Chapter 114: You

Arima Kishou and Takatsuki Izumi exchanged a glance; Izumi was displeased but nodded nonetheless.

“Our original plan was to cultivate a new ‘King.’ That plan has failed, so we must become extreme—only one side, either ghouls or humans, can exist in this world; they cannot coexist.”

“Or rather, ghouls should never have appeared in this world. The V Organization now holds too much power—I have a way to strip it of everything. Once the V Organization vanishes, the world will change.”

Arima Kishou’s words startled Su Xiao; he glanced at Takatsuki Izumi beside him, thinking silently: You’re still a ghoul yourself, so saying this is really appropriate? And Arima Kishou isn’t even fully human—he’s a half-human born from a human-ghoul union.

“Strip the V Organization’s ghouls of everything? Takatsuki Izumi, will you agree? Your father was a member of the V Organization. If V’s ghouls differ from ordinary ghouls, won’t you be affected too?”

Su Xiao suddenly felt Arima Kishou’s claim was dubious.

“It doesn’t matter—as long as those people pay the price, anything goes.”

The V Organization took Takatsuki Izumi’s mother, leaving her to grow up alone in District 24, with only her adoptive father, Noro, to care for her daily needs—but Noro could not give her paternal or maternal love.

Takatsuki Izumi’s demeanor did not seem like deception.

Their thirteen-year plan had come to nothing, and Arima Kishou’s time was running short—they had no choice but to act themselves.

“Actually, we cultivated the ‘King’ hoping he’d be strong enough to destroy ‘that thing.’ As long as ‘that thing’ exists, the world will keep twisting. Whether humans or ghouls win afterward is none of our concern.”

The matter was now completely clear.

Arima Kishou, though a member of the V Organization, was collaborating with Takatsuki Izumi to cultivate the next ‘King.’

Now, the ‘King’ they favored had fallen prematurely, leaving them deeply disappointed—their chosen King might lack cultivation potential.

But Su Xiao’s appearance offered them another possibility.

Why bother cultivating a King? Just ally with the man before them and execute the final plan directly.

That was precisely why, in Central City, Arima Kishou had tested Su Xiao.

Arima Kishou had tested whether Su Xiao was loyal to the CCG; from Su Xiao’s words and actions, he learned Su Xiao was not loyal to the CCG—hence this moment, when Arima Kishou came to seek cooperation.

Now, for Su Xiao to learn their exact plan, he must declare his stance.

But he hesitated on one point: what if the task Arima Kishou and Takatsuki Izumi couldn’t accomplish together was too dangerous?

At that moment, the Lunhuileyuan ’s prompt dispelled Su Xiao’s doubts.

【You have triggered a hidden quest: Source. Accept or decline?】

Hidden Quest: Source.

Difficulty Level: Lv.6.

Quest Summary: Source—the core substance of the derivative world.

Quest Information: Locate and obtain the Source, guided by the NPC Arima Kishou.

Quest Deadline: 6 calendar days.

Quest Reward: 2 attribute points, 3 Small Soul Crystals.

Quest Penalty: All attributes reduced by 3.

……

Upon seeing the reward: “3 Small Soul Crystals,” Su Xiao had already decided to accept the quest.

Greater danger means greater reward—if you retreat because of danger, you’ll never grow strong.

To stand out among countless Contractors, you must possess extraordinary courage and perseverance, or the Lunhuileyuan will eliminate you—and you will die.

After Su Xiao accepted the quest, the Lunhuileyuan ’s prompt appeared again.

【You have accepted the hidden quest: Source.】

【You have formed a ‘Temporary NPC Adventure Team’ with NPCs: Arima Kishou and Takatsuki Izumi.】

【The Temporary NPC Adventure Team may be exited at any time, with no penalty.】

【Current members of the Temporary NPC Adventure Team: Contractor #13013 (Hunter), Arima Kishou, Takatsuki Izumi.】

Su Xiao raised an eyebrow—this “Temporary NPC Adventure Team” was unexpectedly troublesome. He could tolerate having no teammates with damage immunity—such a feature couldn’t exist in the Lunhuileyuan —but why could it be exited at any time? This made defection too convenient.

In truth, this was the Lunhuileyuan ’s indirect aid to Su Xiao: if Arima Kishou or Takatsuki Izumi ever intended to betray him, they would automatically exit the Temporary NPC Adventure Team, giving Su Xiao early warning.

And after ten seconds, he realized this feature seemed tailor-made for him…

“I’ll temporarily agree to cooperate with you. Tell me your plan—how can I cooperate if I don’t even know what you intend to do?”

Arima Kishou nodded.

“Here’s how it is: at the very bottom of the collapsed vertical shaft in Central City lies a highly dangerous area.”

“Somewhere in that area hides something called the ‘Source.’ I don’t know exactly what it is, but one thing is certain: destroying it will deliver a devastating blow to the V Organization.”

After hearing Arima Kishou’s description, Su Xiao was stunned.

So that convenient team-exit feature was meant for him~.

Arima Kishou and Takatsuki Izumi wanted to destroy the Source, but Su Xiao’s quest was to obtain it.

Before finding the ‘Source,’ they were allies—but afterward, things might change.

“So that’s how it is. First, the upper half of that shaft is collapsed. If we descend into it, we’ll encounter the Primordial Species—no need for me to explain how troublesome they are.”

“And what do I gain by helping you two destroy this so-called ‘Source’?”

To act convincingly, Su Xiao had to pretend he had motives—if he agreed without hesitation, they’d grow suspicious.

“After success, I’ll give you a Quinque as a reward—its name is ‘Strix.’”

Arima Kishou had gone all-in—he was offering his strongest Quinque.

“Huh? SSS-rank Quinque ‘Strix’?”

“Correct.”

Su Xiao feigned deep thought, as if hesitating.

“With that Quinque, you’ll become significantly stronger.”

Takatsuki Izumi joined in the persuasion.

Logically, since Su Xiao had ruined their plan, they should have teamed up to eliminate him.

But now, even if they killed him, it wouldn’t help—and they weren’t even sure they could kill him. Moreover, someone as powerful as Su Xiao, with such an uncomplicated background, was rare.

“I agree. But before executing your plan, I must return to the surface first—I have something I must do.”

Su Xiao needed to return to the surface to spend all his CCG contribution points and complete his main quest as soon as possible.

While carrying out the hidden quest “Source,” Su Xiao would stand against the CCG—it was safer to complete the main quest first.

“Of course you must return to the surface—we need to recruit others. The three of us alone may not be enough.”

Su Xiao remained silent. Arima Kishou turned to Takatsuki Izumi.

“What are you looking at me for?”

“You’ve been captured alive by me and Hakuro.”

“Huh?”

Takatsuki Izumi was utterly bewildered; Su Xiao was equally confused.

“I’m planning to…”

Arima Kishou began explaining his idea to them.

Five minutes later, Takatsuki Izumi sighed.

“Fine, I’ve been ‘captured alive.’ But I must state this upfront: no RC-cell suppressant injections. And you two must personally ‘escort’ me.”

Takatsuki Izumi’s words stirred a flicker of concern in Su Xiao’s eyes—she seemed to trust Arima Kishou deeply, which was unfavorable to his mission.

But right now, the priority was returning to the surface. He could imagine the shock that would ripple through the CCG when news spread that he and Arima Kishou had “captured alive” the One-Eyed Owl.