The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 186: The Labyrinth Room

Suddenly, a hand shot out and grabbed Doma by the wrist just as she lost her balance, yanking her back onto the path.

Finding her footing again, Doma let out a breath and glanced at Lu Li, saying nothing.

Owen, standing opposite them, tossed the wooden gnome doll to her. Doma caught it and stepped aside to let Frank and Owen pass. She steadied them both as they leaned forward, nearly toppling into the swamp.

The wooden sign in the middle of the swamp was clearly a trap. As all five of them reached the next door, the narrator's voice echoed, explaining the trap's purpose.

"Perhaps you strayed from the path and forgot your goal. But with the help of loyal companions, you have successfully found your way again."

So that was it...

Owen understood the meaning of this trial.

They didn't need to jump to the center of the swamp to read the inscription on the sign. The door to the next stage was right in front of them.

This trial was a reminder to stay focused on their objective. Distractions and pointless curiosity could be dangerous.

Especially for an investigator.Owen observed the others. Lu Li and Daniel were calm, Frank looked thoughtful, and only Doma, without a second thought, opened the next wooden door.

"I hope she understood and is just not showing it," Owen thought.

...

Click.

The soft click of the door closing behind Lu Li drew the others' attention, but they quickly returned to their thoughts.

"A labyrinth blocks your path. To pass through it, you will need an unwavering heart."

As soon as the narrator’s voice faded, Owen looked at Doma.

Just as he expected, Doma tried to smash the wooden gnome doll against the high stone wall that stretched up toward the sky.

It was useless.

"Looks like we’ll have to get through the labyrinth the proper way," Owen said. "But I think the narrator gave us a hint."

"What do you mean?" Frank asked, confused.

If anyone else had said that, Owen might have thought it was sarcasm over his earlier mistake, but everyone knew Frank was a good-hearted person.

"‘An unwavering heart’—that’s the hint. The labyrinth might be filled with horrors and illusions designed to make us turn back. So, we have to keep moving forward, no matter what."

"I like it!" Doma rubbed her palms together.

"You might be right. We can give it a try," Frank said enthusiastically.

Lu Li and Daniel, as usual, remained silent, which meant they unanimously agreed with Owen's proposal.

Owen quickly stopped Doma, who was already rushing toward the right-hand passage. "Wait, let’s agree on a strategy first."

The labyrinth entrance split into two paths, and there were sure to be more forks inside. Before entering, they needed to decide which way to turn at every junction.

"Stick to the right wall!" Doma exclaimed, waving the gnome doll.

Owen and Frank exchanged a look. The plan was set: follow the right wall.

Along the way, Owen asked Doma to leave marks on the labyrinth walls, and they pressed on.

Lu Li, as before, walked at the rear. Seeing nothing, he followed Owen and the others as they wandered through the room.

Unable to see, Lu Li could only piece together what was happening from the others’ conversations. For instance, he gathered they had just found one of the marks they had left behind.

"Are we back where we started...?" Frank stared at the mark, stunned.

Owen didn't think so. A spark of excitement flashed in his eyes. "No, remember the hint? An unwavering heart... I think I was right."

"So we just keep going?" Frank asked.

"Exactly."

The silent Lu Li glanced at the wooden door to the swamp level, which was very close by.

They didn’t yet realize they had returned to the starting point.

They kept walking, and as time passed, the number of marks they passed increased: three, five, seven...

Doma's impatience grew with every minute, while Owen’s confidence began to fade, replaced by doubt.

Only Frank remained as optimistic as ever.

Lu Li, who could see through illusions, noticed that with each loop, they weren't just circling the entrance but were actually getting closer to the exit.

They were now in the middle of the room. If they continued like this, they would sooner or later reach the door on the other side.

"This is the fourteenth time we’ve seen this mark."

Owen, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped. The tall, gray-green walls surrounding them felt like prison bars, making him doubt his decision.

"I think we’re just walking in circles."

Frank clapped Owen on the shoulder. "But we have to persevere, right?"

"This is pointless!" Doma snarled. She was sick of walking in circles.

Frank turned to Daniel. "What do you think we should do?"

...

Daniel remained silent.

Frank turned to Lu Li. "Lu Li, what do you think?"

"It doesn’t matter," Lu Li replied.

"Let’s try another way," Owen said, no longer insisting on his theory. "At the next fork, we’ll turn left."

Doma didn't care, as long as she didn’t have to see that cursed mark again. Frank hesitated for a moment but agreed.

So, when the next fork appeared before them, they turned left. A door materialized in front of them in that same instant.

Excited, Doma rushed to the door and threw it open. Before them all was the dark purple mud, bubbling with a foul stench of decay.

They were back at the beginning.

Creak...

The wooden door in Doma’s grip let out an unpleasant groan.

"Can I say something?" Frank began cautiously. "I think Owen was right. We’re back at the start because we failed to keep our spirits firm. If we just stick to one wall, we’ll definitely reach the next door. This is a trial, four supervisors are watching us. We’re not going to actually die here, are we?"

Frank’s reassurance soothed Owen a little and tempered Doma’s impatience. After closing the door to the swamp, they set off once more.

Five, ten, fifteen, twenty, thirty times... the mark continued to appear on their path.

"How much farther do we have to go?" Doma nearly crushed the wooden gnome doll in her hand.

"We’ll definitely find the exit," Frank encouraged everyone.

"But we’ve already passed it thirty times," Owen said uncertainly.

The situation revealed each person’s strengths and weaknesses: Doma was hot-tempered but possessed surprising endurance; Owen was intelligent but couldn’t fully trust himself; and Frank was kind and friendly but indecisive.

Not knowing what else to do, Frank turned to Lu Li. "Lu Li, do you have any ideas?"

"Keep going," Lu Li said, gazing straight ahead.

The door to the next level was just ahead.