Chapter 105: Essential Medication

Su Xiao walked at the front holding a miniature computer, provided by the CCG headquarters, capable of tracking Ama Kiyoshi’s location.

Although it could track Ama Kiyoshi’s position, underground signals were poor, causing the green dot representing him to frequently disappear.

It was confirmed that Ama Kiyoshi was deep within District 24, at least several hours’ travel from Su Xiao’s current location.

The dark red fleshy walls of the underground tunnels pressed down on the mind; the faint stench of blood in the air made everyone uneasy.

Su Xiao remained calm. His priority now was to find Ama Kiyoshi. Hei Shu Jishi had said nothing about what to do afterward, only that once Ama Kiyoshi was found, they were to follow his orders.

He certainly wouldn’t blindly obey Hei Shu Jishi—he’d judge the situation when the time came.

The group’s advance went smoothly; with Shin’to Akira guiding the route, they quickly reached a point forty minutes deep into District 24.

“Thud.”

A loud boom echoed from underground. Su Xiao tensed, then relaxed—sound came from far ahead, distant.

After penetrating deeper into District 24, Su Xiao clearly sensed this place was different from before.

Pools of blood were common on the ground; occasionally, groups of ghouls darted wildly through the tunnels.

Su Xiao did not provoke those ghouls—he wasn’t here to purge them.

Surprisingly, upon seeing Su Xiao and his team, the ghouls immediately turned and fled, showing no intent to fight.

After encountering four groups of ghouls, Suzuya Shuzo was the first to speak.

“Why not kill all these ghouls?”

“Waste of time.”

Su Xiao continued forward, holding the miniature computer.

Using the computer’s display of Ama Kiyoshi’s location and a compass for direction, the reinforcement team advanced two hours deep into District 24.

“Boom, boom…”

Noisy footsteps came from ahead—a scenario the reinforcement team had grown accustomed to; since entering District 24, they’d encountered nearly a dozen ghoul groups.

This time was different. After seeing the appearance of this group, Su Xiao drew his Zhanlong Flash.

These ghouls wore grass skirts around their waists; some wore bone-tooth necklaces, their faces painted with heavy graffiti, bare feet stomping the ground—primitive ghouls! These creatures might very well attack the reinforcement team.

As expected, the forty-plus primitive ghouls, upon seeing the team, lunged forward with snarls and claws.

“Roar!”

One primitive ghoul surged ahead, its bronze-colored muscles bulging with raw power.

“Prepare to engage!”

Su Xiao and Suzuya Shuzo led the front; the search officers behind them looked visibly stunned—they had never seen ghouls like these.

“Captain Hakuya, what are these? Ghouls?”

One senior search officer swallowed hard. Su Xiao ignored him and charged forward with his blade.

Suzuya, holding back for too long, followed Su Xiao closely, sprinting toward the primitive ghouls.

Suzuya asked no questions—he only slashed and killed ghouls.

Su Xiao moved silently to one primitive ghoul, severed its neck with a single cut—the brutal close-quarters battle began.

After Su Xiao engaged the primitive ghouls, the other search officers rushed forward with their Quinques.

Upon first contact, they realized the primitive ghouls’ terrifying strength—Quinques below S-class inflicted no fatal wounds.

Though primitive ghouls couldn’t use Kakuja, their skin membranes were extraordinarily tough, and their physical strength immense.

A male search officer wielding a long whip lashed the primitive ghoul’s back—the ghoul bore only a bloody scratch.

The primitive ghoul roared, turned its head, opened its mouth full of rotting teeth, lunged forward, and bit the officer’s face.

“Ahh~!”

The male search officer emitted a meaningless cry of pain; the ghoul bit his neck next.

Large chunks of flesh were torn away; the officer clutched his neck, blood gushing from between his fingers.

After ten seconds, the reinforcement team suffered casualties.

Shouts, explosions, the sound of blades slicing through flesh echoed through the open tunnel.

The reinforcement team clashed with the primitive ghouls in a wide tunnel—at least eight or nine meters across. Su Xiao couldn’t block their charge into the group, and besides, he was here to complete a mission, not to act as a babysitter.

Whether these search officers lived or died depended on their own abilities. They were here to execute a mission, not train—they were not his concern, and he didn’t care if they lived or died.

Twenty minutes later, the battle ended. All forty-plus primitive ghouls were dead; ten members of the reinforcement team were killed, most others suffered minor injuries, with one critically wounded.

The critically wounded man had one arm torn off and large portions of his intestines ripped out; he lay gasping on the ground, his dilated pupils signaling imminent shock.

“Captain Hakuya, what do we do?”

Hei Pan Yan walked up beside Su Xiao, his expression grim.

Su Xiao pulled out two syringes and approached the critically wounded man. Deep in District 24, critical injury meant almost certain death.

He was a senior search officer, of average strength, unremarkable but steady.

“Captain Hakuya… I’m… gonna die, right?”

Su Xiao knelt beside him, staring at the senior search officer.

“What’s your name?”

“I… I’m Murayama.”

Murayama was short but stocky—he’d been injured shielding a comrade.

On any other mission, Murayama might have had a chance. But here, deep in the “human forbidden zone” of District 24, there was no way to carry him back to the surface.

“This is morphine.”

Su Xiao held up one syringe, looking at Murayama.

Murayama’s face was ashen; the others fell silent. Shin’to Akira, resting against the fleshy wall, turned his head away, unable to watch.

“Inject it, Captain Hakuya. I’m about to pass out.”

Su Xiao pinched the muscle on Murayama’s arm and administered the injection intravenously.

Murayama’s intestines were torn out—subcutaneous injection wouldn’t ease his pain.

After the morphine, Murayama exhaled deeply, relaxed, his facial muscles no longer twitching.

“Can you think clearly?”

Su Xiao watched Murayama. Murayama nodded.

“Captain Hakuya… am I going to die?”

“Yeah. Any last words?”

Murayama gave a bitter laugh and shook his head.

“I already wrote them. But my whole family was killed by ghouls—no one will read them.”

Su Xiao raised the second syringe.

“Captain Hakuya… what’s this?”

Murayama’s voice trembled, nearly breaking into tears.

“Cyanide. After injection, you’ll ‘fall asleep.’ Your injuries are too severe—you can’t be taken back to the surface.”

Su Xiao said no more, waiting for Murayama’s answer.

“I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die.”

Murayama’s emotions surged suddenly—it was human nature; no one wanted to die.

“You’re a ghoul search officer. This isn’t a cushy job. You chose this mission yourself.”

Murayama’s body stiffened; his constricted pupils slowly widened.

“Come… come on, Captain… Hakuya. I’m a ghoul search officer. This is my duty. I died protecting civilians. I’ve killed thirty-one ghouls. I’ve rescued nine people from ghoul jaws.”

Murayama’s lips trembled uncontrollably.

Cyanide was injected into Murayama. One minute later, his eyelids grew heavier, drowsiness creeping in.

Cyanide is typically used for euthanasia; after ingestion or large intravenous dosage, the user quickly falls into deep sleep, then suffers cardiac failure, dying peacefully in slumber.

Su Xiao led the reinforcement team onward. Deep in District 24, it was this cruel.

Morphine plus cyanide was standard equipment for entering District 24. Su Xiao, Yuna, and Ama Kiyoshi—all members of Zero Team—carried them. Su Xiao brought extra this time.

Murayama’s death left no impression on Su Xiao. The strong live, the weak die—that was the law of this world.

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