The Eldritch Files

”Miss Wei Lan, you…”

The sound of chaotic footsteps outside drew rapidly closer, and then the dressing room door was forced open.

The first person to enter was a female security guard. Her expression was grim, but as her eyes scanned the room, she froze for a moment.

She nodded, and the people behind her swarmed in. They were heavily equipped private soldiers, with the Investigator known as Wine Barrel Nose among them. When they looked into the room, their expressions all turned to utter bewilderment.

Inside the room were only Wei Lan, Han Su, and Xu Ji—three people who seemed completely out of place with the situation.

Two were in chairs and one was on the sofa, forming a triangle. Xu Ji’s face was covered in paper strips, and even Wei Lan had one stuck to her cheek. Only Han Su was half-risen from his seat, his hand held high with the ultimate bomb, just about to slam it down!

The tense crowd was suddenly at a loss for words.

Wei Lan turned in surprise, peeling the paper strip from her face. She smiled and said, ”What’s wrong?”

She added, looking a bit embarrassed, ”I’ve met so many important people today, I was getting a little tired. I just came back to touch up my makeup.”

”Is the auction starting early?”

”...”

”No, the auction has been canceled.”

The female security guard in the lead snapped back to reality. She took a step forward and said in a low, serious voice, ”There was an attack at the party just now, and they had guns. Fortunately, Mr. Du was there and took care of them. When the master saw that Miss Wei wasn’t in the hall, he grew concerned for your safety and sent me to check on you.”

”Danger?”

Wei Lan looked surprised and quickly asked, ”The old master wasn’t frightened, was he?”

”No.”

The female guard lowered her voice. ”The old master is seeing the guests out now. Of course...”

She glanced at the three people in the room. ”If you’d like, you can finish your card game before you leave.”

”That won’t be necessary. We should be on our way as well.”

Wei Lan rose with a smile and gestured for her assistant in the crowd to bring people over to pack her things. But just then, Xu Ji, who was next to her, suddenly shouted:

”Wait!”

His shout made everyone jump, and all eyes snapped toward him.

They saw Xu Ji snatch the ”ultimate bomb” from Han Su’s hand, slam it on the table, and yell, ”Bomb!”

Countless people in the room shot him a sideways glance. Xu Ji smugly looked back at each of them, his expression perfectly justified.

’Isn’t a teammate’s bomb still a bomb?’

Han Su pretended not to see him and got up as well.

’Since the party is ending abruptly, we should definitely use the crowd to leave quickly. See if we can blend in and get out.’

’If we leave too late, they might search more thoroughly, and it’ll be harder to get the Mechanical Fragment out.’

A group of staff members came in to help Wei Lan pack her things, carrying her clothing trunks, makeup cases, and various other items. She was just one woman attending a party, yet her belongings filled three entire cars.

’Compared to my simple suit, her cars are much better for hiding things.’

Han Su didn’t wait for Wei Lan. He got into Xu Ji’s car to leave first, wanting to scout ahead and see how strict the security checks were.

But surprisingly, the gates of Dingxiang Mansion were wide open, allowing everyone to leave freely. There were no personnel assigned to conduct searches. Only the female security guard stood coldly at the entrance, watching every vehicle and person that passed, but she didn’t stop anyone.

Not only did they get out smoothly, but Wei Lan, who was behind them, also left without any issues.

A flicker of doubt arose in Han Su’s mind. ’Why aren’t there any checks?’

’That female guard’s eyes are sharp, but they wouldn’t pin all their hopes on her alone, would they?’

’Compared to the earlier commotion, Dingxiang Mansion seems to be trying to smooth things over...’

’...’

While he was lost in thought, Xu Ji beside him could no longer hold back. He asked Han Su nervously:

”What in the world is your relationship with that Miss Wei?”

”Don’t take my words lightly, man!”

”Their love is cursed! Throughout history, none of the Empresses have ever been heard of getting married...”

”It’s not that there haven’t been stubborn ones who tried, it’s just that none of them met a good end...”

”...”

Han Su was getting annoyed by his rambling. ”I’ve only met her three times. What kind of relationship could there be?”

”Or rather, there is a connection, but not the kind you’re thinking of.”

Xu Ji was taken aback. ”Then what kind of connection is it?”

Han Su thought about that instinctive trust, and the image of the crystal ball at the Haiyan Clubhouse flashed through his mind.

He spoke slowly, ”A relationship more stable than love. The same as with you!”

Hearing ”the same as with you,” Xu Ji’s expression turned to complete confusion. But he wasn’t one to get bogged down in details. He immediately got to the point, turning to Han Su with a serious look. ”So, is she ranked ahead of me or behind me?”

Han Su was speechless for a moment. After a long pause, he sighed. ”Behind you.”

Xu Ji was satisfied.

”Find a deserted spot up ahead and pull over. Miss Wei has something to give me!”

Han Su had no desire to discuss such topics with this idiot. Seeing that they had left Dingxiang Mansion, he said in a low voice.

He didn’t feel unsafe leaving the Mechanical Fragment with Wei Lan, but it was better to get it into his own hands as soon as possible.

Mainly because the contaminating power of that Mechanical Fragment was far beyond what he had imagined.

Wei Lan’s level was certainly high, but by comparison, he had a stronger resistance to this particular Mechanical Fragment.

But just as Xu Ji signaled the driver to pull over, the driver in the front seat said in a low voice, ”Young Master, we’re being followed.”

Xu Ji and Han Su’s hearts both tightened. ”Hm?”

...

...

By now, all the guests had departed, leaving Dingxiang Mansion empty.

Even with armed personnel standing guard, the vast complex was as deathly silent as a tomb.

The master of Dingxiang Mansion had been sitting on the steps in front of the main gate, watching all the guests leave. The female security guard who had seen them off walked coolly back up the steps and shook her head slightly, indicating she hadn’t seen anyone suspicious.

The master of Dingxiang Mansion, seated in his wheelchair, looked somewhat dejected. He showed no intention of going back inside, simply sitting there in silence.

Wine Barrel Nose, who was beside him, couldn’t hold back any longer. He pulled a small flask from his back pocket, took a swig, and said:

”I don’t quite get what you’re doing, old man...”

”An attack by the Crystal Skull isn’t a small matter. What’s more, they infiltrated the secret room. They might have stolen something.”

”But you won’t let the people from the Disaster Management Bureau come in to investigate, and you won’t search the things being taken out.”

”At your age, you’re just going to wait out here in the cold wind...”

”...What on earth are you thinking?”

”...”

Hearing his words, the female security guard beside them stiffened, a strange look in her eyes.

’Just half an hour ago, this Wine Barrel Nose was in the room, listening to the old man talk about that Mechanical Fragment.’

’But now, judging by his tone, it’s as if he’s forgotten everything completely.’

’Is that machine really that strange?’

’Maybe tomorrow, or even the next second, the memories of this machine in my own mind will suddenly vanish without a trace.’

”You should go back too.”

The old man didn’t answer him, only letting out a low sigh. ”Mr. Drunkard, although you were once my student, you have, after all, joined the Disaster Management Bureau. You should draw a clear line between yourself and us unorthodox types. The affairs of Dingxiang Mansion are none of your business.”

”Dingmao, you go back too. Just leave me here alone.”

”Tell all the servants that no one is to come here before dawn tomorrow. Anyone who intrudes will be buried in the garden.”

”...”

Both Wine Barrel Nose and the female security guard were stunned. One wanted to persuade him, the other had questions, but seeing the old man’s cold expression, they could only nod slowly and depart. The old man remained alone, gazing out at the empty courtyard.

He was filled with both anticipation and fear. ’So, could it be him?’

’It can only be him...’

’...’

Though he had a thousand questions in his heart, the thought of the Divine Weapon’s posture still made his scalp tingle.

’Only the Heir could survive before an activated Living Copper Puppet, and only the Heir could make that weapon maintain such a bowing posture!’

’The Heir has returned. Does this mean the day of Divine Descent, which should have ended ten years ago, is finally here?’

’But why, if he has returned, is he unwilling to see me?’

’...’

He could no longer see the events of this night clearly. Since he couldn’t see, all he could do was ask nothing and say nothing.

Just wait. Wait for the Heir to come and see him.

...

...

”The old man is hiding something...”

Far from the main hall, Wine Barrel Nose strolled through the inner parking lot of Dingxiang Mansion to retrieve his car. He suddenly let out a cold sneer and said to the female security guard walking with him, ”Looks like you’ve fallen out of favor too. What exactly went missing from the Ancient Castle that he wouldn’t even tell you?”

The female security guard also frowned. Judging from the old master’s behavior, something major must have happened.

’But why forbid me from asking or getting involved?’

’Did the Crystal Skull people really just sneak into the secret room, cause a commotion, and leave without taking anything? Is that all there is to it?’

She couldn’t make sense of it, nor did she realize she had forgotten something. She just said in a low voice, ”The old master was very clear. Since he told us not to ask, we shouldn’t.”

Wine Barrel Nose took a swig of liquor, got into the driver’s seat, and chuckled faintly. ”I’m not interested in the old man’s business. What I’m actually concerned about is that kid who doesn’t know his place.”

”With his status, he isn’t even qualified to attend this party, let alone get so close to Young Master Xu and the Empress’s people! They’re on a completely different level. Does he really think he’s worthy of being their friend?”

”Once he gets screwed over, there won’t even be bones left to find.”

The female security guard understood his meaning. After a moment of contemplation, her eyes glinted as she whispered, ”On the prospective Empress’s car, there were a few cases I couldn’t see through. But the old master gave the order to let them go, even if there was something we couldn’t identify...”

”As I thought...”

A sharp glint flashed in Wine Barrel Nose’s eyes. He sneered, ”The old man doesn’t want us to interfere, so we won’t interfere.”

”But, if we want to know what’s in those cases, why go through so much trouble?”