The Eldritch Files

Chapter 22: Chapter 20: Welcome Back

"Sigh..."

Han Su only had time for a single sigh before he suddenly felt a sense of weightlessness, as if he were falling into a bottomless abyss, or as if a bungee cord were rapidly pulling him backward.

This backward velocity surpassed that of his own body, even surpassing the speed of light.

An endless vertigo left Han Su unable to tell where he was for a long time, until a faint, mysterious, and ancient rustling sound began to reach his ears.

Han Su’s eyes shot open. He saw a rusty iron gate slowly creaking open before him, and the sky full of circling crows.

...

...

Meanwhile, at the Disaster Management Bureau, on the other side of the one-way glass, Zhang Chiguo watched as Han Su’s expression grew more and more pained with the playing of the Spell. Eventually, a look of terror even crossed his face, and Zhang Chiguo’s heart leaped into his throat.

’Such a strong reaction?’

’Is it because the kid’s Spirituality is just too high, or is the contamination he suffered too severe?’

’Does this mean he’ll fail the assessment?’

’The kid’s already been unlucky enough to be dragged into this goddamn mess. Don’t tell me he’s going to be thrown into the D7 Group as cannon fodder, too.’

He vaguely noticed the security personnel beside him had grown so tense they were subconsciously gripping their guns. This only made his own anxiety spike.

But just then, he was surprised to see another change. Han Su, who had been frowning deeply as if in unbearable agony from the Spell, suddenly and bizarrely closed his eyes. Even his breathing instantly became calm and even.

’Did the guy fall asleep?’

The security personnel next to him, whose palms had just been sweating with tension, now slowly relaxed their grips.

...

...

The stench of decay assaulted his nostrils. Han Su glanced around, once again confirming his surroundings.

A school bus.

To be precise, it was a school bus driving into the manor before them. Its iron gate was slowly opening, revealing a dry fountain and grounds choked with withered, overgrown vines.

In the seats around him sat one child after another, all with bewildered expressions. Some wore exquisite little suits and leather shoes, others wore pretty little dresses. Some had their hair in ponytails, looking healthy and full of life.

The same people. They were all here.

The doll, the ponytail, Tuxedo, Pot Lid Head, Skinny...

The children who had died one by one before his very eyes during his last escape were now alive and well on this school bus, their faces still wearing the same look of dazed innocence.

Right now, their eyes were wide as they stared at the manor unfolding before them.

In the city where they lived, a place they knew well, there were all sorts of architectural works that showed off their designers’ individuality. None of them could be called unworldly, but the manor before them still gave off an ancient and gloomy feeling.

The manor grounds were empty, save for a lone, tall, and irregularly shaped building standing right in the center.

Dark and deathly still, it resembled a monster crouching in the middle of the estate.

"Sure enough, I’ve been abducted again..."

At that moment, Han Su found it difficult to even describe his mood.

He had long been aware the intervals were shortening, but he never expected it to happen this quickly.

’If I get dragged back in less than twenty-four hours, what time will I have to investigate anything?’

’At this rate, there’s no point in even escaping this place.’

’I might as well just jump off a building!’

...Wait, no.

The despair was just a fleeting, instinctual emotion. Han Su quickly realized something: maybe this wasn’t a bad thing.

The truly terrifying thing was the regular shortening of the intervals.

The pattern of his abductions had gone from every six months to every three months, then shortened bit by bit to every half a month. It was a methodical compression that left him feeling suffocated and unable to resist.

But this time...

In terms of the pattern, it didn’t match the previous intervals at all. Didn’t this mean that something—or some power—had influenced his abduction?

What could it be?

A thought stirred in his mind: could it be the mysterious sound the Disaster Management Bureau had just been playing for him?

He couldn’t be sure on such short notice, but once he thought it through, the despair and pressure in his heart began to dissipate.

Whether the effect was positive or negative, discovering a factor in the real world that could influence the "abduction interval" was a form of progress.

If it could make the abduction happen sooner, did that also mean that, to some extent, it could be used to delay it, or even avoid it altogether?

"So..."

Han Su suppressed his excitement and made a secret decision. This time, he had to get back as quickly as possible and continue his investigation.

’The "sound" is the key.’

His experience at the Disaster Management Bureau confirmed that he was now in the "future," getting closer to the truth of the abductions step by step. This was something that had never happened before in all his investigations throughout his countless abductions.

This "future" needed to be extended for as long as possible.

This time, he also needed to escape back to the future as fast as he could.

After all, in most of his life’s timelines, regardless of whether he was injured or disabled, he would always meet Zhang Chiguo from the Public Security Bureau, be sent to an orphanage, get into Qinggang University, and continue with his life.

But there had also been some bizarre timelines where, after he returned, his surroundings were completely different, even unrecognizable.

"Teacher, Teacher, is this the science museum?"

"Where’s the machine?"

By now, some of the children on the bus had vaguely realized something was wrong and were earnestly questioning the teacher who had brought them.

But there was no answer, neither from the bus driver nor the teacher responsible for their safety.

The two of them just sat there in silence, letting the bus glide into the manor.

Han Su didn’t need to look. He knew it was useless to call out to them. He had been abducted back here countless times and already knew what the two of them looked like.

At some point, they had turned into deathly pale statues.

They might have only looked a bit dull, but if you struck them hard, you would even discover that everything beneath their skin had turned into a stone-like, brittle filler material.

The abduction was inevitable.

He had tried before, in the first moments after being abducted, to scramble out the bus window or escape the yard through the main gate, but he had been taught a harsh lesson. So this time, he just sat in silence, waiting for the right moment.

"Teacher, Teacher fell asleep..."

A naive child, noticing something was wrong with the teacher, called out in a clear voice.

The voices in the bus suddenly grew more numerous, but they were still in a stage of more curiosity than confusion. Most of these children came from well-off families and had been sheltered. For now, they were still used to following the arrangements made by adults.

With the adults asleep, they were at a bit of a loss.

Not to mention, one of them was already squirming, about to wet themself.

HISS!

Just then, the bus door slid open softly. From outside, a gentle and elegant voice rang out, "Welcome to the Land of Ai..."

Everyone except for Han Su, who had already seen that face countless times, was drawn by the voice. Some even stood up, only to see a ramrod-straight old man standing outside the bus.

He was thin and gaunt, dressed in a deep black tuxedo. The suit was filthy, covered in mud, dust, and other unidentifiable grime, yet it was impeccably neat, as if it had been carefully ironed before being put on.

He had little hair left on his head, but his two-pronged mustache was trimmed with extreme precision.

Even his face wore an unnervingly perfect, kind, and approachable smile.

Anywhere else, he would have seemed like a professionally trained old butler who took pride in his work.

Except for his face.

His complexion was ashen gray, and his skin was covered in cracks like those on porcelain, faintly revealing the dried blood vessels and muscle tissue underneath. This bizarre appearance made his perfect posture and friendly smile seem exceptionally strange.

"Teacher, Teacher..."

The intangible wrongness of it all frightened the children into shouting. They shrank back into the bus, trying once again to wake their dozing teacher.

The butler outside paid them no mind, still smiling as he gently clapped his hands.

CLAP. CLAP.

Two abnormally crisp sounds.

Instantly, every child in the bus fell silent.

Their expressions turned wooden. They slowly rose from their seats and, one by one, trudged off the bus.

They formed two neat rows beside the porcelain-like butler.

The doors to the castle opened slowly and heavily, as if exuding a mysterious, weighty aura as they welcomed their special visitors.

No one cried or fussed anymore. Like soulless, walking corpses, they slowly followed the butler toward the castle.

Even Han Su followed obediently, pretending he had also been hypnotized.

He was more afraid of this old butler than anyone.

Inside the Ancient Castle, he was the only one who spoke a normal language and seemed capable of communication. He didn’t appear to be one of the monsters, but rather a step above them in status.

And yet, he was also the most bizarre and cruel of them all.

The entire abduction had likely occurred under his watchful eye.