The Eldritch Files

”As...”

”...her son?”

Han Su froze, unable to react for a long moment.

The shock was so sudden that his expression couldn’t keep up, leaving him looking merely stunned.

A question he had always wanted the answer to, but never dared to seek out, was now laid bare before him.

’So, that woman... is really my mother?’

Before the age of ten, her shadow flickered in his fragmented memories. Zhang Chiguo, Song Chushi, and even Han Su himself had inevitably considered the possibility, but he had always resisted it, refusing to believe that woman was his mother.

After all, Han Su couldn’t remember ever calling her ”Mom,” nor could he recall any warm, tender moments.

In his hazy recollection, there were only scenes of her hitting him, then holding him and crying, punctuated by the occasional flash of a cold, indifferent gaze.

So in his heart, that woman was just someone who had taken care of him before he was ten. The word ”mother” didn’t apply. Besides, the series of events that followed made it hard to even entertain the notion—it was all just too cruel.

’If she is my mother, then why did she personally send me into that kidnapping?’

Han Su didn’t want the moment he learned who his mother was to be the same moment he became her mortal enemy.

Countless thoughts swirled and collided in his mind, paradoxically leaving Han Su unnaturally silent, as if he hadn’t reacted at all.

Across from him, Bai Senmang watched him with a cruel, crazed look, his eyes filled with a vindictive madness.

But this hatred didn’t seem to be aimed purely at Han Su; he barely knew the boy.

It was more for that mysterious woman.

She had brought him so much misery, and since he couldn’t get to her, he would do this instead: tear the skin from her son...

In a corner of the car, the female intelligence agent from Red Sea Studio sat quietly, as if she didn’t exist.

She didn’t stop Han Su from talking to Bai Senmang, nor did she stop Bai Senmang from inflicting this death by a thousand cuts upon Han Su. She just kept her head down, as if she heard nothing.

But the occasional glances she cast at Han Su seemed to indicate that she, too, wanted to see how he would react to this truth.

Han Su didn’t react. He just sat there, motionless, but he was already drenched in sweat.

He mustered all his strength to refocus his eyes, staring intently at Bai Senmang. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse.

”Then... who... who is she?”

”...”

”Her?”

Bai Senmang gave a stifled laugh. ”She’s one of the biggest lunatics in the Mysterious World, and the initiator of this insane plan.”

”She came to Qinggang with a terrifying plan, claiming it could solve all the problems...”

”How do you think I came up with the idea of letting my son meet those monsters?”

”It’s because I saw her shove you in without a moment’s hesitation! If the initiator herself was willing to sacrifice so much, what did I have to be reluctant about?”

”...”

”So, she’s the source of it all?”

It was as if something had been confirmed. The pressure in his heart erupted like a volcano in a matter of seconds, threatening to burst through his skull. Han Su thought he would scream, smash things, or grab Bai Senmang by the neck and demand answers. But he did none of that. It was as if the sheer volume of emotions surging inside him was instead controlled by an abnormal rationality, his thoughts clearer than ever before.

’It’s confirmed.’

’She was the initiator, and she was the one who sent me into the Ancient Castle.’

’So, this shattered life of mine, this inescapable nightmare... it all started with her...’

’Now that I know, what’s there to be angry about?’

He even managed a somewhat unnatural smile, then looked calmly at Bai Senmang.

”So, how can I find her?”

”Find her?”

The calm he now displayed made Bai Senmang extremely uncomfortable.

He seemed to want to see Han Su scream and shout, furious or disappointed, just like his own son had been.

Unresigned, he stared coldly at Han Su. ”Finding her is easy, isn’t it?”

”Pull out your gun, point it at your own head, and fire!”

”She is your mother, after all. How could she bear to let her son just die like that?”

”You fire that shot, and she’ll definitely come out to stop you...”

”Haha...”

”It’s the most effective method, isn’t it?”

”...”

The harder Bai Senmang laughed, the calmer Han Su’s expression became. He just kept watching him with that cold gaze.

After a long moment, he slowly nodded and said in a low voice, ”Perhaps. That really is a good idea. I’ll try it when I get the chance!”

”You...”

Bai Senmang felt as if he had thrown a punch into thin air—utterly frustrated and completely powerless.

”So what is it you wanted to see on my face?”

Han Su looked up at Bai Senmang, his eyes filled with a terrifying resolve. ”Pain? Sorrow?”

”I’m not making excuses for her.”

”Maybe other children, upon learning their own father sent them to that horrible place, would be scared and regretful, like your son.”

”On his first night in the Ancient Castle, he desperately bragged about how much you loved him, how powerful you were, how you would definitely bring people to take care of all the monsters and rescue him.”

”But how could he have ever imagined that you were the one who sent him there?”

”...”

Cold sweat dripped down Bai Senmang’s face, and Han Su coldly enjoyed his expression. ”I’m different. I don’t care why that woman sent me there. What does it have to do with me? I only know one thing: she is my enemy...”

”Even if she had ten thousand reasons and hardships, by sending me there, she became my enemy.”

”And I’m not even interested in what those ten thousand reasons are.”

”...”

Speaking slowly to this point, Han Su gently shook his head. ”This is where your son falls short of me. I have no expectations of any of you.”

Bai Senmang’s body began to tremble involuntarily. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but no words came out.

The female intelligence agent in the corner of the car stared deeply at Han Su’s expressionless face.

...

...

The vehicle drove slowly on, crossing most of the city before stopping at a vast, gloomy base.

Steel structures were everywhere. The buildings were all low-rise, built from piled concrete, giving them a dark, oppressive solidity.

After Han Su got out of the vehicle, he saw Li Moxi waiting by the car, his gaze sweeping over.

”I assume you two had a little chat in the car just now?”

”...”

Han Su nodded slowly, his expression puzzled. ’Did Li Moxi intentionally put me and Bai Senmang in the same car?’

”As the sole survivor of the kidnapping, you’ve finally met the first person confirmed to have some knowledge of the case. You must have had a lot of questions to ask.”

Li Moxi looked calmly at Han Su and said, ”But Red Sea Studio has its own principles. You are only here to cooperate with our investigation, so you cannot participate in the regular interrogations. Giving you this time now is a small convenience.”

Han Su nodded lightly. That short period of time had indeed been very important to him.

’It’s better to find out now than when we have guns pointed at each other.’

”But since I’ve done you a favor, from now on, it’s your turn to fully cooperate with our work.”

Li Moxi’s gaze swept across the dark, oppressive buildings. ”From the moment you arrived here, you need to be vigilant. I will arrange a room for you. Stay inside and don’t worry. Do not wander around, and don’t ask questions.”

”If you hear any commotion outside, just make sure your door and windows are closed. If necessary...”

”...you can hide under the bed.”

”...”

”What does that mean?”

Han Su had long since figured out this wasn’t a Disaster Management Bureau base, but he didn’t understand why Li Moxi had brought them here.

’Besides, why are his words so strange?’

”This is a secret base of the Disaster Management Bureau. It used to be the D7 Secret Laboratory, but it was later abandoned. I requested it this time to serve as a special mission area.”

”We won’t just be investigating the kidnapping case; other missions will be carried out here simultaneously.”

”The reason I’m telling you not to come out is that high-intensity confrontations could happen here at any moment. For someone like you, who hasn’t even begun Tier Two training, even peeking your head out for a look could cause a mental breakdown.”

”...”

”Other missions?”

Han Su could see the grave expression on Li Moxi’s face.

He instinctively tensed up. ”Are you worried their accomplices will come to rescue Bai Senmang?”

”No.”

Li Moxi just shook his head slowly. While ordering his men to escort Bai Senmang to the interrogation room, he said, ”Actually, I don’t have high hopes for how much information this person possesses. If he really knew something significant, the other party would have silenced him long ago.”

”But that’s not important. I have ways to use the information he does know to force out the shadow behind the scenes.”

”It’s just that this will likely lead to huge trouble.”

”Based on the information I’ve Mastered, once I begin investigating this, the other party will certainly make a move. And their target won’t be Bai Senmang.”

”Their target will be you, the sole survivor of the kidnapping from ten years ago...”

”So, protecting you is very important.”

”...”

”Protecting me?”

A strong sense of absurdity suddenly washed over Han Su.

Just now in the car, Bai Senmang had given him an idea: point a gun at his own temple and pull the trigger.

He thought that would force the woman to show herself.

But the intelligence Li Moxi Mastered said this woman would come to kill him...

’Which one is true?’

”Of course...”

Li Moxi spoke calmly, somewhat admiring the composure, or perhaps numbness, that Han Su was showing. He smiled and said, ”I’m not afraid to let you know, leaving you and this Bai fellow here is also to accomplish another one of my missions at the same time.”

”I need to wait here for a dangerous individual. I know you know him.”

”But you’d better not get any ideas and interfere with my mission. Otherwise, I won’t be so polite!”