Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 352 - 352 209

352: 209.

A Good Neighbor 352: 209.

A Good Neighbor “Belch…”

Barton belched.

He hadn’t eaten this quickly in a long time; the last occasion he remembered was when he and a companion sneaked into a hunter’s cabin to steal some roasted meat.

Casually tossing away an empty can, the tin rolled along the gravel toward the cave entrance and stopped when it hit a pair of rain boots stepping into the cave.

Barton looked up and said to the returning Lu Li, “So, what do you think?

Does this place meet your expectations?”

“Is there fresh water nearby?” Lu Li asked, placing his umbrella back against the edge of some rocks.

“Fresh water?

You mean a water source?

Silent Hill has a small lake, about the size of a lumber mill.”

“But you said that place is dangerous.”

Barton shrugged, “That’s the only place with water in the Elm Forest, unless a river or lake suddenly appeared here in the last eight years.”

This sarcastic remark gave Lu Li some new ideas.

Rainwater was drinkable; he could dig some pits in the rocky area of the cliff to collect water, or prepare more barrels.

Barton watched curiously as Lu Li, after speaking, stood still in thought; he continued looking around the small cave with his oil lamp.

The cave was very dry, with only the edges near the entrance feeling damp, so there was no worry about rain seeping in from the top of the cave one day.

“What do you think?” Lu Li asked Anna.

“As a place to take refuge from disasters, it’s quite good.”

Lu Li thought so too, but the mood of the Elm Forest and the unknown oddities of Silent Hill were always a concern.

It seemed he would have to buy some information about these two places from a merchant once he got back.

Apart from the chisel marks on the walls and the jars at the edge of the cave, there were no other signs of human activity; after looking around, Lu Li returned to Barton and looked down at him, “Have you rested enough?”

“Not yet…

If you plan to go down the mountain, then I’m rested enough,” Barton unconsciously started to refuse but corrected himself.

“Then let’s go.”

Lu Li twisted the valve of the oil lamp, covered it with a rain cover, and walked out of the cave first.

Rain pattered on the umbrella, pooling into flowing curtains at the edges.

Lu Li stood at the cave entrance, as if searching for something, his gaze sweeping over the ground.

“What’s wrong?” Anna asked him.

“You could plant your sister here,” Lu Li said, looking at the right side of the cave.

There was a muddy ground where the nearest withered tree stood about seven or eight meters away; planting Annie there wouldn’t affect their living space.

That is, if that withered tree were still alive.

Lu Li indeed had a way to find out if the other party was still alive.

Barton was still in the cave, pulling on a raincoat,

walking towards the withered tree with an umbrella.

Approaching the tree didn’t bring him the sadness of walking in the forest, even though Lu Li had reached the front of the withered tree and could clearly see the grooves on its trunk.

It had already died.

“Best not to linger on the tree.” Barton’s voice, shouting through the rain, came from behind.

With his raincoat now on, he joined Lu Li and looked at the withered tree, as full of crevices as his own face.

“Hmm…

No emotions; it’s a different matter now that it’s dead.”

Lu Li and Barton walked past the deceased elm tree and returned the way they had come.

The rain had erased the traces of their path, but Barton was still able to find the way back accurately.

The pervasive, flowing sadness of the Elm Forest resurfaced in their hearts.

With no questions to ask, Lu Li maintained his silence, and Barton, lacking the energy to speak, did the same.

It was nearing noon; the sky seemed a bit brighter than when they had arrived, but the light was still dim.

They returned to the Tree King they had passed earlier.

The straps on the branches, the axe in the trunk, and the skeleton beneath silently told a tale.

Following Barton and taking in the scene, Lu Li suddenly stopped.

An unknowing Barton walked a distance before he sensed something odd and turned back to look.

Following the direction of Lu Li’s gaze, Barton’s heart skipped a beat, and he stealthily retreated.

“I’m alright,” Lu Li glanced at him and then looked away, pondering, “Do you think… I should help it?”

“What?” Barton, shame rising from his desire to flee, froze and looked at Lu Li incredulously, “Are you joking… you actually want to help these monsters?”

“Has no one ever done so…?” Lu Li mused.

“No, you better not do that,” Barton warned Lu Li.

“Why.”

“They won’t appreciate it,” Barton said loudly from a short distance.

“Remember what I told you, they only have emotions!”

Lu Li responded by taking a step towards the Tree King.

Most, if not all, who entered this forest avoided these trees.

But Lu Li was different.

For a very long time to come, Lu Li would have to live next to these trees, whose mere emotions could drive humans to suicide.

Having good neighborly relations was an important factor.

“Thought he was a clever young man, turns out he’s a madman!

Damn it, damn it!”

Barton cursed, not hesitating to turn and clumsily flee into the rain with his wooden leg thudding.

“He has fled.”

Anna’s voice arose beside his ear, “I won’t let them harm you.”

“You stand back and protect me,” Lu Li told Anna.

“Wh…”

“Their way of attack is through emotions, I might withstand it, but you can’t.”

“But…”

“Your effective range is within a few dozen meters, that’s enough.

If I do something, stop me before that happens.”

Lu Li said, taking steps closer to the Tree King.

The skeletons beneath the tree gradually became clearer, their hollow eye sockets silently telling a story.

The feeling of melancholy deepened, many memories buried deep in his mind flashing by at this moment.

Lu Li lowered his gaze and came to a halt in front of the Tree King.

He looked back at the emerging figure of Anna, grasped the wet axe handle with both hands, and without hesitation, exerted force in an instant!

The rusty axe that chopped into the tree and the splinters flying through the air appeared together.

In that moment, an indescribable consciousness descended around Lu Li, immense grief instantly overwhelming his consciousness—

It felt like an uncountable amount of time, yet also like an instant, Lu Li regained consciousness, opening his eyes.

He was in Anna’s embrace, rain plummeting down, hitting an invisible film a few meters away and sliding off to the sides.

His face was wet, though whether it was from tears or rain was unclear.

“What happened.”

Anna’s expression carried urgency and a hint of coldness, “You fainted after pulling out the axe… then I pulled you back!”

Lu Li nodded, stood up again, and with a calm face, looked towards the illusionary Tree King some meters away.

The oppressive and sad emotion still lingered around, but within it, Lu Li felt a hint of joy from the elm tree in front of him.

Lu Li’s adventure had paid off.

Now, one family member of this neighbor no longer regarded him as an enemy.