The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 110: Good Night, Sweet Dreams

The steps descended, reaching the 1700th floor.

There, Lu Li was met with another change.

Beginning from the 1700th floor, the walls of the stairwell were covered in thin, grey-black tentacles. They blocked the path downward, only occasionally parting to reveal the steps.

In this blood-red, eerie place, the writhing tentacles resembled an entrance to the underworld.

The path wasn't over yet; the staircase stretched on below. But to continue, Lu Li would have to pass through a space clogged with tentacles, a space that spanned several floors.

If he followed the clues on the walls and imagined these tentacles as a parent checking homework, with each floor marked by time representing thirty minutes, then the "test" could take anywhere from thirty to sixty minutes.

Perhaps just one or two floors.

Lu Li continued his descent.

The dense tentacles drew closer. They seemed to writhe aimlessly, swaying in some unseen breeze, paying no mind to Lu Li.

Finally, Lu Li reached the entrance to this space. With a tentative flick of his wrist, he swept his sword across the edge of the nearest tentacle.The sharp sword passed through the tentacle as if it were a ghost.

The weapon had no effect on them.

Sensing the attack, the listlessly swaying tentacles suddenly sprang to life, and a dozen of them shot toward Lu Li like shadows.

Lu Li snapped to his senses and raised his shield defensively.

But his momentary hesitation made him a fraction too slow. Suddenly, a pale face with a frozen smile appeared before him, shielding him from the tentacles.

Lu Li frowned, looking at the pale face that seemed to be protecting him.

If the tentacles represented a parent checking homework, then these faces likely symbolized... acquired knowledge.

Lu Li stepped into the space filled with writhing tentacles.

The tentacles swayed like grass at the slightest movement, but the pale faces that appeared kept him safe. After a few steps, Lu Li felt a resistance underfoot. Countless grimy, withered hands reached out from beneath the steps, trying to grab him.

Steel flashed, and the grimy claws fell to the floor, neatly severed.

The weapon and armor represented his physical strength.

Maintaining his composure, Lu Li pressed forward. Pale faces shielded him from the writhing, weed-like tentacles. Swinging his sword and shield, he descended with confidence, his pace unwavering.

Lu Li’s figure vanished into the tentacle-filled space. Time passed...

Suddenly, a tall figure in a black coat emerged from the thicket-like mass of tentacles.

He was almost at the exit when one of the tentacles wrapped around his arm. He tried to sever it with his sword, but the tentacle tore the weapon from his grasp. He struck with his shield, but the tentacle coiled around it as well.

He had no choice but to abandon his sword and shield. Lu Li also had to leave his coat behind, which the tentacles had latched onto. Grabbing the oil lamp, he struggled free from the sea of tentacles.

1800. The numbers appeared on the wall before him.

Lu Li glanced back. The writhing expanse of tentacles had swallowed all his belongings and, as soon as he was free, grew calm again, as if nothing had happened. The tentacles swayed gently, like seaweed in the wind.

Lu Li had passed through the space of tentacles.

Or, to follow the analogy, the little boy had passed his parent's test.

“Tsk...” Lu Li clicked his tongue softly, as if bidding farewell to his black coat.

He had a feeling that the most dangerous part of the journey down this endless staircase was now behind him.

Averting his gaze, Lu Li stood on the 1800th floor and looked down.

The staircase had changed again, growing even darker and deeper.

The color of the walls had shifted from blood-red to a deep, dark red. The sense of anxious excitement gradually faded, replaced by an inexplicable, oppressive feeling.

The 1800th floor... Indeed, it would soon be dark.

The door still wouldn’t open.

The only thing that hadn’t changed were the fragmented phrases scattered across the dark red walls.

In the deepening twilight, while he could still make things out, Lu Li continued his descent, moving toward the next time marker.

The 1830th floor.

[Good night].

This out-of-place greeting had suddenly appeared on the wall.

Lu Li tried to connect it with the other phrases, but the meaning remained unclear.

This common farewell, written on the wall, seemed like a sinister omen, like a funeral bell about to toll.

As Lu Li descended, the words “good night” appeared more and more frequently.

On the 1900th floor, Lu Li saw the desks again, but this time they were empty.

On the 2000th floor, Lu Li heard his old “friends” again—though “heard” wasn’t quite the right word.

After all, these were sounds Lu Li was not supposed to hear.

Children's laughter drew near, then receded until it vanished completely. Lu Li waited until it had faded entirely before lowering his hands from his ears.

Caution was one of the reasons Lu Li was still alive.

On the 2030th floor, the dark red of the walls had deepened, and the words “good night” now took up most of the wall space.

The 2100th floor...

Good night, good night, good night, good night, good night, good night, good night, good night, good night.

The walls, the ceiling, the steps—everything around him was covered with these words, written in different handwriting.

Words of varying sizes, written in no particular order, blanketed the walls and floor, stretching down into the impenetrable darkness below.

Time to sleep, time to turn out the lights, and, of course, there would be no more light ahead.

On the wall of the 2100th floor was an open door, and beyond it lay the same darkness.

[Don’t stay up late, it is your greatest enemy. Your health is more important than you think].

Lu Li recalled the hint from the first floor.

Evidently, if he continued down, he would enter a time period associated with sleep deprivation. But if he went through the door, it would be related to sleep—and perhaps, it was the way out.

Or a dead end.

Lu Li looked at the dark doorway, then at the dark staircase leading down. A faint, unpleasant something drifted up on a gust of wind from below.

Like a salty sea breeze, like a whisper, like the clanking of chains...

Lu Li decided to follow the advice and “go to sleep.”

At least, the hints on the walls hadn’t failed him so far.

Lu Li had no reason to distrust them.

Casting one last look at the abyss-like staircase, Lu Li stepped through the door on the 2100th floor and vanished into the darkness.

In the endless darkness, Lu Li walked forward in silence. Ahead, a dim speck of light gradually appeared, growing rapidly.

[It was a perfectly ordinary day].

The speck of light turned out to be a line of text, written in a milky-white glow. As Lu Li drew closer, the words became clearer.

Lu Li looked ahead. Such specks of light appeared at regular intervals.

At the end of the path, a white space was visible in the darkness.

[Don’t be irritated, don’t despair].

[The road is long and arduous, but a better world awaits you after all the trials].

[The outcome, good or bad, depends on your initial choice and your efforts].

Lu Li walked past the glowing phrases. The white space ahead grew sharper, taking shape: a pure white expanse, starkly contrasting with the surrounding darkness. In its center stood a clean bed.

Lu Li stepped into the space.

He walked to the bed, climbed onto it, and, feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over him, sank into sleep.

In the light amidst the endless darkness, Lu Li’s breathing grew even and calm.

The last two phrases echoed in his mind.

[So for now, rest well].

[An ancient creature from the ocean depths awaits you in your dreams].