The Eldritch Files

The copper rust spread, cloaking everything in the secret chamber with an ancient, decaying aura.

Human bodies, flesh, blood, and joints all seemed to rust like machinery, becoming incredibly difficult to move within this bizarre space.

Only the spirit remained unaffected; only Spiritual Power still flowed as usual.

But any Spiritual Power that permeated into reality was also corroded bit by bit by the copper rust, and eventually consumed.

It was as if the very Spiritual Power seeping out to fight the rust had become its fuel.

At that moment, the Copper Armor Statue stiffly turned and walked toward the nearest member of the Crystal Skull Organization.

Within this space, its movements grew faster and more fluid. The movements of everyone else, however, seemed to have seized up with rust, becoming slower and stiffer. The contrast was stark—it was as if the others were machines, and only it was alive.

It walked up to one of the Crystal Skull Organization’s ”finished products,” raised a copper-colored palm, and slowly lowered it over the man’s head. Then, its five fingers tightened.

CRUNCH.

The heads of the Crystal Skull Organization members were exceptionally hard. According to the intelligence shared by Miss Ai, they could withstand being run over by a truck. But before this copper hand, they were as brittle as eggshells.

Not only did their brains splatter, but even the Spiritual Activity present on their Crystal Skulls was utterly annihilated the moment they were crushed.

The other Crystal Skull members who witnessed their comrade’s gruesome fate had eyes flaring with despair and terror. They wanted to scream, to fight for their lives, but they could do nothing.

In this rust-stained world, only the Copper Armor Statue was still moving.

One after another, it crushed the heads of the Crystal Skull Organization members.

The splattering blood, mixed with crystallized skull fragments and brain matter, created a series of grotesque portraits.

Because each kill took only a single blow, it created a sense of mechanical monotony.

Its assault on the Crystal Skull Organization members couldn’t even be called a massacre. It was more like a tedious harvest.

As the Copper Armor Statue began its indiscriminate slaughter of the Crystal Skull members, Han Su, behind a pillar, quickly picked up a box from the floor.

It had belonged to one of the Crystal Skull members from the group that had just charged at him.

Following the professor’s dying orders, the man had been carrying the box to snatch the Mechanical Fragment and escape. But just as he reached Han Su, the copper rust had seized him, and the box in his arms had tumbled to Han Su’s side.

Although he had already punched a hole in the box, at least having it as a container meant he wouldn’t have to constantly expend his Spiritual Power.

For some unknown reason, Han Su was unaffected by the copper rust. The moment he placed the Mechanical Fragment inside the box, creating a degree of insulation, Wei Lan seemed to finally regain some of her vitality.

She suddenly hugged Han Su tightly, her voice choked with sobs. ”So, it was you, wasn’t it?”

”Back then, you were the one who saved me from that Ancient Castle full of monsters?”

”...”

”What?”

Wei Lan’s words stunned Han Su on the spot, making his scalp tingle for a moment.

He looked down in disbelief and saw Wei Lan’s face covered in tears.

”So it was you. It was really you...”

Fear and elation warred on Wei Lan’s face. She tried to raise her hand, wanting to touch Han Su.

But her hand was trembling so violently she couldn’t lift it. She could only keep speaking, her voice careful and quiet, as if afraid she might shatter the moment.

”No wonder I always had that nightmare, but could never remember it after waking up. No wonder I traveled all this way back to Qinggang City, even though I don’t like this place at all and even thought about escaping it forever...”

”So, so... there was a reason for all of it!”

”...”

’Did she really remember? Is it because of this Mechanical Fragment?’

The shock Han Su felt was beyond words. He was just as stunned as Wei Lan.

’Why would she remember that?’

’Theoretically, saving her happened in a previous timeline.’

’In this timeline, she was never kidnapped at all. She’s lived her own, complete life.’

”Can you still move?”

He tried to pull Wei Lan, having so many questions for her, but this was clearly not the place to talk.

But in response to his question, Wei Lan’s gaze shifted, and she suddenly looked as if she had been plunged into an icy abyss.

Her eyes widened as she watched the Copper Armor Statue slowly turn to look at them, its two Ruby eyes on its serpent head glowing with an unnatural light.

It was as if she was back in that cold corridor, seeing the copper statues lining the walls.

She remembered how helpless she had been back then, locked in a cold, hard room, trembling, so desperate she didn’t even dare to cry out loud.

Back then, someone just like him had suddenly kicked open the copper door in front of her and yanked her out.

Then he had held her and run for his life.

Finally, holding her, he fell... and fell... and then, she woke from the nightmare, back in reality.

Before, she had relived this dream time and again. She had even come across reports about that kidnapping case, read about the abducted children, and the sole survivor.

But she had never connected that kidnapping to herself.

Because every time she relived the dream, she would completely forget it upon waking, without a single trace left behind.

Only now, as she remembered everything completely and was overwhelmed by these memories, did she truly return to reality.

But upon returning to reality, the first thing she saw was that familiar Copper Armor Statue. Its tall, irresistible form seemed to instantly plunge her back into the nightmare.

’No time to worry about that...’

Han Su didn’t know what Wei Lan was thinking, but he could see that the Mechanical Fragment was affecting her too deeply.

Meanwhile, the Copper Armor Statue had just dropped the head of the last Crystal Skull Organization member. It turned stiffly and began walking toward them, its massive shadow enveloping them both.

The back of his left hand was hurting more and more, and the strange feeling in his heart grew stronger.

He was surrounded by copper rust. Even if he recited the Fishing Song to erase his presence, he wasn’t sure he could escape it. So, gritting his teeth, he turned to face it instead.

Facing the enormous copper-colored hand descending to grab him, he made no move to dodge or resist. Instead, he stared directly into the demonic Ruby eyes on the Copper Armor Statue’s serpent head and extended his own hand.

Then, facing this terrifying, irresistibly powerful being, he spoke in a low voice:

[”Copper’s Will is eternal in the world’s reflection!”]

HUMMM!

The copper rust filling the air seemed to be influenced by some will, instantly freezing in mid-air.

To describe it precisely, it was as if, for a split second, every particle had stopped vibrating.

And so, the bizarre sounds and the clang of metal all vanished. A moment of dead silence fell over the secret chamber.

Han Su felt the pain in his left hand reach its absolute peak.

He saw a cross-shaped scar appear on the back of his hand as the flesh began to tear. Blood seeped out, but it had turned a strange copper color.

The Copper Armor Statue’s hand had stopped just ten centimeters from Han Su’s head.

Han Su, maintaining his posture with his right hand extended, slowly, inch by inch, pressed it toward the Copper Armor Statue’s serpent-shaped head. At the same time, he recited the Fishing Song, activating his even stronger Spiritual Power:

”The Gods have sent down a decree!”

”Copper’s Will is eternal in the world’s reflection!”

”...”

”...”

In a secret chamber in Dingxiang Mansion, the old man was squinting his eyes, seemingly unconcerned about anything. But suddenly, his attention was drawn to the drink in front of him.

Fine ripples appeared on its surface, one after another without end, as if some kind of tremor was persisting.

He suddenly realized something. He straightened up slightly, his breathing quickening, and shouted sharply, ”All of you, get out! Get out!”

As he drove the others out, he fixed his gaze on the female security guard. ”Quick, push me down there!”

...

...

Back in the secret chamber, as these two sentences were spoken, the Copper Armor Statue began to tremble uncontrollably.

It was as if conflicting commands were coursing through its body. Its mechanical components all over seemed to be fighting and grinding against each other.

But this struggle didn’t last long. It stopped.

Facing Han Su, the two strange red eyes on its serpent head slowly began to glow.

But this red light wasn’t dazzling. Instead, it was gentle, almost docile.

Slowly, slowly, it withdrew its copper hand, placed it gently on its chest, and bowed to Han Su, who stood before it.

’It really worked...’

Han Su slowly retracted his gaze. After a moment of thought, he suddenly ordered in a deep voice, ”Open a path for me to leave!”

The Copper Armor Statue remained silent. It simply turned, walked to a spot on the wall, and suddenly threw a punch. With a loud BOOM, a large hole appeared in the wall, which was so hard that even bullets could barely leave a mark.

”A rather crude way to open a door...”

Han Su muttered to himself. A thought flashed through his mind. He didn’t know if it would work, but he still spoke seriously to the Copper Armor Statue:

”Remember, forget however you were activated before. I’m giving you a new password.”

”It is: ********”

”...”

The red lights on the Copper Armor Statue’s serpent head flashed. It was impossible to tell if it understood.

Han Su had no time to worry about it. He picked up Wei Lan, ducked his head, and dashed out through the hole in the wall.

”This...”

Dead silence fell. An unknown amount of time passed before a voice finally broke it. It was the master of Dingxiang Mansion, who had just arrived.

He stared at the floor covered in corpses and gore, at the empty platform, and especially at the Copper Armor Statue standing motionless in the middle of the chamber with its hand on its chest. He looked as if he had been struck by lightning.

”Has... has the Heir returned?”