The Eldritch Files

No one knew which hothead fired that shot. After all, the three lead Investigators hadn’t even had a chance to say hello.

But once the gunshot rang out, it was like lighting a fuse.

The Mysterious Believers behind the silver-masked City Slaughter Priest instantly shot forward like black phantoms, charging into the dense ocean of lights that was Qinggang.

At that same moment, the three lead Investigators—Night Lamp, Red Windbreaker, and Green Hat—activated their Spiritual Power. They ignored the Mysterious Believers brushing past them and instead shot forward, lunging for the City Slaughter Priest.

Soldiers against soldiers, generals against generals—this was a very logical battle plan.

Besides, Miss Ai’s previous orders had mentioned that their performance on this mission would be a factor in determining which Independent Investigators were eligible for promotion.

WHOOSH!

Behind them, the Investigator assistants, regular Investigators, and Senior Executors, who had been waiting with their briefcases, also sprang into action. Their bodies flickered as they appeared at major intersections, blocking the invading Mysterious Believers.

Raising their hands, they chanted in unison, ”What is thought becomes the boundary!”

The night itself seemed to stretch thin and solidify, forming a series of overlapping, parallel barriers at the edge of Qinggang City.

It was as if a high wall had materialized in an instant.

Since they were only positioned in parallel, they couldn’t form a perfect seal, but the invisible barriers could still be of great use.

If these Mysterious Believers wanted to get past, they would have to break formation and take a detour.

BANG!

However, many of the Investigators hadn’t expected this. The Mysterious Believers following the City Slaughter Priest were one thing when idle, but terrifyingly strong once they attacked. The first one to crash into the invisible barrier let out a low roar.

Inside his body, bones cracked and popped. His frame twisted and grew taller, sprouting stiff bristles like steel needles all over.

He smashed a solid fist right into the invisible barrier.

A Beastman!

During the Radiation Age, in a certain region, the reproductive barriers between species were broken for reasons that remain a mystery to this day.

Then, due to a sordid breakdown of morality and ethics, the forbidden mingling of bloodlines occurred. As a result, gene fragments from wild beasts began to mix with those of humans.

This gave birth to a type of bizarre, half-human, half-beast creature.

They were inherently cruel, bloodthirsty, and ferocious. Although they never reached the point of establishing a civilization, some small clans did appear.

In the beginning, these wildlings with their obvious bestial features were hunted by the Western Cross Sect in the name of blasphemy. The hunt lasted for two hundred years, a purge that nearly drove them to extinction.

However, this constant pursuit by the Cross Sect created a unique evolutionary pressure.

These bestial hybrids underwent a second evolution, completely shedding their outward bestial traits. They then thoroughly integrated into the normal human population, where they lived and multiplied.

Generation after generation, many descendants of these hybrids were completely unaware they carried these genetic fragments.

However, the Divine Material passed down through their bloodlines remembered. Whether triggered by some stimulus, abnormal radiation, or pollution—or perhaps just a full moon—they could still transform into beasts.

These people were considered to have an inferior bloodline. No one had expected to see them so readily among the followers of Abyssal Studio.

SCHRIIIP...

The fist, several times larger than a normal man’s, was stopped by the barrier cast by the three Investigators. However, the faces of those three Investigators were clearly contorted with strain.

Right behind him, another Beastman rushed up and completely shattered the barrier. Two black figures charged into the crowd, tearing and biting.

They weren’t trying to kill, just tearing and biting, seeking only to injure as many people as possible.

Besides their immense strength and keen bestial instincts, these Beastmen also carried a natural genetic virus. It spread rapidly, causing those they wounded to go berserk just like them. This was an overt form of contamination, and its transmission rate was terrifying.

”These damned things, they want to turn us into Werewolves too!”

From the crowd, a knowledgeable Investigator immediately shouted, ”Spiritual Activity can suppress the virus! Everyone else, go all out! Kill these two bastards...”

”...Once they’re dead, the virus will lose its ability to infect!”

...

Amid the shouts, some had already opened fire, while others charged in with blades or unleashed various kinds of Mysterious Power.

But in the chaos of the initial clash, several Mysterious Believers had already rushed up the stairs toward the rooftops. They fought against the Investigators who held the high ground, and while seizing these elevated positions, they took out a special type of firearm.

They loaded glass, tube-shaped cartridges into these special firearms, aimed at the crowd below, and pulled the triggers.

These projectiles shattered upon landing, releasing a blackish-purple smoke. For anyone who inhaled it, their skin rapidly swelled, and the blood vessels beneath the thin layer of flesh began to bulge.

Upon seeing this, a chill ran down someone’s spine. ”Zombie virus?”

It was another contaminating weapon designed for wide-area-of-effect dispersal.

This virus was even more dangerous, a weapon that was banned even in limited warfare.

Once released into a crowd, it could create an explosive outbreak of contamination.

Furthermore, from this widespread infection, mutants and biological weapons with unpredictable abilities would rapidly emerge.