Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 518 - 518 37

518: 37.

Richard’s Hiding Place 518: 37.

Richard’s Hiding Place “`

The leader of the Old Rum Gang was succeeded by Big Langmu over a decade ago—he was the eldest son of Old Langmu.

However, because Big Langmu had suffered from brain damage due to a fever in his youth, the Old Rum Gang was still run by Old Langmu and his younger son, Little Langmu.

When the battered subordinate, with two broken fingers, led Lu Li to the second-floor bedroom, Old Langmu was nestled in a blanket by the fireplace, enjoying a leg massage from his younger son.

“So the commotion downstairs was your doing?” Old Langmu, with a pipe in his mouth, squinted his eyes and, through the swirling smoke, observed Lu Li and the bruised and swollen-faced minion in front of the door.

“Senior Investigator Lu Li.”

Lu Li took out a Three-Eyed Black Crow Badge, which Old Langmu should recognize.

“Had you shown this earlier, those youngsters wouldn’t have had the guts to offend you,” Old Langmu sighed, the rising smoke drifting forward as he scolded the subordinate, “Go back down and have those who offended our guest bandage their wounds properly, then have them all strip and stand outside for an hour!”

“Yes…”

The subordinate retreated, limping out of the room.

Old Langmu gave a meaningful glance to a muscular man standing by the door, who understood, left the bedroom, and closed the door.

Old Langmu sat up from his soft woolen blanket, and Little Langmu, who was massaging his legs, dutifully took the pipe from him: “Honored Exorcist, may I ask what business brings you to our gang?”

“It’s about Richard,” Lu Li replied.

“A name from a long time ago,” Old Langmu’s wrinkled, aged cheeks betrayed a look of reminiscence.

Lu Li remained indifferent, calmly stating, “So long ago that you still remember him, and you even provided him with help recently.”

“Just some insignificant…

assistance,” Old Langmu said with a dismissive laugh.

“Tell me the details.”

“Of course…

of course.

Little Richard grew up under my eyes, and when he wanted to venture off elsewhere, I let him go.

I heard later that he was driven mad by someone in Watch Town?

Tragic…”

Old Langmu recounted many details that Lu Li already knew.

Lu Li listened passively, waiting for him to reveal more secret information.

“…Not long ago, Little Richard fled back from the inland, found a brother from the gang to help him hide, as he was being pursued by the police.

You know, the slums have always been synonymous with chaos and sin, and hiding filth and ugliness couldn’t be easier.

So, that gang brother found a place for him to hide.”

“Where is he?”

“The ones who know Little Richard’s whereabouts should be among those youngsters you taught a lesson, Chunks!”

Old Langmu’s hoarse voice yelled out the door.

The muscular man returned upon hearing Old Langmu’s call and took down the instructions: “Go down and have Gold Coin come up.”

“Yes.”

The strong man left, and soon after, footsteps approached from the corridor outside the door.

A thin figure, just as bloody but without serious injuries, was brought in.

He glanced at Lu Li and shrank back into a corner as far as possible from him.

What just happened downstairs could become the biggest shadow in his life—if a bigger one doesn’t show up.

Old Langmu looked up at the trembling Gold Coin: “Tell the Exorcist where Little Richard is staying.”

Gold Coin couldn’t look directly at Lu Li and hesitantly said, watching from the corner of his eye, “He was once my best brother…”

Old Langmu shook his head slightly: “If the police were the ones asking, the Old Rum Gang would commend you for your loyalty, but this is an official Exorcist.

I think you know what that means.”

The Exorcist?

Gold Coin finally understood why Lu Li possessed such strange and terrifying power.

“`

He stuttered, “At 138 Black Cat District…the Ruins District is just to the west, so if the policeman chases after him, escaping would be quite easy.”

“Thank you for the information.”

Lu Li nodded, turned, and walked downstairs without lingering for long.

“Not…not at all…” Gold Coin said in a daze, then suddenly snapped back to reality and looked at Old Langmu.

Old Langmu waved his hand at him, and Gold Coin hurried out of the bedroom.

“He was bluffing you,” Little Langmu said as he handed his father’s pipe back to him.

“I know,” Old Langmu replied, taking the pipe in his mouth as he pointed at Little Langmu and Big Langmu, “Remember, my children.

Just as you looked up to and respected those policemen when you were little, now you should look up to and respect these Exorcists.

They’re doing their utmost to save our world.”

“So, hold a certain respect for this group of moths flinging themselves into the flames.”

“I will, Father…” Little Langmu, now in his twenties, said earnestly.

“I will respect the Exorcists just as I respect you, Father,” Big Langmu replied sincerely, having kept silent until then.

The pipe in Old Langmu’s mouth began to tremble.

…

“I don’t think Richard is still there.”

Back in the carriage, Lu Li took up the reins and heard Anna’s voice, “He knows we’re looking for him, and that the Old Rum Gang clue would be discovered sooner or later.”

“Mhm,” Lu Li nodded slightly, urging the carriage away from the pub entrance and the row of fearful faces unwilling to meet Lu Li’s gaze, standing in punishment in just their shorts.

“You think so too?” Anna asked, surprised by his reaction.

Lu Li replied, “We have to try.

If he’s holding out hope that we won’t find him and hasn’t left, it’ll save us a lot of trouble.”

…

Lu Li had once passed through the Black Cat District some time ago: to collect the legacy of the Bird Beak Mask in the Ruins District.

Because it is close to the Ruins District, the area had never recovered from the great fire that once destroyed the entire street.

Only half of the houses were barely occupied.

It wasn’t just the Black Cat District—many streets near the Old Cozy District shared the same fate.

Furthermore, recent rumors spreading throughout these deserted streets had worsened their desolation: nearly every midnight, the Ruins’ long street would be suffused with a pungent burning smell and ash that danced like falling snow.

Anna gently picked up a piece of “snow” that had landed on the carriage, and as the drizzle came down, it enveloped the “snow,” turning it into a drop of grimy waste water.

“It seems the rumors are true,” Anna said, looking toward the faint silhouette of the ruins at the end of the street ahead.

Indeed, this place was much more desolate than any other street they had passed on their way here; very few pedestrians were to be seen.

“Trouble has come; the Exorcists will deal with it.”

The United Organization won’t ignore the appearance of anomalies in Belfast.

Number 138 was on the edge of the Black Cat District, very close to the Ruins District.

Approaching it, Lu Li stopped the carriage and motioned for the plain-clothes policemen following behind to surround the perimeter of number 138.

Richard was just an ordinary person; the policemen were enough to prevent his escape.

Bang—

The floor shook, and the wooden door burst open, flying out with splinters.

Protected by Anna, Lu Li entered the wooden cabin of number 138 and looked around.

Logs in the fireplace were still burning, a telephone and scattered notes sat on the desk beside the simple bedstead, a suitcase leaned against the foot of the bed, and the window was wide open.

The Richard who had been hiding there appeared to have left only recently.