The Eldritch Files

Xu Ji really didn’t want him to get out of the game.

Compared to the other guys who only knew how to spend money on women, or even do drugs, Young Master Zhang was one of the few truly capable people in their circle.

Even though he wasn’t well-regarded at home, he had managed to make a name for himself in Qinggang’s underworld through his own efforts.

Whenever friends in their circle got into trouble and didn’t want their families to know, they would all come to him for help. He always handled things properly and was extremely popular.

Surprised, Xu Ji heard Young Master Zhang let out a soft sigh. ”You know, my mom is just my father’s fourth mistress. Now that I’m grown up, I get a hefty monthly allowance, but the company shares and the Zhang Family fortune have nothing to do with me.”

”On top of that, I’m no good at studying. I paid my way into Qinggang University, but I got expelled for breaking some little bastard’s leg. I wanted to join the company, but the old man is wary of me, and the eldest son is wary of me too.”

”I wanted to join the military, but my physical fitness isn’t up to par.”

”With no other options, I listened to all that nonsense and figured I might be able to carve out a path for myself in Qinggang’s underworld, you know?”

”At first, it really did feel like I was getting somewhere. But the deeper I got, the more ridiculous it all seemed.”

”There’s no future in the underworld. The path I was on is just one where bottom-feeding insects fight to the death for a chance to become a rich man’s dog. Can you imagine how ridiculous that is?”

”I spent years in the Qinggang underworld, only to find that the best way out was to become a dog for the very status I was born into...”

”So, I decided to get out.”

”...”

Xu Ji had never thought about these things before. Hearing Zhang He lay it all out left him a little stunned.

As Zhang He spoke, a look of disappointment crossed his face. He sighed softly. ”Xu Ji, you’re an only son, and the Xu Family has foundations we can’t even imagine. You can’t understand people like us.”

”I can hang out with you now, but my children, and my children’s children, are destined to not even see your shadow, no matter how high they stand on their tiptoes.”

”But that’s not even the scariest part. The scariest part is, we have no path forward.”

”The old geezers don’t dare to divide up the shares they hold, so we don’t get a secure position. Plus, they’re living longer and healthier these days. They can even have more kids now—they find girlfriends faster than I do.”

”A few days ago, my mom came to me crying. After she said her piece, I knew I had to grow up and find a way out.”

”Whether it’s politics or joining the company, those high-level resources won’t fall to me. So, I’ve traded everything I have now for one shot, a path to work in the Administrative Hall.”

”...”

Hearing all this, Xu Ji just found it strange. ”The Administrative Hall?”

”You can pass the judicial exam?”

His face was full of disbelief. In his eyes, passing the judicial exam was much harder than getting into his old man’s company.

Most importantly, after all your time in the underworld, can you even wipe your record clean?

But hearing this, Zhang He just shook his head slightly. ”That’s not the only way to get a job in the Administrative Hall. My grades are average, and there’s no way I could pass the exam. The path I’m planning to take is actually a different, less conventional one.”

”I plan to...”

He paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, ”Work for Secretary No. 5.”

”Only this job will let me bypass the barriers within our great families and forge my own path.”

”...”

Xu Ji listened, a bit dazed. ”How come I remember the mayor only having four secretaries?”

Even Han Su, who was watching their conversation through a camera from a short distance away, was slightly taken aback. The most powerful person in Qinggang City was, of course, the mayor in the Administrative Hall.

The mayor had four secretaries at his side to assist him in handling all of Qinggang City’s affairs, from politics and economics to public security and culture.

These four secretaries were, in essence, the personification of power.

But as everyone knew, the mayor only had four secretaries. So what was this so-called Secretary No. 5?

”You just need to know.”

Facing Xu Ji’s questions, Zhang He simply clapped him on the shoulder and smiled. ”The existence of Secretary No. 5 shouldn’t be much of a secret to your family. When you’re a bit more mature, your old man will naturally tell you about it.”

”I’m telling you this now because I need to take this path, but I’m not sure what the outcome will be.”

”If one day I suddenly die of an illness, in a car crash, or get murdered in some back alley...”

He paused, looked at Xu Ji seriously, and said, ”I hope that, for the sake of the friendship we have now, you’ll take care of my sister and my mom for me!”

Xu Ji stared at him blankly for a long moment before saying in a low voice, ”I’ll take care of them for you, but it would be best if you did it yourself.”

”Alright. With those words from you, I have nothing left to worry about.”

Zhang He said with a smile, ”Tonight, let’s go all out and have some fun.”

”We’ll start from here in a bit. Whoever gets to Dingxiang Courtyard first gets the first glass of Whiskey. And that horse of mine you had your eye on? I’ll let you ride it today.”

”...”

As they spoke, the two of them walked toward the crowd.

Zhang He casually pulled a young woman out of the crowd—she was scantily clad, with a slender waist and dazzlingly white skin—and slipped into his car.

Then, he leaned out of the driver’s seat, snatched a party popper, and fired it into the sky. He immediately got back in the car, slammed on the gas, and the steel toad let out a low growl as it shot forward.

”Damn it! Trying to get one over on me for the last time?”

Seeing this, Xu Ji grew anxious and sprinted to his own car.

Many exquisitely dressed women nearby eagerly pressed forward, but Xu Ji held the car door with one hand and yelled anxiously to Han Su, ”Bro, get in!”

”...”

Han Su casually turned off the camera and slipped into the car, followed by the envious gazes of all the eager young women.

Xu Ji liked bringing him along for races because Han Su had once demonstrated an astonishing ability to Master the handbrake and steering wheel. At a critical moment, he had helped Xu Ji dodge a bridge pier, earning his deep admiration ever since.

This time, however, it was because of some kind of intuition; he really did want to race with him.

He was still wondering, ’What kind of job was Zhang He talking about? What is it?’

’In the ecosystem of this super-city, these people are already at the top, unreachable by ordinary folk. Why do they seem so pessimistic?’

His curiosity had barely risen before he extinguished it himself. ’But... what’s the damn point of me thinking about this stuff?’

’According to the pattern of the intervals, I’ll probably be dragged back in less than half a month. It’s not even certain I’ll be able to escape again...’

’Promotions and whatnot... what’s that got to do with me?’

’For someone whose life is on a countdown, class barriers don’t exist...’

”...”

While he was lost in these thoughts, Xu Ji had already floored the accelerator. The car’s headlights blazed to life as they shot onto the abandoned, weed-choked highway.

Although the guy had the air of a total loser, his playboy habits were cultivated with real money. His driving skills were excellent, so Han Su wasn’t worried about safety.

Besides, they weren’t brainless. Someone had already come and checked this racing route beforehand.

Xu Ji slammed on the gas, and the weeds and trees on both sides flew past the windows. But Zhang He had gotten a head start. Seemingly determined to enjoy this one last ride to the fullest, he never let up on the speed, and Xu Ji actually couldn’t catch him.

The other car’s taillights were like a phantom’s eyes, flickering in and out of sight in the dark night, growing more and more distant.

’Looks like we won’t be able to catch up...’

Han Su thought to himself, considering whether he should try to talk Xu Ji down.

But just then, he happened to glance up and notice a faint haziness outside the car.

In the deep of the night, a thick fog had rolled in at some point, enveloping everything in dense clumps.

A bad feeling crept over him, and he asked, ”Don’t you guys check the weather forecast before a mountain race?”

Xu Ji had also noticed his visibility getting worse the further they went. But he was too anxious to slow down, and he grew more and more frustrated. ”We’re just a bunch of posers who love to race cars, man! You think we’re professionals?”

Though he was indignant, the view outside was indeed getting worse, so he had no choice but to slow down, watching helplessly as Zhang He continued to charge forward at high speed.

By now, he had followed the winding mountain road and was on the opposite mountainside.

They could faintly see the two headlights of his car sprinting forward through the pitch-black mountains, as if they were watching another, parallel world.

He muttered, ”That guy Zhang He... he’s really lost it...”

From the way he was talking, they probably wouldn’t be messing around like this together anymore. It was the last time, so let him have the win...

Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly sensed something was wrong. At the same time, Han Su, in the passenger seat, snapped his head up to look.

On the opposite mountain, heading straight for the lights of Zhang He’s car, two more beams of light from the opposite direction suddenly flared to life.

The lights were Flashing incessantly, like something from the underworld. They were utterly abrupt as they rapidly closed in on Zhang He’s vehicle.

The speed was so fast that no one had time to react. The two sets of lights slammed into each other in an instant.

In that instant, a fireball shot into the sky. Even from so far away, Han Su and Xu Ji could almost hear the crash and the screams. The car was mangled into a ball of fire; whoever was inside was surely dead.

”Holy shit...”

Xu Ji slammed on the brakes. Amidst the violent shaking and fishtailing of the car, he forced it to a stop, his eyes wide as he stared at the mountain road opposite them.

He was completely frozen, just muttering blankly, ”This is bad, this is bad... How could this happen?”

”There are people watching the other end, they’re not supposed to let any cars up...”

”A living, breathing person...”

”How could this, how could this...”

”...”

He repeated himself meaninglessly, his face as Pale as paper, as if his soul had completely fled his body.

But at that exact moment, it felt as though every hair on Han Su’s body was standing on end. His heart gave a hard THUMP, and his gaze fixed deadly on the world outside the car window.

”They’re here!”