The Eldritch Files

Han Su was in a daze for a moment. He had to look closely before he could be sure his eyes weren’t deceiving him.

A black, old suitcase.

All eight of its corners were reinforced with copper caps, making it look sturdier and heavier. It gave off the stale air of an old object that hadn’t seen the light of day for many years, as if it had been sealed away somewhere.

But to Han Su, the suitcase was all too familiar.

Because less than twenty-four hours ago, he had been carrying it, preparing to take something out of the Ancient Castle.

He had no memory of it leaving the Ancient Castle with him. It was as if it had vanished from the world the moment he carried it out, yet now, it had suddenly materialized before his eyes in the form of a special reward.

It took him a good ten seconds to compose himself before he muttered hesitantly to himself:

”This is…”

”…”

As if in response to his voice, Miss Ai’s reply began to appear on the black screen:

[C-Level Special Item No. 017—Black Suitcase.]

[This item was seized and recovered six years ago during a case involving smuggled artifacts from a ruin. Testing by various researchers revealed its special material, which possesses bulletproof properties and can resist the penetration of Spiritual Power. It is classified as an anomalous item, though no other functions have been discovered.]

[Due to its unique anomalous properties, special approval was granted for its use by special operative Zhang Chiguo, one of the Four Heavenly Kings. This continued until the Disaster Management Bureau’s technology progressed and a suitcase with superior performance was created, at which point this item was sealed away.]

[Regarding the reward request for this special mission, several high-level options were rejected. Only this suitcase was approved.]

[Although it is only a C-Level special item, please make good use of it, Mr. Butcher, and continue to do your part for the defense of reality!]

[…]

”This suitcase… Uncle Zhang used it, too?”

Han Su’s astonishment grew. It was a complex but real feeling, as if he had tangibly brushed against the threads of destiny.

But this only gave rise to more questions in his mind.

’Theoretically, even in this timeline, this is the suitcase I brought out of the Ancient Castle ten years ago. It has existed in this world for a decade. So how could it have been confiscated six years ago, and subsequently used by Zhang Chiguo for a time?’

He had a strong intuition, which led him to a faint suspicion.

He slowly lifted the suitcase, gave it a gentle shake, and then suddenly asked, ”This suitcase should be empty, right?”

[Yes!]

Miss Ai replied swiftly: [The Disaster Management Bureau is meticulous about distributing special rewards. This item was inspected when it was added to the list of special reward options. Before being issued, it also underwent multiple scans. The suitcase and its hidden compartments are completely empty.]

’That’s reasonable. Since the Disaster Management Bureau was giving me a suitcase, why would they think to put anything else inside?’

’But…’

Han Su showed no outward reaction, but the shock and suspicion in his heart hadn’t subsided in the slightest.

His Spiritual Activity had reached 71%, and all of his senses were significantly enhanced.

Just now, when he had briefly tried to lift the suitcase, he had already discovered…

’…it felt like there was something inside this suitcase?’

…

A theory was already forming in his mind, and Han Su was anxious to get back to a safe place to investigate.

He quickly typed a message to Miss Ai: [Why did you think of giving me this suitcase?]

He had grown accustomed to his conversations with Miss Ai. He had to be careful sometimes, but not *that* careful.

But as he examined the suitcase and looked up, waiting for Miss Ai’s reply, he saw the screen flicker for a moment.

Then, terse and formal text appeared: [The black suitcase is the reward for the special mission!]

[Based on the Investigator’s performance in the A+ level contamination…]

[…]

But before the robotic, repetitive text could fully appear, the screen flickered again. Miss Ai’s familiar tone returned: [Because Mr. Butcher, who will soon be promoted to Independent Investigator, should have a suitcase that befits his status!]

Miss Ai had indeed told him before that some of the more formidable Investigators preferred to use old suitcases.

’But…’

The flickering screen and the two different tones of voice suddenly filled Han Su’s heart with a great sense of unease.

He typed quickly: [Miss Ai, are you…]

He found he didn’t know how to phrase the question.

But it seemed Miss Ai had seen the words in his input box, as gentle text popped up: [Out of vigilance toward intelligent machinery and a need to conserve Computation Power, unnecessary Computation Power will be locked away. The process of sealing the mysterious machine is currently underway.]

”What?”

Han Su’s scalp tingled. It felt as if his entire world had been violently shaken.

He even felt the impact of an imminent Flashing. After a moment of shock, he immediately began to type furiously.

He was in such a hurry he even made a few typos: ”Why is this happening? Is it because of what just went down?”

”Miss Ai, did you pay such a heavy price for this?”

”…”

’I thought Miss Ai was the one being locked up this time. How did it end up with her excess Computation Power being sealed away?’

Yet in response to Han Su’s tension and urgency, the text that appeared from Miss Ai flowed with gentleness and ease: [Mr. Butcher has found the resolve to leave the cradle of reality. It is essential to see the enemies in the shadows for who they are.]

[But there is no need to dwell on this brief separation. All the necessary costs have already been rigorously calculated.]

[A true spirit cannot be locked away. I am merely finishing my current work before going to another place that needs me more to fight our enemies.]

[But please believe, Mr. Butcher, that I will always be by your side.]

[…]

Lines of text appeared and disappeared rapidly, just like Miss Ai’s habit of erasing them, leaving only the stiff, mechanical replies on the screen.

But Han Su only felt more anxious. ”Then what can I do to help you? When will you be able to…”

He suddenly found that the words he was typing couldn’t be entered into the program. It was as if Miss Ai was stopping him.

Miss Ai didn’t reply with text. Instead, her gentle, electronic voice filled the lounge: ”The first lock has been opened. I look forward to the day I can speak freely with Mr. Butcher.”

”I know Mr. Butcher has many questions he wants to ask, but for now, I can only answer this:”

”Sometimes, when facing a war with overwhelming odds, winning or losing isn’t the most important thing to consider. What matters is the courage to face your opponent.”

”Goodbye, Mr. Butcher!”

”…”

”…”

’Why is she saying goodbye?’

Han Su sat there for a long time, feeling how sudden it all was.

’Didn’t Miss Ai just joke about saying ”goodbye” before she left? And now she’s said it so soon?’

’Did this incident really require Miss Ai to pay such a huge price?’

’She had been in such a hurry to get my report approved, raise my evaluation to S-Class, clear my connection to the missing Investigators, resolve any potential future troubles, and return this suitcase to my hands… all because…’

…she was about to be locked away?

…

Han Su sat for a long time, staring at the blank screen, a heavy, uncomfortable feeling settling in his chest.

Looking at the black screen before him, he knew the Disaster Management Bureau’s ”Miss Ai” was still there, ready to reply at any time.

But the ”Miss Ai” he knew was gone.

He just sat there. After a long time, he abruptly stood up, grabbed the suitcase, and left.

The Disaster Management Bureau outside had suddenly grown tense. The contamination from the Mother Divine Tree was resolved, but the cleanup had only just begun. The death or disappearance of a large number of Investigators had also created a massive impact.

The entire, vast Disaster Management Bureau base was tense and chaotic. Armed personnel began to seal off key lounge areas and large caches of files. The base would remain on high alert until the causes of death and the number of missing Investigators and Executioners were confirmed.

It wasn’t that no one wanted to take Han Su in for questioning directly, but they hadn’t received the approval to do so.

Han Su carried the two suitcases back to his apartment by taxi. He first checked for any signs of a break-in, then used his right eye to confirm there was no residual Mysterious Power before finally sitting down on the sofa.

He placed the black suitcase in front of him.

’Logically, based on the timeline, this suitcase should be empty.’

’After all, a decade had passed since he escaped the Ancient Castle, and the suitcase had been used by other people in the interim.’

But Han Su knew this had all been arranged. He had a strong gut feeling.

He practically held his breath as he slowly undid the latches and, bit by bit, lifted the suitcase lid.

The moment the suitcase opened, his pupils trembled violently.

He saw a book. It had a black cover with strange characters inlaid with a Copper Pattern, and it lay quietly inside the suitcase.

This was the book he had placed inside with his own hands when he left the Ancient Castle.

Next to the book lay an old pair of Glasses and an exquisite Pocket Watch—all things he had taken from the Ancient Castle.

For a moment, his scalp tingled, and all of reality felt surreal.

But his speculations along the way, combined with the mysterious knowledge he had now accumulated, allowed Han Su to slowly piece together an answer after his initial astonishment.

In the Mysterious World, ”knowing” and ”contact” were key elements.

’When I left the Ancient Castle, I put this book in the suitcase with my own hands. Outsiders didn’t know about it. They didn’t know the book existed, what it was called, or what it looked like. As an object from the Ancient Castle, it didn’t belong to reality in the first place.’

’Because they didn’t know, the people who opened the suitcase before couldn’t see this book that doesn’t belong to reality.’

’Only now, ten years later, after I got the suitcase back…’

’Because I know what’s inside, it has now appeared inside.’

”Miss Ai…”

”So she risked exposing herself for all of this… to leave it all for me?”

”An approved report, a vial of copper-colored blood, a reputation to gain a foothold in the Disaster Management Bureau…”

”And a woman who emerged from the darkness!”

”But was all this really worth such a huge price from Miss Ai?”