The Eldritch Files

”Alright then, the operation to capture the Ghost Truck can now begin.”

Seeing how smoothly Special Assistant Xu had posted the commission, Han Su felt an unexpected surge of pleasant surprise. Wasting no more time, he immediately notified the Doctor, Black Tiger, and Miss Crow to prepare for a meeting. As he was leaving the club, he brought Xu Ji along with him.

He solemnly told him, ”You’ve been requisitioned.”

Just a moment ago, they had gone to the study without Xu Ji, leaving him to fret and scratch his head in anxiety, terrified that Special Assistant Xu would secretly sabotage his chances and ruin this great opportunity.

Now that Han Su was willing to bring him along, he was instantly filled with joy and exclaimed, ”I knew it!”

”A true brother would never leave me out of the good stuff!”

”Whatever you need to requisition me for, just say the word. As long as it doesn’t require me to sacrifice my body, I’m fine with anything else!”

”...”

Han Su frowned. ”Actually, in my plan, your only use *is* to sacrifice yourself!”

After two seconds of agonizing struggle, Xu Ji surrendered. ”Fine, I guess...”

A chill ran down Han Su’s spine. He shoved him away. ”Get lost! Stay away from me. Even if I’m bringing you along this time, you’d better keep your distance!”

”I’m a man of professional integrity! I took your family’s money, so I’ll do the job for your family!”

”...”

Xu Ji immediately turned and shot a glare at Special Assistant Xu, then excitedly handed over his car keys.

But Han Su, remembering the gaudy anime girl plastered on the car’s hood, refused with disgust and asked Special Assistant Xu to arrange for a different vehicle.

...

...

Han Su dragged Xu Ji along to the coffee shop where he was meeting the Doctor and the others, but he made Xu Ji wait outside.

After all, he, the Doctor, and the others were all Executioners from the Disaster Management Bureau. Outsiders weren’t allowed to sit in on internal meetings.

Of course, to keep Xu Ji from feeling left out, Han Su graciously permitted him to pay the bill.

”I’ve already submitted the mission application to Miss Ai.”

The Doctor was always punctual, Black Tiger would never hold others up for his own reasons, and Miss Crow was extremely enthusiastic about this operation. Consequently, by the time Han Su arrived, all three were already there.

They had expected this to be just a second discussion, so they were all a little startled to hear what Han Su said. ”So sudden? Is everything ready?”

Han Su countered with a question of his own, ”How are the preparations for the tasks I asked you to handle?”

The Doctor frowned and shook his head. ”I’ve already drafted a detailed blocking plan, selected a suitable location, calculated the personnel requirements, and even roughed out the minimum force configuration needed to resolve the aberration.”

”Hm?”

Han Su glanced at the contents on the tablet and was somewhat surprised.

He knew that if he asked the Doctor for help with this, it would be done well, but he hadn’t expected him to be this thorough.

The only materials the man had to work with were the files on the Ghost Truck, case studies of the Disaster Management Bureau’s failed operations, and the Investigator handbook.

In terms of clearance level, his wasn’t even as high as Han Su’s own.

Yet, with just these materials, he had considered all sorts of details about the mission process.

In a way, what he had produced was already a fairly mature plan. With a little tidying up, it could even be used as the draft for a report...

Looking at it, he was even slightly tempted:

’Once I become an Investigator, could I ask the Doctor to be my assistant?’

But the thought was fleeting. ’No, that wouldn’t work...’

’This was a ruthless guy who, upon seeing the limited promotion channels in the Disaster Management Bureau, started wondering if a mass death of Investigators was the solution...’

’If he became my assistant, who knows how quickly he’d start plotting to usurp my position?’

As he thought this, he turned his head. ”And Miss Crow?”

Beside him, Miss Crow looked a little uncomfortable, ashamed that she hadn’t been able to fulfill the task entrusted to her. She said in a low voice, ”About the personnel for the blocking detail, I asked my aunt. She said that according to Disaster Management Bureau regulations, you can only call upon a portion of the Executioners right now.”

”But it’s practically impossible to rely on Executioners to blockade an aberration on the level of the Ghost Truck.”

”In theory, anyone who has been trained in Mysterious Power and can recite the fifth spell of the Zero Sequence could man these blocking positions, but in reality, that’s just not enough.”

”To succeed, you’d need to find other Investigators to volunteer their help. But since the Ghost Truck incident has become your own private mission, other Investigators won’t be easily convinced to lend a hand.”

”Unless you prepare a large amount of money and compensation in advance.”

”Of course, my aunt said she could front the money for you, or even lend a hand personally, but she... she won’t help for free. You’ll have to agree to one of her conditions first.”

Miss Crow seemed troubled as she said this, clearly disliking having to pass on such a message.

Han Su just smiled. ”What condition?”

Miss Crow shook her head and held out her phone. ”My aunt didn’t say. She just said not to worry, that it’s a condition that will be very beneficial to you as well. She’s a friend of Director Zhang, so she wouldn’t do anything to harm you...”

”She also said...”

She relayed the message with some difficulty, ”That you should call her only after you’ve thought it through.”

”She’s very busy, so if you haven’t made up your mind, don’t bother her.”

Even relayed through Miss Crow, Han Su could practically see the lofty attitude of the Lady in the Red Windbreaker.

’As if she’s deigning to give me a chance, and I still have to agree to her terms...’

Han Su shook his head. He had initially asked Miss Crow to inquire because he truly had no other options, and he also wanted to use the opportunity to see what kind of terms the Lady in the Red Windbreaker would offer. Now it was clear she had been waiting for him to ask for a favor so she could make her own demands.

But now that things had come to this, there was no need to keep playing games with her.

With that thought, his expression turned cool. He said directly, ”Since she’s so busy, let’s not bother her. We’ll do it ourselves.”

He was actually well aware that the commission he’d posted through Special Assistant Xu most likely hadn’t escaped the notice of the Disaster Management Bureau.

The Lady in the Red Windbreaker had probably already figured it out; it was just that Miss Crow hadn’t been notified or instructed by her yet.

”Do it ourselves?”

Those three words brought expressions of utter disbelief to the faces of both the Doctor and Miss Crow.

Black Tiger was eating dessert.

Han Su nodded. ”I don’t plan on assigning too many people to the blocking positions. Three will be enough.”

”I will submit an application to Miss Ai to grant you temporary authorization to use the Zero Sequence Number 3 Spell.”

”Even though the Doctor and Black Tiger haven’t undergone Mysterious Power training yet, once the Ghost Truck appears and Mysterious Power manifests in the area, it should still be effective, right?”

”My mentor, Mr. Strange Bird, has used this method before, so of course, I can learn from his example.”

”...”

For a moment, it was dead silent. No one responded.

This was an aberration that the Disaster Management Bureau had failed to block even with six veteran Executioners. And now he was sending three rookies to man the blocking positions?

In theory, was Han Su’s plan sound? Of course it was.

It wasn’t unusual for an Investigator to lead three rookies, or even to work completely alone.

The Legendary Investigator who had sealed the Ghost Truck before had done it by himself. He just carried a briefcase, a cigarette dangling from his lips, and walked out of the city alone. In just ten minutes, he had sealed the Ghost Truck on Highway 59.

But they...

”If you trust me, then take on this blocking mission.”

Han Su didn’t explain further. He just said, ”If you don’t, it’s fine if you want to leave. I’ll do everything I can to make sure the Ghost Truck never gets a chance to charge your blocking positions.”

Beside them, Black Tiger slowly raised his head. ”The blocking positions... where are they?”

The Doctor, next to him, couldn’t help but glance over. ”You’re that trusting? You’re willing to bet your life on his promise?”

Black Tiger frowned. ”On the battlefield, I survived by relying on my comrades. Isn’t betting your life on a comrade’s promise a normal part of survival?”

The Doctor couldn’t help but ask, ”And what if your comrade is unreliable?”

A look of confusion appeared on Black Tiger’s face. ”Why would you consider an unreliable person a comrade in the first place?”

The Doctor was actually taken aback by that. He looked at Han Su, and for a moment, dozens of questions flooded his mind, followed an instant later by hundreds of answers he formulated for himself. Finally, he looked into Han Su’s eyes, and a sudden Understanding dawned on him. He nodded. ”I’m in.”

’When you make someone do something that is clearly beyond their abilities, it’s either to use them as cannon fodder or to let them coast to an easy victory.’

’I’ve already demonstrated my value. The Butcher has no reason to set me up as cannon fodder.’

’...’

Miss Crow, however, was exceptionally conflicted and worried. ”But you... even if we can handle the blocking role, are you going to face the Ghost Truck by yourself?”

Han Su nodded. ”There’s only one Investigator License, so of course, I’m the one who has to deal with it.”

”As for everything else, you don’t need to worry.”

As he slowly stood up, he took out his phone to submit the application to Miss Ai. He smiled. ”Everything’s been arranged. We just need to make sure everything during the mission is reasonable and that the final report looks good.”

Miss Crow was still worried. ”But this is too difficult, you...”

Han Su cut her off with a smile. ”Didn’t I tell you before? I have some connections and backing of my own.”

Miss Crow looked up at him, completely bewildered.

The Doctor, however, looked on with subtle surprise. He adjusted his glasses with his middle finger and marveled to himself, ’Now *this* is what someone with real backing should be doing...’

”So, when exactly are we carrying out this mission?”

”...”

Han Su turned to the three of them, smiled, and said, ”Tonight. We leave now!”

And just as Miss Crow and the other two showed expressions of shock, pleasant surprise, or simple acceptance, Han Su’s phone let out a DING as Miss Ai’s reply came in:

[C+ Level aberration Ghost Truck capture request approved. Related ritual setup and usage authorization for special weapon ”Nail of the Dead Sea” will be delivered to the designated location shortly!]

[Go get ’em, esteemed Mr. Butcher!]

[Friendly Reminder: While ensuring mission completion, please be sure to protect your own safety!]