Chapter 45

The ghouls’ contractual partners were forced into an uneasy alliance, something Su Xiao knew nothing about.

Although he suspected the third phase of the main quest involved confrontation, it was merely speculation based on prior tasks.

Early that morning, Su Xiao arrived at Shinohara Kōki’s office; the man had said the previous night he had something to discuss.

“Have you had breakfast?”

Shinohara Kōki stood up and warmly greeted Su Xiao.

Su Xiao was surprised—Shinohara Kōki’s demeanor was overly enthusiastic.

“Not yet.”

“Perfect, let’s go to a small shop nearby—it’s good. The breakfast provided by the branch is nutritionally balanced, but the taste…”

Now Su Xiao was certain: the man needed his help.

“I’ll treat you,” Shinohara Kōki emphasized.

This time, there was no doubt—he was asking for a favor.

Su Xiao nodded and followed Shinohara Kōki to a small shop.

The shop was small but bustling, already filled with customers; the aroma of the food stirred Su Xiao’s stomach, triggering hunger.

“Over here.”

Shinohara Kōki found a four-seater table, gestured for Su Xiao to sit across from him, and ordered several breakfast items.

When the breakfast arrived, Su Xiao didn’t touch it, studying Shinohara Kōki with a meaningful gaze.

“Special Class Shinohara, this breakfast is unexpectedly lavish.”

Seeing Su Xiao’s inaction, Shinohara Kōki chuckled softly and urged him to eat without restraint.

“Let’s eat first—she’ll be here soon.”

Su Xiao said nothing and began eating.

“Byakuya, the ghoul you expelled last night has been sent to headquarters. Headquarters has made an exception and promoted you to Second-Class Investigator. Here’s your new credentials.”

Su Xiao set down the half-eaten pastry and took the credentials.

【Prompt: Hunter promoted to Second-Class Investigator. Contribution: 50/400.】

Su Xiao’s promotion required no seniority, only the expulsion of more ghouls—400 contribution points likely meant expelling two or three S-class ghouls, the difficulty obvious.

Advancing from First-Class to Upper-Class Investigator would be even harder.

Under normal circumstances, Main Quest (2) shouldn’t be this difficult.

The main reason was that Su Xiao was the only contractual partner in the CCG faction.

Normally, CCG would have over a dozen ordinary contractual partners; if their contribution points were evenly distributed, each would need only about 30 points to reach First-Class Investigator.

But Su Xiao was alone in the faction, so all the tasks of over a dozen people fell on him, resulting in this exorbitant contribution requirement.

Most areas of District 14 were relatively peaceful; Su Xiao’s ghoul-hunting difficulty remained high. If assigned to Districts 1 through 4, the quest difficulty would plummet.

Ghoul density in Districts 1 to 4 was so extreme that ordinary humans couldn’t survive there.

The ghouls there survived by cannibalizing each other, so many powerful ghouls existed in those districts.

Under normal circumstances, S-class was the upper limit of ghoul strength; to grow stronger, they could only consume other ghouls to increase their RC cell concentration.

D-class were child ghouls; C-class could use Kakuja but were weak; B-class were ordinary ghouls hiding among humans; A-class were elites within ghoul factions; S-class were rare ghoul geniuses; beyond S-class, strength could only be gained through cannibalism.

A ghoul's power wasn't forged through training—it was gained by eating, continuously consuming other ghouls.

Thinking of this, Su Xiao bit into the pastry in his hand.

“Sorry I’m late.”

As Su Xiao pondered, a slender, beautiful woman sat down beside him.

Her light blonde hair was tied back, her black female suit accentuating her pale, delicate skin; black stockings highlighted her sensual legs.

“Let me introduce you—this is Makoto Akira, your subordinate from now on.”

Shinohara Kōki smiled at Su Xiao, his gaze implying how loyal and generous he was to assign such a beautiful woman as Su Xiao’s subordinate.

“I see. I have no objections, but…”

Su Xiao looked up, his eyes sharp as he fixed them on Shinohara Kōki.

“She might die soon—I’m planning to enter high-ghoul-density areas, like Xijie District.”

Hearing Su Xiao didn’t refuse, Shinohara smiled—but when he heard “Xijie District,” his smile vanished instantly.

“Xijie District? That’s the mutual-cannibal zone of District 14—S-class ghouls there are so numerous it’s unimaginable. Byakuya, are you sure you want to go?”

“Certain.”

For anyone else, Shinohara Kōki would never have agreed—but Su Xiao’s strength left him speechless.

“Akira, I think I need to assign you a new superior.”

Shinohara Kōki turned to Makoto Akira beside him.

“Special Class Shinohara, I’m fine with it. As a ghoul investigator, I’ve already prepared for any scenario—even going to Xijie District.”

Makoto Akira sat upright, her tone resolute, and she glanced sideways at Su Xiao.

“Tap, tap~.”

Shinohara Kōki tapped the table with his index finger, pulled out his phone, and dialed.

He called Wu Xu; after speaking a few sentences, he hung up.

“That Wu Xu guy~… Fine, you’ll temporarily follow Byakuya. Though you’re both Second-Class Investigators, you’ll obey Byakuya’s orders.”

“Byakuya, when do you plan to head to Xijie District?”

It seemed Shinohara Kōki also wanted Su Xiao to go to Xijie District—the mutual cannibalism there was severe and urgently needed cleansing.

“Now. Let’s go, mascot.”

The “mascot” Su Xiao referred to was Makoto Akira; according to the original material, her combat ability was average.

Whether Makoto Akira lived or died in Xijie District would depend on fate.

Hearing the term “mascot,” Makoto Akira froze, stunned, pointing at herself in disbelief.

Seeing this, Shinohara Kōki sighed helplessly and gestured for Makoto Akira to follow Su Xiao.

…

A black sedan drove down the road; Makoto Akira was at the wheel, Su Xiao sat in the passenger seat with his eyes closed—they were heading to Xijie District.

“Second-Class Byakuya, do you have a plan for Xijie District? What do I need to do?”

Makoto Akira’s expression was serious, her chest lifted.

“When we reach Xijie District—cut!”

This blunt, crude plan clearly startled Makoto Akira; the beautiful woman slammed the accelerator, nearly rear-ending the car ahead—classic female driver behavior.

“Then~ what should I do?”

After calming down, Makoto Akira asked her second question.

“You just need to be beautiful.”

Su Xiao’s calm expression stirred Makoto Akira’s anger.

“Ghouls won’t be tempted by my beauty!”

Su Xiao chuckled lightly—he’d said “beautiful” offhand, never intending for her to seduce anyone.

“Relax. You have a ‘crucial’ role—if you weren’t here, my ‘plan’ probably wouldn’t succeed.”

Two seconds earlier, Su Xiao had conceived a plan.

Sensing Su Xiao’s gaze, Makoto Akira suddenly wanted to turn the car around and flee.

“Then~ can you share your plan?”

Su Xiao’s lips curled slightly as he shook his head—though her combat ability was weak, she could serve as bait, at least attracting ghouls without issue.

“No. If you knew the details, it might compromise the ‘plan.’”

Makoto Akira’s heart sank; as if venting, she stomped hard on the accelerator.

Amid Makoto Akira’s anxious emotions, the two arrived at Xijie District—the brutal mutual-cannibal zone.