Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 640 - 640 One hundred fifty-nine

640: One hundred fifty-nine.

End, begin 640: One hundred fifty-nine.

End, begin The figures wandering in the garden were few.

Some strange creatures Lu Li had already seen several times—they roamed past him at fixed intervals, much like the stereotypical behavior of animals.

While this indeed made Xiusi University less deserted, it also added an abundance of eeriness.

Occasionally, two disguised creatures would pass by, their conversations cluing in Lu Li that the place with the most students, or rather, creatures, at the moment was the row of wooden houses in the university’s back garden.

That place was originally intended for workers and students to rest and prepare.

According to the “paradise” schedule, Xiusi University was currently in nap time, and to some extent, the creatures that obeyed the school rules more than the actual students were all gathered there.

Before long, Lu Li left the bench by the fountain to approach the row of wooden houses and quietly observed the two-story row houses similar to the Long House from a distance.

The strange behavior of Lu Li caught the attention of a strange creature wandering nearby, which, in the guise of a student, veered off course to approach Lu Li and started a conversation, “It looks like it’s your first time here?”

“I only arrived at this university two classes ago,” Lu Li calmly replied, as if he had a quill dipped in ink spelling out “plain” and “I am human” across his face.

“I heard it’s very safe here, but I can’t find my room.”

The surrounding area was very open, and any short actions would attract several gazes in a matter of moments, leaving Lu Li unable to make a move here.

Lu Li’s tone was suspicious, not just in content, but also due to his poor acting skills.

However, the strange creature didn’t ponder, “This reckless and foolish guy is just feigning stupidity to deceive me.” Instead, it guessed Lu Li was human, and its tone became urgent as if it was trying hard to suppress its emotions to avoid arousing suspicion or frightening Lu Li, “I can take you to find it.

My room has an empty bed; if you can’t find your own, you can stay in mine for now.”

“That would be troubling you,” Lu Li answered without a second thought.

…

Tap—tap-tap—tap-tap—tap—

The chaotic sound of footsteps came down from the staircase, as dust fluttered down into the dim space beneath the wooden stairs.

On the second floor of the Long House, a line of doors extended neatly to the end like tall tombstones, with light only maintaining around the windows on both sides of the corridor, leaving the rest in darkness.

Lu Li and the malicious creature ascended to the second floor and stood at the top of the stairs, looking left and right down the corridor.

“Do you know where my room is?” Lu Li’s question was like that of a poor bug trapped in a spider web, struggling futilely and only drawing the spider closer.

But the web was relative; while Lu Li had stepped into its web, the creature had also stepped into the trap woven by Lu Li.

“Maybe you are my roommate.”

It couldn’t let its prey escape.

Even while leading Lu Li to its room, it kept looking back to make sure Lu Li hadn’t run off—

Of course, Lu Li didn’t plan to slip away; he quietly followed behind it until they stopped in front of a wooden door.

Now it seemed as if the poor bug had deliberately crashed into the spider’s web.

The strange creature reached out to turn the knob and pushed the door open.

Lu Li stood at the doorway, where the dusty, mist-like light roamed, and a sealed-off scent rushed out—a strange smell akin to wood rot and damp bedding mixed together.

At first, it was almost inviting, like the scent of kerosene, but as you breathed it in, it became uncomfortable, as if there was mold growing in your nose.

Wooden houses always had a similar smell.

Here, it was mild compared to the dampness of Belfast’s rainy seasons, which made it feel like living in a primeval forest.

But none of that mattered now, after the disaster.

“Is this my room?”

Lu Li surveyed the room, where four beds were placed in the four corners, each with its own nightstand.

A withered plant sat on the windowsill facing the school.

“Perhaps it is, no one’s going to come and correct us anyway.” It walked into the room first, standing at the door waiting for Lu Li to follow.

“Why not come in and take a look?”

“Who are the other two besides us?” Lu Li stood at the doorway, showing no intention of entering the room.

“Newcomers like you, you’ll see those guys later.

For now, come and check out your bed,” the young creature invited again, whispering seductively, barely able to hide its eagerness in its eyes.

“Okay,”

It was delighted as Lu Li finally agreed and calmly walked into the trap set beyond the door.

Click.

The door slowly closed, its face turned away from Lu Li, revealing a ferocity and malignance no human could make.

At the same time, an arm leaped over its shoulder from behind, a hand firmly covering its mouth, blocking that malignance—

“Mmm—”

A barely audible grunt reached the hallway outside, followed by the sound of a fall and a barely discernible noise of dragging a heavy object.

After about ten seconds of silence, there was a creak like prying open wooden planks from behind the door.

The sound soon faded, and then a messy tearing noise, a gnawing sound, started vaguely from inside the room, and gradually disappeared as well.

Ten seconds later, the door was suddenly pulled open.

Lu Li’s figure appeared at the door.

He was holding a pot of flowers, or rather, a flowerpot, retreating backwards onto the corridor and saying to the room, “The next class test is about to start, I’ll head back to the classroom to prepare.”

The oddities lurking in the dark corridor merely glanced into the room before shifting their gaze away.

They didn’t believe any humans would be here.

In the deadly silence without any sound, Lu Li tilted his head as if listening to something, then nodded, “Okay, but you need to hurry.”

Click—

After speaking, Lu Li casually closed the door and turned to walk downstairs.

If a suspicious oddity sneaked into the room after Lu Li left, it would find nothing.

Even if it looked carefully, it would only discover strangely damaged wooden planks under the bed and assume they had always been there.

All traces were well concealed.

…

“What’s that?”

Gawain York stepped aside, curiously watching Lu Li come into the office holding the flowerpot.

“A flowerpot.”

“Uh…

What I mean is why are you bringing it?”

Gawain York’s last encounter with a plant growing in soil traced back to six months ago.

“Intuition.”

Due to the restoration of Sanity Value, the inspiration Lu Li gained from low Sanity Value was taken away.

However, the overall enhancement from playing Evil Spirit Chess elevated his intuition once more.

Although it wasn’t as sharp as when his Sanity Value was low, it was close enough.

Lu Li’s actions usually relied on analytical judgment, and with intuition, it became a combination of both.

When leaving the room, he noticed that inconspicuous potted plant, and a faint voice reminded him to pick it up—so Lu Li did just that.

“All right.

Class is in ten minutes; we should leave,” Gawain York shrugged and said.

Lu Li had come in vain, as Gawain York had not gained any information about the exam, such as its content or the correct answers.

Even Professor Gawain York, who would be proctoring the upcoming exam, was assigned to oversee another classroom.

He was unable to assist Lu Li.