The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 323: The Strange Fog

[Do not try to comprehend them with conventional logic.]

[We've all heard that phrase countless times. Each of us knows that these oddities are mysterious, elusive, and unpredictable—just like mystery itself. But let's be honest, we all know our minds inevitably deceive us at times. For instance, when we see the Deep Ones, their appearance—the gills, the fins, the webbed hands—makes us assume they came from the depths of the sea. Yet, in truth, we know that most of the Deep Ones we encounter were once human.]

[Therefore, you must fight not only against the strange, but against your own mind as well.]

[This is my point: do not let your way of thinking restrain your actions. Be cautious, but also be bold.]

[This is Will Ken, former legendary agent and spirit exterminator. In half a minute, the broadcast will be handed over to another former legendary agent, an old man with a rather peculiar sense of humor. He will tell you about evil spirits on the program 'Evil Spirit Watcher.' Try not to get too scared. That's all from me." A wave of calming music filled the air.]

"Like that vengeful spirit in the alley in Khimfast we encountered?" Anna asked, recalling the words of the legendary agent, Will Ken.

"Something like that."

That was why ordinary people stood almost no chance of survival when encountering an evil spirit.

The calming music flowing from the cheap radio receiver faded out.

Another voice, this one elderly, crackled from the speaker."[I'm Ron Swift, a former legendary agent and spirit exterminator, now a member of the Alliance rescue team, and I occasionally moonlight as a dancer in a bar,]" he announced.

Just as Will Ken had said, this was an old man with a strange sense of humor.

It was only 6:43, and Ron Swift had plenty of time. He cracked a couple of jokes before finally getting to the point.

"[My assistants have hinted for the twenty-third time that I should wrap it up,]" he said with a laugh. "[They seem quite anxious. Alright then, I'll tell you about a particular evil spirit.]"

"[It's called the Shadow Puppeteer, or the Manipulating Claw. If you fall into its ritual, you'll hear a hoarse, deep voice in your head, much like mine now: 'I am the Shadow Puppeteer, and I will eat your brain!']" he boomed in a theatrical voice.

"[When you're caught in the ritual, the voice in your head will usually assign you a role and tell you what to do next. All you have to do is play your part.]"

"[As the name suggests, it's like a play or a novel. You are a character in a story, and your task is to ensure the narrative continues without seeming strange to any potential 'audience.' If you do something wrong, the Shadow Puppeteer will warn you. Several crooked, withered claws, like the hands of an old man who has lived for centuries, will materialize out of nowhere above your head and reach for you.]"

"[As long as they haven't descended completely, you have a chance to correct your mistake, and it will forgive you like a magnanimous spectator. A little advice: the more unnaturally you behave, the faster the claws appear. And if you make an irreparable mistake, it will kill you in the blink of an eye, giving you no time to react.]"

"[If you're unlucky enough to encounter the Shadow Puppeteer, I have some good news for you.]" He paused for effect.

"[The chance of surviving its ritual is quite high—about three-point-four percent. That's quite rare for an evil spirit that attacks people. Even those who know nothing about the supernatural can survive the ritual. Furthermore, its ritual brings the greatest sense of happiness.]"

"[You heard me right. I did indeed say 'happiness.']"

"[The Shadow Puppeteer is one of the few evil spirits whose ritual doesn't induce panic and terror. Its script, its story, while inexpressibly strange, isn't usually frightening.]"

"[So, if you run into the Shadow Puppeteer, you could say you have both good news and bad news. The bad news is that you're caught in the ritual of an evil spirit. The good news is that the spirit is the Shadow Puppeteer.]"

"[That's all for now. If you'd like to express your gratitude for the information, come watch me dance at 'The Whistle' bar in the city of Kantor, in the Land of Stars." Calming music began to play again.]

At 7:03, the music cut off abruptly, leaving only the hiss of static from the radio.

The broadcast was definitively over.

Anna switched off the radio and turned to Lu Li. "Are you tired?"

"A little."

"Then let's sleep!"

Anna was eagerly awaiting morning, anxious to start setting up their new home on the cliff.

Lu Li went to the kitchen to wash up, then returned and lay down on the sofa, pulling a blanket over himself.

"Good night," Anna wished him softly.

Lu Li closed his eyes. After some time, he felt a suffocating pressure and an unsettling, dark malevolence.

Lu Li opened his eyes.

The flames in the lamps on the writing desk and dining table were flickering weakly, as if about to go out. In the meager light, everything in the detective agency was shrouded in a strange fog.

In the gloom, Lu Li noticed the sculpture was out of place. It was standing in the corner, facing the wall.

He saw Anna. She was hovering in front of the sofa, as if protecting Lu Li, like a cat with its hackles raised. Her distorted shadow lay pooled on the floor, her scarlet eyes staring coldly at the window.

A chilling aura radiated from her, but it did not touch Lu Li.

"What happened?" he asked, his hand feeling for the holster under his pillow.

The drawn curtains blocked any view of what was happening outside.

The coldness on Anna's face subsided slightly. She said quietly, "It's the same thing that happened during our first meeting at the gallery."

Lu Li remembered the fog that had enveloped the entire city, the same fog that had risen from the depths of the sea during their first visit to Madam Anlei's Art Gallery.

It was exactly the same now.

Lu Li didn't sit up, keeping his hand under the pillow as he watched the motionless curtains.

He had no intention of opening them to see what was happening outside.

He could feel that something deeply unsettling lurked within the fog on the street.

From somewhere outside, faint screams, cut short, could be heard, along with strange footsteps.

The gloom and fog lingered for several minutes before beginning to dissipate. The light from the lamps returned to its normal brightness.

The pressure and sense of unease vanished.

"When did it start?" Lu Li asked, removing his hand from under the pillow.

"Just before you woke up. I didn't have time to call you," Anna answered softly, her aura fading as the last gleam of scarlet vanished from her eyes. "What was that...?"

"The Strange Fog. It won't be back, at least not tonight."

Anna nodded, still feeling uneasy, and watched as Lu Li closed his eyes again, his breathing becoming even.

The dark night was quiet and serene.