The Bizarre Detective Agency Chapter 76

Lu Li and Gades looked at each other at the same moment. From their expressions, it was clear neither of them understood what was happening. An unspeakable malice hung in the air, exuding a repulsive energy that made one instinctively want to retreat. The surrounding black silhouettes grew agitated, shifting as if they wanted to flee.

"Where are you?"

The question echoed through the void once more, this time in a hoarse male voice.

Lu Li’s gaze shifted from the extremely tense Gades to the Truth Candle. It was the candle that had drawn the source of the voice...

"Where are you?"

The voice in the void changed again, becoming an indifferent female tone. Lu Li recognized it—it was Anna's voice.

Along with it, images connected to the two previous voices surfaced in his mind: JoJo and Oliver.

Gades's face remained taut, showing no flicker of recognition. This meant he couldn't distinguish the voices. Was the question meant for him?

Lu Li decided to remain silent, offering no reply to the unknown voice from the void. He listened to the subtle sounds from the other side: a noise like rushing water and an almost imperceptible whisper that was gradually growing more distinct.

A cold, raspy voice, like a man's, called out. Lu Li couldn't identify who it belonged to.

"Where are you? Where are you? Where are you? Where are you?"

The shifting voices endlessly repeated the same question. Some belonged to people he knew. Others were incredibly familiar, yet he couldn't recall whose they were.

"Where are you?"

An incredibly familiar, yet utterly alien female voice echoed through the void. A sudden humming filled Lu Li’s head, and spots of light flared before his eyes, consuming his vision; he lost the ability to think. His entire focus was riveted on that voice.

"Where are you? Where are you? Where are you?"

The incessant stream of voices continued, while Lu Li sat motionlessly at the counter.

The whisper that had been a mere backdrop suddenly swelled, drowning out the endless questions.

All at once, blood-red stains appeared on the wooden panels of the ceiling. They grew and spread, repulsive, like a network of blood vessels. The interlacing veins writhed, consuming the entire ceiling and the surrounding space.

Gades's tense expression twisted into one of terror. He looked up, his hand moving back almost mechanically, reaching for his Spirit Gun.

"What is this?!" Gades whispered, but no one answered.

Realization dawned on him, and he moved to extinguish the nearly spent Truth Candle.

A hand stopped his outstretched arm. Gades looked up to see Lu Li watching him calmly, giving a slight shake of his head. "You weren't lying about not being able to put it out, were you?"

He was referring to the Truth Candle.

Gades came to his senses and slowly withdrew his hand. But waiting passively for death wasn't his style. In an instant, he found a solution: he picked up an oil lamp and tilted it, accelerating the Truth Candle’s burn.

Lu Li raised his head, continuing to watch the changes on the ceiling. The web of vessels now covered every inch of it. At some point, all the black silhouettes in the detective agency had vanished. In the empty hall, only the two of them remained at the counter, illuminated by the candle.

Suddenly, a fissure appeared on the wall, which was now densely covered in vessels, tearing through the network.

"Shhh..."

Malice enveloped Lu Li, whispering tempting words in his ear. The whisper filled every corner. The fissure gradually widened, transforming into an eye that struggled to open, consuming the entire wall. The vessels served as eyelids. And beneath their translucent film, a blood-red pupil several meters in diameter rotated.

Perhaps when that eye opened, it would find Lu Li.

At that moment, the light around them dimmed noticeably. Lu Li glanced at the nearly consumed Truth Candle, its final flame flickering out.

"Where are you?" a voice like a nightmare echoed through the empty hall. As soon as the Truth Candle burned out, the image on the ceiling faded and vanished. Everything returned to normal. The whispers that had filled his ears were gone as well.

"Is it over?" Fine beads of sweat had broken out on Gades’s forehead, betraying his agitation. He looked at Lu Li, the tension still palpable. "What was that?!"

"I'd like to know that myself."

Gades tried to read something in Lu Li’s calm face, but finding nothing, he looked away and set the oil lamp back in its place. In the steady light, he waved a weary hand. "Forget it. Something probably went wrong. These things are impossible to explain anyway... If there are any side effects, I'll demand compensation from you!"

He suddenly shouted the last sentence with a flash of anger before reverting to his usual apathy. "I'm exhausted. If you have more questions, you can wait..."

"I do have more questions," Lu Li interrupted, ignoring Gades's attempt to dismiss him and his look of displeasure. He placed the flintlock pistol, still in its holster, on the counter. "It has bloomed its first flower. What does that mean?"

Gades's impatience gave way to astonishment. He took the holster and stared in horror at the delicate rose that had bloomed upon it. "Just how many ghosts have you destroyed?!"

"It's why I have a thousand shillings," Lu Li replied.

However, the full blooming of the first rose was largely connected to Michelle's disappearance. The rose was nearly complete after she vanished, with the final petals filling in at the Haunted House and just now, in the agency.

Gades stared at Lu Li as if he were a ghost himself, then handed the holster back. "I have some advice for you. Want to hear it?"

"It's best not to use the Spirit Gun for now. At least, not against weak enemies."

"Why?"

"The power of the rose... let's call it that. The Spirit Gun is a creation of the second generation of Spirit Hunters. As a related artifact, it's closely tied to that strange world. After the disappearance of the third generation of Spirit Hunters, though the method for making the Spirit Gun was preserved, the secrets of its use were lost. All I can tell you is that each bloomed rose represents some strange ability... Perhaps a good one, perhaps a bad one. You'll have to find that out for yourself."

"And most importantly... the roses accelerate the influence of the In-Between on you."

The third generation of Spirit Hunters... Lu Li realized he had new questions, but Gades just waved his hand. "Don't ask me. All related data has turned to the dust of history. Perhaps something still remains with the current Spirit Hunters organization or the Night's Watch. That's all. It's time for you to go."

With some questions answered and new ones raised, Lu Li left the detective agency.

The previous silence returned to the hall. Gades sat at the counter, illuminated by the oil lamp, and gazed at the empty room. "I hope this world doesn't get any worse..." he whispered softly.