Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 559 - 559 You are not trustworthy

559: You are not trustworthy.

559: You are not trustworthy.

Boundless darkness surged around, and as he quietly waited, a dim light slowly appeared in the distance.

Lu Li stared for a long while before moving toward that place.

At the end of the darkness, a space enveloped in a gray, foggy haze appeared.

Lu Li stepped over the boundary between darkness and decay, entering into the vast fog.

The fog seemed tangible, with visibility maintained just in front of him.

As Lu Li walked past, a vortex of fog surged behind him.

When he had walked about ten meters into the fog, Lu Li suddenly turned his head to look to the side.

Hurried running sounds emerged from within the fog, and at the same time, a figure accompanied by the rolling fog rushed towards Lu Li, throwing a punch.

Lu Li raised his arm to block it— the force was laughably weak.

“Richard?”

Lu Li frowned, watching the unsuccessful Richard rush back into the fog, where his form disappeared, leaving only the swirling mist.

His clothes were damp, and he still bore wounds on his legs—it was Richard in that moment.

“Do you know?

I actually started thinking that you were more suitable than me for the Ancient God’s vessel, after witnessing everything you’ve done.”

From within the mist, a voice came, its direction indistinguishable.

It was Richard’s voice.

“Calm, smart, as if nothing can shatter your consciousness…

Your qualities make me insanely jealous; I realized why, even though I was the first to contact it, it chose to pull you in.”

Lu Li slowly scanned the surrounding fog, “I have no intention to claim the Ancient God’s vessel.”

“Oh?

How about I tell you how to contact the Blood-Colored Tentacles, then you walk away?” Richard’s voice around him carried a tone of sarcasm and some complex emotions.

It was uncertain whether he regretted not eliminating Lu Li earlier, or assisting Lu Li to deal with the tentacles to get him away.

Lu Li didn’t answer, and a cold laugh came through the mist from Richard.

“Heh…

hypocrite…

You really are coveting this power.”

Lu Li calmly spoke, “It’s unrelated.

I just don’t want it to fall into the wrong hands.”

Sudden, hurried footsteps came from behind him, almost at an arm’s length!

Lu Li turned sharply, his hand at his waist grasping the Spirit-Calling Gun, raising it towards the approaching Richard.

His movements were slow.

By the time Richard had charged out, he had silently closed in beside him, seizing Lu Li’s wrist and lifting it high.

Bang!

The deafening gunshot dispersed the dense fog clinging to the two of them.

As the bullet flew upwards, the fog whirled and scattered in alarm.

Richard employed brawler-like fighting skills, elbowing towards Lu Li’s chest.

If Richard hadn’t been exhausted and injured, this blow could have easily cracked Lu Li’s ribs, knocking him to the ground.

But now, it only caused Lu Li chest pain and made him step back half a step.

Richard’s goal was never to subdue Lu Li—as Lu Li staggered back, Richard took the opportunity to knock away Lu Li’s arm, sending the Spirit-Calling Gun spinning into the fog.

Without hesitation, Richard dashed toward the Spirit-Calling Gun as it flew into the fog.

Lu Li steadied himself, letting Richard lunge for the Spirit-Calling Gun, grabbing it and disappearing into the mist.

The bullet had already been fired; that gun was now just a prop.

After a few hurried footsteps, no other sounds came from the mist.

Richard was like a hyena circling its prey, ready to strike.

“Huh… an unworthy possessor?”

The panting voice rose again, bringing with it a sneer.

“Lu Li, you’ve seen it all, haven’t you?

My past foolishness, madness, and purpose.

You know why I did all this!

You are an Exorcist, an investigator, more aware than I that the end of destruction is coming, those ancient beings sealed away, the existence of the Inner World, the entities deep in the cosmos are impending!

Only powerful forces can protect everyone!”

Toward the end, Richard yelled frantically, unable to control his emotions.

Lu Li remained composed, as if Richard’s madness could not affect him, “How do you know you can control this power?

Confidence can change a person, including destroying them.”

“I have to try.

That’s the biggest difference between me and you self-proclaimed sages!”

“You know nothing about those beings.” Lu Li shook his head gently as he spoke.

“Their existence surpasses our imagination.

The moment you occupy the body of an Ancient God, you might be annihilated by a consciousness as vast as the ocean.

Or worse, lose yourself in the malicious aura and become a new monstrosity that slaughters humankind.”

“We need to control the power, not be controlled by it.”

This was highly likely to occur, as too many Exorcists who turned into aberrations eventually died from the aura’s infection.

Each one of them thought they could maintain their true self, but in the end, they were devoured by the abyss.

Just like… Anna.

“I will succeed.” Richard’s reply was brief.

This was where they disagreed.

Two ants conversing at the edge of an anthill, one of which had climbed a few dozen centimeters up a small hill, realized the vastness and terror of the land but could never step out of that tiny mound for the rest of its life, any being could easily destroy its colony.

Meanwhile, the other ant thought the mound packed with its kin was the entire world, ruling it as the world’s kings.

Lu Li realized it was hard to reason with a madman, his eyes lowered, “Before stepping into the lair, I only wanted to deal with the Blood-Colored Tentacles in my mind.

But now, I cannot agree with someone who kills thousands of people for his own goals.

Too many innocents have died because of you.”

“You want to speak up for a bunch of ordinary people?” Excited by Lu Li’s first few words, Richard froze, unable to help shouting, “They will die eventually!”

A whooshing sound was heard as a shadow suddenly attacked from the side.

The Spirit-Calling Gun that had been picked up was thrown by Richard as if it were a stone.

Lu Li slightly tilted his head to dodge, but there was no sound of it landing on the other side, “You have no right to decide the life and death of others, you can only decide your own.”

“Their sacrifice is worth it!”

“You don’t get to decide that.”

“Perhaps you are right…” Richard’s whisper came from all directions, as if it was everywhere.

“But I have come this far, and I will not give up.”

“It’s a pity.

I thought that we, with similar ideals, could perhaps cooperate, even become friends…”

Richard let out a regretful sigh.

“Wait a second.”

Lu Li had another question to ask, “What is the third trial?”

“Don’t you understand yet?

This is the third trial.”

“It threw us in here to kill each other, like a gladiatorial arena.

Only the last surviving beast will be rewarded.”

“You can’t beat me.” Lu Li said confidently.

An exhausted Richard, even his sneak attack, could only slightly bother Lu Li.

“Really…” Richard’s murmur had a playful tone.

“I don’t think so…

What do you think, why can I see you, but you can’t see me?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the fog-enshrouded Richard emerged from Lu Li’s side, charging directly at him.