Chapter 43: Chapter Eleven: The Open High School Girl

“Hey, hey, we’re all colleagues, we should get along peacefully. What the hell, you can’t greet a colleague like that.”

Yukinori Shinohara stepped between the two and began lecturing Shuzo Suzuya on basic etiquette.

For someone who lacked even basic common sense, Su Xiao had no reason to fly into a rage.

But someday, he’d make that brat pay.

“Oh~? So that’s how it is? Sorry~.”

Shuzo Suzuya laughed, genuinely apologizing to Su Xiao—what a contradictory personality.

“Mr. Shinohara, is the test over?”

Yukinori Shinohara stretched his numb arms and nodded.

“It’s over. You’re now an official CCG ghoul investigator.”

Yukinori Shinohara’s expression turned serious.

“Becoming a ghoul investigator is a responsibility—to protect ordinary people and eliminate those who feast on flesh. That is our primary duty. We may have to sacrifice ourselves, but we will not hesitate…”

A passionate speech began. Su Xiao found it boring but showed no sign of impatience.

“That’s all. If you’re mentally prepared, you can begin your mission now. But third-class investigators cannot act alone—they must operate under the protection of a first-class investigator…”

Su Xiao cleared his throat.

“Mr. Shinohara, who do you think can protect me?”

Yukinori Shinohara chuckled and shook his head.

“Well~… that’s just the rule.”

“I can handle it myself. All I need to do is eliminate ghouls. As long as the goal is achieved, the method doesn’t matter.”

After long hesitation, Yukinori Shinohara nodded. Su Xiao indeed didn’t need protection from a first-class investigator—he was more likely to protect them.

“In that case, I’ll give you a lead on a ghoul right now.”

Yukinori Shinohara walked to his desk and handed Su Xiao a file.

Su Xiao reviewed its contents—fragmentary and trivial: strange noises from sewers, underwear burned on the clothesline, missing female students from the suburbs, and so on.

“This is our daily work. Ghouls are extremely cunning, especially in District 14—a region neither stable nor chaotic.”

Eliminating ghouls was never simple.

Most ghouls in District 14 hid among ordinary people, revealing their true forms only when feeding.

Ghouls only needed to feed once or twice a month to sustain themselves. To eliminate them, the key was to find them.

For Su Xiao, the hardest part of eliminating ghouls was finding them. Once found, the rest became easy.

“The information in your hands all relates to the movements of one ghoul. Find him. Eliminate him.”

Yukinori Shinohara’s expression was grave, his eyes flickering with murderous intent.

“No problem.”

Su Xiao turned to leave the office. Though time was ample, he wouldn’t waste it.

“Baiye, remember to pick up your gear from logistics.”

Su Xiao paused, nodded, and left.

“Another cold colleague… Ugh, what a headache.”

Yukinori Shinohara sat behind his desk, rubbing his forehead, then glanced at Shuzo Suzuya grinning foolishly—his headache worsened.

Su Xiao first went to logistics, presented his credentials, and collected numerous tools.

An hour later, Su Xiao arrived alone at a park and sat on a bench by the roadside.

The park was shaded by green trees; a gentle breeze rustled the leaves. The midday sun scorched the earth as cicadas screamed from tree trunks.

Due to the heat, the park was nearly empty—luckily, Su Xiao sat beneath the shade, still cool.

The information Yukinori Shinohara gave wasn’t detailed, but it pointed to a target: over a dozen disappearances in the past six months had all occurred in this park.

The CCG had clear divisions: ordinary investigators sought clues; their combat strength was weak.

When clues became concrete and a ghoul encounter likely, first-class investigators led their subordinates personally to avoid unnecessary deaths among ordinary investigators.

Even so, five ordinary investigators had vanished in this park.

Earlier, Yukinori Shinohara had been preparing to patrol this very park.

Su Xiao observed passersby, but found nothing for a long time—he wasn’t in a hurry.

According to Yukinori Shinohara’s intel, no disappearances had occurred in this park for two full Sundays.

The ghoul would appear soon—this was his feeding ground.

Ghouls behaved like beasts: they marked territories (feeding grounds), and sometimes fought each other over them.

Within three days, this ghoul would appear—and he was likely no lower than B-class, certainly not some weakling below A-rank.

Most ghouls died because they couldn’t control their hunger and were eventually discovered by investigators.

Success and patience were inseparable. Su Xiao sat on the park bench, waiting silently.

Time slipped away swiftly—it was past three in the afternoon.

A soothing melody drifted from afar.

“School?”

Su Xiao gazed at a distant building. Half an hour later, the park filled with pedestrians—high school students just let out from class.

Most ghouls fed at night, so Su Xiao decided to stay overnight.

“Big brother, why are you sitting here alone? Aren’t you lonely?”

A female high school student in uniform sat beside Su Xiao. She wore a light top, a short black skirt, and black thigh-high socks revealing slender legs.

Su Xiao froze—had he encountered the legendary escort girl? So unexpectedly open.

“…”

Silence.

“Tch~. What a boring guy.”

Finding Su Xiao unresponsive, the girl stood and walked away.

Night fell. The park lights turned on.

Su Xiao had waited all afternoon and was growing hungry. Just as he rose to get dinner, he heard a brief scream.

The scream was fleeting—only a moment—but he caught it with sharp senses.

Su Xiao immediately rose and sprinted toward the sound. It came from a corner of the park, not far away.

Arriving at the source, Su Xiao scanned the area—nothing. No people. Not even a shadow.

He hadn’t misheard the scream. Something had happened here.

After careful inspection, Su Xiao found a few drops of blood and half a broken fingernail along the edge of a flowerbed.

He dipped a finger in the blood—it was cold but not yet congealed. Fresh.

“Crunch. Crunch~.”

The sound of tearing flesh came from nearby woods. Su Xiao slipped silently into the forest. A brutal scene met his eyes.

An unrecognizable victim lay face-down on the ground. Above, a ghoul devoured it.

Finding a ghoul should’ve been good news—but Su Xiao frowned.

This ghoul wasn’t strong—barely B-class. And this savage feeding method wouldn’t have escaped ordinary investigators’ notice.

From the ghoul’s ravenous devouring, Su Xiao deduced the truth.

This wasn’t his feeding ground. But he was too hungry—he’d taken the risk.

“Stray dog. Who gave you permission to hunt in my feeding ground? Do you want to die?”

A clear female voice rang through the trees. At the same time, a thin kaku lash shot toward the feeding ghoul.

“Squelch.”

The ghoul’s head flew off. Before he could even cry out, he was decapitated, face twisted in terror.

The kaku’s owner stepped out from between the trees. Su Xiao recognized her—he was stunned. It was the same girl he’d seen that afternoon.

She… was a ghoul.

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