The Eldritch Files

In response to Han Su’s direct question, the man with the Wine Barrel Nose smiled and said,

”There’s one more thing. I hope you’ll give Zhang Chiguo a piece of advice: tell him to stop wasting his energy on thankless tasks.”

”You’re still too young. You’ve only been with the Disaster Management Bureau for a few days. You don’t understand yet that we are the same kind of people.”

”Protecting our interests means protecting your own. No matter how close you are to Zhang Chiguo, he doesn’t represent us.”

”...”

He spoke these words with surprising sincerity. After a slight pause, he glanced over at the Lady in the Red Windbreaker in the corner, a hint of seriousness entering his expression.

”The Nail of the Dead Sea before, and D7 this time... I admit their original purpose was just to serve as a warning, but they did end up causing some trouble. I can understand why you’re unhappy now, but I hope to act as a mediator.”

”Of course, this would be handled outside the Disaster Management Bureau’s official channels. We’ll deal with her internally. We can also promise to help you with your testing, selection, and training for the three major Sequences, as well as with increasing your Spiritual Activity.”

”And one day, if you want to become an Independent Investigator, that wouldn’t be impossible either.”

”...”

”...”

He stopped there. Han Su looked into his eyes and saw not a hint of drunkenness. ’The man is a shrewd calculator.’

Han Su listened intently, then slowly looked up. ”Only, I’d have to wait in line behind all of you?”

The Drunkard Investigator fell silent. Han Su’s question didn’t need an answer; it was clearly a provocation.

’Of course, he’d be behind us.’

’Not even every one of the four senior Investigators in the Disaster Management Bureau is guaranteed a chance to become an Independent Investigator.’

’It’s a rare opportunity for a rookie like him to even be considered. Does he really think he can cut in line ahead of the four senior Investigators?’

”Regarding Uncle Zhang, I actually understand you guys,”

Han Su began, sighing slowly as he looked at the Drunkard with a smile. ”That old man is just too righteous. Things that would slide by with anyone else get stuck with him. Nobody would be comfortable with a boss like that, would they?”

The Drunkard narrowed his eyes, about to say something, but Han Su cut him off.

”But how could I possibly blame him?”

Han Su said with a smile, ”Because when nobody else gave a damn about what happened to me, he was the only one who did.”

”...”

Listening to Han Su, Wine Barrel Nose frowned slightly, but his tone suddenly softened. ”I know you hate me,” he said in a low voice, ”and I know you’re still hung up on that report. But you have to understand, some things just have to be done by someone.”

”Back then, the Disaster Management Bureau needed that report. If I hadn’t written it, someone else would have.”

”I was the one who ended up writing it, finally putting the matter to rest.”

”But do you think I didn’t pay a price for it?”

”If it weren’t for that report, I might have been promoted to Independent Investigator long ago!”

”It’s the same with you now. Do you think I’m the one who doesn’t want you to resubmit that report? I’m just giving you some friendly advice!”

”The higher-ups don’t want to see that report. If you stubbornly go your own way, you’ll be the one to suffer for it!”

”...”

Han Su just stared at him coldly. ”Are you expecting me to thank you for the warning?”

The Drunkard Investigator’s smile vanished as well. He looked at Han Su coldly. ”I have no intention of arguing with you.”

”In fact, I’ve already shown you considerable goodwill—from offering you that Investigator License at the beginning, to now, representing the Hidden School and welcoming you with open arms. It’s time for you to decide: us, or Zhang Chiguo...”

”I’m telling you now, Zhang Chiguo is going down!”

”From now on, the resolution efficiency for every anomalous incident the Disaster Management Bureau takes on will drop by thirty percent. Every single Investigator will be impacted by certain... issues. This will continue until Zhang Chiguo either requests a transfer or dies.”

”...”

He delivered the words to Han Su one by one, as if making a formal declaration. Then, with a grim look, he sat back down.

”Perhaps you need to take some time off. Of course, you could also choose to stand against every other Investigator.”

”But you know as well as I do... missions can be very dangerous.”

”The last two times were warnings, which is why you were able to get away. But from now on, they won’t be warnings anymore.”

”...”

With that, the threat could not have been more obvious.

Han Su looked intently at the Drunkard Investigator’s face, then his gaze slowly swept over the other people in the club.

As everyone waited quietly for his answer, he suddenly chuckled. He pushed his teacup aside, slowly rose to his feet, and picked up his phone. ”Miss Ai,” he asked into it, ”did you get all of that conversation just now?”

Miss Ai, who normally only replied via text, responded this time in a gentle, electronic voice:

”Recording is perfectly clear. It has already been forwarded to Deputy Director Zhang Chiguo and the inbox of Secretary No. 5.”

”What?”

Hearing this, everyone’s face paled, and they shot to their feet.

They had chosen this place to relax and talk precisely because it was supposed to be completely secure. Any attempt to secretly record or eavesdrop would be disrupted by a Mysterious Power.

But they never imagined that this rookie Investigator would use Miss Ai’s abilities to listen in.

’Where did he get that level of clearance?’

’There was only one answer...’

’Zhang Chiguo!’

’It had to be Zhang Chiguo who gave him the clearance. Zhang Chiguo must have sent him to gather intel on all of them.’

’No wonder he came the moment he was invited. This was a setup by Zhang Chiguo!’

The atmosphere in the small club became incredibly tense. Countless cold stares fell upon him.

Wine Barrel Nose remained seated, his voice cold. ”The situation in the Disaster Management Bureau is already at a breaking point. What you’ve just done will tear away the last shred of civility and shatter the entire Bureau.”

Han Su retorted, ”The inside is already rotten. What’s the point of saving face?”

”The moment I found out you knew there was a kidnapping but still had the gall to claim nothing happened, I knew you were rotten to the core!”

”You!”

Fury contorted the face of Wine Barrel Nose. He glared at Han Su, as if about to launch into a tirade.

But before he could, Han Su stood up and spoke coldly, ”Frankly, I couldn’t care less whether you’re all rotten or not. But you never, ever should have dragged my past into this...”

Han Su delivered this line with utter seriousness. Even Wine Barrel Nose seemed to sober up instantly, pursing his lips without a word.

Then, under the man’s watchful gaze, Han Su abruptly turned and walked straight toward the Lady in the Red Windbreaker by the window.

The people sitting around them immediately grew wary.

His unexpected move instantly put many of those nearby on high alert.

The Drunkard raised a hand slightly, stopping them from acting rashly. He watched as Han Su walked right up to the Lady in the Red Windbreaker, but his gaze landed on the flaxen-haired Investigator Assistant seated beside her.

Sparrow.

Han Su asked directly, ”Was it you who arranged for D7 to kill me?”

The flaxen-haired female assistant’s gaze was ice-cold. She glanced back at Han Su but didn’t say a word.

The Lady in the Red Windbreaker beside her paled, but she wouldn’t rebuke Han Su directly—it was beneath her. She shot a glance at Miss Crow, who was sitting there quietly, her eyes flashing with disappointment. ’Useless,’ she thought.

It was Sparrow, however, who suddenly gave a faint laugh. She looked up at Han Su, a slight smile on her face.

”I know you were using Miss Ai to record this. So what?”

”...”

Han Su looked her in the eye and, right in front of her, turned off his phone. With her channel of access gone, not even the resourceful Miss Ai could glean any more information.

Han Su said, ”Now do you dare to tell the truth?”

Sparrow was a very beautiful young woman—sharp, capable, and fashionable. It was unclear if her flaxen hair was natural or dyed, but it gave her a uniquely sophisticated air, which complemented her arrogant demeanor. She spoke to Han Su nonchalantly.

”It has nothing to do with daring to or not.”

”You can assume that I secretly contacted those D7 agents and told them to teach you a lesson during the mission. You can also imagine that I took advantage of the fact they were slated for disposal anyway, and simply silenced them afterward.”

”But what’s the use in asking all this?”

”In the Disaster Management Bureau, everything requires proof. If you can’t produce evidence that I contacted them, then no amount of questioning will do you any good.”

”...”

Han Su acted as if he didn’t understand her veiled words. He glanced at the Lady in the Red Windbreaker and said, ”I just want to ask you, was this your idea, or did someone put you up to it? After all, you and I have no history. There’s no reason for you to harm me, and I don’t want to accuse you wrongly.”

The Lady in the Red Windbreaker’s expression had already turned ugly, but Sparrow seemed to find the situation even more amusing. Of course she wouldn’t name anyone else.

”If you must know, then yes, I did it. What does it have to do with anyone else?”

”Of course...”

”That’s enough.”

Han Su cut her off. ”I don’t have time for your convoluted reasons. If you’re willing to take the fall, then I’ll hold you to it.”

With that, he turned back to the Drunkard Investigator. ”Also, I have one thing to correct you on. The danger isn’t just on missions. Danger is everywhere in life.”

”...”

”...”

Leaving those words hanging in the air, he turned and walked out, leaving a room full of people staring at each other in stunned silence.

Given their seniority and status, to have offered such goodwill only to receive this kind of response was, to say the least, difficult to accept.

Meanwhile, Han Su took the elevator straight down to the lobby. As he passed the suit of Copper Armor, he subtly clenched his left fist. A wisp of Spiritual Penetration flowed from the back of his hand into the Copper Armor Statue as he muttered seven words under his breath:

”Twenty-Seven Lives must be paid in blood!”

”If you can receive my command, I want you to kill her tonight. If anyone stands in your way, slaughter them all!”

”...”

Simply using a mental intrusion to pass that message to the Copper Armor Statue caused a severe drain on his Spiritual Power. But he showed no sign of it, merely walking past without a second glance.

’Just a brief conversation with that group was enough to leave me utterly disappointed.’

’A bunch of useless bastards. They can’t even commit to a simple fucking murder without hesitating and getting tangled up in their own schemes.’

’Not everyone is interested in playing by your rules...’

’Fuck your games!’