Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 496 - 496 Fifteen

496: Fifteen.

Stay forever 496: Fifteen.

Stay forever The Bald Man examined Mike with an amused look in his eyes, “Let us check your brother, okay?”

“I didn’t steal anything from you guys this time!” Virgil’s honest voice rang out.

“Shh, don’t talk!” Mike bumped Virgil with his shoulder and said with a not-so-natural smile, “Of course, everyone can vouch for us.”

To prevent the casino from using dirty tricks, he brought the surrounding gamblers in as witnesses.

No casino would dare to pull a fast one with the risk of being caught by patrons.

The assumption was that Virgil really hadn’t foolishly taken any chip.

Mike still harbored a glimmer of hope.

See, they only asked to search Virgil and didn’t search themselves, which indicated that the casino still played by the rules.

However, his mind was quickly occupied by more troubling thoughts: Was it possible that they really saw Virgil steal a chip?

No matter what, Mike could only watch as the Bald Man’s goons went up to Virgil and roughly searched through his pockets, as powerless as he was watching the dice tumbler toss and turn.

After several seconds, the goons stepped back with nothing found and shook their heads at the Bald Man.

They didn’t find the chip.

Virgil snorted through his nose and looked down to straighten his wrinkled clothes.

This was usually the only way for the bullied to show some dignity.

Mike breathed a sigh of relief, “See, there’s nothing, right?

Can we leave now?”

As he spoke, Mike’s breath suddenly hitched.

The look from the Bald Man reminded him of the greedy predators he had encountered on the way here.

“Maybe he swallowed it.”

Realizing the situation was getting out of hand, Mike couldn’t help but step towards the Bald Man and explain loudly, “Listen, we’re from Arlenbeth County, it’s a small place, and not long ago Zenst was attacked by monsters, killing almost everyone.

We are escapees trying to head for the harbor to leave by boat.

We’re not locals and we don’t plan to stay here long, your casino’s chips are useless to us, right?”

His Arlenbeth accent resurfaced due to his anxiety, making his plea seem all the more credible.

But the Bald Man just sneered, grabbing Mike’s collar like picking up a chick, his gaze falling on Virgil who was trying to come over but was restrained by the goons.

Mike, held by the Bald Man, pleaded, “We’re leaving this afternoon, we can’t wait for anything to come out of Virgil, and even if he did swallow the chips, how many could he eat?

We’ll compensate you, okay?”

“That would indeed be too slow.” The Bald Man cracked a cruel smile and pulled a small knife from his thigh, tossing it to his goon.

Mike suddenly felt as if all the strength had left his body, staring blanky as the goon caught the knife and walked towards Virgil.

“Idiot…

how could Black Mamba let outsiders take away the Inner District’s money…”

In a daze, Mike thought he heard a low sigh from the crowd, and he instinctively looked towards them, only to see pairs of wooden eyes.

He couldn’t find the source of the sound that had just been made.

Suddenly, a burst of energy surged within Mike’s body, and he shouted to the crowd, “This casino accuses people of theft when they win money, are you all just going to stand there and do nothing?”

But to his despair, the numb figures remained motionless, no action, not even an emotion.

Mike started to struggle, trying to break free from the Bald Man’s hold, “Wait, you can’t do that!

I beg you, we grew up together, he’s my best friend—”

“I didn’t steal your chips!”

Virgil’s roar interrupted Mike’s struggle as he snatched the knife, locking eyes with the Bald Man.

The Bald Man, completely unconcerned with the knife in Virgil’s hand, said with an amused look, “Prove it to us.”

“How to prove!”

Mike, sensing what was coming, yelled out, “I’m willing to give back all the money we’ve won except for the boat tickets!”

The Bald Man ignored Mike’s blathering and said to Virgil, “Cut open your stomach and let us see if there’s a chip.”

The angry Virgil hesitated, then looked at Mike, and at that moment Mike shouted, “Even the boat tickets, I’ll give them to you!”

In Mike’s pleading gaze, the Bald Man finally seemed satisfied with his appetite, “It’s likely your brother didn’t steal more chips than what you won.

Hand over the goods, and you can——”

“The boat tickets can’t go to them!”

Virgil’s shout refocused everyone’s attention on him as he glared at Mike and said loudly, “We’re going to the Lennon Islands!

Don’t they need proof, I——”

“No!”

Mike’s terrified scream resounded in the suddenly silent casino, followed by a hair-raising sound of slicing.

Virgil sliced open his own belly, gasping like an ox as he shoved his hand inside, stirring with a viscous sound.

The two henchmen standing beside him couldn’t help but take a few steps back.

Narrowing his eyes through clenched eyelids, the Bald Man stared as a blood-soaked hand, holding something, pulled out from the belly, the thick stench of blood mixing with the smell of undigested food spilling out.

A smattering of gagging noises erupted from the crowd.

“You all saw!

I didn’t steal…

your chips…”

His initial shouts rapidly turned feeble.

“What an idiot.”

Muttering to himself, the hand gripping Mike suddenly let go.

Mike rushed to Virgil’s side, panicking as he tried to cover the wound on his belly.

But aside from covering his own hands in Virgil’s blood, it was useless.

The Bald Man looked toward a dark corner, the lit pipe in his mouth bobbing up and down.

Turning his gaze back to Mike and Virgil, the Bald Man waved his hand in disgust as if shooing away something and said, “You’ve proven his innocence, good.

Now take your brother and the loot and get out of here.”

Mike couldn’t remember how he was chased out of the casino, but when he propped up Virgil in the dark alley and sat down in the cold, his muddled consciousness finally returned to his body.

“I’m so sleepy…

Mike…” Virgil struggled to open his eyes.

“Don’t sleep…

don’t…

You can’t sleep!

I’m taking you to a doctor right now!” Mike babbled incoherently, trying to lift Virgil up, when suddenly a voice came from outside the alley.

“This is the place!”

Before he had the chance to turn around, something heavily struck the back of Mike’s head, and he fell to the ground with a thud.

As his consciousness blurred, Mike felt hands tugging and searching his pockets.

“The boat tickets…

give them back to me!”

Virgil suddenly let out a final roar, lunging over Mike and grabbing the hand that was pulling away.

Something was torn, and then a blurry figure fled out of the alley.

A bloodied hand clutching the blood-stained boat tickets stretched out in front of Mike.

“Go…

to the Lennon Islands…”

The bloody hand dropped powerlessly.

No!

Virgil!

No!!!

Mike roared within, rage and resentment engulfing his heart.

He was willing to pay any price…

[Any price?]

Yes, any price!

A whisper echoed in his mind, Mike wanted to lift his head, but his life force seemed to be drained away by something, withering away in an instant.

In the last moment, Mike saw a ghostly figure passing before him——

Two cold bodies lay against each other in the damp, filthy alley.