The Eldritch Files

’One second!’

’No, not even a second. I only need half a second to take this person down.’

’And then, I... I...’

Mr. Strange Bird found a hundred reasons for himself in an instant, mustering the greatest courage he had ever summoned in his life. He charged into the cake shop, no longer even interested in what lay behind the ”door.” His attention was focused solely on Song Chushi.

Staring intently at the back of the man’s head, he rushed forward a few steps, raised his gun, and pulled the trigger.

Only an idiot would say something while pointing a gun at someone. Mr. Strange Bird chose to shoot first.

Behind the counter, the round-faced waitress saw a customer who had just entered the shop, only for another man to follow him in, draw a gun, and aim it at him. She was so terrified her mouth flew open in a scream.

But no matter how quickly she reacted, it was too late to shout a warning.

Aiming at the back of the man’s head, Mr. Strange Bird pulled the trigger without hesitation, feeling the powerful recoil of the gun, feeling the bullet release from the chamber.

At the same time, the case in his hand suddenly let out a strange SQUEAKING noise. From a special hole in its side, something like a cable, yet also like a tentacle, slithered out and writhed through the air like a snake.

Fast as lightning, it shot toward the back of Song Chushi’s head.

’Even if this guy isn’t afraid of bullets, there’s something even deadlier waiting for him.’

’I’m one step ahead this time. I figured out Song Chushi’s location in advance, so all I need is half a second...’

But just then, he heard a soft CHUCKLE. Song Chushi’s voice drifted over, faint and eerie:

”As an Investigator, do you not even possess the most basic ability to assess danger?”

Mr. Strange Bird trembled, his eyes widening as he stared fixedly at the figure before him.

He didn’t dodge or flinch. He didn’t even seem bothered to turn his head. He slowly put down the small cake menu in his hand. Though his face was unseen, his contempt was palpable in his voice alone.

’But...’

’Something’s wrong!’

Mr. Strange Bird had to take a moment to process it before he suddenly remembered. ’I already fired the gun. The bullet has left the barrel...’

’He didn’t even dodge, so how can he still be talking to me?’

’Why is the bullet moving so slowly?’

Once he realized this, he noticed the bullet that had left his gun. It was about ten centimeters from the muzzle, and only five centimeters from Song Chushi’s head.

The smoke and flash of the gunshot still bloomed at the muzzle, but the bullet itself was motionless, as if frozen in mid-air.

Realizing this, he glanced sideways and saw the tentacle that had shot out of his case. It was struggling to writhe forward, but its speed was slowing, bit by bit, until it too solidified in the air.

The Investigator of Strange Birds couldn’t even comprehend what was happening. He only felt an indescribable pressure within this bizarre slowness.

He strained to move his eyes and discovered that the air around him was now filled with floating dust.

Under the cake shop’s lights, this dust glowed faintly. It permeated the space between him and Song Chushi, filling every corner. Wherever the dust reached, all sound vanished. Time vanished. All that remained was a desolate, silent scene.

Because of this pervading dust, the bullet was frozen in the air. The mysterious weapon from his case was also frozen in the air.

The waitress behind the counter, and the scream in her throat, were all frozen.

’No, I’m frozen too...’

It was only then that he realized he was surrounded by the dust. It was because he too was frozen that his thoughts were moving so slowly.

”My apologies.”

Song Chushi spoke softly. ”I have no grudge against you, but you are unlucky.”

Hearing these unhurried words, Mr. Strange Bird felt only a sense of the absurd.

He didn’t understand.

He had dealt with the grotesque many times and had clashed with those fanatical Mysterious Organizations on several occasions. It wasn’t as if he’d never met a powerful figure.

But how could there possibly be an opponent who didn’t even give him time to react?

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

At that very moment, sounds of figures cutting through the air came from outside the cake shop, along with the sound of hard-soled leather shoes on stone pavement. Several shadows in black trench coats, carrying briefcases, had appeared outside the shop, only to vanish in a flash.

Along with them, all the sounds from the street outside vanished, as did the panicked pedestrians and the swaying figures of the infected.

”They’re too slow...”

”The Disaster Management Bureau needs a complete and total overhaul. Otherwise, how will they fight the Tide? By relying on that one monster?”

Song Chushi sighed softly, his gaze turning to the glass display case of the cake shop.

It was as if, in the reflection of the glass, he could see a space parallel to the cake shop. In it, someone was beating the corpse of a crystal skeleton.

He waited patiently for the person to finish the beating. As that space began to dissolve, Han Su’s figure started to appear in the cake shop. Then, his expression changed to one of surprise, and he shouted two words:

”Look out!”

”...”

”Thank you.”

Song Chushi looked at Han Su, a look of pleasant surprise on his face. He thanked Han Su sincerely, even giving a slight bow.

”You...”

Han Su stared at Song Chushi, who had a gun aimed at him with the bullet already out of the barrel. The shock in his heart was indescribable.

At first, he thought Song Chushi was about to be killed by the Investigator of Strange Birds.

It was only when he confirmed that the bullet remained suspended in the air, not moving an inch, that he vaguely understood. Things were a little different from how he’d imagined.

It wasn’t the Investigator of Strange Birds who was about to kill the man named Song; rather, the bird-man was the one who had been utterly and completely controlled.

But the horror in his heart was not so easily dispelled. To be able to freeze a fired bullet and an Investigator from the Disaster Management Bureau before him, leaving them completely powerless... what kind of ability had this Song Chushi fellow used?

He glanced to the side. Mr. Strange Bird’s expression at that moment was quite interesting.

A savage grin was still on his face, as if he was savoring the various benefits that would come from killing Song Chushi with a single shot. But he had already processed the situation and recognized his predicament, and his eyes were now filled with nothing but terror.

”The people from Crystal Skull should be looking for something. I wonder if you have any memory of it?”

Song Chushi said to Han Su, ”You should know. The children who were kidnapped back then should all know about this thing. It’s just that this thing is very strange. You can’t mention it carelessly.”

”Otherwise, it will know, and it will hide.”

”Of course, I also came in here to create an opportunity for you, but you need to be able to seize it yourself.”

”As for the report for the Disaster Management Bureau later, you can make it up yourself.”

”...”

Han Su subconsciously tried to speak, but suddenly found he couldn’t open his mouth. He had the intention to speak, but couldn’t make a sound.

’Am I frozen too?’

”Your standing isn’t high enough.”

Song Chushi said flatly, ”It’s fine for me to speak to you, but anything you say to me will be overheard.”

”There’s a voyeur in Qinggang. It can see everything in Qinggang, and that, of course, includes you. It can see all your secrets, public or not. You... you have always been living under its gaze.”

”That’s why you couldn’t find anything you were looking for back then.”

”I took advantage of a gap in its metamorphosis to enter Qinggang and get you into the Disaster Management Bureau. But its transformation is almost complete, and its voyeurism will become even stronger.”

”When that time comes, I’m not sure if it will continue to watch you, or simply erase you.”

”...”

While saying these startling words, Song Chushi suddenly chuckled. ”But there’s no need to be afraid. You just need to get your Investigator License before it fully awakens.”

”Miss Ai can protect you, but you must possess the authority of an Investigator, or even higher, for her to operate smoothly.”

”In a moment, I will try to see to what extent it has awakened and give you the intel. But you must promise to only keep it in your heart and not discuss it with anyone.”

”For now, I’ll teach you a little trick.”

”In the future, if you want to attempt something secretive and don’t want to be discovered, I’ll teach you a method. Place a glass of water next to you. If there are ripples in the glass, don’t attempt it for now.”

”...”

As he finished this simple explanation, he turned around to face Mr. Strange Bird, who was still pointing the gun at the back of his head.

He glanced down at the tentacle that had emerged from the case, gave a cold laugh, and then reached out to take the gun from Mr. Strange Bird’s hand. Throughout the entire process, Mr. Strange Bird stood frozen, as if he had no thought of resisting.

Song Chushi turned the gun around and pointed it at Mr. Strange Bird’s forehead.

At this moment, Mr. Strange Bird was filled with terror. His eyes were even starting to moisten, but he could do nothing but stare desperately at Han Su.

It was as if he was hoping Han Su could help him.

Then he discovered that when Han Su looked back at him, his eyes were also full of anticipation.

BANG!

Song Chushi fired the gun. A bullet instantly pierced Mr. Strange Bird’s head. Even the image of the bullet burrowing into his skull and pulling out his brains was in slow motion.

Afterwards, Song Chushi dropped the gun, picked up the briefcase beside him, and turned to walk out of the cake shop.

As he left, the dust lingering around Mr. Strange Bird began to retreat, as if time were reversing. It flowed, bit by bit, back into the case in his hand along with his receding figure.

The surrounding deathly silence and emptiness began to thin.

Suddenly, with a BANG, the bullet that had been frozen in mid-air struck the sofa.

Immediately after, the tentacle from Mr. Strange Bird’s case hit the sofa with a SSSK and collapsed limply.

Then came Mr. Strange Bird. He suddenly exhaled a breath of despair and terror, collapsing onto the counter with a THUD. His body twitched twice, lifelessly.