Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 304 - 304 161

304: 161.

Inherit the fighting style of Friday 304: 161.

Inherit the fighting style of Friday “`

Hooking a finger around his tie, he loosened it a bit and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt.

Settling back into his desk chair, Lu Li picked up the piece of paper that served as a makeshift “shopping list” and turned it over.

Removing the cap from his fountain pen, the nib paused on the blank space.

The refuge didn’t need to be too large, just enough for Lu Li to live comfortably inside—and not too small to cause psychological disorders like depression and claustrophobia.

The size of the small cabin at the top of Seaview Cliff was just right for a fairly comfortable long-term survival.

The refuge wouldn’t accommodate too many people; if possible, it would be just Lu Li and Anna.

That’s why he called it a refuge point rather than a shelter.

He couldn’t shelter too many people.

The end of days, the collapse of the world?

Even Exorcists considered it a crude joke, let alone ordinary people.

First to consider was the location of the refuge point.

For long-term survival, there must be sustainable resources nearby, like water and light.

For the former, a source of water would be nearby, and for the latter, he could cut down trees or hunt and produce animal oil dyes.

The refuge couldn’t be too far from Belfast, nor too close.

For now, at least, places with large populations remained safe, under the protective priority of Exorcists.

The reason not to be too close was to avoid being affected by disasters when they struck.

If possible, the refuge would be best in a spot with a wide field of view.

Lu Li didn’t want to bump into anomalies every time he went out for supplies.

Water source, fuel, wide field of view, proximity to the city.

Lu Li wrote down four requirements on the paper.

The first place that came to mind was Agate Lake at the top of the mountain, which met all of Lu Li’s criteria—too well, in fact.

Its location was the very center of Belfast, surrounded by numerous estates and manors; the people living there were either rich or noble.

Lu Li couldn’t afford a house there unless he cozied up to some Baron mired in lawsuits and bad press.

Lu Li thought of the seaside and then immediately dismissed it.

Anomalies were spreading from the deep sea to the land, and being too close to the coast wouldn’t end well, no matter how sturdy and hidden the shelter was built.

At that moment, a third location came to mind for Lu Li, a place whose name he didn’t know, but he was familiar with its position.

His view towards the outside window was blocked by the houses across the street, and Lu Li could only recall that spot.

Belfast’s coastline was shaped like a crescent moon, with Rhodest Port situated right at the center of Crescent Bay.

On both sides of the crescent were forests that remained unexploited, and the neighborhoods closest to the forests were named Oak Street and Elm Street, which were also the two outermost streets on either end of Belfast.

The former was named for its proximity to Oak Forest, and the latter for being near Elm Forest.

Lu Li had briefly come into contact with Oak Street on the bottom edge of Belfast and had seen Elm Street at the bottom of Crescent Bay in the Investigator’s Daily just minutes before.

The third place was a few miles northeast of Elm Street, right at the apex of Crescent Bay.

Below it was a cliff with a sheer drop to the sea, perhaps nearly a hundred meters.

Near the sea, a forest, wide field of view, just a few miles from the suburbs of Belfast.

The elevated location meant no risk from sea creatures climbing ashore.

There were fish in the sea, if the marine life hadn’t yet died when the refuge went into use.

Meanwhile, seawater could be distilled into fresh water, and fuel could be obtained from the surrounding forest, allowing a high vantage point over the entirety of Belfast and the bay.

All aspects met Lu Li’s requirements.

As long as no widespread disaster occurred that could instantly demolish a city, the place would be unlikely to be affected.

Crumple—

“`

Turning to the “Shopping List”, Lu Li added an item: a map of Belfast.

He had mentioned it to a merchant before, but the merchant had only brought a map of the continent.

The construction plans for the refuge point were still rough, and Lu Li did not plan to build a glaringly conspicuous cabin that screamed “I’m here” to the surroundings.

If possible, it would be best to choose a natural cover as a refuge point, like a cave.

If there was one.

If not, he would make other plans.

Before long, Lu Li would go there to explore firsthand and ascertain the situation.

“Hmm…

what if the world doesn’t collapse like you think it will?” Anna, who had been covertly observing Lu Li for a long time, suddenly spoke up and then showed a cautious and careful expression as if afraid of crushing Lu Li’s spirit: “I’m not saying I don’t believe you, but if things aren’t that bad, won’t all your preparations be for nothing?”

“That would be best.”

Lu Li answered.

If possible, Lu Li would prefer that the refuge point never had to be officially used.

Nobody hopes for the apocalypse to come tomorrow, except for those who have nothing to lose.

Certainly, Lu Li’s thoughts were quite pessimistic…

but that did not mean there was no hope for this world.

Human society might crumble in the face of disaster, but exorcists would not.

The flame may be extinguished, but its ashes still linger.

Trees may fall, but their seeds remain.

There will always be survivors, struggling to live on, radiating a faint glow of hope in the everlasting night.

Lu Li found himself temporarily free and had many things to do, such as exploring the cliffs of Elm Forest.

But with a multitude of matters from the investigators including “the Door”, “Blood-Colored Tentacles”, “full-fledged membership”, “Friday”, along with Raimy’s reply, and the merchant’s visit all expected to happen in the next couple of days,

Lu Li could not stay out for long.

Taking advantage of the brief respite, Lu Li did some tasks that didn’t require going out, like calculating how much money he had saved up and the damage of the Spirit-Calling Gun.

The former totaled 2300 shillings, with an additional 200 shillings lost at sea.

The latter required Anna’s assistance.

In Anna’s perception, a Spirit-Calling Gun with a fully bloomed rose could pose a certain threat and inflict damage on her.

A headshot could severely injure Anna, whose aura was close to that of a resentful spirit.

The concept of a severe injury to a ghost is quite abstract.

Anna had always been well protected by Lu Li, so she did not know what would happen if a ghost was injured.

The other Spirit-Calling Gun provided by the investigators’ organization was inconsequential, as Anna could hardly sense any threat from it, which was related to it not being enhanced yet.

The track record of the first Spirit-Calling Gun was one resentful spirit and several ghosts, which could loosely be considered as another resentful spirit, making it two resentful spirits—in perhaps after it kills a third resentful spirit, it will be able to inflict certain damage on them.

After thinking, Lu Li added two more Spirit-Calling Guns under the “Shopping List”.

No matter who Friday is, her combat method indeed opened new avenues of thought for Lu Li.

The Spirit-Calling Gun had clear advantages and disadvantages: powerful but extremely slow firing rate?

Then, make it fire faster.

If it couldn’t be improved, then physically increase the firing rate.

For instance, by carrying several Spirit-Calling Guns and compensating for rate of fire with quantity.

The two Spirit-Calling Guns he currently owned were numbered by Lu Li—the first one as Serial 1, the one provided as Serial 2, followed by Serial 3, Serial 4, and so on.