The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 801: The Secret Escape

Vinnelag, shrouded in the anomalous fog, was silent.

Lu Li and his companions waited in the hospital room.

The timing wasn't right. The anomalous fog was dangerous, especially for Lu Li.

They needed to act closer to dawn.

The creatures in the fog would dwindle, and the guards watching the hospital would grow less vigilant.

Katerina and Barry rested, leaning back in their chairs. Time passed, and the hands of the grandfather clock in the corner aligned at the bottom.

In the Old Era, even in winter, this would have been morning, but now it was still the dead of night. Only around seven o'clock would it be possible to see without a kerosene lamp.

Still, it was time for them to prepare to leave.

The doctor, who checked on them hourly, knocked on the door again, reeking of disinfectant. Lu Li told him they were going to rest and didn't need any more check-ups until morning, and also asked for the guards at the door to be removed.

“Very well, Exorcist. You’re recovering remarkably fast.”The doctor inspected Lu Li's wound with a respectful tone and then left the room.

Click.

The door closed. Katerina walked over and bolted it shut.

Barry picked up the suitcase himself.

“Not yet. Let’s wait a little longer,” Katerina said, glancing from Lu Li to Barry.

“The exorcist said not to disturb him again...”

In the director's office, on the same floor as the hospital room, the doctor recounted his conversation with Lu Li before leaving.

“Mr. Lu Li must be tired,” the mayor’s assistant yawned. He hadn’t slept all day.

Mayor Matteus, who also hadn't slept, took a sip of warm coffee:

“Perhaps he’s noticed we’re watching him. How long until dawn?”

“Less than an hour and a half.”

“Then we’ll pay him a visit then. For now, have the guards on this floor pull back,” Mayor Matteus said, still a little uneasy.

“There are guards on the top floor of the Bronte department store, correct? Have someone get into a room and watch the ward from the window. No need for reports every ten minutes... I’ll go myself.”

Mayor Matteus stood up, waited for his assistant to drape a coat over his shoulders, and walked out of the office.

Rustle—

He tightened his tie and raised his shirt collar to hide the bandage on his neck, leaving only the edge visible.

Lu Li got out of bed and adjusted the blanket. Katerina thought he was going to fold it, but instead, he messed it up even more, then stuffed a pillow underneath to create a silhouette. Next, he moved the coat rack from behind the door to the window and draped a sheet over it.

It looked absurd up close, but from the outside, seen through the curtains, it would look like a person was standing by the window.

“What are you doing?”

Katerina didn't understand.

Prusius felt a sense of familiarity. He was sure he’d read about something like this in a book!

“If they’re watching, this might buy us some time,” Lu Li replied.

“Aren’t we waiting for the Merchant?” Barry asked innocently, showing no concern that the Merchant might act as he had before.

It was strange that the Merchant from the In-Between despised Barry, but fortunately, Barry held no ill will toward him and didn't escalate the conflict.

“He’ll find us,” Lu Li said, walking to the door and undoing the bolt.

“I never thought such a respected exorcist would have to resort to this sort of thing...” Katerina muttered in annoyance before opening the door.

“We’re going to sneak out!”

The Elder Sister, the only one excited, loved this game.

Creak—

The creak of the opening door echoed far into the silence.

Dim light spilled from the ceiling lamps. The hallway was empty: no patients, no doctors, no guards.

Lu Li and his companions moved silently down the disinfectant-scented corridor, where the slightest rustle would have echoed.

They reached the stairs at the end of the hall, but their progress wasn't smooth from there. After descending to the second floor, they stopped short. There were guards below. The guards had only left the third floor; they hadn't left the hospital.

“Where do we go?” Katerina whispered.

The Weinstein Hospital had another staircase, but it was likely guarded as well.

“Through a window.”

Abandoning the idea of trying their luck with the other staircase, they returned to the corridor, trying the doors to the rooms one by one. Finding an unlocked one, they pushed it open and slipped inside.

A young woman sat by the headboard, calmly turning the pages of a book. An elderly maid slept beside her.

The sudden intrusion of strangers startled her. She cried out and raised the book to cover her face, only her clear eyes visible.

The cover read: "The Last Exorcist".

The fear in the young woman's wide eyes suddenly gave way to surprise. She looked at Lu Li, then glanced down at the book in her hands, and suddenly grew excited.

Katerina guessed the book might be about Lu Li's story and said quietly:

“Can you keep a secret?”

The elderly maid didn't wake. The young woman nodded hastily.

Opening the window, a cold night wind billowed the curtains. Katerina jumped down, holding Prusius by the scruff of his neck. Barry tossed the suitcase down to Katerina, who caught it, then climbed onto the windowsill and jumped himself.

“If they ask, you can tell them,” Lu Li said, turning his head to the young woman, whose eyes were shining. He jumped down as she let out a gasp of surprise.

“Ugh...”

A low groan sounded nearby as the awakened maid slowly opened her eyes.

“Miss...”

She raised her head and looked at the young woman, who quickly lowered her gaze, pretending to read her book. The maid then glanced at the window in confusion:

“Why is the window open...”

Below, outside Weinstein Hospital, Lu Li and the others emerged from a fake flowerbed made of colored dyes.

The dyes had long since dried, so they didn't have to worry about staining their clothes.

Bypassing the stationed guards, they slipped silently onto the deserted, fog-shrouded street.

“This is the way to the port.” Katerina turned to Lu Li, who was holding the kerosene lamp.

“Are we leaving on the big ship?”

On the deserted street, only the streetlamps cast a dim glow, and the surrounding fog made her uneasy, as if something were watching them.

“He needs to stay for repairs,” Lu Li said.

“We’ll say goodbye to him, and then we’ll leave.”

Leaving without saying goodbye could lead to some problems.

“Alright...”

Though Katerina usually sensed a strong aura of the Old Era from Lu Li, sometimes she felt he was more like a person of this age than she was—like right now.

Even she found it hard to see inanimate objects as ‘beings one could talk to.’

After half an hour, they reached the port. The sky seemed a little brighter than before, or perhaps it was just an illusion. Ahead, the massive shadow of a shipyard loomed out of the fog.

No one was guarding it, nor was there any need. Lu Li and his companions entered the shipyard without any trouble.

Lu Li approached the large ship and told him their plans: he simply needed to stay here and wait for their return.

After a short wait, the Elder Sister in his hood raised her hands and exclaimed:

“It agreed!”

As soon as she spoke, a sudden clamor erupted from beyond the shipyard gates.

They couldn’t see the guards, but the sounds of heavy footsteps and clanking armor carried through the fog, along with a hazy flame that stained the mist red.

“They’ve found us, damn it!” Katerina whispered.

“So fast!” Prusius exclaimed.

So little time had passed since they left, yet they had already been discovered and tracked here.

Getting caught by the guards wouldn’t be a disaster, but it would be much harder to leave afterward.

Just then, Barry suddenly said:

“I can distract them.”