"The scent... it's up there!?"
Yoshida Kazuo looked around in a panic. The next second, as if sensing something, he suddenly looked up, his blood-red Kagune eyes revealing a look of terror. The half-blade tip, almost touching his eyelashes, made him instinctively close his eyelids.
But... the expected pain did not come. Just as Yoshida Kazuo wondered why nothing had happened and reopened his eyes, the tactical folding knife instantly tore through his dark eyeball, plunging in completely from the pupil, directly piercing his brain, which was as fragile as a human's.
His body, originally as hard as steel, slumped onto the shattered ground as if its bones had been removed. "Calamity," like black smoke, rose from Yoshida Kazuo's corpse. In the unseen, a sound of a wheel slowly turning, then gears meshing, could be heard.
"The Preta Path? It seems he still had some conscience in life, but he'll have to endure it..."
Having witnessed such scenes countless times, Rosen naturally had no reaction. The previous battle could only be considered a warm-up. He forcibly halted his attack the moment the Ghoul closed his eyes, precisely to ensure he could break through the opponent's defense. Otherwise, it would have been awkward if the half-blade had been bounced away again.
Rosen casually kicked Yoshida Kazuo's corpse over with his foot and curiously squatted down to observe the opponent's Kagune. He found that this bizarrely twisted "tail" remained active even though the body was dead. So, he opened his phone and took a photo of the Kagune sac; this counted as "collection" completed.
"A cannibalistic bastard!? If you don't want to get hurt, turn your face around!"
The intense commotion from the previous battle attracted the attention of Kotaro Amon, a First-Class Investigator, who was investigating nearby. When he rushed over, he happened to see Rosen squatting in front of the corpse with his back to him, and subconsciously assumed the other party was engaging in "cannibalism."
"Cannibalism" refers to Ghouls preying on each other. For them, food could be either humans or their own kind. Furthermore, devouring Kagune sacs could increase the concentration of rc cells in their bodies, thereby enhancing their strength. Therefore, Investigators usually considered such Ghouls more troublesome and difficult to deal with.
"Pointing a weapon at someone isn't polite behavior. It makes you seem very ill-mannered."
Rosen sighed and turned to look at the burly man in front of him. The large iron rod in the opponent's hand, resembling a metal bollard, left no doubt about its power, and also made one marvel at the physical strength of its wielder. However, it would probably be difficult to swing in such a narrow space.
Given that humans don't have the abnormal defensive capabilities of Ghouls, Rosen estimated that he would only need half a minute to take his life. However, this guy had no "Calamity" on him at all, practically shouting "justice." Naturally, he wouldn't get into any conflict with him.
"Alright, Amon, my gut tells me... this gentleman isn't a Ghoul."
Just then, a hand wearing a white glove rested on Kotaro Amon's shoulder. From behind him emerged a middle-aged man also wearing a gray uniform, but unlike the young Investigator, he wasn't as tall. Instead, he had a hunched back like a small old man, with a mischievous smile on his face.
"But Mado-sensei, how could he possibly... without using a Quinque?"
"I understand your concerns, but there are still Special Class Investigators who can kill Ghouls without using a Quinque, such as Arima Kishou or Kuroiwa Iwao... Tsk tsk, directly pierced through the pupil with a small knife? Who exactly are you?"
Kureo Mado directly stepped on Yoshida Kazuo's corpse and observed the horrific injury to his left eye with interest. This didn't seem like something a normal human could do. To be safe, he had to first investigate the identity of this suspicious person.
"Wait a moment."
As Kotaro Amon and his teacher exchanged puzzled glances, Rosen raised his phone, whose back cover featured a Nyarlko ahegao selfie, indicating that his phone was ringing. The excessively high-concentration otaku ringtone echoed through the dark alley again. Without guessing, he knew it had to be Karenina calling.
"You bastard, how dare you hang up on me! Can't you just temporarily retreat!?"
"Ah, yes, yes, let's keep it short. This isn't the place to chat."
Rosen held the phone away from his ear, and only after the angry shouts from within gradually subsided did he dismissively say, This arrogant attitude immediately made Karenina even more furious, but now was not the time for her to throw a tantrum. She could only forcibly suppress her anger and discuss business first.
"Phew... Anyway, fortunately, nothing went wrong, and it seems that because you overfulfilled the guidance mission, the background identities granted to us by the Divine Grace Technique have changed. The relevant documents should have been directly delivered to you. This is a good opportunity to access CCG internal intelligence..."
Karenina lowered her voice and briefly stated her plan. The Ghoul Countermeasures Bureau clearly held a crucial position in this world. To investigate rc cells-related intelligence, one absolutely couldn't bypass the CCG. If they could become a core high-ranking member, perhaps they could touch a corner of the truth.
However, judging from her previous experience of performing missions in other material realms, Ghouls were not necessarily the cause of this world's collapse, and the CCG side might not necessarily symbolize justice. But for now, it was better to consider how to maximize the use of the identity granted by the Divine Grace Technique.
[Guidance Mission: Hold out for 3 minutes, await Ghoul Investigator rescue (Completed)]
[Additional Mission: Kill Yoshida Kazuo before Ghoul Investigators arrive for rescue (Completed)]
[Mission Reward: CCG Rank 3 Investigator ID * 1, Sig Sauer P226 pistol * 1, Anti-Ghoul Bullet Q-Bullet (Ukaku · Modified) * 10, CRc Gas Grenade * 1]
Rosen raised an eyebrow slightly, a little surprised. This meant he had directly joined the Ghoul Countermeasures Bureau, and with a certain level of authority at that.
Originally, he thought Nyarlko's Divine Grace Technique, which didn't directly enhance combat power, was as useless as she was. Now it seemed it had some use after all, at least providing some assistance in investigations. As for the extra magazine and smoke grenades... judging by the names, they should be specialized weapons for dealing with Ghouls.
"This is my identification."
After searching his body, Rosen indeed found the Ghoul Investigator ID that had appeared out of thin air in his pocket. It clearly stated not only his age, gender, and rank, but even specified which graduating class of the Ghoul Countermeasures Academy he belonged to.
"I apologize for my rudeness just now. My name is Kotaro Amon, and this is my mentor, First-Class Investigator Kureo Mado."
Kotaro Amon took it and carefully examined it. After confirming its authenticity, he finally lowered his guard, put away his iron stake-like Quinque, and extended his hand to shake Rosen's, introducing himself. Only then did he have the presence of mind to carefully observe the man's appearance.
Although the ID stated Rosen was 27, the same age as him, purely from his appearance, he looked to be only in his early twenties. His listless, half-open dead fish eyes made him seem somewhat sleep-deprived. His medium-length black hair was simply tied into a wolf tail. At 1.8 meters tall, while not as robust as himself, he could certainly be described as slender.
However, the most peculiar aspect was the opponent's eyes. His silver-grey pupils had a frosted metallic texture, and especially the whites of his eyes were completely devoid of blood vessels, like props made of ceramic.
However, thanks to Rosen always having a world-weary expression as if he might hang himself at any moment, he doesn't give off the impression of being overly assertive. He should be a colleague who can communicate normally. Kotaro Amon finally breathed a sigh of relief after observing him, after all, there are too many people with strange personalities in his unit.
"My name is Chouno Kota, nice to meet you both."
"...Your name on the ID says Rosen."
"Just kidding."
"Okay... alright, why are you the only one here?"
Kotaro Amon really couldn't tell from that emotionless expression that Rosen was joking, but he is now more concerned about whether the other party's partner is safe, because the basic configuration of CCG Ghoul Investigators is two people as a group, that is, a low Rank Investigator accompanies a First-Class Investigator Karenina to perform tasks, and sometimes it is also in units of squads or groups.
"This... it's a long story, in short, I got separated from my companion and can't find a way out."
Rosen was too lazy to explain to him and casually made up a story, but this statement further aroused Kureo Mado's suspicion. In his many years of professional career, he has also seen Ghouls who can change their appearance, so he cannot rule out that the person in front of him has devoured "Rank 3 Investigator Rosen" and then wants to escape his investigation by impersonating him.
The safest approach is to take the other party through the Rc Gate Detector, which can determine whether the rc cells of the target are higher than the threshold. However, due to its high cost, the detector has not been popularized, and it is only set up in various CCG branches or in the homes of important politicians and wealthy people.
"In that case, please return with us, your partner may be waiting there. Oh... and one more thing, actually, after leaving this alley, there is a bus stop along the right side. Rank 3 Investigator Rosen wasn't trying to fool us just now, was he?"
Kureo Mado suddenly stopped after taking two steps, turned her head to look at the new colleague behind her, revealing a suspicious expression. No matter what, this place belongs to the urban area, so it is too far-fetched to say that he is lost.
"No, turning right only leads to a dead end (correction)."
"Is that so? Then I must have misremembered."
...Not long after the group left, a slender figure quickly shuttled through the night, jumping down from the roof. The height of more than eight meters of the building was as easy for her to cross as a staircase. The girl in the hoodie took off her hood and stood silently in front of Yoshida Kazuo's corpse. She recognized this Ghoul, who was rumored to be the unlucky guy who was swindled out of 500,000 by a human woman.
"One hit kill, the Doves have brought in someone amazing, I have to talk to the manager again."
Pulling out the broken half of the knife from the corpse's eye socket, Kirishima Touka's face became very ugly. There are only a handful of Investigators who can defeat Ghouls with ordinary weapons. The worst plan is that the White-haired girl who killed her parents has also come to the 20th Ward. Although this possibility is not high, it must not be taken lightly.
Moreover, she recently discovered two Doves carrying briefcases wandering near the Anteiku Cafe, probably Ghoul Investigators attracted by the death of Kamishiro Rize.
Anteiku is the manager of the Ghouls in the 20th Ward. With their strength, they don't need to fear a few Ghoul Investigators, but once a Dove is killed in this area, the CCG headquarters will continuously send reinforcements until all the Ghouls in the area are wiped out.
"That guy who is neither human nor Ghoul, keeping him will definitely bring trouble to Anteiku."
Thinking of the way he looked like he couldn't be helped during the day, Kirishima Touka felt a burst of anger. She didn't understand why the manager would take such a big risk to protect him. In the end, that person simply didn't have the right attitude. If the Doves investigating Kamishiro Rize find him, he will most likely reveal her and the manager's identities.
This is almost fatal for Ghouls hiding in human society. Not only will she have to live a life on the run again, but her current stable daily life will also cease to exist, and without her protection... Yoriko will probably be bullied by her classmates at school again. Thinking of this, Kirishima Touka once again strengthened her determination to protect her current peaceful life.
Although the manager said that Anteiku's policy is that Ghouls should help each other, and she and her younger brother were taken in by the manager when they were homeless, if that guy during the day is captured alive by the Ghoul Investigators, she will only have to choose to kill him to silence him.
The boiling killing intent made Kirishima Touka couldn't help but reveal her Kagune, but just as she was about to dispose of Yoshida Kazuo's body, a drunkard passing by the alley inadvertently looked inside, and the scene in front of him instantly sobered him up.
"Ah ah ah ah ah!!! Ghoul!?"
"Damn it!"
The drunkard, frightened by the girl's bloody knife and Kagune, couldn't help shouting and screaming as he scrambled towards the crowded street, and at this time Kirishima Touka was not wearing a mask to hide her identity. Once the eyewitness escapes, the consequences will be unimaginable.
"Alright, stop barking like a stray dog."
"Uh... Heh heh heh..."
Just as the girl spread her Ukaku and was about to catch up, a beam of scarlet Kagune stretched out from outside the alley's view, instantly piercing the drunkard's throat, and the tragic cry for help came to an abrupt end.
"Nishio Nishiki? You still dare to hunt in this area, aren't you afraid that those Doves haven't gone far?"
Looking at the brown-haired curly-haired youth who kicked the drunkard's body into the dark alley with one hand in his pocket, Kirishima Touka did not relax her guard. It is normal for Ghouls to kill each other, especially since this guy's personality is quite bad.
"You Anteiku are timid, so mind your own business. This is my territory, I can do whatever I want. Even if the Doves come, I will kill them without hesitation."
The youth called Nishio Nishiki pushed his glasses, with an arrogant and rampant smirk on his face. Although the Anteiku Cafe claims to be the manager of the Ghouls in the 20th Ward, he has not admitted their position.