Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 832 - 25. Eternal Night Descends

Chapter 832: 25. Eternal Night Descends

Be cautious when approaching the ghoul-infested areas; the plague-like stench of decay they bring has yet to dissipate.

The stench emanates from the ghouls themselves, as well as from the rotten meat that falls off the food they carry.

Katerina covered her nose and mouth with a cloth and handed a piece to Lu Li, saying, "Let’s move quickly; the ghouls’ rotten noses are very keen."

The plague aura carried by the ghouls can cause various illnesses, which is equivalent to death for most Hunters without savings.

They quickly traversed the stench-filled area, during which Lu Li looked down to observe the ghouls’ footprints, easily recognizable by the three large toes connected to flat, long soles.

Once they were far enough away, Katerina tore off her mask and took deep breaths.

The journey picked up pace from there — Katerina worried that other Hunters might discover the ghouls’ migration and reach Leviathan Town before them.

The first Hunter to bring back the news would receive a rich reward, while the second would get nothing.

Katerina’s survival experience helped them avoid many dangers.

For instance, there was a wooden house abruptly standing on a mound, unshielded in the wilderness, with a dim light glowing from the windows. The pointy roof and the twisted tree before the door made it look like a witch’s hut.

It couldn’t possibly be anything but strange.

Or an area shrouded in mist resembling Fog Berths, where a novice Hunter or a Hunter being pursued might rush in recklessly to seek refuge.

"Fog Berths disappear quickly, only existing for one or two hours after dawn, and they must be in low-lying areas. Do you see? That mist isn’t in a low-lying area," Katerina whispered.

Moreover, the mist was traceable. Unlike genuine fog, which would shift and ripple, it resembled a solid mass, a fog with tangible substance that didn’t shift on the surface.

Rushing in might lead to crashing into the fog, but more likely, one would be absorbed by the mist.

Perhaps due to the migration of ghouls, the eerie phenomena on the Dark Wilderness became sparse. Katerina said this, but they encountered a fair share of strange occurrences, managing to evade them due to the flatness of the wilderness, which allowed for long sight distances.

Katerina used the ascending Light Thief to gauge the time; its height was already close to the morning sun, ready to capture the light at any moment.

The ghouls blocking the way had delayed them.

When a wooden sign planted on a mound warned passersby that they were only thirteen miles from the town, Katerina and Lu Li quickened their pace toward Leviathan Town.

The difference between the safe zone and the wilderness was apparent — despite the land being equally dark and barren, the safe zone lacked the pervasive whispering voices and an eerie sensation of being watched.

At some point, Katerina looked southward.

"Hurry, we’re late."

With a whispered word, Katerina suddenly started running.

The noise generated by running in the wilderness was akin to seeking death, but they weren’t too far from the safe zone, and a more dangerous Light Thief was approaching — cautious walking wouldn’t allow them to reach the safe zone before perpetual nightfall.

Lu Li followed behind Katerina, cloaked. He lifted his head, the hood slipping from his head, looking toward the southern sky. A glimmer surrounded the Light Thief, rising high, with its skeletal claws slowly stretching out.

In the Barren Lands, Dark Wilderness, outside the Leviathan Town safe zone, two inconspicuous small figures were running faster.

In front of them, the burning torches from the town pointed the way.

Above the sky, the outstretched shadow claws framed their anxious figures.

The nightmare-like sharp shadow claws curled up, tearing the sky apart.

The cliffs shining with a dim glow and the rings of magma looked like a canvas on a painting board, wrinkling and overlapping as the shadow claws clenched, revealing nothing but pure void behind the canvas.

Katerina’s panting dispersed across the wilderness, while Lu Li’s breathing remained relatively steady, silently observing the apocalyptic scene unfolding in the sky: the entire sky being torn off by the Light Thief, falling toward the edge of the world.

Void occupied the sky, while a black line surged from the ground behind them.

The black line was spanning several miles in an instant, swiftly closing in on the two running figures —

The safe zone was within reach, Katerina could almost see the words on the boundary sign.

Simultaneously, the dense darkness completely enveloped their figures.

Perpetual night descended.

Rustle... rustle...

Whispers sounded by their ears; something crawled up their spines, pulling at their bodies, making them sluggish and their movements slow.

The safe zone boundary fell silent for a brief moment, then two figures burst out from the darkness, accompanied by the sound of hasty footsteps.

Katerina took out fluorite, its dull glow dimmer than an oil lamp, barely lighting the surroundings.

Not far away, the darkness surged with substance, held back outside the safe zone.

"We barely escaped being trapped in the perpetual night..."

Katerina gasped, feeling a sense of relief from surviving the ordeal, mixed with a hint of regret.

She had thought they could reach Ghost Town today, then head to Midnight City through the old sewers.

Calming her breath, she and Lu Li walked quickly toward Leviathan Town.

Surrounding the safe zone were flickering glows and constant lights, belonging to those who had arrived at the safe zone not long ago. These individuals who returned at the last moment took significant risks, but compared to Lu Li and Katerina, who returned with the perpetual night nipping at their heels, it was nothing.

Katerina suspiciously glanced around, and when Lu Li asked what was wrong, she shook her head unconcernedly, avoiding the subject: "The rule of Leviathan Town is no drinking water."

"Why?"

"Who knows. You can drink coffee, soup, tea, even blood, but no water. That’s why I don’t like it here."

As they neared the torch-lit town, Katerina reminded Lu Li, "Cover your face with the cloak."

Lu Li picked up the hood that had slipped when observing the Light Thief, putting it on to hide his face in shadow.

But after doing so, he noticed Katerina staring at him and suddenly reaching towards the eye embedded with the Homogeneous Item.

"You’re not acting right," Lu Li calmly met her gaze.

"We spent two or three seconds in the perpetual night; maybe I lost some Sanity Value during that time." Katerina awkwardly lowered her hand. "I hope to recover some."

"How is your Sanity Value now?" Lu Li asked.

"I mostly experience auditory hallucinations, sometimes visions," Katerina said indifferently. "Just now, I saw a mass of tentacles coming out of your cloak, and it scared me."

She knew the seriousness of Sanity Value, but there were countless things more terrifying and deadly than Sanity Value in the wilderness. A few auditory or visual hallucinations? They were just minor issues until they became real.

Before entering Leviathan Town, Katerina unscrewed her water pouch and replenished herself with enough water. Lu Li also opened his water bag to drink some purified water — less polluted than distilled water, costing 18 Shillings, enough to buy nearly two pounds of small meat.

Entering Leviathan Town, the difference was evident compared to Tang Ge Town, which had not changed much from its former self.

This made it clearer: they lived in Weird Times, where death could come at any moment.