The Eldritch Files

The car was now driving through the back alley of a bustling district in Qinggang City.

Looking out the car window, he saw the back alley of a bar, piled high with trash cans and crate after crate of empty wine bottles.

And amidst all that trash, some people were pinning down two figures.

They were too far away to hear what was being said, but he could see the two kneeling figures begging relentlessly. The people surrounding them, however, showed not a shred of mercy.

On command, their legs were yanked up, and metal baseball bats were raised high.

With a single swing, a leg was bent into an inverted V. The victim convulsed and screamed in agony, but the men around him just grinned as they grabbed his other leg.

Miserable cries echoed through the alley.

It was clear to the naked eye that the two men were crippled. The assailants were extremely professional; both the point of impact and the force applied were calculated to ensure the injuries could never be healed.

Han Su now understood why Special Assistant Xu had brought him here. He recognized the two men.

Back at the Public Security Bureau, these were the two guys who, lured by the bounty on the Black Table, had tried to detain him and even use their own brand of justice on him.

After he joined the Disaster Management Bureau, he never had the chance to see them again. He never expected such a coincidence...

”Is the Xu Family really that capable?”

He intently watched the process of both of the men’s legs being meticulously broken, then smiled at Special Assistant Xu. ”They were with the Public Security Bureau, after all.”

”Mr. Han, you misunderstand.”

Special Assistant Xu smiled. ”The Xu Family never does anything to break the law, much less provoke people from the Public Security Bureau...”

”Which is why they were dismissed from the Public Security Bureau three days ago.”

”As for this current conflict, it’s merely a private vendetta resulting from their entanglement with certain underground factions. We just happened to stumble upon it.”

”...”

”Rich people sure are lucky. You can just go for a drive and happen to see your enemies getting their legs broken.”

Han Su asked with a smile, ”So if I’m not satisfied, could I also ’happen’ to see them being thrown into the river?”

Hearing this, Special Assistant Xu frowned slightly. ”That would be a bit difficult.”

Han Su: ”Oh?”

Special Assistant Xu replied earnestly, ”Qinggang is a coastal city, so throwing them into the sea would be easier.”

”You’d be short on gas money?”

Han Su smiled and pulled the car’s window curtain shut. He then handed back the envelope containing the bank card. ”But you should take this money back.”

Special Assistant Xu paused for a moment, then explained patiently in a softer tone, ”Mr. Han, the Xu Family doesn’t mean this as some arrogant handout.”

”We’re giving you this money because we know you’ll need it. I know your life has undergone some changes. Due to certain principles, we can’t discuss it directly, but from what I understand, people in that circle need money more than most.”

He tried to be as clear and direct, yet as tactful as possible, so as not to wound the young man’s sensitive pride.

Han Su took it back and pocketed it. ”I’ll keep it, then.”

”Huh?”

This time it was Special Assistant Xu’s turn to be surprised. ’Was this young man so easily persuaded?’

”The first refusal was for my own dignity. Accepting it the second time is for the Xu Family’s dignity.”

Seeing Special Assistant Xu’s stunned expression, Han Su added with a smile, ”Of course, it’s also to put you at ease. I’ll see less of Xu Ji from now on. If he dares to come looking for me, I’ll send him right back to you.”

”It’s good to be cautious.”

Special Assistant Xu recovered, nodding with a smile. He added, ”Also, besides these two, if Mr. Han deems it necessary, the Xu Family can also try to help with the bounty on the Black Table.”

”However, the Xu Family can’t just erase the bounty directly, but we can try to warn off the private investigators and bounty hunters in Qinggang’s underworld.”

”Of course, it seems Mr. Han has already taught them a lesson or two...”

”...”

Han Su didn’t know that the ”lesson” he was referring to was how Cui Qiao had used some kind of cryptic logic to send many of the people monitoring him to the hospital.

He thought Special Assistant Xu was talking about the arms he’d broken back at the library, so he shook his head and said:

”Then there’s no need. It won’t be very effective if we can’t find the source.”

”If the Xu Family really feels like doing me another favor...”

He thought for a moment, then said in a low voice, ”There’s a girl named ’Mei Lan.’ I don’t know her last name, but she should be from around Qinggang.”

”Other than that, I only know she’s between seventeen and twenty. She had long hair as a child, her family should be well-off, and on the left side of her forehead, I think... there’s a faint scar...”

After racking his brain for these details, he could only shake his head. ”...The information seems a bit scarce, but that’s all I have.”

”I wonder, is the Xu Family capable of finding her for me?”

”...”

Special Assistant Xu silently mulled it over, committing the details Han Su mentioned to memory. He nodded slightly. ”I will make an attempt.”

Han Su said, ”Let me know if you have news.”

The two spoke no more. Special Assistant Xu had the driver take Han Su back to his apartment building. After a polite farewell, Han Su turned and went upstairs.

’This personal secretary of Xu Ji’s father came with money to try and buy off the life-debt owed for saving Xu Ji, but I don’t really dislike him.’

’There are two kinds of rich people in this world. The first kind makes you feel comfortable when you’re around them.’

’The second kind makes you feel uncomfortable.’

’Perhaps the Xu Family’s way of making people comfortable is what puts them on the cusp of true aristocracy?’

’As for the girl I rescued, I can only try to find her now by borrowing the Xu Family’s power. But with only a first name and no surname, I can’t get my hopes up too high about the chances of finding her.’

’The only thing I can count on is this bank card.’

’Even though etiquette required me to refuse it once, since they offered it so sincerely, how could I not accept?’

’After all, this money came from selling out a brother. A legitimate source, and a renewable one at that.’

Meanwhile, after watching Han Su go upstairs, Special Assistant Xu emailed his report for the evening to Mr. Xu before calling the property management company.

Then he sat in the car, thinking quietly:

’Mei Lan... Mei Lan...’

’It couldn’t possibly be her, could it?’

’The two of them shouldn’t have any connection...’

”...”

”...”

The next day, Han Su could only pretend nothing had happened and continue with his missions.

He did, however, receive a message from Black Rose, saying that news had spread in another circle about two former Public Security Bureau agents having their legs broken and being dumped in a bar’s back alley, sparking a great deal of discussion.

Those who had been coveting the bounty instantly became much more reserved.

They didn’t care whether their target was innocent or if he deserved to be dragged into this; they only cared if their target was someone they could afford to provoke.

The bounty that had been causing him so much trouble seemed to have vanished overnight.

But he wasn’t sure how long this effect would last. As long as the bounty remained, there would always be greedy people tempted by it, right?

Still, his information’s security clearance had been upgraded, so it wouldn’t be so easy for them to find him anymore. If someone was really that stubborn and insisted on digging into his now-classified information, Han Su was actually hoping they’d run into trouble.

Three more days passed like this. Han Su put everything aside. No new missions came from the Disaster Management Bureau, and he didn’t go to school. Instead, he stayed in his apartment, locked the door, drew the curtains, placed a cup of tea in front of him, and sat in silence.

A round clock hung on the opposite wall. He stared at its hands as they neared four o’clock in the afternoon.

This was the fourteenth day.

According to the previous interval, the Flashing would occur every fourteen days. It had been interrupted once, but counting from the time he listened to the Encrypted Spell at the Disaster Management Bureau, the time had come again.

The interval would only shorten, never lengthen. So, in theory, the Flashing would befall him sometime before four o’clock this afternoon.

Mentally reviewing what would happen after he was ”kidnapped,” Han Su watched the clock, waiting for the moment its hands would become unstable and everything around him would begin to twist and blur.

TICK-TOCK, TICK-TOCK—

The time ticked by, minute by minute, second by second, approaching four o’clock.

Not counting the unexpected incident while listening to the Encrypted Spell at the Disaster Management Bureau, the earlier ”kidnapping” on campus during an afternoon class had happened at four o’clock. This time, it should also happen before four.

He watched as the time drew nearer, and he felt as if the clock’s hands twitched twice.

Everything around him seemed to tremble lightly, like a crumpled piece of paper.

’It’s here?’

He straightened his back slightly, ready to accept it, but the result was an abnormal silence.

It was as if there wasn’t enough power. Only a slight sign of it had appeared. Even the strange sound of mechanical gears turning in his ears was illusory, fading away before he could hear it clearly.

’...It didn’t happen?’

Han Su froze on the spot, staring at the round clock on the opposite wall. The time had already passed four o’clock, and everything around him was normal.

He was certain there had been a change—the signs had appeared—but it hadn’t culminated in a full Flashing.

’Why did this happen?’

’Did the Flashing just fizzle out halfway? Did it run out of battery?’

Unable to make heads or tails of it, he sat dazedly on the sofa, lost in thought. Just then, his phone beeped. He looked down and saw a notification from the app:

[Level D2 Mission: Emergency Assembly]

[All Executioners who received this message are to immediately proceed to the base, retrieve firearms, and head to the intersection at Pinghu Road to assist Investigator codenamed Mr. Strange Bird with patrol duties.]

[...]