The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 580: The Substitution

Not long before this, while on a mission, Tristan, the head of the investigators in Belfast, had been turned into a servant by an Evil God.

Lu Li, of course, remembered him.

He... or rather, Tristan, had also come to the capital and, just like Lu Li, infiltrated Shutes University.

Tristan's last message undoubtedly meant that he had sacrificed himself for his plan. The pieces of flesh were a key part of it.

Tristan hadn't told Lu Li what to do next, but Lu Li knew what needed to be done.

Lu Li sheathed the kitchen knife and hung it from his belt—the sharp weapon could still be useful. He picked up the dirty apron Tristan had been wearing and casually tied it on, knotting it behind his back.

Wiping his hands on a rag, Lu Li picked up the wooden basin filled with pieces of Tristan's flesh and walked over to the serving window.

A dull thud sounded.

The noise was barely audible in the buzzing cafeteria, where the "students" were complaining that one portion of food wasn't enough.

Lu Li picked up a wooden ladle and began to bang it on the counter. The dull thumping echoed through the cafeteria until all eyes turned to him and the conversations died down. Only then did Lu Li stop. "Anyone who's still hungry can get another portion," he announced calmly.The cafeteria erupted in noise again, the scrape of chairs on the floor echoing from all sides. The "students" got up and crowded around the serving window.

Lu Li served them Tristan's flesh. They seemed pleased, some even thanking him—they had taken him for one of their own, or a servant of "Paradise".

Only a few figures remained seated, among them the young female professor with narrowed eyes.

Gavril York was stunned. He never expected to see Lu Li standing there in an apron, serving food. Soon, his shock gave way to horror. Could it be...

Lu Li memorized the ones who hadn't immediately gotten up, though they too were eventually forced to join the line.

The "students" returned to their seats, food in hand, looking satisfied. The next person at the window was the young man who had hesitated to get up from his table. Lu Li remembered him.

"You're too weak. There's none for you," Lu Li said dismissively, turning him away.

The youth, who had a light fuzz on his cheeks, froze, then a flash of genuine joy lit up his eyes, like a drowning man grasping a rope.

The feeling was gone in an instant, and the young man's expression became indifferent once more.

"Wait in the northwest corner of the garden, where the azaleas used to be," Lu Li whispered, his gaze fixed on someone behind the young man.

Only a few people remained. Just as he had with the youth, Lu Li sent them to wait in the northwest corner of the garden.

There were still a few dozen pieces left in the basin. Lu Li left them on the counter, took off the apron, and returned to Gavril York's table.

"What's happening?" Gavril York asked quietly.

"That was my colleague."

Lu Li didn't elaborate. He surveyed the cafeteria. The young professor was still in her seat, not having moved, and none of the creatures approached her.

The creatures were more interested in the food than in the strange woman—left unattended, some of them began to greedily snatch up the remaining pieces.

Almost all the creatures in Shutes University had now tasted Tristan's flesh.

What part would Tristan's flesh play in the very plan he had devised?

Lu Li and Gavril York left the cafeteria before anyone else. Following their lead, the other "students" and "professors" who appeared to be human began to exit the eerie cafeteria, which was filled with monsters in human form.

Lu Li told Gavril York about the azalea bushes, and he agreed with the plan, doubting only whether Lu Li could truly distinguish humans from monsters.

"I can, just as I could with you," Lu Li replied.

Gavril York was still anxious, but Lu Li's composure was infectious, and it gradually calmed him.

In the northwest corner of the Shutes University garden, only the withered roots of the former azalea bushes remained.

When Lu Li and Gavril York arrived, the five "students" Lu Li had instructed were already there. They eyed each other suspiciously, guessing that everyone present might be human, but no one dared to speak first.

"Is something wrong with them?" Gavril York glanced at Lu Li, who was staring strangely up at the sky, where there was nothing but the gathering darkness.

"A small problem."

Lu Li's answer made Gavril York tense up.

A creature in a black cloak, disguised as a middle-aged man with a neat beard, was hiding among them. Gavril York recognized him—he was one of the new professors.

However... perhaps it was worth trying something...

Lu Li approached the group, with an anxious Gavril York following behind him.

"I am Lu Li, an exorcist," Lu Li said, his eyes sweeping over the tense group. "I believe you are all human, so I'm going to take you to the others."

These words made the middle-aged man freeze. He had already achieved a great deal by pretending to be human, but he craved more.

"I'm human? Are you kidding?" someone sneered, testing Lu Li.

They didn't fully trust him.

"You don't have to believe me. I'll only take those who trust me," Lu Li said, and began to circle them.

Gavril York was surprised—this was not like Lu Li.

"I... I believe you!" cried the young man who had been the first to speak to Lu Li in the cafeteria.

"Anyone else?" Lu Li looked at the others, his gaze lingering on the middle-aged man.

Inspired by the young man's example, the middle-aged man also shouted, "Me too!"

Lu Li gave a slight nod and walked around behind the man. The man's back was turned to him, completely defenseless.

Suddenly, the tip of a knife burst from the man's throat.

As the others watched in horror, the man glanced back at Lu Li and asked in confusion, "What are you doing?"

He had mistaken Lu Li for one of his own.

Lu Li frowned and with a smooth motion, as if slicing through butter, he severed the man's head from his body.

The man tried to resist, but Lu Li had already lopped off his arms and legs with the kitchen knife. His torso collapsed onto the dry earth.

Lu Li watched the man. His face was contorted with rage, but there was no pain. It seemed the kitchen knife didn't kill these creatures, but only dismembered them.

To prevent the man's screams from attracting other creatures, Lu Li drew The Atonement and shoved its barrel into the man's mouth. There was no need to fire. The man's head began to dissolve into the air, followed by the rest of his body parts.

The Spirit Gun fell to the ground. An invisible stream of humanity flowed from The Atonement and into Lu Li.

Lu Li picked up The Atonement and holstered it, then looked at the tense group with his calm, dark eyes.

"Don't worry," he said. "Everyone here now is human."