The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 187: The Room with the Rainstorm

The wooden door materialized before them once more.

“Doma, you go... open it,” Owen couldn’t bring himself to face what might be another harsh reality.

By now, perhaps only Frank still held an unwavering faith that he was right. Doma, on the other hand, simply saw no other way forward.

As for Lu Li and Daniel, they had consistently abstained from voting.

The impatient Doma lunged for the door. If she'd been holding an axe instead of a wooden doll, she might have chopped the door to pieces.

Creak...

Doma flung the door open. Beyond it, shrouded in the darkness of night, a wooden boat bobbed amidst the enormous waves of a raging sea, tossed by crashing thunder and flashes of lightning.

“We’ve made it to the next level!” Frank exclaimed joyfully. “Owen, you were right!”

“Ugh... What’s there to celebrate? If we hadn't turned back, we’d have been out of here long ago,” Owen grumbled, approaching the door. “Why aren’t we going?”

This time, Doma didn't rush in.“Betawulfs don’t leave the land!” she snapped.

“It's an illusion. You're not going to stick to your rules in here, are you?” Owen asked.

“But I can't swim!” Doma declared.

“We’ll stay in the boat. My grandfather was a second mate, so I know a little about ships from when I was a kid...” Bypassing Doma, Owen stepped into the boat first. “I’ll go first this time.”

To atone for his mistake on the last level, he thought.

The next moment, he was nearly thrown overboard. Icy spray and violent lurches scattered his thoughts. He was forced to cling to the gunwale to keep from falling into the sea.

Whether he would drown or not, he didn't know, but the outcome was sure to be unpleasant.

Owen struggled to sit up. Seeing the boat was still by the door, he yelled hoarsely, “Everyone, get in, quick! It looks like we all have to...”

A crashing wave cut him off. Drenched to the bone, Owen caught his breath and continued, “...we all have to be in the boat to activate this stage!”

“Betawulfs fear nothing!”

Doma leaped into the boat, and Owen helped her get seated. Frank and Daniel followed. Only Lu Li remained, standing in the calm hall of the labyrinth, hesitating to board.

“Lu Li, hurry up and get in!” Frank shouted, turning back. His curly hair was plastered to his forehead.

Lu Li watched the scene in silence.

A middle-aged man, sitting at a desk in the corner of the room and working on some documents, was also observing the scene. He lifted his gaze over his glasses and stared at the four young people sitting in a row by the door, rocking back and forth and shouting something.

Lu Li saw the picture with perfect clarity.

Whether due to a shortage of rooms, someone's bizarre sense of humor, or simply because it wasn't deemed necessary—or perhaps it was the effect of the illusion itself—this room was an office.

Six desks lined the sides of the room, suggesting that six people were meant to work here. Fortunately, only one man was at his desk right now.

“Lu Li, are you afraid of the water? You can hold on to me!” Frank yelled again. Because of the “downpour,” his voice was extremely loud, so loud that the employee frowned.

The scene was reminiscent of children playing in an adult’s office.

Worst of all, it seemed Lu Li was expected to join them.

Frank's shouts drew the employee's attention to Lu Li, who was standing at the entrance. The man looked at him, paused in thought, then set down his pen, rose from his desk, and started toward the door.

Just then, Lu Li stepped forward, sat down behind Daniel, and, imitating the others, began to rock back and forth.

This time, Lu Li didn't close the door—not that he could. After all, he was now in a “boat in the middle of the ocean.”

“You are lost on the open sea. There are no rescuers, no lighthouse. The chances of survival are infinitesimally small. Will you accept your inevitable death, or will you fight?”

The narrator’s voice echoed in each of their minds, drowning out even the sound of the thunderstorm.

“Fight, of course!” Owen yelled, soaked to the bone and looking utterly miserable. “If we give up, we’ve already lost! Everyone, row together! Frank, you bail the water out of the boat!”

“Aye, Captain Owen!” Frank was ecstatic. This scene was so much like his dream: to set sail with his friends, to battle the storm and the waves... except the boat was a little small.

And so, on an office carpet, four young people sitting in a row began to flail their arms, making ridiculous motions.

Daniel was doing the same, which seemed to rule out the possibility that he saw through the illusion.

Perhaps in their perception, everything happening was thrilling and perilous, but Lu Li didn't see it that way.

Besides, if they were just rowing in place, how would they reach the next door?

The employee, who had stopped halfway when Lu Li boarded the “boat,” watched them with a doubtful expression before calming down, returning to his desk, and sitting.

“No need to whisper. They can’t hear us.”

A calm voice suddenly spoke from behind Lu Li. Someone walked past him and the four rowers.

“Why does the path run through here?” the middle-aged man frowned and, after a moment’s thought, asked.

“The higher-ups decided it,” the young man shrugged as he approached the next door.

“These kids could become important people in the future. We've seen this spectacle, so the next time we meet them, it'll all feel natural. As the investigators say, never be awed by anyone.”

He crouched by the door, grabbed the edge of the carpet, and began to pull.

The carpet on which Lu Li and the others were sitting began to move slowly toward the next door.

So that's how they move... Lu Li thought.

“I need help! There’s too much water in the boat!” Frank suddenly cried out.

“I’ll handle it,” Lu Li said, scooping up imaginary water and tossing it overboard.

He had to find something to do, lest he look too foolish and give himself away.

The young man and the middle-aged man conversed from time to time, periodically tugging the carpet along. This went on for about fifteen minutes until they saw the novices were nearly exhausted. Then, they gave the carpet a sharp pull, bringing them close to the door.

...

The storm began to subside.

At some point, Frank noticed there was no more water in the boat. He stopped and stared ahead, stunned.

Behind them, dark clouds and massive waves still raged. But ahead lay a clear sky and a calm sea.

Rays of sunlight broke through the edge of the clouds, illuminating the azure surface. A beautiful rainbow appeared in the sky.

One by one, the weary rowers stopped their motions, leaning against each other and breathing heavily.

“Did we make it out...?” someone asked.

A lone boat drifted on the calm sea. Directly in front of it, standing on the surface of the water, was a wooden door.

“Yes,” Owen smiled in relief. “The door is right in front of us.”