have to squeeze into a dining car, that would be a real threat to his life.
After the train set off, Duanmu Huai laid on the bed and opened up the case file copy that Anthony had faxed over and started reading.
Fog City.
The history of this world was similar and yet different from the world of Duanmu Huai. Despite its advanced science, it had a steampunk like peculiarity to it too. Fog City was just the same. He once read a player describe the scene there on a forum. According to the player, because of the large-scale industrial development, the entire island was enveloped in smoke. They couldn't even see the real color of the sky. In that country, every time they looked up, all they would see were somber dark clouds. Only occasionally, could they see a sliver of sunlight and sky through gaps in the clouds.
From a quality of life perspective, it would definitely be unhealthy. But if one was going to experience the atmosphere, nowhere is more fitting than there.
After all, the classic detective movie plot involves a detective, wrapped in a trench coat, walking on the streets under cloudy skies, experiencing Sherlock Holmes' pleasure amidst the foggy ambience…
Okay, I digressed, back on track.
The Jack the Ripper that Anthony mentioned, of course, couldn't possibly be the real Jack the Ripper. It was just a name used to label the case, but this name was not chosen randomly. According to the reports in the case file, murders began to occur consecutively in Fog City a few months ago, happening mainly late at night. The victims were all young girls, and according to forensic examinations, they were all killed on the spot by some lethal steel weapon that tore apart their chest and abdomen.
Initially, the police dispatched a substantial force for the investigation, but there were no clues at all. Subsequently, several detectives volunteered to investigate but ended up missing. Their bodies were never found.
Clearly, the case had exceeded the capabilities of the Fog City police. So they sent out messages to law enforcement organizations in other countries, asking them for help — after all, this wasn't a typical criminal case. Losing would not be shameful.
Or to put it another way, if they really lost, then they would all go down together.
Generally, such international cases are challenging to handle. Had Duanmu Huai not phoned Anthony expressing his boredom, Anthony would not have thought of this.
“Hmm…”
Duanmu Huai opened the case file and looked at the photos and information within. Indeed, it's no wonder it's called Jack the Ripper since all the victims were women, their bodies torn open.
However, unlike the historical Jack the Ripper, the victims this time were all ordinary girls, not prostitutes. And according to the forensic examination, they were not abused before their deaths…
But… for what reason?
Looking at the crime scene photos, Duanmu Huai was puzzled. If a cultist was behind this, there should be some sign of evil arrays or spells nearby. But there was nothing. It really didn't look like the work of a cultist. Or maybe, the person murdering these young girls was extracting some spell-crafting material from their bodies?
Heh, could this be the work of an evil cultivator stealing girls' Yin Yuan?
This seems off…
Well, the situation will be clear in due time.
With these thoughts, Duanmu Huai yawned, tidied up the files, then lied on the soft bed, listening to the rhythmic “clank clank” of the train, slowly drifting off to sleep.
Soon, the night passed.
“Knock knock knock, knock knock knock.”
After what felt like an eternity, the sound of knocking on the door disrupted Duanmu Huai's dream. He frowned and switched on the bedside lamp.
“Come in.”
“Apologies for the disturbance, sir,”
Upon hearing Duanmu Huai's words, Lorena entered the room.
“What's the matter? What happened? It's only…3AM.”
Duanmu Huai glanced at his watch. It was still too early.
“Well, a moment ago, a rail officer came. He wants to ask us a few things.”
“Questioning? About what? What happened?”
“It seems someone has been murdered on the train…”
“…………???? ”
Upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai was completely taken aback.
This isn't the Orient Express, is it?
How did a death occur?
Chapter end
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