Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 139 - 139 One hundred and thirty-nine

139: One hundred and thirty-nine.

What should we do then?

139: One hundred and thirty-nine.

What should we do then?

“`

Footsteps lingered at the door before walking away.

Lu Li continued to ponder the enigma he had just encountered.

During the self-introduction in the first class, Lu Li had taken note of all the students’ names, including hers.

Her name was Chen Rong; her cause of death was being harmed by a villain, leading to the failure of all her organs.

Being harmed by a villain and organ failure are inherently unrelated causes and effects unless there is missing information, such as: being harmed by evildoers and then exposed to radiation, resulting in organ failure and death.

But if that were the case, she could have been more explicit in her explanation.

Could it be that her physical condition didn’t allow her to speak too much?

So far, her physical condition did indeed appear to be extremely poor—but this was predicated on the absence of the blood-red tentacles.

The appearance of blood-red tentacles meant that Lu Li could incorporate conspiracy theories into the mix, overinterpreting the incident.

Lu Li reorganized the accounts of the few lunatics from the Sixth Psychiatric Hospital:

The Fake Foreign Devil Richard Li was the instigator, with the original object in his possession.

He hid the object in the surgery room’s cavity during a certain period.

Afterward, the Sixth Psychiatric Hospital went bankrupt and was abandoned.

For some reason, the critically ill patients on the underground floor were forgotten or intentionally left behind by the staff.

A fire then broke out, and nobody survived except for Richard Li.

However, three of the patients turned into ghosts: the fatso Qiu Dehua, the thousand-eyed monster A Yong, and the unmasked Lu Wenjian.

It’s possible that the Sixth Psychiatric Hospital was secretly conducting some experiment.

The diary supported this theory in some aspects.

Otherwise, it would be very odd for a psychiatric hospital to have an underground facility and a surgical room.

Richard Li claimed to be a patient, and indeed his name was in the patient records, but Lu Li didn’t think it was that simple.

In any case, Richard Li found these three ghosts and enticed them to join him with promises of resurrection; he then presented the original object, allowing each ghost to take away a part from it.

The fatso Qiu Dehua took the flesh, the thousand-eyed monster A Yong dug out the eyeballs, and Lu Wenjian tore off the tentacles of the original object.

Richard Li’s method for making them human was “replacement”.

They captured passersby as hosts, allowing the three ghosts to enter and consume their targets from within, assimilating and eventually replacing them, thus gaining all of the hosts’ memories.

The thousand-eyed monster A Yong and Lu Wenjian successfully underwent the replacement and gained new lives.

Fatso Qiu Dehua was less fortunate; his target was Lu Li, resulting in his body getting blown to bits.

Seeing things go awry, Richard Li fled.

A Yong was found the next day and sent for exorcism; there was certainty that these two were thoroughly dead.

Lu Wenjian reacted quickly and escaped before Lu Li could arrive at his residence.

The instigator Richard Li also fled, but he slipped into the police station and took the original object that was being held as evidence.

Then the remnants of the Sixth Psychiatric Hospital disappeared without a trace and were no longer seen.

Connecting the causes and effects clarified the situation.

The blood-red tentacles on Chen Rong came from either Lu Wenjian or Richard Li; her body had been invaded by the original object while she was alive, leading to the failure of all her organs.

She didn’t even know who was responsible, dying in confusion from organ failure, turning into a ghost, and then being caught by a Taoist priest from Jinlongyu Taoist Temple and brought here for trials.

Chen Rong…

was a test subject.

It’s obvious that the patients have not ceased their activities and are still carrying out experiments.

Chen Rong was just one of the victims.

“Did you figure out the origin of the tentacles?”

“Hmm.”

Lu Li nodded, considering there might be some loopholes in his inference but the conclusion was beyond doubt.

“I’ll tell you when we get back.”

To avoid eavesdropping, Lu Li did not reveal the answer.

After being with Lu Li for so long, even the most impatient person would have calmed down by now.

Yang Chunxue suppressed her curiosity, “Roar.

It seems that no ghosts are coming here anymore, shall I lure some?”

“No need.

We are in someone else’s formation, and we can’t be sure whether they have any means to detect us, so just to be safe—”

“Alright, alright.” Yang Chunxue understood the rest without him having to say it, showing a face full of regret, “Such a waste of a good gossip material.”

She looked at Lu Li and saw that he still wore a thoughtful expression.

Regrettably, she couldn’t discern any thoughts on Lu Li’s indifferent face.

“Still thinking about this matter?”

“`

“Mm.” Lu Li murmured softly.

The last time they escaped, Lu Li had no resources to find them and could only remind Officer Wen to be aware of them before letting it go.

This time, coming across them again, he had no reason not to care.

It was not only due to the responsibility that came with his identity as a Ghost Envoy, but also his sense of justice.

Of course, all this was based on the premise that Lu Li could defeat them.

And before that, Lu Li had to address the potential dangers and troubles brought by the door.

“I don’t know anything, so I can’t offer any help,” Yang Chunxue said as she spread her hands and floated to sit on an empty bed.

“What are we going to do now?

Shall we go out, visit around, and say hello?”

Lu Li came back to his senses, “It’s me, not us.”

…

Thump thump bam!

Clear knocking sounds arose from a room diagonally opposite.

“Who is it?”

Seconds passed, and a voice from behind the door questioned.

Standing outside the door, Lu Li’s face was expressionless as he spoke calmly, “Excuse me, are you a contestant?

I am a contestant, and the three entities in my room are ghosts.

I am terrified.

May I take refuge here with you for a while?”

Footsteps approached from behind the door, and with a “click,” the door swung open.

A Water Ghost stood behind it, eyeing Lu Li curiously, “What did you say?”

“I said.” Lu Li paused, took a deep breath, and recited fluently, “Excuse me, are you a contestant?

I am a contestant, and the three entities in my room are ghosts.

I am terrified.

May I take refuge here with you for a while?”

The quizzical look on the Water Ghost’s face intensified, so much so that he didn’t immediately let Lu Li in.

Instead, he turned to make eye contact with a Ghost Creature room partner who hadn’t slept yet.

They exchanged glances and emitted a dirty laugh, with greedy and lustful expressions emerging on their faces.

“Of course, of course, that’s fine, we are also contestants.

I’ve just taken a bath…

Anyway, come in quickly!”

The Water Ghost enthusiastically welcomed Lu Li inside and hurried to close the door behind them.

“Are they asleep?”

Lu Li looked towards the two shadows lying on their respective beds.

As his words ended, one of the figures sat up.

The Water Ghost stepped beside Lu Li, his damp arm wrapping around Lu Li’s shoulder as he sneered with ill intent, “He is deaf, he can’t hear the sound.

Unless you go and remind him.”

“That’s good.”

Lu Li nodded and ignored the other two Ghost Creatures that were closing in on him.

A mass killing could easily draw attention; he needed a ghost to take the fall for him.

This ghost who had poor hearing and was sleeping was the perfect candidate.

“Who makes a move first, you or I?” Lu Li surveyed the room, addressing the three Ghost Creatures.

“What?”

…

Three minutes later, the room door creaked open.

Lu Li stepped out into the hallway and turned back to speak politely, “Excuse my frankness, but among you, there are two ghosts.

Please take care of yourselves.

I’m going to seek refuge in another dormitory.”

Click.

The door closed, and Lu Li turned to walk into the dimly lit hallway, his figure gradually disappearing.

Thump thump bam…

At a certain moment, faint knocking sounds echoed through the hallway.