The Eldritch Files

As chairman of the Magic Box Group, he naturally had his own cars. But since they were leaving the city, his business sedans weren’t practical. So, the great chairman put on no airs and simply climbed into the armored vehicle Han Su and his team had driven.

It had been requisitioned from the Disaster Management Bureau. With its thick iron plating, it wasn’t comfortable, but the space inside was ample.

Black Tiger was driving, with the Doctor in the passenger seat.

Meanwhile, Investigator Bai Yang and his assistant had also come downstairs. The two groups were clearly not on the same page and had nothing pleasant to say to each other, so they naturally took separate cars. At a signal from Han Su, Black Tiger stomped on the gas, leaving them far behind.

”Xiaohan, about what you said last time, about saving Manman...”

Once in the car, Li Yiting wrestled with his thoughts before he finally couldn’t help but ask.

Heaven knows how eagerly he had been waiting ever since their last meeting, when Han Su told him he was doing everything he could to save his daughter.

Han Su wasn’t surprised by the question. ”I’ve been trying my best,” he said directly. ”And Manman... she’s trying, too.”

He paused, then said in a low voice, ”Mr. Li, I’m grateful that you chose to trust me.”

”And I can tell you this: you were right to do so.”

Li Yiting understood the unspoken message and didn’t press further. He simply patted Han Su’s shoulder gently. ”Thank you for your hard work, Xiaohan.”

Black Tiger’s driving style was a reflection of his personality: stable yet fast, crude yet wild.

He would never run a red light and always yielded to pedestrians.

But the moment there was an opening, he would floor the accelerator. The closer they got to the city’s edge, the more furiously he drove.

Behind them, Investigator Bai Yang was clearly trying to keep up, but he was left so far behind he couldn’t even get a taste of their exhaust.

Soon, the four of them reached the edge of the city. As Han Su faced the vast crimson sunset before them, watching as they officially passed the tollbooth and entered Highway 11, which stretched out into the wilderness, he felt his vision darken for a moment.

It was as if something was quietly receding from around him. Even the very density of the air seemed to increase in that instant.

Black Tiger, who was driving, clearly sensed something. He slowed the vehicle slightly and glanced from side to side.

But seeing nothing, he continued on.

But Han Su, in the back seat, merely closed his eyes, as if resting.

He wasn’t sure if it was a hallucination, but as the vehicle left the city, he thought he heard the faint sound of a cold, mocking laugh.

...

...

Following Highway 11 west for about sixty kilometers, they came upon a highway service station that had been temporarily sealed off.

The service station had suspended all operations. In the distance, they could see a line of warning signs and rows of iron fences that had been erected. The scene inside was obscured, but the perimeter was heavily guarded by fully-armed personnel.

Han Su recognized the armed personnel as Executors from the Disaster Management Bureau. He got out of the car and showed his credentials.

Another of Investigator Bai Yang’s assistants was on guard here. He seemed to have been notified in advance, because when he saw Han Su arriving to get involved, he didn’t ask a single question and simply had him let through.

He even wore a small, ambiguous smile.

Han Su, for his part, ignored the assistant’s stare. He, the Doctor, and Black Tiger passed through two layers of fences and a partition made of low-sensitivity fiber material. When he saw the infected people inside the temporary containment center, his heart sank.

Repressive. Silent. Chilling.

The containment center now held at least forty or fifty people: construction workers, security guards, a doctor in a white coat, a server who looked to be in her twenties, and others.

Their backgrounds were all different, but their expressions and postures were identical.

They knelt silently in rows, their faces fixed in trancelike worship as they stared intently at a single point.

Their eyes were so bloodshot they looked as if they might start bleeding, a terrifying sight that made one’s skin crawl.

[Red Eye Incident: A mysterious plague is spreading among the excavation workers. The number of infected has exceeded 100. Infected workers develop red eyes, and their will and thoughts become noticeably distorted, causing them to kowtow toward an empty space.]

”They’ve just been kneeling here this whole time?”

Li Yiting answered in a low voice, ”Ever since their eyes turned red, they’ve insisted on kneeling toward that one direction. If we lock them in a confined space where they can’t see that spot, they raise a huge ruckus and even start to self-harm.”

”We had no choice but to pick this spot for them. We were worried they’d injure themselves from kneeling, so we bought a batch of cushions to lay out.”

”...”

”What exactly is over there?”

Han Su stood where they were and followed their gaze, but he saw only blue sky, white clouds, and empty air.

After a moment of thought, Han Su reached out, placed his hand on a worker’s shoulder, and whispered:

”All Things Respond to My Will!”

Spiritual Power immediately penetrated and invaded the man’s body. This was a technique for calming a target’s Spiritual Activity. In theory, it was similar to an exorcism, capable of suppressing or expelling any abnormal Activity from within a person’s Spiritual Power.

However, there was a risk: if one’s own Spiritual Activity was insufficient, the abnormal substance could invade the user instead.

After a brief attempt, Han Su found he couldn’t expel it.

The man’s Spiritual Power did indeed show an abnormal Activity—a classic symptom of contamination. But while Han Su could suppress it, he couldn’t expel it. The abnormal property was already too deeply entangled with the worker’s own Spiritual Power.

Still, his own Spiritual Activity was currently quite high, so it was impossible for the abnormality to flow backward and contaminate him.

He slowly withdrew his hand, looking thoughtful.

Investigator Bai Yang, who had just arrived, happened to witness this, and his eyes turned cold.

’To dare to use Spiritual Penetration directly on the infected, his Spiritual Activity must be absurdly high...’

’I wonder if he’s reached my level of 61%?’

’...’

”You’ve just been holding people here, waiting?”

After his attempt, Han Su frowned and turned to Investigator Bai Yang. ”I have serious problems with how you’re handling this. Where are those artifacts? Take me to them immediately. I need to make an assessment as soon as possible!”

”That won’t be necessary.”

Investigator Bai Yang was in the middle of sizing up Han Su’s strength, and his gaze turned chilly at the demand.

Now that they were outside the city, his attitude had become much colder and harder.

”A rookie is a rookie. Don’t you know there’s a protocol for handling incidents like this?”

”Whether it’s the infected, the artifacts, or any related personnel, after a contamination event occurs, everyone and everything must be detained in one place until an archaeology expert can examine the situation.”

”In accordance with the Disaster Management Bureau’s regulations, I have already sealed the artifacts and placed them under observation.”

”Even if you were sent by Miss Ai to assist, I am still the lead on this mission. I have the authority to make the decisions!”

”...”

Han Su’s brow furrowed. He understood the point about archaeology experts. Investigators were skilled at handling all sorts of anomalies, but when it came to the provenance and preservation of items excavated from ruins, they really couldn’t compare to the specialists.

But this was just a load of bull.

Even Li Yiting could see how important this data was, to say nothing of the Drunkard.

’So, they’re being this secretive just to keep this information from going public so quickly?’

As this lazy thought crossed his mind, he suddenly turned to the Doctor beside him. ”Reason with him.”

The Doctor pushed up his glasses with his middle finger. Despite his look of utter disdain, he instantly understood what Han Su wanted.

He addressed Investigator Bai Yang coolly. ”According to the Disaster Management Bureau’s Operational Code, Part Three, Article Four: When an investigation experiences unreasonable stagnation or delay, support personnel have reason to doubt the original Investigator’s capabilities and may re-examine all related items.”

”...”

Investigator Bai Yang was momentarily stunned. ”What is this?”

Investigator Bai Yang’s assistant, however, immediately countered, ”But according to the safety articles in Part Seven of the Disaster Management Bureau’s Operational Code: If phenomena indicate that a batch of artifacts shows signs of dangerous Penetration, the operation should be suspended pending review by an archaeology expert.”

The Doctor said, ”Then according to the supplementary operational clauses in Article Four, artifacts exhibiting signs of dangerous Penetration and contamination must be transported to the nearest containment facility with utmost speed for a safety assessment by Miss Ai or a professional approved by the Disaster Management Bureau.”

With just a few unhurried sentences, he left Investigator Bai Yang’s assistant speechless. Investigator Bai Yang frowned as well.

Han Su, standing to the side, smirked and shot the Doctor an approving glance.

’Who is this assistant of mine? He’s the guy who memorized the entire Disaster Management Bureau operational code.’

’You think we’re afraid of a war of words with you?’

But just then, the Doctor’s voice came to him, faint and carried by Spiritual Penetration: ”I, uh, flexibly adjusted that last part.”

”They definitely can’t tell the difference right now, but we’ll be in trouble if they decide to look up the exact articles.”

”If you’re going to apply pressure, do it now!”

”...”

Han Su’s heart skipped a beat, but the smile on his face grew even more arrogant. He stepped forward coolly and said with a sneer, ”Now, do you have any other reason to stop me?”

”I’ll be damned. I didn’t realize rookies these days study the rulebook so thoroughly!”

Investigator Bai Yang looked up coldly at Han Su. ”Everything you’ve said is correct. But there’s just one problem.”

”According to the classification principles of the Hidden School, this batch of artifacts technically belongs to the Rong Family of Seawall City. Seawall City has already filed a protest with the Qinggang Disaster Management Bureau, and their archaeology expert is on his way to this containment center right now.”

”He is the youngest Doctor of Archaeology in Seawall City and a scion of the Rong Family. He has already promised to help us resolve this crisis. Of course, after the crisis is handled, he will take the artifacts with him, returning them to their rightful owners.”

”...”

”What?”

Hearing this, Li Yiting’s expression changed, his face flushing with anger.

Han Su, however, looked slightly taken aback. He suddenly asked, ”This Doctor of Archaeology from Seawall City you’re talking about... what’s his name?”