The Eldritch Files

”That kid... he’s just like Zhang Chiguo.”

Once Han Su had left, the atmosphere in the club was all but ruined. Only then did the Lady in the Red Windbreaker finally speak, her voice low:

”Stubborn and bullheaded.”

Wine Barrel Nose slowly pinched the bridge of his nose. He raised his flask, took a long swallow, and exhaled a breath reeking of alcohol. ”Maybe he’s just a kid who hasn’t learned his lesson the hard way.”

”But you have to admit, in any circle, the most dangerous people are kids like him who have no idea how the world works. Even gangsters are afraid of reckless hotheads. They act without thinking of the consequences, think they know everything, and have no concept of the bigger picture.”

The Lady in the Red Windbreaker recalled how the young man had dared to contradict her to her face before he’d even officially received his Investigator License. At the time, she’d only felt anger and had subconsciously held back from doing anything. The memory left an increasingly sour taste in her mouth.

”What about Night Lamp and Mr. Green Hat? This plan needs both of their support.”

”...”

The Drunkard Investigator said, ”Night Lamp is engrossed in deciphering the Life Code, and Green Hat only has eyes for women.”

”They neither support nor oppose the plan. But they’re more than happy to have less work to do, treating it as a vacation.”

”My only hope now is that Zhang Chiguo wises up. The Tide is approaching. Destabilizing the Disaster Management Bureau right now is absolutely not a smart move. Having that kid use Miss Ai to get a recording... he went too far this time.”

”...”

The Lady in the Red Windbreaker nodded in agreement. Suddenly, she recalled something, and her expression grew serious. She said,

”But no matter what, we can’t let this escalate to a direct confrontation with that stubborn old mule.”

”He saved my life, back when we were on the special operations team.”

”...”

The Drunkard Investigator chuckled. ”You’re quite sentimental.”

”No.”

The Lady in the Red Windbreaker shook her head. ”It’s because he saved my life that I know just how terrifying he can be when he decides to act!”

”Back then, they didn’t have this many Encrypted Spells, and the Hidden School hadn’t yet thrown its support behind Secretary No. 5...”

”...”

”Terrifying...”

Hearing that word, the Drunkard Investigator seemed to zone out for a moment. He appeared to be vaguely recalling that first batch of Investigators in their prime, and where all of them had ended up. After a long pause, he gave a slight shake of his head. ”Of course we won’t.”

”We have our backers, and Zhang Chiguo has his. The powers that be have conflicting ideas; they want to see which of us comes out on top.”

”But neither side wants things to get too ugly.”

”I’m tolerating that kid for two reasons. First, he’s one of Zhang Chiguo’s people, and I don’t want us to be the first to get our hands bloody.”

”Second, I asked our backers about it. They just want me to convince the kid to stop making trouble as soon as possible. Since they didn’t say I could eliminate him directly, it’s obviously better to teach him some sense.”

At this, he seemed to remember something and turned to the Lady in the Red Windbreaker. ”It was my idea to have Sparrow do it. Don’t blame her. She was actually very careful about the whole thing.”

Hearing him mention Sparrow, the Lady in the Red Windbreaker smiled faintly and looked at the Drunkard. ”And what reason did you give to convince my assistant to help you?”

The Drunkard chuckled. ”We’re all in the same boat. Must we draw such clear lines between us?”

The Lady in the Red Windbreaker met his gaze directly. ”I’m just reminding you, that freak in D7 is someone we have no files on. If he goes rabid and comes after us, I have no intention of taking the fall for you.”

The Drunkard simply smiled and nodded, offering no further explanation.

With the conversation concluded, the two prepared to leave. Around them in the club, some of the other Investigators and guests were also leaving, while others remained to relax. They all acted as if they barely knew one another.

And yet, the subtle sense that they would all rise and fall together was unmistakable.

As the Lady in the Red Windbreaker led Crow and Sparrow to the elevator, she glanced at her niece.

She kept her head down, her face devoid of expression.

Ever since she’d returned from her time with that reckless fellow, she had been this way—silent all day, only occasionally glancing at people from the corners of her eyes.

’What a disappointment.’

’This niece’s innate power is both a curse and a Talent. If I cultivate it properly, her achievements will far surpass my own.’

’But her personality is just so unpleasant.’

’I arranged for her to temper herself in the wilderness these past few years. In theory, it should have helped her find balance, but now her personality seems to have developed significant flaws.’

’It looks like there’s still a long way to go if I want to groom her to replace Sparrow.’

’If only she were more like Sparrow—smart, clever, and always knowing what to do and when to do it.’

As she thought this, she turned and took Sparrow’s hand. She could feel Sparrow flinch, but she smiled slightly and said, ”You don’t have to be afraid. I’m the one who told you to cooperate with Mr. Drunkard, so I don’t blame you for what you did.”

”I just want to know what he promised you. You went and made arrangements without telling me first?”

”...”

Sparrow lowered her head. After a long moment, she said quietly, ”Mr. Drunkard said... he’s about to be promoted to Independent Investigator.”

”And he doesn’t have an assistant...”

”So, he promised you could inherit his Investigator License?”

The Lady in the Red Windbreaker looked thoughtful. She nodded slightly. ”I will do everything in my power to help you get the Investigator License he promised you, but you need to keep your wits about you.”

”We’re doing all this simply to ensure the higher-ups can’t control us at a critical moment. But the Drunkard is different. Deep down, he’s always been afraid. Don’t let yourself be pushed out to take the fall if something goes wrong.”

”I understand, Teacher.”

Sparrow, with her flax-colored hair, her tall, well-proportioned figure, and her long, powerful legs, was overjoyed. She nodded eagerly. ”If you’re willing to help me, Teacher, that would be wonderful. I’ll remember who my true teacher is.”

The atmosphere seemed pleasant, but no one expected Crow, who stood beside them listening to music on her headphones with an air of indifference, to suddenly look up and shoot Sparrow a cold, vicious glare.

Sparrow saw the look but pretended not to notice.

But Miss Crow wouldn’t let it go. Her vicious glare now held a trace of mockery. ”Such a good performance. You insist on taking the burden, but can you actually carry it?”

Sparrow’s annoyance showed as she pressed her lips into a thin line.

By the time they finished speaking, they had reached the elevators. The Lady in the Red Windbreaker suddenly exclaimed in surprise, ”I forgot my handbag.”

Sparrow immediately smiled. ”You two go on ahead to the car. I’ll go back up and get it!”

The Lady in the Red Windbreaker led Crow to the lobby. Once it was just the two of them, her expression darkened. ”What did you mean by that?” she asked coldly.

”After all those years of training in the wild, if you still can’t control your emotions, then you’re nothing but useless. You’ll never escape this mire.”

”...”

Miss Crow remained silent. Just as the Lady in the Red Windbreaker assumed she wouldn’t answer—just like every other time—Miss Crow suddenly spoke.

”That man said you fell in love once. Almost got married. Was it Zhang Chiguo, or the Drunkard?”

It took the Lady in the Red Windbreaker a moment to realize that ”that man” was her own brother—Crow’s father. She disliked the way her niece referred to him.

She gave her a cold glance. ”Don’t ask questions that are none of your business.”

Miss Crow said flatly, ”Zhang Chiguo would never fall for you.”

”You...”

The Lady in the Red Windbreaker’s anger flared instantly, and her hand shot up as if to strike. But Miss Crow simply lowered her eyes, completely ignoring the threat.

Just then, the elevator chimed behind them. Sparrow emerged, holding the Lady in the Red Windbreaker’s handbag. She clearly saw the tense scene between the Lady in the Red Windbreaker and Miss Crow and thought to hurry over and smooth things over.

Then, just as she passed the Snake-headed Copper Armor Statue, which stood unguarded in the center of the lobby, she failed to notice the Rubies in the snake’s head flash with a sinister light.

The next moment, the Snake-headed Copper Armor Statue slowly raised an arm and thrust it forward.

There was no great commotion, not even much of a sound. The bronze arm simply shot out and clamped around her neck.

Inch by inch, it lifted her into the air. Sparrow struggled desperately, her arms flailing and her legs kicking wildly.

But the bronze hand was impossibly strong; she couldn’t break free. She tried to open her mouth to recite an Encrypted Spell, but all she felt was the cold metal fingers tightening around her throat. She couldn’t even force out a single syllable.

”...Oh no!”

The Lady in the Red Windbreaker whipped her head around to see Sparrow suspended in mid-air, and her scalp went numb with horror.

Her form was a blur of Flashing motion, the air filling with a dense flurry of afterimages. In an instant, she was before the Copper Armor Statue. Murmuring an obscure syllable, she brought her hand down in a chop, the edge of her palm like a blade sharp enough to cleave pig iron.

But as her hand swiftly descended, striking the Copper Armor Statue’s outstretched arm, there was only a resonant CLANG.

A sharp pain shot through the bones of her hand, as if they had shattered.

The Spiritual Power concentrated on the edge of her palm was instantly drained away by the Copper Armor.

And yet, the arm of the Copper Armor Statue was left without a single scratch, its grip on Sparrow as tight as ever.

SWOOSH!

At that same moment, as if sensing the Lady in the Red Windbreaker’s intent to stop it, the Copper Armor Statue shot out its free hand while still gripping Sparrow’s neck.

The Lady in the Red Windbreaker felt a shadow fall over her and smelled an indescribable stench of copper rust. In desperation, she threw both hands up, and a hazy gray aura materialized around her, blocking the statue’s descending arm.

But with a simple clench of its fist, the Copper Armor Statue shattered the gray aura, its fingers continuing their descent.

All the while, the fingers gripping Sparrow’s neck continued to tighten—slowly, but without the slightest pause.

”What’s going on?”

At that very moment, more Investigators came down the stairs. Their faces paled the instant they saw the scene.

A flurry of them began chanting various Encrypted Spells. Some rushed to save Sparrow from the Copper Armor Statue, while others hurried to aid the Lady in the Red Windbreaker.

CRACK!

Just as the Copper Armor Statue’s palm was about to land on the Lady in the Red Windbreaker’s head, a shadow flickered over her, and even she felt a surge of indescribable despair.

But just then, a sudden reek of alcohol filled the air. In the nick of time, the Drunkard yanked her out of the way. The Copper Armor Statue’s hand, however, slammed down on the Drunkard’s arm, crushing it with a sickening CRUNCH.

With a muffled groan, the Drunkard was hoisted into the air by the Copper Armor Statue, which then began to swing him down, about to smash him against the floor.