Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 788: Twenty-One. The Steps in the Wardrobe

Chapter 788: Twenty-One. The Steps in the Wardrobe

District A.

Lu Li was last in the area half a month ago.

Shen Jingjing’s home is just next door in District B.

Perhaps using Shen Jingjing’s ability stirred something in Lu Li, and in his race against time, he made a brief stop in District B, bringing a box of fruit from the fruit store downstairs.

"I’m here on behalf of Shen Jingjing to visit you two."

It sounded somewhat like a son-in-law meeting his in-laws.

After speaking, Lu Li declined the request to stay for dinner and went to Building 13 in District A.

Liu Xiaoyan had a unique background. She was not a local; she was temporarily working in the city. Her disappearance was reported when her family back home hadn’t received a call from her for a long time.

However, not long after, Liu Xiaoyan returned, and the case was automatically dismissed. Unfortunately, just a week later, she disappeared again without a trace.

Lu Li knew the reason for her second disappearance.

Like in District B, the three-story red brick building lay dormant in the night, with lights brightening a few windows.

Neither the car parked downstairs nor the footsteps entering the corridor lit up the malfunctioning sensor lights.

In the pitch darkness, a white light sparked on.

Holding a flashlight, Lu Li stood before the door of Room 102, facing the corridor.

The footsteps ceased, and Lu Li looked down to find his shoes stepping on a filthy, pitch-black carpet.

Lifting the carpet with his shoe, a rusted brass key lay quietly beneath it.

Bending down to pick up the key, he inserted it into the keyhole and turned it. With a click, the door lock opened without resistance.

Squeak—eeek—

The door creaked open, the sound grating on the ears.

Dust particles surged forward, dancing in the beam of the flashlight.

Lu Li held his breath, stepping inside with caution.

He hadn’t sensed any malevolent aura, but exceptions exist. Even with the blood-red tentacle, Lu Li couldn’t detect any eerie presence.

It was premature to draw conclusions without searching every potential hiding place for spirits.

A current of air disturbed the floating dust nearby. When unseen, it seemed fine, but upon seeing them, each breath felt like drawing them in.

A thick layer of dust coated the ground; atop it were chaotic footprints, covered again by dust.

The old neighborhood accumulated dust severely. In less than a month, the dust layer appeared as though untouched for months.

The white light swept over, revealing the shabby outline of the cramped living room. The door to the bedroom on the left was ajar, shrouded in darkness.

Lu Li reached the center of the living room, where a rope hung down before him, connecting to the chandelier above.

Snap—

Buzz—

As Lu Li tugged the rope, the fluorescent tube flickered a few times before suddenly lighting up after a few seconds.

The light actually worked.

The ends of the tube were already blackened, nearing the end of its life, but that didn’t matter as Lu Li wasn’t planning to stay here.

With the light replacing the narrow beam of the flashlight, Lu Li put it down but didn’t turn it off. He first surveyed the dust-covered living room. Outside the window, the business district, not far away, was ablaze with lights, neon billboards atop skyscrapers flashing continuously.

In contrast, the old community remained dim, residing oppressively adjacent to the bustling commercial area.

Retracting his gaze, Lu Li headed towards the wooden door next to the kitchen.

Creak—

The wooden door opened, amplifying the sound of dripping water.

The flashlight’s beam illuminated the dripping from the overhead water tank, leaving a ring of grime on the tiles below.

The compact bathroom was fully revealed.

Closing the wooden door again, Lu Li turned towards the half-open bedroom door.

As he neared the door, a wind sound rose subtly from behind it.

Wind sound...?

Lu Li pushed the door open but didn’t step inside, standing in the doorway.

The window was tightly shut; the sealed bedroom had no place for airflow.

Yet the wind sound persisted.

Suddenly, a low shadow flitted past the edge of his vision; just as Lu Li’s gaze shifted, a loud thud resonated.

The wardrobe door in the corner to his left snapped shut.

It was out of his sight, just the right angle for Lu Li to miss it from the doorway.

Even now, Lu Li still hadn’t sensed any eerie presence. And the shadow was half his height, unlikely to be an animal.

With a slight shake of his arms, a layer of dark green armor grotesquely appeared under his elbows, wrapping around both arms.

The flashlight in his hand flickered under the influence of the ominous aura.

Lu Li clipped the flashlight to his chest, entered the room, and stood in front of the chipped, tightly shut wardrobe door inset in the wall.

Two ghostly hands gripped the wardrobe doors, pausing momentarily. Generally speaking, malevolent spirits would break through in fierce roars.

Dispelling unrelated thoughts, Lu Li suddenly yanked the wardrobe doors open—

The blood-red sheen reflected Lu Li’s tall figure.

A dark, blood-red staircase extended downward before him.

No eerie aura, no malice, nothing at all.

It was just an ordinary staircase.

Except it appeared inside the wardrobe, carrying an unsettling and sinister air.

Everything inside the wardrobe was blood-red, its light source unknown. The descending dark red stairs bent after about twenty steps, continuing downward.

Withdrawing his gaze from the stairs’ end, Lu Li focused on the wall.

A series of gigantic numbers appeared in the center of the wall, typically indicating the floor level.

Was it a floor count, or something else?

Scribbled writing scattered across the crimson wall, varied in style—some elegant, some like graffiti, others frenzied and chaotic.

Each sentence had its own meaning, some repeated, others damaged.

Lu Li barely pieced together three sentences from the partial writing.

[Don’t watch TV; it will erode your willpower, making you indulge in pleasure.]

[Avoid staying up late; it’s your greatest enemy. Health is more important than you think.]

[Stay away from going out; children disguised as monsters will entangle you, making you lose your faith amidst their laughter.]

The Ghost Armor on Lu Li’s arms slowly retreated, leaving only the Heartwarming and intuition ability, as he entered the blood-red space behind the closet.

Zz—

The flashlight extinguished the moment Lu Li stepped into the crimson space.

Lu Li took out his phone, but the screen remained dark, the phone was unresponsive as well.

The blood-red color filled his vision, instilling anxiety.

Lu Li remained expressionless, his emotions unreadable.

Without much hesitation, he descended the staircase, arriving at a landing.

Below lay yet another stretching staircase, then a corner, continuing downward...

The wall still bore intermittent phrases, and among the string of numbers, one of them had changed.

The number increased by 30.

The weird and eerie scene did not cause Lu Li to hesitate, he continued descending, reaching the 1230th tier, and without pause, proceeded downward, until seeing the floor number of the next level.

Each tier was separated by 30, seemingly indicating time.

Just upon noticing this, a sudden change occurred!

Buzz—buzz—

A burst of static-like snowflakes appeared at the edge of Lu Li’s dark eyes.

Just like the scene after rubbing one’s eyes vigorously.

Accompanying the snowflakes was a TV static-like noise from the stairway’s corner below.

Lu Li immediately turned around, retreating up the stairs without hesitation, returning the way he came.