The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 144: A Shift in the Cabin

The wind howled, its piercing shriek surrounding the cabin.

Gales forced their way through the cracks in the windows, causing the flames in the hearth to dance fitfully.

The cabin trembled under the hurricane's assault, feeling as if it might be torn from its foundations and flung into the sky at any moment.

Lu Li hadn't brought any books on this trip into the swamp, leaving Anna without her usual pastime. She would occasionally toss a log onto the fire, then rest her chin in her hand and watch Lu Li—it was her only form of entertainment.

Since returning to the cabin, Lu Li had been acting strangely. He was... restless.

He still sat by the hearth, but his gaze drifted about the room as if searching for something, or perhaps tracking an unseen presence. He stared at the plain walls and the simple table as though something were there.

Suddenly, his dark eyes settled on Anna. Taken aback, she instinctively lowered her hands and sat up straight, looking at him with a questioning gaze.

"...?"

Lu Li’s dark eyes shifted slightly, his focus passing right through her.

"An illusion," Lu Li explained tersely, watching as a spectral butterfly passed straight through Anna, fluttered its wings, and flew out of the cabin.He averted his gaze and added, "Prolonged contact with the Spirit Gun has lowered my Mind Level to a dangerous point. I've started seeing things from the In-Between."

"Is it serious?"

"I don't think so."

Lu Li had only just entered this stage, and the illusions were still faint. While the constant visions could lead to errors in judgment, there was an upside. At the very least, he could gain a better understanding of the nature of these projections from the In-Between.

It was something Lu Li had always wanted to learn.

"It's a shame I can't see them," Anna said with a hint of regret. She felt as though she were missing out on something fascinating.

For most people, of course, such visions would be terrifying.

The In-Between wasn't a single, unified space where all strange entities resided. Rather, it was more like a multitude of dimensions existing parasitically alongside the physical world.

Anna existed in the In-Between, yet she couldn't see the spectral butterfly. The butterfly, also in the In-Between, couldn't see Anna.

They couldn't interact with one another.

Only by existing in the physical world could one perceive all the manifestations of the In-Between, but only if one's Mind Level dropped to a certain point.

Ignorance, illusion, reality.

These were the three stages of the Mind Level that Lu Li knew. There might be others beyond reality, but Joel from the Night's Watch hadn't mentioned them, which implied they were irrelevant for now.

Ignorance was the normal state, like the shallows of an ocean: calm and safe. Most ordinary people existed in this state. Unless something like the Night Calamity occurred, they remained almost completely unaware of the deeper layers of reality. And in turn, the entities of the In-Between paid them no mind.

The stage of illusion was a compromised state, like deep water: not entirely safe, but not yet catastrophic. This was the stage Lu Li had just entered. He could perceive random projections of beings from the In-Between, much like a radio receiver. His mind was now a receiver that could randomly tune into different frequencies and pick up their signals. The connection was one-way: Lu Li could perceive them, but they couldn't perceive him.

The stage of reality was a corrupted state, like the abyss. It was extremely dangerous and deeply troubling, a name that alone inspired dread. At this stage, observation was no longer a one-way street; the radio analogy broke down entirely. Because when a person with a corrupted Mind Level saw a projection, that projection also saw them.

Observation became mutual: you gaze into the abyss, and the abyss gazes back into you.

This was the true meaning behind the saying, "The more you know, the sooner you die."

Although some modern detractors of progress twisted its meaning, claiming that knowledge itself brought one closer to death.

The only consolation was that while the projections could see you, they couldn't touch you. Not until... the next stage.

Lu Li suspected there was a final stage to the Mind Level. If a person in the reality stage didn't go mad, and their Mind Level continued to plummet, they would reach it.

They can hear you, they can see you. And now, they can touch you.

Lu Li's thoughts jumped to the Bloody Tentacles and the Door. What kind of anomalies were they? Could they be classified according to the Mind Level? He would have to get his own Mind Level tested when he got back.

Outside, the hurricane roared unabated. Water began to seep under the door, and Anna stuffed a towel into the gap.

Lu Li needed to know the exact time to ensure they could leave before dark. Being an intangible spirit, Anna periodically phased through the walls to check the sky, but it was completely obscured by clouds, casting a perpetual gloom as dark as night. It was impossible to tell the time.

With no way of knowing the time, Lu Li decided they would try to leave the swamp as soon as the hurricane abated even slightly.

Time dragged on. Outside, the hurricane raged on, showing no signs of weakening.

One hour.

Two hours.

Three hours.

After three hours had passed, Lu Li began to pull on his boots, lacing them tightly to keep the water out.

They couldn't wait any longer.

They had reached the cabin at around nine in the morning, dealt with the family, and rested for about four or five hours. Add another three hours of waiting...

It was probably close to evening now, around six o'clock.

But just then, a loud rap echoed at the cabin door.

Anna's head snapped up. Before she could say a word, a faint shout, nearly swallowed by the wind, reached them. "Open up!"

It was a human voice.

Lu Li went to the door, moved the table aside, and pulled it open. A powerful gust of wind nearly ripped the door from his grasp as a figure in a bird-beak mask staggered into the cabin. There was someone else on her back.

The wind howled, and the fire in the hearth nearly went out. In the dim light, Lu Li slammed the door shut, cutting them off from the storm.

Light returned to the cabin.

"I had a feeling it was you," the Inquirer said, breathing heavily from his position on the Masked Figure's back.

Lu Li noticed a ragged wound on the Inquirer's right leg, and his small suitcase was gone.

The Masked Figure gently laid the Inquirer down by the hearth and turned to Lu Li.

Lu Li didn't bother asking about the invitation or how the Inquirer had ended up here; it was pointless. He had a more pressing question. "What time is it?"

As the Masked Figure was lowering him to the floor, she brushed against his wound. He cried out in pain, drawing his leg up, but answered without looking, his voice precise. "Five forty. Is something wrong?"

Lu Li remained silent, his gaze fixed on the Masked Figure.

"That's correct," came the terse, raspy female voice, as curt as ever.

Lu Li nodded, picked up his backpack and oil lamp, then turned to Anna.

"It's time to go."