The Bizarre Detective Agency

Benjamin Allen was a slightly overweight, balding middle-aged man. His unexpected warmth and friendliness were likely due to his knowledge of Lu Li’s profession.

“Are you really going to stay overnight at the gallery? With Mr. Lu Li here, it seems the gallery’s nights will be much more peaceful.”

“Tell me about the hauntings.”

Accompanied by the gallery owner, the two walked through the sparse and quiet gallery with only a handful of visitors.

Benjamin’s body visibly tensed. “Mr. Lu Li, you’re quite the joker. This gallery has never—”

“If that were true, you wouldn’t be so eager to welcome me.” Lu Li’s calm voice cut Benjamin off mercilessly.

“…Fine. There may be some strange phenomena at night, but they’re harmless.”

That was the reason for Lu Li’s presence here.

The night staff who had quit their jobs were unharmed and showed no signs of physical issues even now. This meant that, even if the gallery was haunted, the ghosts weren’t particularly dangerous.

With a sigh, Benjamin reluctantly described the eerie events that occurred at night. He spoke of the ghost of a former female employee wandering the gallery, asking if anyone had seen her child. There was also the ghost of a female employee with empty eye sockets, as well as some sculptures and paintings that came to life after dark.

“When did these incidents start?”

“After we arrived in Belfast.”

“You mean these things happened long ago, but they only began manifesting after moving to Belfast?”

“That’s correct.”

The gallery’s open area was only on the first floor. The second floor, used for storage, employee break rooms, and other facilities, was not accessible to visitors.

After viewing dozens of exhibits, Lu Li, without touching his Spirit Gun, couldn’t detect anything unusual about them.

“This isn’t enough. I need more details.”

After a brief glance at the second floor, the two returned downstairs, retracing their steps.

Benjamin sighed bitterly. “I’ve already told you everything I know. What else does Mr. Lu Li want to know?”

“You could contact the former night staff. They might know more.”

Benjamin thought of someone and called out, “Franklin! Franklin must know something!”

Franklin was a local who had been the gallery’s first night guard after it opened in Belfast. He was also the longest-serving employee, working nights for nearly two weeks. The rumors about paranormal activity began during his time working there.

“And why did he resign?”

“Uh… I only offered 8 shillings a day back then.”

Lu Li said nothing, his gaze shifting between the paintings and sculptures on the walls.

“What do night guards usually do?”

“They ensure the safety of the exhibits at night, preventing theft or fires.”

Fires were common in Belfast, perhaps related to the necessity of having light during the night.

“I’ll stay tonight to keep watch, but I need to learn more. While there’s still time before nightfall, contact Franklin and ask him about all the phenomena he’s encountered.” �

“That won’t be necessary, not with you here—”

Once again, Lu Li interrupted Benjamin. “For now, these are just harmless paranormal incidents. Can you guarantee they won’t escalate into ghosts harming people? Guests come to the gallery to appreciate art, not to be haunted.”

Nothing terrifies a capitalist more than the prospect of losing money. Hearing Lu Li’s warning about a potentially disastrous future, Benjamin wasted no time. He instructed an employee to give Lu Li a tour while he left to contact Franklin.

Time marched steadily toward dusk, the sound of ship horns drifting continuously from the harbor.

The already overcast sky grew darker, and the streets began to empty. The sound of shop doors closing echoed through the surrounding area.

Shortly after the last visitor left, Benjamin finally returned, carrying a sealed envelope.

“Well, I’ll leave things to you tonight. If there really are ghosts—”

“I hope my commission won’t be short.”

“Certainly, certainly…”

With Benjamin and the gallery staff gone, the noise faded.

The quiet gallery was left with only Lu Li.

Silence and darkness enveloped him, pushed back only by the glow of the oil lamp, which lit a radius of a few meters around him.

The designated night-watch area was just behind the front door, where a desk and chair were placed. During the day, this spot served as the gallery’s ticket counter.

Lu Li opened the envelope and began reading its contents under the oil lamp’s glow.

[Hi, the stingy boss told me he hired an exorcist for the night shift. Unbelievable, right? Whether or not it’s true, brother, you’ve taken on a real mess here. If you’re not an exorcist, let me give you some advice: quit while you still can. The gallery is definitely haunted.]

Lu Li glanced up at the dimly lit hallway ahead before continuing.

[If you are an exorcist, then after handling the ghosts, make sure to squeeze as much money as you can out of that balding cheapskate.]

[No more nonsense. The boss is hovering nearby, waiting for me.]

[There are two ghosts in the gallery. They were former employees who died for… reasons, and now they haunt the gallery every night. It’s the same routine every night.]

[You’ll see one ghost with a bloodstained dress. She died during childbirth. She’ll wander around aimlessly and ask, “Have you seen my child?” repeatedly throughout the night. Just answer, “No, I haven’t,” and you’ll be fine.]

[You’ll also encounter a ghost with no eyes. She was murdered. If you notice her nearby, just stay silent and don’t make a sound. If you accidentally make noise… well, you’re an exorcist, so you should be fine.]

[Aside from the two wandering ghosts, there are also some problematic paintings and sculptures. Let’s start with the sculpture. It’s probably near the wheat field painting or somewhere nearby—I can’t quite remember.]

At this point, Lu Li picked up the oil lamp and walked down the hallway. At the midpoint, he found the sculpture mentioned in the letter: a gray, stone statue of a woman.

[This mischievous thing might wander around when no one’s watching. Once, I saw it almost jump out of a second-floor window. I had to quickly put it back in place. If you find it somewhere it shouldn’t be, just move it back. If you want to exorcise it, pretend I didn’t say anything.]

[Next is the painting. The girl in the painting is named Anna. You might not recognize her, but if I tell you she’s Madame Anlef’s daughter, that might ring a bell. She’ll move within the painting after nightfall.]

Holding the oil lamp, Lu Li moved forward. About ten meters from the sculpture, he found the painting described in the letter. It depicted a beautiful, doll-like girl in a gothic white dress.

By now, night had fully fallen.

From the darkness behind him came the unsettling sound of stone scraping against the wooden floor.

[That’s basically it.]

[Finally,]

[Have a pleasant night.]

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