The Eldritch Files

”So, he’s the only kid who escaped from that kidnapping case back then?”

”Heh, who knew he was so valuable. A three-million-dollar bounty... that’s enough for me to buy a new car...”

In another room in the base, the Investigator of Strange Birds, having changed into loose-fitting clothes, held a glass of Whiskey and leaned lazily against the sofa.

He couldn’t help but sneer as he listened to his assistant’s report.

”His file is already being erased.”

Beside him, the assistant reported cautiously, ”Although the security clearance for the files of anyone who joins the Disaster Management Bureau is raised, his is being done faster than anyone else’s. It seems Zhang Chiguo cares a great deal about him.”

”Teacher, Zhang Chiguo was sent down from the higher-ups, after all. I think... perhaps we don’t need to mess with his guy.”

The Investigator of Strange Birds shot him a cold look, and the assistant immediately swallowed the rest of his words. The Investigator sneered, ”I don’t even give a damn about Zhang Chiguo, let alone him.”

The assistant wanted to try and reason with him, but he didn’t dare speak again.

The Investigator of Strange Birds, however, suddenly changed his tune. ”But,” he said, ”I do have to consider the attitude of the people up top.”

The assistant was slightly taken aback and said in a low voice, ”Judging by the Disaster Management Bureau’s attitude toward that kidnapping case, the people up top probably don’t like this kid.”

”I don’t know what Zhang Chiguo was thinking, letting him join the Disaster Management Bureau. Isn’t he deliberately embarrassing the higher-ups?”

”Hah, you say the people up top don’t like him?”

Hearing this, the Investigator of Strange Birds gave a cold laugh and suddenly retorted, ”If they didn’t like him, they could have just made him disappear. So many years have passed, why is this sole survivor still alive and well?”

”Could it be that those people up top actually respect the law too much to kill someone?”

...

The assistant was stunned, having never considered it from that angle.

After a moment of thought, the Investigator of Strange Birds snorted coldly and said in a low voice, ”There’s definitely some secret surrounding this kid.”

”I’ve heard about the Bureau’s previous involvement as well.”

”But like everyone else, I don’t believe some monster really kidnapped those children in that case, but I also don’t believe it was just a kid making things up.”

...

After hearing this, the assistant paused for a moment and said quietly, ”Judging by this bounty, quite a few people believe he must be hiding some secret, but everyone who took this job suffered for it recently.”

”But the person who posted the bounty is very powerful. The bounty is still up on the Black Table even now.”

The Investigator of Strange Birds just sneered and said, ”To someone that powerful, a three-million bounty is pocket change. They’re just testing the waters. This proves that kid really does have something in his head.”

”And speaking of which...”

He suddenly smiled, patting his briefcase. His eyes were full of appreciation and pride as he said, ”When it comes to opening up people’s heads, who in all of Qinggang City can compare to me?”

Seeing his obsessed look, the assistant seemed to recall something utterly terrifying.

A chill ran down his spine, and he instinctively tried to dissuade him. ”Mr. Strange Bird, this messy business... I think...”

”I know this might bring me considerable trouble.”

The Investigator of Strange Birds narrowed his eyes, gently cutting him off. ”But if his head really contains some valuable information, don’t you think my chance to be promoted to Independent Investigator might lie right here?”

”Don’t forget, all our privileges come from the Investigator License. And after the Tide, that power will be revoked.”

”Zhang Chiguo is bad news, and he already has his eyes on me...”

”If I want to keep this position, my only option is to climb to a safe spot before that happens...”

...

Hearing this, the assistant was rendered speechless. He knew the Investigator of Strange Birds dreamed of obtaining the word ”Independent,” so he didn’t dare argue about anything related to it.

”Of course, I know dealing with those bigwigs up top is dangerous, even more dangerous than dealing with the grotesque... No, I should say, it’s just as dangerous!”

The Investigator of Strange Birds muttered to himself, ”Both are incomprehensible, and both are activities that can get you killed in an instant.”

”However, if the truth in his head is something that makes Zhang Chiguo and the bigwigs up top so concerned, yet so hesitant to act...”

”...then in my hands, wouldn’t it be a huge bargaining chip?”

...

Once the thought appeared in his mind, it became increasingly hard to suppress.

Especially when he glanced at the briefcase beside him, an irrepressible craving surged within him. He mused, ’If it were me, I’d only need a brief encounter with him...’

’No one would notice, not even him...’

’So then...’

”Where is he now?”

After some deliberation, the Investigator of Strange Birds suddenly looked up, his eyes glinting.

”Since Zhang Chiguo has already approved my request, he’s officially my assistant now. Why hasn’t he reported to me yet?”

”He’s recuperating from an injury, I heard.”

The assistant, looking a bit awkward, quickly added, ”Apparently, another Talented forcibly helped him achieve Spiritual Penetration. He’s dizzy and light-headed and plans to rest for a week before starting work.”

”A week?”

The Investigator of Strange Birds understood immediately. ”Waiting for that woman to come back, is he?”

”Go and request a medical room now, then call him over.”

”Since he’s my assistant and has just completed the Spiritual Penetration stage, it’s only reasonable that I personally help him stabilize his mental state, isn’t it?”

”Of course, wait until Zhang Chiguo has left the base before you go get him.”

...

...

In the base’s cafeteria, Han Su, wearing a special black glove on his right hand, sat at a table. Beside him were three fellow Executioners from his cohort: the Doctor, Black Tiger, and Miss Crow.

As Executioners from the D1 and D2 groups, they hadn’t returned to the base since their assessment ended.

They had all been pulled into that unexpected incident yesterday and had to stay behind for questioning, so they happened to run into each other in the cafeteria this morning.

Han Su felt a sense of gratitude when he remembered that these few had all given honest reports yesterday.

As Executioners, it was already a rare thing for them to honestly report the full story in an incident involving an Investigator.

Most of the other Executioners on that mission, for example, had simply claimed they saw nothing, and some even deliberately tried to shift the blame onto him.

Of course, since these people had been good to him, and he was someone who returned favors, he sincerely showed them his generosity:

”Breakfast is on me today!”

This was how relationships were built. It started with a simple chat, sharing a smoke, just as an opening.

Now, you guys backed me up once, I’m paying you back once, and isn’t our relationship a step closer?

If it gets to the point where you help me out and then I help you out, the relationship will grow even stronger, and we’ll become good friends.

Of course, there are exceptions.

Go for a foot massage together, and the relationship gets there in one step...

...

Across from Han Su, the others exchanged bewildered glances.

Black Tiger was visibly touched. He first grabbed a plate of steamed buns, baozi, and rice porridge, glanced at Han Su’s expression, then went back for another plate with fried eggs and sausages. Now he could finally eat his fill.

Then, just as Black Tiger started digging in with gusto, the Doctor, sitting next to him, frowned and said, ”Isn’t breakfast at the base free?”

”The drinks aren’t.”

Han Su said, ”Drink as much as you want!”

Black Tiger looked at the two large glasses of orange juice in front of him, felt the sincerity, and scratched his head. ”You really didn’t have to,” he said.

”True, you didn’t have to.”

The Doctor pushed up his glasses with his middle finger and said in a refined manner, ”After my observations during this period, I have determined that within the Disaster Management Bureau, the fate of an Executioner is not secure.”

”We all started out as the type with outstanding individual abilities, successfully placed in the D1 and D2 groups, and were even seen by people from other groups as trainee Investigators. It seemed like we just had to bide our time, build up seniority, and wait for our evaluations to be high enough to get promoted.”

”But now I’ve discovered that what we need most is actually luck.”

”If you’re lucky, you can survive long enough to gain enough seniority.”

”If you’re unlucky, we could die on some street corner during the next mission, or under a forgotten streetlight.”

At this point, he offered a summary, looking at Han Su. ”Your proposal back then was a good one. We really do need to help each other.”

”But unfortunately, that’s not enough. We’re still missing an opportunity.”

Han Su listened, feeling curious. ”What kind of opportunity?”

The Doctor said, ”The death of the Investigators above us, of course.”

”Every one that dies is one less, so someone naturally needs to fill the spot. But we’re rookies, too new. Even if an Investigator really did die now, a more senior Executioner would be the one to move up.”

Saying this, he seemed lost in thought. ”Unless... Investigators were to die in large numbers...”

...

’Investigators dying in large numbers, just to open up the positions above?’

’How come it feels like he’s actually making some sense?’

Han Su had originally been focused only on that Spell, but now that the topic came up, he also started to think about the Investigator License.

He turned to Miss Crow and asked, ”How does the normal promotion to Investigator work?”

Upon hearing him, Miss Crow answered with a hint of her usual woodenness, ”Once we reach the initial rating, we get the chance to receive training in Mysterious Power and enjoy the benefits of an Investigator, but we won’t be issued an Investigator License.”

”Every time a license is issued, it means another person with astonishing authority has appeared in Qinggang. But if that person doesn’t have sufficient ability to handle the grotesque, it will lead to an imbalance of power on some level.”

”So, the current situation in the Qinggang Disaster Management Bureau is that there’s a slight shortage of Executioners, but a slight surplus of Investigators. Forget issuing new licenses, it’s not impossible that the higher-ups are looking for chances to revoke some.”

”Of course, his analysis isn’t entirely correct either.”

At this, Crow turned to glance at the Doctor and said, ”Besides those two possibilities, there’s a third: increased activity from Mysterious Organizations, and a rise in grotesque incidents.”

”Under these circumstances, the higher-ups will also issue more licenses, giving more people the chance to become Investigators.”

...

’If other people are satisfied just by reaching a high enough rating and getting the benefits of an Investigator, then I’m really different. Old Zhang made it clear to me back then: the license is crucial.’

Han Su thought to himself, his interest suddenly piqued. He asked the Doctor, ”If that’s the case, and an Investigator really dies, who’s the one that moves up?”

”The Investigator’s assistant.”

The Doctor was clearly a rookie too, but he answered these questions as familiarly as Miss Crow did. He said slowly, ”The license left behind by an Investigator is inherited by their assistant, who is familiar with the work and has the required qualifications.”

”But if Investigators die in large numbers, or an entire team is wiped out, other Executioners with enough seniority will fill the spots. That opportunity, however, is undoubtedly very slim.”

...

’If an Investigator dies, their assistant benefits?’

Han Su was suddenly tempted. ’In that case, does that mean only Mr. Strange Bird stands between me and an Investigator License?’

’He just wasn’t sure if the Investigator of Strange Birds would... cooperate...’