The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 701: All Things Come to an End

The caravan carrying the old man reached Storm Cape by afternoon.

The jarring journey had left them in poor shape, but it was a far better fate than being abandoned in the Wastelands to be swallowed by the darkness.

After dropping off the old man, the caravan set off again into the wasteland to pick up any stragglers.

From the roof of the town hall, the mayor of Storm Cape watched the city gates. Guards were maintaining order, guiding the refugees toward vacant houses.

In the distance, an endless line of refugees snaked along the road.

"Send our caravans out to help them," the mayor instructed his steward. "And tell those merchants that if I catch a single one of them trying to price-gouge, I'll send him to the block!"

"They might just refuse to sell," the steward warned.

"Then let their fish rot in the warehouses," the mayor scoffed, his voice dripping with contempt for the profiteers. "Send someone to Reintown. Tell my brother, the mayor there, to send food and clothes."

The steward nodded and departed.

The mayor's gaze returned to the endless stream of people.A gust of wind kicked up a cloud of sand, and the mayor squinted, looking back. A new sandstorm was brewing deep within the Wastelands.

...

"I believe you've misunderstood, my child," the Guide said after a brief pause. He seemed to recall something, and the corners of his eyes softened. "There are some radical followers among us who... Aaargh!!!"

Suddenly, the old man grabbed his head, letting out an agonized, rasping scream.

At almost the exact same moment, Anna also cried out in pain, grabbing her head.

The cultists' prayers faltered as they raised their heads.

Lu Li reached for his belt.

"Get out of my head!" Anna and the old man shrieked in unison. The moment the words escaped their lips, a shadow detached itself from the old man's stretching shadow and slithered back to Anna's feet.

Recovering, the old man stared in terror at Anna, who was still clutching her head. He pointed a trembling finger at her and screamed, "She's controlling my mind... Kill her!"

The cultists exchanged glances and began to close in on Anna, but Lu Li stepped in front of her, shielding her with his body.

"They're in it together... kill them!" the Guide roared, all traces of his earlier kindness gone.

Without a moment's hesitation, Lu Li drew his Spirit Gun and fired at the approaching cultists.

Bang!

The gunshot rang out, and simultaneously, he felt a strange sensation behind him.

"She's controlling my mind... kill her!" the Guide shouted by the fireplace, pointing at Anna.

Ignoring the advancing cultists—and the other version of himself shielding Anna—Lu Li walked toward her and reached for her hood.

But his hand passed right through her form, making no contact.

Lu Li spun around, snatched a burning branch from the hearth, and held it up to Anna. The flickering light revealed her beautiful face, now twisted in a mask of pain and madness.

"They're in it together... kill them!" the Guide's cry echoed from behind him, followed by the crack of a gunshot.

At that moment, Anna's scream became a piercing shriek, and an icy chill radiated from her. A blast of unseen force threw Lu Li and the cultists backward, slamming them against the walls.

Thud!

Lu Li crumpled to the floor, The Atonement slipping from his grasp.

The Guide lay in a corner with a broken neck—his head was twisted at an unnatural angle.

One of the cultists had been thrown into the fireplace. He struggled to crawl out, but the current of energy radiating from Anna pinned him to the flames. He screamed as he burned alive.

Click-click-click...

The Mind Level counter chattered, a sound that made his hair stand on end.

Torrents of furious energy raged within the small room. Lu Li's hair and clothes whipped about in the gale. He squinted against the force, his eyes fixed on Anna, who stood at the center of the storm.

He tore his gaze away and reached for The Atonement. Suddenly, a chill touched his fingertips—a section of the wall had vanished, revealing the empty street outside.

Lu Li's eyes snapped back to Anna. Warped torrents of energy erupted from her, shredding her cloak. In the gruesome light of the human torch, invisible blades flickered like shadows, tearing the wooden house apart.

The human torch's scream was cut short as his head was torn from his shoulders. The three remaining cultists were hacked to pieces by the unseen blades.

The Atonement lay on the floor as the house shattered around it, but the flying shards seemed to deliberately swerve around Lu Li. In a room choked with splinters and dust, only the space immediately around him remained untouched.

A series of impacts resounded through the ruined house, and a hysterical scream cut through the dust: "Get... out of me!"

Another powerful blast of energy obliterated the house. The force caught Lu Li and hurled him into the street. He tumbled across the ground, slamming into the wall of the house opposite.

Thump!

With a dull thud, Lu Li coughed, spitting up a mouthful of blood.

The light from the hearth died with the wind, and darkness rushed in from all sides, only to be driven back by the glow of the Beacon clutched in Lu Li's hand.

Its glow, as gentle as sunlight, illuminated the scene, casting its light over Anna, who stood amidst the rubble.

It illuminated everything, revealing that which was not meant to be seen...

A dense darkness churned above Anna, forming a portal through which he could glimpse the things hidden on the other side. A cluster of eyes, formless chunks of swollen flesh, tentacles swaying like kelp, a white hand with sharp, needle-like teeth where its fingernails should have been, a hulking figure with a multitude of limbs.

The Unseen Aura flooded out. Reality around Anna seemed to bleed into the In-Between as the hidden monsters began to manifest.

Every second he watched, every sight he beheld, sent his Mind Level plummeting.

But Lu Li kept his eyes fixed on Anna, watching as the churning energy of the In-Between was drawn into her form.

The figure in the white dress grew more and more substantial.

As the illusion faded, the screaming ceased. Anna lowered her hands from her head and covered her face, her shoulders shaking with bitter sobs.

The raging wind died down, and Lu Li's hair fell back across his face. Silence gradually descended upon the street, broken only by the sound of weeping.

Lu Li frowned. For some reason, a sharp pang of pain shot through his chest. An inexpressible sorrow and bitterness rose in his throat.

Through her sobs, the illusion of a noose materialized above Anna's head before slowly fading into nothing.

The moment the noose vanished, the crying Anna began to lose her color. It was as if all the pigment was being washed from her form, draining away like watercolors in the rain.

Kshhh... kshh...

A sudden static hiss came from his pocket.

Lu Li looked down and silently pulled out the Anomaly Detector. It was emitting a steady hiss, signaling the presence of an evil spirit.

He looked back to where Anna stood. The portal to the In-Between was gone, leaving only the colorless, pitch-black silhouette of the girl.

She turned her head as if looking at him.

An instant later, the silhouette dissolved into shadows and vanished among the rubble.

A new evil spirit... had been born.