Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 555 - 555 Seventy-four

555: Seventy-four.

The Arrogant One 555: Seventy-four.

The Arrogant One A mad, unfathomable thought that only a lunatic could have.

To occupy an Ancient God’s Body with a human form.

Lu Li had never understood the Ancient Gods, but the abyssal ruins beyond the altar under his feet were enough to indicate that the so-called ancient deities were far more mysterious and terrifying than the Evil Gods.

“You know nothing of what you’re facing,” Lu Li said.

Lu Li had experienced this deeply.

They could not be measured by strength alone, unlike the natural world’s lions and deer, whose use of power could be easily manifested.

A high wall can fend off the enemy’s cavalry, but not the omnipresent wind.

The power of these beings far exceeded human imagination, just as ants could not comprehend why humans were able to build trains and ships millions of times stronger than themselves.

If they were capable of thought.

During the time in Shadow Swamp, merely approaching the shell that sealed the New Swamp Mother, which was inside the carcass of the Old Mother, almost caused Lu Li’s Sanity Value to drop and step into the abyss.

That was just a carcass without consciousness, without malice, sealed and powerless.

Lu Li could not comprehend the powers of Ancient Gods, but he could imagine that just approaching the carcass, breathing naturally, or even a casual glance or a randomly descending consciousness, could easily extinguish the frail spirits of weak humans.

This was not a shot in the dark.

When Lu Li set foot in this unknown deep-sea underworld, whether it be the nighttime calamity or the whispering projections of the Inner World, all had vanished without a trace.

And this was merely the resting place of an Ancient God.

Richard’s smile remained, “In your eyes, I’m a madman, and of course, a madman ought to do some crazy things.”

He knew what he was doing, as the paranoid always believe they are right.

Aware of this, Lu Li turned and asked, “What is the purpose of the trial?”

In the deep-sea altar cavern where not even seawater could enter, two antagonistic people were posing questions and answering.

Richard had framed Lu Li, and Lu Li had forced Richard into a miserable flight for months; two enemies who should have leaped at the chance to kill the other at first opportunity.

However, Lu Li was not one to let emotions cloud his thoughts, and Richard was even easier to understand—a madman might do anything.

“I believe it’s a test of the Ancient God’s residual consciousness,” Richard looked back down the cavern passage and whispered nervously, “I know you feel it too, you’ve also been through those two trials, which is why you’re also here…”

“So I’m your rival,” Lu Li said.

“Questioning time is over, it’s time for me to do what I should,” Richard’s smile slowly faded, he took a deep breath of the damp, cold air below the altar, and said, “I won’t let you enter the third trial, this is my warning.

If you take one more step forward…

you really won’t like what happens next.”

“Is that so.”

Lu Li’s calmness remained unchanged as he took a step forward with his waterlogged shoes.

“…Again…

you bastard…” Richard’s face began to contort, his body trembling slightly with loss of control.

After a deep breath, he kept his emotions in check and became expressionless.

“If you think you can do it, then follow,” he said.

He gave Lu Li a long look and turned to step into the deep cavern.

Lu Li watched Richard’s retreating figure, silently contemplating.

If he left now, he could still get out whole.

But it also meant that he could not use this path to deal with the Blood-Colored Tentacles, rendering all his efforts thus far pointless.

The Blood-Colored Tentacles in his mind might cease to be a threat due to Richard’s failure, or they might lure Lu Li to embark on the same path as Richard.

Alternatively, Lu Li might learn about the Blood-Colored Tentacles through other means, paving the way to failure or success.

And if Richard succeeded in the third trial and took over the Ancient God’s Body, he would have no reason to spare himself.

It was a choice where danger and opportunity coexisted, alongside the two.

Killing Richard now would only eliminate the last possibility.

As Richard’s figure was about to disappear into the darkness, Lu Li put aside his thoughts and stepped forward to follow.

He hoped that the Ancient God resting here wasn’t evil—although they could never be simply classified by good or evil.

However, the previous two challenges did indicate that this “Ancient God” lacked the arbitrary malice towards humans that most anomalies possessed.

Lu Li’s pace was faster than Richard’s, who was tiredly dragging one leg and staggering along, but strangely, as the distance between them closed, Richard’s figure in his field of view grew increasingly blurred and vanished into the darkness of the dungeon.

After continuing for another dozen meters or so, Lu Li stopped in his tracks.

At this moment, he was supposed to be standing right behind Richard, yet within the visible range of about a dozen meters in front of him, there was only the wet, slippery, and chillingly cold emptiness of the dungeon.

Before he could ponder why the scene before him had not occurred, the surrounding light suddenly dimmed, transitioning from the obscure darkness to complete blackness.

Soon, Lu Li was surrounded by the hopeless darkness.

Without panicking, he calmly waited for the next change to appear.

Immersed in the boundless darkness, Lu Li didn’t have to wait long before a milky white glow gradually lit up ahead, forming a row of text.

Lu Li moved forward, approaching the writing.

[You are more steadfast than you think]

Lu Li looked forward, where dots of light were spaced at intervals.

This scene reminded him of the end of the first challenge.

The third challenge had already begun silently.

[It has brought you here to face the final test]

Rows of text surfaced gradually as Lu Li walked forward.

[This is not without reward.

Should you pass the test, you will receive a gift at the end]

[It will be able to help you]

No more dots of light emerged from the darkness ahead; instead, it was replaced by Richard’s back.

It was not the present Richard.

The Richard walking ahead was dirty and wretched, with his brown hair tangled like a bird’s nest.

His clothing was dry and different, his cheeks gaunt as though from prolonged malnutrition, and even his spine couldn’t stay straight.

Richard looked around in panic, frightened by the unfamiliar surroundings.

Occasionally he glanced back, but it was as if he couldn’t see Lu Li following a few meters behind.

Soon, as if “Richard” saw something, he widened his eyes in fear and looked to the side.

Gradually, shattered walls bearing chaotic graffiti emerged from the darkness, forming three equally shattered phrases.

[Do not listen to those laughs, they will wear down your willpower, making you indulge in amusement.]

[Avoid staying up late, it is your greatest enemy, health is more important than you think]

[Stay away from going out, the monsters disguised as children will cling to you, causing you to lose faith amidst laughter and cheer]

These words had appeared in Lu Li’s first challenge.

Richard continued forward with trembling legs, while Lu Li who followed not far behind had an epiphany.

What he was witnessing, was the challenge Richard once faced with the Blood-Colored Tentacles.

Then correspondingly, was Richard also witnessing his own past challenges?