The Eldritch Files

The purpose of this Encrypted Spell was to summon relatively weak, friendly anomalies to fight on one’s behalf.

On the surface, it seemed useless, as few would dare to summon mysterious entities of unknown origin that couldn’t distinguish between friend and foe.

But for Han Su, it was perfect.

To summon Wei Lan!

The hype for Wei Lan’s beauty pageant had reached a fever pitch. Related programs were broadcasting on every channel, and a Mysterious Power was at work within the broadcasts themselves. As long as you saw Wei Lan on TV, you could summon her.

The last time Wei Lan had visited, she had left a "coordinate" at his place, partly to make sure she didn’t climb out of the wrong TV.

Of course, this complicated plan had been Wei Lan’s idea.

She didn’t fully trust other electronic devices, which was why she’d come up with this whole setup.

HUMMM...

The image on the television suddenly flickered. The next moment, Han Su saw Wei Lan, who was in the middle of a photoshoot on screen, a look of pleasant surprise appearing on her face.

A moment later, she pushed right through the crowd, walked toward the camera, lowered her head, and began to climb out.

Light and shadow flickered in the room as Wei Lan’s head emerged first, followed by her arms, until her entire body was out of the television.

’Every time I see her make an entrance like this...’

Han Su, still holding the remote, felt the impulse to hit the pause button.

’Not for any particular reason, of course. I just wanted to see if she’d get stuck.’

Wei Lan finally scrambled out. Looking up, she saw Han Su’s wide-eyed stare and blushed with embarrassment. "Next time you call for me, close your eyes first."

"I’m a celebrity, you know? I have an image to maintain..."

"..."

"You need to maintain your image, yet you insist on designing an entrance like that?"

Han Su could only stand up awkwardly and offer some comfort. "Next time, I’ll get the biggest TV I can find to make it easier for you."

Then he got straight to business. "I need your help."

Hearing this, Wei Lan’s face lit up with excitement. "Are we making a move?"

"...Not exactly."

Han Su quickly gathered his thoughts. "I’ve located the child we rescued, and I’ve recorded his Spiritual Information. But I don’t yet have the ability to reach him across half the city, so I need you to help me make contact."

Wei Lan held out her palm. "Give me the information."

Spiritual Power has the ability to carry "information," and each person’s Spiritual Power has its own unique properties. Because of this, people in their circle could leave a permanent imprint on each other with a single handshake.

However, because Spiritual Power also has the ability to mimic or invade, those who lacked sufficient trust wouldn’t risk a direct exchange of information.

After receiving the information, Wei Lan closed her eyes and softly uttered a Spell.

At her level, while she still used Encrypted Spells to leverage Mysterious Power, she no longer needed to recite the Spell clearly. Her lips didn’t even seem to move.

One would only feel a mysterious vibration in the air, without hearing any sound, as the Mysterious Power descended.

Even Han Su took a step back to observe, feeling a Mysterious Power begin to envelop his surroundings, gradually submerging him and the entire room. The very space around them seemed to ripple with change.

Mirrored, crystalline structures seemed to sprout from the walls, spreading and extending until they formed a complete enclosure.

Han Su felt his Spiritual Power being enveloped. He closed his eyes and opened them again to see another person on his apartment sofa. It was Pot Lid Head.

He sat there quietly, his eyes dark and empty, silently surveying his surroundings. He seemed to lack any sign of life, and he showed no intention of resisting the Spiritual Power that had pulled him here.

In theory, he and Wei Lan were strangers, so he could have resisted this unfamiliar summons. But he had come anyway. It seemed that even if someone else had summoned him, he would have come along just to see what was happening.

"He’s the child we rescued?"

Wei Lan sized up Pot Lid Head with a mix of delight and curiosity, as if she couldn’t get a good enough look. "Why can’t I... quite remember what he looked like at the Ancient Castle?"

Han Su gestured vaguely. "His hairstyle wasn’t like this back then..."

Wei Lan looked thoughtful, then it dawned on her. "Oh, right! He had a mushroom cut, didn’t he?"

Han Su thought for a moment and decided not to explain. ’Close enough,’ he figured.

’Even though I was pretty sure it was a pot lid head...’

Throughout their conversation, Pot Lid Head listened quietly. Only when they had finished did he look at Wei Lan. His gaze held no wariness, nor the spark of interest one might expect when looking at a beautiful woman.

"Who is she?"

’Pot Lid Head probably doesn’t recognize Wei Lan...’

Han Su vaguely recalled. ’In the timeline he remembers, I had already rescued Wei Lan...’

He nodded slightly, answering Pot Lid Head’s question. "One of us."

"Oh."

Pot Lid Head accepted this answer. "Why did you bring me here?"

As he spoke, a hint of disappointment crossed his face. "I was looking for your attacker, but I failed. Before I could find her, the person who was in contact with D7 was already dead."

Beside them, Wei Lan’s pretty eyes widened in surprise as she stared at Han Su. "You were attacked again?"

"The usual."

Han Su replied to Wei Lan, then turned to Pot Lid Head. "I was the one who killed her."

"For one, I was caught up in the moment. For another, I wanted to use the opportunity to test something."

"And third, I could tell she wasn’t your type."

"..."

Pot Lid Head listened to the first two reasons with a blank expression, but at the third, his lips curled into a slight grin.

"You get me."

"Since the woman is dead, I couldn’t question her further, so I couldn’t determine who was behind her. I don’t like to act without proof, so I consider the job unfinished."

"However, I did meet a Drunkard there. He’s a smooth talker, so I made friends with him. I think I might have a new lead soon..."

"..."

’Friends?’

Han Su was taken aback. ’A Drunkard?’

’I didn’t realize Pot Lid Head had already found his way to Dingxiang Mansion in such a short time. He’s fast...’

’As for the Drunkard Investigator he’d befriended, I can just imagine the kind of spiel that Wine Barrel Nose must have used to win over Pot Lid Head.’

’That seemed to be his favorite tactic. Well, good luck to him!’

Seeing Pot Lid Head’s happy smile, Han Su didn’t press the issue. Back when they were kids in the Ancient Castle, Pot Lid Head was the type who, once he accepted a mission, would see it through to the end, even if it killed him. It seemed he hadn’t changed a bit.

’I’ll have to be careful in the future. Once I give Pot Lid Head a task, it’s his to own.’

He took a deep breath, looked seriously at the two of them, and said in a low voice, "When I killed that woman, I came to a realization. It’s time for us to get to work."

"There might only be a few of us right now, and we might not be powerful enough, but no matter what, those people will never leave us alone."

"Since that’s the case, why not take the initiative?"

"..."

As Pot Lid Head listened, a happy smile spread across his face. He glanced at Wei Lan. "He’s my kind of guy!"

Beside them, Wei Lan was so excited that her projection flickered. "Then what is our objective?" she whispered.

Han Su took a deep breath. "Rescue *them*, kill *them*, and escape *Them*!"

Pot Lid Head mulled over the three objectives Han Su had laid out. After a long moment, his eyes slowly curved into a smile. ’Good. At least one of those is to my liking.’

Wei Lan, on the other hand, stood frozen for a long time, the complex emotions swirling within her difficult to describe. ’Finally... is there something I can be a part of?’

"So..."

She suppressed her excitement. "Where do we begin?"

Han Su looked at them both quietly and said slowly, "We’ll start with the people standing in our way."

"We have to save the kidnapped children. And the ones covering up the case have to pay the price. Since their dogs keep barking, if we kill the dogs first, the master is bound to poke his head out for a look, right?"

"..."

He spoke calmly, having clearly given the matter a great deal of thought.

No matter how important these people were to the Disaster Management Bureau, they had caused him far too much trouble. It was time to collect some interest.

Wei Lan’s smile bloomed, and Pot Lid Head’s eyes began to gleam with excitement.

Looking at their different expressions, Han Su felt a strange sense of ease settle in his heart. ’Is this it?’ he thought. ’The first official meeting of the children who escaped the Ancient Castle?’

’It’s just a shame Xu Ji is missing...’

’...Then again, this apartment is Xu Ji’s, so does that mean he’s participating in a way?’

...

"We’re still very weak compared to them. I hope you’re both prepared for that."

He savored this moment, the relief of being able to speak freely and share the burden, but Han Su didn’t forget the task at hand. He looked up at Pot Lid Head.

"Right now, I need to perform a forbidden procedure on myself—a self-inflicted Spiritual Cutting. I have no experience with it. With all the surgeries you’ve performed, perhaps you’ve encountered something similar?"

Pot Lid Head considered this seriously, then nodded. "I have."

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