Chapter 71

“Please take care of me~.”

With that, Suzuya Shuuzou smiled.

“Huh~~?”

Marute Sai formed a claw with one hand, trembling it in front of his chest.

Shinohara Yukinori, watching from beside him, pressed his hand to his forehead, looking like his head was about to split.

“Seriously.”

Shinohara Yukinori’s gaze swept over and immediately noticed Su Xiao behind Suzuya Shuuzou.

Marute Sai also noticed Su Xiao; his previously stiff expression suddenly vanished.

“Shinohara, did headquarters temporarily assign him to us? Great!”

It was no wonder Marute Sai was so pleased—District 14 had been cleared almost entirely by Su Xiao alone, and everyone had seen it.

“Maru, you might be celebrating too soon—Bye Ye is being transferred to District 24 to ‘play whack-a-mole’ with Ma Guijiang.”

Marute Sai was stunned.

“Deep in District 24? That hellhole can’t be reached by anyone except Team Zero, right? Has Bye Ye become a member of Team Zero? Doesn’t Team Zero have that rule?”

“He’s a temporary member, at least.”

Hearing “temporary member,” Marute Sai’s eyes lit up.

“Temporary~ member, heh, that leaves room to maneuver—if the Black God shows up during the District 11 operation, even if Xiao arrives, we won’t suffer many casualties.”

As Marute Sai spoke, he was already heading for the door, stepping past Suzuya Shuuzou to warmly greet Su Xiao.

“Bye Ye, senior, we’ve met before—we’re in a meeting, please join us.”

Su Xiao was taken aback by this sudden warmth.

“This~.”

“The person Bye Ye is waiting for won’t arrive for a while—needs at least a full day.”

Su Xiao could no longer refuse and sat down in the conference room.

“Um, Suzuya, third-class, you can observe from the side.”

Suzuya Shuuzou stared blankly at Marute Sai.

“Observe?”

“Observe outside the door!”

“Bang.” The conference room door slammed shut.

Marute Sai was clearly a grudge-holder—usually laid-back and rough, but undeniably reliable.

Suzuya Shuuzou, wearing bright red slippers, leaned against the wall beside the door as the meeting continued.

“Now, let’s discuss the operation’s key points—Bronze Tree is clearly acting in an organized, disciplined manner, so I conclude they have a leader. And from past cases, their leader…”

Marute Sai began detailing the operation; Su Xiao yawned, propping his chin on his hand.

“I may issue harsh orders, but please endure them—I beg you.”

“The operation is set for one week from now. Move the surviving residents of District 11—try relocating them to District 14, where ghoul activity has dropped alarmingly low. I’ll handle the media.”

“That’s all. Dismissed.”

“Yes.”

The meeting finally ended; Su Xiao had fallen asleep. The constant travel these past days had left him exhausted.

“Bye Ye, let’s go.”

Shinohara Yukinori woke Su Xiao.

“Huh? Finished? Marute Sai is so tedious.”

Su Xiao yawned and stood up.

“Maru’s just worried about casualties—this is our job, we can’t afford to slip up, no choice.”

Su Xiao and Shinohara Yukinori walked out together; they had once worked side by side, and Su Xiao’s clearance of District 14 had greatly impacted Shinohara Yukinori’s future.

After all, it was during Shinohara Yukinori’s management of District 14 that Su Xiao cleared it.

As they stepped out of the conference room, they saw Marute Sai at the door.

Marute Sai’s lips curled into a sly grin as he approached Suzuya Shuuzou, who was leaning against the wall.

“You’re Suzuya Shuuzou? What a scrawny little thing.”

Suzuya Shuuzou said nothing, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Shinohara Yukinori, still chatting with Su Xiao, saw this.

“This won’t do—I’ll go over.”

Shinohara Yukinori hurried over.

Marute Sai, noticing Suzuya Shuuzou ignored him, didn’t get angry—instead, he leaned close, wearing a creepy uncle expression.

“Have you been eating properly? Do you even have a dick?”

Clearly, the grudge-holding Marute Sai was picking a fight because Suzuya Shuuzou had interrupted his meeting earlier.

“Hm?”

Hearing “do you even have a dick,” Suzuya Shuuzou reacted slightly.

“Forget it, forget it, Maru—Suzuya just arrived at the branch, he’s surely tired. Let him be—we’ll go eat.”

Shinohara Yukinori pushed Marute Sai’s shoulders, and the two walked out.

“What’s the matter? I was just chatting with him.”

“Forget it. We’ll talk tomorrow. Let’s go.”

With that, Shinohara Yukinori turned back and made a silent plea to Su Xiao.

Suzuya Shuuzou had just arrived in District 20—he was unfamiliar with everything, and this white-haired kid had no basic sense of right and wrong; he’d cause trouble easily.

In District 14, only two people could handle Suzuya Shuuzou: one was Shinohara Yukinori, who had gently guided him and treated him well.

The other was Su Xiao—if Suzuya Shuuzou disobeyed, Su Xiao would beat him until he obeyed.

…

After Marute Sai left, Suzuya Shuuzou turned his head, staring at the direction Marute Sai had gone—his pale red eyes deeply memorized Marute Sai’s face.

This white-haired kid was just as vengeful.

“How do you plan to get revenge? With your current strength, Marute Sai can kill you in ten minutes.”

Suzuya Shuuzou’s gaze returned.

“Bye Ye~ I’m hungry~.”

“Let’s go.”

Su Xiao led Suzuya Shuuzou out of the branch, searched nearby, and found a barbecue restaurant.

The restaurant was lavishly decorated—clearly expensive per person.

Su Xiao wasn’t short on money—he’d received a substantial bonus from District 14’s branch before leaving.

“Welcome, sir.”

The server led Su Xiao and Suzuya Shuuzou to a table.

Suzuya Shuuzou ordered a cut of beef so expensive it made one’s eyes pop, then grinned foolishly at Su Xiao.

Su Xiao ordered a large quantity of meats and fish.

Soon, a self-service grill with a wire-mesh grid was brought to their table.

Suzuya Shuuzou’s beef was a cut called “Wagyu” tenderloin.

“Sizzle sizzle sizzle~.”

Oil beads formed on the beef’s surface; animal fat dripped onto the charcoal, sizzling loudly.

Su Xiao tasted a piece—it was truly delicious: tender, smooth, delicate texture, and the unique sauce left a lingering aftertaste.

After a hearty meal, Su Xiao wandered the streets aimlessly—he’d been busy since entering the derivative world.

Now suddenly idle, he felt oddly unaccustomed.

The sky had grown dim; as he walked, Su Xiao spotted a café in the distance.

Upon closer look, the café’s sign read “An Ding Qu”!

It was coincidence—he hadn’t been deliberately searching for An Ding Qu; he’d just been strolling after dinner.

Since he was already here, he might as well go in—it could help him gauge the ghouls’ general situation.

Although An Ding Qu had strong fighters—the owner, Sifang Lianshi, Mo Yuan, Black Dachshund, and others—

in District 20, unless they wanted to abandon their residence, An Ding Qu wouldn’t dare act first if Su Xiao didn’t initiate anything.

Su Xiao pushed open the café’s door; the bell above it rang out with a crisp “ding.”

“Welcome.”

A soft, childlike voice came.

Su Xiao stepped inside and saw a petite girl with tea-colored short hair and pale skin.

He recognized her—she was Dikou Chushi, who had recently lost her parents.

For some reason, Chushi froze upon seeing Su Xiao, as if confronted by something terrifying.

“N-no, don’t come closer.”

Chushi’s voice cracked with tears as she plopped onto the floor.

Su Xiao had killed too many ghouls lately—his body reeked of blood, and Chushi possessed a natural ability: extraordinary perception.