The Eldritch Files

”Heh, that’s him. The survivor of the kidnapping case from ten years ago.”

The person who had spoken up continued in a grim tone, ”Song Chushi betrayed the research institute back then because his sister disappeared in that same kidnapping. And this Executioner... heh, he’s the sole survivor of that very case, isn’t he?”

”Song Chushi invades Qinggang, and what a coincidence—during this very process, this sole survivor joins the Disaster Management Bureau and performs a great service.”

”Looking back even further, they’ve even met before.”

”Based on these suspicions alone, forget giving him special Mysterious Power training or an Investigator License. It wouldn’t even be too much to demote him and lock him up in D7 Group.”

”...”

It was as if a silent bomb had detonated in the air. No one reacted outwardly, but inwardly, they all shuddered.

In the oppressive atmosphere, Zhang Chiguo suddenly turned to look at him, his expression calm but with a serious edge. ”Do you have proof?”

The man was taken aback. ”Proof?”

Zhang Chiguo nodded. ”What you said makes sense, and your suspicions aren’t unreasonable. So, can you produce the relevant evidence to prove all this?”

The man scoffed at the words. ”That’s not my responsibility...”

Zhang Chiguo cut him off, speaking earnestly, ”I know it might be asking too much for you to produce evidence right now. But if necessary, we can postpone this discussion to give you enough time to investigate his connection to Song Chushi.”

”Once you’ve found the evidence and submitted it for Miss Ai’s approval, the Disaster Management Bureau will issue a formal order.”

”When that time comes, I’ll personally lead the team to arrest him and lock him in D7 Group. How does that sound?”

”...”

The entire conference room fell deathly silent. A few people even had knowing smiles on their faces.

Just as the saying goes, the nail that sticks out gets hammered down. The first one to voice the issue was bound to have this bad luck.

If he was truly unconvinced, he could go ahead and investigate. But setting aside how dangerous investigating Song Chushi would be, just investigating this kid would mean challenging Miss Ai’s assessment of the report.

What was the difference between that and volunteering to take on a pile of thankless trouble?

What was noteworthy, however, was Zhang Chiguo. He had always been rigid and unlikable, but now, that rigidity seemed to have gained a sharp edge.

Like a rock that had grown thorns.

Amid the awkwardness, a figure next to the one with the hoarse voice spoke up coldly, ”No need for all that trouble. The kidnapping case from ten years ago was settled long ago. It was just a child spouting nonsense.”

”If he was so unreliable as a child, what right does he have now for us to issue him an Investigator License?”

”He shouldn’t have even been allowed into the execution department. He should have been immediately put under hypnosis or ’cleaned.’ Even if we let him in, he shouldn’t have been assigned to the lax D1 and D2 Groups. He should have been...”

”...”

Before he could finish, Zhang Chiguo calmly cut him off. ”His entry into the Disaster Management Bureau’s execution department was conducted entirely according to the rules and regulations established by the Bureau. No one gave him special treatment, and no one gave him a green light.”

”In other words, we have no reason to expel him.”

”Quite the opposite. The Disaster Management Bureau manages a group of unruly people who constantly walk the line between life, death, and terror. If you want people like that to serve you willingly, then adhering to the rules is the bottom line that both sides must uphold.”

”We can make people undergo hypnosis, and we can conduct special ’cleanings,’ but before we do any of that, we must ensure our actions are justifiable under the Bureau’s regulations.”

”This time, as an Executor, he resolved the spread of the Spiritual Plague and received an S-Class evaluation from Miss Ai. His mentor has also been sacrificed, and according to protocol, one of his assistants should be chosen to inherit his Investigator License.”

”In comparison, the other assistant of the Investigator of Strange Birds only has an overall evaluation of B+ Level.”

”Between a B Level and an S-Class, is it really a difficult choice?”

”...”

These high-and-mighty words, spoken from the moral high ground, had long since displeased the man with the hoarse voice. He sneered, ”Just because he was contaminated as a child, that’s not enough?”

”No.”

Zhang Chiguo turned to look at him. ”The official conclusion of that incident back then was that a child was lying. Therefore, he only told a lie ten years ago; he wasn’t contaminated by a Mysterious Power.”

”You...”

The man was choked speechless. He wanted to say something, but a sudden sense of panic stopped him, and he didn’t dare to continue.

Throughout their discussion, the big shot seated at the head of the table had just been listening. In the projection, only his blurry shadow was visible, his expression unreadable, making it impossible to guess his thoughts.

However, beside the big shot, a black shadow that had been sitting perfectly upright suddenly spoke softly, ”The matter from back then has been settled. I see no need for further discussion.”

Hearing this person speak, everyone in the conference room straightened up slightly, including even Zhang Chiguo and Red Windbreaker.

As everyone knew, there were three seats beside the big shot, but these seats were usually inactive. A projection would appear for them in every meeting, but the individuals in these seats rarely spoke and often didn’t even appear.

Thus, their shadows were just fixed there, representing their authority.

This time, however, one of the three shadows had suddenly spoken, which meant that not only was this person participating in the meeting, but they were about to state their opinion.

”I have read the relevant files and the report he wrote.”

The black shadow said, ”It’s very strange, and there are many coincidences. To put it bluntly, as an Executioner, he shouldn’t have even had the clearance to participate in these two tasks. But he did, which makes it seem like a loophole was exploited.”

Hearing this, Zhang Chiguo’s expression tensed.

He understood the situation and also found it strange. He knew that if they were to investigate this exploitation of loopholes, he wouldn’t be able to escape responsibility.

But just then, the black shadow let out a sudden laugh. ”But if a loophole was exploited, so be it. The fact that he could exploit it means we have loopholes to be exploited. In the end, how we handle everything must come back to the rules.”

”In my opinion, those who need to be dealt with should be dealt with, and we shouldn’t be stingy with rewarding those who deserve it.”

”Even if some people feel uneasy about him, the more untrustworthy a person seems, the higher the position you must place them in to see them more clearly, isn’t that right?”

At this, he chuckled. ”Of course, this is just a suggestion. The professional decision is still yours to make.”

The silence in the conference room was suddenly deafening. ’You might as well just make the decision yourself...’

”I also support giving him the appropriate promotion and reward according to standard procedure.”

Just then, another figure spoke up with a laugh, their voice sounding rather young. ”Precisely because his identity is special and Song Chushi has approached him, we can use him as bait to lure that dangerous person out.”

”Besides, we should be on our guard right now anyway.”

”Because of the Tide, we have already delegated too much authority to the Investigators. But frankly, a considerable number of Investigators have obtained astonishing power, yet the results they’ve delivered are far from satisfactory.”

”That being the case, we must give corresponding rewards to those who have truly proven their worth.”

”Otherwise, how the hell are we supposed to fight the Tide?”

”...”

”...”

The meeting had been going on for a while, but this person’s words were by far the harshest.

Everyone understood in their hearts that the earlier mention of the Investigator of Strange Birds tying up Song Chushi and preventing him from achieving his goal was just said to save face.

In reality, that bastard had concealed information, tried to take all the credit, and spent an entire week on a single B Level Task. Many people died, but he never completed it. In the end, it was an Executioner who had to resolve the incident.

Not to mention, that guy tried to steal the Executioner’s credit in front of everyone, only to be called out on it to his face.

Although the higher-ups didn’t say it explicitly, how could they not understand? They were already using this incident to subtly criticize the Investigators.

It seemed the matter was about to be decided, but the man with the hoarse voice was still unwilling to give up. He mounted a last-ditch resistance, saying, ”Even if we set aside the suspicions surrounding him, he did, I suppose, complete this mission.”

”But all things considered, he’s only been with the Disaster Management Bureau for a few days, right?”

”He’s far too inexperienced.”

”There were certainly elements of coincidence in this incident. Which of the other Executioners hasn’t toughed it out on the front lines for a year or two? Promoting him so exceptionally now... I’m afraid it won’t sit well with the others.”

”...”

”Seniority?”

Hearing this, Zhang Chiguo suddenly looked up at him and let out a rare, cold laugh. ”Hah. How long has the entire Disaster Management Bureau even existed?”

”If we’re talking about seniority, which of the current Investigators could possibly be considered senior?”

”...”

A single sentence shut the man down completely, his eyes practically spitting fire.

”Hehe, the Disaster Management Bureau really needs to improve its efficiency. To think you’ve all been discussing such a simple matter for so long.”

At this point, the big shot at the top finally spoke with a smile. ”How about this.”

”It’s true that he performed a great service, and there’s no need to doubt Miss Ai’s evaluation. The matter has been settled, so let’s let that part of it go. Of course, the Investigator License is indeed very important and cannot be handed out so easily.”

”Why don’t we give him the rewards he’s due, but as for the license... test him a little more?”

”...”

”...”

[TASK REPORT ACCEPTED!]

Elsewhere, Han Su was quite confident that his report was eloquently written, meticulously phrased, and appropriately padded. But since this was his first time submitting a formal investigation report, he was still a bit anxious.

Fortunately, a reply from Miss Ai came back quickly: [Dear Mr. Butcher, your initial rating is increasing. Please keep up the good work!]

[...]

”How is it increasing?”

Han Su frowned at the vague feedback. ’They couldn’t be a little more specific? What, are they just going to promote me straight to A+?’