The Eldritch Files

’So, the Pale Giant project really did start a long time ago?’

Han Su rode Miss Crow’s motorcycle, speeding down the highway for several kilometers. Seeing that no one was following for the time being, he finally slowed to a stop. It was one thing to be in a rush to chase someone down for the files, but now, he needed to start conserving his Spiritual Power.

His Spiritual Activity was now greatly enhanced, allowing him to act faster and utilize Mysterious Power with more flexibility.

But his total reserves of Spiritual Power were much lower now, so he couldn’t spend it as carelessly as before.

Switching his electric baton to flashlight mode, he clamped it between his teeth and opened the case. He carefully inspected the documents and papers inside. Time was short, so he couldn’t read them in detail, but just by feeling the paper and glancing at the general content, he was reassured.

The pages were extremely old, likely decades old. The dates on the reports confirmed this.

This file was from thirty years ago, long before the kidnapping case.

Unlike when he’d only seen photographs, now that he held the file in his own hands, Han Su could feel its heavy weight.

This was no longer just about whether he could officially file a case with the Disaster Management Bureau; it held extraordinary significance for him personally.

The pale monster, the Flashing in the Ancient Castle, the kidnapped children, his own shattered life...

All of it, every last bit, was real. And perhaps this report would be the key to uncovering it all.

His phone had no signal at all, but Han Su still took photos of each page, one by one, and uploaded them to Miss Ai’s program.

He knew that to get the Disaster Management Bureau to act, he had to bring the physical documents back to verify things and leave ”the higher-ups” with nothing to say. But for his own purposes, just having the information from the documents was enough to start investigating certain matters.

[Receiving data. Please be careful, Mr. Butcher!]

[Enemies from the shadows are approaching...]

[...]

There was clearly no signal, yet Miss Ai’s reply had somehow appeared, and the files were slowly being sent.

However, it was clear that even Miss Ai was struggling immensely.

Han Su simply replied: [Don’t worry!]

Then, he put all the paper documents into his briefcase, locked it, swung it onto his back, and looked up.

”Time to get down to business.”

Muttering to himself, he leaned forward, twisted the throttle, and sped off into the depths of the night.

The twin beams of his headlights shot out far into the distance, like two sharp swords trying to pierce the profound darkness.

His heart, far from growing idle during this brief respite, began to pound as blood rushed to his head.

’The real party is about to start, isn’t it?’

’...’

’...’

”How could we just let him get away?”

Back at the scene of the recent crash behind Han Su, Investigator Feidi was pulling everyone who could still move to their feet.

Looking at the vehicle, which was damaged beyond recognition, his face flushed with anger. He grit his teeth and made a decision.

He slowly pressed his palm onto the car, which was little more than a heap of scrap metal.

As he chanted in a low voice, an unseen force was stirred, and countless fine blue arcs of electricity suddenly appeared around them.

The scattered parts on the ground seemed to be pulled by an invisible force, rolling quickly, joining together, and clicking into place piece by piece.

In the blink of an eye, the wrecked car’s engine suddenly roared to life.

Even its broken headlights flared back on.

But at this stage, the car was only barely running, as if on its last legs.

Investigator Feidi’s chanting grew louder, as if it had disturbed something deep within the fabric of space.

A bizarre power was gathering from the omnipresent shadows between heaven and earth, converging on the wrecked vehicle before him.

The clusters of blue electrical arcs grew brighter and brighter, finally shrouding the three corpses lying on the ground.

The bodies began to twitch and tremble. They were enveloped by metal shards and blue arcs extending from the car, which slowly consumed them. The machinery seemed to come alive, grinding up and devouring the flesh and blood of the corpses, fusing it all together.

The next moment, the smell of gasoline from the roaring engine was tainted with a brutal, bloody stench.

The broken connections in the machinery were now covered by a grotesque, fleshy tissue.

The others who saw this couldn’t bear to look at their colleagues’ bodies any longer, a strange terror blooming in their hearts...

Only Investigator Feidi’s expression remained taut, a fierce light flashing in his eyes.

”Don’t blame me!”

He whispered to the corpse of his assistant, which was being devoured by the machine, ”Once that file is exposed, it won’t just affect Mr. Drunkard. It will affect me, and countless others who have received his favor...”

”It might even implicate several important figures from the Hidden School...”

”I absolutely cannot let that file be lost on my watch...”

”...”

Steeling himself, he waited for the machine to let out a ferocious, unnatural roar, then was the first to jump in. He ordered the others who could still move to get in as well. As for Miss Crow, who just stood there coldly, he didn’t force her, simply leaving her behind.

The next moment, the headlights cast a demonic red glow as the vehicle suddenly lurched into motion and sped forward.

...

”Hurry, we’ve received word! The file has been stolen!”

In another direction, Investigator Bai Yang sat in an armored vehicle, his gaze intense. With his two assistants and three Senior Executors, he sped through the wilderness.

Since there was no turning back now, a new resolve appeared in his eyes:

”Mr. Drunkard is even bolder than I imagined. He actually dared to completely break ties with Zhang Chiguo!”

”If I had known, I wouldn’t have been so cautious. With more than ten Investigators surrounding him, how could that kid possibly survive?”

”Even if Zhang Chiguo came looking for trouble afterward, would he really have the guts to eliminate all of the dozen or so Investigators who made a move?”

”...”

He knew with exceptional clarity that a vast net had now been cast over this wilderness.

It was just bad luck for that star Investigator or Zhang Chiguo, which in turn gave Mr. Drunkard this opportunity.

Normally, countless eyes were watching their every move. Even mobilizing their own people wasn’t this convenient.

But with an incident like the Mother Divine Tree, which had the potential to reach S-Class threat level, they had the perfect excuse to deploy their forces.

Of course, the official reason for the Investigators leaving the city was to resolve the Red Disease incident.

But of the twenty-some Investigators who had left the city, only six or seven actually went straight to the containment center to deal with the Red-Eye Disease incident. The vast majority received new orders midway and turned around to head for this very wilderness.

And they all had a single objective: ”Reclaim the file, kill the traitor!”

...

...

Han Su raced toward Qinggang, accelerating again and again.

On this long highway, the road back to Qinggang seemed incredibly distant, with no end in sight.

Only the roar of the motorcycle echoed far, far into the dead-silent night.

But on this highway stretching through the wilderness, he soon found himself with one ”companion” after another.

While speeding along, Han Su suddenly looked up. He saw a light appear in front of him, slowly approaching from the horizon.

Immediately after, another appeared from a different direction. In front, behind, to the left, to the right—more and more lights appeared, growing brighter and brighter. Like sharp swords, they pierced the deep night, converging on this stretch of highway from all directions.

’They’re here!’

”One, two, three...”

Seeing the lights appear from all over, Investigator Feidi, still about five kilometers behind Han Su, couldn’t help but feel a surge of delight.

He had been a little intimidated by the power Han Su displayed, not quite daring to be so headstrong in his pursuit. But now, the headlights converging from all directions were like signals, bolstering his courage.

”Mr. Drunkard, just how many people did he send?”

”This lineup is probably even bigger than the time we cornered Song Chushi in the city...”

”Quick, signal them!”

”...”

He grew anxious.

At a time like this, it was more important than ever for him to claim credit.

Otherwise, when all was said and done, the file would have been lost on his watch. How could he possibly explain that to Mr. Drunkard?

...

...

”Man, Uncle Zhang, you’re the most pathetic boss I’ve ever seen...”

At the same time, Han Su’s expression was a sight to behold as he watched the headlights closing in from all directions.

No wonder Secretary Cui Qiao was so worried about Zhang Chiguo’s situation.

’Damn it all, a single word from Mr. Drunkard carries more weight than anything you say...’

’If every one of these lights closing in on me belongs to an Investigator, doesn’t that mean a full third of the entire Disaster Management Bureau has been deployed?’

’Instead of resolving a Penetration crisis that could escalate to S-Class, they’re all coming to snatch this file from me?’

But facing this pressure from all sides, he felt no fear. Instead, an inexplicable excitement began to build within him. As both sides rapidly closed the distance, he quickly prepared himself mentally for whatever was to come:

’If you choose to aid a monster, you’d better be prepared to be hunted.’

’Anyone who stands in my way cannot be considered innocent!’

There was nothing more to think about.

This was a war, and anyone who entered the battlefield had to be prepared to die.

’Uncle Zhang, back then, no one else helped me. Only you.’

’Now that you’re having trouble getting your work done, let me give you a hand...’

’Since the atmosphere in the Disaster Management Bureau is so corrupt, I’ll help you by killing a batch of them. That should free up some positions for people who will actually listen to you...’

’...’

’...’

With this thought, he yanked the throttle, charging straight toward the dense cluster of headlights converging ahead of him.