The Eldritch Files

Bai Senmang had once told Han Su there was a simple way to see that woman.

Shoot yourself in the head.

Since she was his mother, she was sure to appear and stop him.

And so, Han Su did it. He pointed the gun at his head and pulled the trigger. A madness glinted in his eyes, and he saw the woman’s face drain of color.

She didn’t even have time to think. Her body lunged forward, one arm and half her torso passing through the intersecting spatial ”window.” She had truly entered reality, grabbing the muzzle of the gun pressed against Han Su’s temple and stopping his insane act.

To ensure there would be no mistake, she even plugged the barrel with her thumb, her expression filled with boundless rage:

”You…”

”…”

’Bai Senmang was actually right. This really did force her to come over.’

Unfortunately, Han Su knew in his heart that she hadn’t acted out of some maternal instinct. She was just afraid he would die.

He could tell from what she’d just said. She now saw him as the Heir of Copper, so of course she wouldn’t let him die.

His heart clenched for a moment, but Han Su wasted no time. As the woman cried out in anger, he shot his hand out and grabbed her wrist. Beneath his feet, within the Ciphertext Array, countless drops of copper-colored blood floated up, instantly forming a handcuff.

CLICK!

Han Su snatched the newly formed handcuff, locked it onto her wrist, and quickly backed away.

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a bullet, and quickly loaded it into the chamber. His eyes remained fixed on the tall, slender woman as he gritted his teeth. ”You want to lock me in a cage? Well, I want to make you stay in reality for good!”

As he yelled, he raised the gun and aimed it at the operating mechanical device nearby.

Then, his face expressionless, he pulled the trigger several times in quick succession. BANG! BANG! He shot the precision machine to pieces.

At that moment, the tall, slender woman only had one arm and half of her body in the real world.

This meant she was positioned at the junction between two dimensions. By destroying the machine, the connection would be severed, and the spaces would misalign.

In that instant, she would have only two choices.

Either be torn to shreds by the collapsing space, or fully enter the real world and fall into his Ciphertext Array.

This was the plan Han Su had devised in the three minutes of thinking time he’d bought himself with the Pocket Watch.

It was also the plan with the highest potential for damage that he could possibly conceive of and execute.

Anything more ambitious would have been truly beyond his capabilities.

...

It seemed like the plan had succeeded. At the very least, Han Su had handcuffed the tall, slender woman and successfully destroyed the machine.

As the Spiritual Power rapidly dissipated, the forcibly connected spaces began to separate and misalign.

The borders, filled with Sawtooth-like fragments, ground against each other, intersecting in a way that could tear anything apart.

But the tall, slender woman didn’t enter reality.

She simply seemed to accept the situation. She gave Han Su—who looked back at her with a ruthless expression, the man who had twice been willing to face death to trap her—a long, deep look. In the next instant, the copper-colored handcuff on her wrist suddenly melted, dissolving into motes of copper light that fell into her palm.

Her movements seemed utterly unhurried as she gracefully retreated back into the Abyssal Laboratory.

Within the blurry, fading image, she watched Han Su coldly, gently stroking her wrist.

It was the spot Han Su had touched when he’d clasped the handcuff on her.

”Did you want to see me for real that badly?”

She let out an almost imperceptible sigh, her gaze lowering. ”You really didn’t have to go to all this trouble.”

”The moment you displayed the power of Copper before my eyes, I could no longer afford to leave you be, even if I wanted to.”

”Give the order.”

At this point, her words were no longer directed at Han Su, but were an order for the people behind her. ”Send a notice to the World Guardians and the Qinggang Council Hall. Abyssal Studio will officially enter reality in twenty minutes. The plan to recover the twelfth Heir is now underway.”

”It’s time for all of this to come to an end!”

”…”

”…”

As her last word faded, the intertwining Spiritual Power that had suffused the area vanished in an instant.

In the room, aside from the machine Han Su had destroyed himself, it was as if everything had been a chaotic illusion, leaving not a single trace behind.

’She’s that powerful?’

Han Su didn’t feel the slightest sense of relief. He only felt a heavy pressure weighing down on him from above.

’The Ciphertext handcuff, forged from the blood of Bai Shi and driven by the Copper Will, had absolutely no effect on her?’

’Just what level is this woman at within the Mysterious Domain?’

’20 minutes…’

He could hear the finality in her last words and feel the formless pressure they carried.

It looked like she was really coming this time, to explain everything and put an end to this whole affair.

Mulling over these questions, Han Su picked up his briefcase and turned, only to see that the door was securely locked. He raised his palm. Part of the copper-colored blood returned to the briefcase, while the rest enveloped his left hand. Then, he easily tore the door to shreds.

He entered the hallway and had only taken a few steps when he saw a group of people positioned at the other end. The dark muzzles of their guns were all pointed at him. Members of the Red Sea Studio had also appeared, taking up various positions and staring at him warily.

Han Su looked up at them. ”So, this was your so-called investigation? Sacrificing me to that woman?”

”No.”

The female intelligence agent spoke in a low voice. She seemed to have been given specific instructions, because when faced with Han Su’s question, she did her best to explain everything clearly: