The Eldritch Files

’This time, I’m truly ready.’

Han Su had been keeping a close eye on the pointer of the Mechanical Fragment. It was now between ”1” and ”2.”

’If my guess is correct, then Flashing will arrive in just a little over a day.’

To Wei Lan, this was an incredibly exciting operation.

Although this was destined to be an operation whose progress no one else would ever be aware of, Han Su had indeed made ample preparations this time.

Seeing the determination in Han Su’s eyes, Wei Lan didn’t ask any more questions, though her expression was a bit complicated.

Before she left, she suddenly stepped forward, gave Han Su a light hug, and whispered, ”I don’t know what we’re up against.”

”But don’t carry it all on your own. You’re too exhausted.”

”You know? You’re actually quite handsome. If you changed your gender, you might even have a shot at the preliminary trials for our organization...”

”But your eyes... they’re so tired...”

”...”

After seeing Wei Lan off, Han Su looked at himself in the mirror. ’Am I exhausted?’

’My eyes are just a bit bloodshot. There’s nothing else different about them...’

’If anything, I’m full of fighting spirit right now, okay?’

Whether it was the nooks and crannies the black cat had led him through during his last visit to the Ancient Castle, or the various rescue plans for the secret passages that now filled his mind, it all filled him with a powerful sense of anticipation and a desire to face the challenge.

Flashing had occurred countless times, but this was the first time he’d actually felt a little excited to return to the Ancient Castle.

That was the very reason he had returned from the base. Since he was in a training period, he didn’t have to worry about being assigned any missions. All his remaining time could be spent meticulously refining the action plan in his mind.

’There was just so much!’

The moment he left the Ancient Castle last time, he had begun to repeatedly memorize the locations of its hidden passages and monsters.

In addition to the plans he had formulated, he even tried to construct a rough map of the Ancient Castle and all its passages in his mind.

Then he ran simulations over and over: how to bypass the monsters in the Ancient Castle, and how to successfully rescue the children, given his knowledge of the monsters’ general locations and movement patterns, as well as the positions and conditions of the rescue targets.

He went over it again and again, refining his plan more carefully than ever before. His objective had never been clearer.

The only thing he didn’t know was which monster would be carrying the key. Everything else was figured out.

After running through the plan in his head countless times, Han Su opened his eyes, a fierce glint flashing within them.

’I have to save them!’

’Even with Zhang Chiguo and Miss Ai’s protection in Qinggang City, there are too many uncertainties. Xu Ji and Wei Lan are the ones I truly trust, the ones I’d willingly entrust with everything.’

’Rescuing them is the only way I can ensure my own survival in this world.’

’So, no matter what I face when I return to the Ancient Castle, I have to execute the plan I’ve hammered out in my mind. Unlike before, when my main goal was just to escape, this time, I’m going in to save people!’

As these thoughts raced through his mind, Han Su, sitting alone in his apartment, glanced at the countdown on the Mechanical Fragment. There were only a few minutes left before it hit ”0.”

He silently sat up straight.

...

...

Meanwhile, just as Han Su was finishing his preparations and waiting to enter the Ancient Castle once more, something was happening on the top floor of a certain skyscraper in the center of Qinggang City. A humanoid vessel was slowly opening.

As a dark brown fluid flowed out, the surrounding staff, even though they were already wearing breathing apparatuses, couldn’t help but take a step back.

The sheer danger and acrid smell of the liquid in the vessel were unbearable. Even without being able to smell it, a single glance was enough to cause intense psychological discomfort.

But they only retreated that single step before forcing themselves to stand their ground.

They all knew the thing inside had a bad temper. They also knew that this metamorphosis process had been plagued by several mishaps, not only extending its duration but also making them unsure if it had even achieved the intended effect.

HSSST...

As the last of the liquid drained away, the humanoid figure inside remained motionless.

Just as the staff outside were growing anxious, even fearful, the hand inside finally, slowly, began to move.

”Quick, quick...”

The man in the white lab coat supervising the operation grew tense and waved his hands frantically. Staff behind him immediately pushed a large cage forward. Inside were live chickens, ducks, a sheep, and a dog—there was even a coiled snake.

They pushed the cage in front of the vessel, then lowered their heads, trying to control their racing hearts.

The thing inside the vessel heard the sounds of living creatures and began to move more deliberately. Slowly, it raised a hand and gripped the side of the vessel.

Suddenly, the hand tightened its grip. The fingers, swollen from being submerged, seemed to turn to steel. In a flash, he launched himself straight out of the vessel and into the cage.

The next moment, the staff hastily pulled a black cloth over the cage to prevent outsiders from seeing what was happening. All that could be heard was a chaotic flurry of squawking and barking, punctuated by the sheep’s agonized bleating. A thick, metallic stench of blood began to spread.

After a long, long time, the commotion inside quieted down. A soft tapping sound came from the bars. The staff outside exchanged glances and hurriedly pushed the cage to the adjacent room, where a large swimming pool was located.

SPLASH! Something slid out of the cage and into the pool. Wisps of blood and stray feathers from the chickens and ducks floated to the surface.

Ten minutes later, something finally climbed onto the side of the pool. It was a tall man with deathly pale skin. He was completely naked, with a slender build and no body hair whatsoever, not even on his head. His body was in a state of perfection, almost like a marble sculpture.

But as they looked at his body, the staff were suddenly startled.

This nearly perfect body had two unignorable flaws. One was on his chest: a hideous scar from which a faint trace of blood was seeping.

The other was his right eye, which was mangled as if something had pierced straight through it, leaving the eyeball shriveled.

The man ignored the stares of those around him and walked straight to a full-length mirror. Staff immediately came forward to dry his body and present him with a pure white suit to change into.

Someone had even anticipated his lack of hair, bringing over three custom-made wigs for him. He tried each one, settling on a golden one.

As for his blind eye, they were prepared for that as well. They helped him fasten a black eyepatch over it.

His leather shoes were laced, a red tie was knotted over his white suit, and finally, a snakeskin briefcase was placed in his hand. He then lifted his head slightly, observing his reflection in the mirror.

Seemingly satisfied, he gave a slight nod. He turned from the mirror to face the surrounding staff and spoke in a raspy voice, ”Thank you all. You’ve worked hard.”

”Is there anything I need to be told?”

”...”

The staff exchanged uncertain glances until the old man in charge nodded. An assistant then hurried forward, presented a file to him, and said in a low voice, ”At the Disaster Management Bureau, someone just obtained an Investigator License.”

”Song Chushi infiltrated Qinggang once and killed someone...”

”The Queen’s Organization’s beauty pageant is about to begin its formal competition. Not long ago, they held a reception with that as the theme at Dingxiang Mansion, which caused quite a stir. However, no one ended up reporting it to the Disaster Management Bureau.”

”Also, Zhang Chiguo came by recently. He said he suspects... suspects that a signal was released from here that affected the Anchor of the Dead Sea.”

”...”

The man read the contents of the file in silence, his eyes fixed on the photograph of the person in it. The corners of his mouth slowly stretched into a strange smile.

”So fast...”

”I was only resting for a month, and he’s already taken such great advantage of my absence?”

”Song Chushi... Heh, that old friend of mine is certainly decisive...”

”...”

As his strange smile lingered, everyone in the room felt a sense of unease, an formless fear creeping into their hearts. But unexpectedly, he simply pushed the file away, his expression suddenly turning exceptionally cold.

”I already know all of this.”

”Also, send someone to tell Zhang Chiguo that I was not the one who influenced the Nail of the Dead Sea. Although my consciousness did leap there for a moment, it was blocked, and my mind immediately returned to my body.”

”Tell him to look elsewhere to find out who is using the Disaster Management Bureau’s authority to harm people!”

”...”

As he spoke, he carried the snakeskin briefcase over to the floor-to-ceiling windows on the top floor and sat down. He gazed down at the endless expanse of Qinggang City, then closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, his calm expression held a boundless madness.

”Of course, I wasn’t the one harming people *that* time. But from now on... I can’t make any guarantees...”

”After all, who was it that finally left the protection of the real world and stepped into this circle?”

”Whatever I do now won’t be a violation of our contract, will it?”

His smile grew even more maniacal. He suddenly stood up, his expression sinister and terrifying. ”Now, get me the files on the Crystal Skull. We’ll deal with those lunatics first!”

...

...

「At that same moment, in an apartment in Qinggang East District.」

As the pointer on the Mechanical Fragment finally, painstakingly, ticked its way to ”zero,” Han Su suddenly heard a familiar mechanical ticking sound.

It wasn’t just the Mechanical Fragment in front of him that was ticking; he also heard a similar, phantom sound in his ears.

Only at this moment were all his speculations finally confirmed.

His eyes snapped open, revealing a look of unprecedented resolve. ’You old bastard, let’s see if you can stop me this time!’