The Eldritch Files

”What the fuck is that thing?”

Investigator Bai Yang never imagined he would see something like this. A massive truck, bursting out of the fog just like that?

He swore he hadn’t underestimated Han Su. He had been wary of the young Investigator’s audacity and ruthless methods.

When they first met, he had even endured a few of Han Su’s verbal jabs just to avoid a confrontation.

He had only agreed to join in on the fun now because their side had superior numbers—it was supposed to be an easy fight.

But who the fuck could have predicted this? He’d been cautious of Han Su’s Spiritual Activity, wary of his cunning schemes, but in the end, the guy just came barreling out in a giant truck?

In that instant, Investigator Bai Yang, who was never known for his speed, didn’t even have time to scream. The truck, which had appeared out of nowhere and seemed to have been building up power for God knows how long, slammed into him head-on. He was plastered to its front like an ornament, carried straight forward.

At the three-way intersection, countless dark muzzles were aimed forward. Countless dazzling headlights illuminated the road ahead. Countless vehicles had been deliberately parked to block the way, and the people between them were all staring into the dense fog.

No matter how that star Investigator planned to escape, there were more than enough eyes and methods to ensure he wouldn’t get away from this inescapable net...

And then, all at once, they saw the Ghost Truck charging toward them.

The massive, menacing grille alone exuded a heavy, oppressive feeling. Its strange, copper-colored body radiated a terrifyingly cold aura. And the garbled shrieks of Investigator Bai Yang, stuck to its front, sent a jolt of panic through everyone’s hearts.

CRACKLE! POP!

In the ensuing panic, some hastily opened fire, some chanted Encrypted Spells, and others scrambled to escape.

But for those who fired, their bullets had no effect on the steel-like monster.

For those chanting Encrypted Spells, the massive front of the truck lunged forward like a bolt of lightning, scaring them so badly they couldn’t even concentrate.

For those trying to run, there were too many people, too many cars. They couldn’t move.

And so, most people could only stare wide-eyed, dumbfounded, as the crazed truck rolled over them. Investigators and Executors, men and women, experienced or not—all were crushed beneath it.

Blood splattered everywhere. Screams were choked back down their throats.

The solid tires ground shattered, crumpled vehicles and panicked faces alike into the asphalt crevices. Blood burst from their bodies in crimson spurts, like squeezed blood bags, splashing in all directions like splattered ink.

”What in the world is happening...?”

Countless people wailed, questioned, and screamed in a daze.

In that moment, all their training in Mysterious Powers, all the agility and quick-wittedness honed from missions—it was all useless. They could only watch as the tall, vicious truck charged at them at over two hundred kilometers per hour, then rolled right over them.

Screams, gunshots, the tearing of flesh and snapping of bone, the twisting of car frames—all these sounds mingled with the Ghost Truck’s frenzied engine roar, weaving together into a nightmarish symphony.

Crouched on the front of the truck, Han Su braced himself with his left hand and coldly watched the defensive line of five Investigators and twenty Executors turn into an indistinguishable mass of flesh and blood in a mere instant. The ancient idiom ”a mantis trying to stop a chariot” flashed through his mind.

When he looked back, the only ones still moving were the three Investigators—Bai Yang, Whiskey, and Cigar—along with four or five lucky survivors who were covered in blood and gravely injured but had somehow clung to life.

’So they’ve got some skills, huh?’

In an instant, he saw why Bai Yang and the other two Investigators had survived.

Investigator Bai Yang was of the Banshee Sequence. While pinned to the Ghost Truck and just about to be slammed into the vehicles behind him, he managed to chant an Encrypted Spell in time, turning his body ethereal. That was how he avoided being squashed like a pancake, rolling out from under the Ghost Truck.

Lady Whiskey was of the Sea Beast Sequence. Her body had mutated in a split second, becoming covered in grease and mucus that cushioned the impact of the wheels. She only lost half her life in the process.

As for Mister Cigar, he survived thanks to his quick reflexes. The moment the Ghost Truck was upon him, he used [My Limbs] to strengthen his legs and darted away, so he was only grazed.

He’d only lost a leg, but he was otherwise fine.

”The Ghost Truck...”

”The Ghost Truck...”

”The thing that just passed... was that... was that the Ghost Truck?”

Having barely escaped with his life, Investigator Bai Yang felt like countless bones in his body were broken. He coughed violently, spitting up blood.

Next to him was one of his own assistants, his body crushed into two pieces.

The terror of that moment was indescribable. He even screamed involuntarily, ”How is this possible? How could it be here...?”

Amid his shouts, he suddenly recalled what Han Su had said when they first met: ’That Ghost Truck... I was the one who dealt with it...’

’Is that what he calls ”dealing with it”?’

’Did he use the mission as an excuse to embezzle the damn Ghost Truck?’

’We can’t stop him.’

He knew instantly that no matter how many more people they had waiting here, it would be useless. The Ghost Truck was something that half the Disaster Management Bureau had once failed to capture. Since this rookie Investigator had such an ace up his sleeve, how could they possibly stop him?

He didn’t even dare to look at the carnage around him. He needed to restore the signal immediately and report to the Drunkard Investigator. At the same time, he stared with despair in the direction the Ghost Truck had vanished, thinking about the consequences that would follow once this information got back to Qinggang...

But he never expected that just as he grabbed his phone, about to find a Mechanical Ghost to restore the signal, he would suddenly be blinded by two strange and dazzling headlights shining right in his face, making him dizzy.

That was...

Investigator Bai Yang took a moment to process it, then his face contorted with rage and despair as he shrieked:

”Quick—”

Before he could finish, the roar of an engine combined with a rhythmic heartbeat surged closer. The acrid smell of burning rubber from tires screeching across the ground assaulted his nostrils. The tall grille that had just vanished appeared in his vision once more.

He hadn’t run!

He was actually charging back!

It wasn’t just Investigator Bai Yang who felt his soul leave his body in that moment. The lucky few who had just barely escaped, but were now gravely injured and immobile, were plunged into absolute despair.

”AHHHH...”

The screams of the remaining survivors blended together for an instant, then came to an abrupt halt under the crushing wheels.

On the roof of the truck, Han Su felt the lives below being extinguished and the Ghost Truck’s excitement. His expression only grew colder.

’With the Ghost Truck, breaking through this defensive line and escaping would be easy, of course.’

’But, now that I have this opportunity, why should I run?’

He understood the situation perfectly. This was a war.

And in war, you don’t hold back. You don’t leave yourself a path of retreat.

’From the moment I left the city, there was no turning back. Those who see the Ghost Truck must die. Those who can evade the Ghost Truck’s charge must also die. Sure, I could use the truck to escape right now, but what if these survivors chase after me again?’

’Setting aside whether their report to the Disaster Management Bureau would trigger an unnecessary investigation into me...’

’...my own safety couldn’t be guaranteed.’

’The Ghost Truck has its weaknesses. A seasoned Investigator, if they’re careful, might figure out a way to deal with it.’

’And then, I might be the one out of luck.’

’This was also why I didn’t dare to reveal the Ghost Truck immediately when I was chasing Investigator Feidi.’

’So, you see, my hand was forced...’

...

...

This maneuver—the Ghost Truck’s turnaround kill—instantly added a few more splashes of crimson and a few more desperate cries to the highway.

But just then, shouts erupted from the opposite direction. Investigator Feidi was charging forward.

When the dense fog had first rolled in, Investigator Feidi and the others stationed around the perimeter had felt something was wrong. The sudden fog had carved the battlefield into several separate zones; you couldn’t see anyone more than three meters away.

When Han Su charged forward, their vision was blocked by the fog. They could only hear waves of screams from ahead and assumed he had broken through the blockade. Naturally, they had to give chase.

And this chase led them straight into the path of the returning Ghost Truck.

BOOM! BOOM!

The heavy thumping of a flesh-and-blood heart joined the mechanical roar.

The next moment, headlights so bright they seemed to pierce through a person’s body appeared. The tall, ferocious mechanical monster barreled straight toward them.

”What is this thing?”

Investigator Feidi, who had just been rushing forward, was completely stunned.

The vehicle he was riding was also a bizarre lifeform woven from flesh and machinery.

In essence, it seemed to share an origin with the Ghost Truck.

But the difference in power between these two lifeforms was far too obvious. Before Investigator Feidi could do anything, the mechanical creature of flesh beneath him suddenly whimpered and shrank into a ball, like a cat or dog seeing a tiger, utterly losing all will to resist.

The Ghost Truck, however, showed no mercy, rolling directly over the cowering ball of mechanical flesh.

Trapped inside, Investigator Feidi couldn’t even let out a cry for help.

”HONK HONK—”

Leaving several long streaks of blood in its wake, the Ghost Truck let out a triumphant honk.

Then, with almost no command from Han Su, it began gathering power once more and charged again.

At that same moment, Han Su, still crouched on the truck’s roof, had already drawn his electric baton. He then took a custom-made dagger from his briefcase and carefully screwed its pommel onto the end of the baton.

A simple long-bladed polearm now rested in his hands.

As the Ghost Truck’s wheels spun violently and it surged forward to crush everything in its path, Han Su narrowed his eyes. He watched the countless people before him screaming in panic, using every trick they had to survive. Spotting his chance, he gripped the polearm and leaped down.

”SHLICK!”

Investigator Bai Yang and Lady Whiskey had managed to dodge the Ghost Truck’s rampage twice in a row, but the terror in their eyes had reached its peak. Just as Lady Whiskey was about to drag her severely injured body off the highway, Han Su descended from above.

The simple polearm in his hand instantly pierced through her body.

Lady Whiskey shrieked in agony. She tried to chant a Secret Spell to release her toxins, but Han Su had already squeezed the trigger on the baton. A powerful electric current surged out, and the smell of burnt flesh filled the air.

’The Disaster Management Bureau’s secret weapons really are useful...’