Chapter 1696: Tragedy

"Ghost Ring?"

Su Xiao's eyes showed confusion. As the true boss of the Execution Agency, he had truly never heard of such a faction. One must know that the Execution Agency was an organization specifically designed to deal with Ghouls or demons.

Thump, thump, thump...

Rapid knocking came from the door. Before Su Xiao could speak, the door was kicked open with a bang, and a man in a blue military trench coat, his face covered in blood, rushed into the room.

"Legion Commander, there are Ghouls attacking civilians on the street!"

The man who crashed in gasped for air. He held his lower abdomen with one hand; judging by his appearance, if he didn't hold it, his intestines would spill out. Moreover, he called Su Xiao "Legion Commander," not "Deputy Legion Commander," which was quite intriguing.

"Attacking civilians on the street?"

After Su Xiao recalled the intelligence on Zuer City, he was somewhat surprised. This was the capital of the Empire, the place with the fewest Ghouls. Such an incident of Ghouls attacking civilians on the street hadn't happened for at least a few years.

"A starving Ghoul?"

"No, very strong, at least over 400 pounds, and... it's a Five-Eye."

"You, are you okay?"

Su Xiao glanced at the Awakened holding his lower abdomen with one hand. The man's name was Gus. He looked somewhat thin but was very fierce, with an awakening degree as high as 60%, nearing "scrapping."

"I'm fine."

Gus spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, but thinking that this was the Deputy Legion Commander's office, he smiled somewhat awkwardly.

Su Xiao took a roll of bandages from his desk and tossed it to Gus, then stepped out of the room: "Lead the way."

Gus was definitely a ruthless man. He pulled up the clothing at his lower abdomen, wrapped it with the bandage many times to prevent his organs from spilling out, then ran a few steps ahead of Su Xiao to lead him to the scene.

At 11:00 PM, Little Sai Street. Soldiers in gray military uniforms had sealed off the area. Civilians at the street corners peered into the sealed zone. On the street, one could see pieces of white cloth, each stained with several red areas.

"Sir, we are Awakened, we are professionals, we... hey, hey, we are all civilized people, don't use force."

"Third Brother, set up the formation!"

"Alright, Second Brother."

"Wait, don't do it here."

Three burly men in suits stood side by side. The soldiers in front of them all swallowed their saliva. These three guys were too burly; with this physique, it would be a waste not to go shovel manure. Moreover, all three were wearing flashy purple suits, giving people an inexplicable sense of oppression.

That's right, these were the dark forces—the National Football Three Brothers. They were also in Zuer City, or rather, all contractors were in Zuer City.

"The three of you also got the cold shoulder."

A man in a black vest spoke. If he hadn't spoken, everyone would have ignored his existence. Even when he spoke, people around would have a sense of surprise: "There's actually a person here."

"It's you, Black Ma Jia."

The National Football Old Man raised an eyebrow at Black Ma Jia, very flashy, and a bit philosophical. Black Ma Jia waved his hand and smiled; he couldn't beat them, so he had to be polite.

"Don't block the way."

A male voice came from behind the National Football Second Brother.

"Hmm?"

The Second Brother turned his head to look. His expression and actions underwent a phased change: surprise, some happiness, then he took two steps back, pretending not to know him, feeling intimidated.

"Eeya."

The National Football Third Brother looked as if he had seen a ghost. The National Football Eldest Brother's mouth twitched. Then... the three brothers stepped aside in unison.

"Long time no see."

Su Xiao just greeted them and walked forward quickly. Heaven knows why the three National Football brothers were dressed so flashily, even somewhat eyesore-inducing.

"Missed you very much."

The National Football Eldest Brother said a sentence that made his conscience ache. Only when Su Xiao walked into the group of gray-clad soldiers did he breathe a sigh of relief. The scene where Su Xiao had once almost slaughtered their three brothers was still vivid in his mind. Even if there had been cooperation later, it didn't mean the two sides were allies.

"Who is this?"

Black Ma Jia hadn't spoken before, as the reaction of the three National Football brothers was too abnormal.

"A defeated opponent."

The National Football Eldest Brother crossed his arms, looking as if he were recalling something.

"Heh."

Black Ma Jia smiled and didn't speak. He didn't believe the three National Football brothers would be scared into that kind of state by a defeated opponent; that was clearly the expression of seeing a nemesis.

In fact, Su Xiao was indeed the nemesis of the three National Football brothers. They could heal each other, yes, but Su Xiao could burn their mana. Without mana, they could only stare blankly.

Su Xiao walked into the sealed area. Facts proved that his choice was correct; having his current identity made things much more convenient.

There were dozens of white cloths on the street, and blood and flesh could still be seen on the buildings on both sides. If it were daytime, one would definitely see patches of blood on the asphalt street.

"How many dead?"

Su Xiao spoke. A female officer in a gray military uniform stepped forward. The two sides were not in the same power system, so she didn't bother with pleasantries.

"36 civilians dead, 17 soldiers. This matter is best handled by our security forces. After all, we know Zuer City better, and besides, this Ghoul was killed by us."

The female officer handed over a file. From her words, one could tell she didn't have a good impression of the Execution Agency, as her troops were the first to arrive at the scene.

In reality, it was normal for the Execution Agency not to arrive. The Execution Agency was responsible for cleaning up and capturing Ghouls or demons; they were not responsible for searching. In other words, the Execution Agency was not a rapid response force; they were a specialized combat force. They went wherever there was danger. Other departments called them the "suicide squad," as their mortality rate was extremely high.

"Just this one?"

Su Xiao's gaze turned to Gus, who was following him.

"Yes."

Gus lowered his head. It was indeed somewhat shameful that he was injured by just one Five-Eye Ghoul. But considering he wasn't carrying a weapon, it was actually normal. Tearing off one of the Ghoul's arms with his bare hands was already very fierce.

A Ghoul's combat power was judged by the number of eyes. Ghouls with 1–3 eyes had average combat power but could still crush ordinary people. 3–5 eyes counted as having some strength, 5–10 eyes were elite Ghouls, and those with over 10 eyes were extremely dangerous.

As for demons, there was no way to judge their strength from their appearance; only after fighting could one understand how strong they were. It could be said that every demon was boss-level.

"Save me... save me..."

A cry for help came from under a white cloth. The female officer was somewhat surprised; her subordinates had checked the corpses and confirmed all were dead.

"Move aside."

Gus growled. His gaze scanned the street a few times, and he soon found a square stone.

Gus rushed forward in a few steps, tossed the square stone in his hand, took a deep breath, and threw it with all his might. The stone broke through a layer of air waves and smashed into the civilian calling for help like a cannonball.

Bang!

Blood splattered like an explosion. The civilian burst open, and a foul stench permeated the air.

"Where did this Ghoul come from? Its behavior is too abnormal."

Gus spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and continued to follow Su Xiao. Su Xiao squatted in front of a white cloth. Under this cloth was the Ghoul's corpse. He lifted the cloth.

The skin was uneven like rubber, overall dark brown. Its form was somewhat similar to a human, at least it walked upright. It was about three meters tall, with a bloated abdomen. Its arms were over 20% longer than a human's, and its claws were very sharp. The most conspicuous part was its face; the Ghoul's face had a layer of exoskeleton, with a row of eyes (five) above, and over a dozen circular holes at the nose and mouth position. Between the holes was a horizontal slit, which was for the Ghoul to open its mouth to eat. ===== CHAPTER 1697 =====