The Eldritch Files

Wei Lan’s expression as she made her vow was incredibly firm—the kind of resolve that would willingly tear out one’s heart to earn another’s trust.

And Han Su trusted her.

It was an indescribable intuition, a feeling deeper than fate itself.

In truth, even if Wei Lan hadn’t made a vow, or even remembered any of this, that intuition would still have been there. Han Su would have trusted her regardless.

The question had been more a matter of rational caution. Yet, even as his rational mind posed the question and awaited an answer, his intuition had already supplied one. It made Han Su feel his question was rather unnecessary.

And so, he gently pressed down the hand Wei Lan had raised to swear her oath. "The kidnapping case is still ongoing," he answered softly. "I’ve been trying to save the other children. It’s just that... so far, I’ve only managed to rescue two."

"What?"

Wei Lan’s pupils constricted, her gaze filling with confusion and disbelief.

From her perspective, the kidnapping was a decade in the past. Although she didn’t know why she had been taken, it was all over and done with.

"You... You’re still trying to rescue the other children? Are they... are they still alive?"

"That Ancient Castle... it’s real?"

"..."

Han Su met her questioning gaze with a slow smile and a shake of his head. "It’s not that simple."

"The Ancient Castle has never been found in the real world. I have to go back ten years to save them."

"Over and over. The success rate is low, but I’m still trying."

"..."

Han Su’s answer only deepened the confusion on Wei Lan’s face. She couldn’t possibly grasp the full meaning of it all from those two short sentences, but the casual expression he wore as he spoke those words with a slight smile suddenly struck her to the core.

In that moment, for some inexplicable reason, the words of Xu Ji’s father flashed through her mind.

’He’s a person who has it very hard.’

She had actually asked Xu Ji’s father why he’d said that.

’He’s just a rookie at the Disaster Management Bureau, working his tail off for an Investigator License.’

Back then, Xu Ji’s father had simply said that as a child survivor of the kidnapping, Han Su had shouldered far too much pressure. Even now, the Black Table still had a bounty on his head.

An innocent person was carrying the burden of twenty-five missing children on his shoulders. As an elder, he couldn’t help but sympathize with him.

Now, while she couldn’t fully comprehend what Han Su meant by "still trying," she instantly understood why his eyes always held such profound exhaustion. She suddenly had a visceral understanding of what Xu Ji’s father meant by the word "hardship."

This exhaustion filled her with an empty, aching sadness.

She gripped Han Su’s hand tightly and asked, "Then why... why didn’t you try to tell me?"

"You rescued me. Why didn’t you come find me?"

"I don’t know why my memories now make it seem like I was never kidnapped, and I don’t know what kind of monsters took us, but I was one of the victims. You could have come to me. I could have helped..."

"I... I *should* be helping!"

"..."

Han Su completely understood Wei Lan’s current anxiety and her pointed questions, but hearing her words, he couldn’t help but smile.

Then, he looked down and explained to Wei Lan, "First, I was afraid you wouldn’t believe me."

There was one thing he couldn’t bring himself to explain.

’The truth is, I’d forgotten her name back then. But saying that to her face now would be pretty hurtful...’

Then he gave his second reason. "Once you were rescued, you were rescued. You were away from the kidnapping, away from those monsters. That was for the best."

He smiled before continuing his explanation. "To be honest, when I first saw you at the Haiyan Clubhouse, I thought you’d never remember any of it. I had no idea you possessed supernatural abilities. I just thought you were a girl who walked the runway."

"There was no reason for me to disturb your life, was there?"

"..."

Wei Lan looked at his smile, and suddenly, her eyes began to sting horribly.

Adults have an instinct for controlling their tears, and she was no exception.

Part of her training was even dedicated to emotional control, but in this instant, her vision blurred completely.

A regret so intense she couldn’t control it flooded her heart.

It was aimed at herself. It was as if the little girl trapped in the copper room all those years ago was admonishing her.

Admonishing her for getting rescued, only to immediately cast everyone and everything aside and simply run away...

Seeing her distraught expression, Han Su sighed inwardly.

’This is a first for me, too.’

He’d been around Xu Ji, but that carefree guy had never remembered a thing. So, Han Su had shouldered it all himself. He never tried to make Xu Ji understand, nor did he ask him to share the burden.

But now, Wei Lan had remembered.

This feeling of camaraderie among fellow survivors, of huddling together for warmth, had come too suddenly and was a little too intense.

It was so intense that he found it unsettling, afraid it was just a fleeting illusion.

Just as he was sighing softly, about to offer a word of comfort to Wei Lan, he suddenly heard chaos erupt outside. Faintly, he could make out what sounded like gunshots and the screams of a panicked crowd. He instantly became alert, withdrawing the hand he had been reaching toward Wei Lan’s hair, and said in a grave voice:

"I know you have a lot of questions. So do I."

"But right now, the most important thing is figuring out how we’re going to get out of Dingxiang Mansion."

As he spoke, he took out the case containing the Mechanical Fragment. "This Mechanical Fragment is important," he said in a low voice. "I need to get it out of Dingxiang Mansion."

By now, the banquet area was in chaos. The theft of the Mechanical Fragment had surely caused a huge stir.

Security will be incredibly tight on the way out.

"I’ll help you!"

Wei Lan scrambled to her feet, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand. "I can try putting the Mechanical Fragment in my makeup case to get it out. The head of security at Dingxiang Mansion is in the same business. She has sharp eyes, but she can’t see through my makeup case."

"It’s a rule that everyone who deals with the Queen’s Organization must follow: the Empress’s personal belongings are not to be seen."

"Of course..."

At this, her eyes narrowed. "If it comes down to it, I’ll force my way out."

"Worst case, I just can’t operate in Qinggang anymore. I’ll go to another city and start fresh!"

"You..."

Seeing Wei Lan’s resolve, Han Su was rather surprised.

’Forcing her way out of Dingxiang Mansion? Wouldn’t that turn a stealthy theft into a brazen robbery?’

’That scrawny, weak little girl from all those years ago, the one who hadn’t even left much of an impression on me, has not only grown up to be stunningly beautiful but has also developed the air of a desperado...’

On that thought, he suddenly remembered something. "A moment ago, why did you go down there?"

"Did you originally come to this banquet to steal the Mechanical Fragment, too?"

"I was hired for a job."

Hearing this, Wei Lan finally broke into a smile, showing no concern for secrecy whatsoever. "Our Queen’s Organization is a mysterious organization that takes on all sorts of commissions. Assassination, escort, protection, theft... all those things are part of our job description."

"The only catch is, we only accept Ancient Gold Coins as payment."

"..."

’So, she ended up becoming an outlaw?’

Han Su found this all rather bizarre, but then something clicked. "The time you showed up at my mission site... that was also..."

"Right!"

Wei Lan said, "Mr. Xu hired me. He asked me to protect you during that mission... huh?"

As she said this, she also had a sudden realization. "You just said you rescued two children from the Ancient Castle," she whispered. "So besides me, the other one is..."

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Before Han Su could answer, there was a frantic knocking at the door. Someone shouted from outside, "Miss Wei Lan, are you in there? Hurry, hurry, something’s happened outside! We need to run!"

"Is it a bad time? Say something! If you don’t, I’m coming in...!"

"..."

Wei Lan seemed to understand something instantly. Grabbing a tissue to wipe the tears and the blood seeping from her wound, she went to open the door. Xu Ji stumbled right in, yelling, "You people in your line of work take forever to touch up your makeup! Let’s go, run...!"

As he spoke, he looked up and immediately froze, his tongue getting stuck.

"Run... run... ru..."

His eyes darted from Wei Lan, whose clothes were slightly disheveled, to Han Su, sitting in the chair over there. He saw the damp spot on Han Su’s knee where Wei Lan’s tears had fallen, and he saw the expressions on both their faces.

His brain seemed to overclock for a moment before he let out a little yelp, slapped a hand over his mouth, and said dazedly, "Even though there are people shooting and killing out there... it seems... maybe it’s not that urgent..."

As he said this, he actually started to back out of the room.

Han Su couldn’t help but frown. "Get in here!"

Xu Ji immediately zipped back inside. He rushed to Han Su’s side, looking him up, down, left, and right, scrutinizing him carefully before turning to him with a look of both worry and disappointment. "Old Han, what am I going to do with you..."

"I’m pretty sure I warned you about this... you can’t get involved with them..."

"They’re all sirens! If you get romantically involved with them, you’ll be cursed! You’ll have terrible, terrible luck!"

"..."

’What is he even talking about?’

Han Su caught a glimpse of Wei Lan’s expression turning sour as she listened. He quickly grabbed Xu Ji. "Why are you still here?"

"I got lost..."

Xu Ji finally explained, "Damn it, this Dingxiang Mansion is huge. I actually got lost. By the time I found the right way out, they had blocked the exits. Brother Zhuzi called and told me to come find Miss Wei Lan and leave with her..."

"Who could’ve guessed I’d walk in on you two..."

"..."

"It’s ’see’!"

Han Su corrected his word choice. Just then, he heard the sound of chaotic footsteps in the distance, mingled with the voice of what sounded like Wei Lan’s assistant trying to hold people back. His expression shifted, and he nodded at Wei Lan.

He raised his hand and tossed the box containing the Mechanical Fragment to Wei Lan.

Wei Lan caught it, smoothly placed it inside her makeup case, and with a soft click, the combination lock snapped shut.

Her movements were so fluid that even Han Su was taken aback for a second. He realized it felt like it had been a very long time since he’d trusted someone like this.

’Maybe I never have?’

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