Chapter 91

On the rooftop, the One-Eyed Owl—the shop owner—was facing off against Shinohara Kōki and others; his goal was not to fight, but to buy time.

“It seems you’ve risen to prominence. Perhaps I should’ve severed your dominant hand years ago, just like I did to your superior, Special Investigator Shinohara.”

The shop owner was now in his Kaku form, his entire body encased in armor forged from kakuhō—spiky feathers of uha on his back, capable of long-range attacks.

His current state combined offense and defense, with exceptional regenerative capacity.

“A-ban.”

Shinohara Kōki called out the nickname of the man beside him, Kuroiwa Iwa.

Kuroiwa Iwa nodded; they had partnered for years and understood each other’s thoughts instinctively.

“Hirako, stay.”

Shinohara Kōki began assigning personnel to confront the shop owner.

“Understood.”

Hirako Jō had an ordinary face, but his strength was unquestionable; though ranked as a Senior Investigator, his power rivaled that of a Provisional Special Investigator.

“The rest of you, eliminate the other members of Aogiri Tree.”

Though phrased that way, Shinohara Kōki was subtly dismissing them—they had no right to die, only to hinder the battle.

“Amon, you go too.”

Shinohara glanced at Amon Kōtarō; in his view, Amon was a capable talent, merely too green and lacking combat experience.

Unexpectedly, Amon stood his ground.

“Amon.”

Shinohara’s tone grew sharper.

“I want to fight with you.”

“That’s an officer’s order—follow it!”

Shinohara’s voice turned stern.

“I’m staying. Let me fight alongside you.”

The hot-blooded young man Amon Kōtarō clearly feared no death; his tone even carried a hint of pleading.

“You’re an ‘excellent talent whose death would be a headache’—go now!”

Shinohara meant: you’re a liability, get out.

The oblivious Amon clearly didn’t understand—he stubbornly remained in place.

“I…”

“Don’t drag us down in battle.”

With the battle at critical stakes, Shinohara had no time to deal with Amon.

“Hirako, I’m sorry.”

Shinohara’s words were heavy with regret—he was leaving Hirako Jō behind, and Hirako might die in this fight.

“I know my own strength. This is what I must do.”

Shinohara nodded and exchanged a glance with Kuroiwa Iwa; both simultaneously pressed the switches at the back of their necks.

“Click-click-click~.”

‘New’ clung to their upper bodies, forming dark blue-black armor that glowed faintly in the night.

“Go!”

Shinohara roared and charged toward the shop owner alongside Kuroiwa Iwa.

……

On a distant rooftop, a group of Contracted Ones watched the scene through their binoculars.

“How’s it going? Are all the main quests nearly done?”

The white-haired elder, Han Yu, lowered his binoculars and smiled before the group.

“Master Han Yu, our main quests are complete.”

“Good. Xi Luoluo, how many more do you need?”

Han Yu looked at the little girl, Xi Luoluo.

“Two more. Can I…?”

Han Yu raised his hand to cut her off.

“We’ll discuss it later. Right now, the CCG holds the upper hand. We’ve already gained enough from this battle—it’s time to withdraw. No one should be greedy.”

Xi Luoluo looked resentful but dared not speak further; she was a Worker, with laughable combat power.

Han Yu and the other Contracted Ones left the rooftop one by one—except one: Huo Bao, Han Yu’s ally.

Huo Bao sat on the rooftop’s edge, holding a timer displaying 144 hours and 3 minutes—six days.

The timer was a countdown; the device itself was a diamond-shaped metal block, exquisitely crafted, radiating a sci-fi aura.

“Six days? The interference emitter’s prep time is too long.”

Huo Bao stared at the shop owner in the distance and sneered.

Once the timer hit zero and interference succeeded, his power would surge dramatically.

“Whether my path leads to death or to the throne depends on this experiment.”

Huo Bao gripped his staff until it crackled, ambition burning in his eyes.

Huo Bao was a calculating man; his impulsive behavior before Han Yu was merely an act.

He brushed his fiery red hair with one hand, then let out a quiet laugh for no apparent reason.

“That Biantai brother from the CCG side—I hope I meet you after interference succeeds. I’ve heard you drove off Takatsuki Izumi face-to-face.”

Huo Bao burst into a loud laugh, battle-lust rising in his eyes.

Though Huo Bao was a fire mage, his body beneath the robe was far from frail—it brimmed with raw power.

……

In the lower levels of the Aogiri Tree base, Su Xiao was sprinting toward the rooftop.

Aogiri Tree’s base was well-chosen—its interior was labyrinthine; reaching the rooftop required switching staircases multiple times.

Elevators? Long neglected, no one dared use them—no one even knew if they were powered.

“Thud. Thud. Thud…”

Su Xiao held his blade and ran across the iron staircases.

“Crash.”

A collision echoed above—someone was fighting on the upper stairs—but Su Xiao didn’t slow.

Arriving at the scene, Su Xiao saw Wu Lü locked in combat with Shihō Renji, Uta, and Tsukiyama Shū.

More precisely, Wu Lü stood still, taking blows without retaliating.

Shihō Renji dashed forward, spun, and kicked Wu Lü’s upper body away.

Wu Lü’s body liquefied—his upper half split cleanly, flew through the air, then rapidly reattached to his main body.

Three seconds later, Wu Lü’s injuries were fully healed; this grotesque regeneration reminded Su Xiao of his earlier fight with Nico.

Compared to Wu Lü, Nico regenerated slower but endured more—she never got her upper body kicked off like that.

Su Xiao stopped walking. At his arrival, all present ceased fighting.

“Here comes a troublesome one.”

Shihō Renji and the other two quickly pulled up their hoods to conceal their faces.

“Ding-ding-ding~.”

A frantic sound came from Wu Lü’s pocket—he pulled out a device resembling a phone, pressed it, and the noise stopped.

“Don’t block my way.”

Su Xiao struck the metal handrail of the stairs with the flat of his Zhanlong Blade—CLANG!

Shihō Renji and the others retreated; Wu Lü hesitated, then stepped aside.

Su Xiao climbed the stairs step by step, each footfall echoing DANG-DANG on the iron treads.

None of the ghouls present stopped him—they only watched him warily.

Su Xiao had no time to care for them—he needed to reach the rooftop and support Shinohara Kōki and the others.

With the faction mission active, after earning 10,000 CCG contribution points, he could rise to Provisional Special Investigator and exchange for that blue-rarity potion.

If Shinohara Kōki and the others died, he’d be marked as mission failure—there might never be another chance to gain so many contribution points.

Gaining +4 Stamina and +2 Strength would drastically boost his combat and survival power—especially survival.

Su Xiao clearly remembered how Nico’s bullet had nearly killed him during their last fight.

If the Queen hadn’t been standing exactly in line with him, she’d have been pierced too—and Yezi’s mana was low, unable to keep healing the Queen.

Otherwise, after Nico’s rapid fire, he’d already be dead.

So he was determined to get that Stamina-boosting potion—survivability mattered. If you’re dead, everything else is meaningless.

So, he was determined to get that potion that increased physical strength; survivability was crucial—if he lost his life, everything else was meaningless.