Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 600 - 600 One hundred nineteen

600: One hundred nineteen.

Budding 600: One hundred nineteen.

Budding “A negligible enhancement.” Lu Li said to Anna.

Anna frowned, her gaze sweeping over the monster’s corpse, the bizarre killing of humans to gain humanity…

“I know what you’re thinking, and it won’t work,” Lu Li seriously looked at Anna.

If Anna killed humans like the monsters, her humanity would swiftly disappear from her—another kind of humanity.

Anna, having never seen Lu Li with such an expression, nodded gently in agreement.

“Moreover, the problem might not lie here.” Lu Li became calm again, pondering, “The notable enhancements in humanity were all gained when I personally used ‘redemption’.

The amount of humanity gained might be related to whether I hold it.”

“But the cost is too high,” Anna said.

Exchanging nearly irreversible Sanity Value for the speed of increasing “humanity” was not worthwhile.

“Let’s leave it at this for now.” Lu Li needed to carefully consider how to acquire more humanity.

Now he had ample time to think.

Anna picked up the “Investigator Weekly” from the blanket to read, and as she flipped to the last page, Lu Li’s voice rang out, “I plan to attend the Exorcist conference.”

“At this time?” Anna put down the newspaper, revealing a frown on her delicate face.

“A newspaper isn’t enough to understand the current situation.”

“You could buy information from the merchants,” Anna suggested.

“That’s the backup plan.”

For a long while to come, the only source of income for his investigation points would be the Senior Investigator’s weekly 140 points.

Twelve thousand investigation points seemed a lot, but as time passed, the prices of items and information sold by the merchants, like Deep Sea Stone, would only increase.

The expansion of the refuge and the doors seemed hopeless.

Each following day was almost identical.

In the afternoons, Anna would go hunting with “redemption.” Each hunting session increased Lu Li’s humanity more than once, sometimes three or four times, though she usually only brought back one monster corpse, or returned empty-handed.

Not all monsters possessed bodies, nor did all monster bodies comply with human aesthetics—most of them were like human nightmares, or could induce the deepest fears and disgust from within a person.

Despite this, the Jimmy Siblings, who also needed to restore their humanity, didn’t mind whether the monsters were ugly or disgusting.

When dining, the Jimmy Siblings would take the “children” and avoid Lu Li, departing the cliff to consume in Elm Forest.

After a while, when they returned from dining, Raimy supporting a pale-faced, bloodshot-eyed Jimmy, who looked like he had vomited not long before.

And it was so every single time.

Despite the unpleasant dining process, Jimmy’s condition significantly improved, and his monstrous body no longer looked frail.

At least he was not like Lu Li, who spent all day on a reclining chair under a blanket, like a retired old man.

“The children’s” changes were minor, perhaps due to severe burns they had suffered before.

Raimy incidentally discovered that “Wei’er’s” “skin” was cracking, only then did they realize the children’s charcoal-like exterior was not their skin, but carbonized from fire damage.

Underneath the cracked “skin” was new skin.

Similarly changing was Anna.

She became increasingly aloof, as if wearing a mask called indifference.

The aura of a Predator grew stronger within her, just like those monsters that hunted humans.

Only her prey was the monsters themselves.

Only when faced with Lu Li did she shed the indifferent facade, revealing only gentleness.

Correspondingly, Lu Li’s recovery speed was slow.

On the fourth day of recuperation, he could only move slower than an elderly man with a cane.

On the fifth day of living at the refuge, in the afternoon when Anna left, she took with her the clean skeletons that remained from the creatures Jimmy had eaten over the past few days—she had recently found some strange tracks on Elm Street, sometimes extending into Elm Forest.

Some were monster footprints, some human…

However, due to the negative emotions in Elm Forest, they never went deep.

Anna planned to scatter the bones at the edge of Elm Forest, to warn the strange creatures approaching, especially those leaving human footprints.

Whether they were heretics or evil spirits.

On the sixth day, Anna said she had found a survivor.

However, the survivor was being bound and taken away by heretics in black robes.

Hidden in the shadows, Anna noticed the wet, slippery, scaly skin revealed between the hem of the robes as the group of heretics moved.

Anna did not reveal herself until they had gone.

The captured survivor had nothing to do with her; Anna wouldn’t care about anyone other than Lu Li.

Especially since those were a group of intelligent, organized cultists.

The fate of the captured survivor was predictable—either to be used as a sacrifice to please the Evil God or to be converted into a cultist.

Humanity increased only slightly, and Anna’s six days of hunting had increased Lu Li’s humanity by less than one percent.

The daily news from the Exorcist’s broadcast was worse than the day before.

Nearly all of Ailen Peninsula had fallen, with only Himfast holding out, where over ninety percent of the peninsula’s population was gathered.

All villages and towns on the Main Affinity Continent had lost contact, only the towns gathering a large population around them and the main cities remained.

Based on the broadcasts, Lu Li marked the maps of the Main Affinity Continent and Ailen Peninsula.

The originally scattered towns across the Main Affinity Continent, like countless stars, extinguished one after another, leaving only a few sparse lights.

Ailen Peninsula was even darker, with only Himfast barely visible as a light.

Seventh day, early morning.

The strange mist spreading to the inland slowly receded, the sea exhaled fog, and the mountainous black flesh monsters sank to the sea floor.

Lu Li opened his eyes and slowly sat up on the bed.

The blanket slipped off him, and Anna, who was standing beside, put down the black cat and draped a coat over Lu Li.

Then, as every day, she carried Lu Li to a recliner and took him to the edge of the cave, although Lu Li could already walk slowly.

But today was a bit different than usual.

In the soil next to Lu Li’s recliner, two tender sprouts were growing through the earth.

The Jimmy siblings quickly gathered around, amazed at the sprouts.

“Related to humanity?” Raimy guessed, unable to think of another reason.

They would find out by trying.

Raimy carefully scooped up the soil under one of the sprouts and planted it on the other side of the cave away from Lu Li, then waited with some excitement for the result the next day.

Beyond the unexpected surprise of the sprouts, another new event soon occurred.

A black crow arrived, perching on the armrest of the recliner.

Anna took the letter tied to the messenger’s leg, but the crow did not leave, tilting its head, its black pupils reflecting the figures of Lu Li, Anna, and the black cat.

Anna went back inside the refuge to bring food for the crow, while Lu Li in the recliner unfolded the letter.

The letter was signed Tesla.