Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 853: Forty-six. Escape

Chapter 853: Forty-six. Escape

"Is it dead?"

Katerina asked.

"It died long ago," Lu Li said.

Only the lingering consciousness remains, meeting travelers who can share fuel, nurturing tree species to extend its progeny, driving its broken body to fulfill its promise.

A wooden boat was approaching the island, and Katerina suddenly touched her goosebump-covered forearm, "I have a bad feeling... we better leave here quickly."

Lu Li lowered his hood and looked around the swamp.

After the model disappeared into the mire, he felt a hint of malice rising.

The wooden boat docked at the shore. They boarded the shaky vessel, and the timidest, Puxiu, hurriedly told the boat their destination, carrying them slowly away.

An old woman saw them approaching and gradually faded from view.

The girl in the white dress was attracted by Lu Li taking off his hood, gazing greedily at his face, "I love you! Stay, no one can harm you..."

The human-head abominations stopped pretending, gathering at the shore, staring intently at Lu Li, full of desire.

Or rather, the desire for his head.

"You better put your hood back on," Katerina joked with Lu Li now that the crisis had passed.

Lu Li didn’t respond, quietly watching the island with a wooden house in the center of the swamp.

That was the island where the model was before.

From the wooden house, Lu Li felt the source of malice.

Creak—

The long-drawn-out wooden house emitted an unsettling creaking sound, stretching longer, with walls that seemed to be drawing dough, pulling threads.

As the boat passed the island, they could see the dark shadow that made one’s hair stand on end churning behind the boards about to break off.

Creak—Creak—

A sound of pained lament, the stretched deformed wooden house completely snapped. The roof whooshed straight up a hundred meters, hit the cliff’s edge, and fell back to the island, with a large amount of bright red blood pouring out from the broken wooden walls, soaking into the blackened earth.

The silhouette that broke free from the snapped wooden house pounced on it in a fit of rage, tearing and gnawing.

The silhouette’s external form was heavily corroded, its body covered in dark yellow gastric juices, with slender limbs connected to a massive form, bigger than the wooden house.

No one doubted its relation to the model.

No one doubted its hatred for Lu Li and the others.

After tearing apart the wooden house, the grotesque corroded terrifying face suddenly turned towards the drifting boat, deep eye sockets filled with hatred.

Having discovered the culprit who killed its daughter, the monstrosity raised its head, emitting a keening wail that shook the cave and dislodged rocks.

A torrential rain began in the swamp cave, stones and dust fell with a rustle, splashing large ripples.

The strange creatures of the swamp’s side paths fled and hid, the entities waiting at entrances and exits fled. The girl in the white dress pulled her barnacle-like body from beneath the sludge, crawling away using tentacles. Human-head abominations leaped about, shivering at the island’s edge.

The monstrosity moved its limbs, stepping into the swamp.

The surrounding mud boiled instantly, with countless mud-covered limbs winding around its limbs.

Though the swamp could easily bury the monstrosity, it couldn’t engulf the giant creature, whose body still protruded from the swamp. The swamp creatures could do little more than slow its pace, unable to harm the monstrosity.

"What is that!"

Katerina raised her head in shock, watching the monstrosity pursuing them.

"I don’t know either!"

Puxiu trembled all over, unable to stand in the hold.

"Big Sister, do you know?" Lu Li asked.

Upon hearing the call, Big Sister climbed onto Lu Li’s shoulder, shrieking, "How did you provoke such a troublesome monster!"

"I won’t help you!"

Having said that, Big Sister disappeared again.

Lu Li looked at the monstrosity several times the size of the model, more terrifying. If salvation was still here, they could slow its steps.

Luckily, the things in the swamp slowed the monstrosity’s pace, preventing it from catching up to the boat.

Bang.

The boat docked, and Lu Li and the others stepped onto the shore, escaping from the swamp’s side path.

"Keep running, it’s still after us."

Katerina sighed in relief, but Musu’s calm words echoed by her ear.

The malice still clung to him, not dissipating.

They continued to run, with the entities in the alluvial path observing the three fleeing figures. Then, quickly, they found the reason.

A horrifying face emerged at the edge, burrowing into the side path.

They too started to flee from here.

The monstrosity retracted its body, clinging to the rock wall, moving its limbs in pursuit, leaving a trail of havoc.

Katerina stole a glance back. The entities scattered like feeble humans in a panic, blocking the entire side path from the crawling giant monstrosity.

"Damn it, the model’s death was caused by the tree and the swamp’s strange things, why target us?"

Running beside Lu Li, Katerina cursed between breaths.

No answer came as they fled this path connected to the swamp, rushing into another side path.

With other fleeing entities, they looked less conspicuous—except for the monstrosity following them into the path.

They made it out of the path, but were blocked from entering the next one.

"Bringing troublesome folks, get lost, you’re not welcome here!"

Dozens of charred human silhouettes blocked their front, barring these entities from entering their territory.

They astutely sensed the looming purpose of the approaching leader-class monstrosity.

Thankfully, it was a crossroad, providing other choices.

They turned right, having run merely tens of meters, when a tremendous crash sounded behind them.

The monstrosity’s massive form squeezed into the intersection, twisting to follow.

Katerina suddenly realized the side paths could only delay its advance, not blockade it. Unless they could escape into the narrow shadow paths—yet shadow paths were usually dead ends, or packed with dangerous creatures.

"What now..."

Katerina asked Lu Li, hoping he’d have an idea.

She could barely run anymore.

"If we reach Midnight City Main Station, we’ll be safe!" Puxiu, who followed them, shouted.

Katerina’s expression shifted: "How far is it?"

"Still... less than 60 li away!"

"Idiot..."

Katerina cursed under her breath.

"We, we can take the Insect Path!" Puxiu called out again.

"What’s that?"

Lu Li’s breathing was no longer steady.

"A kind of giant worm, several miles long, that can carry us quickly to the other side!"

"Lead the way."

"Follow me!"

Puxiu quickened his pace, running ahead to lead the way.

The Insect Path was on an adjacent side path, a detour like a shadow path, where the end was blocked by the massive worm.

"We need to eat Yellow Plum Grass, or we’ll be digested!"

Puxiu shouted.

In front of the worm, many entities were selling Yellow Plum Grass. Seeing the approaching monstrosity, they quickly munched on Yellow Plum Grass, deftly jumping into the worm’s mouth with the remaining goods.

Some Yellow Plum Grass scattered around, picked up by the other fleeing entities.

Lu Li and the others snatched up a few stalks. When they were about to eat it, Katerina suddenly stopped Lu Li, eyeing Puxiu nervously, "Any side effects?!"

"...You’ll feel very thirsty!" Puxiu quickly answered.

"What about contamination?"

"No, no contamination, the worm fell from the Eye Demon Worm!"

Without further hesitation, they ate the sour Yellow Plum Grass and approached the worm.

The last one, Lu Li, glanced back at the terrifying face screeching closer and leaped into the worm’s mouth.