The Eldritch Files

HUMMM!

The moment the Fishing Song escaped his lips, Han Su’s Sea of Spiritual was instantly activated. A seemingly endless current of Spiritual Power surged into the Mechanical Fragment. He widened his eyes and saw the pointer, clear as day, struggling toward a higher number.

And this time, the movement was significant. He watched as it was about to jump from the current "5" toward the higher number "6."

But in that very instant, his Spiritual Power suddenly ran out. Han Su’s mind felt empty, and his hand fell to his side.

’The battery’s drained...’

Han Su closed his eyes. He didn’t think, didn’t move. A long time passed before he recovered some of his mental energy and opened them again.

He looked again. The Mechanical Fragment’s pointer was still positioned between "five" and "six." There had been a change, but it wasn’t significant.

He slowly mulled it over and arrived at an answer: ’Spiritual Power can definitely affect the pointer, but this Mechanical Fragment seems to require an abnormally huge amount of Spiritual Power to be influenced at all.’

’After I recited the Fishing Song, my Spiritual Activity met the threshold, but my Spiritual Power didn’t. Or rather, the Spiritual Power from just one "battery" isn’t enough, so the effect on the pointer is limited.’

’A single battery represents ten years of my life, and yet its effect on this thing is barely noticeable?’

’These fragmented lives allow me to recover my strength by "swapping batteries" during a crisis, but they also cause my power to be intermittent and inadequate. Perhaps if my Spiritual Power could have been supplied continuously just now, things would have gone better?’

’...’

He had already faintly perceived the most critical issue: the pointer’s operation wasn’t cumulative.

It wasn’t a matter of infusing a little Spiritual Power to make the pointer jump 0.2, then adding a bit more to make it jump another 0.3. Rather, it seemed one’s Spiritual Power had to reach a certain level of Activity and a massive quantity before it could even begin to nudge the pointer toward a higher number.

If the power supply was interrupted, a more powerful force would influence the pointer, causing it to snap back.

’If that’s the case, is there nothing I can do?’

’No, that’s not right...’

Han Su quickly realized that while he couldn’t make the pointer move to a higher position himself, it seemed he *could* activate the device to make it run faster and accelerate the countdown.

’When that happens, what kind of change will occur? Will "Flashing" arrive ahead of schedule?’

He sorted through his thoughts one by one, speculating on the purpose of the Mechanical Fragment, and knew there was one last step for verification.

Namely, whether "Flashing" would arrive as expected when the pointer finally reached zero.

If so, it would prove all his theories correct.

Having decided to halt the experiment, he dug out his old backpack, stuffed the entire case inside, and headed for the Disaster Management Bureau base with the bulging pack on his back. His new briefcase and Investigator License were already waiting for him there.

The new briefcase looked slightly wider and thicker than the one he used as an Executioner. It was entirely silver and came with several new features.

For instance: an automatic pop-out and charging function for his stun baton, containment for contaminated items, and unlocking via fingerprint and Spiritual Penetration...

The base material was still low-sensitivity fiber, but the construction was clearly more robust and the design more stately.

He tested the briefcase in the lounge.

After a thorough inspection, he first glanced at it with his right eye. He confirmed that even his right eye couldn’t see through the case, verifying its security features.

He then carefully placed the Mechanical Fragment into one of the hidden compartments. It was a perfect fit.

Han Su examined it from every angle, at a loss for words. Not only did it fit perfectly, but once the compartment was sealed, it was like magic. The large Mechanical Fragment was completely and securely hidden.

Even if he opened the briefcase and let someone rummage through it, they would never find the Mechanical Fragment without meticulously probing every single inch.

’Heh, what a coincidence...’

Only after finishing these tasks did he breathe a small sigh of relief and pick up his ID card.

[Name: Han Su]

[Codename: Butcher]

[Status: Investigator]

[Initial Level: D Level]

[...]

’So many people in Qinggang would kill to get their hands on a little ID card like this...’

Han Su gave it a silent look before tucking it into his pocket.

As he picked up his new briefcase and walked out of the lounge, he sensed a change in the atmosphere.

As he walked, it wasn’t just the clerks in white coats scurrying around the base with files; even the fully armed security personnel let their gazes linger on the silver briefcase in his hand. Afterward, their expressions seemed to soften.

"Congratulations, the youngest Investigator in the history of the Disaster Management Bureau..."

A teasing voice suddenly came from ahead. Han Su looked up to see Secretary Cui Qiao.

She was leaning against the wall, and added, "...one of them!"

Han Su stopped and smiled. "There’s someone younger than me?"

Cui Qiao said, "The Disaster Management Bureau has all kinds of freaks."

Then, she tilted her head up slightly. "Zhang the Head is getting the itch to cook again. He wants to know if you’ll come to his place for dinner tonight."

"Hm?"

Han Su was a bit taken aback. "Didn’t I just eat there a month ago?"

Secretary Cui Qiao said, "Whose fault is it that you got promoted so quickly?"

Only then did Han Su realize: Zhang Chiguo wanted to celebrate his promotion.

The man was surprisingly consistent. When Han Su had passed his assessment and entered the D2 Group, he’d cooked him a meal. Now that he was an Investigator, he was planning to cook again. But thinking about his current problems, Han Su was in no mood to celebrate over dinner.

He shook his head and smiled. "Let’s skip it this time. Tell Uncle Zhang to save it for when I get promoted to Independent Investigator!"

Hearing his confident tone, Cui Qiao was left speechless for a moment. She sighed, "You really are arrogant..."

"But I do have a couple of things I need to see Uncle Zhang about."

Han Su walked over to her. As they headed toward Zhang Chiguo’s office together, he brought up a question that was on his mind. "When an Investigator dies, does their assistant always inherit their Investigator License?"

"That’s right. So, theoretically, you’ve inherited Strange Bird’s license. You’ve even inherited the assistant he left behind..."

"Fire them, then!"

"Don’t you even need a reason?"

"Do I?"

"Probably not!"

"..."

"..."

Han Su stayed in Zhang Chiguo’s office for a while. He submitted a request to fire the previous Investigator’s assistant, which Zhang Chiguo approved on the spot. Han then tried to probe him about the events outside the city last night, but to his surprise, Zhang Chiguo gave no reaction whatsoever.

It was as if the lives lost last night had been a mere illusion.

He didn’t know the details, nor could he be bothered to care. Since everything was apparently fine, he headed to the cafeteria. Along the way, he garnered quite a few friendly looks.

Upon entering the cafeteria, he even ran into another Investigator, who stopped to shake his hand.

Han Su was not a rude person, so he naturally exchanged a few pleasantries.

In his heart, however, he didn’t take such friendly exchanges seriously.

Wei Lan had already warned him at the banquet in Dingxiang Mansion: the Qinggang Disaster Management Bureau had forty to fifty Investigators, and nearly half of them were senior members. That meant there wasn’t much new blood.

The senior Investigators, in turn, were vaguely led by a clique of four. Han Su was already destined to clash with Drunkard, and he found Red Windbreaker repulsive.

He had just been promoted, and he’d already offended half of them.

’Among all these seemingly friendly Investigators at the Disaster Management Bureau, who could I actually trust?’

’Since I can’t trust them, I have no interest in socializing. If anything, I’m actually curious to meet this "Green Hat" character.’

’Or maybe, if I want trustworthy people, I’ll have to find them myself?’

Mulling this over, he carried his briefcase into the cafeteria. A quick scan of the room revealed Doctor and Black Tiger, whom he had arranged to meet. He walked right over, placed the briefcase on the table, and asked with a smile:

"How did you two feel about the last mission?"

Black Tiger had already finished a plate of food. He looked a little puzzled by Han Su’s question. "I used to run errands all the time, and my initial evaluation barely budged. Now I’ve just tagged along on two trips without doing much, and my initial evaluation is already at B- Level."

"I’m ranked third among the new recruits."

"..."

Miss Crow was first, and Doctor was second. Han Su had originally been number one, but he’d since been promoted.

Between Doctor and Black Tiger, they’d both done about the same amount of work, but Doctor’s reports were better written.

Han Su didn’t beat around the bush. "Through my own efforts, I’ve obtained an Investigator License."

"So now for the more important matter: I intend to invite you both to be my assistants."

At these words, Black Tiger was taken aback, but Doctor, who had clearly been expecting this, remained calm.

Han Su continued, "But I’ll lay it all out now. If you become my assistants, I’ll immediately apply for all the benefits you’re due. We’ll share the work on future missions. I won’t hog the credit; I’ll make a point to give you opportunities to maintain your rate of promotion."

"If I can get promoted to Independent Investigator quickly, then my current Investigator License will naturally be inherited by one of you. However, I just submitted a special request to Director Zhang: if I die, this Investigator License is to be destroyed immediately."

"You two will have to start your promotions from scratch."

"..."

The statement was a bit convoluted. Before Black Tiger could process it, Doctor’s expression changed drastically. "Why?"

Han Su glanced at him. "Why do you think?"

Doctor reacted instantly. He slowly adjusted his glasses with his middle finger. "If you’re questioning my professional integrity, you needn’t worry. It’s merely a matter of the Investigator License inheritance rights..."

"Say no more."

Han Su rolled his eyes. "You think I don’t know how I got this promotion myself?"

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