Detective Agency of the Bizarre-Chapter 1474 - 18: Ghoul Lu Li

Although reluctant to admit it, the truth must be faced: Midnight City in the east has really invaded the south.

They must determine whether this is some kind of probe or a full-scale invasion.

"If it’s the former, we still have room to maneuver; if it’s the latter, we can only leave with the pledged anomalies."

Confronting force with force is the stupidest behavior.

The hunter who has gathered enough berries to eat shouldn’t venture further into the dangerous jungle. Therefore, Lu Li will lead the anomalies back to the farm until the True Vision Orb arrives.

While the Ghoul Clans and Misty Manor are still trying to investigate, Lu Li decisively leads the pledged anomalies and some who haven’t pledged but are willing to follow, retreating to the farm outside Midnight City.

"You don’t think it’s a coincidence?"

Lu Li asks Claire, who has nestled into the hood and turned back into a fledgling.

"How could it be? As soon as we arrived, they invaded the south."

Lu Li examines what he carries that might be revealing.

Humanity, Doomsday Apocalypse and Angel Envoy, this body itself.

Lu Li managed to travel from Blackbox Town to Midnight City, proving they won’t be exposed... So, what has leaked out around now?

Lu Li surveys the team, glancing at Eily and Ophelia, who know his identity, and at the possible-knowing Mycelium Monster.

Returning to the farm, Lu Li settles the anomalies in the manor.

Should the south suffer a full-scale invasion, they will retreat to Ghost Town. If the invasion is slow, they can continue accommodating withdrawing anomalies until the invasion spreads outside the city and they then evacuate.

But rather than waiting for death, Lu Li is inclined to investigate why the east of Midnight City invaded the ravaged south: The activated Alchemical Tower stands on the ground, and the anomaly clans have not yet recovered from the turmoil Lu Li previously brought.

The best scenario is for the anomaly clans to choose to migrate from top to bottom, arriving in a less hostile south.

The worst scenario is the east being consolidated by a powerful entity, extending outward.

Claire seemed to anticipate what Lu Li was going to do, and brought out the Mutant Potion from the study.

"If the south has been occupied or scouts approach the manor before I return, retreat with them to Ghost Town."

Lu Li uncorks the bottle and drinks the cream-flavored Mutant Potion.

Claire swoops down on the gradually stooping Lu Li—

"A—Ghoul?!"

Claire, about to land, beats her wings and screams upwards, "Why a ghoul!"

Sharpened teeth and claws, curved protrusions covered in keratin on the neck vertebrae, scarlet bulging eyes, the slack black robe reveals the heart wrapped in fascia in the chest cavity.

"After taking the Mutant Potion, I feel I can control the mimicry."

The voice coming through the throat and mouth sounds like bones rubbing against each other.

"But you can’t become a ghoul!"

Claire seems to have some prejudice against ghouls, which stems from childhood trauma brought by her mother: Never stand next to the chest cavity full of organs, digesta, feces when Chris is dissecting a ghoul.

"Even as a ghoul, I can... ugh."

Claire hesitates but can’t land, yelling to Ophelia beside her, "Ophelia, could you cover my eyes? I really can’t overcome this psychological hurdle."

"He just looks like a ghoul on the outside," Ophelia says, then looks at Lu Li, "You didn’t mimic the plague."

Lu Li lacks the inherent filth, plague and rotten stench of the ghouls. This makes him look unusually... clean and frail.

Without the ability to infect plague, a ghoul couldn’t even take on an adult.

Lu Li gets meat chunks from Aileen, grinds it, and smears it onto himself.

Now, Lu Li doesn’t look so malnourished.

"Are you planning to infiltrate the Ghoul Clans?" Aileen asks, "They won’t accept a strange ghoul."

"But if chaos prevails, they won’t notice an extra member."

And most importantly—Lu Li can protect himself, and leave whenever necessary.

"But how will you communicate with them?"

"I can understand the ghouls’ language now." Lu Li taps his skull with claw-like spikes like scissors, "Since becoming a ghoul."

"A lighthouse?"

Claire’s speculation gets Lu Li’s affirmation, so she jealously quips, "What’s this world trying to do, turning you into a savior?"

"Lu Li already is." Ophelia agrees.

Handing farm affairs to Ophelia and Aileen, Lu Li ventures alone into the collapsed cellar passage, quietly returning to the castle.

The castle remains chaotic as they retreated, bizarre entities sneaking into the garden, stealing food from the table or from each other. Lu Li ignores them, crosses the castle, silently approaching the Ghoul’s Lair in shadows.

There are plenty of traps weaved by bizarre entities along the way waiting for Lu Li to step into. But Lu Li isn’t a real ghoul.

Being a ghoul as frail as a human, possessing the same Cursed Title as a human, is plausible.

Easily avoiding or ignoring the traps, as he approaches the Ghoul’s Lair, the attacks diminish.

The ghouls have cleared all hidden dangers and food around the lair.

Lu Li bursts into a church about a few hundred meters from the Ghoul’s Lair, scurrying across the spacious hall and dusty Divine Statues, climbing to the tower’s top, clutching the spire aiming at the leaden clouds.

Just as Lu Li gazes into the high wall bonded by flesh and blood within, the Ghoul’s Lair seems mobilized, several entrances pulsatingly open wide, ghouls bustling like an ant colony in and out of the lair.

Now is the right time to blend into the Ghoul’s Lair.

Lu Li climbs down from the eaves, falls back to the ground from the collapsed break, and mixes into a team transporting wood debris.

No ghoul detects the extra companion among them.

A ghoul missing a front tooth unloads its basket, dumps the wood debris. Just as it’s about to grab the basket, a claw snatches it away.

The ghoul pauses, mutters, and scuttles off.

Lu Li understands the mutter’s meaning—mocking the lack of laziness.

Ghouls aren’t as dumb as they seem.

Successfully sneaking into the Ghoul’s Lair, once glimpsed in dreams, Lu Li realizes why the toothless ghoul exudes such emotion.

Ghoul Commoner, or Ghoul Slave. They are genuinely the lowest of the ghoul colony, servants, laborers, all dirty work is theirs to do.

Like now, Lu Li’s transformed ghoul, bent over with a spine, stands less than 150 centimeters, merging into the Ghoul Commoners, transporting wood debris and gravel.

Bones and claws covered in tendons and dura matter, Ghoul Warriors patrol around.

Having successfully infiltrated the lair, Lu Li needs time to investigate, but disguising as a Ghoul Commoner leaves him incapable of doing anything.

If the Mutant Potion allows advancement in controlling form...

As Lu Li thinks, his flesh suddenly writhes, bones collide, fascia emerges from the skin, his body begins to grow.

Only to abruptly suppress this transformation trend towards Ghoul Warrior.