The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 589: The New Shelter

The Lake District.

A carriage pulled to a stop in front of the inn marked with a raven.

Those peeking from the windows grew nervous, their anxiety lasting until two familiar figures stepped out of the coach.

"Well?" Gavril York demanded impatiently the moment Lu Li and Anna crossed the threshold, completely forgetting to ask for the password.

Gemini Reid had already guessed the outcome—they had returned far too quickly.

Ivo, the attendant who hid from anomalies by pretending to be asleep, approached them. Lu Li delivered the news: they had lost contact with the three major organizations.

Ellen Royal City, now overrun with anomalies, was clearly no longer a suitable place for an investigation.

"What do we do now?" The two civilians couldn't help but panic. Only Gemini Reid remained calm.

"We'll find more survivors, clear out the nearby shops, and move them in there."

Just as the anomalies had displaced the humans, Lu Li now intended to do the exact opposite.Gemini Reid and the two civilians exchanged glances, instinctively lowering their voices. "A guest checked in while you were gone."

"Which room?" Anna asked.

"The one at the far end of the hall on the second floor."

Before dealing with the new guest, Anna remembered that the carriage could still be useful. After asking Gemini Reid where they had discarded the remains from the last time they cleared the inn, she gathered the dusty fragments from a corner and went outside to feed the "horses."

Of course, this meager offering wasn't enough to make the disguised anomaly truly join their side, but it was a sufficient payment to keep it willingly playing the part of a horse.

The three of them remained in the lobby while Lu Li and Anna ascended the wooden staircase to deal with the guest on the second floor.

Knock, knock, knock...

Lu Li rapped on the room's door. Soon, the creak of a bed and the sound of footsteps could be heard from behind the thin wood.

Anna and Lu Li switched places. The door opened, revealing an elderly woman.

Clutching a kitchen knife, Anna stepped into the room. A cold aura poured from her, freezing the woman in place. A flicker of disappointment crossed the old woman's face—she had just arrived in Paradise and had hoped a human would walk right into her grasp. She emanated an aura from the In-Between, similar to Anna's. "I'm an anomaly, too."

Click...

Lu Li entered the room behind her, shut the door, and replied calmly, "We're in the right place."

A minute later, Lu Li and Anna returned to the lobby.

"We'll take care of the body," Gemini Reid said, understanding the outcome. He led the hesitant York and Ivo upstairs. He didn't want them to become useless freeloaders.

Although desecrating someone's body was a deeply offensive act, Gemini Reid figured that those who had already been "worn" by anomalies wouldn't mind.

Soon, Gemini Reid returned to the lobby, carrying a sack that clearly outlined the shape of limbs, followed by a pale-faced York and Ivo.

Lu Li didn't feed the body to the desiccated claws in the street—it could still be useful. The inn was clearly not a reliable shelter for survivors; a constant stream of guests could easily shatter their fragile sense of security.

Therefore, Lu Li decided to find a temporary new shelter. A residential house would have been preferable, but housing too many people would attract unwanted attention.

"Over there," Gemini Reid said, pointing from the window to a building across the street. The ground floor was a clothing shop with mannequins in the window, and the second floor was a bedroom. If they moved there, they could blend in and avoid frequent visitors—after all, few anomalies would be interested in buying clothes. Even if some were, it would still be better than an inn full of guests.

"That'll work," Lu Li nodded and left with Anna. Gemini Reid and the others gathered at the window, watching as the pair crossed the street and entered the clothing shop.

They could vaguely make out Lu Li speaking to the owner behind the counter. The owner suddenly froze, allowing Anna to sever his limbs. Finally, Lu Li's spirit pistol vaporized him.

"Why do the anomalies always let them do that..." York murmured, confused.

"Maybe they don't have time to react, or maybe it's a unique trait of theirs," Gemini Reid mused. He knew that those who held titles always had unique abilities. "Get ready to move."

The inn's food and water supplies were meager enough to be carried over in a single trip. Meanwhile, Lu Li, having inspected both floors of the shop, returned to the display window. He saw York and Ivo crossing the street, followed by Gemini Reid, who was hanging a "Closed" sign on the inn's door.

Jingle, jingle...

The chime of the bell on the door seemed to dispel some of the gloom that shrouded both the city and the hearts of its people.

Unexpectedly, the first thing York and Ivo did upon entering their new shelter was to start picking out clothes, a simple act that brought a spark of life to the atmosphere.

Gemini Reid watched them comparing whose outfit looked better, feeling as though he were watching over his juniors, even though York was only two years younger than him.

The desiccated claws were hiding in the alley next to the clothing shop. Lu Li and Anna dragged the sack over to feed them. Only Anna returned, holding a single arm, which she then fed to the "horse" in the courtyard.

Gemini Reid had expected Lu Li and Anna to go out searching for more survivors once they were settled. Instead, Lu Li chose a simpler method: he stood watch at the display window, waiting to bring in any survivors who happened to pass by.

Ten minutes later, Gemini Reid and a newly-clothed York, standing by the window, saw Lu Li's method in action. His gaze fell upon a woman carrying a bundle, and he and Anna promptly left the shop to bring the terrified woman back with them.

The "passersby" paid it no mind—they were merely envious of Lu Li's good fortune.

It didn't take long to convince the woman. She couldn't imagine five anomalies banding together just to deceive her. She quickly calmed down, introduced herself as Emma, and explained that she hadn't trusted anyone since the disaster began. After hiding at home for several hours, she had decided to pack her things and flee Ellen Royal City.

York told her that no one could leave right now. Disappointment flickered across Emma's face, but she quickly composed herself. Finding other survivors was better than hiding under a bed alone.

Like Ivo, Emma was given a room on the second floor. They didn't need many people on the first floor. Gemini Reid played the part of the owner, York and Ivo were the shopkeepers, and Lu Li and Anna acted as customers. If a real buyer were to walk in, they would all stick to their roles.

Soon, however, Emma and Ivo grew anxious and came downstairs. Now there were three shopkeepers, plus a new cleaning lady.

Half an hour later, another person walked past on the street. But this time, it wasn't Lu Li and Anna who went out to get him.

Wham!

Jingle, jingle...

The slightly ajar door swung wide open as Gemini Reid and York dragged in a man whose face was twisted with despair. He didn't scream—that would only hasten his death.

But then, just as he was sinking into despair, the man suddenly found that he had been released. He scrambled to his feet and looked around warily.