The Eldritch Files

He pushed the topic aside for the moment and turned to look at Miss Crow.

After a night’s rest, she still looked listless. She had large, dark circles under her eyes, and even her short hair seemed dull and lifeless.

He smiled. ”How did you sleep last night?”

Miss Crow nodded silently but said, ”After your mind is affected, you usually don’t sleep well the first night.”

”So, what I saw yesterday...”

Han Su recalled the strange and bizarre images he had seen during his Spiritual Penetration of Miss Crow the day before, as well as the inexplicable sense of oppression and loneliness he had felt.

”Those were my memories.”

Miss Crow suddenly raised her head, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes. ”How much did you see?”

Han Su met her gaze. ”Just a few scenes. They were all from your childhood...”

Miss Crow seemed to let out a sigh of relief and lowered her head again. ”I had a difficult childhood. Please don’t make fun of me.”

Han Su nodded and said earnestly, ”I won’t.”

’He’d wanted to talk to her about it, but he could tell from her attitude that she didn’t like discussing it. It was clearly a sensitive topic, almost taboo for her.’

’He was curious about that sharp glint in her eyes, but he could only suppress the thought, habitually reining in his curiosity.’

The Doctor, off to the side, shot them a strange look, sensing something was going on between them.

The only one unfazed was Black Tiger, who was busy forking fried sausages and eggs into his mouth.

He wanted to join the conversation but couldn’t quite follow what they were talking about. So, while stuffing his face, he asked Han Su, ”Has that ugly guy been bothering you again?”

Han Su smiled and shook his head. ”Someone helped me out. I don’t have to worry about him for the time being.”

He glanced around as he spoke. ”Don’t you guys think it’s weird? Why are there so few people at the base?”

They normally had freedom of movement and didn’t need to return to base, but there were usually plenty of people from D5D6 and the D7 Group around.

And the lower the group designation, the more members it had.

There were over a dozen people in their recruitment batch alone. Add to that the ones who joined before them, plus personnel from various other departments like Information, Security, Medical, and Press, and the total number of people should have been huge.

By extension, the base cafeteria was normally packed with people—you could tell just by the sheer number of service windows and the size of the dining hall.

But now, on the rare occasion they returned to base for a meal, they found the place practically deserted. At the serving counter, fried eggs were stacked into a small mountain, yet besides Black Tiger, no one was taking any.

A scan of the dining hall revealed only a few scattered people eating.

”A confidential mission.”

Miss Crow spoke up. ”They must have all been deployed. It’s just us. Our group’s rank isn’t low, but we don’t have a team captain or a direct commanding Investigator, so we end up looking like we’re just lazing around.”

Just as she said that, they heard the sound of scattered footsteps. Everyone turned in surprise, their expressions instantly turning serious.

The man approaching wore a tactical uniform and a broad smile.

He looked friendly enough, but upon seeing him, everyone at the table became wary. It was the Investigator of Strange Birds’ assistant, the same one they’d encountered on the mission last night.

He led four or five armed security personnel and strode up to their table. Stopping before them, he scanned the group with a smile and chuckled. ”After delaying such a major mission yesterday, causing untold casualties and losses, you all seem to have quite the appetite today.”

The group just looked up at him in silence. Han Su frowned. ”What do you want?”

”Since I’m here, of course I have business with you.”

The assistant’s gaze flicked to the black glove on Han Su’s right hand. He smiled. ”Executor Butcher, the sync report shows you’ve just completed a Spiritual Penetration. Why have you come to a public area?”

”Let’s go. Mr. Strange Bird has summoned you. He wants to personally examine your mental state!”

”...”

”What?”

Everyone at the table was stunned by his words and shot to their feet.

Miss Crow, in particular, understood the full implications. Her face fell, and a fierce look appeared on her pale lips.

”Sit down.”

The assistant’s face darkened as he barked at the others. Then, forcing another smile, he looked at Han Su. ”Let’s go!”

”Don’t keep Mr. Strange Bird waiting.”

”...”

Han Su met his smile, leaning back slightly. ”Are you just using this as an excuse to cause trouble for me, taking advantage of the fact that my Uncle Zhang is away?”

”The Disaster Management Bureau doesn’t recognize any ’Uncle Zhang’.”

The assistant narrowed his eyes. ”You’re Mr. Strange Bird’s assistant now, just like me. He’s very concerned about the completion of your Spiritual Penetration training. So, he’s specially requested a training room and invited you over to help you complete your basic training.”

”This is, of course, a request, but it’s also an order—to prevent you from becoming a threat to the base due to a mental breakdown.”

”So, are you refusing to come with me?”

”...”

By this point, his voice had turned cold, the threat within it no longer concealed in the slightest.

The security personnel beside him immediately raised their firearms.

They were only responsible for security and were strictly forbidden from fraternizing with any Executioners or Investigators. Even their dining and lodging were in a separate area. They only followed formal orders approved by Miss Ai and their superiors. The Investigator of Strange Birds had summoned them through official base channels, so they would genuinely use their guns to force Han Su to comply.

Seeing this, even Black Tiger and the Doctor grew tense.

But they also knew you couldn’t fight security personnel inside the base.

Investigators and Executioners alike could be as arrogant as they pleased outside, but inside the base, staring down the barrel of a gun, they had to behave.

”Mr. Strange Bird is being so kind to me?”

Han Su couldn’t help but narrow his eyes. He suddenly picked up his phone, swiped it a couple of times, and said to the assistant, ”Why don’t you take a look at this first? Then you can go back and thank Mr. Strange Bird for me. How does that sound?”

The assistant was already growing impatient, but he glanced over instinctively and froze.

”You accepted this mission?”

”...”

”If I didn’t accept this mission, should I just wait for you to boss me around and make my life difficult?”

Han Su showed the screen on his phone to the armed security personnel as well before putting it away, his face now completely expressionless.

”You really think you’re the only ones who know how to exploit loopholes?”

”You’d better have gotten a good look.”

”This mission was approved before I became that Strange Bird’s assistant. That means, even if he wants to give me orders, he’ll have to wait until I’ve completed this mission.”

”...”

The assistant’s expression became indescribably awkward, humiliated by Han Su’s cold, direct tone. He was furious.

But in this situation, there was nothing he could say.

He had seen the content on Han Su’s phone, which clearly displayed: [B1 Level Mission: Track the whereabouts of the dangerous individual Song Chushi. Await summons at all times to cooperate with base operations. May not be delayed for any reason.]

This mission had the highest priority. In other words, not even an order from Mr. Strange Bird could override its authority.

’He felt his teeth ache with frustration.’

’Did they anticipate that Mr. Strange Bird might suddenly decide to summon Han Su under his authority as an Investigator, and give him this mission for protection?’

As for Han Su, his eyes now held nothing but undisguised contempt and hostility. ’Since we’ve already dropped all pretenses,’ he thought, ’what’s the point of forcing myself to be polite?’

’It was a good thing he’d discussed this with Zhang Chiguo last night.’

’If he had only requested leave on the grounds of an unstable mental state, they might have found some other excuse to harass him.’

’He needed another ace up his sleeve.’

’And right now in the Disaster Management Bureau, there were only two major affairs that superseded all ordinary orders and cases.’

’One was tracking and expelling the dangerous individual Song Chushi.’

’The other was capturing the Ghost Truck that had escaped its seal.’

Since Han Su had previous contact with Song Chushi, it was perfectly reasonable for Zhang Chiguo to approve him as a special-case, off-the-books consultant for the matter.

Regarding the Song Chushi affair, he had to be on call at all times to cooperate with operations.

And with this mission as his shield, no matter what pretext or reason Mr. Strange Bird used to try and take him, all Han Su had to say was that he was ’cooperating with the operation’ to shut it down. At the very least, it would buy him time until Zhang Chiguo returned.

’When Zhang Chiguo had laid out the plan, even Han Su had been impressed. Uncle Zhang was really getting clever.’

As soon as he saw the mission order, the assistant knew his whole scheme had fallen apart. He was stuck, unsure whether to leave or stay.

The armed security personnel beside him exchanged a glance, then decisively lowered their weapons. They even nodded at Han Su’s group, as if apologizing for disturbing their meal, before taking a step back to signal their non-involvement.

”Damn it...”

This turn of events made Mr. Strange Bird, who was listening in on the radio, curse out loud.

The wine glass in his hand shattered, splashing liquor all over him.

He had already requested a medical room—using his authority to book the one with the highest security clearance, no less—but he’d never expected things to go this way.

”Tracking Song Chushi, my ass!”

”As if this rookie, who’s only been an Executioner for a few days, is qualified for that?”

”That bastard Zhang Chiguo has evolved into a sly old fox. He made a deal with me and then pulls this kind of stunt behind my back?”

Fuming, he strode out, his eyes so dark they looked like they might spit fire, his teeth grinding loudly.

Back in the cafeteria, seeing Han Su defuse the crisis, Miss Crow, who had been on high alert, the calmly observing Doctor, and Black Tiger, who was chewing on a piece of ham, all visibly relaxed.

They didn’t understand the assistant’s reason for trying to take Han Su, nor did they know anything about this so-called ”Song Chushi.”

They only had a vague sense that, in the span of a single night, the conflict between their classmate and the Investigator of Strange Birds had intensified dramatically.

But just as Han Su sat back down to drink his fresh-squeezed juice, ignoring the mortified assistant and the furious Investigator of Strange Birds in the distance...

The tense atmosphere in the cafeteria had only just begun to ease when, suddenly, red lights started Flashing.

It was accompanied by a series of tense alarm sounds: BEEP— BEEP—

The piercing sound, filled with a sense of urgency, instantly grabbed everyone’s attention.

The next moment, the images on the hundred-inch screens hanging throughout the cafeteria all switched at once, displaying a slightly blurry scene.

It looked like a small, unassuming shop. A man holding a silver briefcase was sitting at a little table, intently eating a bowl of small wontons.

The entire cafeteria fell silent. Everyone stared, stunned, at the screen, wondering about the reason for such a bizarre scene.

But it was immediately followed by a tense, electronic voice:

”Emergency announcement!”

”Emergency announcement!”

”All Investigators and related Executioners within the Disaster Management Bureau base who are not on a mission or have available time are hereby ordered to accept a temporary A Level mission.”

”Pursue the dangerous individual Song Chushi!”

”Repeat: All Disaster Management Bureau Investigators and related Executioners are to accept this mission immediately, report to their respective regional observation rooms, and cooperate in the pursuit of the A Level dangerous individual, Song Chushi!”