The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 438: To Stay Forever

The bald bouncer shot Mike a sneering look. "Mind if we search your brother?"

"I didn't steal anything!" Vigil’s naive voice piped up.

"Shh, be quiet!" Mike nudged Vigil with his elbow. Forcing a tight smile, he said, "Of course, you can. Everyone here can vouch for us."

He was trying to draw the attention of the other gamblers, hoping the casino wouldn't dare pull any dirty tricks in front of witnesses. No establishment would risk its reputation by cheating in plain sight of its customers.

Of course, that only worked if Vigil hadn't actually pocketed a chip.

Mike clung to that thought. The bouncers had only asked to search Vigil, not him, which meant the casino was still playing by some rules.

But a more disturbing thought soon gripped him: what if they really had seen Vigil steal something?

Whatever the case, Mike could only watch helplessly as two of the bald man’s cronies approached Vigil and began to roughly frisk him, shaking out his pockets as if rattling a dice cup.

After a few moments, having found nothing, they stepped back and shook their heads.

Vigil had no chips on him.Vigil snorted and began smoothing the wrinkles on his clothes—the only way he could preserve a shred of dignity in this situation.

Mike let out a breath of relief. "So, are you satisfied? Can we go now?"

But he froze. The bald bouncer’s gaze reminded him of the starving predators they’d encountered on the road to Belfast.

"Maybe he swallowed them."

Realizing the situation was spiraling out of control, Mike rushed over to the bald man and started explaining, "Listen, we’re from Arumbed County. It’s a small town, and Zenster was just about wiped out by monsters. We fled from there, and all we want is to get on a ship at the port. We’re not from around here, we’re not planning to stay. We have no use for your chips, right?"

In his agitation, he spoke too quickly, and his words, tinged with the accent of Arumbed County, only made his plea sound more genuine.

But the bald man just smirked. He grabbed Mike by the collar like a helpless chick and glanced over at Vigil, who was already pinned by his cronies.

"We're leaving this afternoon, we can't wait for Vigil to... pass them," Mike pleaded. "And even if he did swallow a few chips, how many could he have possibly eaten? We can pay you, alright?"

"That would take far too long." The bald man's lips stretched into a cruel grin. He pulled a small knife from his belt and tossed it to one of his men.

Mike went rigid, watching the man approach Vigil with the knife.

"An idiot... The Black Mamba doesn’t let outsiders walk away with slum money..."

As if through a fog, Mike heard someone in the crowd sigh. He turned mechanically, but all he saw were indifferent faces.

He couldn't tell who had spoken.

A sudden surge of adrenaline coursed through Mike, and he screamed, "This casino is accusing winning customers of theft! Are you all just going to stand there and watch?!"

But to his despair, the crowd remained motionless, their faces devoid of any emotion.

Mike started to struggle. "Wait! You can’t do this! Please, we grew up together... he’s my best friend!"

"I didn't steal your chips!" Vigil’s shout cut through Mike’s pleading. He snatched the knife and glared at the bald man.

Ignoring the knife in Vigil’s hand, the bald man sneered, "Prove it."

"How?!" Mike already had a sickening feeling about what was coming. "I’ll give back everything we won! Just not the ship tickets!"

Ignoring Mike, the bald man addressed Vigil directly. "Cut your stomach open and show us if there are any chips inside."

Furious, Vigil hesitated and glanced at Mike.

"You can have the tickets too!" Mike screamed.

Seeing Mike’s pleading eyes, the bald man finally seemed satisfied. "It’s unlikely your friend stole more than you won. Give it all back, and you can..."

"Don't give them the tickets!" Vigil yelled, drawing everyone's attention back to him. "We have to get to the Lennon Archipelago! You want proof? I’ll..."

"No!" Mike's desperate scream tore through the suddenly silent casino.

The sound of retching filled the air.

"You... see... I didn’t... steal... your chips..." Vigil’s voice was fading fast.

"Damn... idiot," someone whispered. The hand holding Mike slackened.

Mike scrambled to Vigil’s side and tried to press his hands against the wound in his stomach. It was useless. His hands were instantly slick with his friend's blood.

The bald man glanced toward a dark corner where the ember of a pipe glowed.

Then, with a look of disgust at Mike and Vigil, he waved a dismissive hand, as if shooing away flies. "You’ve proven his innocence. Now take your things and get out of here."

Mike didn’t remember being thrown out of the casino. His senses only started to return when he found himself in a dark alley, propping up Vigil against a cold wall.

"I'm so tired... Mike..." Vigil struggled to open his eyes.

"Don't sleep... don't you dare... don't you dare sleep! I'll get you to a doctor!" Mike babbled, trying to haul Vigil to his feet. Just then, a voice called out from the street.

"There they are!"

Before Mike could turn, something heavy slammed into the back of his head. He crumpled to the ground, his vision blurring. Through the haze, he felt hands fumbling through his pockets.

"The tickets... give them back!" Vigil let out one last, furious cry. He collapsed on top of Mike, his hand clamping down on the one pulling something from Mike's pocket.

There was the sound of tearing fabric, followed by the thud of retreating footsteps.

A blood-soaked hand, clutching the tickets, appeared in front of Mike's face.

"To... the Lennon... Archipelago..."

The hand fell limp.

No! Vigil! No!!!

Mike screamed inwardly, consumed by rage and despair. He would pay any price...

Any price?

Yes, any price!

A whisper echoed in his mind. Mike tried to lift his head, but his strength was draining away, leaking out like water from a punctured barrel.

In his last moment of consciousness, he saw a translucent figure drift past him.

Two lifeless bodies lay in the filthy alleyway.