Chapter 173 - 173 Thirty

Words : 1371 Updated : Sep 21st, 2025

173: Thirty. The Vanishing Tentacles 173: Thirty. The Vanishing Tentacles The theatre troupe from Belfast had taken up residence in the one, and only, theatre in Watch Town. According to the troupe’s manager, these people were from a music academy in Belfast. They had arrived in Watch Town two days prior and were preparing for tomorrow’s opera. “The opera is called ‘Voice of Tragedy,’ hmm... It seems familiar to me, from back when I was still alive.” Anna’s voice came from the empty space beside me. Lu Li remained still, silently looking up at the top of the domed theatre. Blood-colored tentacles extended down from the clouds, piercing through the dome and into the interior of the theatre. There was also a tentacle above Watch Town, with its end touching down somewhere else, while the remaining five tentacles were scattered around, their destinations unknown. Watch Town’s tentacles were somewhat dense, but that was understandable. This had once been Richard’s base of operations, and he would naturally have started his experiments nearby. “I remember this music academy; Daisy was a student there.” Anna thought of her only friend Daisy with some excitement, “Maybe she’s inside!” “You’d better hope she isn’t.” Lu Li withdrew his gaze, replied with a sentence, and strode towards the theatre’s main entrance. The staff outside, mistaking Lu Li for a teacher from the music academy due to his composed demeanor and confidence, did not ask any questions and allowed him to enter the theatre. “He’s not my father! Nor is he fit to be!” “Oh child, but he has always loved you deeply...” On stage, the actors, dressed in exaggerated and opulent costumes, rehearsed with the typical embellishment of stage dramas. Some actors without parts at the moment sat in the front row, either checking their scripts or chatting in hushed tones. The hundreds of seats were mostly empty except for about a dozen people sitting near the stage, with the back rows desolate and unoccupied. Both Lu Li and Anna’s gazes fell upon a person on the stage. It was a girl styled in a dark manner. Deliberately heavy makeup left her cheeks devoid of any color, and, coupled with thick dark circles under her eyes, made her resemble a vampire who hadn’t rested for a long time. She wore an impressive dress, a black lace long gown that radiated the mystery of the Victorian era. Anna looked at her because of the striking dress, while Lu Li’s gaze was drawn by a fine thread of blood from the top of the theatre that attached to the girl. “What a beautiful dress.” “She is the victim.” The voices of Lu Li and Anna rose simultaneously. “That girl?” Anna’s voice was filled with surprise. “Yes.” “What a pity...” The actors around the stage had not yet noticed Lu Li at the edge of the theatre; they continued performing their piece. “Love me? Would you sell me to that scumbag if you loved me! No, he isn’t my father—” The girl, reciting her lines as she had been rehearsing all along, staggered and fell backward. But as her gaze landed on a certain spot, she suddenly froze, fixated on Lu Li in the back row of the audience. In the next moment, without hesitation and under the bewildered gazes of her peers, she turned and fled toward the backstage... “She’s seen us!” Anna exclaimed, turning to look for Lu Li, only to find that he had already left her side, striding quickly towards the stage. With one actor suddenly running backstage, the rehearsal naturally couldn’t continue. The other disoriented actors looked around, only to see Lu Li swiftly approaching from the audience. “Watch Town police officer investigating a case.” Leaving behind this statement, Lu Li did not stop as he walked across the stage and chased after the backstage, following the sounds of running into the dressing room. Bang— The wooden door that had just been closed and not yet locked was forced open by the figure following swiftly behind. Hand resting on his waist, Lu Li scanned the dressing room only to find that the girl he had been watching had collapsed to the floor in her underclothes, falling into unconsciousness. “Let’s quickly take care of this bastard—” Anna’s voice grew nearer as Lu Li raised his hand to stop her. “She’s not O’Connor.” “Huh?” Anna was confused. If she wasn’t O’Connor, why did she run at the sight of Lu Li...? Lu Li was curious to know as well. Why was it that the blood-colored tentacles he had clearly seen on stage, which fell upon her, had now disappeared? Suddenly, a flurry of approaching footsteps came from behind, and seconds later, the actors and crew burst into the dressing room. At first glance, they saw a peer in her underwear, unconscious on the floor, and Lu Li standing by her side. “What the hell are you doing!?” Several male students rushed at him, cursing angrily. Lu Li’s palm pressed against the holster tightened around the grip, drawing it out slightly He didn’t plan to shoot, only to use the Spirit-Calling Gun as a warning. “Don’t be rash, this isn’t something the officer here did! There must be some misunderstanding!” A familiar voice suddenly emerged from behind the crowd. Daisy rushed out from among the group, shouting loudly to intercept the few male students intent on hitting Lu Li. “Daisy...!” Anna, floating in mid-air and unseen by others, let out a soft cry, her face showing surprise and delight. If it had just been Daisy’s intervention, it certainly couldn’t stop several hot-blooded students, who couldn’t hear the explanation, from charging ahead. What stopped them in their tracks was the gun handle revealed beneath Lu Li’s lifted coat. Thinking back, it seemed that this man mentioned he was a police officer when onstage... And no matter whether he was actually a cop or not, charging forward now seemed like a particularly suicidal move. Seeing her classmates calm down, Daisy breathed a small sigh of relief, turned around, bowed slightly, and then revealed a friendly smile to Lu Li: “Mr. Luli, long time no see.” She was dressed in patched clothes, with fake wrinkles painted on her face, playing the role of an old person in the musical. Daisy seemed to be a method actor, with every frown and smile, every word and gesture carrying the spirit of the character she portrayed. Soon, she snapped back to reality, becoming the tomboy she was in everyday life and explained on her peers’ behalf: “This is Police Officer Lu Li. We met previously during the Chunxue case investigation.” “But what’s going on here...?” A girl hiding in the doorway asked timidly. “By the time I got here, it was already like this,” Lu Li spoke up at the right moment. “You were only a few seconds behind. Do you really think I could’ve caught up to her, knocked her out, and undressed her in that time?” The students fell silent, thinking about it... Indeed, that made sense. “How much longer do you idiots plan to stand around here looking? Get out!” Daisy suddenly remembered it was not the time for idle talk and, red-faced with embarrassment, waved her arms to shoo the boys away. The boys scattered with a bang, and the girls who came to see what was happening were too scared to stay, leaving just a male and a female teacher standing outside the door, looking embarrassed. Daisy turned to look at Lu Li, her gaze inquisitive. “Daisy, stay here. You two, please wait outside for the moment.” The male teacher snapped back to reality: “Ah, sure, but for something like this, we need to get in touch with the academy.” “That’s fine.” With Valentine to take the fall, Lu Li wasn’t worried about things blowing up. Daisy closed the dressing room door, leaned against the wooden door, and with lively eyes, asked in a whisper, “Anna, she...” Before she could finish, Anna appeared as a ghost beside them.

Chapter 173 - 173 Thirty

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