Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 142 - 142 142

142: 142.

I heard you (end) 142: 142.

I heard you (end) Lu Li looked toward the four corners of the bathroom, his eyebrows deeply furrowed.

There was actually a hidden camera in the bathroom…

Of course, the bathroom would have a camera.

As a hotspot for supernatural incidents, nine out of ten ghosts would choose it as their crime scene; it was only natural for the bathroom to be under surveillance.

All his efforts were almost wasted…

Lu Li thought to himself.

He had already taken several bites of the bread—making him spit it out was impossible, so there was only one option left: swallow all the bread before its owner realized.

Confident that the Jinlongyu Taoist temple would not attack him, Lu Li made his decision.

At that moment, the second three-minute interval arrived.

The faint sound of footsteps near the stairs reached his ears.

Lu Li turned around, raised his hand to close the compartment door hiding a corpse, and hid behind the wall, waiting for the footsteps to approach.

Soon after, a second figure appeared at the doorway.

The fish had taken the bait.

It entered the bathroom with a sinister smile, the sound of the door being kicked echoed.

People always make the same mistake, and so do ghosts.

It wasn’t until the ghost kicked open the fourth stall door and saw its kin’s limp body inside that a sense of unease and danger arose in its mind.

Without a second thought, it turned and ran.

But it was still a step too slow.

In the dim, empty corridor, a figure suddenly rushed out of the bathroom door.

Just as it was about to run out of the bathroom, an arm reached out from behind the door, grabbed its clothes, and yanked it back behind the door.

“Don’t!

I’m sorry please no—”

The scream lasted for several seconds and then abruptly stopped.

The corridor returned to calm, only for the unsettling sound of dragging to emerge from the bathroom a dozen seconds later.

Another dozen seconds later, a figure walked out of the bathroom.

Lu Li stood on the boundary between light and darkness, his face hidden in the shadows.

He straightened his collar and walked towards the stairs.

The third three-minute interval arrived shortly after.

The ghosts in the classroom had heard the scream, which made them even more anxious—it meant that one of their prey was gone.

As soon as the time was up, the next ghost rushed out of the classroom and ran towards the second floor where the scream had come from.

Before the staircase leading to the second floor, there was a shadowy corridor untouched by light.

Darkness roamed this corridor, too dense to dissipate.

The ghost, oblivious, ran through this dark passage and plunged into the darkness.

The sound of footsteps suddenly disappeared the moment it entered the darkness, vanishing without a trace.

Drip—drip—

A figure stepped out from the shadows, a pink pajamas-wearing ghost girl floating behind him.

“Start the attack, let’s catch them all at once.”

Outside the classroom, Lu Li tilted his head and said.

“Watch my strongest strike.”

Chunxue, who had taken the path of special effects with no return, responded, her form fluttering upwards, her aura agitated, her hair flying about.

Pieces of aura in the shape of kitchen knives emerged from the void behind her.

“King’s treasure, strike!”

In an instant, countless marks were left in the air, hundreds of aura kitchen knives shot forth like a fierce storm, pierced through walls, left dense holes, and traces flew into the classroom.

Screams and howls echoed through the holes to the corridor, the presence in the classroom visibly dwindled.

Chunxue, like a young robust man entering a nursing home, completely overwhelmed them with the enormous gap in strength.

The storm-like attack lasted for a few seconds and then abruptly ceased.

“I’m out of power!”

Chunxue, who could be powered for a day and turned on for a second, shouted loudly and slipped back into Ghost Envoy Manual to recharge.

By that time, the battle was nearly over, and only one aura remained in the classroom.

Lu Li walked past the riddled walls and gently pushed the door open.

“It’s you…”

The corpulent figure on the podium suddenly lifted its head, showing several scars on its chest.

“This isn’t according to the rules!”

The manager seemed to know a lot of inside information, it roared ferociously, “Your task is to survive till ‘The period of the day from 11 p.m.

to 1 a.m.’!”

“Sending all the ghosts into salvation ensures we can survive till ‘The period of the day from 11 p.m.

to 1 a.m.’ easily,” Lu Li walked into the room, looking around at the debris

“This isn’t fair!

This is just a trial, we cannot kill you, but you can—”

“It is a bit unfair, you want to kill me, and I just want to send you to salvation,” Lu Li interrupted him, stepping toward the podium.

Aura filled his arms.

“Any last words?”

The manager suddenly looked older, balanced himself with difficulty, and gave a bitter smile “Well, to be relieved is perhaps for the best.

Did you know that in my lifetime I was—”

His eyes widened, he lifted his head, and stared at Lu Li, who had suddenly attacked him.

Thud—

The last ghost was dealt with.

Thirty brand-new entries quietly lay inside the Ghost Envoy Manual.

Buzz—

Suddenly, the scene before Lu Li blurred, he turned back to look, the classroom was still in ruins, but all the ghosts’ bodies had disappeared.

His fingers twitched slightly, touching the sheath of his sword.

Everything returned to reality, the Illusion Array had been deactivated.

With all the ghosts resolved, there was no need to continue the trial.

Gazing outside, the sky remained overcast.

The thick fog had dispersed, revealing a stretch of low-lying woods in the distance.

There were still three contestants hiding somewhere, but Lu Li didn’t bother with them and walked out of the school alone.

“To complete the trial, you killed all the ghosts that Jinlongyu Taoist temple took three years to capture!”

A thunderous roar erupted from ahead, as a towering figure, over two meters tall and bristling with muscle… The Daoist charged towards him head-on.

“You…!”

He strode towards Lu Li, dust billowing behind him.

“It really is…!”

Fury propelled him forward, his presence overwhelming.

“Well done…!”

The Daoist reached Lu Li, his massive, calloused hand swinging towards him, stirring up the wind as it moved.

“Brilliant!”

Bang!

A hand as large as a fan slapped onto Lu Li’s shoulder, and the robust Daoist burst into laughter.

“You’ve passed, now I’ll take you back to the temple!”

He clasped Lu Li, who was slightly smaller than him, and said to the juniors hurrying after him, “There are a few more kids hiding inside the building, find them, and bring them out.”

Lu Li struggled briefly, was unable to break free, and gave up resisting.

He lowered his head and noticed a torn piece of paper buried in the sand at his feet, with several lines of text on it.

Lu Li glanced at it hurriedly, but it left a profound impression.

[This message could appear anywhere you see.

If you’re reading this, then everything you’re currently experiencing is not real.

Your mental and physical state are in poor condition, please wake up soon.]

[Do not be deceived by everything you’ve fabricated, please wake up soon!]

Pulled by the robust Daoist, Lu Li moved further from the note until it was out of sight, disappearing into the distance covered by yellow soil.

Lu Li silently withdrew his gaze and followed the Daoist away from the back mountain.

They didn’t head to the grand hall of Jinlongyu Taoist temple

as per the robust Daoist’s words, the place was currently…

quite chaotic.

Lu Li might end up being surrounded, attacked, or robbed if he went there.

Everyone was quite curious to meet this legendary figure who had eliminated all the ghosts during the trial.

The robust Daoist temporarily settled Lu Li in a guest room at Jinlongyu Taoist temple.

There was no melodramatic demand for Lu Li to “pay a price,” except for some Daoists’ meaningful glances and sneaky photography hidden in the corners, the atmosphere was relatively friendly.

A night passed.

The next morning dawned.

The ringing of his cell phone woke Lu Li.

The sky outside was turning white, still without the sun in sight.

Lu Li withdrew his gaze and answered the phone.

“Da—da—da—”

Dull, steady footsteps emanated from the phone.

A hard-to-describe chill spread around, hinting at ominousness and malice

Lu Li realized something, his drowsiness vanished, and he held the phone in silence.

“Da—da—da—”

The footsteps moved, and the background filled with the noise of loud conversations.

It wasn’t creepy whispers or terrifyingly secretive murmurs but sounded like people talking on the streets, in the markets, or in the parks.

Lu Li pursed his lips and listened quietly.

Something seemed off this time.

“Da—da—da—”

The background noises changed with the moving footsteps.

A flood of chaotic sounds poured into the earpiece: car horns, loudspeakers, children running, passersby talking, shop music…

This clamor lasted a few minutes and suddenly ceased altogether.

Except for the footsteps.

The footsteps now carried an echo, as if they had entered a confined space.

“Da—da—”

In this quiet, the rhythm of the still unchanging footsteps came to a halt.

“…return…TV…watch…”

Muffled voices spoke through walls from the phone.

Lu Li’s hand unconsciously clenched, his knuckles whitening.

He had a vague realization of something.

“Da—da—da—”

The briefly paused footsteps resumed, followed by suddenly clear background sounds.

“Should we change locations to hang?”

“Let’s not, it’s not good to be caught coming back.

By the way, when is big brother coming back?”

“I don’t know, do you, Miss Kong Nanqing?”

Familiar voices transmitted through the phone, and Lu Li listened silently.

Da—da—da—

The footsteps continued, the voices growing nearer, as if only separated by a few meters.

The door hit the Detective Agency while Lu Li was away, and everyone there was oblivious to it.

“Why am I suddenly getting goosebumps…?” Shen Yuqiao’s muttering was clearly audible.

Lu Li closed his eyes, and the next second, eyes as deep as the abyss opened.

He exhaled a breath of stale air and spoke to the person on the other end of the phone.

“This is Lu Li.”

[Stage One: Incubation Phase (Complete)]