The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 115: The Vanished Tentacles

A theatrical troupe from Belfast had taken up residence in the Sentry Post's only theater.

From the troupe's manager, Lu Li learned that the performers had arrived from a Belfast music college two days ago and were preparing for tomorrow's opera.

"The opera is called 'The Voice of Sorrow.' Hmm... I think I remember something about it, from when I was still alive," Anna's voice sounded from the empty space beside Lu Li.

Lu Li stood motionless, silently gazing up at the theater's dome.

The bloody tentacle, stretching down from the clouds, had pierced the dome and disappeared inside the theater.

Another tentacle hung over the Sentry Post, pointing elsewhere, while the other five were scattered who-knows-where.

The tentacles in the Sentry Post were clustered rather densely, but that made sense. This had once been Richard's base of operations, and he must have conducted his experiments nearby.

"I remember that music college. Daisy goes there!" Anna said excitedly, remembering her only friend. "Maybe she's in there!"

"Let's hope she isn't," Lu Li replied, tearing his gaze away and heading for the theater doors.

Guards stood at the entrance, but Lu Li's calm demeanor and appearance convinced them he was a professor from the music college, and they let him pass without question."He is not my father! And he is not worthy of the title!"

"Oh, my child, he has always loved you..."

Onstage, actors in vibrant costumes rehearsed with the exaggerated style typical of stage productions. Those not in the scene sat in the front rows, consulting their scripts or whispering quietly among themselves.

Of the hundreds of seats, only a dozen or so near the stage were occupied; the back rows were empty.

Lu Li and Anna's eyes fell on the same person onstage.

She was a girl with a somber style. Her makeup made her face pale, and the dark circles under her eyes gave her the appearance of a vampire who hadn't slept in a long time. She wore a striking dress—a black lace gown with the mysterious air of the Victorian era.

Anna was staring because of the striking dress, while Lu Li was staring because a thin, bloody thread stretched from the theater's dome down to the girl.

"What a beautiful dress."

"She's the victim."

Lu Li and Anna spoke at the same time.

"That girl?" Anna asked, surprised.

"Yes."

"What a shame..."

The actors on and around the stage hadn't yet noticed Lu Li standing at the very back of the theater and continued their rehearsal.

"Love me? You love me, yet you'd sell me to that scoundrel?! No, he is not my fath—" The girl delivering her line swayed as scripted, but then she froze, her eyes fixed on Lu Li in the back rows. An instant later, without a second thought, she turned and fled backstage, much to the astonishment of her fellow actors.

"She saw us!" Anna exclaimed, turning to Lu Li, only to find he was already gone, moving swiftly toward the stage.

With the actress's sudden departure, the rehearsal naturally ground to a halt. The bewildered actors looked around and saw Lu Li rapidly approaching the stage.

"Sentry Post police, conducting an investigation." Tossing out the phrase, Lu Li crossed the stage without stopping and plunged backstage, following the sound of footsteps into the dressing room.

Thud!

The wooden door, just closed but not yet locked, burst open under his momentum.

With his hand hovering over the pistol at his waist, Lu Li scanned the dressing room, only to find the girl he was chasing lying unconscious on the floor, clad only in her undergarments.

"We're about to get that basta—" Anna's voice drew nearer, but Lu Li stopped her with a raised hand.

"She's not O'Connor."

"Huh?" Anna was bewildered. If she wasn't O'Connor, why did she run the moment she saw Lu Li...?

Lu Li wanted to know that as well. And why had the bloody tentacle he'd clearly seen stretching toward her on stage... vanished?

Suddenly, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed from behind, and a few seconds later, actors and staff crowded into the dressing room.

The first thing they saw was their colleague lying unconscious on the floor in her undergarments, with Lu Li standing beside her.

"What are you doing, you bastard?!" Several students shouted, rushing toward him.

Lu Li's hand, already resting on his holster, tightened around the grip of his pistol, and he drew it.

He had no intention of firing, only of giving a warning with the Spirit Gun.

"Everyone, stop! Don't be rash! He's a police officer! There's been a misunderstanding!"

A familiar voice suddenly cut through the crowd. Daisy rushed forward, shouting loudly to stop the students who were about to attack Lu Li.

"Daisy...!" Floating in the air, invisible to everyone else, Anna let out a soft cry, a joyful expression spreading across her face.

Of course, Daisy alone wouldn't have been enough to stop the agitated students, who weren't in the mood for explanations. But the sight of the pistol grip protruding from beneath Lu Li's coat gave them pause.

Now that they thought about it, the man on stage had said he was a police officer...

And regardless of whether he was a police officer or not, rushing a man with a gun was a very foolish thing to do.

Seeing the students calm down, Daisy breathed a sigh of relief. She turned, gave a slight bow, and offered Lu Li a friendly smile. "Mr. Lu Li, it's been a while."

She was dressed in patched clothes, her face painted with wrinkles—she was playing an old woman in the musical.

Daisy seemed to have truly inhabited her role; the character's personality was evident in her mannerisms, words, and gestures.

But she soon snapped out of it, reverting to her usual tomboyish self as she explained to her friends, "This is Officer Lu Li. He's a friend of mine."

"But what's going on here...?" a girl hiding behind the crowd at the door asked timidly.

"It was like this when I arrived," Lu Li interjected smoothly. "You were only a few seconds behind me. Do you really think that in just a few seconds I managed to chase her down, knock her out, and undress her?"

The students fell silent. When they thought about it... he had a point.

"What are you idiots crowding around for? Get out of here!" Daisy suddenly realized this was no time for idle chatter and, flustered, waved her arms to shoo the boys away.

The boys dispersed, and the girls who had come to gawk didn't linger either. Only two college instructors, a man and a woman, remained at the door with awkward expressions.

Daisy turned back to Lu Li, her expression questioning.

"Daisy, you stay. The two of you can wait outside for now."

The male instructor collected himself. "Alright, but we'll have to report this to the college."

"Fine." With Valentine backing him up, Lu Li wasn't worried about his cover being blown.

Daisy closed the dressing room door, leaned back against it, and, with a sly glint in her eyes, whispered, "Anna...?"

Before she could finish the sentence, Anna materialized beside her, taking on her ghostly form.