The Eldritch Files

”Mr. Strange Bird, what’s the situation?”

The silent, smiling standoff was finally broken by the sound of chaotic, hurried footsteps.

It was Investigator Strange Bird’s assistant, who had been setting up defenses at the intersections, along with the Executioners from the other teams—Doctor, Crow, Black Tiger, and the others. They had all received word and rushed over.

From a distance, they could already sense that the atmosphere was off. When they got closer and saw the conspicuous corpses on the ground, the color drained from their faces instantly.

And by the door, the positions of Investigator Strange Bird and Han Su were unsettling; the tension between them was palpable, as if they were about to draw weapons.

Investigator Strange Bird’s assistant read the situation and seemed to guess what had happened. He immediately drew his gun. Beside him, however, Black Tiger suddenly shot him a wary glance, which startled the assistant and made him take a step back.

”It’s nothing.”

Amidst the tense atmosphere, Investigator Strange Bird just smiled, turned around, and waved his hand. ”Let’s head back to the Disaster Management Bureau.”

”The mission was a failure. We lost one Executioner and four civilians.”

”Notify Miss Ai to send people over to clean up the scene.”

He gave Han Su a beaming nod, then turned and left. His private vehicle was already waiting at the end of the street. He simply ducked into the car and departed, just like that.

On Han Su’s end, as soon as the Investigator left, the atmosphere immediately relaxed. Miss Crow and the others gathered around him. With so many other Executioners nearby, it wasn’t convenient to talk, but their gazes were filled with questions.

Han Su shook his head. ”It’s fine. We should head back, too. I imagine someone at the Bureau will want to ask us a few things.”

...

”Find out everything there is to know about this guy named Butcher.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Strange Bird sat in the spacious backseat of an armored vehicle, his expression instantly twisting into something venomous and cruel. He grit his teeth and snarled, ”Dammit, who the hell is the Disaster Management Bureau hiring these days?”

”Yes, yes...”

Facing Mr. Strange Bird’s fury, his personal assistant and student was a bit timid. He hastily agreed, then mustered up his courage to ask in a low voice, ”Mr. Strange Bird, during the mission just now...”

”...You went to the wrong door?”

”...”

Investigator Strange Bird’s expression changed in an instant, and he shot his assistant a frigid glare.

The assistant trembled, nearly spilling the Whiskey he was pouring. He hurriedly presented the glass with both hands and explained, ”What I mean is, if the Bureau finds out, it won’t look good. Why didn’t you just...”

He paused there, but the implication was obvious: ’After all, you’d already killed one of them...’

Mr. Strange Bird took the glass. The ice cubes clinked as he narrowed his eyes, pondering.

’That’s right, why didn’t I just make it a clean sweep?’

’But thinking back on it, the way that guy just stood there so calmly, every nerve in his body taut, staring right into my eyes... how did that make me miss the opportunity?’

’Killing him shouldn’t have been difficult at all.’

’Perhaps it’s like dealing with a rat. No matter its size or ferocity, you can always stomp it to death. But when you encounter a particularly vicious one, you can’t help but worry you might get bitten in the process, can you?’

”Leaving him alive is no big deal. Executioners have a natural reverence for Investigators.”

The complex thought flashed through his mind, and he slowly spoke, ”But this is the third time we’ve failed to find that door. The Bureau will need an explanation.”

”You know how to write the report, don’t you?”

The assistant nodded repeatedly, took out a notebook, and opened it on his lap. ”Yes, yes, I’ll write it right now.”

...

In another vehicle, Han Su rode with Doctor, Crow, and Black Tiger. Other Executioners tried to get in, but the oppressive atmosphere inside the car drove them back.

Han Su swayed with the movement of the vehicle. After they had driven for some distance, he suddenly turned to Doctor and said, ”Back during the assessment, I heard you say that you’ve memorized the entire Executioner’s handbook?”

Doctor calmly turned to look at Han Su. ”Not just the Executioners’ handbook. The Investigators’ as well.”

Han Su nodded and leaned forward slightly. ”Then tell me, in this mission just now, how many rules did that guy break?”

As he spoke, he also glanced at Crow. She had been the one to send the warning message to him, Doctor, and Black Tiger. It was obvious she knew it was a huge mistake, one that could expose the Executioners to unforeseeable risks. That was why she had sent the alert.

”He didn’t formulate an operational plan, didn’t request support from the technical team when there was ample time, didn’t set up containment personnel as required, and showed no regard for civilians or the chain of transmission...”

Doctor listed them off without hesitation. ”He didn’t even show his credentials when conducting a mission in a public area.”

”Are we talking about every kind of mistake?”

Crow, sitting beside them, suddenly chimed in. ”His most serious offense was improperly teaching an Encrypted Spell to Executioners.”

”It’s extremely dangerous for even someone who hasn’t achieved Spiritual Penetration to chant that kind of Spell in a contaminated zone. What’s more, the purpose of that Spell is to forcibly attract the anomaly to oneself.”

”But why are you asking all this?”

After rattling all that off, she finally looked at Han Su. ”Are you going to report him when we get back to the Bureau?”

”Of course not.”

Han Su shook his head and took out his phone. ”There’s no time to wait until we get back to the Bureau. I have to report him right now.”

As he spoke, he dialed a number. ”Uncle Zhang, there’s something I need to report to you...”

Beside him, Crow and Doctor: ”...”

Black Tiger: ”?”

...

...

When the vehicles carrying Han Su’s team and Investigator Strange Bird returned to the Disaster Management Bureau, one after the other, they found the entire place on high alert. Two rows of fully armed security personnel stood grimly at the base’s entrance, rifles at the ready.

As Han Su and the others got out of their car, the two rows of armed guards immediately approached them. Their tone was polite, but stiff. ”Mr. Butcher?”

”Please surrender your sidearm and standard-issue weapon and come with us. We have some questions for you.”

”...”

Hearing this, Crow, Doctor, and Black Tiger’s expressions changed. Not far away, Investigator Strange Bird and his assistant turned their heads, let out a cold sneer, and started walking toward the main building.

But before they could even reach the steps of the building, they saw Zhang Chiguo, with Secretary Cui Qiao and another squad of armed personnel, coming up to meet them. He politely shook their hands and said:

”Mr. Strange Bird, please come with us. We have some questions for you.”

”Oh, and why don’t you let me hold onto that briefcase for you?”

”...”

This sudden turn of events made the color drain from the faces of Investigator Strange Bird and his assistant.

It suddenly dawned on him, and he whipped his head around to glare viciously at Han Su.

Amidst the ferocity, there was even a hint of shock: ’Fuck, an Executioner reporting an Investigator?’

At this moment, Han Su, now flanked by two security guards, no longer felt the tension of facing the Investigator alone on the street. Noticing the venom in the other man’s eyes, he returned it with an undisguised sneer of his own.

When everyone saw both parties being escorted into the lobby by fully armed security, the entire Disaster Management Bureau began to buzz with excitement.

Han Su was led into an interrogation room with an all-metal design. After he had been sitting for a while, the door opened and someone walked in, followed by two other staff members with ice-cold expressions.

A security camera tilted down slightly, as if nodding, indicating that Miss Ai had also joined the interrogation.

Meeting Secretary Cui’s gaze, Han Su felt a little helpless.

’This time, it really wasn’t my fault.’

’He just had one lingering question: was what happened tonight a deliberate attack on him, or was it unintentional?’

’The former would be one thing, but if it was the latter...’

’...did the lives of Executioners in the Disaster Management Bureau really mean nothing?’

He didn’t hide anything about what had happened that night. He recounted the entire mission process without leaving out a single word, being especially detailed about Investigator Strange Bird making them chant the Spell and gunning down the D2 Executioner.

When Secretary Cui Qiao first entered the interrogation room, her face was tense and she seemed quite nervous. But as she listened, she slowly began to relax. By the end of his account, her expression had turned to one of weary resignation.

”Is that all?”

She looked at Han Su and said, ”It’s best if you don’t hide anything.”

Han Su shook his head. ”I haven’t.”

”Then organize the report. Zhang the Head is ’chatting’ with that Investigator about this matter right now. Go and give him the report we’ve compiled for his review.”

Cui Qiao first spoke to the two other staff members who had been questioning Han Su. After they nodded and left with the interrogation record, she turned to Han Su and said, ”You’re in trouble.”

”This matter isn’t my fault.”

”What does that have to do with you being in trouble?”

”...”

Han Su was momentarily speechless. After a moment’s thought, he realized she had a point.

Seeing that he wasn’t going to argue the point, Secretary Cui’s expression softened a little. ”Investigator Strange Bird submitted a report that pushes all the blame onto you. However, you should be fine.”

”He acted too rashly during this mission and committed many fundamental errors.”

”If he had actually completed the mission, no one would mention these mistakes. But since he failed, they all become problems.”

”And that means you are safe.”

”...”

Han Su nodded, imperceptibly sighing in relief. He then asked, ”And what about him?”

Cui Qiao paused for a moment, then smiled. ”He, of course, will also be fine.”

As if noticing the subtle change in Han Su’s expression, she quickly added, ”Although an Executioner was lost and several innocent civilians were involved, he was genuinely focused on completing this B Level Task and finding the source of the B Level anomaly.”

”Consider this a lesson for you.”

She looked at Han Su calmly. ”In the Disaster Management Bureau, for certain Investigators who can achieve great things, the Bureau allows them to be a little... willful.”

The curse that was about to leave Han Su’s lips was suddenly choked back. What else was there to say?