The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 221: Adolescence

Why this pain? Why this thirst?

Lu Li’s gaze moved from the black substance clinging to the roots to the two items he carried.

The floor was covered in a dense network of interwoven vines. Lu Li had no choice but to walk over them, but unlike the other parts of the plant, these vines were dead.

Tucking the crowbar into his belt, Lu Li approached the roots. The sensation of pain and thirst intensified. He unscrewed the bottle's cap and poured its contents over the roots, washing away the black substance.

The blackness around the roots gradually faded, revealing their original dark green color.

The pain that had permeated the air began to subside.

Lu Li rinsed the roots around their perimeter and screwed the cap back on. About a tenth of the water remained in the bottle, just enough to rinse his eyes if needed.

Next, he evenly distributed the contents of the iron box around the roots. The thirst that had filled the cellar gave way to a sense of relief and benevolence.

Lu Li exhaled.

That should grant him access to the upper deck.Stepping back toward the stairs, he noticed that the eyes on the vines were still watching him, but their gaze no longer held any hostility.

Just as he was about to leave, he spotted something on the wall near the stairs. A yellowed corner peeked out from beneath the vines. He approached the wall and pulled at the paper’s edge.

The eyes on the surrounding vines shifted aside, making way and revealing a map that was nearly impossible to make out.

Lu Li took a closer look and realized it was impossible to remove it from the wall; his only option was to study it where it was.

Most of the map was covered with the black substance, with only small sections retaining their outlines. The inscriptions were blurred, but from the remaining fragments and contours, Lu Li located the lower deck, and then, moving upward, the upper deck.

The upper deck connected to the main deck. A wide outline likely indicated the mess hall, and about ten meters beyond it was the open deck itself.

The map also showed the highest deck, where the officers' quarters were located.

After memorizing the remaining clear sections of the map and the route to the deck, Lu Li scanned the cellar one last time to make sure he hadn't missed anything, and then climbed the stairs.

The vines parted before him and closed again behind him.

Returning to the morgue door, Lu Li closed it and headed for the stairs leading to the upper deck. After a brief hesitation, he began to climb.

Passing the bull-horned shadow, which was now indifferent to him, Lu Li emerged into the corridor of the upper deck. The eyes on the vines no longer followed him.

As he passed the empty mess hall, he felt the sea breeze on his skin and heard the faint murmur of the waves.

But Lu Li slowed his pace, a growing sense of unease creeping over him.

He had only encountered shadows on the lower deck so far. The upper deck's inhabitants had yet to show themselves.

Would they fall for his disguise as the lower deck shadows had?

What had happened to the endless procession of fleshy mass that had been heading for the furnace?

But as Lu Li made his way to the main deck, the upper-deck shadows remained absent.

It was as if only the lower deck of the entire ship was functional.

The vines on the walls grew sparser, as if unable to tolerate the outside environment.

The floorboards under his feet grew cold, and a few seconds later, Lu Li stepped out onto the edge of the deck.

From his vantage point, the outside world finally came into view.

A pitch-black sailboat drifted calmly across a dark sea. The inky surface of the water rippled.

Dozens of human figures, as dark as the sea itself, stood assembled on the deck in three neat rows. A single figure in a captain's cap stood facing them.

The wind that blew from them was unnervingly silent, and the entire scene was eerie and mysterious.

The back two rows had eight figures each, while the front row had only seven—the second spot from the left was vacant. Including the "captain," there were twenty-four in total.

Lu Li silently observed the shadows, which had distinctly human outlines, then returned inside. He found the ladder leading to the uppermost deck, and after confirming it was unguarded, he ascended.

The door to the officers' quarters was closed. Lu Li crept to the edge and looked down at the main deck. The shadows were still standing there, swaying slightly with the ship. The sight was profoundly unsettling.

Lu Li returned to the door of the officers' quarters, wedged the crowbar into the gap between the door and its frame, and heaved.

Crack.

Splinters flew as the door swung slightly ajar.

Glancing at the deck one more time and confirming the shadows were still in place, Lu Li slipped into the officers' quarters and quietly closed the door behind him.

After pushing a chair against the door, Lu Li turned and surveyed the cabin.

Here, too, everything was covered in the black substance, that sticky and repulsive mass.

His gaze swept over the furnishings—a bed, a wardrobe, a desk, the ship's wheel, a rifle on the wall—before he walked over to the clock.

Wiping away the black gunk, he saw the clock was still ticking, showing what was possibly the correct time: 1:55.

There were just over three hours until dawn.

Lu Li turned to the desk next to the ship's wheel. Several books and papers lay on it, one book open, but the black substance made the text illegible.

Lu Li picked up the books from the desk. Surprisingly, the pages inside were relatively clean. After flipping through a few pages, Lu Li realized they were just entertaining novels.

Closing the books and putting them back, he tried to open the desk drawer.

Rattle, rattle.

The drawer wouldn't budge.

It was locked.

Lu Li had no time for finding keys or solving puzzles. He wedged the crowbar into the gap and forced the lock.

Opening the drawer, he saw a flintlock pistol, a diary, and a sheet of paper.

Because the drawer was relatively well-sealed and located high on the ship, it had not been touched by the black substance, and all three items remained perfectly preserved.

Picking up the flintlock pistol, Lu Li noted its resemblance to his Spirit Gun: a short barrel, an engraved handle. But this was no Anomaly; it used ordinary powder and shot.

Placing the pistol back, Lu Li picked up the diary. All its pages were blank.

The captain didn't keep a diary. As for why the diary was in the cabin... Perhaps to create the impression that he did.

Picking up the last sheet of paper, Lu Li finally found something of interest.

The yellowed parchment contained a crew roster, listing names and positions.

Lu Li counted the names. Including the captain, the list had twenty-five people. But he had seen twenty-four shadows, with one spot empty.

Captain — Wayne

First Mate — Streller

Second Mate — Bacon

Navigator — Lester

Sailor — Li

Sailor — Transler

...

Sailor — Harben

A familiar name caught his eye.

Lu Li recalled his neighbor Evelyn and her child. Her husband, Harben, had been lost at sea during a storm, and only his fading spirit had returned to Belfast.

Could this truly be the same man?

This ship... was it one of those that had disappeared during the storm?