บท 12: Twelve. Crisis Averted
Lu Li didn't know much about ghosts.
One of the few things he did know was something Hades had said: ghosts become stronger by feeding on humans' fear and other negative emotions—at least the one that had been haunting Lu Li did.
That was why the ghost tried to scare Lu Li in various ways yesterday.
Those methods could not frighten Lu Li, and the ghost had not been able to draw any negative emotions from him, which meant it would likely appear again tonight, attempting once more to scare him.
And this was the moment for Lu Li to act.
The ghost was not strong, and it likely couldn't directly harm Lu Li, but if it tried to flee, Lu Li would not be able to track it. This meant he would probably only have one chance; if he missed, there was a high possibility the ghost would escape.
Although Lu Li wouldn't have to deal with its troubles if the ghost fled, it was definitely better to eliminate the hidden danger.
Approaching six in the evening, the sky gradually darkened, and lights began to illuminate the entire harbor area. The glow from the oil lamp brightened the quiet Detective Agency, dispelling the darkness around it.
Lu Li sat in his chair, neatly dressed. The candlelight on the table cast his large shadow across the entire back wall.
He quietly waited for the appearance of the ghost.
Tick-tock—tick-tock—tick-tock—
In the eerie silence, every sound was magnified as time passed, second by second.
Whoosh—
At a certain moment, the sudden sound of running water echoed from the kitchen.
Lu Li waited behind the desk for a while, and the sound of water remained unceased. Eventually, he rose and headed towards the kitchen.
Furious water rushed from the faucet, splashing into the sink and flowing down the drain.
The water meter on the pipe was spinning at a rate of one rotation every five seconds, one rotation equating to one Shilling.
In various ways, the scene was frightening.
Lu Li raised his hand to turn off the tap, but it was useless. He then turned to shut off the pipe's valve, which worked; the water flow weakened and stopped, leaving only residual drops to trickle down.
Lu Li twisted the tap again, and this time, he successfully tightened it.
After resolving everything, Lu Li looked up, his pupils slightly contracting.
Above the sink, the mirror reflected a ghastly pale and unfamiliar face.
Lu Li remained motionless, gazing calmly at the figure in the mirror, his brow furrowing slightly after a few seconds.
Not because of any new changes in the mirror, but because Lu Li had thought of a possibility.
His own demeanor had been too calm, which could deter the ghost lurking in the shadows from revealing itself.
In that case...
"Ah, who are you, so terrifying, I'm nearly scared to death."
Lu Li said in a flat, almost narrative tone, with no inflection in his voice and not a hint of expression on his face.
After quietly waiting a few seconds, the figure in the mirror made no movements.
Lu Li said nothing more, giving up on this futile and awkward action.
At that moment, the face in the mirror suddenly revealed a bone-chilling smirk, the head tilting back as if it was about to burst through the mirror!
Bang!
The mirror shattered into pieces, with web-like cracks spreading across the entire surface.
The image in the mirror became mottled as it reflected a fragmented, elongated figure, and the broken mirror returned to its original form.
Lu Li raised his hand to touch the mirror, and when he pulled it away, there was a bead of blood on his fingertip.
The crack was real; could this ghost affect tangible objects?
After looking around the kitchen without finding any trace of the ghost, Lu Li went back to the living room.
Knock knock knock—
A series of knocks echoed in the quiet living room.
Lu Li looked towards the door, where no sliver of light seeped through the corridor behind the door gap.
No one would stray from well-lit places at night.
Boom boom boom—
The knocking sounded again, more urgent than before.
Lu Li changed his original direction, approaching the door.
Thump-thump-boom—
The door continued to tremble, dust falling in flurries, the loud noise should have reached the neighbors, but no one chose to come out to check.
Lu Li had already silently approached the door, silently counting the frequency of the knocks, and just as the next series of knocks was about to begin, he suddenly pulled the door open.
Bang—
The nascent sound paused abruptly as Lu Li opened the door.
The lingering echo of the knocking filled the entire hallway, but behind the door, obscured by Lu Li's shadow, there was no one.
Typically in such scenes, the homeowner who opens the door and finds nothing outside would close the door perplexedly, only to have something appear behind them the moment they turn around.
Lu Li closed the door and, as if waiting for something, turned around as he did so—
Behind him was utterly empty.
This ghost wasn't playing by the rules.
The flame in the lantern rose straight up; Lu Li returned and sat down behind the desk, where the clock showed it was now 9 p.m.
In the following period, the Detective Agency became still, with the unobservable ghost hiding in the shadows, biding its time and gathering strength for a comeback.
The figure in the chair did not move, eyes slightly lowered, the occasionally flickering flame causing his shadow to sway gently.
Time ticked away by the second.
Suddenly, a music box placed at the corner of the desk shot out, crashing against the wall, shattering on impact.
Lu Li's gaze lifted, deep as the night sky.
The music box was not particularly expensive, but he was quite fond of it.
A cold voice emerged in the room, "If these are all the tricks you've got, you might as well leave. They have no effect on me."
Perhaps unable to tolerate it any longer, or perhaps angered by the rude remark, as Lu Li finished his sentence, a phantom silhouette slowly materialized in front of the desk,
a semi-transparent figure hovering mid-air, hair covering half of its face, the exposed eye coldly fixating on Lu Li.
The ghost had revealed itself.
Lu Li hesitated no more, spreading his hands and reaching into his chest, flipping open the holster to draw the flintlock pistol.
As the flintlock pistol left its holster, the perception blocked by enchantment spread through his body along the firmly grasped palm.
The Detective Agency suddenly came to life.
In the bedroom, behind the kitchen, in front of the dining table, beneath the sofa, above the ceiling, presences crowded in, prowling with ill-intentions.
Frosty, malicious gazes descended onto Lu Li.
The ghost spoke in a chilling tone, "Do you know, everyone who has seen me eventually—"
The thumb pressed down the hammer, and Lu Li thrust up his arm promptly, aiming the flintlock pistol at the ghost's head.
"—winds, winds up lucky..."
The ghost stumbled, raising its hands high.
"...?"
Lu Li involuntarily hesitated, not pulling the trigger immediately.
Common sense told him ghosts weren't supposed to act like this.
At that moment, the ghost made a move. It dodged the gun's muzzle, not charging at Lu Li, but instead transformed into a ball of white light, crashing into the wall and vanishing.
Lu Li didn't immediately put away the flintlock pistol, his eyes vigilantly sweeping around.
The ghost was no longer around, and as Lu Li and the Spirit-Calling Gun remained in contact, more chilling malevolence bore down on him.
Lu Li didn't hesitate any further, sheathing the flintlock pistol back in its holster, and instantly, all sensation of being watched disappeared, leaving behind only remnants of negative emotions entwining his heart.
He tucked the holster back into his pocket.
It probably didn't have the courage to come back.
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