The Eldritch Files

’That’s a personal philosophy, though...’

A personal philosophy meant it hadn’t been tested by many, which meant it was unstable.

’How much must he believe in his own ideas to so unhesitatingly walk this unproven path?’

The Hidden School had a tradition of hoarding knowledge, but that was knowledge that had already been confirmed and proven valuable.

But for someone like Li Moxi, who was still fumbling in the dark, having his personal philosophy validated was an indescribable, pleasant surprise.

Han Su could sense the shock surging through Li Moxi, but he simply smiled at him and said, ”Actually, I had some questions of my own about training with Mysterious Power that I wanted to ask you, Mr. Moses.”

He maintained a respectful tone toward Li Moxi. ”You’ve said before that when facing immense pollution, confrontation is the only answer. But this confrontation...”

”...when is there a result?”

”...”

On Li Moxi’s pale face, instinct finally overcame his internal conflict. He even broke into a genuine, heartfelt smile.

Faced with Han Su’s question, he fell silent for a long moment before letting out a low sigh and saying:

”The confrontation itself is the result.”

”...”

Han Su thought of the strange and mysterious Emperor’s Book. He thought about how he was fully aware that it was a form of pollution, yet he was unable to reject it. A flicker of understanding sparked within him. He nodded lightly and said, ”The essence of life is a war.”

Those were words Miss Ai had once told him. Only now that he had reached Tier Two was he beginning to understand them.

”Exactly!”

Li Moxi nodded repeatedly, his face a mixture of excitement, elation, and admiration. ”We can’t expect to know when we’ll win this war when it has only just begun. We only need to recognize one thing: confrontation is the only way we might see a path forward!”

In that moment, he even felt a pang of regret for some of his own principles for the very first time...

After a long moment of contemplation, he opened his mouth to speak several times, only to stop himself. Then, he suddenly came to a decision, turned, and walked out of the room.

Outside the door, the members of Red Sea Studio crowded around him.

”Give me the case!”

But Li Moxi said nothing more. He reached out, took his dark-red briefcase, and pulled out a red-covered notebook. The studio members beside him looked at once shocked and confused.

”Mr. Moses, you...”

”...”

Li Moxi sighed softly. ”The four of us aren’t actually qualified to take on students.”

”But I’ve always believed my work has value, and now, I’ve finally found someone who understands it...”

”This red notebook... it should be his!”

”...”

A staff member beside him, his expression now one of extreme conflict, couldn’t hold back any longer. ”But if you give the notebook to him, then what about us...?”

Li Moxi was silent for a long time before saying flatly, ”Work is work. It has nothing to do with my admiration for him.”

His subordinates seemed to understand. They said no more, simply standing guard calmly around the area.

”For me?”

Back in the room, Han Su was slightly surprised to see Li Moxi return. He looked down at the notebook being offered to him.

Li Moxi simply nodded. ”These are my findings on resisting the pollution. Perhaps they can help you.”

Han Su looked at the man who was currently using him, imprisoning him, and wouldn’t even hesitate to make a move against him. Yet, this same man was now generously offering his personal notebook. Han Su’s heart was a tangle of complex emotions. After a long moment, he accepted it and said with sincerity:

”Thank you, Mr. Moses.”

”...”

’He might be scheming against me, and he’s currently holding me captive, but for his guidance on the path of the mysterious, this ’thank you’ is well-deserved.’

’Likewise, I’m cooperating fully with him on this kidnapping case, but that doesn’t stop me from sending word to Song Chushi.’

’Li Moxi is a pragmatic man. So am I.’

He glanced at the whirring machine. It seemed that locating a mysterious person of a certain Level would take some time.

’So, am I just supposed to wait here?’

’Am I supposed to just sit here, anxious, imagining whether I should scream at her or break down in tears when I finally see her?’

’No. That’s a waste of time.’

Han Su decisively pulled over a chair, sat down, opened the notebook, and began to read intently.

Li Moxi looked slightly surprised. When he confirmed that Han Su was genuinely reading and not just putting on an act, his gaze softened.

He quietly slipped out of the room, a look of both regret and concern on his face.

Inside the room, Han Su flipped through a few pages of the notebook. His expression grew stunned. It was truly just a notebook. There were no mysterious symbols or formulas, no records of bizarre and terrifying Encrypted Spells—only a chronicle of experiences fighting nightmares.

The entries in the notebook began four years ago.

This date coincided exactly with the out-of-control S-Class incident in Qinggang that Secretary Cui Qiao had mentioned.

It was during that incident that the special operations team to which Zhang Chiguo and the others belonged was annihilated. Only the four of them survived. But from that moment on, all four of them came to possess an unimaginably immense power.

Thus, they came to be known as the Four Heavenly Kings.

Everyone else believed that crisis was long over, but judging from Li Moxi’s notebook, that had only been the beginning.

Ever since that event, he had been constantly plagued by the encroachment of some kind of mysterious will.

For four long years, he had been fighting back, and his records and findings from that struggle alone filled the entire notebook.