The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 498: The First Trial - Memories

Richard was squatting, his back pressed against the phantom of a dark red wall that had appeared behind him, muttering something under his breath.

Just then, Lu Li lifted his head and looked forward.

Ahead, not far from them, swirled a strange, thick black haze laced with something that looked like blood. In the distance, the cries and laughter of children echoed eerily through the void.

Lu Li had been through this before. Following the hint on the wall, he had covered his ears and passed the obstacle safely.

What would Richard do?

The muttering Richard froze, looking anxiously toward the source of the sounds, but he didn't seem to notice the black haze approaching him.

Soon, however, Richard's eyes flew wide with terror. He stood frozen, staring at the black haze thickening before him.

As the blood-streaked haze drew nearer, the sounds grew clearer.

Lu Li listened. As a mere observer, he was unaffected by the projection of the past.

It was a cacophonous noise, a meaningless jumble of piercing laughter and screams.Richard didn't know what to do. When the black haze was just a few meters away, he flinched, shut his eyes, and clamped his hands over his ears.

He wasn't acting on the hint from the wall, but rather on instinct, like most people who hide under the covers when faced with something strange in a dream.

But that couldn't protect him from monsters. It was just a thin layer of fabric, offering only warmth.

Richard got lucky. He had stumbled upon the solution by accident. The bloody haze passed by him and dissipated. Still shielding his head with his hands, Richard remained motionless for a long moment before slowly opening his eyes.

Pushing himself up from the floor, Richard continued on his way.

The second trial was near.

A few meters ahead, an ordinary wooden door appeared. The hunched Richard stopped, his dull eyes fixed anxiously on the door.

The next moment, the door swung open from the inside.

Children in colorful clothes rushed out from behind the door and headed toward Richard.

Or rather, they were monsters in the shape of children.

Their faces were distorted: some had eyes on their foreheads, others had noses on their chins, but all of them had four or five mouths on their faces.

"Come on, come play with us!" different voices spilled from those mouths. "Let's go to the slide, let's play hide-and-seek! My mom bought a new storybook. I'll share my candy with you."

"Get away! You monsters!" Richard screamed, on the verge of despair. He stopped short and turned to run back.

Had he kept running, he might have passed right through Lu Li, who was walking behind him. But a blood-red inscription that appeared on the wall made him stop.

[Don't look back!!! Don't look back!!! Don't look back!!!]

The alarming message repeated over and over, warning Richard.

The monster-children closed in on Richard, grabbing his arms, tugging at his clothes, and pushing him from behind. Chattering excitedly, they dragged the struggling Richard, who had snapped out of his trance, toward the wooden door.

Beyond the door, the sun shone brightly, a warm breeze carried the scent of grass, and cheerful laughter filled the air.

Compared to the oppressive atmosphere of the blood-red walls, the scene beyond the door seemed safe. For a moment, Richard believed it, but the sight of the monsters around him brought him back to his senses.

"Die, all of you! No one will ever bully me again! No one!" Richard shrieked. An unknown strength suddenly surged through his body, and he tore himself free from the "children's" grasp and began swinging his fists.

His punches were wild, and the force from his gaunt frame could hardly have knocked out an old man's tooth, yet the "children" he struck popped and vanished like soap bubbles.

After a few seconds, exhausted, Richard stopped and began to pant heavily.

Nearby, the wooden door that had tempted Richard with its beautiful and peaceful scenery swung shut.

Gradually calming down, Richard lifted his head, wiped the tears from his face, took a noisy sniff, and swung his arms as he continued on his way.

His steps had become a little more confident.

Lu Li watched in silence as Richard entered the third trial.

[Knowledge is repulsive, but it is your friend. It will make you stronger, smarter, and help you succeed.]

[Food offers new sensations; it is necessary for survival, but uncontrolled gluttony can ruin your life. In any case, eat first.]

Richard ignored the fragments of information on the wall.

When tall, thin monsters that swayed with every step as if about to fall lunged at him, Richard was frightened for a moment, but then he bravely raised his fists and went to meet them.

These monsters didn't attack. When their faces touched a person's body, they imparted knowledge. Lu Li knew this; Richard did not.

So when Richard punched an approaching face, the monster vanished with a cry, and Richard concluded that his courage and determination had defeated the terrible creature.

It remained to be seen how Richard would face the final trial.

A few dozen seconds later, Richard came to a halt.

Ahead, gray-black tentacles writhed on the wall, blocking the path downward. Steps leading even lower were visible between them. In this blood-red, ghastly landscape, the writhing tentacles resembled the entrance to hell.

Richard looked down at his clenched fists and charged at the tentacles.

It was foolish.

But considering that by this time Richard was already in a psychiatric hospital, his unstable emotional state and emaciated physique suggested that life there had not been easy, which had only worsened his illness.

As stated before, a madman is capable of anything.

Richard didn't even reach them. The tentacles suddenly shot out, seized him, and dragged him into the squirming mass, where he vanished from sight.

This, of course, was not the end.

Even if they were just illusions, Lu Li had no intention of walking into that repulsive, writhing mass of tentacles. He bypassed it and headed for the end of the corridor.

The tentacles didn't keep Lu Li waiting long. After a few seconds, Richard was ejected from the squirming mass like a piece of unwanted trash.

The pain from the fall brought Richard to his senses. He crawled away from the tentacles.

That was the final trial. At the end of the path, the finale awaited Richard.

[It was a most ordinary day.]

Lines of text appeared before Richard, just as they had for Lu Li. At the end of the trial, some lessons were "instilled" in him, and he lay down on a bed that materialized before him.

[So rest now.]

[The creature sleeping in the depths of the sea awaits you in your dreams.]

Richard's figure vanished from sight.