Chapter 320 - 320 177

Words : 1414 Updated : Oct 5th, 2025

320: 177. Mary’s home 320: 177. Mary’s home “` Champs Elysees District. Gothic-style white buildings with similar appearances stood adjacent to each other while street lamps spread a hazy glow under the dim twilight in the drizzle. There were not many pedestrians on the street, and a horse carriage could occasionally be seen approaching. A carriage appeared around the corner and stopped in front of a building on this wealthy street, with the number 66 on its doorplate. “This is the place.” A woman’s voice came from the carriage; thereafter, the curtain was lifted, and a lady in a black dress alighted from the carriage. “The carriage can be taken to the Wayne District behind,” she said to the inside of the carriage. The figure behind the curtain did not reply, merely pulled lightly on the reins, and the carriage moved forward. Mary watched the carriage slowly disappear into the distance, then gently called into the empty space around her, “Anna, are you here?” Other than the shadow cast by the rain-soaked ground, no voice responded to her. Mary pursed her lips, standing quietly under the eaves waiting. As it grew darker and only dim outlines of distant eaves remained, she saw a slender figure with an umbrella in one hand and a travel bag in the other appear in her vision. Lu Li approached Mary’s side, and another figure emerged beside him. “Let’s go inside,” Mary said, pushing open the already ajar door, and entered the dim interior. A figure in the dimness went up to the dining table, raised a hand and pulled something, a faint click sounded, and a light from electric lamps, several times brighter than the oil lamps, poured down from above. The brightness dispelled the people’s fear of the dark. If it were not for the refuge point plan, Lu Li might have considered installing such lamps at the Detective Agency. Anna looked around with a mix of curiosity and nostalgia. Mary then left the living room and switched on the electric lights in the hallway and each room upstairs, the bright light revealing wherever darkness hid. Finally, she returned to the living room carrying an already lit oil lamp. Anna looked at Mary curiously, understanding why she turned on all the lights but not why she also lit the old-fashioned oil lamp. Mary said softly with a tender smile, “Anna, you’ve been following the investigator around; surely you understand darkness better than I do.” Anna nodded, seemingly getting it, yet as a ghost, she could not experience the things humans might encounter in the dark. Mary placed the oil lamp on the table, looked at Anna’s cheeks, and spoke softly, “Do you remember? You visited here on your fifteenth birthday.” Anna nodded again. The tenderness on Mary’s face deepened as she turned to Lu Li, “What would you like to eat, guest?” “Anything is fine.” Mary nodded, her gaze falling on the travel bag Lu Li was carrying, “I’ll show you to your room first.” The room Mary had arranged for him was upstairs, with windows facing the wide street of the Champs Elysees District. Lu Li put down his travel bag by the foot of the bed and walked to the window to observe his surroundings, noting some shadows gradually appearing on the street. They gathered under some street lamps, covering their heads with waterproof tarps, leaning against each other for support. Scavengers or, to put it another way, homeless people—a group that lived on the very fringes of society—would gravitate towards light sources like moths to a flame as night fell. Although their lives were hard before the Nighttime Calamity, they could still scrape by. Yet after the Nighttime Calamity, almost every night some homeless people lost their lives to the darkness. After showing Lu Li to his room, Mary returned downstairs to prepare dinner. Lu Li watched those figures quietly for a while before pulling the curtains shut, blocking everything outside. “Do you want to help them?” Anna walked to Lu Li’s side. Although Lu Li had not revealed any emotion, Anna could tell. “Yes.” But there was nothing Lu Li could do. Right now, he could only rely as much as possible on the refuge points to protect himself, and then think about helping others. An hour later, dinner was ready, prepared by Mary. She came out of the kitchen carrying the last bowl of mashed potatoes, not even having changed her clothes, still in the afternoon’s long dress but with an apron layered over it. Mary took off the apron and sat in front of a table of rich dishes, tentatively asking Anna beside her, “Can you taste the food?” Anna shook her head slightly. “` If she could, she wouldn’t have made such terrible food. “It’s okay, you can...” Mary couldn’t finish her sentence with “stay with me,” it sounded too cruel. Mary was in a good mood, but she didn’t eat much, and was talking to Anna the whole time. Lu Li, on the other hand, hardly spoke and ate as much as possible. With each passing day becoming more difficult, opportunities to eat as he pleased were few and far between. After dinner, as it neared eight o’clock—the time when people usually prepared to rest—Mary finished clearing the table and asked Anna, “Anna, can you come and talk with me at my place?” Anna didn’t answer, hesitating and looking towards Lu Li. She didn’t want to leave Lu Li’s side, but she also wanted to spend some time with her mother’s best friend. “Go keep her company,” Lu Li said. Ever since they arrived at Himfast, Anna’s personality had begun to change. No longer a young girl, she had become quieter and less inclined to show her feelings openly; the only thing that hadn’t changed was her dependence on Lu Li. But Lu Li didn’t do anything; he just stood to the side, silently watching as things unfolded. He had his reasons for not intervening. Anna’s current change seemed more like growth than the price for increased strength. She was shedding her naivety and stepping into the world of adults. Watching Anna and Mary return to her bedroom, Lu Li went upstairs to his room and locked the door behind him. Sitting by the bed, Lu Li fell into deep thought. Knock, knock, knock— At some point, a knocking sound came from outside the window. Lu Li reached towards his lower back, lifted a corner of the curtain, and saw a shadow, darker than the night itself, standing at the window with its deep black eyes staring at him. A black crow? Lu Li reached into his bosom and pulled out two small wooden boxes, their lids fitting tightly, the contents still inside. It wasn’t attracted by the smell, so why was it outside the window? ... Red Sea Bar. With a thud, a figure reeking of alcohol staggered out of the front door. The light drizzle and the chilly air sobered him up a bit. He lit the oil lamp in his hand and swayed in the direction of home. As he approached a dark alley, urgent running footsteps and a voice crying desperately for help suddenly came from it. The figure was drawn by the noise, looking towards the alley from where the sounds emanated. When he saw a disheveled woman emerge at the entrance of the alley, much of his drunkenness vanished. Then she was pulled back into the alley by several reaching hands. The figure hesitated for a moment, gritted his teeth, and walked towards the alley—only for a tall, ferocious face to suddenly appear at the edge of the lamplight, his expression menacing, “Kid, you looking for trouble?” The courage that had just surfaced was swept away by the cold wind, and he stammered, “I... don’t... no... nothing...” He hastily turned and took a step— Clang— The unheld oil lamp fell to the ground, and suddenly there was dead silence before the alley. The silence continued for a while before a woman’s whisper broke it, “Why didn’t you save me?” Another voice, filled with terror, emerged, “I wanted to help you! Please, no, ah, ah, ah—” The scream was cut abruptly short, and in the dark alley, only the dull sound of chewing and a slowly emerging voice remained. “Why didn’t you save me...”

Chapter 320 - 320 177

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