The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 173: Simulated Event 7

— Afterward, Remi helped you navigate the emerging dangers and oddities. Just as before, you encountered bottomless pits, monsters barring your path, and half-collapsed passages choked with rubble. Quest Progress updated: 115/100.

— "It's a good thing Remi is with me," you couldn't help but think. But that didn't change your situation... You hadn't found an exit, and the path ahead was only growing more dangerous. It seemed you weren't getting any closer to the entrance; on the contrary, you were delving deeper into the ruins.

— "There's a monster at the fork ahead, to the left," Remi whispered. You skirted around it and took the right-hand passage, your pace slowing. "Tired?" Remi asked.

— "I'm not tired. I have plenty of strength," Lu Li replied.

Lu Li was trying to trick Tesla into adding a "full of strength" attribute for him—but to no avail.

— You told her you weren't tired, but you knew you were at your limit. Your legs were trembling, and your heart was hammering in your chest. You held on for a few more minutes, but then your legs gave out, and you nearly collapsed.

— "Maybe we really are stuck here... Let's find a secluded spot and rest." You could no longer stay on your feet and leaned against the wall, panting heavily.

— "Let me lead," Remi said, hopping off your back. "Let you lead?" you asked, surprised, and then felt Remi's cool, soft hand slide into yours. "Let's go," she said.

— "What's going on?" you wondered, puzzled. Remi led you forward with confidence, as if she were strolling down a familiar street in broad daylight.

— "I'm sorry, I lied to you... I said I could sense danger, but the truth is, I can see in the dark. I don't know why... I didn't tell you because I was afraid you'd abandon me..." A roar filled your ears, and then a wave of uncontrollable fury washed over you. You had carried her on your back through these terrifying ruins for hours, shared your food with her, and all the while she was deceiving you... What else was she hiding? In your anger, you decided to...— "Ask for her help to show the way out," Lu Li answered.

Lu Li refused to be deceived by the fictional situation.

He wasn't the type to assign blame, especially when it was pointless.

Blaming Remi now would be foolish. She might have been hiding many things, but she was his only hope of escape.

— Your self-control overcame your anger. You understood that you couldn't get out of the ruins without Remi's help, even if she had deceived you.

— Remi led you onward. You had long since lost your bearings and had no idea where you were going, until you saw a soft glow at the end of the passage. A surge of hope filled you, and strength returned to your legs. But as you drew closer to the light source, you discovered it wasn't the exit, but glowing stones embedded in the wall.

— Looking at these stones, you felt an inexplicable discomfort. What unsettled you even more was the sight of Remi.

— You saw that she was no longer wearing her usual rustic burlap clothes, but a white dress. Her body had become translucent, though you were still holding her hand. In that moment, you realized Remi had been dead for a long time, and she had deceived you again... And this deception terrified you...

— Remi let go of your hand and turned around. Her face was pale, her eyes blank and white.

— "Thank you for helping me, and I'm sorry for deceiving you again... But it's for your own good." She didn't attack; instead, she began to explain. She had died several days ago, but due to the unique properties of the ruins, her soul had not dissipated.

— "What do you mean, for my own good?" you couldn't help but ask.

— Remi didn't answer. She pointed toward the far end of the passage, where a black altar tens of meters high rose from deep within the mountain. Quest Progress updated: 150/100.

— "It's calling to me. It said that if I sacrifice myself on the altar, it will let you go... I'm so grateful for your help; it gave me strength. If I can help you escape at the cost of my own life... I'll be glad. Tell my brother to take care of our father..." Remi said, and started down the dark passage toward the altar.

— You froze, unsure whether to believe her... What would you do next?

— "I'll stop her and talk to her," Lu Li answered.

— You snapped back to your senses and saw that Remi had already left the passage and was standing before the massive altar. You ran to her, grabbing her hand just as she was setting foot on the first step, and said...

— "The situation isn't that dire yet. We have enough food for a couple of days," Lu Li said.

— She looked at you with a sad smile, a deep sorrow in her eyes. "But I'm already dead..." she said.

— "That doesn't matter. As long as you haven't lost your essence, you can live as a human," Lu Li replied.

— "But the master of the ruins won't let us leave..." Doubt flickered in Remi's eyes. You decided...

— "He will. You're a soul; you can pass through walls. Ask the master of the ruins to let me go first, and once I'm outside, you can just pass through the wall," Lu Li said.

Tesla gave Lu Li a surprised look.

— You told Remi your plan, reawakening her will to live. She asked you to step back and began to communicate with the master of the ruins. You felt a terrifying, malevolent aura emanating from the altar, and your moderate courage vanished.

— You instinctively stepped back to the edge of the passage, watching the scene unfold. Quest Progress updated: 200/100. You couldn't hear what Remi was saying to the master of the ruins. After some time, she finished her conversation and came over to you.

— "Run straight down the passage. The exit is ahead," Remi said. You instinctively turned. The passage behind you stretched into the distance, and at its end, there seemed to be a glimmer of light.

— "I'll be waiting for you outside." You looked intently at Remi, then ran down the passage. Strength came from somewhere, driving you forward. Gradually, the light ahead grew brighter. It wasn't a mirage or a faint glow, but real daylight.

— You quickened your pace, your breathing the only sound in the dark passage. You had never wanted to see the light so badly. The light at the end of the passage grew sharper, and you thought you could hear sounds from outside. You were getting closer and closer to the exit, and finally, you burst out into the light. Brilliant light enveloped you...

For a long time, Lu Li took no action.

Perhaps the story was coming to an end.