The Eldritch Files

’The second Mechanical Fragment?’

After his initial shock and suspicion, Han Su immediately grasped the key.

Every time he’d Flashed back before, his life would deviate and be overwritten by different experiences, but time itself never changed.

For example, he had been abducted by the Flashing and taken back to the Ancient Castle at 10:35:17 on the thirteenth. After escaping the Ancient Castle and returning to the present, the time would be 10:35:21 or 10:35:22, but never 10:35:15.

Time only moved forward, never backward. That seemed to be an ironclad rule.

But this time, it had regressed. And not by a small amount—by two full days.

This was a huge, unprecedented situation. Han Su couldn’t begin to analyze the principles behind it, but tracing its origin wasn’t difficult.

Compared to before, the only new thing in his suitcase was the Mechanical Fragment Ms. Shen had given him in the previous timeline. That must be what had caused this, what had affected time.

’The effects of the Mechanical Fragments are all different?’

The more Han Su thought about it, the more alarmed he became. The powers of these Mechanical Fragments were far more mysterious than he’d imagined, possessing truly incredible effects.

Another question was, had he brought that Mechanical Fragment with him into this timeline?

If he had, then did Abyssal Studio still have this Mechanical Fragment?

’Right now, the most important thing is to find my black suitcase.’

Though reeling from shock, Han Su immediately focused on the priority. ’Last time I left the Ancient Castle with the black suitcase, Miss Ai used some sort of mysterious logic to deliver it to me. So, what will happen this time?’

”That’s enough. We need to get to work.”

Just then, Captain Akbar, seeing Han Su staring blankly at the computer, lost her patience. She began to speak with a cold sneer.

”If you can’t handle this job, you can forget about Qinggang. You won’t even be able to enter a Third-level Reality Warm Bed to live out your sweet dreams.”

...

Her words triggered Han Su’s memories of this timeline.

To Mercenaries from the Mysterious Circle, entering city life was the same as entering a Reality Warm Bed to have sweet dreams. They usually treated it with contempt and disdain, viewing it as the path of a coward.

This was apparently because, out in the wilds, they fought and killed, witnessing all sorts of bizarre and absurd things, and believed they had a better grasp on the world’s true nature.

But to enter a city, they had to sign strict non-disclosure agreements. They couldn’t speak casually of mysterious phenomena, nor could they interact with supernatural items. After all, such actions were considered a breach of reality’s defensive lines and would result in joint punishment from the council and the Hidden School.

As a result, for them, entering city life was, to some extent, the same as retiring from the game for good.

He had no intention of arguing the point. He slowly closed his laptop, turned to Akbar, and said, ”Then what do you need me to do?”

Akbar sneered at him. ”You haven’t forgotten why you came out this time, have you? It’s to become an official member. An opportunity you begged me for, for a long time, before I finally agreed!”

...

Han Su could indeed recall this. It was true.

Mercenary squads didn’t carry dead weight. As a well-known mercenary organization in the Southern Region, Queen Bee only had seven official members. For big jobs that required more hands, they had to temporarily recruit desperadoes.

These desperadoes, serving as temporary hires, actually earned a decent amount of money for every job. But Han Su was different.

He was being trained as Akbar’s apprentice, doing the kind of life-or-death work that involved licking blood from a blade’s edge, yet he didn’t receive any commission.

He had no choice but to apply to officially join the squad.

It’s just that, before setting out, he hadn’t expected the Queen Bee Mercenary Squad’s initiation to be so... draining.

Akbar’s last question was undoubtedly her way of giving Han Su one last chance. Seeing him just sitting there, lost in thought, she knew he wouldn’t be coming back to her room.

A flicker of dissatisfaction crossed her mind. She sneered, ”I offered you the easy way, but you didn’t take it. Now you’ll have to rely on real skill. Let’s see if you’re actually qualified to enter Queen Bee.”

”After dawn, you’ll pose as an Investigator and enter Black Valley Village below. You’ll be the forward scout for the operation, gathering intelligence. If you can complete the mission, I’ll still let you join the squad once this job is over. How about it?”

...

”Pose as an Investigator?”

Hearing this, Han Su was taken aback for a moment, then couldn’t help but smile. It fit his persona all too well.

The sight of his smile made Akbar even more displeased. ’So this guy would rather risk his life in Black Valley Village than get into my bed?’

Her expression turned cold. She turned to Lalei. ”Have the supplies arrived?”

Lalei shrugged, casting a somewhat pitying glance at Han Su. ”Everything’s here.”

Akbar said, ”Let’s go!”

With that, she led the way out. Han Su and Lalei followed her partway down a slope and saw three vehicles gathered below. Figures wrapped in thick blankets, clutching firearms, were sitting in the shadows. They all rose quietly as the group approached.

These were the official members of the Queen Bee Mercenary Squad. Akbar didn’t have a large crew, but they were exceptionally loyal and worked together seamlessly.

This was the main reason she had been able to carve out a niche in the brutally dangerous mercenary market, even achieving a decent ranking and having no trouble finding work.

These people rose in silence, and the looks they gave Han Su seemed to carry a complex mix of emotions.