The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 640: The Empty Ghost Prison

The second anomaly was hiding under a bed in a residential building. Its faceted eyes glowed in the darkness like a spider's, lying in wait for prey, until the Atonement, thrown like a boomerang, obliterated its very essence.

Anna spared certain anomalies—those with physical forms and less repulsive appearances—leaving them untouched as potential sustenance. The servant wandering under the influence of the evil god's aura met the same fate; its death might have attracted its master's attention.

The other anomalies were not so lucky. The spirit pistol remained one of the most effective weapons against them, but it had its drawbacks: a long reload time and the wielder's vulnerability. Often, an exorcist would fall to an anomaly's mysterious abilities without even managing to detect it first.

But Anna was different. Being one of them, devoid of human weaknesses and stronger than they were, she was armed with the spirit pistol and could destroy them before they even had a chance to react.

Only rarely did an anomaly cause Anna any minor trouble—like the one that had taken over an entire house, its true form hiding within a grandfather clock. Upon entering, its victims would lose all weight, and then the furniture—cutlery, chairs, coals—would fly like arrows, smashing everything in their path.

But it had the misfortune of encountering Anna, who dealt with it in a matter of seconds.

Disaster befell the anomalies in the districts near the Oak Grove, and Lu Li's gain of 0.3 units of humanity was the proof.

Unfortunately, Anna found no survivors.

Fewer than nine days remained before Silence would spread to the Allen Peninsula, a development that would severely restrict Lu Li's movements. So, before the Third Calamity arrived, Anna gathered all the available resources she could from those districts.

The Oak Grove bustled with activity. Jimmy squatted by the cellar, using his clones to expand the space, while Remi and Adamfiya reinforced the furniture, ensuring it wouldn't make a fatal creak at a critical moment.Anna threw out the old, creaky bed, replacing it with one brought from Baroness Joseph's estate—a quiet, soft bed, perfect for falling into a deep sleep.

When the Trader appeared, Lu Li acquired a second anomaly detector from him, free of charge. Every exorcist was entitled to one device from the Association, and the one he'd received upon joining didn't count.

The second detector was placed in Jimmy and Remi's house. At its signal, they were to come to the cave to provide backup.

The cold spell slowed the growth of Enni's sprouts. It now took three times as long to see the same results, but that was still better than the fate of the crops that had perished in the storm and frost.

The frost had lingered for two days. If the cold continued, Enni would fall dormant again.

"What are winters usually like on the Allen Peninsula?" Lu Li asked Anna.

The temperature outside hovered around freezing, even though the peninsula, with its maritime climate, rarely saw such cold even in the dead of winter. And it wasn't even autumn yet.

"It's warmer in the winter than it is now," Anna replied. She had rarely seen frost on the ground or her breath turn to vapor in the air.

Were the clouds blocking the sun to blame? Or was something else influencing the temperature? Regardless, the connection to the anomalies was obvious.

But not everything was bleak. In a pot, a small plant was thriving, dewdrops clinging to its narrow leaves and small buds swelling at its tip.

Five days before the deadline, the cliffside shelter was ready. The expanded cellar now held all the supplies Anna had brought from Belfast—enough to last a year, even without further scavenging runs.

Adamfiya had used the fabric she brought to sew clothes for everyone, including Jimmy's monstrous body and the sculpture. Lu Li also received a new set, which was hung in his wardrobe among a dozen other identical black coats and white shirts.

Four days before the deadline, after preparing fish for Lu Li's breakfast, Anna set off for the Ghost Prison.

The surf on the shore by the Oak Grove sounded softer and more peaceful than the churning waves at the base of the cliff. There were fewer boats washed up on the sand now, not because the heretics had returned for them, but because the receding tide had carried them away. Some had sunk in the shallows; others had drifted out to the open sea, destined either to be dashed against the rocks or to reach some unknown shore.

After surveying the shore, Anna flew toward the Ghost Prison. Everything remained as it was, only cleaner—the sea breeze had swept away all tracks. The black stone and the dark breach radiated a sinister aura. As she crossed the threshold, Anna felt the Deep Sea Stone suppressing her connection to the In-Between.

"The more stone there is, the stronger the effect," Anna recalled. "There's an entire mountain of it deep inside, as if it's holding something back..."

The pressure was greater than she had expected. Inside the prison, her powers were diminished, no stronger than those of a common ghost.

Glancing around the hall, she saw rows of sealed Deep Sea Stone coffins, now pried open and empty. The oppressive power forced Anna to retreat.

"Wait..." a hoarse, elderly voice rustled in her mind.

Anna quickened her pace, but the voice repeated insistently, "I am the warden..."

Only after she was outside the prison, her connection to the In-Between restored, did Anna stop.

Remembering what Lu Li had told her, she asked cautiously, "A ghost?"

"Yes... My name is the Rope of Descent..." came the reply. "They..."

"Who are they?"

"The ones who gave me my name... The Exorcist Association..." The voice didn't seem to be trying to lure Anna back inside. "I noticed you last time... I thought you were like the others... But you're different..."

The faint voice was intermittent. "There is no malice in you... Only caution... Like a human..."

"My beloved is human," Anna replied with a frown. "What do you want?"

"My true form and the prisoners... have been taken... They want to steal the power... To transform Belfast... Stop them, before it's too late..."

"Who are they?"

"Creatures in black robes..."

The heretics were clearly up to no good. But Anna wasn't ready to trust the voice just yet.

"I will verify your words."

"Hurry... child..."