Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 784 - 17. Towards countless clues—draw a long straight line—

Chapter 784: 17. Towards countless clues—draw a long straight line—

"The one who came back is Chen Rong," Lu Li corrected.

"Eh? But didn’t you say..." Yang Chunxue felt her brain was once again not keeping up.

To visualize, she even used the yin energy to mimic steam rising above her head.

It looked quite silly.

"Their replacement isn’t merely possession. Do you remember Wang Mu and Chen Rong, whom we came across? The souls within their bodies were already A Yong and Lu Wenjian, yet they still possessed all their memories."

"You mean... synthesis?" Yang Chunxue exclaimed, then corrected herself after Lu Li shot a faint glance her way: "Ugh, I mean... memory fusion."

Lu Li nodded: "So in a sense, the one who came back is still Chen Rong, except inside her body there are now two more people: Lu Wenjian and his first corporeal form, Liu Xiaoyan."

Yet, one crucial question still shrouded in mist remained.

What does Richard Li want?

He had no apparent connection to the three patients——at least on the surface. Then he helped them resurrect, using a method with severe side effects——

Countless consciousness crammed into one brain, the negative effects far scarier than schizophrenia.

The brain’s capacity is limited, and different consciousnesses opposing and conflicting each other, wouldn’t take much time for Lu Wenjian, who’d been replaced too many times, to lose consciousness and turn into a mindless zombie.

And what could the instigator Richard Li gain from all this?

Conducting some experiment of personal interest? Or planning something more sinister?

Unconsciousness... resurrection... unconsciousness... resurrection.

Lu Li vaguely touched on something but it was too blurry.

He mentally listed the three key items again: flesh, eyeball, tentacle.

"A piece of flesh, an eyeball, a tentacle. What do they make you think of?" He asked Yang Chunxue.

"Octopus." Yang Chunxue replied without thinking, and seeing Lu Li keeping silent, she carefully asked: "Did I answer wrong...?"

"There’s nothing wrong with your answer, the problem is with me." Lu Li shook his head lightly.

This question was meaningless; something that could bring the dead back to life couldn’t possibly be an ordinary creature.

Finding no answers, Lu Li called Officer Wen and asked him to keep an eye on Richard Li internally. Once any relevant information surfaced, he should notify Lu Li immediately.

"Though I’m not sure why you’re doing this, I’ll keep an eye out for you," Officer Wen said. They weren’t very close, or rather, Lu Li’s aloof nature meant he wouldn’t form deep friendships with anyone.

However, Lu Li’s personality easily inspired trust in others.

"How about Chen Rong, did you find out anything? My record says she went missing again."

"Chen Rong is dead."

"Ah? Oh... she’s dead... Did you go to her husband because you saw her ghost?"

"As a police officer, you should be firm in your beliefs," Lu Li reminded him.

Officer Wen’s mindset had shifted quickly, everything was aligning too much with the supernatural, which wasn’t ideal.

"So it’s not a paranormal event?"

"It is."

"..."

"But it’s more complicated than that. I need you to find out where Liu Xiaoyan is. She went missing recently and was also one of the victims, her death being about three to four weeks ago."

"Since when did the Crime Investigation Team Chief become your informant? And she’s dead, so she’s either in a funeral home or already cremated."

"So will you check."

"I’ll check... I’ll check..." Officer Wen muttered, whether agreeing or cursing, then footsteps and the sound of a door opening came through.

"Xiao Liu, fetch a file for me, Liu Xiaoyan, from the Sixth Psychiatric Hospital records. What? Dead for four weeks? Check where her body is now... Alright, got it."

A sound of footsteps and a door closing came through the phone; Officer Wen had left the room, and his voice resumed: "West City Funeral Home, hasn’t been cremated yet. Apparently, her family couldn’t be reached or something, not too far from you."

"Understood."

As Lu Li was about to hang up, Officer Wen’s inquiry came from the phone.

"By the way, Detective, does that Xihua Community matter have to do with you?"

Lu Li was silent for a moment, then calmly said: "...what matter."

"Don’t play dumb, your dilapidated car was seen by the officers from the crime scene. Everyone recognizes that old Xiali of yours. Just because of that car, you alone can lower the living standards for the whole city’s residents."

Officer Wen loved cars, and because of this, he had numerous times critiqued Lu Li’s ride for being so distressing.

He had been doing so for about three years.

"I just went to see the excitement." Lu Li replied evenly, not at all like he was lying.

On the other side, Officer Wen snorted: "Do you think I’d believe that? If you want to do something without being recognized, change your car. Ever since that day at the mall, afterword had spread about your racing, everyone in the rich kids’ car modding circles knows about you. Are they going to start calling you Detective Lu Li now?"

Is that why Marcus said everyone knows about his reputation?

Lu Li was silent for a few seconds: "I’ll consider it."

As Lu Li was about to hang up, the phone again carried Officer Wen’s question.

"While I’m at it, where’s Chen Rong’s body after her death?"

"The body disappeared, don’t know where it is."

"Disappeared... alright, got it, go on with your work. Disappeared... what kind of magical plot is this..."

Before the call ended, Officer Wen’s quiet mutterings were transmitted through the receiver.

Beep—

Putting away the phone.

"Where to now?" "Funeral home, to find Liu Xiaoyan’s body."

The red tentacles on Chen Rong were bizarre and eerie, emitting an ominous aura, nothing approaching ’good’. Without knowing their purpose, the best choice was to nip danger in the bud.

"Funeral home... can I not go?" Yang Chunxue’s voice floated from the back seat, and through the rearview mirror, her teeth were chattering.

Some things don’t change despite becoming a ghost, like the fear of ghosts.

"It’s not that I’m scared... I’m so brave how could I be afraid of scary haunted funeral homes hahaha... haha... it’s just that I’m out of power!"

Lu Li calmly watched Yang Chunxue for a few seconds until she guilt-riddenly averted her gaze, nodded slightly, and said one word.

"Alright."

To prove her lack of power, Yang Chunxue retreated into the Ghost Envoy Manual to show she truly was powerless.

Upon her disappearance, Lu Li raised a hand to gently rub his temples.

He was feeling a bit weary.

Contrary to what most people knew——Lu Li wasn’t good at mental effort.

He preferred dealing with things directly.

Yet now, on the Liu Wenwei line, the scavenger’s motives were a mystery, their words seemed intentionally aimed to provoke him. Liu Wenwei’s grave had been meticulously vandalized, as if an invisible presence was preventing Lu Li from reaching the truth.

Richard Li’s line seemed clear, but the mastermind lurked behind a veil, and trying to find one person in a city of millions was exceedingly difficult.

The thin rain on the car window was wiped away by wipers, layer after layer, as in the hazy dusk, red-tainted headlights filled the long street.

Lu Li glanced up, looking outside the window.

Dark clouds loomed overhead.