The Eldritch Files

Zhang Chiguo had once told himself that the person who submitted the report was just following orders from their superiors, and that he shouldn't pay it too much mind.

But Han Su was different. He just had to know which son of a bitch submitted that report.

Facing his question, Wine Barrel Nose smiled. He met Han Su's gaze and said, "The kidnapping case will be investigated, of course, and the missing children will be found. But I don't think it's necessary to drag everyone into this bizarre and dangerous world."

"Young man, it's a blessing to live a normal, stable life. You once had that blessing, but you clearly didn't cherish it. That's why you ended up in our circle."

"And now that you're in it, you should understand that this circle of ours is extremely dangerous. Without someone to guide you, to help you, it's very easy to get yourself killed."

...

'So it's him.'

'He's the one who wrote that conclusive report. And he's the one who's now using Red Windbreaker to show me a bit of goodwill, hoping to leverage it to pressure me into dropping the case.'

'He's the one who, on paper, made the entire world believe that ten years ago, I was just a child spouting nonsense.'

Han Su's eyes narrowed. Staring directly at the man's face, he slowly replied, "So, to get ahead, you used the lives of over twenty children as a stepping stone?"

Wine Barrel Nose's expression turned serious in an instant, his gaze sharp as a knife.

The man, who usually looked as lazy and boneless as a ragdoll, suddenly radiated an indescribable sense of danger. The very air around them seemed to drop a few degrees.

But Han Su just stared back, not even blinking.

'When it comes to danger, the most dangerous things I've ever seen are the monsters in the Ancient Castle. After them, it's Song Chushi, then that spying creature, and then the Ghost Truck.'

'Where do you even rank?'

But during this standoff, Mr. Li, who was standing nearby, also developed a sharp look in his eyes.

He was just an ordinary man, but he was also a business prodigy. He'd started with toys, founded the Magic Box Group, and had slowly extended its tendrils into all sorts of other fields.

If not for his daughter's disappearance ten years ago, which had been a crushing blow, his commercial empire might have risen to even greater heights.

His silence now made Wine Barrel Nose's expression even uglier. The look he shot Han Su was filled with extreme displeasure.

"Oh my, the atmosphere is so tense..."

Someone broke the tense, silent standoff.

Everyone turned to see a dazzling figure appear beside them. It was Wei Lan, dressed in a golden gown, a gentle smile gracing her lips. It wasn't just her; even the golden feather adorning her cheek seemed to radiate a light sharp enough to sting the eyes.

Han Su noticed that a hint of red seemed to be seeping from the edge of the feather on her cheek.

She approached, pushing a wheelchair. In it sat an old man.

He was ancient.

His skin was layered and wrinkled like stacked orange peels. Several IV tubes ran into his body, and his frame was shriveled and frail.

Yet, his presence was immense. Next to him, even Wei Lan was just a pretty junior.

Wine Barrel Nose and Mr. Li quickly turned, bowed slightly, and smiled. "Mr. Zhao."

'His surname is Zhao, and everyone is so respectful to him...'

Han Su's mind raced. 'Is he the master of Dingxiang Hall?'

And even when faced with the chairman of the Magic Box Group and an Investigator from the Disaster Management Bureau, the old man merely gave a slight nod. His cloudy eyes, however, turned to Han Su as he slowly toyed with a cane in his hand.

The tip of the cane was inlaid with a band of bright copper, engraved with a ring of patterns resembling an Encrypted Spell.

He smiled. "This young man, I don't believe I've seen you before."

Wei Lan, holding a wine glass at his side, glanced over and smiled. "We met at the Haiyan Clubhouse. He's a friend of the Xu Family's young master. A very impressive person!"

That single sentence seemed to settle the matter. The old man smiled, nodded, and said, "Then you should visit more often."

Hearing this, the female security guard in sunglasses standing beside the wheelchair took out a copper-colored card and presented it to Han Su with both hands.

Han Su looked at the card and took it. Although he wasn't familiar with such situations, his gut told him that this card granted him the right to enter and leave Dingxiang Mansion as he pleased.

Seeing this, Wine Barrel Nose looked at Wei Lan with a smirk. "Miss Wei Lan, you know him too?"

Wei Lan met his gaze with a smile of her own. "I know you even better, Mr. Drunkard. One of the Disaster Management Bureau's four famous Investigators."

Whether intentionally or not, her voice was full of friendliness.

"They say that while Qinggang has issued forty or fifty Investigator Licenses, and two-thirds of those holders can be considered senior, the true backbone consists of only four people—the ones they call the 'Nightlife Four.' They are also the four in Qinggang with the best chance of being promoted to Independent Investigator."

"Among them, Night Lamp is the most mysterious, Red Windbreaker is the most domineering, Mr. Drunkard is said to enjoy mentoring newcomers the most, and Green Hat is the most zen. And from the looks of it, is Mr. Drunkard trying to mentor the junior by his side now?"

...

"'The Nightlife Four?'"

Even as a member of the Disaster Management Bureau, this was the first time Han Su had ever heard that moniker, and his curiosity was piqued.

'Is Wei Lan deliberately revealing this guy's background to me?'

'No matter how famous he is, a 'senior' Investigator, one of the 'big four' or whatever—at the end of the day, he's still just an Investigator. In terms of official authority within the Disaster Management Bureau, he's the same rank as me.'

'Heh. After all that bootlicking, after writing such a shameless report, he still couldn't even get a promotion?'

Wine Barrel Nose caught the cold look on Han Su's face, and his own expression soured.

On the surface, however, he just laughed heartily. "I never mind sharing a few tips on survival with the new blood," he said. "Of course, that's only if they're willing to listen."

With that, he moved to the old man's side, then smiled back at Han Su. "Newcomers need friends looking out for them if they want to last long in this circle. We'll have other chances to talk."

Han Su just stared at him coldly, not bothering to hide the disgust in his eyes. "Since you're my senior," he said slowly, "I'll be sure to give you the same respect I give my mentor."

Wine Barrel Nose chuckled and waved a dismissive hand as he walked away. "I just hope you can appreciate my good intentions."

Wei Lan also began to wheel the old man away, leaving Han Su with a faint smile. Her expression, however, was a bit strange. 'This newcomer's rank is clearly not that high...'

'First, he gets maliciously spied on by some high-ranking entity during a mission, and now he's getting lectured by an old-timer in his own field at a party. What on earth did he do to end up in such a miserable spot?'

'...'

After the others had left, the chairman of the Magic Box Group stepped forward, hesitating. "Han," he began, "about all this..."

Han Su had no intention of chatting, but he recalled the help he'd received from one of his three special life paths, which was connected to this man. He nodded. "Mr. Li, the forecast says it's going to rain tonight. You should probably head home early."

"Mr. Li, I'm still working hard to find your daughter."

"This isn't a promise I'm making to you. It's something I've always wanted to do for myself."

"I don't know what your relationship is with that Drunkard, but it would be best if you don't do anything to get in my way. Otherwise, you could be the one who ends up harming your daughter."

...

After saying his piece, he turned and ended the conversation.

Li Yiting saw the look in his eyes as he turned to leave and found himself frozen in place. He felt that the young man's gaze held a weariness and anxiety that was far beyond his years.

He could only nod slowly and say, "Come for tea when you have time."

Throughout his conversations, Han Su had kept his eye on the member of the Crystal Skull Organization. He now saw that his target was beginning to make a move.

He strode over to Xu Ji, who, after completing a round of socializing, seemed to have run out of his 'transformation' time. He was now slouched on a sofa like a total loser, playing on his phone. Han Su gave him a slap.

Leaning close to his ear, he whispered, "Remember what I told you?"

Xu Ji was about to snap, but seeing it was Han Su, he just looked confused. "You say a lot of things. How am I supposed to know which one you mean?"

Then, catching Han Su's expression out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly remembered. "The one about 'When you show up, I scram'?"

Han Su nodded.

Xu Ji instantly grew nervous and glanced around. "But there are so many people here..."

Han Su said, "Don't get involved. Just protect yourself and you'll be fine."

"Oh, and before you leave, cause a scene."

With that, Han Su stood up. He scanned his surroundings out of the corner of his eye and saw that quite a few people were still glancing his way every now and then.

His conversation with the master of Dingxiang Mansion, Wei Lan, and the others had likely attracted a lot of attention. Some people even looked eager to come over and introduce themselves.

He remained outwardly calm, keeping an eye on the Crystal Skull member's movements as he backed away toward the door.

Meanwhile, Xu Ji, following Han Su's instructions, had a glint in his eye. He strode toward a portly man in the banquet hall. The man was holding a wine glass, trying to chat and joke with people, but no one seemed willing to give him the time of day. Xu Ji approached him with an exaggerated air of excitement.

"Uncle Zhou, there you are! I heard your daughter is in college now, right? She must be looking for a boyfriend!"

...

The portly man's expression went blank for a second before he recognized who was talking to him. He nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes..."

Xu Ji said, "Then might I have the pleasure of an introduction?"

The portly man was stunned. "You mean my girl? She's over three hundred pounds..."

Xu Ji said with a straight face, "How can you judge a person by their appearance? I know a guy who, when he's all dressed up, is almost as handsome as me, but if you cut his heart open, you'd find it's pure black..."

The portly man was already trembling with excitement. "Excellent, excellent..."

All around them, heads snapped in their direction. Astonished faces whispered to one another. "Is the Xu Family's little randy goat in heat? This is big news in Qinggang City..."

Instantly, everyone was looking at the portly man in a new light, practically itching to go over and get acquainted with him themselves.

Watching from the back, Han Su was left speechless. While everyone was distracted, he took a soft step back and silently recited Spell 01.

Like a shadow that didn't exist in the real world, he fell in behind the Crystal Skull member.

He'd already warned Xu Ji, so there was nothing else to worry about here.

What the Crystal Skull Organization planned to do at this party, and whether their claim about not harming ordinary people was true or not, was none of his business. He couldn't be bothered to care.

All he knew was that he had to get his hands on that Mechanical Fragment, no matter what.

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