The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 751: Main Route, Branch, Secret Passage

Katerina decided she needed to have a serious talk with Lu Li.

— You need to get used to life here, — she said quietly once they were away from the bustling entrance. — Life is worthless down here. You saw it yourself: that guy was being sold by weight.

— Countless people die here every day; you can't save them all. He won't even be grateful. He'll just think we were obligated to do it, since I was the one who caught him. That I'm the one who owes him.

— Have you heard the story of the fish washed ashore? — Lu Li asked calmly.

Katerina and Prusius listened in silence as Lu Li told the story. When he finished the tale of the boy throwing fish back into the sea, Katerina retorted, — And what if the storm has already begun?

The storm rages, turning the beach into an island cut off from the rest of the world. The boy, stranded on this island and at risk of being swept away by the wind at any moment, is still helping the fish washed ashore.

— When everything around you goes wrong, you don't try to adapt, — Lu Li replied, recalling how calmly Tesla had uttered the phrase.

He had drained the last sip of his coffee, put on his hat, taken his cane, and walked out of the café.

— You have to change the situation.

Katerina fell silent, torn by contradictions. On one hand, she longed for something that had vanished in the Age of Anomalies; on the other, she scoffed at such naivety.Only Prusius, who dreamed of the surface, was genuinely impressed. — Mister Lu Li, you're a truly good person.

— Villain! Villain! — shrieked the Elder Sister, who was hanging from his back.

Though Katerina criticized Lu Li's kindness, it brought an obvious benefit. Information about the Old Sewer, which usually had to be bought with shillings, was provided by Prusius for free out of his admiration for Lu Li.

The Old Sewer was an intricate labyrinth with countless branches, like a network of rat warrens.

It was generally divided into three types of passages: main tunnels with an arched structure; wide, irregularly shaped branches; and secret passages, chaotically dug through the no-man's-land of the sewers.

The main tunnels were the safest, but they only existed around Midnight and a few other stations. The branches were the most extensive, their network stretching throughout the Gloom Wastes, from the upper to the lower levels, with the upper levels being relatively safe. The secret passages were everywhere: some connected main tunnels and branches, while others led to dead ends that had become anomaly lairs. Stumbling into such a place usually meant certain death.

Beyond these three types, there were also "false sewers."

False sewers could be a single anomaly or an entire group of them. They disguised themselves as main tunnels or branches—most often branches—and devoured anyone who entered.

In the tangled, multi-leveled system of the Old Sewer, they were extremely difficult to identify. Only those who lived permanently in a specific area could navigate the underground without getting lost.

— Over there is a secret passage that serves as someone's lair, — said Prusius, who was running on all fours beside Lu Li, gesturing to the left with his snout.

A cave encrusted with fluorite branched off from the main tunnel and snaked into the depths. Near the entrance stood a wooden sign: "The Wishing Cave."

A creature composed of two fused lower bodies shuffled past the sign. "The Wishing Cave" placard fell, revealing another sign hidden behind it.

"Dangerous Anomaly Lair, No Entry!"

— Are we taking the main tunnel straight to Midnight? — Katerina asked.

— We can't. The main tunnel from the City of Phantoms station is very short. To get to Midnight Central Station, we'll have to take a long branch.

— The branches aren't safe... — Katerina frowned.

— It's not that bad, really. The powerful anomaly families that control the branches usually don't like anyone disturbing the peace in their territory, — Prusius said. — First, we'll find Mac-Mac, and then we'll head to Midnight Central Station together.

His snout suddenly drooped.

— And tell him about Daisy's death...

— Mac-Mac? — Katerina asked.

Prusius lifted his snout proudly. — A member of my young pathfinders team. He's a squirrel, our main source of information. He's probably at the tavern right now, gathering intel.

"The Safe Tavern."

After walking about a hundred meters down the main tunnel, they saw a sign made of glowing powder hanging over the door of a two-story shack.

— There it is!

Led by Prusius, Lu Li and Katerina entered the underground tavern, which seemed to have some connection to the "Good Cape" tavern.

The air in the tavern was thick with the aromas of alcohol and food, mixed with the stench of dead rats. It was lit only by fluorite lamps, making it even darker than the tunnel outside, but it had a unique atmosphere.

Through the cracks in the shack's wooden walls, they could see shadows passing by outside.

There were quite a few patrons, many of them hunters in leather armor, just like Katerina.

But their armor was darker, caked with dried, blackish-brown blood, and the looks they gave Lu Li and his companions were full of appraisal... and greed.

Prusius walked ahead, his tail tucked between his legs. The bartender, who was wiping stone mugs, leaned out from behind the counter and greeted him mockingly, — Well, look who it is! Our little man has arrived!

The patrons laughed.

— I'm here for Mac-Mac, — Prusius said timidly, approaching the counter and lifting his snout.

— Of course, but you know what you have to do.

— Yes, I know.

Prusius backed away from the counter, asking Lu Li and Katerina to wait, then leaped onto a wooden stool and from there onto a table.

The patrons helpfully raised their mugs, clearing the stage for Prusius.

Prusius raised his front paws and, standing on his hind legs, began to sing in a thin, child-like voice: — When we see flowers, we sing aloud; when we see our loved ones, we whisper low; when we see our enemies, we roar with might;

He tried to mimic the dance of a stage actor, but his hyena-like body made the performance rather comical.

However, his gentle voice softened the impression.

— When danger approaches from afar, don't let the wreath on your beloved's brow fall into blood, raise your swords and protect our home.

When the song ended, the tavern filled with the stomping of feet, the banging of tables, and the roars of monsters.

Prusius gave a human-like bow to the "audience," hopped off the table, and returned to the counter.

— Better than last time, — the bartender said, setting down a stone mug. — He's upstairs.

— I'll go get Mac-Mac, — Prusius said to Lu Li before scurrying up the wooden staircase and disappearing onto the second floor.

— What can I get for you? — the bartender asked Lu Li and Katerina. He only had half a nose and mouth, but he seemed to be studying them intently.

— Nothing, — Katerina replied coldly.

The bartender said nothing and turned away.

The tavern grew noisy again. While they waited for Prusius to return, Lu Li asked, — Who are the curse hunters?

— Living dead... — Katerina whispered. — Poisonous insects and curses are their constant companions. All I know is that they're extremely dangerous and wield terrifying curses.

Just then, a scream echoed from upstairs.

It was Prusius's voice.

Something's happened.

Katerina pressed a palm to her eyes. — We should leave...

She didn't finish. The moment he heard the scream, Lu Li was already heading up the stairs.