The Eldritch Files

"Bai Senmang, former Secretary No. 2 of the Qinggang Administrative Hall, was responsible for Qinggang’s security and defense."

Han Su and Li Moxi came out to find three vehicles ready and waiting, already full of people.

They hadn’t mobilized the Qinggang Disaster Management Bureau’s armed forces; only the members of his Red Sea Studio were deploying with him.

Han Su and Li Moxi got into the middle car. After it started, a girl with messy hair, not shying away from Han Su’s presence, immediately began her intelligence report:

"Evidence shows that this impressive big shot maintains good relationships with multiple private security groups in the region. He even owns shares in several of them."

"After we submitted the application, the mayor signed off on it, suspending all of his current duties so he can fully cooperate with our investigation."

"But clearly, this Secretary Bai isn’t being so cooperative. Otherwise, he’d be reporting to the Disaster Management Bureau on his own initiative right now, not hiding in that big house of his outside Qinggang and illegally assembling so many armed personnel to guard his home."

...

Li Moxi closed his eyes slightly, thought quietly for a moment, and asked, "Who did he get?"

"He’s brought in Thorn Flower, Sand Snake, and the Bill Group’s firearms team. It’s worth mentioning that, somehow, he even managed to get people from Black Rune—that’s the security company rumored to be backed by Dingxiang Mansion."

The female intelligence officer showed a hint of surprise. "Right now, there are at least a hundred guns guarding his Bai Mansion. It’s practically a fortress."

"Add in the people with Mysterious Power watching over things, and I’m afraid bringing him in for questioning won’t be easy."

"So, boss, what are the rules of engagement for this operation?"

...

Han Su knew this was their job, so he didn’t interrupt, merely listening from the side.

He was also aware that the security company business was thriving in Qinggang. With the Administrative Hall and the Qinggang Council keeping a lid on things, many large conglomerates, major corporations, and even financial clans wouldn’t maintain their own private armies, but they would invest in security companies.

These security companies were also divided into several tiers.

There were those that operated within the city. Naturally, they couldn’t carry guns on a daily basis; at most, they’d have a regulated knife or a riot fork.

But the ones that operated in the wilderness were fully equipped with armored vehicles, firearms, and ammunition. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call them small private armies.

A step above that, you’d find something more akin to the Queen’s Organization—the Mercenary types of the Mysterious World.

It seemed this time they were facing a group from the middle tier and up.

As he thought about it, he grew curious about what Li Moxi would choose to do. Li Moxi’s answer was unexpectedly simple:

"Bai Senmang cannot die."

A playful smile immediately appeared on the female intelligence officer’s face. "So that means, for everyone else..."

"Kill on sight!"

Li Moxi said coolly, "Since their security companies are earning this kind of money, they should naturally be prepared to lose their lives for the job."

The female intelligence officer nodded repeatedly. "And what about... non-combatants? The women, children, elderly, and any uninvolved personnel?"

She seemed to have asked the question deliberately. Li Moxi even opened his eyes to glance at her, frowning as he said, "In front of the barrel of a gun, there are no women or children. Everything is judged by the level of threat. Are you suggesting I should let my brothers risk their lives for the sake of the people in Bai Mansion?"

"Pass down the order: anyone deemed a threat is to be killed on sight. If someone’s feeling soft-hearted, they can choose to leave them alive."

"But if anything goes wrong because of it, I won’t be paying out any condolence money!"

...

Hearing this, the female intelligence officer wasn’t offended at all. On the contrary, she snapped her fingers in excitement. "Yes, sir!"

With that, she picked up her radio and announced, "Listen up, the boss has given the order."

"Target is Bai Mansion. With the exception of Secretary No. 2 Bai Senmang, all other individuals deemed a threat are to be killed on sight!"

"I repeat: Kill on sight!"

...

Cheers and excited whistles immediately erupted from the other end of the radio.

Even Han Su, sitting in the corner of the armored vehicle, couldn’t help but feel surprised and glanced at Li Moxi.

Li Moxi’s expression was calm as he said coolly, "You’re not the only one with the guts to kill someone from the Disaster Management Bureau."

Han Su’s expression twitched slightly, but he said nothing.

"S-Class Investigator..."

The female intelligence officer sitting in the front suddenly turned to look at Han Su, her gaze filled with immense interest.

She smiled. "Do you know why Mr. Moses named his studio Red Sea?"

"Because he really does have a red sea..."

"One made of blood!"

...

’So, they’re both Four Heavenly Kings, but this Mr. Moses and Uncle Zhang certainly have two very different styles...’

After driving for some time, the armored vehicles reached the edge of Qinggang’s southern district, nearing the location of the Bai Mansion.

It was a large house built on a hillside, with a courtyard spanning dozens of acres. The house sat in the middle of a large open area, where many fully armed security personnel could be seen patrolling. It was even equipped with searchlights and watchtowers.

Li Moxi showed no intention of getting out of the car, simply sitting with Han Su and watching from a distance.

However, the female intelligence officer and the people from the other two vehicles disembarked with gusto.

They each chose a position. On a single command, they forced their way into the Bai Mansion without so much as a warning shout. Suddenly, the sound of gunfire—TAT TAT TAT—erupted from various locations, interspersed with the sounds of explosions, bombs, and the muffled groans of people dying.

Han Su sat in the armored vehicle, watching through the bulletproof glass window. He could see armed personnel inside the Bai Mansion running back and forth, shouting loudly, before mists of blood burst from their bodies and they collapsed onto the lawn.

In that moment, it seemed as though human life had become utterly worthless.

"You must remember, after obtaining Mysterious Power, the first thing you must face is your state of mind."

Li Moxi, who had seemed to be resting with his eyes closed, suddenly spoke to Han Su. "Your own state of mind."

Han Su didn’t understand the meaning behind his words, so he just listened. Li Moxi didn’t wait for a reply, continuing as if talking to himself, "By what right do you possess this surreal Mysterious Power?"

"This is a question that everyone who tries to claim this Mysterious Power as their own—or in other words, everyone who enters Tier Two—must consider."

"Zhang Chiguo is a good man, but he’s also a substandard wielder of Mysterious Power. He obtained Mysterious Power, yet he still regards himself as human and constrains himself with human rules."

"Of course, you can use many wonderful words to describe him for that."

"But you could just as easily say he’s a coward."

Li Moxi spoke faster and faster, his voice gaining force. "He doesn’t dare to face the Mysterious Power he possesses. He still lives within the rules like a human. Breaking the rules terrifies him."

"I’ll admit that humans are creatures of rules, and that breaking them can easily lead to losing control, but not all rules are the same."

"The moment you obtain a Mysterious Power that can break the rules of reality, you are no longer human. The rules of reality no longer apply to you. You need to find a goal, an ideal worth dying for, to serve as your new set of rules."

"This is the key to conquering Mysterious Power."

...

As Li Moxi spoke, he slowly sat up, opened the car door, and smiled at Han Su. "This is also the most useful piece of advice I can give you when it comes to training with Mysterious Power."

"How much you can grasp is up to you."

...

As he stepped out of the car, reports from the members of Red Sea Studio started coming in over the radio: "In designated position."

"Strong Spiritual Power fluctuations detected inside Bai Mansion."

"Visual on the third floor of the main building. Someone is performing a ritual, attempting to unleash a powerful surge of mysterious corruption..."

...

"I’ll take care of the rest!"

Li Moxi, now out of the car, spoke in a low voice. He didn’t use the radio, yet his voice reached the ears of every Red Sea Studio member, and even the security personnel inside Bai Mansion heard him clearly.

At that same moment, Han Su followed him out of the armored vehicle. He too saw the third floor of the small white building, where he could vaguely make out three men in black Sacrificial Robes. The one in the center held a Crystal Skull, while the other two chanted around him.

A brilliant and bizarre crystalline light bloomed, making the entire small white building seem as if it were shrouded in a radiance that was both dangerous and captivating.

Li Moxi stood by the armored vehicle, took a deep breath, and said to Han Su in a low voice, "Watch closely. This is the struggle I’ve always faced. This is the path I have chosen!"

As he spoke, he gently raised both hands.

In that instant, the air around him began to refract, inch by inch, and in a flash, it stirred up a terrifying, stormy wave.

Han Su even felt as though he was seeing a boundless, blood-red ocean appear out of thin air, submerging the wilderness, obscuring the sky, and surging mightily toward the sprawling white mansion ahead.

It wasn’t a real ocean of blood, but Spiritual Power.

This Spiritual Power was so bloody and terrifying that anyone it touched would perceive a vast, blood-red ocean in their mind’s eye.

It swept forward with the force of a landslide, pouring out and leaving nothing but desolation in its wake.

However many wounded but not-yet-dead security personnel were still on the lawn, they were all completely devoured the moment this blood-red ocean washed over them.

At the far end of the blood-red ocean was the lone white main building. The men in Sacrificial Robes on the third floor had intended to use the Crystal Skull to unleash some dangerous power, but in the instant the blood-red ocean covered them, they were utterly submerged.

’This... is the true power of one of the Four Heavenly Kings?’

Han Su felt like a small shrimp caught in the ocean, watching Investigator Moses make his move, so shocked he could barely breathe.