The Eldritch Files

This will was now issuing a formal response to the anchoring forces of the Abyssal Laboratory, which were preparing to enter the physical world of Qinggang:

”Denied!”

”…”

”Qinggang refuses to abide by the Silence Protocol any longer and officially declares the Abyssal Studio an illegal organization!”

Following this declaration, the phones of everyone present, except for Song Chushi, chimed with notifications.

Han Su took out his phone to check. The message was from Miss Ai at the Disaster Management Bureau—the one whose messages were now completely devoid of any casual flair:

[B+ Mission: The Mysterious Organization known as the Abyssal Studio is attempting to invade Qinggang. All on-duty Investigators and Executioners are required to immediately obstruct the illegal activities of this organization.]

[A+ Mission: All Investigators are required to attempt to capture members of the Abyssal Studio invading Qinggang!]

[S-Class Mission: All Investigators with an A Level rating or higher are to attempt the capture of S-Class wanted fugitive, the Crystal Priestess, while ensuring their own safety. If conditions are not suitable for capture, termination is authorized.]

[Notice: This mission will affect Investigator Licenses and promotions to Independent Investigator. All personnel are to treat this matter with the utmost seriousness!]

[…]

’Qinggang has denied entry to the Abyssal Studio and even mobilized everyone in the Disaster Management Bureau?’

Han Su was genuinely shocked by this outcome.

This outcome was beyond anything he could have imagined. ’Especially since Miss Ai is currently asleep… does this mean the messages being sent under her name truly represent the will of Qinggang’s ”higher-ups”?’

’How is that possible?’

’I’ve had zero faith in them since my first day at the Disaster Management Bureau. So now, at the moment of greatest pressure, they’ve suddenly found their conscience?’

”Those people have made their move.”

Upon hearing this announcement, Song Chushi couldn’t help but crack a smile.

Han Su was taken aback. He spun around. ”Who?”

”The Black Rose Organization in Qinggang. It’s an alliance of the victims’ families from the Ancient Castle kidnapping case ten years ago.”

With a smile, Song Chushi turned to Han Su and replied, ”You and I aren’t the only ones still heartbroken by that kidnapping. There are many, many others.”

”They may not have any standing or voice in the Mysterious World, but they refused to give up on their children. Led by two core figures, these people have been secretly communicating, growing, and extending their influence into every corner of Qinggang.”

”…”

”Two core figures…”

A sense of urgency gripped Han Su. ”Who are they?”

”I only know that one has the surname Xu. The other is… just a machine.”

Song Chushi said softly, ”That machine is fond of using a black rose as its symbol. That’s why they call themselves the Black Rose.”

”Black Rose…”

Han Su thought of the contact with the black rose avatar he had been chatting with all this time, and an irrepressible wave of emotion swelled within him.

’Could it be that I’m not the only one who’s been chatting with this ”Miss Ai” alias?’

He struggled to compose himself, keeping his tone calm. ”So, when you said we should wait and see what ’they’ decided, you meant…”

”Just now…”

Song Chushi let out a light sigh. ”Just now, in the Qinggang Council Hall, they launched their first offensive against those culprits!”

”And by the looks of it, they’ve succeeded.”

”Before this, no one was certain they would win the vote. That’s why I said we had to wait. If the vote had failed, our only choice when facing the Abyssal Studio would have been to hide and bide our time. In a direct confrontation, we wouldn’t have stood a ghost of a chance. But since the vote succeeded…”

He paused, the corner of his mouth curling up slightly. ”That means our objective has changed, too.”

”Now that the Silence Protocol has been broken and the Abyssal Studio has been declared an illegal organization, we must, of course, capture the main culprits and uncover the whole truth.”

”Finally! Our goals are aligned.”

When Han Su had spoken with Song Chushi before, their objectives weren’t the same. But now, they were surprisingly aligned. He was overcome with an indescribable excitement, but he was also momentarily stunned by what Song Chushi had just revealed.

”To act on behalf of Qinggang and reject the Abyssal Studio… Do they really have that much power?”

”…”

Seemingly surprised that Han Su could so sharply grasp that point at such a critical juncture, Song Chushi let out a low breath and admitted frankly, ”They don’t.”

”That’s why I had no confidence in their plan before. The kidnapping case’s tendrils run incomprehensibly deep, its connections shrouded in mystery. Never mind just a portion of the population—even if the entirety of Qinggang stood united, they wouldn’t have been able to reject the Silence Protocol.”

”But at least for this one moment, on this one night, the Qinggang Council has made a decision, and that has set the tone for this whole affair.”

”As for the consequences? Who gives a damn?”

”Tonight, we do what needs to be done. We’re bringing our people home!”

”Those people sit on high, masters of Mysterious Power, but they should never have been so arrogant as to think that the families who lost their children would just swallow their grief and sacrifice themselves for the sake of some ’grand design’!”

”…”

This speech made Han Su’s heart pound wildly in his chest.

At that same moment, Zhang Chiguo, King Buddha, Zhao Fantian, and Li Moxi stared at the mission objectives that had just come through. Their hearts trembled, and their expressions were stunned, as if they had each been punched in the face.

’Are they fucking kidding me?’

’Just a moment ago, the mission was to kill Song Chushi at all costs. We’re halfway through the damn fight, and now they suddenly retract the mission…’

’That was a mission personally signed off by Secretary No. 5!’

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that something had gone wrong in the Qinggang Council—something big. But no matter what, the new mission that had landed in their hands was real.

And in the tense, breathless silence, Zhang Chiguo suddenly let out a cold laugh. ’Maybe my pension is safe after all?’

The rapidly changing mission parameters also brought to mind the email Miss Ai had sent him.

Connecting the change in the mission to the contents of that email, he felt a profound sense of sorrow. ’Maybe I’m really not cut out for this kind of work,’ he thought. ’Maybe it really is time to retire.’

But he said nothing. Instead, he suddenly took two steps forward, shoved the gun he had just snatched from Li Moxi back into his hands, and said with a mocking sneer:

”The secret mission issued by Secretary No. 5 is null and void. This is now a top-priority directive issued by the Qinggang Council.”

”So, are you going to carry this out with the same devotion as before?”