Purple devil's blood spattered the floor and walls.
The stench ran rampant through the air, and flashing sirens set up a cordon outside the door.
Inside, officers and forensics were busy with their respective tasks, doing what needed to be done with the corpse.
They had plenty of work—like those severed legs on the floor. They'd need to match them to their owners using recent case files, a meticulous and complicated job.
Off to the side, Su Tang silently stared at his ceiling.
At the broken ceiling a single hammer blow had opened up, through which cold air kept pouring into the room.
"Damn it, I just renovated this new place!"
Clenching his fist, Su Tang glanced at the woman beside him. She, the one excitedly gawking around, was the owner of that blood-colored giant hammer—and the chief culprit behind this chaotic scene.
"Public Safety?" Su Tang's tone revealed nothing.
"That's right, it's me!" The woman planted her hands on her hips and tilted up her chin in pride. "Yours truly is the strongest hunter in Public Safety! Human, you're about to kneel and call me Lady Pawa, hahahahaha!"
The self-styled Pawa had long rose-gold hair that floated with her laughter. Strands brushed her fair, delicate face, highlighting a pair of eyes with a golden-to-red gradient.
To be honest, her hair color, pupils, even those serrated teeth were all moe points in Su Tang's eyes—pity she was an idiot.
Also—
Looking at the two red horns jutting from Pawa's head, then at the vivid red cross in her pupils—
This one…
His eyes narrowed. Before he could think further, footsteps drew nearer from behind him.
Unlike Pawa's, these steps were even, measured, unhurried. Clearly their owner was a steady person.
This should be the real lead of this Public Safety operation.
With that thought, Su Tang timed it, turned, and spoke five words to the newcomer:
"I want to see a lawyer."
In this world, any losses caused by devils fall under "force majeure" and aren't covered by insurance.
Which means if your property is damaged by a devil, you can only bite the bullet and pay for it yourself.
So there was no way Su Tang would admit that the ruin of his private clinic had been caused by a devil. He had to hold to one point: that the damages were the result of an operational error by Public Safety's devil hunters. Only then would he get partial compensation.
Of course, he wasn't making trouble without reason, and he wouldn't overturn black and white. What he said was true, with facts to back it up.
The Leg Devil had already been killed before Public Safety arrived—cleanly, decisively, without a speck left.
But that Pawa acted on her own and gilded the lily, not only smashing a big hole in his roof but also splattering devil blood everywhere. The walls and floors all needed to be redone.
Not a small sum.
"I've explained the situation. I believe you have professionals who can judge whether I'm telling the truth."
Looking at the well-groomed young man with a meticulous expression before him, Su Tang continued: "All told, the costs come to about five million yen—there are itemized records for all of it."
"A reasonable request. Public Safety will take responsibility for errors made in the course of our work." The young man wore a topknot, back straight, patient. He waited for Su Tang to finish before speaking. "Mr.…"
"Su Tang," Su Tang gave his name.
"Very well. Mr. Su Tang. I'm Aki Hayakawa of Public Safety Division 4." The young man took out his credentials for Su Tang to see, then said, "Normally these matters are handled by our logistics personnel, but this time is a bit special… I need to report to our chief. I hope you won't mind."
"As you should." Su Tang nodded, watching as the man named Aki Hayakawa took out a phone and dialed.
Pawa, crouched by the Leg Devil's corpse, turned it this way and that, all jumpy and heedless—clearly unaware of what was about to happen.
"Okay. Mm. Okay." Aki answered thrice, then held the phone away and said to Pawa, "Miss Makima is looking for you."
!
Time seemed to freeze for a second.
The moment the name "Makima" appeared, the wild woman who had looked afraid of nothing seized up like she'd been shocked.
Even the skin on her face seemed to tremble; her eyes filled with dread and fear.
"Pawa," Aki's voice came at just the right moment. "Take the call. Don't keep Miss Makima waiting."
Like a death warrant.
However unwilling she was, Pawa didn't have the courage to refuse the call. She could only awkwardly shuffle her legs, take tiny steps, and come to Aki's side.
Watching from nearby, Su Tang was delighted.
Truly, one thing subdues another. Who'd have thought such a manic woman would have someone who could rein her in—someone she feared like this.
Handing Pawa the phone, Aki deliberately moved away and came to stand by Su Tang.
There were things that weren't convenient to say earlier; now that Pawa couldn't hear, it was fine.
"The 'special' you mentioned just now—it's because of her, isn't it?" Su Tang looked at Pawa.
"Mm. I'm sure you've already noticed, Mr. Su Tang. Pawa isn't human—she's a fiend," Aki replied.
Su Tang had indeed noticed early on.
A "fiend," as the name implies, is a devil possessing a human corpse. Its essential personality remains that of a devil; it acts according to devilish nature, so fiends are usually regarded as entities to be eliminated, same as devils.
It's easy to tell fiends from normal humans. Just look at the head.
A fiend's head will have devilish features more or less—like a monster's head, or devil-like horns atop the skull.
"Public Safety actually lets a fiend be a devil hunter?"
Su Tang was curious. Fiends are dangerous not only because of their power but also because of their way of handling things.
You can't expect a devil to stay rational all the time.
"Mm." Aki nodded, then said, "This was Miss Makima's suggestion. She believes we can utilize certain fiends we can still temporarily control; having them fight devils will reduce some losses among devil hunters."
As he spoke, Aki seemed to think of something, and his expression dimmed.
Oh?
Using fiends to fight devils?
Such a fanciful idea is… bold.
Interest flickered in Su Tang's eyes.
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Chainsaw Man: The Covenant of Flame Demon [ 71 Chapter ]