Investigation Report of the Gods-Chapter 132 : Rescue Succeeded

Chapter 132: Rescue Succeeded
“Keep running!”
Taking advantage of the moment before the Withered Butler got close, Han Su shouted at the top of his lungs.
Theoretically, when the fire on the ninth floor first broke out, the Withered Butler should have at least gone up to check on it—that was his responsibility.
It was safest for Han Su and the children to escape during this window.
However, to Han Su’s surprise, the Withered Butler didn’t seem to go up to check the fire at all. Instead, he descended quickly—or rather, the moment he sensed the children had entered the stairwell, he abandoned the fire above and came straight down to find them.
At the Withered Butler’s ghost-like speed on the stairs, he could reach this place in just a second or two if he moved at full force.
But that... was your own bad luck.
With vicious determination in his heart, Han Su held back from chanting the Fisherman’s Chant for now. He focused on helping the children move their short legs and charged toward the door.
But their speeds weren’t in the same league at all. The short twenty-meter distance was enough time for the Withered Butler to swiftly flicker down the staircase like a ghost and reach them.
From the corner of Han Su’s eye, he could already vaguely see a stiff figure with a straight posture appearing at the corridor turn above. It was like watching a cutscene; with every blink, he got closer.
Luckily, whether from fear or something else, the children only focused on following him.
Heads down, legs pumping.
One meter, two meters—they quickly neared the end of the hallway. Only four or five meters remained.
But just then, the Withered Butler, who had now caught sight of them, seemed to reveal a smile tinged with sadistic amusement. He then slowly raised his hands and began clapping gently.
Han Su’s heart clenched. He was ready to chant the Fisherman’s Chant at any moment.
But he hoped his setup upstairs would take effect.
Finally, at the crucial moment when the Withered Butler clapped, a sharp, indescribable screech erupted from the ninth floor.
The terrifying soundwaves seeped downward, one floor at a time.
The cry had an intense penetrative force and carried a strange power. In an instant, everyone’s eardrums were overwhelmed.
The moment Han Su heard the sound, a cold smile crept across his face: “Perfect timing…”
“You really think I lit that fire for fun?”
“……”
The main reason for starting the fire was the Ghost Princess.
He didn’t know if she had caught the Black Cat, but clearly, she had now seen that her dress was burned.
Han Su had once witnessed her during the third night, screaming sharply just because Bowl‑Cut Boy had bitten a tiny tear into her skirt. The terror she emanated was indescribable—even the Withered Butler showed intense discomfort.
Now that all her clothes were burned, what would happen?
Since the Withered Butler had given up checking the fire, he now had to suffer the consequences of the Ghost Princess witnessing her burnt dress and falling into hysteria.
Under the cry’s soundwaves, even if the Withered Butler had clapped, its effect would be vastly diminished.
It was as if his most terrifying ability had been temporarily disabled.
“Hmm?”
This anomaly caused the Withered Butler’s expression to shift slightly, a deep frown forming on his face.
He had planned to lure out those two little mice running around the Ancient Castle, subdue them, and then go check the fire.
After all, a mere clap could resolve the issue. The sequence wouldn’t delay him by much.
He hadn’t expected such a coincidence…
Was it a coincidence?
What he didn’t expect even more was that this was only the beginning. In the next moment, as the Ghost Princess continued her breakdown, the flames surged higher. Every floor now showed growing fires, and even heat waves began to roll down the staircase.
Han Su had ignited seven or eight places along the way, at least three or four of which had caught fire.
The compounded blaze was shocking.
Even the sly smile on the Withered Butler’s face completely disappeared. He turned his head sharply, and a flicker of shock—perhaps even fear—flashed across his stiff face.
And in that brief pause, Han Su had already dragged the three children with all his might to the door at the corridor’s end—only two steps away. At this distance, not even the Withered Butler could catch up.
“Children never know the disaster they’ve caused…”
The Withered Butler, now filled with rage, finally looked down at them. His eyes flashed with fury as he gently raised his hands.
The withered vines on his body suddenly came to life. With a dark aura of despair, they shot forward like snakes toward the fleeing children.
“It’s time!”
At that exact moment, Han Su, who had been waiting for this timing, abruptly turned and stretched out his hands, grabbing two of the children beside him.
He whispered: 【Gods descend with their divine decree!】
The moment the spell was uttered, an invisible spiritual force surged within the Ancient Castle.
It surged like a tide, engulfing them. Han Su and the two children he held onto disappeared simultaneously—swallowed by the darkness, or perhaps erased altogether.
“Three seconds…”
“Two seconds…”
“……”
A single person affecting two children, all under the Withered Butler’s gaze—this caused the Invisibility Spell’s duration to compress drastically. Barely two seconds.
But that was enough. Han Su dashed with the two children to the door. As he released them, he grabbed the key and jammed it into the lock.
Twist!
Click!
The vibration of the brass key in the lock filled him with overwhelming joy.
His mind was nearly blank, the invisibility had worn off, but success was at hand.
At the same moment, from the corner of his eye, he saw the vines rapidly snatch one of the children who had not been invisible, dragging him toward the Withered Butler.
The other child, more alert, used the first as a shield. The vine reached him a bit slower, allowing him to get closer to Han Su.
Filled with desperate hope, he reached out toward them, eyes brimming with yearning.
At this moment, Han Su was slamming the door open, ready to shove his companions through—unable to turn back.
One child beside him reached out to grab the extended hand.
He wanted to help pull the child closer.
But just then, Bowl‑Cut Boy suddenly slapped his hand away. Expressionless, he pushed the desperate, pleading child to the ground with all his strength.
“You…”
The child who had tried to help looked at Bowl‑Cut Boy in disbelief.
But when Han Su glanced back, he immediately understood.
Trailing behind the rushing child was a sneaky vine—like a venomous snake. The Withered Butler intended to use this child’s approach to distract them at the door, then strike suddenly to seize them all?
Bowl‑Cut Boy saw this and, without hesitation, shoved the boy back, even using his body to block the vine and neutralize the threat.
The boy who had tried to pull the other in hadn’t processed what happened yet. He stared at Bowl‑Cut Boy in anger and confusion, but Bowl‑Cut Boy’s eyes flicked, as if deciding to push him through the door next to buy more time.
“Go!”
Just then, Han Su had flung the door open, shouted deeply, and yanked Bowl‑Cut Boy and another child out through the door.
“Whoosh!”
At that exact moment, the Withered Butler leapt down, letting out a furious, indescribable sound. Even after Han Su had returned to the castle so many times, it was the first time he’d heard such a wild outburst.
Seeing he couldn’t stop Han Su anymore, the Withered Butler suddenly chanted a spell. A burst of flame exploded and chased after the three escaping figures.
It seemed, for once, he had broken protocol—harboring murderous intent toward the children.
As they tumbled out of the Ancient Castle, even Bowl‑Cut Boy was caught off guard.
Only Han Su remained alert. He turned abruptly and shielded the two children, instinctively raising his hand to block the fire.
But this flame seemed alive. It clung to his right arm, and a scorching pain flared up.
Yet wrapped in the night wind and falling rapidly, Han Su no longer felt fear. Ignoring the fire on his arm, he lifted his head and looked up.
There, peeking out from the door, was the stiff face of the Withered Butler—hesitating, confused, angry, suspicious.
Han Su grinned, raised his burning right hand, and then…
…flipped him off with a flaming middle finger.
……
Back in the Ancient Castle, fires of various sizes raged across every floor. The blaze triggered more monsters to cry out—dolls on the fourth floor, bugs on the eighth, and all kinds of shadowy creatures hidden in corners.
Loud and chaotic—it was like a grand carnival had begun.
From deeper in the third floor, even the Half‑Bodied Doctor heard the commotion and peeked out. Hanging from his mechanical leg was the severely injured, furious Little Boy.
Eyes wide with envy, he stared at the mysterious door that appeared on the wall, his wound-covered body twitching in frustration, cursing viciously under his breath.
Further back, the Black Cat Duke appeared on the stair railing.
It crouched down, its tail curled around its body. Despite battling the Ghost Princess upstairs for so long, not a single scratch marred its fur.
Now, its eyes narrowed as it looked toward Han Su, who had completed the rescue and exit in record time. A look of satisfaction seemed to cross its cat face.
As if it had waited for this moment for a long time.