Chapter 50: The Beginning of Purification

The test tube spun between Su Xiao’s fingertips, its motion leaving trailing shadows in the dim yellow light.

Noticing Icho’s expression, Su Xiao’s lips curled into a smile.

“Ding.”

He pressed the test tube against the bar counter; glass met marble with a sharp crack.

The sound made Icho’s heart tighten—she feared Su Xiao might shatter the test tube in his hand.

“Well? Want to cooperate with me?”

“I’ve never met a investigator like you—who partners with ghouls.”

Icho studied Su Xiao in astonishment; she knew partnering with him was extremely dangerous, yet the liquid in his test tube held a lethal allure for her.

The test tube contained no miraculous elixir—it was pure poison to humans.

[RC Cell Concentrate]

Quality: White

Type: Material

Rating: 8 (Note: White items are rated 1 to 10; higher ratings indicate greater value.)

Description: The test tube holds a highly concentrated RC cell solution, essential for CCG’s Kakuja production, used to activate the vitality of Kakuja steel.

……

[RC Cell Concentrate] is produced only by the CCG; ghouls have little chance of obtaining it.

If injected into a ghoul, the RC cell concentration in its body would skyrocket; the risk is significant, yet far smaller than that of cannibalism.

“You put this right in front of me—do you think I have any choice but to accept?”

Icho’s face broke into a smile; her attitude shifted dramatically.

“Tell me what I need to pay.”

Trade is built on mutual interest; threats of force may yield short-term gains, but they’re no lasting strategy.

“I want the locations of ghoul gathering spots in District 14—as many as possible.”

Su Xiao tossed the test tube to Icho; her sultry smile vanished instantly.

“You’re planning… to cleanse District 14?”

Fear flickered in Icho’s beautiful eyes.

“Problem?”

Su Xiao stared directly at Icho.

In that moment, Icho felt the test tube in her hand growing hot.

“N-no problem. Just a moment.”

Icho pulled out paper and pen beside her and began sketching.

Five minutes later, a crude map appeared in Su Xiao’s hands.

The circles I drew are all ghoul gathering spots—restaurants, auction houses, intelligence exchange points, and more.

Though crude, the map was immensely useful.

“If the map isn’t accurate enough, I’ll come back.”

Su Xiao gave Icho a meaningful glance; she was a ghoul—he wouldn’t fully trust her.

After Su Xiao left the bar, Icho’s panicked expression vanished.

“Bai, come out.”

Icho lifted a glass of human blood to her lips, sipped slowly, making her red lips even more vivid.

A ghoul with an odd appearance—lip piercings, a garish, shamate-style look—stepped forward.

This ghoul was named Bai; he ran a mask shop in District 4, and had crafted the mask worn by Jin Muyan.

“He noticed me.”

Bai sat beside Icho.

“Impossible—how could that man spot you, with your hiding skills?”

Icho couldn’t believe it; distracted, a trickle of blood slipped from her lip.

“No mistake—I felt a sharp prickling at my back, like a predator’s gaze fixed on me.

He’s the one who drove off the One-Eyed Owl head-on. It’s not surprising.”

Bai leaned back in his chair, lost in thought.

“Forget it. As long as we don’t provoke him, we’re fine. Any new plans from the organization lately?”

Icho silently decided: move. Far away from this monster. She didn’t want to die.

Being watched by Su Xiao was not a pleasant feeling. Though Icho craved more [RC Cell Concentrate], her life mattered more.

“No plans. Niko and Roma have disappeared.”

The organization Icho and Bai belonged to was called “The Joker.” It was a mysterious ghoul group; five members were currently known:

Sōta (current main antagonist, leader of The Joker)

Niko (a hermaphrodite who worked with Wall Spider, a masochist)

Icho (bar owner in District 14, previously provided Jin Muyan information about Shinko Risé)

Roma (a female ghoul who infiltrated the Anzen District café in the later plot, becoming a waitress there)

Bai (mask shop owner)

……

Of these five, all except Sōta were SS-class ghouls, concealing their true power and appearing harmless.

Sōta’s full name was Kishū Sōta. He was not only the leader of The Joker but also a member of other organizations; he currently lurked in the shadows, his power among the highest.

After transplanting Risé’s Kaku later, Sōta’s power surged dramatically, even surpassing Kōgai Izumi’s strength.

The Joker’s power was immense, but its members operated independently, rarely gathering together.

In other words, The Joker was merely playing both sides—between the Aogiri Tree and the CCG—avoiding direct conflict, waiting to profit from others’ struggles.

……

After obtaining the locations of District 14’s ghoul outposts, Su Xiao returned to his car.

“Xiao, where is this?”

Su Xiao pointed to a circle on the map; Shinjiro Xiao leaned in, frowning as she studied it for a long time.

“This looks like the Dai Yuan Auction House.”

“Looks like?”

Shinjiro Xiao took the map and studied it with a troubled expression for a long while.

“Umm… it probably isn’t wrong.”

Su Xiao sighed. The map’s crudeness exceeded his expectations.

“It’s definitely the Dai Yuan Auction House.”

Shinjiro Xiao pulled out an official District 14 map and carefully compared it.

“A large auction is scheduled for Sunday night at 11 p.m. What does that mean?”

Shinjiro Xiao read aloud the note on the map, puzzled.

“Literal meaning. We’re working overtime tonight—clear out ghouls. Head to Dai Yuan Stadium.”

Today happened to be Sunday.

Su Xiao leaned back in his seat. He didn’t know what ghouls would auction—likely not valuable items.

Over seventy percent of ghouls had twisted psyches.

Ghouls’ only food was humans; humans looked identical to ghouls. They often consumed beings resembling themselves—ghouls’ minds could never be healthy.

Moreover, Su Xiao suspected ghouls weren’t naturally occurring beings; otherwise, in humanity’s long evolutionary history, humans would have gone extinct long ago.

Ghoul-world combat strength was weak, yet compared to ordinary humans, ghouls utterly dominated.

If ghouls had existed from the start, humans would have been wiped out long ago—and after humans vanished, ghouls themselves would have perished next.

The main quest’s deadline was twenty days; less than two had passed. Su Xiao might yet uncover deeper secrets of the ghoul world.

But thinking about this now was premature. First, complete Main Quest (2).

At that moment, the Paradise of Reincarnation gave a prompt.

[A large number of low-grade Kakuja have been delivered to CCG headquarters. +135 Contribution Points earned.]

[Current Rank: Second-Class Investigator. Contribution Points: 525/400. Promote rank?]

Su Xiao raised an eyebrow. The low-grade ghoul Kakuja were worth more than expected—135 Contribution Points.

As for why Su Xiao didn’t keep those Kakuja: they couldn’t be taken out of the derivative world.

Except for items obtained from treasure chests, most items couldn’t be removed from derivative worlds.

He selected “Promote Rank.” The Paradise of Reincarnation’s prompt vanished. To become a First-Class Investigator, he still needed CCG’s official appointment—but it would arrive soon.

Now he only needed to continue hunting ghouls—he would cleanse the entire District 14.

Su Xiao didn’t believe that killing every ghoul in District 14 wouldn’t elevate him to Senior Investigator.