novelraw Chapter 490: The Bait
Chapter 490: The Bait
A wooden bowl sat on the table, full of hot, steaming meat broth.
Drawn by the aroma, the black cat leaped from the table and began to rub against Lu Li's legs, its tail swishing.
Anna watched with anticipation as Lu Li picked up a wooden spoon, scooped up some of the broth, and brought it to his lips.
“Better than most restaurants,” Lu Li remarked, turning to Anna, who was awaiting his verdict.
After all, restaurants couldn’t afford the luxury of using so many spices.
“Then have some more,” Anna urged, the corners of her lips lifting into a faint smile.
Lu Li bent down, lifted the black cat, and set it on the table. He then fished out pieces of meat from the broth, drained them, and placed them in front of the cat.
As silent as Lu Li himself, the cat sniffed the meat and began to eat.
Ring-ring! Ring-ring!
The telephone suddenly began to ring in the quiet detective agency.Anna's eyes darkened for a moment, then softened. “It might be Richard.”
Lu Li said nothing. He set down his spoon, walked over to the desk, and picked up the receiver.
“Hello, long time no see, great detective,” came the voice of Richard—or rather, Marcus—from the receiver.
Richard had altered his voice, and the static on the line made it even harder to recognize. It was how he had managed to hide in plain sight for so long.
“We spoke three days ago,” Lu Li replied calmly, as if he didn't know the truth.
“Oh... was it that recent? It felt like months,” Marcus continued in his carefree tone, as if Lu Li hadn't just destroyed all his plans. “Anyway. About that guy you asked me to find... I've got a lead!”
“The one with skin like a woman's?”
“What... no! He has normal skin, you scoundrel! Er... I mean... the villain just has pale skin. He probably hasn't seen the sun in a while.”
Lu Li lowered his gaze slightly. It was incredible that this man had been leading him by the nose for months.
“Anyway... I have news about that bastard, yep!”
“What is it?”
On the other end of the line, Richard lowered his voice. “I know where he's hiding.”
“Where?”
“Not so fast. I guarantee the address is correct. You can go there and grab him right away. But about my reward...”
“How much do you want?”
“Five... a thousand, one thousand shillings! I know it's a lot, but you have no idea how much effort I put into finding him. He's so important to you, a thousand shillings is nothing...”
“How do I pay you?”
“Uh...” Lu Li's directness left Richard speechless for a few seconds. He had thought it would take more haggling to get his reward. “The usual spot, under the brick next to the second blue trash bin on Whistle Street. You can stop by on your way to find Richard.”
“So where is Richard?”
“Remember where you first met? The psychiatric hospital outside the city, near the Sentry Post. He's there! Can you hear that? My stomach is growling! Hurry up, I want to have a feast afterward!”
“Alright.”
Lu Li hung up the phone.
Anna, who had overheard the entire conversation, asked, “Is he telling the truth?”
“But he'll definitely go for the money,” Lu Li replied. He had guessed correctly: Richard was desperate for cash, unable to even afford food.
It didn't matter whether Richard was at the hospital or not. They just needed to hide near the drop spot and wait for him to show up.
“What if he can sense where you are?” Anna didn't think it was that simple. “He's been following you like a ghost all this time. Everywhere you went, he found you.”
“We'll split up. You hide by the drop spot, and I'll go to the hospital.”
“No,” Anna refused sharply. She would never leave Lu Li alone. “You're just an ordinary human.”
“So is Richard.”
“But he's hiding in the shadows.”
Knowing Anna wouldn't agree, Lu Li didn't argue further. “Then we'll go to the hospital, and the United Organization will watch the drop spot.”
Anna didn't object. Lu Li picked up the receiver again and called the investigators' headquarters, asking the United Organization to send someone to the drop spot.
To ensure the cunning Richard couldn't slip away, Lu Li told them not to intervene if someone other than Richard picked up the money, but to simply follow them. Before leaving Belfast, Lu Li would call from a phone booth to get an update.
If Richard showed up, they would turn back. If it was someone else, they would head for the Sentry Post.
Hanging up, Lu Li returned to the table. The broth had cooled. He gave another piece of meat to his cat and started to eat.
Just then, the paperboy delivered three newspapers. The front page of all three editions covered the Gnasher incident at Port Roadster. The second and third pages differed. The Daily News and the Valsen Gazette published a decree from the Council of Elders forbidding the sale of black bread at more than 300% of its original price. The Allen Principality Gazette reported a massive recruitment drive at all police precincts, seeking young, brave individuals unafraid of anomalies.
The third page of all the papers was the same: Belfast Shrouded in Strange Fog.
After breakfast, Anna brought Lu Li a freshly brewed coffee and went to the kitchen to wash the dishes.
Lu Li, like most city dwellers who didn't need to earn a daily wage, stayed home, poured himself a coffee, and began to read the papers.
Burning houses, screaming people, residents killed by creatures from the fog—reports of such incidents filled the pages.
Fortunately, the strange fog had only enveloped Belfast. The Sentry Post, located on the other side of Sugard Mountain just twenty miles from the city, was unaffected.
At the back of the paper, among other news, Lu Li found a small announcement.
[The Shelter Is Officially Open]
Though the announcement was small, it was the first public mention of the shelter.
The paper reported that the shelter was recruiting. Scientists, doctors, lawyers, writers, and other professionals could apply for a chance to live there.
Lu Li's gaze lingered on the list of professions. They were like the animals on Noah's Ark, meant to preserve the spark of human civilization.
The mention of the shelter made Lu Li think of the missing Tesla. He had left for the shelter three days ago, and there had been no word from him since.
Lu Li looked up from the paper at Anna, who was floating out of the kitchen. He folded the newspaper.
Putting on his coat and taking the thousand shillings for Richard, Lu Li and Anna left the detective agency.
They rented a carriage in the next block and headed toward the mountain.
The fog had finally dissipated, but the sky remained shrouded in dark clouds. The sun was nowhere to be seen, and a cold sea breeze carried the chill of late autumn.
Twenty minutes later, Lu Li reached the designated spot, placed the money under the brick next to the second blue trash bin, and left without stopping.
As they ascended higher, Lu Li saw Baroness Joseph's estate in the distance, on the shore of Agate Lake. The servants who usually bustled about were gone, and the houses around the lake showed no signs of life.
They had long since fled to safety.
Before leaving Belfast, Lu Li stopped by the side of the road and stepped into a red phone booth.