Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 740 - 740 259

740: 259.

Dissolve in his brilliance 740: 259.

Dissolve in his brilliance The image of the cork had already surfaced in the Exorcist’s mind.

“So did you see the roots of the plant?

Is it a seed?” the Exorcist pressed on.

“No seeds.

You could understand it as his body being the seed; it could sprout from anywhere,” the doctor said, casually wiping blood from his mask with some cotton, before using a scalpel to pick up a chunk of cut flesh.

The fine veins on the surface of the flesh looked like blood vessels, and the doctor used tweezers to pluck it, peeling out a web-like network from the flesh.

The doctor rinsed it in clean water to remove the blood.

Without the bloodstain, the network looked more like the root system of a plant.

“These are the withered roots of the plant, growing directly within the flesh.”

“No seeds…

so it’s not parasitic?” the Exorcist murmured to himself.

If flesh and blood serve as seeds and fertile soil, it resembles more of a curse.

“Dissect the roots from other parts,” Lu Li instructed.

“Of course, one example doesn’t prove much,” the doctor replied approvingly, appreciating such professional input.

Over the next few minutes, the doctor separated a few more root systems, some withering almost to fibrosis, some vibrant enough to seem as if their pulse could be heard.

But, without exception, there were no traces of seeds.

“It seems to be a curse…

so only locals get infected,” the Exorcist said with complexity.

Though they figured out the cause, that was all they did.

They still didn’t know how to break the curse.

“Is he dead?” Lu Li glanced at the withdrawn doctor.

“A few more minutes,” the doctor, stopping mid-mask removal, replied.

“What else do you want to do?”

“Something else.” Lu Li then asked the Exorcist: “What crime did he commit?”

After a moment of silence, the Exorcist said, “Knowing he was infected with the plague, he raped a nine-year-old girl.

Do you remember Little Linna, who gave you candy?”

Pure evil can rival the bizarre.

Lu Li lowered his gaze, reaching for the holster, and calmly narrated, “My Spirit-Calling Gun is called Redemption.

Its ability is Death Retrace, seeing what the bizarre sighted before its death.”

“If the patient dies from the curse, I will see what he saw.”

“He’s scum, so go ahead,” the Exorcist had no objections and was even glad to see the bastard judged.

Lu Li unfastened the holster.

But before pulling out the Spirit-Calling Gun, there was a sound of someone falling behind.

Emin collapsed to the ground, fogging up the mask obscuring her face.

“What happened to her?!”

The Exorcist immediately retreated to the wall, keeping a distance from the hospital bed.

Lu Li swiftly drew the Spirit-Calling Gun, sensing his surroundings.

The once silent room suddenly seemed “filled with people,” lurking everywhere.

On the ceiling, under the bed, within door cracks, and even inside coat pockets.

But no bizarre entity hid around, except for the infected patient on the bed.

The Spirit-Calling Gun returned to its holster, and the feeling of noisy scrutiny gradually faded, returning the ward to its calm, with only the few of them inside.

“There’s no bizarre entity.”

Lu Li approached Emin, removing her mask and touching her neck with his fingers.

The pulse was still beating, and Emin’s cheeks appeared a bit pale.

“Maybe she fainted from the sight of blood, or the mask was too stuffy,” came the doctor’s voice from the side.

Lu Li nodded, and with the Exorcist, carried Emin to a chair.

He pulled out the Spirit-Calling Gun once more, and the familiar feeling of watching and murmuring returned.

With his arm extended, Lu Li unhesitatingly pulled the trigger at the infected.

Bang!

The deafening sound echoed through the room, impossible to block even by covering one’s ears.

The figure on the bed burst open in a shower of blood, and Lu Li instantly entered Death Retrace.

“Maybe she fainted from the sight of blood, or the mask was too stuffy,” came the doctor’s voice from behind.

Lu Li turned around, seeing himself settle Emin into a chair.

The infected had always been alive…

Lu Li thought, observing himself raise the Spirit-Calling Gun from an Observer’s perspective.

The man on the bed suddenly turned his head, glaring venomously at Lu Li.

The next moment, a gunshot sounded, and consciousness returned to reality.

Humanity surged into his soul, as Lu Li silently holstered the Spirit-Calling Gun.

But whether an illusion or not, they seemed closer than before.

Emin, seemingly awakened by the gunshot, began to stir.

“I suddenly felt dizzy earlier…

sorry,” she apologized, rubbing the swollen bump on the back of her head.

“Did you find anything?” the Exorcist asked with anticipation.

“The infected has always been alive,” Lu Li replied.

“Still no good, huh…” the Exorcist sighed.

They were almost accustomed to failure, as success was as rare as a surprise: “Let’s leave, perhaps others gathered information from Tawei Town.”

After receiving news from Lu Li, the City Lord had dispatched a team of Exorcists to investigate, and they should have returned by now.

Hopefully, with good news.

They left the room, returning to the ground floor hall.

The Exorcists who went to Tawei Town had returned.

They brought back neither good nor bad news: the headquarters of the bizarre Believers was empty, with the ground littered with chaotic footprints, indicating their departure.

Once again, their trail had run cold.

All that remained for Lu Li was to visit Tawei Town in person.

The Exorcist then suggested to Lu Li, to use “Redemption” to free the infected, or rather, the longest cursed patient.

If she had already died, he could see how she had died.

If she was still alive…

being alive was a painful existence for her.

Returning to the second-floor ward, Little Linna, with her brown hair, sat docilely on the bed, even the buds sprouting from her forehead looked much cuter.

Woosh—

The Exorcist pulled back the curtain, and a horrifying scene reappeared.

He stepped back and looked at Lu Li.

This seemed to become an ethical dilemma: when someone suffering intensely wished to die, should one do everything to save them or help them be freed?

The roots dangling from the edge of the bed swayed like seaweed, quietly reaching towards Lu Li.

“Don’t let them touch you.”

Emin reminded him.

As her words fell, the oil lamp Lu Li held in his hand suddenly emitted a weak glow.

It was dimmer than a dying match, but inexplicably comforting, as if bathing in sunlight.

The root that climbed silently upon the oil lamp swiftly withered and broke apart, falling to the floor and shattering into pieces.

Seeing this, Lu Li suddenly raised the oil lamp, stretching out his arm, letting the lamp get closer to the bed.

The writhing roots surged towards the oil lamp, or rather, the arm as if they were countless worms.

They entwined together, growing longer and touching the lamp’s shade.

The oil lamp was illuminated once more, flickering like a firefly.

The Exorcist saw Emin retreating, and he too kept moving backward, even though the light made him feel extremely relaxed and safe.

Withered roots fell off in sheets, while ugly, twisted roots kept crawling over.

“What’s happening?” the Exorcist couldn’t help but ask.

Many patients on the second floor, attracted by the glow, curiously looked over.

Lu Li watched silently by the bed, and calmly said, “It’s called the Lighthouse.

The light dispels the bizarre, at the cost of burning humanity.”