Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 291 - 291 148

291: 148.

Lu Li’s Letter 291: 148.

Lu Li’s Letter The flickering flames cast bright light within the wind-shielded area.

The dry rock walls and sand were baked warm, driving away the chill of the gloomy night.

The wailing of the sea breeze, the sound of waves slapping the beach, and the crackling of branches in the fire mingled together into a symphony by the seaside.

Lu Li leaned back in the innermost part of the wind-shielded area, with clothing, two Spirit-Calling Guns, a stone shard, amulets, a Sanity Value Counter, a can of pork, and a jar of water—these were all his current possessions.

The pocket watch had disappeared without a trace, unknown if it had fallen while swimming towards the island or vanished in the moment he jumped off the ship.

Lu Li, holding a Spirit-Calling Gun wrapped in a holster to block negative effects, slowly cleaned the mud and sand off its exterior.

It was the only thing he could do at the moment.

Next to the fire, the can on the stone started to bubble.

Lu Li, without pausing his motions, waited for the water to boil for a minute before taking it from the fire and placing it in a sandpit covered with the stone shard.

He wasn’t very thirsty at the moment.

He occasionally added a piece of wood to the fire, and time ticked by, second by second.

Click—Click—Click—

An hour after nightfall, a slow, persistent sound suddenly emerged in the warm, wind-protected area, almost imperceptible in the symphony.

Lu Li’s dark eyes narrowed as he looked up at the gap and grasped the handle of the Spirit-Calling Gun.

Click—Click—Click—

After a long dozen seconds, a shadow stretched into the recess from above the lounge chair.

It was in the shape of a hand, but more slender and sharp, almost as wide as a palm but nearly twice as long, like a stretched, narrow shadow.

In fact, it was indeed just a shadow.

An evil spirit, the Shadow Thief of Fire.

The sharp claw-like shadow moved along the surface of objects; it slid down from the lounge chair, clawing over the undulating sand toward the bright source—its target was the fire.

Lu Li did not draw out the Spirit-Calling Gun; he gripped its handle, along with the holster, and slammed it down on the Shadow Thief of Fire reaching for the fire.

Whack—

A depression was left in the sand, and the struck Shadow Thief of Fire quickly recoiled and vanished into the darkness beyond the lounge chair.

Just like the Seeker had said, the Shadow Thief of Fire was easy to deal with, as long as it was detected before it extinguished the flames, it posed no significant threat.

This was Lu Li’s first direct encounter with an evil spirit, and he was relieved to already know the ritual of this particular one, which was also easy to handle.

Click—Click—Click—

But the Sanity Value Counter hadn’t disappeared yet.

Half a minute later, the Shadow Thief of Fire returned, crawling over the lounge chair just like the first time, reaching for the fire.

Thump—

The Shadow Thief of Fire recoiled back into the darkness, startled.

This calmness lasted only half a minute before the rich black fingertips emerged again.

The Shadow Thief of Fire persisted, reappearing every half minute after being pushed back, and Lu Li repelled it time and time again, all the while keeping an eye on the intervals between the Counter’s noises, preventing the emergence of other evil spirits.

In the meantime, Lu Li threw the Spirit-Calling Gun, attempting to injure the Shadow Thief of Fire, but to no effect.

Half a minute later, the Shadow Thief of Fire once again crawled into the wind-shielded area.

This repeating stalemate lasted for a good ten minutes until, just as Lu Li repelled the Shadow Thief of Fire again and thought it would invade endlessly, the clicking sound of the Counter stopped, followed by a return to tranquility in the wind-protected area.

The Shadow Thief of Fire had departed.

Lu Li’s body relaxed slightly, then tensed up again in an instant.

He heard the sound of sand being stepped on outside the windbreak, coming from the beach.

As night fell, some hidden, dreadful entities began to awaken.

The slow movements approached from afar, becoming clearer, and finally came to a halt behind the sun lounger, carrying an indescribable sinister intent.

Lu Li fixed his gaze on the gap above the sun lounger, his hand almost drawing the Spirit-Calling Gun.

He didn’t take the initiative to attack because the Sanity Value Counter hadn’t registered any activity yet.

Was it an illusion, or—

Just as this thought emerged, a line of text appeared on the fabric of the sun lounger.

[Anna, if you receive this letter, it means that my situation is tricky or I’m already dead.]

Blunt and unadorned, this was the letter Lu Li had left for Anna.

He had entrusted the letter to Tesla.

If he didn’t return within three days, this letter would be delivered to the Detective Agency.

Not many people knew about the existence of the letter, and only Anna, after three days, would know its content—unless Tesla decided to open it.

But that was impossible.

The only ones who could know the content of the letter were an omniscient and omnipotent being, or an existence that was omniscient and omnipotent with respect to Lu Li, such as a certain “door.”

The Shadow Thief of Fire had just left, and now the “door” was adding to the commotion.

The ink of the old text faded away, as new words emerged, still from the contents of the letter.

[This case is about investigating the birthplace of a hurricane, which is only 100 nautical miles from Belfast.

Receiving this letter means my conjecture is almost correct: something in the deep sea is accelerating its spread to the land.]

[Plus, Tillage Garden has lost contact with the entire continent, which is turning very bleak.

But as a ghost, you should be in slightly better shape than humans.]

[In this letter, I have written down your arrangements.

You are not obliged to follow them, but it’s better to consider them seriously.]

[Belfast is safe for now, which could last from a few months to a few years.

During this time, try to enhance your strength as much as possible.

Be careful not to stray too far from the Detective Agency.

Your current power is not enough to contend with an Exorcist.]

[All my savings are tucked inside the books in the drawer.

If you need help, go to Hades.

His attitude towards ghosts isn’t as resolute as other Exorcists, and more importantly, he likes money.

Don’t tell him about me; if he insists on asking, just show him the money.]

[You can trust Tesla, but just in case, don’t initiate contact with him.

I’m not sure if the Jimmy Siblings will truly make an appearance, but if they do come to find you, you can tell them the truth and consider teaming up with them.

Before you do so, you need to make sure their character is the same as the ones I’ve encountered in the story.]

[Remember not to come looking for me.

If I’m not dead, it’ll be troublesome to return to find you after hearing that you’ve gone to the deep sea to rescue me.

If you must find me, come after a month, or when you sense that I’m in trouble.]

[That’s all, good night, sweet dreams.]

The last line of text disappeared, and the content written by Lu Li came to its end.

Now, the “door” revealed the purpose of its appearance.

Fresh content emerged on the sun lounger.

[An hour ago, Anna received the letter.

Worried about your safety, she killed many to gain the strength needed to rescue you, and is now on the verge of turning into a wraith.]

[Her power increased too rapidly, causing her to lose her original sanity.

If she becomes a wraith, she will lose most of her sanity.

She may not forget to come to the deep sea to save you, but on her way to the harbor, she’ll kill many people, drawing the attention of the Exorcists.]

[A wooden boat is moored on the beach; it will take you back to Belfast.

Anna needs your help before things become irreparable.]