The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 399: The Corpse in the Hut

His boot sank almost completely into the mire, and even through the thick sole, Lu Li felt an unpleasant softness, like stepping on raw flesh.

He crouched, aiming the light of his kerosene lamp at the dark red sludge. The mire didn't spread; it held its shape, as if someone had fallen there. A trail leading into the thicket of withered trees confirmed his suspicion.

— Someone passed through the secret entrance into the Shadow Swamp.

Raising the lamp higher, Lu Li carefully surveyed the area. Besides the tracks in the mire, there was no other evidence near the secret entrance.

— Is that my brother? — JoJo asked anxiously.

Lu Li spoke to the statuette of the Mother of the Swamp in his pocket: — Where is Oliver?

— I... do not know him... Many people enter the swamp...

Lu Li looked at JoJo: — Do you remember what Oliver was wearing when he disappeared?

— Linen work pants and a blue shirt!

— Shorter than five-foot-four, brown hair, a young man, — Lu Li added.The Mother of the Swamp, after delving into the memories of her servants, replied: — One... in the old nest of the crawling servants...

— Speak plainly.

A pause followed, and then the Mother of the Swamp whispered: — Where the six-limbed ones lived... near the Swamp Road...

Lu Li recalled the abandoned village he had seen when he first entered the Shadow Swamp...

He knew what she meant.

— I need a guide.

— A human...?

— Your servant.

The Mother of the Swamp's ignorance of human society made their communication difficult, but unlike other evil gods, she was not wild and arrogant—she possessed a valuable quality: the capacity to learn.

It was this quality that compelled the evil god to cooperate with Lu Li—an insignificant being by her standards—despite how clumsy and slow the process was.

Soon, the Mother of the Swamp, having drawn the necessary memories from her former human servants, corrected Lu Li: — They are my servants... If you accept the power... you will become my kin...

Apparently, "kin" was a higher status than "servant," much like the difference between a royal guard and a common soldier.

— Then have a servant lead us to Oliver, — Lu Li said, having no desire to become a monster.

— My servant approaches... Follow it... You will reach the old nest...

Lu Li relayed the Mother of the Swamp's words. Unable to contain her impatience, JoJo asked: — My brother... is he alive?

— He entered the nest... and did not come out... My eyes cannot see inside... — the Mother of the Swamp whispered, so only Lu Li could hear.

— He hid in one of the houses in the abandoned village by the Swamp Road and hasn't been seen since, — Lu Li told JoJo.

JoJo didn't know whether to be relieved or worried. The news was no different from what she already knew. The fate of her brother, Oliver, remained unknown.

Lu Li suddenly turned his head, his gaze fixed on the dark outlines of the forest. He felt an intense stare upon him.

A black figure was hiding behind a withered tree about ten meters away, peeking out from behind the trunk as if observing them.

JoJo recoiled in fear. Lu Li calmly asked: — Is that our guide?

— Yes... When you do not look at it... it walks ahead... leads you...

— We'll follow it. When I say 'blink,' we all close our eyes for a second.

— Alright, — replied JoJo and Anna.

— Blink.

The three of them closed their eyes simultaneously. When they opened them again, the shadowy figure behind the tree was gone.

— It's over there, — JoJo warned. The shadow had moved to the right while they blinked.

Lu Li pulled his boots from the mire and walked toward the shadow. JoJo followed unsteadily.

— Put out the flame... The swamp is dangerous... The light attracts them... — whispered the Mother of the Swamp.

After a moment's hesitation, Lu Li blew out the lamp and stored it in the suitcase floating behind him. After explaining the situation to JoJo, he frowned: — This is your domain.

— His followers... sacrificed many people... to make servants... They thirst for blood and murder... have killed many of my servants...

— Is this evil god strong? — Lu Li asked.

— He is... suppressed by me... not awakened... I am stronger than him... But his followers found my weakness... I am weakened...

— You're being restrained, — Lu Li concluded.

He and JoJo moved closer to the shadow. Its deep blackness reminded JoJo of the fear of a dark, oceanic abyss. It seemed the followers of the unknown evil god knew the Mother of the Swamp well.

Lu Li pieced together the sequence of events: the followers of an unknown evil god wanted their deity to be born. For some reason, they chose the domain of the Mother of the Swamp. They began appearing in Tenebrae, studying her, searching for her weaknesses, and then, when everything was ready... they summoned their god.

— Are his followers still here? Blink.

They blinked again, and the shadow moved to another tree several meters away. They continued to follow it.

— The people... are dead... The servants remain...

This was bad news. Lu Li would most likely have to confront intelligent fanatics.

Lu Li stepped on a patch of ground that seemed solid, but the mire suddenly rippled like water and swallowed his boot. In the same instant, an unseen force yanked his leg back out.

JoJo broke out in a cold sweat, but Lu Li's voice remained calm as he spoke with the Mother of the Swamp.

— Why did you decide to make a deal with me?

— I have watched you... You do not fear the servants... and you do not fear me... You can get close to him... and kill him...

The Mother of the Swamp continued to whisper: — His servants roam ahead... Follow the shadow... avoid them... remain silent...

Lu Li nodded and gestured for JoJo to stay silent and move as quietly as possible.

The path to the abandoned village was perilous, but with the guidance of the Mother of the Swamp—a fragment of her consciousness residing in the statuette—Lu Li and JoJo managed to avoid the servants of the unknown evil god.

The dark silhouettes of the huts appeared just ahead.

The shadow moved to the largest hut in the center of the village and, stopping behind it, stared at them grimly.

— Lift us up, — Lu Li said, turning his head slightly.

A cold breeze brushed against their skin, and Lu Li and JoJo were lifted into the air, landing on a wooden walkway about three feet off the ground. The soft, rotted planks muffled the sound of their footsteps.

— Brother...? — JoJo called out softly, peering into the dark doorway.

Lu Li asked the Mother of the Swamp about the situation nearby, and once he confirmed there were no immediate threats, he lit the lamp again.

The dim light dispelled the darkness, illuminating the dried vines that hung like cobwebs and revealing the hut's interior.

Underneath a crude wooden table lay... or rather, was heaped... a pile of desiccated human skin. An expression of terror was frozen on the thin face.

Behind him, there was a dull thud. JoJo had collapsed to the floor, the terror on her face giving way to relief.

She was relieved that her brother had not been the one to suffer such a horrific fate.