The Eldritch Files

Chapter 290: Chapter 252: The Divine Move (4)

“It wasn’t just a failure. I exposed the Seven Days of Divine Descent Plan, along with the list of Heirs and the coordinates of the altars.”

“The Seven Days of Divine Descent is the World Guardians’ most ambitious plan, but it must be carried out in secret. Too many people knowing about it will only introduce uncontrollable, chaotic variables that would cause the plan to fail.”

“Therefore, Qinggang had to be destroyed the moment the nature of the kidnapping was determined. But this time, far too many people and secret entities across the world have learned the specifics of the Seven Days of Divine Descent…”

“This represents the utter collapse of the Divine Descent Plan from ten years ago…”

“I know them. Now that it has come to this, there’s no longer any need for the Abyssal Studio to exist.”

As she said this, her voice filled with boundless despair. “They won’t hesitate for a second. They’ll just tear it all down and start over!”

“My child, the apocalypse is coming…”

…

“What?”

Han Su’s heart sank. He reached out, pressing his hand into the shadow at his feet.

The shadow stirred to life, rapidly spreading in all directions and feeding him an endless stream of information.

Han Su saw a dense web of Mysterious Power weaving itself in the sky above Qinggang, trapping the city in a giant cage. He saw the four great City Slaughter Priests, leading an endless horde of Mysterious Believers, arriving before the Abyssal Studio.

He saw mindless zombies overrunning the streets and buildings of Qinggang, pouncing on panicked crowds.

He saw a bristle-furred monster scaling a building, howling at the night sky.

He saw the corpses of investigators in the alleyways, their organs being devoured by grotesque creatures.

He saw Zhang Chiguo, Black Tiger, Red Windbreaker, Green Hat, and even the elegant members of the Queen’s Organization dying one after another.

He had been in a suppressed state until just now. Only at this moment did he witness the scenes of their deaths and see the collapse of Qinggang. Countless images flooded his mind, momentarily robbing him of the ability to think.

‘I never really liked Qinggang or the Disaster Management Bureau. To be honest, I never liked much of anything.’

‘But Qinggang tonight… the way everyone stood together against the Abyssal Studio… that finally made me feel something like admiration. It was an ideal, a beautiful moment.’

And now, all of it was collapsing.

The city of Qinggang was being destroyed at its most perfect moment.

*CLICK…*

He snapped the gun up, chambered a round, and pressed the muzzle firmly to Shen Yunyi’s forehead. His finger was already on the trigger.

His eyes burned with rage.

“Don’t kill me!”

Shen Yunyi spoke softly. Begging for her life at a time like this was an absolute joke.

Han Su remained completely unmoved, but he hadn’t expected her next words, spoken just as softly. “I’m going to die here, but you don’t have to be the one to kill me.”

“You don’t need to carry the burden of being known as the one who killed me.”

She spoke with sincerity, her gaze deep as she looked at Han Su. The tears had stopped, but her eyes held more pain than ever. “This might be the only thing I can still do for you.”

“And now, I’m just so sorry that killing me can’t undo any of this.”

“Just like I can never change the compromise I made ten years ago.”

…

Han Su couldn’t describe the feeling in his heart, but the urgency in his mind grew stronger. Even deep within the labyrinthine Abyssal Studio, he could feel the immense pressure and killing intent surging toward him as the four City Slaughter Priests drew closer.

The Abyssal Studio had paradoxically become his shield—or rather, a shield for this conversation.

But it couldn’t last for long. Han Su had a million reasons to break down, to vent all his pain and anger at this “mother” of his.

‘But I don’t want to waste my energy on something so pointless.’

‘I’m not a particularly smart person, and I don’t think my willpower is anything special either.’

‘But my experiences in the Ancient Castle—playing hide-and-seek with monsters, fighting for keys, surviving by the skin of my teeth—they taught me to always look for a chance to survive, no matter how desperate the situation.’

‘Just like right now. I feel like there’s still something I can do.’

‘Song Chushi already told me his final backup plan: even if Qinggang is destroyed and everyone dies, I have to get the data and make it out alive. The problem is, Song Chushi doesn’t know about the Ancient Castle, so his plan is incomplete.’

‘I can leave, but not by moving through space. I can leave by moving through time.’

‘I’ve accumulated enough time. I now have the power to summon Flashing and return to the Ancient Castle at will.’

‘This was supposed to be my trump card. Ever since I escaped from the abandoned D7 lab where Li Moxi imprisoned me, I’ve had enough time saved up. I’ve had the chance to use Flashing to return to the past.’

‘But even if I went back, I wouldn’t be able to change what had already happened in this timeline. That’s what I thought, until I saw the children on the eleven altars and the controlled man in the Tuxedo. An idea started to form.’

‘Maybe… maybe this reality can be “restarted”?’

‘Maybe Flashing isn’t just for escaping anymore…’

‘But before I make such an unprecedented attempt, I have to use this opportunity to get all the information I can…’

…

…

He looked up and saw in Shen Yunyi’s eyes a calm acceptance and a fierce desire for death. Feeling no empathy, he said in a low voice, “You know what I want.”

“It’s all in here…”

Shen Yunyi looked at the Crystal Skull in Han Su’s hand. With a despairing smile, she whispered, “Everything I know, including your memories from ten years ago… it’s all in here.”

“But, my child, do you really want to defy them?”

“The World Guardians’ power surpasses even that of the highest Mysteries!”

“The gap between them and me is even greater than the gap between Qinggang and myself. And you…”

…

“You’re the one who said time is short.”

Han Su didn’t hide his impatience. He could already faintly hear the sounds of the Abyssal Studio’s outer layers being torn apart—the City Slaughter Priests were breaking through, step by step. Knowing it was time to make a decision, he forced himself to remain calm.

“So there’s no point in wasting what little time we have on pointless concern and fear.”

…

“I…”

Shen Yunyi flinched, subconsciously looking away from Han Su’s eyes.

In terms of sheer power, she was leagues above her son. But in this reunion after ten years, she had been nothing but conflicted, pained, despairing, and fearful. He, on the other hand, was ruthless and decisive—shooting when he had to, questioning when he needed to, without a shred of hesitation.

She suddenly felt her own weakness.

And surprisingly, this feeling of weakness gave rise to a subtle sense of pride.

An unprecedented courage welled up inside her. She slowly raised her head to look at Han Su. “I have a gift for you!”