The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 507: Richard's Legacy

The figure, drawn in white chalk, was repeated many times: here it was holding children by the hand, there it was hugging a drawing of food—colorful pastries.

These childish drawings covered the walls everywhere, except for the places the children couldn't reach.

It was less about marking territory and more a manifestation of their optimism.

After walking about ten meters down the tunnel, Lu Li saw another figure.

It was a small boy in baggy, dirty clothes and a newsboy cap, looking like a young scout.

This was Jimmy, the same boy from Richard's letter who had been licking stones on the shore.

"He's a friend of Brother Richard's. He brought us food," the girl said, approaching the boy. Jimmy's face lit up, but he also looked a little disappointed, as he had to stay at his post and couldn't escort their guest to the "camp."

The "camp" was what the children called a former break room in the sewer, where workers once stored tools and rested.

This area had the most drawings, and various objects and piles of wood were scattered about. It was clear the children who had settled here knew how to survive.

Light seeped from under an iron door set into the wall, and voices could be heard from within.Lu Li felt an unsettling premonition. He remembered a similar door he had seen before, and the terrible curse it had brought. The situation was eerily familiar: Richard had once again led him into the sewers beneath Coastal Street.

But this time, it wasn't a trap.

The girl struggled to pull the heavy iron door open, and Lu Li saw what was inside.

Five children were sitting on a dirty, damp mattress spread on the floor. Their clothes were so grimy it was impossible to tell their original color, and they were clearly far too large for them. Only their wide eyes shone like embers.

In the middle of the small room, a fire crackled, with a kettle boiling over it, driving away the dampness.

The room was only about ten square meters, but for the seven children, it was a cozy and safe shelter.

"Brother Richard's friend brought us food!" the girl who had led him there shouted joyfully to her companions.

The children leaped to their feet and surrounded Lu Li, expressing their gratitude and... trying to win his favor.

It was a harsh truth, but this was how these homeless children survived in this world.

"Don't push, you'll get the gentleman's clothes dirty," the girl said, spreading her arms to shield their guest from her younger brothers and sisters.

After calming the children and having them sit down, the girl who seemed to be in charge of the camp approached Lu Li.

She wore large glasses that were clearly not hers and kept sliding down her nose unless she pushed them up. At about eight or nine years old, she was the eldest of the children. Mimicking an adult, she said, "Sir, thank you so much for your help."

Lu Li remained silent, calculating how long the food would last these seven children.

Children didn't eat much, but forty cans of preserved food wouldn't last them more than two weeks, even if they ate only enough to stave off hunger.

But a far greater danger to these children, living in an abandoned sewer, were the anomalies attacking Belfast.

"It's not safe here," Lu Li stated.

"We have nowhere else to go," whispered a five-or-six-year-old boy, picking his nose. He was missing his front teeth, and his voice was muffled.

Lu Li didn't respond. The "leader" girl returned to the camp, pulled a wide-brimmed hat from her bedding, and held it out to Lu Li. "Brother Richard left this last time. I patched the hole. Please give it to him."

A neatly sewn patch was visible on the hat.

Remembering his idea, Lu Li took Richard's hat and, after a moment of thought, said, "I have a vacant house on Elm Street. You can live there."

Lu Li couldn't just leave these homeless children to their fate.

If it weren't for the emotions of the Elm Forest, which were too dangerous for children, he would have settled them closer to his shelter.

"I don't wanna leave home," muttered the youngest boy, still picking his nose.

Unlike him, the eyes of the "leader" girl and the girl who had brought Lu Li here lit up.

To them, "home" was an abstract and distant concept. What they wanted was a safe, warm place and an adult to look after them.

"It'll be dark soon," the leader girl said hesitantly, "and we need to... discuss it."

She didn't want to go outside at night, and she didn't fully trust this stranger who had just appeared for the first time.

Although, for some reason, his presence was calming and inspired confidence.

...

The affluent district.

Warm light from fireplaces and oil lamps spilled from the windows of the houses.

Fog swirled through the deserted streets.

A family of three sat at their dining table. Tonight's dinner was chicken soup with mashed potatoes and chicken—the crisis had only slightly dimmed the life of this well-off family.

The mother carefully settled her nearly eight-year-old son into his chair, adjusted his napkin, and placed a spoon in front of him.

"I want a vegetable salad," the boy said, seeing that the side dish was mashed potatoes again.

"Vegetables are too expensive..." his mother replied.

"I'll buy some tomorrow," the father interjected. "We haven't had any vegetables for a week."

The mother started to say something, but he stopped her with a shake of his head, and she simply smiled.

Knock... knock-knock...

Suddenly, a knock came from the front door.

The husband and wife exchanged glances and froze, their eyes fixed on the door. Only the boy continued to eat his mashed potatoes.

A few seconds later, a second knock followed.

Knock... knock-knock...

"I'll see who it is," the husband said quietly.

The anxious wife grabbed his arm. "I'm coming with you."

Hand in hand, they approached the door. The swirling fog outside filled them with unease.

The husband walked to the door and peered through the peephole, trying not to make a sound.

A tall figure in a hat stood before the door. Its face was hidden in shadow.

Knock... knock-knock...

A third knock echoed through the house.

"Who's there?" the wife asked, her voice trembling.

"I don't know," the husband whispered back.

"Maybe... maybe we should call the police... or... or an exorcist..."

The husband thought for a moment, then nodded. He picked up an umbrella that stood by the door and said, "You call the police. I'll see who it is."

"Alright, be careful," the wife whispered and ran upstairs.

But she had barely set foot on the stairs when she heard the sound of the umbrella clattering to the floor behind her. She turned to see her husband collapse, as if paralyzed with fear. And on the door, as if from nowhere, the silhouette of the man in the hat appeared.

A piercing scream filled the house, then was abruptly cut short.