Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 622 - 622 One hundred and forty-one

622: One hundred and forty-one.

A patchwork coincidence.

622: One hundred and forty-one.

A patchwork coincidence.

Is Rhode trustworthy?

Perhaps.

At the very least, Rhode’s identity lends credibility to his words, and he seemed to have detected Anna’s presence.

Keg Flay and Marvelin offered no defense.

This was the mainstream view in the Exorcist Realm, deeply rooted within exorcist families.

They all knew something about Michael Tesla’s story, and while his choice to merge with the strange made them uncomfortable, retreating to the Ailen Peninsula was the best option for everyone.

The bonfire was burning vigorously, but the gathering was nearing its end.

Before leaving, Rhode stood up and picked up the oil lamp, “There are some things Uncle Michael asked me to tell you.”

Had Tesla guessed they would attend the Exorcists’ Council?

Lu Li thought this over and had Anna push his wheelchair to follow Rhode.

“Michael only wants Mr.

Luli to hear these words,” Rhode said to Anna.

Curious glances from Flay and Marvelin withdrew as they collected their belongings.

“Tesla knows me,” a cold voice emerged from beneath the cloak.

“He only told me to inform Lu Li…” Rhode revealed a trace of difficulty.

“We will not go far,” Lu Li said to Anna, and followed Rhode away from the bonfire.

As they moved away from the bright fire, darkness encroached, and the oil lamp in hand was suppressed, weak and insignificant.

In the dark, the sound like tides came from the pebbled beach of the lake.

Lu Li pondered what Tesla wanted to say.

Was he worried that the letter would not reveal its meaning to Lu Li, prompting a reminder from his nephew, or was it something else?

Crunch—

Stepping on the wet pebbles, Rhode stopped in his tracks.

Some malice lurked beneath the nearby water, Drowners hard to eliminate as they hid at the bottom of the lake, yet incapable of coming ashore.

“Sorry, I lied to you using Uncle Michael’s name.”

Lu Li calmly watched Rhode: “Tesla didn’t have anything to tell me?”

“Hmm.

He’s lost contact since going to the shelter,” Rhode said seriously, looking at Lu Li.

“He mentioned you many times to me, I believe you must know what this is about.”

“Just speculations,” Lu Li answered.

The truth he suspected was too desperate, and would not be believed— who would believe that the three major organizations that had been protecting humanity from the strange for hundreds of years would choose to abandon everyone outside and only preserve the seeds of survival in the shelters?

“So the outcome isn’t looking good, is it?” Rhode smiled wryly; he had asked his father and other family members, but they remained silent, as if there was a deep taboo.

Lu Li wanted to say something, but his wheelchair suddenly sank.

The pebbly beach, devoid of gravel, couldn’t support the chair’s narrow wheels.

The wheels sank into the pebbles, and Lu Li tumbled forward from the wheelchair—before him was the shallows of Star Lake.

Splash—

The sound of falling into the water broke the calm of the lake’s surface, and ripples spread towards the center of the lake in the dark.

Hunting below, the Drowners clustered like seaweed detected the prey’s scent and headed towards the shallows.

The shallows were just deep enough to submerge the knees, but as Lu Li tried to stand, his soul separated from his body—his flesh fell into the water, while his soul stood up.

Rhode, who was about to help Lu Li up, was stunned by the sight: “Why would the soul…”

The Drowners from the bottom of the lake rushed to the shallows, their black hair like seaweed revealing their ghastly and insubstantial bodies.

Extending claws, they grasped Lu Li’s body bereft of its soul and dragged it toward the center of Star Lake.

At that moment, a blur of motion suddenly swept past Rhode, its penetrating aura nearly freezing his soul.

The Drowners dragging Lu Li’s body scattered in all directions; one greedy enough not to release its tasty morsel shattered along with the surrounding waters.

The wave created by the force temporarily exposed the riverbed, Anna held Lu Li as his soul returned to his body, and as they reached the shoreline, the falling lake water splashed, drenching Rhode.

Rhode, soaked to the skin, suddenly froze, an oppressive feeling of suffocation surged within him as if faced with a malevolent spirit, then ebbed away like a receding tide.

“Anna.”

The Lu Li in her arms quietly called out to her, “It had nothing to do with him, I slipped and fell on my own.”

The oppressive feeling dissipated, and Rhode hastily apologized, “Sorry…

that scene just…”

Remembering the moment when Lu Li’s soul separated from his body, Rhode fell into silence once more.

“It’s a sequela of going to hell, that’s why I’m in a wheelchair,” Lu Li explained.

Anna put the equally drenched Lu Li back in his wheelchair and returned to the fire to warm themselves.

“What happened?”

When Flay and Marvelin heard the commotion and arrived, Lu Li had already been rescued ashore; they asked the same to the soaked Rhode.

“Lu Li fell into the lake…” Rhode replied bitterly.

The two men thought he had rescued Lu Li and, sighing with relief, patted him on the shoulder.

The party that should have ended was involuntarily extended by another hour, until the clothes of Lu Li and Rhode were no longer damp.

During this time, Marvelin shared a few more stories, but Rhode’s continuous silence made the atmosphere less harmonious than at the start.

Extinguishing the fire and leaving the hill, the four of them were about to part ways on the street.

“It was my fault…

thankfully, Miss Assistant arrived in time.”

Lu Li retrieved his carriage, which had been stored at the garage, and before leaving, Rhode, looking apologetic and with his head bowed, said, “I owe you one.”

“It’s okay,” Lu Li answered calmly, and Anna took the reins, driving the carriage back to the inn.

Rhode also left without heeding the bewildered Flay and Marvelin, departing in silence.

…

The Royal City, true to its name as the City of Endless Night, did not disappoint.

Although it was not as beautiful as looking at Belfast from across the sea, its vastness and impact far exceeded the former.

Even the streets were bustling with businesses and strolling tourists and residents, as if the crisis had never approached.

Around nine o’clock, the carriage returned to the inn.

Lilia, who had been waiting for them all night, was relieved to go back to sleep next door.

Lu Li changed his mud-stained clothing—he thought Anna would look away, but she watched him change without blinking an eye.

Even though there was a time when Anna took care of all his daily needs at the refuge, during which they were very close to each other.

“It was just an accident,” Lu Li knew that Anna was still preoccupied with the previous events.

“He shouldn’t have been daydreaming…” Anna responded coldly.

“Everyone has their moments of accidents.”

“You almost died because of him.”

“You were there, so it wouldn’t happen.”

“I will not forgive him,” Anna murmured softly.

Anna’s current personality was Lu Li’s own making—unable to persuade her, all Lu Li could do was try another way.

Staring at her.

Thus, Lu Li didn’t sleep all night.

Fortunately, he had several books to pass the time, so the night wasn’t too tedious.

And Anna had no choice but to stay in the room, keeping Lu Li company all night, as she did every night.

A night of stillness.

The next morning, Lu Li, Anna, and Lilia went downstairs for breakfast when a carriage stopped in front of the inn.

A flustered Flay stepped down from the carriage, approached Lu Li, and brought terrible news.

Rhode was dead.