The Bizarre Detective Agency Chapter 48

Lu Li, having lost interest in the man's chatter, asked, "The notebook with the entries—is it a prop?"

"This?" The young man playing the ghost pointed to the notes on the table. When Lu Li nodded in confirmation, he answered casually, "You could say that."

"You could say that?"

"You don't know... Oh, I forgot, you're not Ellen..." the "ghost" muttered under his breath, and then explained, "It's a local legend about the sixth hospital. You know, ignorant villagers are always afraid of places like this..."

"Hey, watch your mouth!" the big man protested loudly. "I'm from the Sentry Post myself!"

"Alright, alright, poor choice of words," the "ghost" said, raising his hands apologetically. "Anyway, some conspiracy theorists claim they used to experiment on patients in the sixth hospital. The locals then spun that into a legend about a girl whose parents sent her here, where she was used as a guinea pig until her body turned hard as a statue. Ask anyone from the Sentry Post, and they'll talk your ear off about it all day."

He added, "And our great writer, Stephen, decided to include that legend in his novel. Well, and here we are."

A statue... Lu Li grew thoughtful.

"Detective, what are you investigating here?" the big man asked curiously.

"Then you'll need to go further in," Stephen said, pointing toward the door. "Go down the hall to the end, there's an elevator. It'll take you down."

"But there's no electricity in the hospital."

"The stairs have collapsed, you can't get through that way. The elevator is stuck between the first floor and the basement. You'll have to go down through the shaft."

It sounded dangerous.

Stephen added, "Something's not right here. I'd advise you not to go too deep. If you want to explore the hospital, you'd be better off coming back during the day with backup."

"If something's not right, why are you setting up props here?" Lu Li countered.

Stephen and the "ghost" exchanged a glance, after which Stephen replied with a writer's enthusiasm, "To breathe life into the work! Besides, we didn't come empty-handed..."

He abruptly threw open the collar of his shirt, showing Lu Li a cluster of amulets on his chest.

Among them were strange necklaces with seals and intricate runic pendants. Lu Li nodded silently.

"By the way, do you want to be a character in my book?" Stephen fastened his collar and forced a smile. "I've got a new idea. I could write our conversation into the book."

"What's the book called?"

"The Sorrowful Chronicles of a Bard from the Allen Peninsula."

"...Alright."

"Excellent! Give me your address, and we'll send you a copy of the book as soon as it's ready."

"Taks Street," Lu Li replied, lowering his gaze, "and one more thing... Give my apologies to whoever blocked the door."

"No problem..." Stephen suddenly fell silent, his face a mask of utter astonishment. "Wait, what do you mean, 'blocked the door'?"

Lu Li briefly explained what had happened. A chill ran down his listeners' spines.

Stephen's face paled noticeably. Turning to the actor, he asked, "Aya, it was just Ellen who came with us, right?"

"Yeah, I think he was changing in the car... Maybe he decided to scare us?"

"He's afraid to even sit alone in the dark, how could he play a prank like that!" Stephen glanced around nervously and declared decisively, "Something's wrong here. We're leaving!"

Lu Li didn't move, silently watching as the two of them bolted for the exit without a moment's hesitation.

Stephen was constantly courting danger for the sake of his novel, but so far he had remained safe and sound. And the reason for that was more likely his decisiveness than his abundance of amulets.

The "ghost" had already dashed out of the room, but Stephen, upon reaching the door, suddenly remembered Lu Li and turned back. "Friend, aren't you coming with us?"

"I have something to finish," Lu Li replied.

"What could be more important than your life?!"

"Life is more important, of course. But this is also quite important," Lu Li answered honestly.

His daily expenses were about 40 shillings, not counting the cost of renting a carriage, buying kerosene, and other work and living expenses. Every lost day slowed down his savings.

As for saving money... Lu Li didn't even consider it.

Stephen hesitated, then ran back and shoved a bracelet into Lu Li's hand. "Here, take this, wear it! An exorcist enchanted it!"

He hurriedly ran out into the corridor, his last words echoing from the hospital's main hall.

Left alone in the office, Lu Li glanced at the bracelet in his palm and slipped it into his pocket.

Picking up the lamp, Lu Li left the office and headed in the opposite direction from the fleeing men.

He ignored the doors on either side of the hallway—some ajar, some wide open, some shut tight. After walking a short distance, he saw the end of the corridor in the lamplight.

Stepping over a chair that blocked the path, Lu Li ignored the elevator for the moment and approached the staircase.

Just as Stephen had said, the staircase had collapsed. The flight of stairs leading to the second floor was destroyed, creating a three-meter gap filled with rubble.

The collapsed section of the stairs completely blocked the way to the basement, cutting off the path down.

Lu Li returned to the elevator.

Although the elevator was old, it was electric. It was now stuck between the first floor and the basement, its sliding lattice door wide open.

The lamplight swept across the elevator's interior, illuminating dust motes slowly swirling in the air.

The space between the top of the car and the floor was no more than half a meter; Lu Li would have to lie flat to squeeze inside.

The bad news was that getting down would be perilous. The good news was that the elevator cables looked intact.

Lu Li sat on the edge of the shaft, placed the lamp beside him, and slid his legs into the car. Then, he flipped over onto his stomach and, bracing his hands on the floor, began to lower himself slowly.

At that moment, the dust in the air swirled, and the elevator let out an alarming groan.

Lu Li froze instantly, suspended between the floor and the car, his hands pressed flat against the floor.

The elevator began to sway slowly in the narrow shaft, and a continuous, ear-splitting screeching sound came from above.

The situation was deteriorating. Lu Li was on the edge of the shaft, the lower half of his body already inside the car. If the cable snapped now... best-case scenario, he would be pinned between the car and the floor.

Worst-case, he would be snapped in half. His upper body would be left outside, his lower half inside the elevator.

The blood-curdling screech grew louder, as if the elevator was about to plunge at any moment.