The Eldritch Files

’Based on my performance this time, will I have earned the chance to learn the Invisibility Spell before Flashing arrives?’

’Or even... an Investigator License?’

While he was waiting in this state of uncertainty, Han Su heard a knock. He opened the door to see Secretary Cui, dressed in a black business suit.

She gave him a faint, unreadable smile, tilting her head as she sized him up. ”I never realized before. You’re not just talented—you’re *this* talented. That was a great performance...”

”Come on. Zhang the Head is waiting for you in the dining hall.”

Han Su’s heart settled. He quickly changed his clothes and went to the dining hall, where he saw Zhang Chiguo sitting at a table eating wontons. They were shrimp-filled.

There was another bowl across from him, steaming hot. He knew without thinking that it was for him.

He walked over with a smile, but Zhang Chiguo suddenly looked up. ”Stay put!”

Han Su obediently froze.

Zhang Chiguo put down his spoon, his expression somber. ”I had you accept that mission to protect you, not to enable you.”

Han Su quickly softened his stance, smiling. ”Uncle Zhang, I was confident before I went in.”

Unmoved, Zhang Chiguo said coldly, ”I know Song Chushi better than you do.”

”He’s a genius and one of the first people in Qinggang granted the authority to deal with these mysterious phenomena. But unlike someone like me, who was found by Secretary No. 5, he created his own opportunity to join.”

”Because of his special status, he was initially excluded from many operations and secrets. But as it turned out, some things just couldn’t be done without him.”

”And at first, he showed no signs of paranoia or insanity over his sister’s situation. In fact, he was calm, precise, and exceptionally brilliant in all his work.”

”But then one day—to be precise, around the time the kidnapping case was officially classified—”

”His personality changed drastically. He stole a mysterious artifact and fled. The Disaster Management Bureau sent more than half of its Investigators after him, but the result was catastrophic casualties.”

”You met him this time and came out unscathed. I know he must have told you things, but I still have to remind you: that man is insane.”

”The only things he sees are his sister and that kidnapping case.”

”If he had the chance, do you think he’d hesitate to trade you for his sister’s life?”

”No. He would sacrifice a hundred of you for a one percent chance of bringing his sister back alive.”

”...”

Han Su took a deep breath. ”I’ll remember that, Uncle Zhang.”

Seeing Han Su’s sincere expression, Zhang Chiguo found himself at a loss for words. He could only let out a low sigh and wave for Han Su to sit and eat. ”You lack reverence for the Mysterious Power and these dangerous people.”

”Your mission report this time was beautifully written, but do you really think anyone will believe it?”

”But Miss Ai already approved my report!”

”Not only did she approve it, she gave you an S-Class!”

Han Su was stunned. ”What?”

Zhang Chiguo snorted. ”Miss Ai only looks at logic. If the logic is sound, she’ll believe it. But for her to give you such a high evaluation—what does that tell you?”

”It means that even *she* thinks you’d have to be practically superhuman to pull off something like that.”

Han Su was genuinely shocked and bewildered by the S-Class rating, and his curiosity was piqued. ”Then what kind of person would it be reasonable for to solve a B-Level incident?”

”Someone whose Authority falls within that scope.”

Zhang Chiguo put down his spoon, his tone grave. ”Kid, do you have any idea what kinds of problems we at the Disaster Management Bureau actually face?”

Something stirred in Han Su’s heart. He vaguely understood that Zhang Chiguo was trying to enlighten him about something important. He sat up straight and said, ”Uncle Zhang, I want to understand.”

Zhang Chiguo nodded. ”Generally speaking, the problems the Disaster Management Bureau faces are divided into seven tiers.”

”E-Level tasks involve handling and eliminating anomalous phenomena.”

”In a city this big, with so many people, the activities of mysterious cultists and the Penetration of Mysterious Power create an intricate and complex situation, giving rise to all sorts of bizarre phenomena.”

”Even Miss Ai, as she is now, can’t fully distinguish between them all.”

”So, under her superficial surveillance, a large number of anomalies potentially related to the grotesque and Penetration emerge. These require professional Executioners to patrol, investigate, and assess. This accounts for the large number of E-Level tasks.”

”Because this is essentially helping Miss Ai with work she currently can’t handle, she politely refers to these tasks as ’commissions.’”

”You... were originally at this level.”

”...”

Han Su nodded thoughtfully. This was indeed the type of mission he had accepted at the beginning.

Zhang Chiguo continued, ”Next are the D-Level tasks. These usually involve patrolling and clearing areas where Penetration has been confirmed, and establishing defensive blockades.”

”But on these missions, Executioners no longer act on their own authority. They operate under the command of an Investigator or an execution squad leader.”

”And C-Level tasks are the highest level an Executioner can take on.”

At this point, Zhang Chiguo’s expression had become extremely grave. He deliberately deepened his tone, as if to warn Han Su, ”Only Executioners who have undergone training with Mysterious Power can even touch these missions.”

”But even these trained Executioners usually only serve as fire support units or Mysterious Power replenishment units, and they face enormous, uncontrollable risks.”

”C-Level tasks are privately known as the ’Executioner’s meat grinder’ precisely because they so often result in massive casualties.”

”...”

Han Su thought of the frenzied infected on Beidi Street and tried to absorb everything Zhang Chiguo was saying. Then he asked, ”What about higher?”

”Higher? Isn’t that the B-Level Task you just solved single-handedly?”

Zhang Chiguo shot him a cold look. ”The Disaster Management Bureau doesn’t just deal with signs of Penetration. We also face grotesque things that have *already completed* Penetration and have begun to contaminate and destroy reality!”

Han Su was slightly surprised to hear this. ”Completed Penetration? Like the elevator Pseudo-human from the assessment, which had already entered society and evolved into a ’person’?”

”Yes.”

Zhang Chiguo nodded, his face heavy. ”The Disaster Management Bureau has only been formally established for three years, but who knows how many years Penetration has existed.”

”Many grotesqueries have already hidden themselves in the real world and are beginning to set anchors for the arrival of even more insane things. Finding and eliminating them is another part of the Disaster Management Bureau’s job.”

”However, only Investigators can participate in such tasks. Executioners, at most, can only support the operation. They don’t have the ability to face these threats alone.”

”...”

Hearing this, Han Su finally understood why Zhang Chiguo’s attitude was so harsh.

’So for me to handle the Crystal Plague mission... it really was like I single-handedly jumped several levels to solve it, wasn’t it?’

’Good thing I wasn’t greedy for credit. For the parts that were hard to explain, I just claimed I didn’t understand. If they want to cross-examine someone, they’ll have to go find Song Chushi or Mr. Strange Bird...’

A flicker of excitement stirred in his heart, but he slowly asked, ”That’s only up to B-Level. What about A-Level, or even higher?”

”Higher, yes. There’s A-Level, S-Level, and ultimately, the Tide. They all exist, but I hope you never have the chance to encounter them.”

Zhang Chiguo sighed and shook his head. ”A-Level tasks are usually no longer about dealing with those infected by Penetration. They require confronting the very sources of contamination.”

”These sources... forget what power they wield, their very existence is already beyond comprehension. They can easily devastate an entire city.”

”If everything before A-Level is just seeping water, then an A-Level task represents the dam breaking.”

”Of course, even Investigators usually can’t handle A-Level tasks. They typically require an Independent Investigator to step in.”

”These Independent Investigators also don’t usually focus on direct confrontation. Instead, their role is to guard, to be vigilant, and to use tight surveillance and iron-fisted methods to forcibly eliminate or block these anomalies before they can invade society.”

”This is why every Independent Investigator has a transcendent status.”

”In terms of status, they are like the guardian deities of the real world.”

”In terms of ability, they have begun Stealing Authority, making them inherently superior to ordinary people.”

”You must remember this in the future.”

Zhang Chiguo looked at Han Su seriously and said in a low voice, ”Within the Disaster Management Bureau, there are Executors, Senior Executors, Investigators, Independent Investigators, Circuit Knights...”

”These aren’t just titles. Each different role is endowed with different Authorities and blessed with Mysterious Power.”

”The things they are each responsible for on a daily basis are also on completely different planes.”

”In the future, you must never try to be a hero. Don’t go provoking things that are beyond the scope of your abilities...”

”...”

Han Su could see Zhang Chiguo’s earnestness. He suddenly understood that by telling him all this, Zhang Chiguo also wanted him to understand his own limits.

’Is he afraid I’ll have a moment of carelessness and end up dead in a ditch?’

At this thought, a flicker of understanding crossed his face. He asked, ”Then Uncle Zhang, what level does Song Chushi belong to?”

Zhang Chiguo gave him a deep look, as if resistant to the topic. But seeing the concern in Han Su’s eyes, he let out a low sigh. ”Back when he was still in Qinggang City, he was already an Independent Investigator.”

”However, back before the Disaster Management Bureau was formally established, everyone who was recruited was considered an Investigator. If you were capable enough, promotion was fast.”

”He was the fastest to be promoted back then, easily reaching the level of an Independent Investigator.”

”But perhaps because he made it look so easy, it gave us the false impression that people like him were easy to find and cultivate...”

”Only later did we realize he himself was the ceiling.”

”Of course, I caught a glimpse of him from a distance when he returned this time. I could feel that he seems even more terrifying than before. I don’t know what he’s been through these past few years.”

”...”

’Song Chushi’s abilities are far beyond those of the Disaster Management Bureau’s current Independent Investigators...’

Han Su could easily deduce Song Chushi’s current level—or rather, the bare minimum of his abilities—from Zhang Chiguo’s expression. His heart skipped a beat.

’If that’s the case, then what level is the guy Song Chushi mentioned, the one who can peer into all of Qinggang?’

’At the very least, they should be on a similar level, right?’

A sudden chill ran through him. According to Song Chushi, that guy would complete his metamorphosis in half a month at most...

”Eat up!”

Having said so much in one breath, Zhang Chiguo saw the grave expression on Han Su’s face and knew his words had sunk in. His own expression softened.

As he scooped up a small wonton, he added, ”By the way, your promotion to Investigator has been approved.”