The Eldritch Files

Chapter 67: The Shadow Beyond Reality

Seeing those two people enter the door one after another, a flash of resolve crossed Han Su’s mind. He had no time to waste on indecision.

’Since I’ve already accepted Song Chushi’s invitation and come all this way, how can I not go in and see for myself?’

Besides, Mr. Strange Bird went in too.

’That guy was still after me back at the base. So how could I not be after him now?’

As these thoughts raced through his mind, Han Su whipped out his electric baton and said in a low voice, ”I’m going through the door to help Mr. Strange Bird. All of you stay outside, or evacuate as soon as you can.”

”Remember what I said. Do not come in under any circumstances. This is a mission for me and Mr. Strange Bird!”

”...”

He had brought them along to write a report, but now that things had taken an interesting turn, that was no longer necessary. He just needed to make his instructions clear.

He spoke as he strode forward.

The few figures standing stiffly before the door were instantly alerted. They turned woodenly, their arms reaching straight for him.

Han Su jammed the electric baton right into one of them.

ZAP! With a flash of electricity, the figure was sent flying.

But this act seemed to flip some sort of switch. Countless blurry-faced figures on the street rushed toward Han Su. As far as the eye could see, the entire street was a grotesque tide of indistinct faces, one stacked upon another.

BANG!

Han Su tightened his grip on his baton and limbered up, preparing to force a path through.

Unexpectedly, a figure beside him suddenly surged forward. With a swing of an elbow, one of the attackers was sent flying, crashing into several others.

Han Su turned his head and saw it was Black Tiger. With that one powerful charge, he had moved from behind Han Su to the very front.

Surprised, he asked, ”Aren’t you scared?”

”Nothing to be scared of.”

Black Tiger replied with great seriousness, ”I may have taken a bullet to the head, but I can still do basic calculations.”

”If their corruption takes three to five seconds to affect a person, then as long as I defeat each one in under three seconds, there’s no risk of being corrupted, right?”

”Don’t worry, I won’t go in. I’m just clearing a path for you!”

Han Su was surprised. He gave him a long, deep look and sighed, ”Brother Hu, you’re a real genius...”

Black Tiger paused for a moment, then said, ”Thanks.”

”You be careful too. Get over to Miss Crow’s side and don’t charge in too recklessly!”

After saying this earnestly to him, Han Su gritted his teeth slightly and slipped past two or three figures that tried to block him.

But an unknown number of figures from all over the street were rapidly swarming toward Han Su in front of the door. Their movement pattern was to first converge on the doorway and then press outward, like a swarm of worker bees trying to protect the ”door.”

The scene looked like a crowd trying to catch a cheating spouse.

Every face was a blur.

The intangible strangeness and pressure were countless times more intense than what he had experienced on Line 2.

It was as if he had plunged from a bustling, ordinary street into some bizarre, illusory realm.

This world was beginning to warp.

Even Black Tiger, in the midst of the crowd, felt a little dizzy, as if he were back on that battlefield, facing those irrational fanatics.

Han Su hadn’t yet learned Mr. Strange Bird’s Invisibility ability. Faced with the infected, packed three layers deep, he could only shift his briefcase to his right hand, psych himself up, and focus all his attention on his left.

Gradually, the back of his left hand began to grow hot, especially the Cross Copper Scar. It felt as if something was about to seep out of it.

SWOOSH!

Just as the searing pain in his left hand reached its peak, Han Su suddenly shot his hand forward and grabbed an infected by the neck.

His grip was like a cold, hard iron clamp, lifting the figure into mid-air.

Then he strode forward, using the body as a shield to brutally plow through the crowd in front of him, continuing straight ahead.

”He...”

Seeing Han Su’s figure engulfed by the chaotic swarm of the infected, Miss Crow frowned and was about to go help. But in that same instant, the Doctor beside her suddenly reached out as if in anticipation, stopping the Crow who was about to move forward.

”Let him go!”

Crow looked over, confused.

”Not going is how you help.”

The Doctor glanced deeply at the door, observing Miss Crow’s expression from the corner of his eye. ”We’re all adults. There’s a reason behind every decision we make.”

”As teammates, we can’t let emotional factors interfere with someone else’s plan.”

He pushed up his glasses with his index finger as he spoke, his voice calm but his words coming out extremely fast. ”Interfering with someone’s plan in the name of concern is foolish. It’s a rule we should all abide by.”

”Besides, we all met him around the same time. There’s no reason for you to be so concerned about Butcher’s affairs, is there, Miss Crow?”

”...”

Hearing this, Miss Crow’s gaze suddenly sharpened, making the Doctor’s hair stand on end.

”The most advantageous thing to do now is to form a defensive line in front of this door. We can’t let anything out from inside, nor can we let these things outside go back in.”

He turned slightly, nudged his glasses with his thumb, and said calmly, ”From Butcher’s account of the Line 2 incident, we know that once these oddities on the street return through this door, the door will close. When that happens, we’ll probably never be able to find Butcher’s location again.”

”Conversely, if we follow protocol and establish a temporary defensive line, not only can we help Butcher, but the after-action report will also be easier to write...”

”...”

This calm analysis left Black Tiger staring blankly. ”Did he explain it that clearly just now? How come I don’t remember that?”

But the Doctor thought to himself, ’Butcher is clearly a ”connected” guy. He obviously has a lot of secrets he doesn’t want us to know. His reason for entering this door must be personal. Following him in is not a good choice...’

’With this kind of person, it’s best to just offer some help and ride his coattails a bit. That’s enough.’

’It’s a shame that while this is obvious at a glance, persuading others is the difficult part...’

’...’

”...”

As he was speaking, the blurry-faced figures from all around had already charged right up to them.

But because of the Doctor’s analysis, Black Tiger calmed down a bit, and even Miss Crow beside him silently accepted it. She looked up and saw that Han Su had already crossed half the street, his figure submerged in the frenzied crowd. Recalling the Doctor’s words, she too made her decision.

Her gaze swept emotionlessly over the figures swarming toward them. She lowered her head and spoke softly:

”Use me as an anchor, and descend upon reality.”

”...”

”...”

She recited the nine-word phrase so quickly and indistinctly that it sounded as if it were compressed into two short syllables.

The change happened in that instant. She lowered her head slightly and uttered those two syllables. When she looked up again, her eyes were a vast expanse of white. An invisible Spiritual Force Field instantly enveloped everyone present.

Their skin began to tingle. In their ears, they seemed to hear a sinister, bizarre laughter. For a moment, it was as if their eyes had failed, and their vision was filled with severe double images.

They could clearly see an illusory shadow extending out from under Miss Crow’s feet.

A person only casts a shadow when there is a light source shining on them.

But there was no strong, distinct light source where Miss Crow stood. Yet, the shadow at her feet appeared abruptly, as if a strange lamp had suddenly lit up in an unseen place, somewhere beyond reality.

This lamp shone only on her, casting a shadow that should not exist in reality.

But to Han Su, it was less a lamp and more... an eye.

An eye that existed outside of reality.

Because of the Spell Miss Crow recited, it had suddenly opened, gazing into reality from the distant future. It was this eye that granted Miss Crow a shadow from beyond reality.

The shadow twisted and elongated rapidly, like a black python uncoiling its body.

It extended outwards, instantly blanketing the charging crowd. Then, the dense, unending sound of splintering bone rang out.

The infected, their expressions twisted and frenzied, were covered by this massive shadow the moment they got close. Their legs gave way, and swaths of them were tripped up.

As they fell, their shins and ankles twisted into grotesque shapes.

Han Su was currently using a body as a shield, charging straight for the doorway. All around him were frantically swaying infected with blurred faces.

There were even twisted clumps of shadow trying to crawl up his left arm and onto his body.

The scar on his left hand could effectively resist the assault of this ”plague,” but the swarms of figures pressing in on him were causing him a great deal of trouble.

This time, the number of infected on the street was far greater than on Line 2—more than ten times as many.

But just then, a black shadow spread out from behind him, instantly overwhelming all the infected. It opened a wide path before him, like two invisible fences unfolding on either side of his body.

’Is that Miss Crow?’

Han Su didn’t look back. With his heart easing slightly, he hesitated no longer. Concentrating his Spiritual Power into his left hand, he once again unleashed a terrifying burst of strength, shoving the infected who was still standing in front of him as he took a single step through the ”door.”