Investigation Report of the Gods-Chapter 129 : Acting Separately

Chapter 129: Acting Separately
Along with the surrounding space becoming illusory and weightless, the real world collapsed and melted away.
All things reorganized. Han Su seemed to be passing through layer upon layer of strange spaces, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself on the familiar school bus. In front of him stood the dilapidated and eerie Ancient Castle, its massive doors slowly opening toward him.
He swept his gaze over the scene and did not see Wei Lan’s figure, confirming that he had indeed returned to the castle.
It seemed that, even if she had been contaminated by the Mechanical Fragments, Wei Lan had only remembered the incident when she was kidnapped.
Silently closing his eyes, he organized the information:
So now, it could be confirmed that this Mechanical Fragment was indeed related to my kidnapping?
The Mechanical Fragment was gathering power, and every time it had accumulated enough, he would be pulled back to the past. The increasingly frequent flickering was simply because the fragment was gathering power faster and faster?
If the Mechanical Fragment could accelerate its power accumulation, could I also make it slow down?
It was an important question, but at the moment, Han Su could only set it aside.
Right now, his objective was singular.
…
Earlier, in front of the Withered Butler, Han Su still did nothing—he only observed quietly.
Very quickly, his gaze locked on the focus this time: the key!
This search for the key went unexpectedly smoothly. Han Su took less than a minute before spotting it—at the very end of the long dining hall—on a half-transparent monster wearing a black top hat and wrapped in a black formal dress.
This monster was unlike the others. Her form was not solid; one could see the vague scenery behind her through her body.
She was like a ghost that did not truly exist, leaving only a projection in this world.
Because of this, the key hanging from her stood out more than ever before.
It was…
“The Ghost Princess?”
Han Su’s heart stirred slightly, but he carefully hid any sign of interest.
There were seven monsters in the first-floor dining hall: the Withered Butler, Lady Meat Horns, the Half-Bodied Doctor, the Pale Giant, the Boar-Head Butcher, the Worm Monk, and, lastly, the most inconspicuous—the Ghost Princess.
Compared to the others, she was slender and soft in presence, drifting silently about, lacking any strong sense of existence.
Even Han Su sometimes subconsciously overlooked her.
But seeing the key on her made memories of her details resurface instantly.
This time entering, many of his plans had been prepared in the future already. The only variable was the key.
He could only observe who held it and then make and execute a plan on the spot.
Now that he knew it was with her, a bold thought rose in his heart—he could try.
Because… he had once succeeded in snatching the key from her.
Moreover, her floor seemed to still hold certain treasures that had long vanished from the castle…
Without a trace, he lowered his head, hiding the glint in his eyes, putting on a dazed expression, and quietly waited as the monsters at the dining table chose children to send upstairs. Then the Withered Butler, along with the Hunch-Backed Man, locked him and the remaining children in the Earth Cellar.
He waited patiently, conserving energy in a corner, until night fell.
When he once again heard the child from Secretary No. 2’s family bragging to the others, and once again saw the Black Cat appear and lazily disappear, he knew the time had come.
While the Crew-Cut Boy had drawn a group of children to himself—some out of genuine or feigned respect and hope—Han Su slowly stood up and approached them, speaking seriously:
“I can get you out of here.”
“But the condition is—you have to listen to me.”
“…”
The group of children froze, turning their blinking eyes toward him.
“What do you mean, listen to you?”
Before the others reacted, the Crew-Cut Boy from Secretary No. 2’s family jumped out, thinking Han Su was challenging his authority, and shouted, “You all have to listen to me! Only then will I tell my dad to save you all. I order you—”
“Order my ass!”
Han Su turned and slapped him hard across the face.
“Your family used their power to kill my sister, my younger sister, my cousin, and my cousin’s brother. I haven’t even settled that debt with you yet…”
He hadn’t forgotten the last time this brat tattled to the Withered Butler.
This time, Han Su beat him especially harshly. Despite his small size, he displayed a shocking ferocity—knocking the boy to the ground in just two hits. Before he could cry out, Han Su stomped on his neck, tore off his socks, and shoved them into his mouth.
Still not satisfied, he took the boy’s belt, tied him up, tossed him into a corner, and looked at him like trash.
After dealing with him, Han Su turned to the others, who were clearly frightened stiff:
“You have to believe me. I’m actually a senior student sent by the Teacher to save you.”
“In about three minutes, this door will open. I need to go find the Teacher to get the key. Once I have it, I’ll head to the third floor, to the rotating conference room on the west side of the corridor. There will be adults waiting there to take us away together.”
“The route is: from here, go to the kitchen, under the right-hand cabinet there’s a dumbwaiter. Climb up quietly—two floors—then crawl out and go right. Push open the door, and you’ll be there.”
“Once I get the key, I won’t come back down—it’s too dangerous.”
“So, whoever’s there, I’ll take with me. Those who don’t go can stay here and let the monsters eat them.”
“…”
He explained as clearly as he could, repeating it twice to make sure they remembered.
He knew they might not have the courage, so he deliberately let his gaze linger on a few faces—the ones he’d judged to be the more capable among them.
Choosing the dangerous third floor was calculated—at this time, the Half-Bodied Doctor would be happily playing with the Irritable Kid Brother. Though she was extremely fast and dangerous, tests showed she had little interest in others.
Even if the children failed to escape, it didn’t matter.
For success, one must prepare on two fronts.
If the children caused enough noise below, it could distract attention from him above.
That would give him a chance to rescue the one taken to the ninth floor by the Ghost Princess…
“Got it?”
Han Su looked at the children after finishing.
Most still looked dazed, their eyes filled with confusion and fear.
Only the Crew-Cut Boy in the corner gave muffled cries.
Han Su walked over, kicked him again, and told the others, “Remember—whether you escape or not, don’t let this little bastard loose, understand?”
“I’ll tell you again. If you can remember, good. If not, wait for the monsters to eat you.”
“…”
As he finished the second explanation, chaos suddenly broke out outside the Earth Cellar—crashing noises followed by a heavy thud. Then, the door silently opened, and by it sat a proud Black Cat.
Its cold eyes cast an arrogant gaze down into the cellar…
With a swish, Han Su leapt up out of the Earth Cellar, startling the posing cat.
“Good Duke, hurry—take me to the ninth floor to find the key…”
He left the cellar door wide open, giving the children one last deep look before striding quickly toward the kitchen.
He could have taken them upstairs into the conference room before stealing the key—it might have seemed safer—but there was no time to convince them. Forcing them could cause trouble.
Experience had taught him that traveling the castle with children was far more dangerous than moving alone.
So, whether they escaped or stayed depended on their own courage.
For now, the most important thing was getting the key.
Walking toward the kitchen, he urged the Black Cat—Duke—along.
Duke hesitated, lazily pacing a circle, before finally heading toward the kitchen under repeated urging. Dissatisfied with the pace, Han Su scooped him up, grabbed a kitchen knife, and crouched into the dumbwaiter.
This time, he climbed two floors straight up, listening closely.
On the other side of the corridor came the Half-Bodied Doctor’s gleeful cackles and the Irritable Kid Brother’s curses.
“Safe!”
Han Su crept out, turned left, and went to the rotating conference room, confirming the route he’d told the children worked. Then he slipped out the back door, neared the stairs, and ascended to the fourth floor.
One floor after another—through hidden passages and between walls—his painstakingly memorized routes came into play.
Step by step, like a ghost, he drew closer to his target floor without alerting a single monster.
Climbing to the ninth floor was a long journey, yet ironically, it was the safest so far.
He hadn’t even used Zero Sequence Spell No. 1.
Until a chill enveloped him, and he appeared at the corridor’s end on the ninth floor.
Here, cobwebs and broken vessels were everywhere, and only thumb-thick candles shed bean-sized flames, struggling to light the gloomy hall.
“Fire…”
In this haunted place, the moment Han Su saw the candlelight, he even felt a surge of excitement—he had finally seen it again…