The Eldritch Files

Chapter 302: Chapter 256: Circulating Knight Order (2)

Akbar didn’t greet them either. She walked over to the back of a vehicle, where all sorts of items were piled up.

They were a seasoned team of Mercenaries, prepared for all sorts of complex situations. Their preparations were extremely thorough. This time, they had already planned to pose as Investigators to enter an unfamiliar area, so they had acquired the necessary items in advance.

Han Su glanced over and saw several briefcases tossed in the vehicle’s cargo bed, along with a pile of tuxedos, suits, pistols, and even stun batons, daggers, and what were clearly forged documents.

All items commonly used by Investigators.

Reflecting on his experiences in this lifeline, he could understand. In recent years, major cities around the world had begun experimenting with establishing Disaster Management Bureaus.

However, while they all claimed to be building a “fourth line of defense for reality,” some actually used Investigators as their private soldiers. Others took the opportunity to Steal power from the council, and still others used Investigators as feelers for the city’s encroachment into the wilderness.

The one thing that was certain was that these figures, carrying their briefcases, had begun to appear frequently in the wilderness.

There were many hidden places that were very dangerous for ordinary people to enter, but the status of an Investigator offered them a degree of protection.

After all, every Investigator was backed by the Disaster Management Bureau. If one of them disappeared somewhere, it could attract more people, or even an Independent Investigator, to the scene.

Their reputation preceded them, in a way.

At this moment, however, what most attracted Han Su’s attention was a black briefcase.

All eight of its corners were reinforced with wrapped copper fittings. It had an old, dusty feel, as if it had been sealed away somewhere for a very long time.

‘That’s it. That’s my briefcase.’

‘It’s appeared in this lifetime.’

Back at the Ancient Castle, it had arrived a step behind him, like checked luggage. He never expected that on this completely different lifeline, it would appear just as quietly, as if life were merely a journey.

Seeing the black briefcase, Han Su felt a sense of relief. He smiled and asked, “Where did all this stuff come from?”

“From the secondhand markets in Giant Horn City, of course.”

The team member in charge of procurement answered curtly. He casually picked up a suit, a stun baton, a dagger, and some documents and tossed them over.

He then picked up a case that was closer to him, but after a glance at Han Su, he put the brand-new case back down.

As if motivated by some sort of resentment, he deliberately picked up the old, black case and threw it over instead.

Even Akbar found this a bit distasteful. She picked up the old black case and glanced inside. Seeing it was empty, but noting the case itself was sturdy, she zipped it shut and gently pushed it in front of Han Su.

The entire sequence of movements was smooth and fluid.

It was as if arranged by fate; the black briefcase had always belonged to Han Su and was destined to return to his hands.

And though Akbar had just seen that the case was empty, when Han Su picked it up, he immediately felt its weight.

‘Everything’s here!’

He breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Behind the vehicle, he changed into the suit and leather shoes, wet his hands with water from a bottle to smooth down his hair, and picked up the briefcase. In an instant, he was transformed. The brutish air of someone who had spent years roughing it in the wilderness vanished completely.

He looked sharp and stood ramrod straight in his suit. Even Akbar and the other team members standing nearby did a double take.

Lalei, in particular, couldn’t help but rub his nose. ‘So that’s why he was qualified to climb into that bed,’ he thought.

“You don’t look like someone who should be holding a gun. You look like you were born to carry a briefcase.”

Akbar muttered, then her expression turned serious. “After sunrise, you’ll head down to Black Valley Village.”

“Remember your cover identity. The mission is what’s most important. I need you to get a clear picture of the village’s layout, roads, population, and defenses. And, of course, the most crucial part is to find the location of their secret altar.”

As she spoke, she beckoned, and someone handed her a bag containing a dip pen and a bottle of ink.

She took it and passed it to Han Su. “This village is very wary of outsiders. Once you’re in, you won’t have a chance to get out. Electronic signals, both internal and external, are easily disrupted, so you’ll have no way to transmit intel.”

“But you just need to take this. Find a way to write the information anywhere—a notebook, a piece of paper, even on a wall or the ground. Whatever information you write down, I’ll know.”

“Oh, right. If you run into danger, you can also drink this ink or spread it on your body. It can save your life for a certain period of time.”

“…”

Han Su committed it all to memory and asked, “And then?”

Akbar rolled her eyes. “Then you just protect yourself and wait for us to come and back you up.”

Han Su thought back for a moment. As a Mercenary-in-training, he wasn’t qualified to know the specific mission details before arriving. But now that the operation was about to begin, it seemed that according to the Mercenary team’s rules, he could ask for clarification.

“Shouldn’t you tell me first, then, what kind of place this village—or rather, the target—is?”

“Heh, it’s a very evil place.”

Hearing this, Akbar gave a cold laugh. “A true Black Goat has likely been born there.”

“A monstrous creature that has truly descended into our reality.”

“Our mission is simple. Both Giant Horn City and Skinning Manor are fighting over this place. Giant Horn City wants to turn the village into their secret prison, but Skinning Manor claims it’s within their territory, and that the entire village is their property.”