Kamishiro Rize, nicknamed "Gluttony," was marked as a "Gluttony" in the CCG's files.
She originally resided in District 11, but due to her disregard for Ghoul rules and excessive predation on humans, she was hunted by the leaders of District 11, only to kill all of them in return.
She later came to District 20 and settled there, but did not restrain herself, becoming a troublemaker in District 20. She openly ignored predation rules, frequently hunted humans, and had an extremely terrifying appetite.
An ordinary Ghoul could survive by preying on one person a month, while Kamishiro Rize needed to eat two to three times a week. This rampant frequency of predation naturally drew the CCG's attention firmly to District 20, leading to increasingly stringent security throughout the area, and even implicating other Ghouls. Her terrifying strength meant that even if her fellow Ghouls harbored resentment, most dared not speak out.
It was this series of insane predations by her that attracted an unprecedented high-pressure stance from the Ghoul Countermeasures Bureau.
"Speaking of which," Dong Xiang's voice interrupted He Xi Qian Yu's thoughts, "that guy... hasn't appeared in the shop for the past few days."
"That kind of person?" He Xi Qian Yu raised his eyebrows, his tone carrying a hint of knowing amusement, "Would she be willing to come for coffee?"
"No." Dong Xiang gently shook her head, her gaze seemingly fixed on a spot at the bar, "There's a university student... about your age, a regular at the shop." She paused, her voice a little lower, "The 'Gluttony'... has set her sights on him."
He Xi Qian Yu was somewhat surprised: "Why not just eat him directly?" According to the "Gluttony's" terrifying appetite, there seemed to be no need to delay with a single target.
"Playing with prey," Dong Xiang's voice carried a hint of cold disgust, as if stating a nauseating fact, "...and then slowly enjoying it. That's always been her personality."
"How awful..." He Xi Qian Yu muttered.
"How awful..." Almost at the same instant, Slaughter's whisper also echoed deep in his consciousness.
...
"Guma and the others are out on business, it's truly been hard on you two today." Yoshimura Gongshan's gentle voice sounded as he slowly walked down from the second floor, Si Fang Lian Shi following steadily behind him.
"You're too kind." He Xi Qian Yu waved his hand, his tone relaxed. Are you kidding? For a job with a monthly salary of 500,000 yen, what's so hard about this little bit of work?
"The coffee shop is about to close," Yoshimura walked closer, his gaze gently falling on He Xi Qian Yu, "He Xi, please be sure to pay attention to safety on your way home." His words carried the concern of an elder.
"Thank you for your concern, Manager," He Xi Qian Yu smiled and replied, "I'll go back and pack my luggage now, and I'll be moving in soon."
...
Bidding farewell to the warm lights and lingering coffee aroma of Anteiku Coffee Shop, He Xi Qian Yu stepped into the evening street. The streets of District 20 were bustling with people, seemingly unaffected by the Ghoul attack.
He followed an unfamiliar route, heading towards the apartment given to him by the system.
Initially, everything was as usual. The clamor of human voices, the honking of cars, and the music playing from shops mixed together, forming the background noise of the city.
He Xi Qian Yu walked steadily, his thoughts still on Dong Xiang's conversation about the "Gluttony" and Kaneki Ken, as well as the news of the CCG's involvement brought by Si Fang Lian Shi.
However, not long after, an unusual feeling quietly crept up his spine.
"Hmm... We're being watched..." Slaughter's whisper was the first to sound in his consciousness, carrying a hint of alertness and excitement, "There are bugs... following us... more than one..."
He Xi Qian Yu did not show panic.
"They shouldn't have any evidence..."
He did not immediately turn back, nor did he change his pace.
"Left rear... newsstand..."
"Right front... under the streetlamp... a familiar smell... is it that Search Officer from this morning?"
"...And another, further away..."
Slaughter's perception was unusually sharp, even identifying the source of one of the auras.
About fifteen meters to his left rear, beside a newsstand at the street corner, a man in a gray trench coat and glasses appeared to be flipping through a magazine, but his gaze swept over his direction every few seconds with extreme naturalness.
Across the street to his right front, a young woman in a casual jacket and baseball cap leaned against a lamppost playing on her phone, her cap brim pulled low.
Further away, there seemed to be another gaze, locking onto him through the bustling crowd, difficult to pinpoint precisely, but strongly present.
Their movements were professional, and their auras were well-concealed, almost blending with the surrounding environment. If not for Slaughter's superhuman perception, ordinary people would find it difficult to discover these ghost-like tails.
CCG Ghoul Search Officers, and more than one.
He Xi Qian Yu's heart sank slightly.
The aftermath of the Aoba Alley incident caught up to him faster than he expected. Si Fang Lian Shi's intelligence was indeed accurate—the CCG's intensity in pursuing that "third Ghoul" far exceeded the usual.
"Hoo hoo... It's those White Doves..." Slaughter's voice was filled with bloodthirsty excitement, "Three of them... tear them to shreds... right here on this street..." The crimson killing intent urged He Xi Qian Yu, trying to make him turn and pounce on the nearest "prey."
"Shut up!" He Xi Qian Yu sharply reprimanded in his mind. He absolutely could not act here; once exposed, he would immediately become a wanted target of the CCG, and the rest of his life would be destined to be devoid of peace.
What he needed was "stability," not to go to war with the entire CCG.
"Cowardice... What are you afraid of..." Slaughter roared in his mind, "Kill them... let their blood stain this street..."
"Quiet down, do you want us to become the public enemy of the entire District 20? If not, think about that 500,000 yen." He Xi Qian Yu tried to suppress the symbiont with the most realistic and convincing reason.
"...Slave to money..." Slaughter's thoughts were full of disdain, but the boiling killing intent seemed to be temporarily choked back by this "powerful" reason.
He maintained his original pace and direction, his expression unchanged, as if oblivious to the pursuit behind him, just an ordinary coffee shop employee who had just finished work.
This was just surveillance; they definitely had no evidence.
Just go straight back to the apartment.
Thinking so, He Xi Qian Yu seemingly naturally walked towards the entrance of the subway station ahead.
He could clearly feel the three gazes behind him, like cold probes, tightly locked onto his back.
The huge entrance of the subway station was like a monster's open maw, swallowing and spitting out a surging flow of people. Various smells and sounds mixed together, forming a natural barrier.
He Xi Qian Yu walked steadily into the crowd, his face maintaining the calm, slightly tired expression of someone leaving work.
He entered the station hall, where a huge electronic screen flickered with train information, and the broadcast, footsteps, and conversations were deafening. He did not choose any transfer passage, but walked directly towards a relatively secluded side exit leading to a small shopping street above ground.
He could feel that the three "tails" also followed closely into the station hall.
That cold, probe-like aura seemed to stop near the entrance; the bespectacled trench coat man blended into the crowd heading for popular lines; the baseball cap woman chose a parallel passage, and through the crowd, her gaze from under the brim tightly clung to him.
"They are watching... smelling... listening..." Slaughter's whisper carried a nearly playful, condescending mockery, "Too bad... they won't find anything... because we... are perfect..."
He Xi Qian Yu did not respond, but the tense string in his heart did not relax in the slightest. He knew Slaughter's disguise ability as a symbiont—it could perfectly simulate human physiological signals: body temperature, heartbeat, breathing rate, even blood flow and subtle bioelectric fields.
As long as Slaughter did not actively expose itself, He Xi Qian Yu, at this moment, would appear as nothing more than an ordinary human on the CCG's most precise portable RC detectors. He followed the crowd out of the side exit, which led to a relatively quiet small street with several old shops.
He did not stop or look back, but continued along the street like an ordinary office worker eager to go home, heading precisely towards his apartment building.