The Eldritch Files

"Damn it..."

Han Su’s eyes shot open just as his body tumbled out of the Ancient Castle, a profound sense of weightlessness washing over him.

He was still in his apartment, still sitting on the sofa. The cup of tea in front of him was still steaming gently. It was as if nothing had changed—the second hand on the wall clock had only ticked forward a dozen or so times.

"I’m back..."

He looked down at the back of his left hand. The scar was gone. He had escaped the Ancient Castle once again, but...

There was no joy in this escape, only a seething rage that made him grind his teeth.

His mind was filled with the image of that damned, withered face, like cracked porcelain—the face of that goddamned old butler.

This time, he had successfully bypassed the Pale Giant, avoided the Puppet Dolls, and reached the door. If it weren’t for him, he could have brought Manman out...

He furiously snatched the cup of tea from the table and took a gulp, but a shiver ran through him, and he nearly dropped it.

"Fuck, why is this tea so hot?"

"..."

He felt a little ridiculous. Leaning back, he flopped onto the sofa and covered his face with his hands.

After a while, he slowly calmed down and sat up again.

First, the usual process...

As countless memory fragments surfaced in his mind, he took stock of his current situation and the events of the recent past.

There were hardly any changes from last time?

The only difference was that the scar on his left hand was gone. The hand itself had also become more nimble.

But it seemed that thanks to the recording ability of the Fishing Song, he could still use his left hand’s powers in this timeline. He was still with the Disaster Management Bureau, and the Crystal Skull incident had already been resolved.

His mentor, Mr. Strange Bird...

...was still just as unfortunate.

...

Han Su breathed a sigh of relief. Ever since that door appeared, his life hadn’t seen such world-altering changes for a long time.

The appearance of the Fishing Song had also subtly helped fill in some of the missing details.

It actually gave his life a sense of firm, steady progress.

He sat up after a long moment of silent recollection, but suddenly, his head spun. A sound like grinding metal echoed in his mind, like a reckless, violent beast crashing through his thoughts, nearly causing him to fall to the floor.

"Hn?"

Han Su clutched his head. Only then did he recall more details.

It wasn’t that there were no changes at all.

In this timeline, he seemed to have developed a new problem: occasional headaches, as if something strange was fighting back and forth inside his skull.

They weren’t severe and always passed quickly, but when they struck, the pain was excruciating.

Was this...

...the sound he heard coming from the fifth floor as he left the Ancient Castle?

He suddenly realized. As he was leaving the Ancient Castle, a sort of rumbling had echoed from the fifth floor. It was like a spoken phrase, resonating and traveling through the narrow space and solid matter, finally catching up to him just before he fully escaped through the door.

’That "phrase" is still in my head even now?’

He was stunned for a moment. It felt as if this "phrase" was alive, constantly searching for an exit inside his head.

He didn’t understand. He sat there quietly, trying with all his might, but he couldn’t decipher the content of the sound.

And so he couldn’t predict what effect this sound might have!

After a long silence, he thumped his head twice, as if fixing an old TV. The headache actually went away.

He could only make a mental note of it for now. After resting for a moment, he poured a glass of clear water.

He observed it for a moment. There were no ripples on the water’s surface.

Only then did he relax and begin to organize the information he had gained this time.

He took out a sheet of paper and, using symbols and words only he could understand, recorded the hidden entrances and passages within the Ancient Castle to help him review his memories. He recorded them meticulously; they were all potentially life-saving.

Only by deeply engraving all these entrances and secret passages into his mind could he be certain of victory next time.

’As long as the old butler doesn’t get in the way, I can use this route at the right time and guarantee I can rescue Manman...’

’There are many similar passages, which means I have a lot more opportunities now...’

’And then there’s Tuxedo. That guy is too cunning. He actually managed to use the Pig-Headed Butcher to block the old butler...’

’So, could I go in again and escalate the conflict between them?’

’...’

’...’

As he planned, countless ideas flooded his mind. Han Su slowly closed his eyes, running through the probability of success over and over. However, the old butler’s stiff, bizarre face kept flashing in his thoughts, leaving him feeling unsettled.

He opened his eyes, tucked the paper securely against his body, and then thought of another key issue.

He took out his phone and searched for "Dingxiang Mansion." The result was somewhat surprising:

The name didn’t exist on the map?

But he had to find this place related to the old butler and get that Mechanical Fragment.

Once he had sorted through his thoughts, he checked a message from Special Assistant Xu. The assistant had sent a time and place to arrange a meeting with Mei Lan, asking for his opinion. Han Su replied directly, "That works."

Just then, the Doctor sent another message: a single "?". Han Su thought of the Ghost Truck matter and replied:

"Of course. Where do you want to meet?"

"..."

When it came down to it, the Ghost Truck was the most pressing matter at hand.

The deadline for that monster’s awakening was drawing closer. He had to get his Investigator License as soon as possible.

The Doctor sent an address, and Han Su headed over immediately.

The meeting place was a café on a bustling commercial street. This street was lively not just at 12:30 AM, but even at two or three in the morning. Yet this late-night café was very quiet, perfect for a conversation.

The Doctor and Black Tiger were sitting in a blind spot, perfectly avoiding the surveillance cameras. Han Su had a waiter bring him a glass of water and sat down with them.

The Doctor began speaking as soon as Han Su arrived. "I took the liberty of drafting a simple plan for the Ghost Truck capture mission. Since this is so important to you, and to be on the safe side, I only invited people I can trust and who can actually help."

He deliberately gestured to Black Tiger beside him, then gently pushed a small, red-Flashing gadget to the center of the table. "This is an anti-eavesdropping device I made myself. We can speak freely."

"You’re certainly cautious."

Han Su praised the Doctor, then stared at the glass of water by his hand. Only after confirming there were no ripples in it did he ask, "If you’re only inviting people you trust, then what about Miss Crow?"

"That’s up to you."

The Doctor looked Han Su in the eye and used his ring finger to slowly push his Glasses back up his nose. "If you’re willing to invite her, then call her over. The action plan I’ve prepared would indeed be better with her."

Hearing the Doctor’s somewhat strange words, Han Su’s heart stirred. ’So this guy has also noticed something’s not right with Miss Crow.’

After a pause, he said, "Let me see your plan first."

The Doctor pushed a tablet with its signal disabled over to him. Han Su glanced at it and said, "Alright, I’ll call her now."

He had to call her. This mission was too difficult.

In the Disaster Management Bureau’s files, the Ghost Truck was only ranked Level C+.

In other words, in terms of danger, it was a full Level lower than the Crystal Plague mission on Beidi Street.

But this was because the Ghost Truck’s threat to the general public was limited.

For a threat like the Crystal Plague, whether or not it killed people was no longer the point; the important thing was its spread.

Its spread was difficult for non-professionals to detect and very prone to leaks. The consequences and fanaticism caused by its contamination could easily destabilize public faith.

The Ghost Truck, on the other hand, was the complete opposite of the Crystal Plague. It was ferocious. It killed people and instinctively collected Chong Ghosts to strengthen itself. But due to its nature, its hunts were always accompanied by a thick fog, so it was rarely seen by many people.

More critically, this aberration was very cunning and never truly entered the city, which meant there was little Miss Ai could do to help.

And this aberration had the ability to appear and escape at will within the fog. Even the Disaster Management Bureau, after expending significant manpower and resources, was powerless against it, leading to the current difficult situation.

Its threat Level was merely C, but its capture difficulty was practically on par with Song Chushi.

"No wonder a mere C Level mission can determine the issuance of an Investigator License."

"Because this is really no easy job."

The Doctor casually put three packets of sugar into his coffee, then pushed up his Glasses with his index finger and began to explain his plan to Han Su. "From what I understand, the Disaster Management Bureau’s operation to capture the Ghost Truck has been going on for a month."

"But in that month, they’ve only conducted one effective operation, and unfortunately, that one failed due to one person’s negligence."

"Since then, they’ve held numerous meetings and mobilized many Executioners, but the Ghost Truck hasn’t appeared at all."

"..."

Han Su frowned slightly. "Why?"

"Because the truck is very cunning."

The Doctor felt strange even as he said it. He shook his head and continued, "Actually, the capture plan I’ve devised isn’t much different from the Disaster Management Bureau’s."

"Step one, we must ensure it appears at a designated location."

"Step two, as soon as it appears, we immediately initiate a containment plan to trap it within a specific area."

"Step three, a powerful Investigator steps in to seal or eliminate it."

"Each step must be executed with extreme precision. Any slight mishap will cause the mission to capture the Ghost Truck to fail."

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