Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 537 - 537 56

537: 56.

The Blocked Port 537: 56.

The Blocked Port The echoing reports of the Spirit-Calling Gun drilled out from the fog ahead.

They were very close now.

The sound of the tides at the coastline came with the sea breeze that couldn’t dispel the fog, and no evacuees could be seen on the streets anymore.

Anna then materialized beside Lu Li, floating by his side.

The undispersed fog rewrapped the faint light of the oil lamp, and beyond the reach of the light, something seemed to be brewing in the murky mists.

Some seconds later, the cluttered footsteps from ahead and the halo of light dispelled a vague presence, where several sinister outlines of black robes with Bird Beak Masks appeared, no more than ten meters away at the end of their line of sight.

They saw Lu Li and stopped in their tracks.

Or rather, it was because they sensed Anna’s presence next to Lu Li that they had hurried to this spot.

“Hello…

Senior Investigator,” noticing the Three-Eyed Crow Badge Lu Li raised, these Exorcists holding Spirit-Calling Guns and wearing Bird Beak Masks sighed in relief, their gender-ambiguous, hoarse voices emerging through the masks, “We’re glad you could come to support the port; please follow us.”

These figures weren’t all Exorcists.

They consisted of Alliance members, police officers, and Exorcists who couldn’t handle Human Pus, responsible for guarding the perimeter.

“Can you tell me about the port situation?” Lu Li pinned the badge on his chest and asked as he followed them.

“Not so good,” came the dull complaint from a mask.

“The damned Mist of Strangeness is blocking our vision and hindering our movements; we can only push the front line to the beach.

If any of them jump into the sea, we wouldn’t know.”

“Luckily, these Human Pus creatures don’t possess much intelligence.

They simply act on instinct to attack living beings and spread the disease.

They wouldn’t jump into the sea unless it’s accidental.

If that happens…

there is nothing we can do.

Right now, we are doing our utmost.”

“Before, these monsters almost spread out…

They ran into the streets and even burst into homes, killing many innocent residents.

Fortunately, police equipped with firearms stopped them, preventing the trouble from spreading.”

The Human Pus wasn’t strong, and having roughly the same durability as humans based on human physical strength.

Even a normal Gunpowder Gun or a sword and axe could kill them.

However, the former was slightly less effective while the latter posed a risk of infection with the plague.

Their real trouble was that the Mist of Strangeness limited the Exorcists’ movements, contact leading to infection, and a large number of infected plague patients turned into Human Pus.

At the time, there were at least three to four thousand people gathered at the port.

Subtracting some who died from the Mist of Strangeness and a few hidden survivors, there were now almost a thousand Human Pus amassed at the port.

There were barely one-tenth of Exorcists able to fight compared to them.

The sparse gunfire echoing through the fog illustrated this.

It was neither a good time nor place for a plague outbreak, much like being stuck in a cold, dark place while the oil lamp was about to go out.

All one could do was pray the lamp wouldn’t extinguish and shed off the cold-protective clothes to prevent snuffing out the flame entirely.

As they approached the wooden bridge near the port, the surrounding figures and noises gradually increased, torches and fires lit to dispel the fog were everywhere.

Lu Li saw some survivors, but very few were unscathed; most had limbs severed, lying on stretchers, being carried to quarantine areas by figures in Bird Beak Masks.

A squad of soldiers, wielding long spears, lined up in front of shops with tightly closed doors, their young faces blending fear, shrinking, tension, and resolution.

Not far from them, a commanding officer with a ruby-embedded longsword loudly spoke to the people in front, “Upon any of these monsters daring to set foot on the land of Belfast, the Noble Alliance Guard will stop at nothing to expel, to kill them!”

Because of Anna, the group drew much attention, some laden with malice, but no one came close.

After advancing a distance further, the figure in a Bird Beak Mask stopped and pointed with a gloved hand to a tent set up temporarily in front of them, “You have arrived.

You can collect your supplies here, and then you are ready to enter the port for the battle, if that is what you are here for.”

“Thank you,” Lu Li nodded in appreciation.

“No need to thank me, it’s for everyone.” The person in the Bird Beak Mask gestured to his chest and then he and his teammates returned the way they had come.

The port was now very close.

About twenty to thirty meters away, at the farthest reach of the burning torches’ light, rows of wooden stakes stood barrier-like, and through the gaps, Lu Li could glimpse a corner of the railings of the wooden bridge leading to Rhodest Port.

The sound of gunfire above the port was somewhat deafening, and the sudden bursts of flame were like lightning snakes flashing through deep clouds in the mist.

But the mist obscured all visibility.

Unless one set foot in the port, no one knew what the situation was like there.

Lu Li approached the tent, stated his purpose, and a female member of the United Organization took a Bird Beak Mask and the same kind of sealed robe from her assistant and handed them to Lu Li.

“The mask is filled with spice to prevent the plague from infecting through the air.

The robe will protect you from being splashed with the fluid of Human Pus.”

“No need,” Lu Li replied calmly.

The member, seemingly contemplative, looked over at Anna, smiled gently and nodded, setting down the mask and robe, and took out a case for the Spirit-Calling Gun and a small box of bullets, “These are for your Spirit-Calling Gun and twenty silver-plated bullets.

Due to the lethal nature of the Spirit-Calling Gun, it is advisable not to use it for too long.

Please retreat promptly when you reach your physical limit.”

Lu Li accepted the Spirit-Calling Gun, even though his woolen coat already concealed four of them.

“What happens if one gets infected by Human Pus?”As he placed down the fifth Spirit-Calling Gun, lifting his woolen coat, Lu Li asked.

With a slight gasp at the astonishing number of Spirit-Calling Guns, the member answered, “It will burrow into the flesh from the skin at the point of contact and move along the blood vessels.

If you amputate the infected part before it spreads further, there is still a chance to save it.”

She did not say what would happen if it were not amputated, but Lu Li could guess.

After preparing his Spirit-Calling Gun, he turned to head towards the barriers at the front of the port when the member suddenly called out to him.

“I know it’s presumptuous but…” the member asked in a low, conflicted and hesitant voice, “…could you tell me what fragrance you are using?”

The reason she spoke so determinedly also had a cause: it was indeed inappropriate to ask such a question under these circumstances.

Worried that Lu Li might misunderstand, the member quickly explained, “When you approached, we felt very relaxed, as if we were under a lush, leafy tree.”

She could no longer remember the last time she smelled such indescribable “freshness”; it was back when all things were yet to wither.

Her assistant nodded in agreement, sharing the same feeling.

Lu Li knew what they were referring to—the “vitality” that his body’s redemption feedback provided.

“It’s not—”

Lu Li began to say something, but just then, a twisted, hoarse roar that was unlike anything human erupted beside him, and amid a burst of exclamations, something reached for Lu Li.