Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 457 - 457 Three hundred and fourteen

457: Three hundred and fourteen.

The corpse in the wooden house 457: Three hundred and fourteen.

The corpse in the wooden house The back of the shoe was almost swallowed by the silt, and despite wearing rain boots, a soft, flesh-like sensation could be felt.

Lu Li crouched down, holding an oil lamp towards the dark red mud.

The mud hadn’t reverted to its original state, shaped as though someone had fallen there.

Footprints extending towards the Withered Jungle confirmed this.

“Someone entered Shadow Swamp through a hidden passage before.”

Raising the oil lamp, Lu Li carefully inspected the area.

Beyond the traces in the mud, no clues were left in front of the hidden passage’s exit.

“Was it my brother!” Jojo asked impulsively.

Lu Li turned to the Mother of the Marsh sculpture in his pocket, “Where is Oliver?”

[I do not know him…many humans have entered the swamp…]

Lu Li looked up at Jojo, “Do you remember what Oliver was wearing when he disappeared?”

“Linen cargo pants and a blue linen shirt!”

Lu Li added more details, “Under five foot three, with brown hair, a young man.”

The Mother of the Marsh searched through its Followers’ memories, informing Lu Li, [There was one…in the old lair of the crawling Followers…]

“Say it in a way I can understand.”

The Mother of the Marsh paused for a dozen seconds, its murmur slowly resounding, [Lived by the Six-legged Monster…near Marsh Road…]

An image of the abandoned village he saw the first time he entered Shadow Swamp flashed in Lu Li’s mind…

He knew where the Mother of the Marsh was talking about.

“I need someone to guide me there.”

[A human…?]

“Your Followers.”

The Mother of the Marsh’s ignorance of human society made their communication extremely inefficient, but it lacked the savagery and arrogance common to other Evil Gods—it possessed a noble trait: learning.

This trait drove the Evil God to collaborate with Lu Li, who was insignificant as an ant, despite the awkward and slow process.

Soon, the Mother of the Marsh retrieved the relevant memories from its once-human Followers, correcting Lu Li’s mistake: [They are merely my Followers…if you accept the power…you will become my Followers…]

It seems Followers are a more elite class than servants, like guards who protect the King compared to ordinary soldiers.

“Then please have your Followers lead us to Oliver,” Lu Li said, uninterested in becoming a monster.

[My Followers are approaching you…follow it…you will reach the old lair…]

Lu Li relayed the Mother of the Marsh’s whisper.

Jojo, unable to contain her anxiety, asked, “My brother…

is he still alive?”

[He entered the lair…has not left…my eyes have not entered…]

The whisper heard only by Lu Li, he told Jojo, “There’s an abandoned village near Marsh Road.

Your brother hid in a house and hasn’t been seen since.”

Jojo didn’t know whether to feel relieved or sorry—the news about her brother, Oliver, was no different than before; his fate was still unknown.

Suddenly, Lu Li turned his head towards the outline of the nearby jungle, feeling a strong sense of being watched.

A dark silhouette hid behind a dead tree, about a dozen meters away, peering out.

As Jojo stepped back in fright, Lu Li calmly asked, “Is it here to guide us?”

[Yes…when you stop watching it…it will move ahead…leading you…]

“We’ll follow it.

When I say blink, we’ll all close our eyes or look away for a second.”

“Hmm.”

“Alright.”

Anna and Jojo answered in turn.

“Blink.”

Both Lu Li and the grudge spirit closed their eyes at the same time, and when they opened them again, the silhouette of the Shadow Figures was gone from behind the dead tree.

“It’s over there,” Jojo reminded Lu Li.

The Shadow Figures had moved to their right while they had their eyes closed.

Lu Li pulled his rain boots free from the muck and walked toward the Shadow Figures.

The stumbling Jojo followed behind.

[Turn off the fire… the swamp is unsafe… the light will attract them…] the Mother of the Marsh whispered to Lu Li.

After a brief pause, Lu Li turned off the oil lamp he was carrying and stowed it in the floating suitcase trailing behind him.

After doing all this and explaining to Jojo, Lu Li frowned, “This is your territory.”

[Its followers… have sacrificed many humans… to become servants… they crave blood and slaughter… many of my servants have been killed…]

“Is this Evil God very powerful?” Lu Li asked.

[It… is suppressed by me… not yet awakened… I am stronger than it… but its followers found my weakness… and weakened me…]

“You’ve been restrained,” Lu Li responded.

As Lu Li and Jojo got closer to the Shadow Figures, their profound, pitch-black silhouettes reminded Jojo of the fear he once faced, akin to the dark depths of the ocean.

It seemed that the followers of the unknown Evil God knew quite a lot about the Mother of the Marsh.

Lu Li pieced together the circumstances: The followers of the unknown Evil God wanted it to be born.

For some reason, they targeted the Mother of the Marsh’s territory, thus going in and out of Shadow Town, investigating the Mother of the Marsh, searching for her weaknesses, and when everything was ready… they would summon the Evil God.

“Are its followers still there?

Blink.”

After blinking together, the Shadow Figures flashed behind a dead tree dozens of meters away.

They continued to approach the Shadow Figures.

[The humans…

are dead…

but the servants still remain…]

This was bad news; Lu Li was likely to face educated Followers.

Lu Li stepped into the seemingly calm mire; suddenly, ripples like those of water surfaced, swallowing his rain boots, then in an instant, an invisible force pulled him out of the muck.

Jojo was startled into a cold sweat, while Lu Li’s voice remained steady, conversing with the Mother of the Marsh.

“Why did you choose to negotiate with me?”

[I have been observing you… you don’t fear the servants… nor do you fear me… you can get close to it… kill it…]

The Mother of the Marsh’s whispering voice never ceased, continuing: [Ahead wander its servants… follow the Shadow Figures… go around… remain silent…]

Lu Li nodded, signaled Jojo to keep quiet, and reduced their noise as they moved.

The approach to the abandoned village was tense but uneventful, with the Mother of the Marsh’s partial consciousness staying in the sculpture helping Lu Li and Jojo avoid the unknown Evil God’s Followers.

The dim outline of the abandoned swamp cabins grew closer.

The Shadow Figures flickered behind the largest house in the village center, watching them ominously.

“Get us up there,” Lu Li said, tilting his head slightly.

A chilling breath brushed against their skin, and Lu Li and Jojo floated in place, landing on a wooden board, a meter above the ground of the swamp.

The damp, soft wood absorbed the sound of their landing.

“Brother…?”

Jojo softly called into the gloom behind the door.

Lu Li inquired about the surroundings from the Mother of the Marsh, assured that it was temporarily safe, then relit the oil lamp.

The dim yellow glow spread around, dispersing darkness, revealing cobweb-like withered vines hanging everywhere and exposing the inside of the cabin.

Under the rudimentary wooden table in front of the house lay a body… or rather, a pile of shrunken skin, the thin face filled with terror.

A thud sounded from behind.

Jojo collapsed onto the ground, overwhelmed with panic, but a wave of relief surged through her.

She was relieved that this nightmare was not happening to her brother.