The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 454: Not Everything Goes Smoothly

The Coastal Town police station, inside the deputy chief's office.

Richard paced anxiously outside the office door. The drawn blinds concealed whatever was happening inside. At one point, hearing voices, Richard pressed his ear against the door, earning bewildered glances from his colleagues.

"The Postman case is closed. I followed other leads and burned the diary—the source of all the trouble," Lu Li was saying. The disappearance of the Bloody Tentacles spoke for itself.

The investigator, sent by the United Exorcist Organization to look into the matter, removed a black, wide-brimmed hat and gave Lu Li a slight bow. "Thank you for your help, but... I'd like to talk to you about something else."

"Did you recently visit Mistress Marylin?"

"Yes," Lu Li nodded.

The investigator, a woman with an androgynous appearance, continued, "I arrived in town recently and went to see Mistress Marylin. And... I found her body."

...

Eavesdropping outside, Richard's eyes flew open.

He stepped back from the door and, in disbelief, quietly asked a colleague, "Mistress Marylin from the House of Spiritual Divination is dead?!""Yes. Why else would the sheriff and his deputy be gone?" his colleague answered worriedly. "It's no secret that Mistress Marylin was an exorcist. Most of the townspeople knew. Having an exorcist in town gave them a sense of security in these troubled times."

And now, the very exorcist who protected them from the supernatural was suddenly dead.

"When did it happen?" Richard asked, alarmed.

"Shortly after you and the investigator left to look into the Postman case," his colleague sighed. "The new investigator told us to stay away from the House of Spiritual Divination. She wanted to hear what the other investigator had to say about it."

Richard, overcome with a mix of complex emotions, said nothing and returned to the door to continue eavesdropping.

...

"How did she die?" Lu Li's brow furrowed.

"I examined the scene, and I suspect..." The investigator faltered, glancing at her wrist with faint confusion. Her Contamination Detector had just emitted a soft click.

"My assistant, Anna," Lu Li said, and the silhouette of a young woman in a white dress materialized behind him.

Anna shot a quick glance at the door.

Richard continued to listen in.

The investigator looked a little flustered, but then, as if remembering something, she asked in surprise, "You're Mr. Lu Li?!"

After the events in Tenebrae, Lu Li's fame had spread quickly: a young investigator who had single-handedly solved a complex case and destroyed an Evil God. In ordinary times, this would have earned him admiration as a rising star among the agents. But in these dark times, with hope nearly extinguished, his accomplishment had inspired the exorcists and instilled in them a faint, yet precious, belief in humanity's future.

"You know me?"

The investigator gradually composed herself, though her voice still held a note of respect. "Every exorcist knows your name. You are our brightest new star."

Lu Li was no longer unknown, but having been cut off from the news, he was unaware of any of it. He had always kept to himself, rarely interacting with other exorcists unless absolutely necessary. This helped him avoid unnecessary trouble, but it also left him out of the loop.

"Perhaps I should start attending exorcist gatherings," Lu Li thought, then steered the conversation back to the matter at hand. "Let's talk about Mistress Marylin first."

"Of course. I examined the House of Spiritual Divination and found a strong smell of sulfur, hoof prints, and a malevolent aura. It matches the descriptions of messengers from hell."

"A demon," Anna whispered.

Lu Li remained silent, listening intently.

"I didn't suspect anything like that at first. After I contacted the police, they questioned the local residents. Someone mentioned that Mistress Marylin had conducted a séance for a resident shortly before, and that you were seen there. The police went to that resident's home and found him dead as well. That's why I sought you out, hoping you might be able to shed some light on the situation."

Lu Li shook his head. "I don't know anything. The séance was already over when I arrived."

"Could it be hunting Lu Li?" Anna asked. There were only three of them in that room, and two were already dead...

"It's hard to say. Demons are cunning and unpredictable. You'd best be careful for a while," the investigator warned.

"Are they strong?"

The investigator shook her head. "Demons aren't powerful in a fight. Or rather, they prefer not to fight at all. They corrupt people, plunging them into a pit of sin. That way, they can savor the taste of souls damned to hell."

Just like in the case of the Book of Sarah's Death.

The situation was already difficult, and now a demon from hell was hunting Lu Li...

Anna clenched her fists, her aura turning unstable and cold with anger.

"It's just speculation. That man and Mistress Marylin were participants in the séance. We were merely observers," Lu Li said, calming Anna.

The investigator continued, "I'll be staying in Coastal Town for a few more days. If nothing else happens, the Postman case and the Demon case will be closed, and things should quiet down here again. They'll send a new exorcist... if they can spare anyone, that is. What about you?"

"We're returning to the Allen Peninsula. I have other business waiting for me there."

"I wish you a safe journey," the investigator said, standing up and taking her wide-brimmed hat from the table.

Lu Li nodded. "Thank you for the information."

Click. The door opened, revealing Richard in the doorway. He hastily straightened up, pretending he was just passing by.

"Are you finished?" Richard asked, waving a hand in greeting.

Lu Li nodded back at him, then turned to the investigator. "Are the black crow and the black cat from the House of Spiritual Divination all right?"

"Yes, they're fine. We'll send the crow back to the investigators' base, and as for the cat..."

Remembering the way Anna had looked at the cat, Lu Li suddenly asked, "Can we take her?"

The investigator was a little surprised but replied, "...Of course. She's just an ordinary house cat."

Leaving the police station, with Richard watching them go, Lu Li and the investigator headed to the House of Spiritual Divination. Anna remained on guard, but aside from the fading smell of sulfur, the house was empty. Just a bare room with extinguished candles.

The black cat turned out to be gentle and unafraid of people. When Lu Li picked her up to place her in the carriage, she sat quietly, as if she understood what was happening. Her clear, glass-like eyes reflected her former home.

After dropping the investigator back at the police station, Lu Li bid her farewell, took the reins, and guided the horse out of town.

Their conversation in the carriage drifted on the wind.

"You like this cat?"

"You like her."

"But we can't keep her..."

"One cat won't eat much."

"Hmm..."