The Eldritch Files

All eyes fell on the object he held. It appeared to be made of crystal, and under the neon lights, it glowed with a hazy, bizarre array of colors.

Someone recognized it with disbelief in their voice. "A Crystal Skull?"

CHK-CHK-CHK.

Dozens of guns were instantly aimed at him as someone yelled in panic, "Quick, put it down! That thing contaminates your spirit...!"

"Alright, I’m putting it down, I’m putting it down..."

Looking at the countless terrified faces and the dark muzzles aimed at him, Han Su could even see some of the gun wielders’ hands trembling. He quickly but slowly raised the hand holding his case.

’Never try to act tough when you’re staring down the barrel of a gun,’ he thought. ’One twitch from them and it’s all over for me.’

He continued speaking as he slowly crouched down, placed the Crystal Skull on the ground, and then retreated two steps.

"All of you, stand back."

Everyone’s attention was fixed on the Crystal Skull on the ground. No one dared make the slightest unnecessary movement. But at that moment, a voice rose from the crowd, and a woman wearing a red windbreaker pushed through the onlookers and stepped forward.

She was around thirty years old, with exquisite makeup, and looked absolutely glamorous.

Han Su recognized her. He had seen her in Miss Crow’s memories and knew she was the one who had taken in Miss Crow, a girl regarded as a jinx since childhood, and trained her in secret. It was also this woman who had given Miss Crow the mission to return to Qinggang from the wilderness.

The woman walked up to the Crystal Skull, glanced at Han Su with an expressionless face, and crouched down. She then removed her gloves and tentatively extended her hand, inch by inch.

All around, everyone held their breath.

Only when they saw her gently touch the Crystal Skull, frown slightly, and then pick it up did the invisible pressure in the air seem to vanish in an instant.

"It’s lost its contaminating properties!"

The Lady in the Red Windbreaker looked up at Han Su. "This is a secondary mystical item related to the Crystal Skull. Where did you find it?"

"Over there!"

Han Su turned, pointed at the door of the cake shop, and said, "I originally came here with my mentor, Mr. Strange Bird, to carry out a mission."

"But after following Mr. Strange Bird here, I unexpectedly saw Song Chushi. My initial assessment was that this dangerous individual’s target was related to the Crystal Plague mission our team was undertaking."

"I followed Mr. Strange Bird through that door. He went to face Song Chushi alone, while I was entrusted with the crucial task of resolving that tricky B Level Task by myself."

"Of course, a few Executioners also provided significant help..."

His gaze swept the area, quickly landing on Crow, Doctor, and Black Tiger behind an armored vehicle. He nodded. "Them. In the process of stopping the Crystal Plague contamination, they were a huge help."

"You? You resolved the Crystal Plague by yourself?"

The expression on the Lady in the Red Windbreaker’s face was indescribably odd.

In fact, that wasn’t the only thing she found suspicious. She didn’t believe a word of the story about Mr. Strange Bird confronting Song Chushi alone.

It wasn’t just her; even the figures holding briefcases who remained in the shadowy corners showed distinct surprise on their faces.

’Since when was Strange Bird that courageous? It was more likely that Song Chushi had used some trick to mess with his mind than him willingly confronting Song Chushi alone.’

The Lady in the Red Windbreaker gave Han Su a long, hard look, then waved her hand. Immediately, two teams behind her rushed into the cake shop.

Normally, a location where a dangerous individual had been present would have to be left for a period to let any residual effects dissipate before an inspection. But they couldn’t afford to wait now.

"He’s right about the B Level Task."

At that same moment, a young woman with flaxen hair and wearing denim shorts stepped forward from behind the Lady in the Red Windbreaker. Handing over a tablet, she said, "It’s related to that Crystal Skull."

"This anomaly has already triggered several minor outbreaks. It was a paranormal phenomenon Mr. Strange Bird was investigating, but he’d been trying to track it down for a week with no success."

"Just yesterday, there was another failure, resulting in the loss of one Executioner and six civilians."

"I just didn’t expect it to be resolved today."

At this point, she suddenly lowered her voice. "Miss Weiwei and the Executioners with her were just dealing with people infected by the Crystal Plague here as well. In that light, it seems they didn’t just get involved on their own initiative."

Though she hadn’t spoken loudly about the earlier details, many people nearby still heard her.

Their expressions grew even more astonished, and their gazes darted back and forth between Han Su and the group—Doctor, Black Tiger, and Crow—behind the armored vehicle.

’So, Investigator Strange Bird was really that reckless? He ran off to deal with Song Chushi himself, but left one assistant and a few Executioners to face a B Level Crystal Plague on their own?’

The looks they gave were filled with the kind of astonishment you’d see if you heard a few kids had knocked out a professional boxer.

At this point, the Lady in the Red Windbreaker could ask no more. Instead, she waved a hand, signaling her flaxen-haired assistant to stop talking.

She lowered her head, and just as she was about to speak, she heard a sudden, excited shout from nearby. "It... It was Mr. Strange Bird who sent them...!"

The speaker was Investigator Strange Bird’s assistant.

He had been waiting in the car outside the whole time, witnessing everything unfold. He’d felt like his world was collapsing.

He didn’t understand how it had all happened, but he knew Mr. Strange Bird had made a colossal mistake. He had provoked Song Chushi on his own—without reporting in, without orders, and even while his own mission was unfolding right next to him.

Now, Song Chushi had swaggered away, while Mr. Strange Bird remained unresponsive. Who knew what state he was in now?

And who knew what would happen when they got back to the Disaster Management Bureau...

’So, you couldn’t report after arriving because the signal was blocked? Fine. But why didn’t you sync your information with everyone else on your way over here?’

But then, in his moment of deepest despair, he saw Han Su. He saw the Crystal Skull in his hands and heard his explanation. A sudden, wonderful opportunity appeared, and he yelled without a second thought:

"This Executioner is Mr. Strange Bird’s assistant, his student in a way! It was Mr. Strange Bird who discovered all this and formulated the plan!"

"This mission... it was completed under Mr. Strange Bird’s leadership!"

"..."

As he spoke, he frantically shot meaningful looks at Han Su. At a time like this, the only way Mr. Strange Bird could possibly pass the Disaster Management Bureau’s review was to take credit for this success.

The Lady in the Red Windbreaker froze for a second. His explanation made the story seem less outlandish, yet something still felt strange. Her gaze flickered past Miss Crow’s face, who was standing behind Han Su, before settling on Han Su himself.

"So, is that what really happened?"

"..."

Since the Investigator’s representative had spoken, it meant the matter was more or less settled.

And when it came to a paranormal incident involving Mysterious Believers, the only reasonable explanation for its resolution was that an Investigator had personally orchestrated it.

Hearing this, Han Su glanced at the assistant in surprise and said, "That’s right."

The assistant’s face immediately lit up with delight.

’He gets it!’

’He really gets it!’

’With a guy this smart, maybe he could even follow Mr. Strange Bird alongside me and we could make a real name for ourselves in the Disaster Management Bureau!’

Even the Lady in the Red Windbreaker was taken aback for a moment. She frowned. "Where is he, then?"

When Han Su heard this question, his expression suddenly grew solemn. After a long moment, he heaved a deep sigh, glanced back toward the cake shop, and the corners of his mouth twitched as if in deep sorrow. "Mr. Strange Bird," he said, "has made the ultimate sacrifice."

"What?"

The Lady in the Red Windbreaker’s expression was one of utter astonishment, and her voice cracked.

Han Su’s expression grew heavy, and he sighed softly. "Just now, in the process of stopping the Crystal Skull Organization from unleashing the Spiritual Plague, Mr. Strange Bird was killed. That’s why I was the one who had to finish the remaining work and bring this out."

"What?"

Hearing this, the crowd was utterly shocked.

Mr. Strange Bird’s assistant, in particular, shuddered violently and stared blankly in the direction of the cake shop.

Han Su sighed, turned, and pointed. "The body is over there. You can go have a look."

Hearing this, the Lady in the Red Windbreaker’s expression froze.

As they spoke, the person who had just led the two teams inside to investigate walked out quickly. He ordered a clean-up crew to take a body bag into the cake shop, then approached the Lady in the Red Windbreaker and said in a low, serious voice:

"There are signs the door was opened. We found Investigator Strange Bird inside. He was shot in the forehead and showed no signs of life."

"Based on a preliminary examination, the bullet that killed him came from his own service weapon."

"We’ve questioned the person from the cake shop. She said she only saw a very ugly man rush into the shop and point a gun at a very handsome man. She doesn’t know what happened after that. When she came to, only the ugly man was left in the shop."

"..."

"Such a blunt description, huh?"

Hearing this, the Lady in the Red Windbreaker let out a somewhat speechless laugh.

When she turned back, however, her expression grew grave once more. She suddenly reached out, grabbed Han Su’s right hand, and glanced at the webbing between his thumb and forefinger. Then, she looked at his left hand.

Finding no signs of him having fired a gun, she slowly retracted her gaze. A smirk played on her lips. "Looks like you hit the jackpot, kid."

"But once we get back to the Disaster Management Bureau, you’ll have a lot of explaining to do."

"How an Executioner who just joined a few days ago managed to single-handedly resolve a B Level Crystal Plague contamination incident—one that’s challenging even for an average Investigator—especially when Investigator Strange Bird himself ended up dead?"

"..."

Han Su met her gaze, nodded, and smiled. "I’ve already written the report."

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