Chapter 199 - 199 56

Words : 1274 Updated : Sep 23rd, 2025

199: 56. Brief Safety 199: 56. Brief Safety Undoubtedly, the figure in the Bird Beak Mask belonged to the human faction, and one could even say a nearly radical part of it. At least Hades or the apprentice investigator Seeker upon seeing Anna wouldn’t want to eliminate her right away. As for her identity, it was indiscernible; she had no Spirit-Calling Gun, perhaps not an Exorcist, a Watcher wouldn’t venture in here alone either. Could she be an investigator? Unfortunately, she was neither Hades nor a Seeker; otherwise, Lu Li could have stopped her to ask some questions. “She is quite a decent person,” Anna suddenly spoke, her tone unabashedly appreciative. Lu Li glanced sideways, silently watching the Ghost Girl praise the Bird Beak Mask figure who had almost killed him. “Why are you looking at me like that? Although there was a little misunderstanding and conflict... but look, she helped us a lot, right?” Anna said, counting on her fingers. “The invitation sent from the swamp was taken by her, she went on our behalf, and all it cost was her wanting to eliminate me...” Lu Li watched quietly as Anna rambled on, seemingly sighing almost imperceptibly. He noticed something off about Anna’s emotions. “Isn’t it normal for an Exorcist to want to eliminate a ghost? It’s nothing, it’s nothing...” Anna’s voice grew softer, her head lowered, and after a brief silence, her sorrowful whispers started to echo intermittently. “Are ghosts really that dangerous... Why do ordinary people fear us, and Exorcists think about eliminating us...” “Perhaps so.” Anna suddenly raised her head at Lu Li’s answer. Although she knew that Lu Li was always blunt to the point of being almost hurtful, it still felt terrible to hear him say that, as if her chest had been punched, sore and tingling, even more so than when she had been attacked by the Bird Beak Mask figure. Then, as Anna looked up, she saw Lu Li staring with a strange intensity at something beside him. Easily distracted, Anna instinctively followed his gaze, only to see that Lu Li was looking at the leg of a wooden table. “...?” Anna quietly tilted her head. Lu Li observed the table leg sprout dense tentacles, which undulated like seaweed, before he continued, “But that’s not important.” “You must have heard that our biggest difference from beasts is intelligence. But there’s another thing, and that is complex emotions.” As the tentacles growing from the table leg dissipated like froth, Lu Li withdrew his gaze and looked at Anna, who appeared bewildered: “Humans aren’t afraid of ghosts, but the unknown.” “The unknown...” Anna murmured the word unconsciously. “Humans usually harbor great aversion and caution towards unfamiliar things, especially dangerous ones; it’s unavoidable. Even among humans it’s the same. A tiger that appears near humans gets killed, a shark that shows up near fishing boats gets slaughtered, some for interests, others simply because they pose a danger.” Anna gradually began to lose track of what Lu Li was saying. He was always like this, saying things she didn’t understand yet seemed very important and philosophical. It seemed like he was trying to cultivate her ability to think and live independently. Fortunately, Lu Li usually concluded in a way that let Anna understand what he wanted to convey: “Most of them want to harm you not for other reasons, but simply because you might harm them.” “So, prove yourself harmless, or make yourself strong enough.” Having said this, Lu Li’s gaze shifted once again, this time falling into a campfire. The flames in the fire formed a circle, composing a fire-red, vertical-pupiled beast, and Anna, sitting similarly in front of the fire, was unfazed by this scene. The vertical pupils coldly watched Lu Li for a few seconds, then dissipated, leaving nothing behind. Get stronger, huh... Anna murmured in her heart. Yes... As long as she got stronger, she could ignore those who wanted to harm her. As long as she got stronger, she could help Lu Li, standing in front of him to block all troubles... The translucent fist in her sleeve gradually clenched—Anna really wanted to shout, “I am no longer weak, Lu Li!” But she couldn’t speak up because of the embarrassment. “Now it’s up to you.” Lu Li’s voice suddenly rang out, startling Anna, “Eh? Me... me? Uh... um...” She felt embarrassed but also somewhat secretly pleased. What the heck, since when did this guy start saying sweet things to please people? She awkwardly peeked up and stole a glance at Lu Li, and found him once again looking intently toward the corner where the bed was. From Anna’s perspective, there was only a pile of victim’s clothes in disarray. In Lu Li’s eyes, two shirts rose from the pile of clothes, waving their sleeves and striking each other, as if invisible beings were wearing them and fighting. During this visit to Shadow Town, Lu Li had used the Spirit-Calling Gun for a distressingly long duration. In Belfast, Lu Li had direct contact with the Spirit-Calling Gun for no more than ten seconds under his control. But just the two Evil Spirit Rituals he encountered in Shadow Town had already cost him at least thirty seconds each, and similarly about thirty seconds after entering the swamp. In just one day, Lu Li had been in direct contact with the Spirit-Calling Gun for over a minute. Normal, hallucination, madness. In the three stages of Sanity Value, Lu Li was already at the yellow stage. At this point, the illusions that emerged one after another could only be observed by Lu Li. The only piece of good news was that the negative effects of the Spirit-Calling Gun were not irreversible and irretrievable as Hades had said. Despite that Sanity Values recovered very slowly. However, the Spirit-Calling Gun and other Homogeneous Items could not be used for now. This was why Lu Li said that going forward they had to rely on Anna. Anna drifted outside the wooden hut to check the sky, then returned to the campfire and muttered, “It’s as dark as night outside, no telling how long it will last.” “Have there been storms like this in previous years?” Lu Li asked her. Anna tilted her head and thought for a while, “Yes, but not as terrifying as now, it’s like the end of the world...” The storm was coming from the east, in the direction of Belfast. If this cloud was large enough, perhaps Belfast was also engulfed in the same darkness at this moment. It seemed the city was also gradually becoming unsafe... Since the storm was not going to dissipate anytime soon, Lu Li intended to use the wooden hut as a refuge, resting until the storm lessened. Anna naturally did not object and stood up to declare she would keep watch. The thought of growing stronger to protect Lu Li took root in her heart. Lu Li nodded without saying anything. He placed the still-damp but heated tweed coat under him and curled up next to the fire. His back was turned to Anna. It was not about trust—it was just that Lu Li could not rest with someone watching him. “Have you fallen asleep?” After a while, Anna tentatively asked in a soft voice. “No.” “Thinking about things?” “Yeah.” Hopefully, the things in the swamp could just be tricked away. Lu Li thought. In the tranquil and warm wooden hut, his breathing gradually became steady.

Chapter 199 - 199 56

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