Chapter 158 - 158 Sixteen

Words : 1356 Updated : Sep 19th, 2025

158: Sixteen. Rules above justice 158: Sixteen. Rules above justice If the hundreds of streets of Belfast were to be labeled, the Rum District would undoubtedly fall under the “filthy and chaotic” category. Nestled close to the shoreline, the Rum District sits between the third and fourth rows of streets. True to its name, the entire street is mostly made up of bars, like strip clubs or male dancer bars. Because of the relatively low prices, it often serves as an entertainment spot for commoners and sailors alike. And just as well, such places tend to breed darkness, like gangs and thugs. Rum District, Severed Finger Apartments. Room 33 on the second floor, someone knocked on the wooden door. A jumble of footsteps approached from behind the door, and with a click, it swung open, allowing a strong smell of alcohol to waft out. “Who are you?” The muscular man who opened the door eyed Lu Li a few times, sensing that he wasn’t an ordinary person, and asked with suspicion. Behind the man, several gaunt thugs, trembling like Oliver, crowded closer, examining Lu Li with malicious eyes. Anna and the others behind Lu Li remained unseen to them. Looking into the room, a few gas lamps cast a bright light, illuminating the filth and clutter of trash, very much living up to the saying: Trash lives with trash. The muscular man shifted slightly, blocking Lu Li’s view. After a brief silence, Lu Li disclosed his affiliation with Marcus’s organization: “I am an ‘Exorcist for a Healthy, Happy Every Day,’ here to gather some information. Are you the ones who called for help?” “Oh, come in,” realized the muscular man, stepping aside to make way. Lu Li and Anna entered the door, passing by the man. He couldn’t help but shiver unconsciously, feeling an inexplicable chill. “Damned spooky,” he muttered to himself as he habitually peered down the corridor before shutting the security door. Passing by the several men, the thick stench of sweat and the smell of tobacco and alcohol made Lu Li frown slightly. But due to professional demeanor, he said nothing and walked into the relatively spacious living room. “I haven’t seen any ghosts,” Anna murmured into Lu Li’s ear after making a round in the room. “The ghosts aren’t here.” Lu Li spoke, answering both Anna and addressing the five others as well. His gaze swept over their faces: “The request mentioned three people.” “I called two more for backup, more people so the ghosts wouldn’t dare show up,” the muscular man shrugged his shoulders, casting a defiant gaze at Lu Li: “What do you mean when you say the ghosts aren’t here?” “Just what I said.” “Hey, you’re the exorcist we called, get to work!” one of the thugs behind him demanded. “Are you being attacked by ghosts right now?” Lu Li asked calmly. “What?” The thug blinked, looking at his companions before shaking his head: “No.” Lu Li moved his gaze away, looking towards the muscular man who seemed to be their leader: “So, are there any other issues?” The subtext was clear: if the ghosts were here, you wouldn’t be without problems. Though he spoke those words, Lu Li’s attitude irritated the group of thugs from the Rum Street. The young thug’s mouth twitched, and as if provoked, he surged forward, grabbing hold of Lu Li’s collar, his face twisting into a fierce expression reeking of alcohol: “What the hell is your atti—” Two thugs behind him picked up chairs and bottles, looking to come closer, when suddenly, they saw their colleague who first charged at Lu Li and grabbed his collar stop talking abruptly, then start trembling, raising his hands: “Sorry, my mistake!” He slowly backed away, widening the gap. As the young man stepped aside, the others saw Lu Li’s hand move to his waist and the gun holster there. And the flintlock pistol within the holster. The muscular man stiffened all over, instantly contemplating escape. “If you don’t cause any more trouble, I can forgive you,” Lu Li’s hand didn’t leave his waist. “So, shall we continue?” “Sure, sure...” the thug retreated to his companion, sweating profusely. Clang—— The stool he was holding dropped, and another youth looked down at the bottle in his hand and awkwardly hid it behind his back. “I don’t want any extra trouble. So it’s better for both of us if this issue is resolved quickly,” Lu Li’s expression remained unchanged from beginning to end as he gently smoothed out the wrinkles in his tie and collar, “Let’s discuss the details.” The burly man glanced warily at Lu Li, pushed away his underlings who were only good for causing trouble: “My little brother is not very sensible, and he’s disturbed this distinguished exorcist, here’s what happened...” The burly man briefly described the content of the commission. It was roughly about how they encountered a somewhat attractive streetwalker on their way home a few nights ago. Naturally, they didn’t let the woman go, but after bringing her back home, they realized they had stumbled upon a major trouble: she was a ghost. From that night on, the ghost clung to them. To tackle the problem, they sought help from thugs of other gangs, but were found by Marcus, who roamed around like a ghost, and he took on the commission using methods unknown and settled on a fee of 200 Shillings. “When did this ghost last appear?” “Last night... Right, the ghost seems not to appear during the day.” “Understood, I haven’t detected it in the room right now, so I will come back after dark,” Lu Li said. “Ah, good, please take care of it,” the burly man eagerly saw off Lu Li, escorting him to the corridor. Click—— The door closed, and the five thugs heaved a sigh of relief in unison. What followed was anger stemming from the humiliation of being scared off. The thug who had been pushed back by Lu Li snarled, “This bastard... thinks he’s nobility! Boss, this guy has a gun, we can call the cops and have them arrest this guy!” “Telling you to call the cops! Telling you to call the cops! Telling you to call the cops!” The burly man, fueled by anger, swung his fist, pounding his underling relentlessly, cursing as he beat: “You stupid hillbilly! Have you forgotten who you are and what we’ve done!” The underling ran for cover with his head in his arms, and the others joined in, clutching their heads to avoid the beating. After venting, the burly man, breathing heavily, directed his underlings: “I’m telling you, you’d all better watch yourselves recently, and don’t start any trouble, got it? Am I talking to myself here, got it, got it, got it!” As his rage boiled, he chased them around, kicking and striking, prompting them to run away screaming, covering their heads. “We got it, we got it...” ... “You can tell these people are no good just by looking at them.” Coming out of the apartment, Anna muttered. “It’s quite normal, not all clients are on the side of justice, and the purpose of commissions is not always purely self-preservation,” Lu Li explained the realities of the world to Anna, who had died before ever leaving the Ivory Tower. Anna speculated: “Is it possible they killed someone, and that person has come back for revenge as a ghost?” “Highly probable,” Lu Li replied. “Then why...” Anna paused, puzzled as to why Lu Li would still take on the task despite this. Lu Li subtly tilted his head, his dark eyes sweeping behind him as he responded, “An exorcist is like a lawyer. What they pursue and believe in is not justice, but rules.” “So you’re the one those bastards hired to kill me...” Just then, a chilling, sinister female voice emerged from behind Lu Li.

Chapter 158 - 158 Sixteen

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