The Eldritch Files

A hobby? What the hell kind of hobby is that...

Han Su found it completely outrageous. He glanced at the Jackal and couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy, recalling the story Little Fatty had told him about how Pot Lid Head got the nickname "Jack the Ripper."

He sighed and said, "That's a pretty niche hobby you've got!"

'Could his appearance here also be part of Miss Ai's plan?' he suddenly wondered.

'She knew these three D7s would attack me. And while she wanted me to fight them, she was also worried I couldn't handle it.'

'So, she arranged for this guy, Pot Lid Head, to watch over things and hunt these three D7s?'

He watched Pot Lid Head, who had lowered his head and was engrossed in his work again. Han Su was lost in thought. If not for their shared childhood experiences, he wouldn't be able to make heads or tails of this guy now.

The fleeting strike he'd used against the Jackal wasn't enough to gauge his true abilities. It was even harder to judge how his current level compared to Wei Lan's, especially with his terrifyingly high Spiritual Activity...

Steeling his thoughts, he smiled and asked, "So, your mission this time was specifically for these three guys?"

Pot Lid Head remained silent, completely focused on his task.

Han Su said, "Why do you have this... hobby? Is there a reason for it?"

Still, Pot Lid Head didn't react.

He'd seemingly been like this since he was a child.

Gaining his trust was extremely difficult.

But provoking him to anger wasn't so easy, either...

'In that case, it's time to bring out the big guns...'

Facing the engrossed Pot Lid Head, Han Su suddenly smiled. "I know you. Your name is Chen Ji."

Pot Lid Head kept his focus on his work.

Han Su continued, "Your killings were on the news. I even saw you kill someone live on camera."

Pot Lid Head remained expressionless. A SQUIRT of blood sprayed onto his face. He seemed annoyed at the interruption but was still polite enough not to curse.

Han Su spoke again. "The news reports had a lot of descriptions of you. But about your hobbies, they said you've only had three your entire life."

"One was setting fires..."

"...from things as small as candy wrappers to as large as pillows, clothes, and curtains..."

Pot Lid Head's eyes suddenly narrowed. An extremely unbearable, oppressive atmosphere began to fill the air. Invisible tremors seemed to transform into layers of unseen blades, saturating the space and slitting at everyone's skin.

'This guy's Spiritual Activity is so immense it can directly affect space and injure people?'

Han Su was instantly on high alert, but having come this far, he just smiled and continued slowly, "The second was growing flowers. You only liked being around your plants..."

"...but you'd poke to death every single ant that got near your flower pots."

Pot Lid Head's hands stopped moving. He slowly turned his head and looked at Han Su, his face devoid of expression.

Han Su continued speaking slowly, "...and butterflies, bees, and even... your grandmother's chihuahua!"

WHOOSH!

In that instant, Pot Lid Head lunged.

It was as if he'd skipped the process of getting up and pouncing.

His body simply vanished from its seated position. The next moment, he was above Han Su's head, his handcuffed hands slamming viciously toward Han Su's neck.

Han Su's left hand suddenly formed a claw, taking on a faint copper hue as it shot straight for Pot Lid Head's neck.

It was a ferocious move, trading injury for injury.

But Han Su's left hand was clearly far more dangerous than Pot Lid Head's cuffed ones.

Pot Lid Head released his grip. The chain hidden in his sleeves shook loose, and while still in mid-air, he instantly wrapped it around Han Su's left arm. Then, his body plummeted as he yanked down hard.

He was trying to use the momentum of his landing to pull Han Su to the ground.

As he landed, he had already pinpointed his target. His toe slammed down, kicking a steel bar off the ground and into the air.

He snatched it effortlessly, gripping the steel bar with both hands. He spun around abruptly and thrust it at Han Su.

If Han Su had been pulled to the ground, the steel bar would have been aimed at his face.

If he hadn't been pulled down, it would have stabbed directly into his stomach.

'This guy is relying purely on his own skills and the traits from his Spiritual Activity, without using any Encrypted Spells...'

Han Su was already a little shocked. Just how high was Pot Lid Head's Spiritual Activity?

He twisted his body just in time, the steel bar grazing the corner of his clothes. He then flipped his left hand, gripping the chain wrapped around his arm and yanking it forward. His right hand splayed open, pressing straight down.

'This guy, he should be using his real abilities by now, right?'

But surprisingly, he didn't.

Pot Lid Head suddenly ducked his head and slammed it violently into Han Su's right hand.

The force of the headbutt was astonishing, actually numbing Han Su's right wrist.

At the same time, he flicked his cuffed left hand, sending the steel bar flying up. He then lowered his head and caught it in his mouth.

Then he spun rapidly, like he was holding a knife in his teeth.

The sharp steel bar SWISHED past Han Su's neck.

Less than half a centimeter more, and the sharp end of the bar would have slit his throat.

Even he felt a bead of sweat on his forehead from the unexpected danger.

If not for the superhuman reflexes he'd honed through so many trips to the Ancient Castle, his neck might have been split open.

If this guy's hands weren't cuffed, if he'd been holding a real knife in his mouth, his head might have been separated from his shoulders.

'But why isn't this guy using any Encrypted Spells?'

Han Su suddenly steeled himself, but his expression grew even more relaxed. As he dodged, he smiled at Pot Lid Head. "Third, until you were ten..."

WHOOSH!

Han Su suddenly felt the air density around Pot Lid Head change. This was due to an intensification of Pot Lid Head's Spiritual Activity, which immediately caused the surrounding space to fluctuate.

He quickly chanted the Fishing Song in his mind. His Spiritual Power instantly activated, concentrating in his right eye and unleashing the power of the "Giant's Eye."

This power was projected through his gaze, making it unavoidable. However, the damage it inflicted started on the surface and gradually deepened. The more he focused on one spot, the stronger the damage; the longer he stared, the greater the power. It was perfect for forcing someone to retreat.

Unexpectedly, however, Pot Lid Head charged forward, straight into the Giant's Power.

Under the gaze of the Giant's Eye, his loose-fitting prison uniform suddenly burst open, revealing a six-pack that suggested he regularly worked out.

Pot Lid Head already had a shaved head, crisscrossed with scars.

His body was also covered in several huge, intersecting gashes—the longest thirty centimeters, the shortest ten. They were crudely stitched up, full of grotesque suture marks, with the black thread still attached.

Gazing at the scars covering his body, Han Su froze for a moment, the white light in his eyes dimming slightly. Pot Lid Head, however, suddenly stopped and slowly turned to look at him.

At some point, his eyes had turned pitch black, and the corners of his mouth suddenly stretched wide.

The next moment, the stitches on a gash in the center of his chest suddenly snapped.

The wound gaped open, transforming into a mouth. One could even vaguely see fine teeth and a bright red tongue inside it.

A dense, obscure, and incomprehensible sound suddenly poured out of this mouth. The air filled with fine, sharp creases, as if something hidden in the deepest part of space was rapidly awakening.

A rotten stench filled the air, as if everything was rapidly aging and decaying, accompanied by an ancient and bizarre cackling.

And Pot Lid Head's eyes also turned a ghastly white in an instant, and black lines began to crawl all over his body. His expression became abnormally exaggerated, and even his handcuffs and shackles shattered into pieces.

His speed seemed to transcend space itself as he clawed straight for Han Su.

"What the hell is hidden inside this guy's body?"

In that same instant, alarm bells screamed in Han Su's mind. It was hard to describe the impact his intuition had on him at that moment.

Pot Lid Head hadn't used an Encrypted Spell. He seemed to have skipped that stage entirely.

Right now, he's...

...not human!!

The thought inexplicably surfaced in his mind, but every cell in his body sprang to life. He swerved abruptly, dodging the swipe, then took a diagonal step, bent down to snatch the briefcase he had left in the corner, and spun around to block.

Whipping around, he saw Pot Lid Head's face—twisted into an exaggerated, grotesque smile—right in front of him. An arm covered in black threads was reaching precisely for his chest.

This was the exact spot where Han Su had placed the Mechanical Fragment. The moment he touched the surface of the case, Han Su channeled his Spiritual Power into it.

Instantly, a rapid TICK TOCK TICK TOCK sound filled both of their ears.

Ever since he decided to carry the Mechanical Fragment in his briefcase, Han Su had anticipated a day like this would come.

The briefcase could shield the Mechanical Fragment from outside perception and probing, but it couldn't stop the fragment itself from its Penetration and contamination of the outside world.

Back then, both Han Su and Wei Lan had worn gloves, yet they were still contaminated by the Mechanical Fragment. The principle was the same.

The ferocious-looking Pot Lid Head suddenly froze, as if his bones had been sucked out of him. For a moment, his body went limp.

But he actually managed to support himself, planting one hand on the ground to keep from falling.

But as the Mechanical Fragment continued to contaminate him through the briefcase, the ferocity on his face abruptly faded, replaced by an instant of distortion, terror, and a hint of confusion.

Han Su didn't rush to act. He just let him press against the briefcase. Only when he saw Pot Lid Head's pupils suddenly contract, his face a subtle mixture of two distinct states—confusion and clarity—did Han Su suddenly take a step back with the briefcase.

He smiled. "Long time no see!"

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