Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 645 - 645 One hundred sixty-four

645: One hundred sixty-four.

Cleaning hotel 645: One hundred sixty-four.

Cleaning hotel Gemini Reed, this Exorcist not affiliated with any of the three major organizations, knew much more than Gawain York, but his knowledge had limits.

More often, he was hiding himself in order to stay alive, not to seek other survivors.

“Beware of those strange creatures that can blend in with humans; most of them have the ability to acquire our memories…” Gemini Reed’s tone suddenly became slow and suspicious.

Subconsciously, he thought about if a creature stole Lu Li’s memory…

Lu Li guessed his thoughts, but such suspicions were doomed to be hard to explain and prove unless they killed a strange creature.

Fortunately, Lu Li could do just that, but Gawain York spoke up more quickly, recounting to Gemini Reed the incident where Lu Li had encountered a creature disguised as a Foray Family Exorcist and did not forget to clear Lu Li of suspicion at the end: “And I personally saw Lu Li and his assistant effortlessly slice, uh… kill two strange creatures, they didn’t even see it coming!”

Gemini Reed bowed slightly, apologizing, “Please forgive my abrupt doubts.”

“It’s proper.”

If he hadn’t been able to peer into the Inverted City, Lu Li would have been even more doubtful than him, he just wouldn’t show it.

Gemini Reed continued to analyze the current situation: In the Royal City, now a playground of strange creatures, there must still be many survivors.

Either hiding by themselves or converging like them.

The three major organizations might be able to differentiate between strange creatures and humans, like Lu Li, which would be safer but also an easier target for attacks—the playground’s arrival at this time was clearly meant for something everyone knew: the Exorcists’ Council.

The Royal City was temporarily not allowing departures.

Gemini Reed had devised three plans: setting up safe houses to slowly absorb survivors; meeting up with members of the United Organization; operating alone to clean up the strange creatures.

The choice, however, was up to Lu Li, and he might choose a fourth plan—

“Later, we’ll go investigate the staff base,” Lu Li said.

“You guys stay here.”

He had to first pass on the clues obtained by the old Demon Hunter to them, even though they might already know.

Then he would look into the purpose of the “playground,” and how to leave it.

It couldn’t possibly maintain itself endlessly.

It would vanish at some moment, or erupt.

“Of course,” Gemini Reed subconsciously answered.

Hearing the latter part, he hesitated, “Are we not going together?”

“There could be danger; it’s best if you and York stay here.”

Gemini Reed wanted to say something but, just as Lu Li had said, there was a high chance of encountering danger on the way, and he and Gawain York were not suited to follow.

“Then what can we do?” Gemini Reed needed something to keep busy, to avoid overthinking.

“Indeed, there is, but first…”

Lu Li’s dark eyes drooped, looking down at the floor.

Behind the cracks in the floorboards, a resentful eye was spying on them.

Anna’s fist smashed down like thunder, plunging into the floorboards and lifting up a middle-aged man amidst the flying wood chips.

Gemini Reed recognized it, the innkeeper who had been busy in the back kitchen.

Anna pulled out the kitchen knife from Lu Li’s waist and slid it across the innkeeper’s limbs, discarding the torso.

Just as effortlessly as lighting a bundle of dry straw with a match, Lu Li tossed the Spirit-Calling Gun onto the limbless torso.

Hiss—

The innkeeper began to vaporize.

“It was exactly like that!” Gawain York exclaimed, barely able to suppress his volume.

“If we could get rid of all the weirdness…”

Knowing more, Gemini Reed was less naive, “Do you know how many weird creatures have infiltrated the Royal City?

There are weird creatures wandering nearly every street, and there must be at least a couple hundred thousand of them in the city.”

Even the numbers were enough to drive one to despair.

Lu Li bowed his head, looked at the curious guests lifting their heads downstairs, and said to Gemini Reed, “Before we leave, we’ll clean out the weird creatures in the inn.

You guys disguise yourselves as the owners and paint the crow sign on the windows.

If I encounter any survivors, I’ll direct them here.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Anna kicked the limbs downstairs and leapt through the broken holes.

On the other side, Lu Li picked up the Spirit-Calling Gun, returned it to its holster, and walked out of the room and down the stairs.

“Remember the secret sign.”

Gawain York called out from behind.

Lu Li and Anna did not leave immediately; at least, for a few minutes, Reed and York upstairs could watch a dramatic play of hunting creatures.

After clearing the hall, the two headed upstairs, knocking on the doors of occupied guest rooms one by one.

Reed and York felt a twinge of recognition that the moniker “Evil God’s Death Knell” was fitting for Lu Li.

The weird powers of these omnipresent creatures were limited.

Despite their various elusive abilities, they could not endure much more damage than a ghost.

Lu Li would not be careless because of this.

His encounter with the Evil Spirit ‘Visible Song’, as solemnly reminded by Gemini Reed, had been an attack — fortunately, ‘Visible Song’ had merely passed by and had not entangled him.

However, it also showed that roaming the Royal City were not only weird creatures but also Evil Spirits and Evil Spirits, creatures that couldn’t be dealt with by common sense or conventional means.

Unexpectedly, while dealing with the creatures in the inn, they stumbled upon a human survivor: a clerk dozing off on the countertop.

He was nearly disposed of by Anna, thinking he was a creature, but his screams of terror saved his life.

After Lu Li took him outside to confirm his identity, he delivered him to Reed and York.

After dealing with all the creatures in the inn, Anna gathered the corpses in the hall while Lu Li searched for traces of the Clawed in a drainage sewer in the inn’s backyard and a finger-sized hole in the hall’s wall.

The Clawed were like fish crowding near the shore, packed in the sewer, tearing at the corpses Lu Li threw down.

He did not find the familiar Severed Clawed.

After feeding them three corpses, Lu Li and Anna returned to the hall.

Without needing assistance, they wagged the limbs in front of the broken hole, and the Clawed inside spontaneously pried off the planks to accept the feed.

After the third corpse was fed, Anna stopped Lu Li from continuing and suggested they take the remaining two bodies to feed the Clawed on the streets—

Repeatedly feeding them would not allow goodwill to accumulate indefinitely.

They then found sacks in the cellar, packed up the remaining two bodies, and bid farewell to Gemini Reed, leaving the inn.

…

On the streets, Anna dragged a bulging sack alongside Lu Li.

Each time they passed an alley or sewer where Clawed were known to be, they would stop.

Opening the sack full of limbs, they gave out food like wealthy philanthropists handing bread to beggars.

They looked stranger than the weird creatures, and some salivating bystanders regarded this as wasteful behavior.

Anna had no intention of carrying a sack everywhere, and since Clawed were common throughout the city—before they finished the street, the sack behind them was empty.

Anna discarded the empty sack and took Lu Li’s arm again, heading to the investigators’ base disguised as a shop: the Quaint and Curious Miscellany Store.