The Bizarre Detective Agency

Lu Li didn’t know much about ghosts.

One of the few things he did know came from Hades: ghosts grow stronger by feeding on human fear and other negative emotions—at least, the ghost haunting Lu Li seemed to work that way.

That was why, last night, the ghost had tried various ways to frighten Lu Li.

But none of its attempts had succeeded. Lu Li remained unshaken, and the ghost failed to draw any negative emotions from him. This meant it would likely return tonight, trying once again to scare him.

And that would be Lu Li’s chance to act.

This ghost wasn’t particularly strong—it might not even be capable of directly harming Lu Li—but if it decided to flee, he’d have no way to track it. In other words, Lu Li might only get one chance. If he failed, the ghost would probably escape.

While the ghost leaving on its own would spare Lu Li further harassment, it was still better to eliminate the threat entirely.

As the afternoon approached six o’clock, the sky began to darken, and lights lit up across the harbor district. In the quiet detective agency, the glow of an oil lamp pushed back the surrounding darkness.

Lu Li sat in his chair, fully dressed. The candlelight on the desk stretched his shadow across the entire wall behind him.

Tick-tock—tick-tock—tick-tock—

In the stillness, every sound was amplified, and time crept forward, second by second.

Splash—

Suddenly, the sound of running water echoed from the kitchen.

Lu Li waited a moment behind the desk, but the sound didn’t stop. Finally, he moved, getting up and heading toward the kitchen.

Rushing water gushed forcefully from the faucet, crashing into the sink before draining into the pipes.

The water meter on the pipe spun rapidly, completing one full rotation approximately every five seconds—each rotation costing one shilling.

The scene was unsettling in every possible way.

Lu Li reached out to turn the faucet off, but it didn’t respond. He then moved to shut the pipeline valve, and this time it worked. The water pressure decreased until the flow stopped, leaving only a few drops falling steadily into the sink.

He returned to the faucet and successfully tightened it.

After resolving the issue, Lu Li lifted his eyes, his pupils narrowing slightly.

Reflected in the mirror above the sink was an unfamiliar, pale face staring back at him.

Lu Li stood motionless, his gaze calm as he observed the figure in the mirror. After a few seconds, he frowned slightly.

It wasn’t because of any new changes in the reflection. Instead, he realized something: his overly calm demeanor might be discouraging the ghost from fully revealing itself.

If that was the case…

“Ah, who are you? How terrifying. I’m so scared I might die.”

Lu Li’s tone was flat, almost like he was narrating a story. His voice had no change in tone, and his face remained completely expressionless.

He waited quietly for a few seconds, but the figure in the mirror didn’t react.

Lu Li gave up on this awkward and ineffective performance, deciding it was a waste of time.

At that moment, the face in the mirror suddenly twisted into a chilling smile. Its head snapped back violently, slamming into the glass as if trying to break through.

Bang!

The mirror shattered into a web of cracks, the fractured surface rippling across the entire mirror.

The reflection became distorted, showing a fragmented, stretched shape before the shattered mirror somehow pieced itself back together.

Lu Li raised a hand and touched the mirror’s surface. When he pulled his hand back, a bead of blood appeared on his fingertip.

The cracks had been real. This ghost could affect the physical world.

Glancing around the kitchen, Lu Li found no trace of the ghost. He returned to the living room.

Knock-knock-knock—

A knock echoed through the quiet living room.

Lu Li glanced at the door. No light seeped in through the gap beneath it from the hallway beyond.

No one would stand in the dark at night, far from any light.

Bang-bang-bang—

The knocking came again, more urgent this time.

Lu Li changed direction, moving toward the door.

Thud-thud-thud—

The door shook violently, dust falling from the frame. The noise was loud enough to reach the neighbors, but no one came out to investigate.

Silent as a shadow, Lu Li approached the door, carefully noting the rhythm of each knock. When the next knock was about to sound, he suddenly yanked the door open.

Bang—

The knocking stopped abruptly as the door swung open.

The sound echoed faintly along the hallway, but behind the door, where Lu Li’s shadow fell, there was no one.

Typically, in stories like this, the protagonist would find nothing outside the door, close it, and then the ghost would appear behind them as they turned around.

Lu Li closed the door and, as if expecting something, immediately turned to look behind him—

Only to find nothing there.

This ghost wasn’t playing by the usual rules.

The flame inside the lamp remained steady. Lu Li returned to his chair and sat down. The clock on the wall showed it was now nine o’clock at night.

For a while, the detective agency fell into a calm stillness. The ghost, hidden in the darkness, waited and gathered its strength for another attempt.

Lu Li sat motionless in his chair, his eyes lowered. Occasionally, the flickering flame caused his shadow to waver slightly.

Time passed, second by second.

Suddenly, something happened. The music box sitting in the corner of the desk shot into the air, smashing against the wall and shattering into pieces.

Lu Li lifted his eyes, their depth resembling the night itself.

The music box hadn’t been expensive, but he had been fond of it.

His cold voice broke the silence in the room. “If this is all you can do, leave now. These tricks won’t work on me.”

Perhaps unable to endure any longer—or perhaps angered by Lu Li’s blunt words—the ghost finally made itself visible. A faint outline began to materialize in front of the desk.

The semi-transparent figure floated in midair, its hair covering half of its face. The single visible eye stared at Lu Li coldly.

The ghost had appeared.

Lu Li didn’t hesitate. He reached into his coat, flipped open the holster, and drew the flintlock pistol.

The moment the pistol left the holster, the runes engraved on it seemed to activate, sending a sense of heightened awareness coursing through Lu Li’s body.

The detective agency suddenly became lively.

Figures crowded the bedroom, the kitchen, under the dining table, beneath the sofa, and even on the ceiling. Malicious presences swarmed everywhere, their cold gazes fixated on Lu Li.

The ghost’s voice was low and eerie. “Did you know? Everyone who sees me ends up—”

Click. Lu Li pressed down the hammer and raised the pistol, aiming it at the ghost’s head.

“—w-wishing you good luck…”

The ghost stammered, raising its hands in surrender.

“…?”

Lu Li hesitated for a moment, his finger pausing on the trigger.

Common sense told him ghosts didn’t behave like this.

Before he could react further, the ghost made its move. It darted away from the barrel, but instead of attacking Lu Li, it turned into a ball of white light and disappeared into the wall.

Lu Li didn’t immediately lower his pistol. His sharp eyes scanned the room cautiously.

The ghost was no longer nearby. However, the longer Lu Li held the pistol, the more he felt the cold, malicious gazes of other entities bearing down on him.

Without delay, Lu Li holstered the pistol. The oppressive feeling vanished instantly, though a faint residue of negativity lingered in his chest.

He tucked the holster back into his coat.

It probably won’t dare to come back again.