The Bizarre Detective Agency Chapter 83

Thump, thump, thump.

Lu Li ascended the stairs to the second floor. At the far end of the hallway, where the light of the kerosene lamp fell, the same mocking face of the ghost materialized once again on the border of light and shadow.

It seemed to wait for Lu Li to catch up, as if luring him into the room. The ghost looked at Lu Li with indifference, then turned and disappeared.

A soft shuffling sound arose.

This time, Lu Li did not immediately pursue it. He paused on the staircase, thinking.

"Woof!"

The bark of a dog drew Lu Li’s attention. He turned his head toward the dark corridor from which the sound had come.

At the edge of the light stood a translucent golden retriever, its coat a faded gold.

"Woof!"

"You want to lead me somewhere? Go on."

Both the specter and the dog were trying to lure Lu Li, but his reaction to them was entirely different. The ghost of the dog and the spider-like phantom were nothing alike.

The shuffling sound came again.

Lu Li had taken only a few steps after the golden retriever's ghost when the shuffling sound echoed from behind. He turned, the lamplight casting its beam on the staircase, and the spider-like ghost appeared at the edge of the light. This time it drew closer, the greater part of its body emerging from the darkness, exposing a wound in its abdomen from which blood perpetually bubbled.

"Grrrr..."

The golden retriever bared its fangs, crouched low to the ground, and growled like a wolf.

The spider-ghost stared unblinkingly at the man and dog for several seconds before slowly retreating into the darkness.

The golden retriever relaxed and led Lu Li down the hall, straight to a half-open door. Lu Li paused for a moment at the entrance. The lamplight illuminated only half of the study.

Inside the study, most likely, were its masters—its now-dead masters.

Lu Li pushed the door open and entered the study. In the lamplight, two pairs of legs became visible, and as Lu Li drew closer, they turned into three.

The bodies of the family of three sat slumped against the wall. The little girl was in the middle, huddled close to them, their skin appearing pale in the white light, as if from decomposition.

"There's nothing to be done for them."

Lu Li looked at the ghost of the golden retriever lying at their feet, paused, and shook his head.

For ordinary people, ghosts and seals were completely incomprehensible. There were no weapons against them, and no way to defend oneself. Only after being sufficiently terrified or attacked could one even attempt to flee.

An idea occurred to Lu Li, and he approached the golden retriever.

"Take me to it."

The golden retriever was intelligent enough to understand what Lu Li had in mind. It got up and ran toward the door. Lu Li followed it down the corridor, and suddenly, three shadows appeared up ahead.

Like the spider-ghost he had encountered before, they were black and thin, only their outlines distinguishable. It was the family of three.

The ghost of the golden retriever saw them too, whimpered quietly, and ran to them, wagging its tail.

Suddenly, a shuffling sound came from behind.

The spider-ghost was perched on the stairs leading down to the first floor, watching Lu Li in silence.

Having found his target, Lu Li silently glanced at the motionless family, then turned and ran down the stairs. The spider-ghost immediately bolted.

Lu Li gave chase, hurtling down the stairs and back into the same corridor.

As he passed the piano room, Lu Li stopped.

The spider-ghost had disappeared from view.

Had he lost it? Lu Li frowned. Suddenly, a shuffling sound came from behind, and before he could turn, some force shoved him toward the wall...

The expected impact never came. His vision swam, and Lu Li staggered before steadying himself.

He was standing in the corridor, a loud crash echoing from the room. He had returned to the real world.

Lu Li turned around. A black silhouette was rapidly scurrying along the wall, its four-limbed movements clearly visible. The spider-ghost... had it led him out of the soul trap?

Was this an act of goodwill, or had another ghost killed the family? Lu Li didn't know.

Done with his reflections, Lu Li walked into the piano room.

Gades had his back to him, scraping the seals off the wall with a piece of wood.

"You're back?!" Anna, floating in mid-air, was the first to notice Lu Li's return and exclaimed joyfully.

Gades turned in surprise. "When did you... How did you get out?!"

"A ghost let me out," Lu Li answered.

"What...?" Gades, still pressed against the wall, didn't understand.

Lu Li walked to the piano, picked up the cold coffee, and downed it in one go. "I don't understand either."

"Are they that weak?" Gades ventured.

"I only ran into one of them. The family didn't bother me."

"Well, I'll be..." Gades sighed, not knowing what to say. "Anyway, help me. We need to destroy this seal. Hmm... it's a big one, though. It's going to take a long time... probably a few hours."

"No need for all that trouble. I have an idea," Lu Li said, glancing toward the door.

Gades wasn't surprised. Lu Li had dealt with seals before, so it was no wonder he knew how to destroy them.

Lu Li left the room. Gades tossed the piece of wood aside and followed him to the second floor.

Entering the study, Lu Li walked over to a bookshelf, pulled out a book, and started flipping through its pages.

Could the solution to the seals be in that book? Then he watched as Lu Li removed the glass globe from the kerosene lamp and set the book ablaze with its flame.

Gades nodded slightly. If the book was the core component of the seal, then burning it was indeed easier and more convenient than scraping it away.

The corner of the book on plant species caught fire, and Lu Li placed it back on the shelf.

The spreading flame illuminated Lu Li's face. Shadows danced across it, making his expression seem dark and mercurial, but his eyes remained calm.

Suddenly, a realization struck Gades.

"Are you trying to start a fire?!"

Lu Li turned his head and calmly replied, "Do you know an easier way to destroy all the seals?"

The book was now fully ablaze. Flames a foot high leaped to the adjacent books and began to spread.

The houses on Oak Street were set more than ten meters apart, with two- or three-meter-high fences between them, so the fire could not spread to the neighboring homes. The worst they faced was soot-stained walls.

Gades had nothing to object to; it was indeed the simplest and fastest method. But Lu Li's solution was simply...

"I'm glad you became an exorcist and not something worse," Gades remarked, squinting sarcastically at the spreading fire. "We came to exorcise spirits, not to burn down houses."

Lu Li paid the burning bookshelf no further attention and walked out of the study. He repeated the same trick in the other rooms, setting fire to curtains, wooden items, clothes, and other flammable things, then went out into the yard with Gades.

By now, the fire was raging, its flames engulfing the first and second floors as thick smoke billowed into the sky.

"Someone will call the fire department. Let's go," Lu Li said, glancing at the house before heading for the gate.

Behind him, the flames silently devoured everything: the seals, the evidence, and the three bodies, huddled together in an embrace.