Chapter 56

Outside the auction house, numerous search officers armed with assault rifles waited anxiously.

They had never received such a strange order: during a purge operation against ghouls, they were only told to guard the exits.

The occasional sounds of combat coming from inside the auction house made the search officers increasingly restless.

Shinohara Akira was equally anxious, pacing near the back door.

“What’s going on in there? White Night’s team is being reckless—even if they’re strong, they can’t fight so many ghouls alone.”

Twenty minutes had passed; the auction house, once filled with constant screams, had fallen eerily silent, leaving Shinohara Akira unsettled.

Just as Shinohara Akira was growing frantic, Su Xiao’s weary voice came through his Bluetooth earpiece.

“Come in. Begin clearing the auction house—and prepare for firefighting.”

Firefighting? Shinohara Akira was puzzled, but still ordered her team to open the back door.

The back door swung open, and Shinohara Akira led a large group of search officers rushing inside.

As soon as they entered the auction house, Shinohara Akira smelled the heavy stench of blood, her elegant brow furrowing.

Shinohara Akira quickened her pace, sprinting toward the main hall.

“White Night… First-Class…”

The scene before her froze her in place.

Dozens of ghoul corpses lay piled haphazardly; atop the heap sat a man smoking a cigarette.

The brutality of the sight made Shinohara Akira instinctively step back.

Shinohara Akira had seen many corpses before, but never anything like this—this scene belonged only to ancient battlefield carnage.

As Shinohara Akira moved closer to Su Xiao, she suddenly slipped on the ground, nearly falling.

She looked down: the floor was slick with a thick layer of blood.

“What are you standing there for? Start clearing the bodies.”

Su Xiao flicked away his cigarette butt and sheathed his already-cleaned Dragon-Slaying Blade.

“Yes.”

Shinohara Akira instinctively straightened her posture.

The other search officers were equally stunned by the sight, but their psychological resilience was exceptional.

They pulled out numerous body bags and began removing the corpses.

Su Xiao stretched his aching body; he had reached his limit.

If the number of ghouls exceeded one hundred, he would struggle; if it surpassed two hundred, he would surely die.

When the auction house lights went out, he used his night-vision gear to seize the initiative and deliver a crushing first strike.

Moreover, the two S-class ghouls failed to unite—if they had led the others against Su Xiao, today’s outcome would not have been this.

Though tonight’s situation seemed perilous, Su Xiao had not acted without a plan: at his signal, a large force of ghoul search officers would have stormed in.

He was confident he could hold out for a long time under a swarm of ghouls.

Su Xiao understood his strengths: his attack power was overwhelming, his combat experience vast; in one-on-one combat, he could unleash tremendous power.

But in group battles, his low vitality stat meant his health pool was thin, making him slightly weaker in mass combat.

No one is perfect in this world. Su Xiao already balanced three attributes evenly; if he further developed vitality, his overall growth rate would slow, causing him to fall behind other Contract Holders.

Su Xiao was a Hunter—he must outpace his peers, otherwise how could he hunt his targets?

Sitting in a CCG vehicle, Su Xiao watched the search officers clearing the corpses.

Cleaning the auction house thoroughly would take more time; he could rest now and recover his HP—his HP was down to 27%.

He pulled out a [Golden Fried Rice], a recovery food in its inert state, requiring activation before consumption.

He selected to activate [Golden Fried Rice]; the outer film cracked and dissolved into air, and the fried rice suddenly steamed hot.

A strange, enticing aroma filled the air; Su Xiao involuntarily swallowed. This food looked delicious.

He took out pre-prepared chopsticks and took a bite.

The rice grains were wrapped in soft egg, slightly firm, perfectly textured; due to masterful cooking, the fragrance of rice and egg blended seamlessly.

After one bite, Su Xiao couldn’t help but take a second.

This Golden Fried Rice was unbelievably delicious—worth every bit of its origin in the world of Food Wars. Delicious to the point of sin.

Su Xiao suddenly wondered: should he kidnap a chef from the Food Wars world?

He chuckled and shook his head; the cost didn’t justify the reward. Improving his strength mattered more—once he was powerful enough, delicious food would always be within reach.

Unconsciously, he finished the entire portion of Golden Fried Rice, not a single grain left, still craving more.

After downing a bottle of mineral water in a few gulps, Su Xiao leaned back contentedly in his seat—what could be more blissful than a hearty meal after battle?

A warm sensation spread through his stomach; his HP slowly recovered.

As his HP restored, his wounds began healing rapidly.

“What’s that smell? So good.”

Suyu Jizo ran over, sniffing the air.

“Jizo, get in the vehicle. We’re returning to the branch.”

Though Suyu Jizo had a strange personality, he still followed orders.

“Are you eating? Can I have some?”

Suyu Jizo’s head popped up between the seats, grinning at Su Xiao.

“Tomorrow, I’ll treat you all to a feast.”

He’d need these men to accompany him in clearing District 14; cultivating goodwill was necessary.

He had purged many ghouls; CCG regulations granted substantial bounties for ghoul eliminations.

It made sense—ghoul search officers faced extreme danger, and their salaries were enviable.

After dismissing Suyu Jizo, Su Xiao began analyzing the battle’s gains and losses.

This battle earned him 372 Contribution Points; his total now read: [First-Class Search Officer, Contribution: 897/2000]. He still needed 1103 points to complete the mission.

He obtained one Green Chest, yet despite killing over a hundred ghouls, not a single White Chest dropped.

This made him wonder if he had an “African” tendency—meaning terrible luck.

Throughout his looting, aside from specific items, he’d never obtained anything truly valuable.

The Dragon-Slaying Blade (White) was seized, not opened from a chest.

The Small Soul Crystal was obtained only because the monster’s level far exceeded his own.

The Evil Roar (Green) came from the Gecko’s chest—remember, Gecko was a major plot-driving character; killing him yielded plenty of “World Source.”

Even so, he only received one Green Ring rated at 21.

“This~.”

Su Xiao sighed—he suddenly realized he had the makings of a “Chief.”

Fortunately, he wasn’t super cursed; at best, he was just average in luck.

He gave a wry smile and stopped dwelling on it.

The corpses in the auction house were fully cleared by 1 a.m.; after the CCG search officers regrouped, the convoy began returning to the branch.

This was undoubtedly a glorious victory: zero casualties on their side, total annihilation of the enemy.

Many search officers wore smiles, their gazes toward Su Xiao filled with awe.

The convoy drove through the midnight streets, empty and silent under the dim yellow lights.

Su Xiao, leaning back in the passenger seat, suddenly felt an inexplicable dread—as if he stood at the edge of a bottomless abyss, his body tilting forward.

Danger was approaching from below!

Su Xiao didn’t hesitate—he yanked open the car door and jumped out, rolling once on the asphalt before regaining his stance.

Another figure jumped out with him: Suyu Jizo, the clever white-haired boy.

“Boom!”

The vehicle Su Xiao had been riding in exploded violently, launching into the air and tumbling several times before crashing.

A massive crater appeared on the road—the explosives weren’t under the car, but buried beneath the ground.

Flames shot skyward; a strange burnt odor mixed with gunpowder filled the air.

Su Xiao immediately recognized it: the scent of polyisobutylene combustion—someone had planted C4 plastic explosives along his route.

A Contract Holder was lying in wait to kill him—but thinking a single bomb could eliminate him outright? That was pure fantasy.

The Dragon-Slaying Blade appeared in his hand; Su Xiao scanned his surroundings warily.

He had rested over an hour in the car; his stamina was 80% restored, and his HP, boosted by three recovery meals, was fully replenished.

Su Xiao had anticipated a Contract Holder might attack him—he just didn’t know when.

When his HP was critically low, he’d spent expensive recovery food precisely to prepare for this contingency.

Now, it was clear his actions were correct; otherwise, in his previous state, he would have been dead for sure.