The Eldritch Files

Upon seeing Han Su, the immense pressure emanating from Zhang Chiguo suddenly dissipated quite a bit.

His gaze swept over him, and seeing that Han Su wasn’t missing any arms or legs, the grim expression on his face softened somewhat.

But he still didn’t speak. Instead, he walked forward carrying a briefcase. Each step seemed to trigger some kind of invisible rumble, and where his foot landed, his Spiritual Power would solidify without dispersing, like a wooden stake driven into the ground.

With every step he took, the pollution from the distant Mother Divine Tree was pushed back, and the color of the enormous, crimson tree grew a fraction paler and dimmer.

In theory, Zhang Chiguo wasn’t targeting anyone. He was simply walking forward, dispelling the spiritual pollution that permeated the area.

Only those who had activated their Spiritual Activity in his presence would be injured.

Of course, whether Zhang Chiguo, in his anger, deliberately chose not to warn them was anyone’s guess.

When Zhang Chiguo reached the group and stopped, the suppression caused by the Mother Divine Tree had already vanished. He was blocking the massive wave of pollution, forming a spiritual vacuum around them. Only then did Zhang Chiguo turn around.

”Your performance tonight was a disgrace to the responsibility Qinggang City has entrusted to you.”

”Now, who can tell me where the Drunkard is?”

”...”

It was only then that Night Lamp and the others retracted their Spiritual Activity and escaped the formless pressure. They suddenly gasped for breath, fresh air flooding their lungs. But faced with Zhang Chiguo’s question, they found themselves at a loss for words.

Only Green Hat, wiping the blood from his nose, muttered under his breath, ”I’m innocent... I was sealing the black notebook the whole time...”

”Uncle Zhang, I know everything that happened!”

Just then, Han Su stepped forward and spoke in a low voice. Zhang Chiguo’s gaze immediately shifted to him.

Han Su said, ”I’ll write a detailed report afterward. You’ll know everything once you read it.”

”There’s something more urgent right now!”

”The person who attacked this temporary containment center—do you know his identity?”

”...”

Zhang Chiguo had countless questions he wanted to ask, but Han Su beat him to it. He was slightly taken aback, then nodded and said:

”He’s a special operative trained by an independent department of the Disaster Management Bureau. He was transferred over directly three years ago when the Bureau was established.”

”But his clearance, files, Mysterious Power training, and specific serum supplies don’t go through the Disaster Management Bureau. Everything related to him is handled directly by Secretary No. 5. We have no authority to question it, nor do we have the power to deal with his affairs...”

”No.”

Han Su shook his head. ”Uncle Zhang, do you know who he was before he joined the Disaster Management Bureau?”

Zhang Chiguo’s expression was clearly one of confusion.

Han Su sighed inwardly. ’The Disaster Management Bureau’s waters really do run deep...’

Zhang Chiguo saw the gravity in Han Su’s eyes, nodded slightly, and turned around. ”Now, who can tell me what exactly happened here?”

Faced with Zhang Chiguo’s second question, Night Lamp, Red Windbreaker, and Green Hat all subconsciously looked away.

They couldn’t meet his gaze, feeling utterly ashamed.

”Although I’m something of an outsider and don’t quite understand the situation here in Qinggang, there is one thing I can be sure of.”

At that moment, however, Rong Qiyue, who was standing nearby, suddenly spoke up with a smile. ”That man in the white suit used himself as a medium to allow the Mother Divine Tree to achieve Penetration into reality.”

”But as for why he did it, or what purpose there is in bringing the Mother Divine Tree into reality, that’s something no one knows.”

”...”

Zhang Chiguo just frowned, sizing him up with a glance. ”You’re from the Rong Family?”

”My name is Rong Qiyue.”

Rong Qiyue immediately stated his name and affiliation, and as if afraid Zhang Chiguo wouldn’t recognize him, he added with a smile, ”Rong Fotang is my third uncle. You know him...”

He paused, then corrected himself. ”You’ve beaten him up before.”

Zhang Chiguo nodded, not denying the fact that he had beaten up Rong Fotang. He simply said to Rong Qiyue, ”Thank you for your help.”

Rong Qiyue immediately felt he had made the right move. He had chosen not to be arrogant in front of Zhang Chiguo, initially because he had seen how familiar Han Su was with the man and wanted to be respectful.

But after this brief exchange, he suddenly realized that perhaps the stories about the grudge between his third uncle and those special investigators from Qinggang City were all true.

’But it doesn’t make sense,’ he thought. ’Qinggang has so many powerhouses, how did they end up in a state like this?’

The situation was critical, and Zhang Chiguo had no time for detailed questions. His gaze swept over the crowd as he said in a deep voice, ”The Qinggang Council Hall has been informed of the situation here. I am now taking command of all current developments.”

”The Qinggang Council Hall doesn’t have much information on this sudden incident, but my orders are to resolve it as quickly as possible!”

”Resolve it?”

Hearing Zhang Chiguo’s words, everyone looked slightly stunned, then turned to him with curiosity.

Meanwhile, the team Zhang Chiguo had brought with him had already cleared an empty space about thirty meters in diameter. The containment personnel were all in position, and staff in white lab coats looked toward him.

At this moment, regardless of faction, everyone present—including the Lady in the Red Windbreaker—felt a sense of anticipation that surprisingly outweighed their fear of the crisis.

Even Han Su was a little startled and suspicious. ’Is Uncle Zhang preparing to handle this himself?’

”Not me.”

Zhang Chiguo slowly shook his head. He looked up at the swarm of Mechanical Ghosts surrounding the edge of the containment center, let out a soft breath, and said:

”They had me bring a weapon.”

”These armed personnel...”

He paused, looking at the armored vehicles parked nearby and the armed forces whose cold expressions made them seem like machines. He looked at the staff staring intently at the briefcase and said in a low voice, ”All of them came with me to protect this weapon!”

As he spoke, he placed the briefcase he was holding on the ground. His gaze swept around, and the people nearby subconsciously took a step back.

Secretary Cui Qiao then stepped forward again and handed a key to Zhang Chiguo.

Zhang Chiguo’s expression also grew solemn. He even paused for a moment, as if facing a great enemy, before inserting the key into one of the briefcase’s locks. With a slight turn, a soft CLICK echoed from within, and the case opened a crack.

”Sigh...”

It was unclear what Zhang Chiguo was thinking, but he let out a low sigh and then released the briefcase’s handle.

As he stepped back, the case opened gently, clearly revealing an extremely intricate piece of machinery inside.

One could see circuit boards so complex they seemed to possess a certain mystical quality.

The moment Han Su saw the machine, he thought of the Mechanical Fragments in his own briefcase.

He felt they shared the same kind of aesthetic beauty.

”KLAK-A-TAK-A-TAK...”

The machine in the case emitted faint blue arcs of electricity, and then its components began to rapidly unfold, piece by piece.

It seemed to possess some sort of abnormal Activity, rapidly spreading, covering, twisting, and transforming.

The surrounding air seemed to tingle, and as the crowd watched the machine’s transformation, they felt as if their minds were being captivated.

Next, the machine, as if possessing a strange, demonic life of its own, rapidly expanded outward from the case. It occasionally absorbed strange mechanical fragments from the surroundings, and in the blink of an eye, it formed a cube approximately three meters tall.

Then, a soft red light gently illuminated.

A flat, electronic voice rang out: ”I am Miss Ai. How may I be of service?”

”Miss Ai?”

Han Su’s expression tightened slightly as his mind instantly made several connections.

’The thing Zhang Chiguo brought out of the city was actually Miss Ai?’

’Could this machine be Miss Ai herself... or rather, a part of her main body?’

’Did Qinggang unlock one of Miss Ai’s seals?’

This outcome was so shocking that he felt his mind reel.

He had already learned Bai Shi’s identity and seen how vigilant the monster was, giving him no opportunity to strike. He’d had a growing feeling that the situation was spiraling out of control. But after seeing the case Zhang Chiguo brought out, he suddenly felt a sense of relief.

Amidst the countless astonished gazes from the crowd, Zhang Chiguo heaved a heavy sigh and spoke in a low voice, ”Miss Ai, I need you to analyze the current anomalous event and provide a solution.”

[Scanning real-world data...]

The machine, or rather, Miss Ai, swiveled its red electronic eye toward the enormous, bizarre tree that nearly touched the night sky. The sound of whirring machinery could be heard, as if it were performing rapid calculations. A moment later, the emotionless electronic voice spoke:

[Current analysis result: A+ level anomaly. Threat level is increasing.]

[Pollution source identified as the Mother Divine Tree, one of the ten World-Destroying Level disasters of the Radiation Age, ranked seventh in the No. 01 Scroll. Current Penetration rate into reality is 70%.]

[Estimated time until 100% Penetration: 17 minutes and 43 seconds. Commencing countdown!]

[Abnormal Activity detected within the Mother Divine Tree’s pollution zone, forming a bridge effect with reality.]

[Recommended course of action: Special cleanup personnel should be dispatched into the pollution zone within 17 minutes to sever and investigate the reality bridge.]

[Analyzing and comparing special operative files...]

[Respected Investigator Butcher, under the special authority of Qinggang’s reality defense line, I am now formally issuing you an A+ level designated special mission. The security of Qinggang is at stake. Please consider carefully!]

”Butcher... Xiaohan?”

Hearing Miss Ai’s response, Zhang Chiguo’s expression changed abruptly, and his brows furrowed tightly.

He had just personally intervened to block the pollution spreading from that enormous, bizarre tree, so he naturally knew how intense it was. They were still far from it; if one were to get close, even he couldn’t accurately estimate how high the risk would be.

It wasn’t just him. The Lady in the Red Windbreaker, Night Lamp, Green Hat, and the others standing nearby also looked astonished and bewildered, as if they had just heard something utterly incomprehensible.

’Why am I not surprised at all?’