Chapter 42 - 42 Forty-two

Words : 1342 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

42: Forty-two. The door with the key inserted 42: Forty-two. The door with the key inserted The ghost’s expression seemed to be a mix of smiling and crying. Suddenly, a translucent ghost hand stretched out from behind the ghost’s head, reaching for Lu Li’s skull. Bang! Flames flared, and the resounding gunshot echoed in the narrow sewer, shaking the walls ceaselessly. Daisy and the others grimaced in pain, instinctively covering their ears. The rumble faded into the distance, gradually disappearing. The ghost’s head burst like a bubble, skipping the step of boiling blood bubbles, vanishing just like the gunshot. The first rose on the flintlock pistol bloomed once more. Lu Li put the Spirit-Calling Gun back into its holster, removed the spent shell, and loaded a new silver-plated bullet. The empty shell fell into the sewer’s stream with a hiss, steaming as it hit the water and was carried away by the current. After reloading the flintlock pistol, he placed it back by his waist. Lu Li momentarily ignored the group of shaken youngsters, turning to walk back into the darkness behind him. After a deadly silent few seconds, a warm light suddenly illuminated from the darkness beyond the oil lamp. Swish—swish— Lu Li, carrying the oil lamp, returned wading through the water and calmly said, “The ghost has been dealt with, it’s time for you to go back.” As his words fell, the group, fear still evident in their eyes, uniformly retreated. If Lu Li had charged at them then, they might have turned and fled. “I am an exorcist,” Lu Li explained briefly, not mentioning that he had been hired for the task. “So now can you tell me what happened?” The group exchanged glances, one of them pushed up his glasses on his nose and stepped forward to ask, “We came here on an adventure... You... You are an exorcist, aren’t you?” “I just told you that.” Lu Li replied, his usual calm indifference seeming like anger to them, silencing their further questions. “What kind of stupid question is that, let me do it.” Daisy, standing beside him, gave him a gentle tug and stepped forward, feigning calm: “We are students from Francis Academy, we came here out of interest in the ghost rumors, and you saw what happened next... Thank you for your help.” She bowed deeply. After straightening up, Daisy gathered the hair in front of her forehead and lightly laughed, “You can just call me Daisy.” “Lu Li.” Lu Li slightly parted his lips and took out a business card from his pocket to hand over: “If you encounter supernatural events in the future, you can contact me. Just a reminder, if you still want to encounter ghosts, get an exorcist to accompany you.” It was difficult for Lu Li to evaluate the recklessness of those who dared to seek ghosts after dark without bringing anything useful or having any knowledge. Daisy took it in a daze, instinctively lowering her head. The words “Luli Detective Agency” emerged before her eyes. A thought struck her: “You are here to handle the case of the two missing bodies at Agate Lake, aren’t you? Was that ghost just now one of the missing ones?” “Probably,” Lu Li looked towards the dark depths of the sewer. He wasn’t sure what was happening at Agate Lake, but the moment he had gripped the gun handle earlier, he sensed another ghost deeper in the sewer. The numbers seemed to match up. “You can go back now.” Reese instinctively asked, “And what about you?” “There’s another one inside, I need to deal with it,” Lu Li answered, seeing no reason to let go of such easily gained experience. The group exchanged glances again, Reese standing tall seriously said, “We will keep it a secret, we won’t tell anyone you’re an exorcist!” “It doesn’t matter if you don’t, exorcists are already semi-public.” Lu Li didn’t care, waving them off, no longer attending to the group, he carried the oil lamp and walked deeper into the underground passage. The five watched Lu Li until the light he carried disappeared from their sight. “So handsome,” Reese remarked with a hint of envy. “I’m going to have nightmares for a good while after this,” Su Shan sighed lightly, her tone slightly mocking as she asked him, “How does it feel to meet a real ghost?” Reese replied seriously, “I need to start afresh.” The shaken group retraced their path, chatting animatedly in an effort to dispel the lingering fear from their ghostly encounter. Daisy walked at the back, her hands tucked into her jacket pockets, silent and not participating in the conversation. Her fingers touched the business card inside her pocket, the soft pads pressing against the sharp edges of the card, slightly painful as she pondered thoughtfully. A supernatural event, huh... ... Drip-drip—drip-drip— The sound of water droplets echoed through the empty underground passageway. Lu Li remained unbothered, not even bothering to look up. He wasn’t fooled by the ghost’s childish trick; how could the sound of water droplets be so clear by the water’s edge? During the next stretch of the journey, Lu Li encountered a fleeting ghastly face filled with resentment, a distant and mournful sob, and the overwhelming noise of torrential waters. But nothing could stop Lu Li from moving forward, at least this ghost couldn’t. The illusions failed to have their intended effect, and the ghost, out of tricks, stopped such futile behaviors. After that, Lu Li didn’t encounter any new illusions for a long distance. This situation continued until Lu Li delved deeper into the underground passageway, where the terrain began to slope upward. Lu Li drew out the Spirit-Calling Gun and then placed it back into its holster, the sudden chill letting him sense a presence a few dozens of meters ahead, completely still. With steady footsteps, Lu Li approached the presence. Under the light, nothing could hide. All of a sudden, Lu Li ceased all movement, his calm expression replaced by a grave one. A door appeared in the wall. It was an ordinary metal door, its surface rusty and pitted almost blending with the wall. Similar doors dotted the underground passageway at intervals, behind which lay rest areas for workers and storage for tools. Lu Li had already seen two such doors on his way in; this was the third. The only difference was that this door had a key inserted in it, a key as rusty as the door itself. In that bizarre, patchy dream, Lu Li had seen this door, identical down to the rust in the same spots on the metal door. In that moment, the dream and reality blended together, their twisted amalgam making it hard to discern what was real, a nauseating sensation rising deep within the mind. Lu Li suppressed his chaotic thoughts, his brow deeply furrowed. Coincidence? Or what? An indiscernible malice seeped out from behind the door. Lu Li couldn’t determine whether it was a psychological effect or if the malice truly existed in this space. So, he grasped the handle of his gun. As if tangible, the malice spread from behind the door, whispers seeping through the heavy iron barrier, intruding on his ears. A presence hid just beyond it. But the iron door blocked all of Lu Li’s considerations. The ghost chose to hide inside, suggesting two possibilities: one, the ghost was cornered; two, it was dangerous inside, and the ghost was betting that Lu Li wouldn’t dare to enter, or if he did, he would die. Lu Li stared at the door for a long while before letting out a heavy breath. It had bet correctly; Lu Li had no courage to engage in this gamble. He stepped back one step at a time until the door disappeared from his field of vision. After standing motionless for a long while, he left without looking back.

Chapter 42 - 42 Forty-two

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