The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 755: The Escape

"Is she dead?" Katerina asked.

"Long dead," Lu Li answered.

All that remained was a wandering remnant of consciousness, which, upon meeting a traveler who could share some "fuel," had spawned a seed to continue its line and compelled its remains to fulfill a promise.

A boat was approaching the island. Katerina suddenly rubbed her arms, which were covered in goosebumps. "I have a bad feeling... We'd better get out of here, fast."

Lu Li lowered his hood and surveyed the swamp. After Model's disappearance into the mire, he felt a rising wave of hostility.

The boat docked at the shore. The timid Prusius, barely stepping onto the rocking little vessel, hastily told the boat their destination, and it slowly pushed off.

The old woman, seeing their approach, began to dissolve into the air.

The girl in the white dress, drawn by the sight of Lu Li without his hood, stared greedily at his face. "I love you! Stay, no one will be able to hurt you..."

The creatures with human heads no longer tried to feign humanity. They crowded the shore, their eyes fixed on Lu Li, full of desire.

Or, more precisely, a desire for his head."You'd better put your hood back on," Katerina said with a smirk, sensing that the danger had passed.

Lu Li remained silent, staring intently at the island with the hut in the center of the swamp. It was the very same island where Model had been.

Lu Li could feel that the source of the hostility was coming from the hut itself.

A sinister creak echoed out. The elongated wooden hut continued to stretch, its walls pulling apart like flattened dough, revealing a fibrous texture.

As the boat drifted past the island, they saw a terrifying darkness stirring behind the cracking planks.

With a piercing groan, the stretched hut finally burst. The roof shot a hundred meters upward, slammed against the rock face, and crashed back down onto the island. Blood gushed from the splintered walls, soaking into the black mud.

Freed from the ruptured hut, a creature furiously lunged at its remains, tearing and devouring them.

The creature's form was severely disfigured, its body covered in yellowish gastric acid. Long limbs were attached to a massive body that was even larger than the hut itself.

No one doubted its connection to Model.

No one doubted its hatred for Lu Li and his companions.

After tearing the hut to shreds, the anomaly sharply turned its hideous, acid-eaten face toward the retreating boat. Its deep-set eyes blazed with hatred.

Having found its daughter's killers, the anomaly threw back its head and let out a roar that shook the cave walls and sent stones tumbling down.

A rockfall began in the swamp cave; dust and debris rained into the water, sending up fountains of spray.

The anomalies of the swamp channels scattered. The creatures waiting at the entrance turned and fled. The girl in the white dress, pulling her body—which resembled a cluster of seashells—from the mud, hastily crawled away, her tentacles writhing. The creatures with human heads scurried about the island, trembling in fear.

The anomaly stepped into the swamp. Instantly, the surrounding mud churned, and countless silt-covered limbs wrapped around its legs.

The swamp, capable of easily swallowing an ordinary anomaly, couldn't handle such an enormous creature. Most of its body remained above the surface. Other than slowing it down, the swamp's inhabitants couldn't harm it.

"What is that?!" Katerina exclaimed in horror, staring at the monster pursuing them.

"I don't know!" Prusius stammered, trembling all over as he cowered at the bottom of the boat.

"Elder Sister, do you know?" Lu Li asked.

Hearing his call, Elder Sister scrambled onto Lu Li's shoulder and shrieked, "How did you manage to enrage such a monster?!"

"I'm not helping you!" With those words, Elder Sister vanished again.

Lu Li looked at the anomaly, which was several times larger and more terrifying than Model. If he still had The Atonement, they could have at least slowed it down.

Fortunately, the swamp dwellers slowed the anomaly enough that it couldn't catch up to the boat.

The boat hit the shore with a dull thud. Lu Li and his companions leaped onto dry land, leaving the swamp channel behind.

"Run. It's still after us," Lu Li said calmly as Katerina breathed a sigh of relief.

Its malice could still be felt; it hadn't dissipated.

They kept running. The inhabitants of the channel watched the three fleeing figures. Soon, they understood the reason for their flight.

The hideous face appeared at the edge of the channel and squeezed through.

Now they, too, started to run.

The anomaly, compressing its body, crawled along the wall in pursuit. Everything in its path was reduced to ruins.

Katerina glanced back and saw the creatures scattering in all directions, like frightened people, making way for the enormous anomaly crawling through the channel.

"Damn it, Model was killed by the tree and that thing from the swamp, so why is it chasing us?!" Katerina swore, panting as she ran beside Lu Li.

Getting no answer, they ran out of the channel leading from the swamp and darted into the next one.

Thanks to the other fugitives, they didn't stand out as much—except for the massive anomaly hot on their heels.

Emerging from that channel, they found the entrance to the next one blocked.

"Get out of here, you troublemakers! You're not welcome here!" A dozen charred human figures barred their way, preventing them from entering their territory.

They realized the charred figures had figured out that the pursuing anomaly was targeting them specifically.

Fortunately, it was a crossroads, and they had another path.

They turned right. After running only a few dozen meters, they heard a crash behind them.

The anomaly's massive body was stuck at the intersection; writhing, it turned in their direction.

Katerina suddenly realized that the channels could only slow it down, not stop it. Not unless they hid in a narrow, dark passage—but such passages usually led to dead ends or were swarming with dangerous anomalies.

"What do we do...?" Katerina asked Lu Li, hoping he had a plan.

Her strength was failing.

"If we can get to the Central Station of Midnight, we'll be safe!" Prusius shouted, running behind them.

"Is it far?" Katerina asked hopefully.

"Less than... less than sixty kilometers to go!"

"Idiot..." Katerina hissed through clenched teeth.

"We... we can go through a wormhole!" Prusius yelled again.

"What's that?" Lu Li's breathing had also become ragged.

"They're... huge worms, several kilometers long. They can take us to the other side quickly!"

"Lead the way," Lu Li said.

"Follow me!" Prusius picked up his pace and ran ahead.

The wormhole was in an adjacent channel, in an offshoot that looked like a dark passage. At its end, a gigantic worm was visible, blocking the entire path.

"We have to eat a yellow plum stalk, or it'll digest us!" Prusius shouted.

In front of the worm, several creatures were selling the yellow plum stalks. Noticing the approaching anomaly, they hastily ate a stalk each, grabbed the rest of their merchandise, and jumped into the worm's mouth.

A few yellow plum stalks fell to the ground and were scooped up by other fugitives.

Lu Li and his companions managed to grab a few stalks. Just as they were about to eat them, Katerina suddenly stopped Lu Li and, looking nervously at Prusius, demanded, "Are there any side effects?!"

"...You'll get really thirsty!" Prusius answered hastily.

"What about contamination?"

"No... no contamination! This worm is an offshoot of the Eye-Worm!"

Without further hesitation, they ate the sour yellow plum stalks and approached the worm.

Lu Li, bringing up the rear, glanced back at the roaring, hideous face and leaped into the worm's mouth.