The Bizarre Detective Agency Chapter 87

The facts were piecing together an almost complete picture. The truth, it seemed, was confirming Lu Li's initial, bizarre deductions—or rather, his suspicions: a definite connection existed between the diary, the door, and the letters.

To his despair, Lu Li seemed to be walking the same path as the diary's owner, James Campbell.

Unlike a normal person, Lu Li didn't descend into frantic panic or sink into despair. He reread the stack of comics, then calmly immersed himself in thought.

He contemplated the beginning, the development, and the possible outcome of this story.

It had all started when he read James Campbell's diary. The door from the diary had noticed him—or he had noticed it. At that moment, Lu Li might have still had a chance to escape, as there was no certainty the diary itself held any special power. But then he'd accepted the commission to rescue the young explorers in the sewer, where he had seen that strange door with his own eyes.

That, it seemed, had been the trigger. Like a parasite invading a living host, some presence had attached itself to Lu Li, compelling him to repeat James Campbell's mistakes.

[I can't take it anymore... I have to be near it to keep my sanity... This is the last entry, I'm going in. If anyone sees this diary, remember—stay away from it. When you hear it, they can see you. When you see it, they can touch you. Do not, under any circumstances, touch them... Ever... the door is open].

[It has come for me].

Lu Li took the diary from the shelf and opened it to the last written page. The final warning told Lu Li that he was now in the same position as James Campbell.

Or perhaps... it wasn't a coincidence at all.

Picking up the phone, Lu Li called Marcus.

Perhaps because not much time had passed, or because there had been no recent complaints, the call went through.

"Hello, hello. Prosperity customer support."

"It's me. Do you remember my first job?" Lu Li asked bluntly. "Who was the client?"

"What are you... uh... alright, I think I remember. The client wished to remain anonymous, so I can't..."

"Tell me."

Even the distortion of the phone line couldn't hide the coldness in Lu Li's voice.

Marcus weighed his options. The client was a one-off, unlikely to ever call again. Lu Li, on the other hand, was a recurring asset, a valuable resource for his business. Excellent. To hell with customer confidentiality. Why should he protect the secrets of a client who would never return?!

"The client who wished to remain anonymous is Richard," Marcus declared firmly, then noticed a long silence on the other end of the line.

As he was wondering what to say, the line went dead.

Now he could say with certainty that the job in the sewer had been a conspiracy against him.

Lu Li hung up the phone. While one might argue that the client's name being Richard was a simple coincidence, the idea didn't withstand scrutiny. Lu Li recalled Marcus's words: the client needed an efficient, diligent, and quiet exorcist, preferably a novice.

He might as well have asked for Lu Li by name.

Lu Li rubbed the bridge of his nose.

It seemed everything had begun because he was one step behind. Lu Li had gotten the diary and learned that danger was lurking somewhere nearby. The diary had already warned him with the phrase "the door is open," but Lu Li hadn't connected that open door with the one in the sewer, missing the thread.

And then there was the sewer job. Lu Li had sensed something was off from the start, but needing the money, he had taken the case anyway, which ultimately led to an unavoidable confrontation with the danger.

But as everyone knows, there are no "if onlys" in this world.

Perhaps the diary itself was harmless, but just in case... After memorizing its contents, Lu Li closed the diary, removed the protective glass from his oil lamp, and held the book to the flame.

He was doing the same thing he had done last night. Only then, he had been setting fire to a house; now, it was just a diary.

"What are you doing?"

The smell of burning paper caught the attention of Anna, who was in the bedroom. She floated from her room into the living area.

"Nothing important," Lu Li replied.

The entire book went up in flames, the rising tongues of fire licking at Lu Li's face. His expression, as always, remained calm, as if the grim news hadn't fazed him in the slightest.

Lu Li doesn't believe in tears.

After a few dozen seconds, the charred diary fell to the floor, collapsing into a pile of ash and embers.

Ring, ring, ring, ring...

At that moment, the telephone rang.

Lu Li quickly wiped his hands and picked up the receiver.

"Mr. Lu Li?" a mature, magnetic voice came through the line.

"Yes, this is he."

"This is the Sentry Post police station, I'm Deputy Sheriff Valentine. We need your assistance in the psychiatric hospital case. When would you be free to come by?"

"Right now."

He needed to find out a few things about Richard, too.

"Excellent," Deputy Sheriff Valentine replied, hung up, and turned to the figure standing beside him. "He'll be here soon."

Hanging up the phone, Lu Li met Anna's curious and confused gaze. He didn't tell her about his discovery, not only to keep her out of it but also because explaining everything would be too much trouble.

However, remembering his conversation with Gades yesterday, Lu Li hesitated for a moment before asking, "Do you crave power?"

Anna blinked in confusion. "Is that some kind of code?"

Lu Li had to rephrase his question in simpler terms. "Do you want to become stronger?"

"I don't know, if it helps you..." Anna nodded uncertainly. "Is there something I need to do?"

"Just do as I do. Destroy ghosts with your own hands, and you will grow stronger," Lu Li answered.

"Hmm... I can try," Anna said, noticing Lu Li was putting on his black coat. "Are you leaving?"

"I've been summoned to the Sentry Post police station to assist with the psychiatric hospital case. You stay here."

"Okay," Anna agreed obediently, though she found the detective agency a little boring.

An hour and a half later. The Sentry Post police station.

Lu Li stepped out of the carriage and entered the station under the overcast sky. After a word with the officer on duty, he was led towards an office.

The atmosphere in the police station was relaxed in the afternoon. Lu Li followed behind the officer.

"Everyone knows that I, Baroness Joseph, never wear underwear."

A voice, languid and light, with a faintly husky edge like a contented cat, drifted from the side. It involuntarily painted a picture in one's mind: the owner of the voice, sitting with one leg crossed over the other, leaning back lazily in her chair, displaying the curves of her beautiful body.

Reaching the deputy sheriff's office door, Lu Li turned his head slightly toward the source of the voice, and at that exact moment, the owner of the voice looked at him.

Their gazes met, locking onto one another. One was cold, the other enchanting, like black and red rubies.

Thud!

The office door closed, breaking their eye contact.