Chapter 85: Chapter Fifty-Three: Camp Task

At noon, the sun shone brightly before a shimmering swimming pool in the backyard of the temporary branch of District 24.

A light breeze stirred the trees beside the pool, their leaves rustling, while birds chirped from the branches.

Su Xiao leaned back on a lounge chair, a glass of orange juice and some delicate pastries beside him.

“Bai Ye, why don’t you get in?”

Yuna swam freely in the pool, wearing a bikini.

“Wounds can’t get wet.”

Su Xiao’s upper body was wrapped in bandages as he reclined comfortably.

The three had returned to District 24’s branch a day ago; though time spent in the derivative world was precious, Su Xiao had been badly injured and severely drained, requiring proper rest.

“Tch, boring guy.”

Finding Su Xiao wouldn’t join her for a swim, Yuna turned her attention to Ma Guijiang beside her.

Ma Guijiang wore a brand-new pair of glasses, sat cross-legged beside the pool, his body likewise wrapped in thick bandages, holding a book titled *The Egg of the Black Goat*.

The book was written by Katsuki Izumi; apart from her identity as a ghoul, she was undoubtedly a gifted woman—every one of her books was a bestseller.

In the original story, Katsuki Izumi, as a novelist, had even interviewed a Class-A Investigator of the CCG, a testament to her fame.

*The Egg of the Black Goat* tells of a female serial killer who gives birth to a son; the child grows up normally at first, but as he matures, he inexplicably develops a craving for killing, thereafter oscillating and struggling between a normal life and a killer’s existence.

Su Xiao had only skimmed parts of it, concluding it was likely Katsuki Izumi recounting her own experiences.

Ma Guijiang read intently, occasionally nodding as if fully agreeing with the book’s content.

Now, all three were relaxed, showing none of the ferocity they displayed in District 24.

Ma Guijiang, nearing thirty, looked like a scholar as he read.

Yuna appeared innocent and carefree in the pool, revealing none of the image she presented when clad in “New,” wielding a scythe and slaughtering ghouls in a frenzy.

Su Xiao, meanwhile, seemed to have succumbed to “lazy disease,” lying limp and motionless; yet the occasional sharp glint in his eyes sent chills down one’s spine.

With nothing else to do, Su Xiao took out Zhanlongshan and some maintenance tools, beginning to care for the blade.

His movements were skilled; though durability could be repaired by someone in the Lunhuileyuan , he treated his weapons with exceptional care.

The weapon in hand was the most reliable thing—he had escaped death multiple times with Zhanlongshan.

Unfortunately, Zhanlongshan was beginning to lag behind his pace; Su Xiao held it single-handedly, extending it level before him.

The blade flashed with cold light; damaged once, it had been abandoned by the Zhanlong Sword Sage, Ryoma. Had it not been damaged, Zhanlongshan would have been at least a Blue-rank weapon.

Su Xiao had previously sought ways to repair Zhanlongshan; the Lunhuileyuan ’s miraculous abilities could certainly achieve it, but the cost was beyond what he could afford.

The repair materials listed in the Lunhuileyuan ’s prompt were all unknown to him—three were Blue-rank materials, and several others had no color displayed at all, their quality simply marked as ???

Even if he somehow obtained those materials, he would still need to find a craftsman in the Lunhuileyuan with a skill rank above “Master.”

Such craftsmen were treated like revered figures; each time they entered a derivative world, they were guarded by entire teams, terrified of even a scratch.

It was said these individuals could forge Blue-rank equipment—what an insane ability.

Of course, this was all information provided by Xi Luo Luo; Su Xiao had never seen it with his own eyes.

“Hmm.”

Su Xiao sighed; he wielded Zhanlongshan with ease and had grown accustomed to it, but reluctantly, he would have to switch weapons—Zhanlongshan’s quality was only White, the lowest rank, even though its rating was a high 10.

After maintaining Zhanlongshan, Su Xiao returned to lying motionless on the lounge chair; his HP had recovered to over 80%, and most of his wounds had healed—the CCG’s free medication worked well, reaching White-rank quality.

Of course, while the medicine was effective, it could only be used for free; to keep any for personal use, he needed to spend Contribution Points.

He was currently injured on official duty, so he qualified for free use.

After two days of rest at the temporary branch, Su Xiao’s injuries were no longer serious—at least, they wouldn’t hinder combat.

…

In an office, Ma Guijiang sat behind his desk.

“That’s the situation—last time’s exploration yielded great results; the headquarters gave us praise.”

Su Xiao raised an eyebrow.

“What kind of praise?”

“Verbal praise.”

Su Xiao smirked; the CCG headquarters was unexpectedly stingy.

“The next exploration is tomorrow morning—still the three of us. Get ready.”

Working in District 24 was like playing with death, but Su Xiao didn’t care—he needed to rapidly earn CCG Contribution Points.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

A knock came at the door; after Ma Guijiang said “Enter,” the door opened.

“Apologies for disturbing you, Senior Investigator Ma—Bai Ye, you have a phone call.”

A staff member from the temporary branch entered the office and respectfully handed Su Xiao the phone.

Investigators held high status within the CCG, far beyond ordinary staff.

Su Xiao took the phone.

“This is Bai Ye.”

On the other end, noise filled the line; Su Xiao faintly heard shouts like “The call’s connected!”

“Bai Ye? This is Maru Tei. I’ve got good news for you.”

Maru Tei’s tone carried a hint of amusement, clearly pleased.

“Me? What’s the good news?”

“A temporary order has been issued from above regarding operations in District 11—they want you to temporarily assist the Special Response Team.”

On the other end, Maru Tei patted Shinohara Kōki on the shoulder.

Somehow, the two had managed to persuade the CCG’s upper echelons.

“Oh? Really? No problem.”

Su Xiao agreed without hesitation, because the Lunhuileyuan had issued a task.

【Camp Task: Cover Operation.】

Difficulty Level: Lv.4.

Task Brief: Assist the Special Response Team in combating the Bronze Tree, ensuring your side’s victory.

Task Info: CCG camp task—does not count toward Tongguan evaluation.

Deadline: Until the District 11 operation ends.

Reward: 10,000 Camp Contribution Points.

Penalty for Failure: None.

…

This camp task wasn’t simple, but the reward was generous—he desperately needed CCG Contribution Points.

Since acquiring the exchange function at District 24’s temporary branch, Su Xiao’s CCG Contribution Points in the ghoul world were equivalent to Arena Coins.

The two items in District 24’s logistics department were exactly what he craved—and he had a strong chance of obtaining them.

After hanging up, Su Xiao placed the phone on Ma Guijiang’s desk.

“I’ll need to leave for a while—the headquarters has temporarily reassigned me to the Special Response Team.”

Ma Guijiang nodded.

“No issue. Exploring District 24 can be delayed, but the District 11 operation cannot.”

Ma Guijiang didn’t object—he granted immediate permission.

Half an hour later, Su Xiao boarded a vehicle bound for District 20; though the operation was in District 11, the Special Response Team’s assembly point was in District 20, as the District 11 CCG branch had already been overrun—this was the only option.