The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 238: Homecoming

A stray beam from a searchlight swept across the shelter, then froze, holding steady. The crew of the steamship had spotted Lu Li.

The blast of a steam horn, like a booming welcome, tore through the night sky.

Lu Li didn't rush toward the water's edge. The steamship couldn't navigate the rocks, and the crew would need time to lower a boat and row ashore.

Shhh...

The oil lamp had been set at the entrance to the shelter, its base secured with a mound of sand.

Lu Li silently picked up the lamp, struck a match, and lit the wick, scattering the gloom that clung to the sand wall.

Glancing back toward the sea, he saw a faint glimmer, a bobbing point of light on the water, and a dim silhouette drawing closer to the island.

The boat would soon reach the Isle of Gaze.

Friday, who had decided against boarding the ship with him, asked no more questions. Holding the lamp, Lu Li made his way toward the shoreline.

He paused on a stretch of beach just beyond the reach of the waves and etched an arrow into the sand, pointing toward the shelter.If some other poor soul washed up on the Isle of Gaze as he had, they would at least have a relatively safe place to rest and food that, while not delicious, was edible.

The rush of the surf reached him as cold, dark water swirled around his feet.

Lu Li stood still, watching the small boat approach, now only a few dozen meters from the shore. One man rowed while another stood in the bow, holding an oil lamp aloft.

Moments later, the boat ground to a halt in the shallows.

A pair of waterproof boots sank ankle-deep into the water. The man stepping out was elderly, with gray hair, but his frame was as sturdy as a man in his prime. He wore a khaki jacket with numerous pockets.

“Glad to see you in one piece, son,” the old man said, extending a hand to Lu Li. Joy and relief shone in his eyes. “These last two days must have been rough.”

The old man was a member of the Alliance's rescue team.

The garrulous Tristan had told Lu Li about them. It was a group comprised of Alliance members and representatives from the two main organizations.

Exorcists often operated in perilous locations; sudden disappearances, even deaths, were not uncommon. The Alliance rescue team had been formed to search for those who went missing but might still be alive.

If they were still alive.

The team was made up of two types of people: Alliance staff and exorcists who had been forced to retire due to a low Mind Level. Unwilling to abandon the front lines in the war against the supernatural, they had volunteered for the rescue corps.

If Lu Li's own low Mind Level were ever discovered and he was forced to retire, he might consider joining their ranks to continue serving humanity.

“I'm alright,” Lu Li replied. Barring any major problems, he could have survived on the Isle of Gaze for quite a while.

“I can see that.” The old man saw no trace of exhaustion or hunger on Lu Li’s face, though his shirt was grimy and his night-dark hair fell in a tangled mess over his forehead.

He stepped aside. “Let’s get you on board.”

Lu Li’s gaze fell upon the boat behind the old man, and he suddenly recalled the message that had appeared on the deck chair the night before. He hesitated for a moment, lost in thought, but quickly shook it off.

“Alright.”

Lu Li nodded and waded through the water to climb into the boat.

The rocking boat made it difficult to keep his balance. Lu Li sat, took the lamp the old man offered him, and watched as he shoved the boat away from the shore before deftly leaping aboard.

Aside from the white hair and the crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes, his physical fitness was no different from that of a man in his prime.

The dark surface of the sea reflected the three men in the boat, their silhouettes twisting with every ripple of the waves.

The searchlight didn't train on the boat; it continued its slow sweep of the surrounding area.

The boat crossed the few dozen meters to the side of the steamship. A rope basket was lowered from the deck above.

“You go up first,” the old man said with a smile.

Lu Li didn't object. He stepped into the basket, still holding the lamp, his guard up despite the rescue. He gripped the rope with his other hand as he began to rise.

Creak... creak...

The basket swayed gently. It was an oddly old-fashioned way to board a steamship, but not entirely unexpected.

The industrial revolution had only just begun, and people's mindsets had yet to catch up.

Several sailors were waiting by the railing to help Lu Li onto the deck. Once he was clear, they lowered the basket for the next man.

The captain, standing nearby, tipped his hat in greeting. Lu Li nodded in return. His gaze swept over the sailors’ faces—they were all ordinary men, contractors working with the three organizations.

He stood aside, watching as the sailors hoisted the other man from the boat and the old rescuer onto the deck.

Before he was lifted, the old man attached two dangling ropes to the boat, and the sailors began to haul it up as well.

Lu Li and the old man stood at the railing. The old man remarked with a sense of awe, “It’s forty nautical miles from here to the Atoll Reef. I can’t believe you drifted all this way in the dark.”

They’d almost given up the search; no one believed anyone could survive that long in the open sea.

“An investigator saved me,” Lu Li said abruptly.

This completely contradicted Friday's plan. Lu Li had no intention of lying, even if it meant he would have to retake the trainee trial.

Besides, Lu Li had his own reasons.

In the lamplight, the old man’s face clouded over, his expression turning strange. “An investigator? Where did she go?”

“We parted ways when the ship arrived. She said she’d sneak aboard. It’s possible she’s on this ship somewhere right now.”

The good-natured smile vanished from the old man’s face. His eyes narrowed as he discreetly scanned the deck. His voice dropped, nearly lost in the wind. “I have some news that might concern you. Due to the special circumstances of this mission, no investigators were assigned to provide protection.”

Lu Li fell silent.

The old man added, “But maybe it’s not what we think. Perhaps an investigator passing through decided to help you out. After all, you’re standing here now, safe and sound.”

Lu Li remained silent. He turned his head and looked back at the island, now a few dozen meters away. In the gloom, it was nothing more than a dark silhouette, the shelter impossible to make out.

Of course, he had suspected Friday all along, but as the old man pointed out, she had shown him no hostility. On the contrary, she had helped him escape the ghost ship and get back to this steamship.

Her help had made Lu Li question her identity, but he had no intention of digging any deeper.

So, had Friday really hidden herself somewhere on the ship as she’d claimed, or had she remained on the Isle of Gaze?

“You don’t seem very surprised,” the old man’s voice cut in beside him.

Lu Li averted his gaze. “I had my suspicions.”

The way Friday had so precisely predicted the rescue team's arrival time, for one.

Just then, a commotion sounded nearby. Lu Li and the old man turned to look. The boat had been brought aboard and was now being overturned and carried across the deck to be secured.

The first mate stood at the railing, his voice ringing out across the deck.

“We’re heading home!”