A world in full bloom

[Life countdown: 9 days, 11 hours, 23 minutes, 39 seconds]

When Li Wei woke from his sleep, it was already the following afternoon.

"Whew... that was a great sleep."

Li Wei sat up and stretched luxuriously. He could no longer remember the last time he had slept so comfortably. As far as he could recall, ever since he had been hospitalized, every day had passed in a haze. His mind had been muddled, his whole body filled with indescribable pain. Even drawing a breath had felt like torture... the ordinary routine most people took for granted had long since slipped beyond his reach, until now.

Sitting up in bed, Li Wei surveyed his "home" again. By the standards of his own world, this was a loft-style apartment. It had two levels, with the living room, dining room, and kitchen downstairs, and the study and bedroom upstairs. In practice, though, there was no clear separation between these rooms, since no walls divided them-except for the bathroom and toilet at the far end.

The reason was simple: this was actually a clock tower.

Li Wei lived at the very top of it. The clock tower stood roughly ten stories tall, and through the enormous glass clock face that occupied almost an entire wall, he could look out over more than half of Fog City.

He had to admit, the view was quite good.

Li Wei got out of bed and recalled the "background" of this world as he changed his clothes.

According to the information in his head, this was not Earth, but a world called the Christelia Continent. The country Li Wei was currently in was the Empire, one of the most powerful nations on the continent.

The Empire in this world was somewhat similar to nineteenth-century Britain in Li Wei's world. An Industrial Revolution had taken place here too, and the emergence of steam engines had completely transformed human civilization on this continent. All manner of steam-powered machines had changed people's lives and accelerated civilization's progress. In that respect, it seemed no different from Li Wei's original world.

But there was one difference.

Machines known as Difference Engines had appeared in this world.

Difference Engines really were fascinating machines.

According to the knowledge Li Wei had acquired, a Difference Engine was a device similar to an electronic computer. Unlike those in his world, however, it was not made of transistors or circuit boards. It was an entirely mechanical design-a remarkable machine that used a steam engine to drive gears, calculating polynomial functions through the method of finite differences to produce results.

The emergence of Difference Engines had brought another enormous leap forward for human civilization. All sorts of mechanical products had followed, including quite a few that Li Wei recognized. For instance, the Phonographic Differential Machine he had seen in the interrogation room was essentially no different from a tape recorder, except that it was larger and, to his eyes, looked more like an automatic typewriter.

But any discussion of Difference Engines also had to include another product they had spawned.

Punched Card.

At that thought, Li Wei reached into his wallet and took out the identification card he had shown Inspector Lestrade earlier, examining it curiously. It was slightly larger than a business card and made of something resembling plastic. Several rectangular holes had been punched along its left edge, and its upper right corner had been cut away. Looking at it this way, it also somewhat resembled an oversized SIM card.

Li Wei had already witnessed this thing's ingenious use yesterday. After they arrived at the police station, Inspector Lestrade had taken him into a room containing an enormous metal Difference Engine that occupied nearly half the space.

Then Inspector Lestrade had inserted Li Wei's identification into a card reader. Li Wei had watched countless gears begin to turn with crisp, clicking sounds, before a sheet of paper emerged from an outlet on the other side. It contained all sorts of information about his identity... well, it was not as advanced as a computer, but it certainly looked interesting.

It was fair to say that the emergence of Difference Engines had brought this world's human civilization into the Steam Age and the Information Age at the same time. They even had things like credit cards—though strictly speaking, those were Punched Cards too. A card reader read the data on the punched card, then transmitted it to a bank's Difference Engine for calculation, storage, and conversion.

Even if it was not as fast as the modern internet, it was still quite convenient.

And the feeling this era gave Li Wei was... freedom.

Yes, freedom.

Once he was dressed, Li Wei stretched and walked over to the mechanical apparatus by the wall, then pulled its handle. A moment later, a hatch opened, revealing several tied-up rolls of newspapers.

Mm, a Steam Age mailbox. Very handy.

Unlike modern newspapers, which were simply stuffed into mailboxes, mailboxes in this world used a pneumatic delivery system. Thick metal pipes connected the buildings, and once newspapers and letters were placed in a sorting machine, pressurized air carried them through the pipes straight to each household's mailbox.

From a certain perspective, this was almost a little too advanced.

Li Wei took the newspapers and opened them. There were papers such as the Daily News, Voice of Finance, and Message Herald, as well as...

[Are you troubled by the loss of a limb? Distressed by your inability to work? Saddened by your inability to find relief at night? Steam Prosthetics Emporium is ready to build you a brand-new future, free of worries, pain, and loneliness...]

It seemed that no matter the world, era, or civilization, there was no escaping those pesky little ads.

Li Wei tossed the ad aside, picked up a newspaper, and began reading with interest.

Generally speaking, with the emergence of steam civilization and Difference Engines, humanity should have committed entirely to the path of mechanized modern technology, dismissing every other system. Yet that was not what had happened. Perhaps because this was the first time in human history that people had mastered such power, it had instead given rise to a different mindset.

If steam technology was a viable path, might other paths work too?

Precisely for that reason, this era had not discarded other ideas because of steam technology, as Li Wei had expected. On the contrary, it had become an age of explosive intellectual growth. Alchemy, spiritualism, occultism-all sorts of traditions considered backward, ignorant, or superstitious in modern times received considerable attention here. Newspapers were full of articles and discussions that approached mysterious powers in an academic tone. Spirit communication and astrology were no longer amusements used by third-rate tabloids at street stalls to entertain their readers, but formal fields of research.

It was a vibrant era of free development. People believed in science, but they also believed in mysteries, legends, and magic... they subjected curses to rigorous analysis rather than dismissing them as absurd superstition. They also studied magical incantations and attempted to reproduce the powers those spells were supposed to possess.

To Li Wei, this truly was a fresh and energetic world.

Of course, most of today's newspaper headlines covered the Courtesan Killer. The main story was that the Courtesan Killer had struck again late last night, but unlike before, the police had discovered traces of the killer with the assistance of a private detective.

["We can state unequivocally that the Courtesan Killer is neither a ghost nor a curse, but a living person! The killer can also be driven back by gunfire. Although the incident unfolded so suddenly that we were unable to apprehend the criminal, we assure you that the day we do is not far off!" These were Inspector Lestrade's words at the press conference. In this writer's opinion, this is indeed encouraging news...]

Li Wei stared at the newspaper, considering what he should do. He had to catch the Courtesan Killer to complete his mission and extend his life. But so far, he had no idea how to go about it. Wandering the streets like the police was clearly not an option; yesterday had merely been a coincidence. Besides, in Li Wei's opinion, now that the killer had been exposed, they would probably lie low for a while.

But he only had ten days.

At that thought, Li Wei looked toward the pistol on the table. It was his only weapon, a revolver that now lay there quietly. With its brass frame, ivory grip, and engraved surface, it looked exceptionally ornate. It was more a work of art than a weapon.

Yet Li Wei had only had twelve bullets to begin with, and he had fired one yesterday. Now just eleven remained... they were his only safeguard at the moment.

A detective in a mystery novel would probably choose to search for clues alone, but for Li Wei, working with the authorities was always an option.

Especially since Inspector Lestrade had a fairly good impression of him.

Naturally, that left Li Wei with only one thing to do.

"...You want to assist with the investigation?"

Sitting behind his desk, Inspector Lestrade looked at Li Wei with some surprise. Just as Li Wei had thought, most detectives were rather reluctant to deal with the police. After all, there was the question of credit. Police officers received a fixed salary, whereas detectives earned their living entirely through their achievements. The more you accomplished, the more you earned; the less you accomplished, the less you earned.

In such an environment, most detectives had developed a habit of relying on themselves. They would never approach the police unless absolutely necessary.

Of course, with a reward on offer this time, there was no need for such bitter rivalry. Still, for detectives, handling a difficult problem on their own was standard practice. They would never commit the outrageous act of asking the police for assistance. Naturally, if the police came asking them instead, that was another matter.

But as far as Li Wei was concerned, maintaining good relations with the authorities was always sensible. He did not understand why detectives in mystery novels always liked to work against the police... in any case, he had no desire to make trouble for himself for no reason.

Of course, Li Wei knew that if he asked the police for help, he would have to share the credit with them afterward. But would it not be the same if he sought help from anyone else? What was the difference?

Still, Li Wei offered no explanation. Ever since childhood, he had been accustomed to not needing to explain much about what he did, because other people would supply their own answers.

"You really are young. You'll have a hard time getting by in detective circles like this."

Sure enough, Lestrade came up with an explanation himself. He clearly believed Li Wei was a newcomer to the profession who did not understand how things worked. A detective willing to cooperate with the police was more likely to earn the contempt of his peers. Others would also be reluctant to work with him, since some of a detective's methods might not be legal... but to Li Wei, that was precisely why he needed official backing.

None of them had clean hands, so whether the authorities knew or not made a tremendous difference.

"Right now, I just want to catch the killer as soon as possible."

There was nothing untrue about Li Wei's statement. He did not care about detective circles. If he failed to catch the killer, his life would end in ten days, and no circle would have anything to do with him anymore.

Except the funeral business.

"I understand."

Inspector Lestrade nodded.

"But there is no precedent for this. This case is receiving a great deal of attention, and no one wants an outsider stepping in without good reason. It does not comply with procedure, and there are no provisions for it... so I cannot grant your request."

As he spoke, Inspector Lestrade stood and nodded to Li Wei.

"Sorry, I need to go out for a while. I'll be back in about half an hour."

With that, Inspector Lestrade walked out of the room.

Li Wei stood there without moving. He did not follow Inspector Lestrade out, because the inspector had not asked him to leave with him either. He had merely said he was going out for a while and would need about half an hour...

So Li Wei reached out and picked up the case file lying on the desk.

Reading it would not take half an hour.