The more bustling a place once was, the more desolate and eerie it becomes after being abandoned. The gallery served as a perfect example.
In the oppressive silence, where even the sound of a heartbeat seemed amplified, a scraping noise echoed clearly in the distance.
Lu Li raised the oil lamp higher, extending its light slightly farther, yet he still couldn’t pinpoint the source of the unsettling noise.
Temporarily ignoring the painting, Lu Li lowered the lamp and turned back the way he came.
Tap—tap—
His footsteps echoed through the vast, empty, pitch-black hallway, disappearing into the darkness.
Shadows shifted and flickered with the movement of the oil lamp. After walking a short distance, a strange glint appeared at the edge of the illuminated area ahead.
It was on the path Lu Li had just walked. He was sure there had been no obstacles there earlier.
Taking a few more steps forward, he brought the glint fully within the oil lamp’s range.
His dark eyes narrowed slightly.
A statue stood in the middle of the hallway, its cold, rigid face directly facing Lu Li. One stone leg was extended forward, frozen mid-step, as if it had been walking toward him.
An inexplicable chill seeped into the air around him.
Lu Li hadn’t anticipated the supernatural phenomena to manifest so soon after nightfall. He thought he’d have more time before they began.
The letter had mentioned that the statue would wander around and that it should simply be returned to its original position. If that was the solution...
Holding the oil lamp, Lu Li began walking toward the statue, his dark eyes unblinking as he stared at it. Nothing happened, even as he approached it.
The statue was life-sized, standing nearly at Lu Li’s chin. Its surface was limestone gray, left uncolored—perhaps intentionally. Unlike the sharp, angular features of male statues, this female statue exuded a soft elegance and beauty. The only “flaw” was its lack of clothing.
But, after all, it was just a statue. No matter how exquisite its features, there was no hiding the stiff lifelessness in its expression.
Lu Li silently observed the statue before tilting his head slightly to glance two meters behind it, at its base.
The statue had moved from there... using an inexplicable method.
However, it seemed incapable of moving while under observation.
The slight movement of the oil lamp caused its light to flicker. In the shifting illumination, the dull gray eyes of the statue seemed to come alive, subtly shifting their gaze toward Lu Li.
For a fleeting moment, Lu Li felt as if he were being watched. He immediately turned his gaze back, locking onto the statue’s lifeless eyes.
Nothing had changed. The sensation of being watched seemed to have been an illusion.
Sitting down on the cold wooden chair, he had barely settled when the constant scraping sound abruptly stopped.
At the edge of the oil lamp’s light, a shadow stood at the boundary between light and darkness, its form wavering between the two.
The statue had followed Lu Li all the way back.
It was unexpectedly clingy.
For the moment, Lu Li ignored it. Lowering his gaze, he began contemplating how to deal with the other three paranormal phenomena.
Aside from the painting, the two ghostly former employees were undoubtedly spirits. Their lingering presence in the gallery might have a reason—perhaps this was where they had died. Or maybe... the person responsible for their deaths was connected to the gallery.
Benjamin’s face involuntarily surfaced in Lu Li’s mind.
His fingers lightly tapped the desk. If that were the case, investigating the circumstances of their deaths and checking the second floor became essential.
If Benjamin were the culprit, Lu Li could demand a substantial confidentiality fee along with his commission, then have Oliver report him to the authorities.
Or Oliver could take the fee, and Lu Li would report him.
At that moment, the desk suddenly trembled slightly.
Sensing something, Lu Li looked up to find a rigid face filling his entire field of vision, so close that his breath hit it and bounced back coldly.
The statue clung to the edge of the desk, its feet planted on the surface, completely motionless.
It seemed he would have to deal with the statue before handling anything else.
The letter hadn’t mentioned what would happen if he ignored the statue, but the outcome was likely one of two things: nothing would change, or things would get worse.
His gaze briefly flicked between the statue’s legs. Without taking the oil lamp, Lu Li left his seat, circled around the statue, and walked to the door. Unlocking the bolt, he pulled one of the doors open.
An unsettling stillness hung over the dim, silent street outside.
At some point, a thin layer of fog had settled over the area. The windows of nearby houses glowed faintly with warm light.
Turning back, Lu Li saw that the statue had resumed a neutral standing pose and was stepping toward him, its back to the foggy street.
Lifting the statue, Lu Li carried it outside and set it down in front of the gallery’s entrance. “I’ve got work to do. Go have some fun.”
Stepping back into the gallery, he quietly locked the door from the inside with a soft click.
It had been banished.
Or, to put it more kindly: it had been set free.