The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 160: The Creature in the Mirror

Lu Li hadn't taken a case in a long time.

Not since he had stopped needing the money.

Had the Lu Li who first arrived in this world heard the man's story over the phone, he would have advised him to see a psychologist. But now...

Besides, by a strange coincidence, the man’s situation was vaguely reminiscent of Anna’s own case.

In both cases, one "self" was trying to replace another.

Lu Li hung up the phone.

Anna asked with concern, "We have enough money for now, don't we? Why are we taking this case... You should be focused on the Door and the tentacles..."

"This is for you," Lu Li answered.

Anna froze, pointing at herself.

"For me?"A loud knock rattled the wooden door, making the frame shudder.

"The client's here."

Anna glanced at the door and, without a word, concealed her presence, becoming nearly invisible.

She hovered beside Lu Li at his desk and, with a wave of her hand—her control over her powers growing more confident—opened the door.

The noise from the hallway, spilling from the open doors of their neighbors, grew louder for a moment before fading as the door swung shut. It was approaching three in the afternoon, and most families were beginning to prepare dinner.

A man entered the detective agency, bundled in a coat, with a felt hat pulled low and a scarf concealing his face.

Breathless and soaked to the bone, he dripped rain onto the floor and turned to Lu Li. "Are you the exorcist?"

"I am."

Lu Li gestured to the chair opposite his desk.

"It's safe here. Please take off your wet coat before you sit."

Senger hesitated before slowly unwinding the damp scarf and removing his soaked hat.

As the warm scarf left his skin, the air quickly chilled his damp neck. Removing the coat was even more unpleasant—the cold, wet fabric made him want to just leave it on.

Lu Li observed Senger.

The man was hunched, but not from a deformity of the spine. Without the scarf, his haggard face was revealed. Even inside the agency, while taking off his coat, he kept glancing around as if searching for something.

He resembled a frightened mouse.

"I don't sense the presence of any other ghosts," Anna said quietly, hovering beside Lu Li.

"Who's speaking?!" Senger let out a hoarse, grating cry and frantically looked around.

"My assistant," Lu Li answered.

"Where is she?!"

"Are you certain you want to see her?" Lu Li asked calmly.

Senger's mouth fell open, his eyes wide with fear. "She's not..."

"She is."

The color drained from Senger's already pale face. "Can I leave?..."

"She dislikes indecisiveness."

In the end, Senger took off his coat and hesitantly hung it on a sculpture with a broken arm.

He tried to convince himself that everything was fine. An exorcist with a ghost for an assistant surely knew how to banish spirits...

Having hung up his coat, Senger started slowly toward the desk. He had taken only a single step when he heard something fall behind him.

His coat had fallen to the floor.

With a trembling voice, Senger forced a smile. "Did she not approve of where I hung my coat?..."

"No. But you're right, the other one didn't like it."

"Another one?!"

Senger felt something inside him snap. He had come here to get rid of the creature that was haunting him... So why were there even more ghosts here?

"It's quite common for an exorcist to have two ghost assistants."

Lu Li's calm voice seemed capable of reassuring anyone. Senger didn't dare pick up his coat from the floor. He sat down carefully opposite Lu Li, still asking warily, "They won't harm me, will they?..."

"They aren't wild beasts," Lu Li said, folding his hands before him. "Now, tell me about your problem."

Over the next few minutes, Senger haltingly recounted his story, adding a few details he had omitted during their phone call.

After hearing him out, Lu Li asked, "Did you bring the mirror?"

"Of course not!" Senger exclaimed, agitated. "It's hiding in the mirror, trying to take my place! How could I possibly bring it with me?!"

"Bring a mirror," Lu Li said, turning to Anna, before looking back at Senger. "The mirror will be a separate charge."

"N-no problem..." Senger stammered, willing to cooperate despite his fear. "Anything to get rid of this demon in the mirror... But can't we manage without one?"

"We don't sense any otherworldly presence on you," Lu Li explained. "This means either there is no ghost, it isn't a ghost, or it hasn't manifested because you haven't looked into a mirror, and therefore we can't detect it."

Senger mumbled in confusion, "So what am I supposed to do?..."

"You have three options: look into a mirror here so we can confirm the ghost's presence; see a psychologist; or find another exorcist."

Senger flinched, then became thoughtful.

His gaze fell to the coat lying at the base of the sculpture. Remembering the two ghosts in the agency, he gritted his teeth and said resolutely, "You'll protect me, won't you?"

"Yes."

An exorcist and a ghost... If they couldn't handle the creature in the mirror... then they wouldn't have to worry about protecting a dead client.

Anna brought a mirror. To Senger's eyes, the small object seemed to float strangely through the air before settling into Lu Li's palm.

She remained unseen—aside from Lu Li, Anna did not want anyone else to see her.

Lu Li handed the mirror to Senger. The man gulped and slowly took it.

"Look," Lu Li said to Senger, whose eyes were fixed on the ceiling.

Senger hesitated for several more seconds, then squeezed his eyes shut and raised the mirror.

A few seconds after Senger looked into the mirror, Anna sensed a faint, cold presence beginning to emanate from him.

The presence of a ghost.

"A ghostly aura is coming from him..." Anna said.

The aura gradually intensified. Anna prepared for the worst, but after reaching a certain point, the presence stopped growing stronger. The creature in the mirror hadn't appeared.

Perhaps it wasn't time yet.

The creature in the mirror would manifest when darkness fell.

Lu Li reached for his belt, but Anna stopped him before he could touch his Spirit Gun.

"Don't," she said anxiously. "Your Mind Level is already too low... I can tell the aura coming from him isn't very strong. It might even be weaker than mine."

Lu Li said nothing and removed his hand.

There were still a few hours until nightfall. Lu Li didn't let Senger leave, suggesting he remain at the agency to calm his nerves and acclimate to the presence of ghosts.

A calm man was easier to manage than one in a panic.

In a way, Senger was more resilient than most people. His current condition was the result of many days of exposure to the creature in the mirror. One had to remember... before contacting Lu Li, he had held out for an entire week.