Detective Agency of the Bizarre

Rhodest Port, once one of the most renowned harbors on the Ailen Peninsula.

The launch of the Asahel Steam-Powered Battleship, built here, was once regarded as the backbone of human civilization—at the time when humanity's backbone had not yet been broken.

That oceanic voyage brought disaster to the whole world, and also resulted in the disappearance of the battleship, which never returned to the bosom of human civilization from the depths of the sea.

Humans had since ceased their maritime exploration, confining their activities to the sea area in front of their homes. The once bustling scene, with fishing boats spread across the near shore, could only be glimpsed from within the pages of books.

Despite this catastrophic blow to the entire maritime industry, Rhodest Port remained one of the major ports on the Ailen Peninsula.

The coastline extended into a crescent-shaped bay, with Rhodest Port nestled within.

Belfast was built upon rolling hills, with streets and houses creating a terraced sense of hierarchy, cascading from the mountaintop to the mid-mountain, and from mid-mountain to the foothills.

Throat's Corner, the street of Belfast closest to the coast.

Lu Li stood in front of the railing, removing his top hat.

The sea breeze swept in, bringing with it the faint smell of the sea and the noise carried by the wind.

Lu Li had arrived just in time.

The fishing boat called Rod was easy to recognize, moored at the edge of the port, with the surrounding fishing boats scattering away from it as if avoiding a plague.

In front of the railing, a crowd gathered, similar to Lu Li, to watch the commotion, with curious children being hurriedly taken home by their horrified mothers.

Some police officers who had arrived to maintain order at the port clearly did not know how to handle the situation; they could only disperse the idlers on the dock and prevent the crew of the Rod from wandering around.

The noise brought by the sea breeze was indistinct, and the figures the size of peas could not be clearly seen, leaving Lu Li only able to fix his gaze on the docked Rod.

The Rod was a three-masted sailboat, about fifty meters in length. After the disaster, it was used for fishing in the near seas. Such a medium-sized non-powered vessel was no longer suitable for deep-sea voyaging; its instability and slow speed meant it was doomed to not return before nightfall.

After night fell, the dangers in the sea were far more terrifying than those on land—even with light, it was to no avail.

The exterior of the Rod showed no damage; there was nothing different from other boats. As Lu Li continued to watch intently, he heard no low murmurs, nor did he see any strange illusions appear.

All seemed normal.

The number of residents gathering by the seafront grew larger and larger. Even though many were fearful, there were still many who were curious about it, such as the young who feared neither heaven nor earth.

Amid the clamor and uproar, a commotion arose from the other end of the street.

Two steam cars drove into Throat's Corner, the crowd making way as they headed toward the wooden bridge leading to the port.

In the eyes of the populace, the steam cars stopped in front of the port, one after the other, as several car doors opened and black long boots stepped out from within.

This group of individuals were efficient and mysterious, wearing uniform black uniforms with an armband depicting a fully opened eye. As soon as he saw them, Lu Li inevitably associated these people with the "Night Watchers" Hades had spoken of.

After they disembarked, they headed toward the port. One figure remained standing in place, suddenly turning around and scanning the crowd on Throat's Corner street.

Those scrutinizing eyes passed over the crowd, pausing briefly on Lu Li, before redirecting their attention away and following the steps of their colleagues.

"Are those cops idiots? They're so close to the boat!" Matthew walked in the lead, his pace brisk, as if he could hardly wait to dash over there and then kick those death-seeking comrades away.

"They're ordinary people. It's normal not to know about these things." Joel looked back and shouted to the figure trailing behind: "Boss, you're walking too slowly!"

"A few steps won't make a difference." Pryce slowly caught up with the group and issued instructions: "First squad, board the ship. Second squad, go and work with the police to disperse the crowd. Make them stay away from the crew and the ship, then support the first squad."

"Understood."

The answers came back unevenly as seven team members spread out to act.

Pryce stood his ground, quietly waiting for his subordinates to bring back results.

A few minutes later, Matthew poked his head out from the deck of the Rod, his ponytail hanging down as he waved and shouted, "Boss! We've found the contaminant! This ship has definitely run into trouble."

Pryce looked up, "Do you know which type it is?"

"Some crew members said that a fog blew over the sea surface while the fishing boat was sailing, and then they encountered those things."

"Fog..." Pryce murmured softly, then nodded, "Understood. Take all the crew members back for isolation observation and tow that thing and the Rod to the sea burial spot to sink. Watch those who are working, and don't let them stuff anything into their pockets at will."

"Got it! We won't make the same mistake twice!" Matthew responded with a laugh.

Pryce didn't laugh, a vague concern constantly lingering in his mind.

He thought of something and shouted to the ship, "Ask the crew where they encountered the fog."

The current time was ten in the morning, and it was impossible for the Rod to have spent the night in deep sea, which means it could only have set sail as dawn broke... and it's only been five hours since daybreak.

Five hours, including the return trip, how far could they have traveled?

Matthew, having realized this as well, turned pale and his head disappeared from the edge of the deck. Seconds later, Matthew's shouting rang out, and then the head was seen poking out from the deck edge again.

"They said it was 35 nautical miles from the port!" Matthew's expression was ugly. Her necklace slipped out from her clothes, swaying in mid-air. "Damn ghosts, they're getting closer to the coastline!"

35 nautical miles, almost at the edge of the nearshore, terrifyingly close to home.

Pryce paused briefly, then replied, "Call Joel over."

"Oh!"

Matthew complied, pulling his head back, and before long, Joel's figure appeared at the edge of the deck.

"Where's Matthew?" Pryce frowned.

"He sent me to come over and then ran off to look for the contaminant himself."

"Sigh..." Pryce sighed inaudibly, rubbing his forehead, "Call Matthew over, and you come over too."

"Understood."

Unlike Matthew's impetuosity, Joel was much more rational. He nodded and walked away, and shortly thereafter, Matthew's clear voice was heard on the deck.

"Any more tasks, boss?"

"The other ships are fine; this incident might just be a fluke. But just to be on the safe side, Joel, you stay here and wrap things up. Matthew, you're coming back to the Police Station with me to find the chief."

After Matthew ran down, Pryce and another left the port and walked toward the Steam Car parked in front of the harbor.

The crowd on Adam's Apple Street hadn't dispersed yet, and for some reason, Pryce's mind conjured up a pair of exceedingly calm black eyes; he glanced unconsciously toward a certain area behind the railing.

In a fleeting moment, a slender figure with a top hat vanished among the crowd.

"Boss, what is it?" Matthew asked curiously.

Pryce withdrew his gaze, shaking his head slightly.

"Nothing, just saw a new face."