Chapter 64

After resting on the road for a few minutes, Su Xiao Mianqiang stood up.

His current HP is around 16%, and he is exceptionally exhausted; although the [XT-12 Life Vitality Potion] healed his major wounds, the massive blood loss and extreme physical depletion cannot be restored by the potion.

Above the queen’s corpse, a blood-red card floated in the air.

The card glowed with a crimson light in the night, strikingly visible.

Even from afar, Su Xiao could sense that the red glow seemed to carry a stench of blood.

Su Xiao picked up the blood-red card, and the Lunhuileyuan prompt appeared.

【You have obtained the 'Crimson Card.' Use it?】

【Hint: The 'Crimson Card' is obtained after killing a Contractee. Upon use, it initiates a random draw.】

【Hint: Each 'Crimson Card' grants three draws, randomly selecting an item or equipment from the deceased Contractee’s storage space or equipped gear.】

【Hint: In the Ghoul World, a semi-peaceful scenario, Contractees have a 50% chance of dropping a 'Crimson Card' upon death.】

……

Su Xiao did not immediately draw from the 'Crimson Card'; instead, he stored it in his storage space.

It was not yet safe; he could not confirm whether other Contractees were present.

Su Xiao walked over to a unconscious CCG member, leaving a trail of blood behind him.

He found a phone on the CCG member, recalled a number for a few seconds, and dialed it.

“Mr. Shinohara, my squad was ambushed. We need support.”

Shinohara Yukiki, who was handling important documents in his office, shot to his feet with a sharp breath.

“Any casualties? Where? I’m coming right away.”

Shinohara Yukiki was a reliable superior; he immediately rushed out of his office and began mobilizing personnel.

“Exact location is unclear—just trace this phone. As for casualties, Shikaku might be dead, but I didn’t see his body.”

Hearing that Shikaku might be dead, Shinohara Yukiki felt a tightness in his chest.

But this was the fate of a Ghoul Investigator; Shinohara Yukiki said nothing more.

“White Night, First Class, how are you? Your voice sounds severely injured.”

“I’m fine. I won’t die within a few hours. I’ll try to find Shikaku.”

Shikaku was assigned to him by Shinohara Yukiki, and Shikaku had been of great help in battle; after hanging up, Su Xiao began searching nearby for Shikaku.

Not long after, Su Xiao found Shikaku in a shop along the street—the unmistakable blood trail revealed his location.

Shikaku lay face-down inside a clothing store, a large pool of blood beneath him.

Su Xiao flipped Shikaku over and checked his vital signs.

Budebushuo , Shikaku was lucky—his several gunshot wounds were not in vital areas.

“Cough~. Cough.”

Shikaku coughed up a mouthful of blood unconsciously, his eyes opening slightly.

Su Xiao paused, then pulled out a [Salt Rice Ball] and shoved it into Shikaku’s mouth.

Shikaku had no consciousness and could not chew.

This didn’t trouble Su Xiao—he pressed his index and middle fingers together and forced them into Shikaku’s mouth.

“Ugh~.”

Shikaku let out a moan as the [Salt Rice Ball] was shoved down his throat and got stuck.

Su Xiao saw Shikaku’s body jerk, his eyes bulging wide, staring at him with a look of unending horror.

“Gulps.”

Shikaku swallowed the [Salt Rice Ball], then slipped back into unconsciousness—he may never have truly woken up.

Su Xiao didn’t know if restorative food worked on plot characters, but Shikaku had helped him, so he did his best to save him—simple as that.

Without Shikaku’s assistance, Su Xiao likely would have died under the combined assault of the Queen, Black and White, and Leaf.

Shikaku’s initial distraction of Black and White had been crucial.

Less than five minutes after being forcibly stuffed with the [Salt Rice Ball], Shikaku slowly woke up—the restorative food had worked.

“Mr. White Night, am I dead?”

“No, you’re alive.”

Su Xiao leaned back against the wall, lit a cigarette, and moved as little as possible—his many wounds continued to bleed slowly.

“That woman was incredibly strong—I almost got my head blown off. I’m so happy~.”

Shikaku showed no sign of relief after surviving—he was just as he always was.

“But Mr. White Night, my throat hurts badly, and my mouth feels strange.”

Su Xiao, eyes closed and resting, twitched slightly at the corner of his mouth.

“It’s your imagination.”

“Is it? But I taste food in my mouth—someone must have forcibly shoved something in there just now.”

“Imagination.”

Su Xiao sat like a meditating monk.

“I see. Strange.”

Shikaku scratched his head; his several gunshot wounds seemed nonexistent—likely due to his passive ability (masochism), that odd trait that turned pain into excitement.

Soon after, the outside grew noisy—Shinohara Yukiki had arrived with his team.

“White Night! White Night, First Class!”

Shinohara Yukiki’s voice called out.

Before Su Xiao could speak, Shikaku shouted loudly.

“Mr. Shinohara~! We’re over here!”

At Shikaku’s shout, Shinohara Yukiki and his team rushed in.

“Shikaku! So you’re alive!”

Seeing Shikaku alive, Shinohara Yukiki couldn’t help but smile.

“White Night, how are you?”

Shinohara Yukiki stepped forward; upon seeing Su Xiao’s injuries, he was stunned.

“Quick! Send for medical personnel immediately!”

Su Xiao’s severe injuries shocked Shinohara Yukiki—he ordered his investigators to fetch medics.

Medics arrived quickly; Su Xiao’s head was growing dizzy—he had lost too much blood. After the [XT-12 Life Vitality Potion] healed his abdominal wound, its effect had greatly weakened, and only minor progress had been made on his other injuries.

“White Night, First Class, hold on.”

Upon arriving at the scene, Shinohara Yukiki had already guessed the general situation.

The scattered body bags across the street were the best evidence—Su Xiao had cleared the auction house.

From the explosions and bullet marks, it was clear that an enemy had ambushed Su Xiao’s squad.

In the CCG, such incidents were not uncommon—while hunting ghouls, they also had to guard against ghoul retaliation.

Su Xiao was placed on a stretcher and urgently transported to the CCG hospital. In the same ambulance, Shikaku lay beside him.

Su Xiao relaxed slightly—he was exhausted from blood loss and wanted to sleep, but he couldn’t.

He didn’t fully trust the CCG—if its high command suddenly ordered him to receive a ghoul organ transplant, he’d be ruined.

It sounded absurd, but it wasn’t impossible—there were precedents, just never exposed.

So throughout his medical treatment, Su Xiao stayed conscious, refused blood transfusions, and rejected the doctors’ offer of anesthesia.

After emergency treatment, his bleeding stopped and his condition stabilized.

Lying on a warm, dry hospital bed, Su Xiao gradually fell asleep—at the CCG hospital, at least, he didn’t have to fear threats from the ghouls.

Due to massive blood loss, Su Xiao slept for over ten hours before waking—his HP had recovered to 65%. Though his wounds still ached faintly, he now had the strength to fight again.

Su Xiao sat up, leaning against the hospital bed; after sleeping for over ten hours, he felt refreshed.

The room was pitch black—it was still night.

The danger had fully passed; Su Xiao smiled bitterly, sighing that even a Level-2 derivative world was filled with peril.

With nothing else to do, he pulled out the previously obtained ‘Green Chest’ and the ‘Crimson Card.’

After hesitating, Su Xiao opened the ‘Green Chest’ first.

【Open the chest (green)?】

Select: Open.

This chest opening was unlike any before—the chest slowly opened, and a blinding green light emerged from within, illuminating the entire ward…