"Want a cigarette?"
Aki pulled a slender cigarette from the pack and offered it to Su Tang.
You could tell he seemed to be a man with a story. People with stories often like to recall their past in smoke and drink.
But Su Tang had no story.
So he refused.
Aki didn't mind the refusal. He took the cigarette back, held it between index and middle fingers, and put it in his own mouth.
Click.
The lighter's flame wavered in the air.
A thin thread of white smoke floated up.
Then Aki stubbed the cigarette out in his palm.
At the sight, Su Tang's eyelids twitched.
Good grief—what an epic pass-lung; two or three puffs and the cigarette was done.
Fast or not, that air of melancholy still came through fully. All Su Tang could do was marvel—being handsome really is something.
"Hoo."
Blowing a smoke ring with his back to Su Tang, Aki saw a Public Safety staffer running toward him.
"What is it?" Aki asked.
"Report: We found a flesh fragment of the Gun Devil in the Leg Devil's corpse."
The staffer handed over a bullet-like piece to Aki and reported, "This piece is small. After weighing, it's only 0.02 kg."
Hearing the commotion, Su Tang leaned over.
So it was a Gun Devil fragment.
No wonder the Leg Devil had felt stronger during the fight just now—it had swallowed this stuff.
Truly a legendary devil. Even just 0.02 kg of flesh was enough to turn a Leg Devil, which isn't feared at all, into a serial-killing terrorist.
The Gun Devil wasn't unfamiliar to Su Tang.
No—no one in this world was unfamiliar with it.
Because the gun bans issued by nations were to resist this powerful and terrifying weapon-devil.
After entering modern times, people invented firearms to fight devils. While they achieved huge success at first, the power of guns also made the public's fear of them grow day by day. Finally, on November 18, 1983, the Gun Devil made landfall.
In just five minutes, it killed more than 1.2 million people worldwide, then mysteriously vanished.
Many families were shattered that day. Some survivors chose revenge: they signed contracts with devils and became devil hunters to collect the Gun Devil's flesh and find its main body.
Looking at Aki's expression now, Su Tang knew he was one of those avengers.
"Sorry to make you laugh."
Aki quickly put his face back in order and clenched the bullet-flesh. "Thirteen years ago, in that disaster, my entire family died at the hands of the Gun Devil…"
"I understand." Su Tang nodded.
"Thank you. Also…" Aki looked at the flesh in his hand. "By regulations, when a civilian devil hunter kills a devil, all spoils belong to the killer. Since you killed the Leg Devil alone, the flesh naturally belongs to you. But… Public Safety is willing to purchase at ten percent above market. Would you…"
"No problem. Just lump the purchase price in with the compensation."
Su Tang agreed before Aki could finish.
He had no issue with that. He had no personal feud with the Gun Devil; if Public Safety wanted to buy it, he'd go along.
Speaking of compensation…
Su Tang glanced over at Pawa, who was on the phone.
By coincidence, Pawa happened to turn her head toward him then.
Her brash, loud voice poured into his ears the next second.
"Miss Makima, listen to my excu—explanation! That's not how it was at all! It was that human—yes, that male human in a white coat and long pants—spouting nonsense! He forced me to smash his roof…"
"Lying? No! Why would I lie?! Devils never lie! Only cunning humans deceive!"
At that, Su Tang and Aki exchanged a glance.
"Devils are devils. Never trust a devil's words," Aki said calmly, the katana on his back. "Pawa was only brought in by Miss Makima a few days ago; she still retains some devil habits."
Su Tang smiled, fully in agreement.
After all, there was a "never keeps promises" exemplar right in his head. The Holy Lord was a model devil in that regard.
The devil among devils, truly.
While they spoke, Makima must have said something else on the other end. Pawa, who'd been struggling to argue, instantly collapsed into a little-cat face of defeat. She drooped like an eggplant struck by frost.
A defeated-dog aura radiated from every inch of her.
Then, listlessly, she tossed the phone back to Aki and stood with arms folded to the side.
"Yes, understood, Miss Makima."
Ending the call, Aki pocketed his phone and nodded to Su Tang. "Miss Makima agrees. However…"
"Because this was caused by Pawa's personal actions, the compensation will be split—half paid by Public Safety, half by Pawa."
"And since Pawa just joined and can't put together that much money at once, Mr. Su Tang, you may have Pawa work off the debt during her time off. She's a Blood Fiend, highly sensitive to blood. I imagine she can be of some help."
At that, one of Su Tang's brows rose.
Oh? So he'd suddenly become Pawa's creditor and boss?
Sensing his gaze, Pawa—who'd been slumping and lost in who-knows-what—sprang back to life and snapped, "Hmph! Human, don't think I'm afraid of anyone! I'm only showing a little mercy to help a poor wretch like you!"
Ah—what a manic, arrogant tsundere.
Is your mouth the only hard part of you?
The corners of Su Tang's lips lifted. He didn't expose her, only smiled. "Very well. On your days off we'll be counting on our kind Lady Pawa to come help out. Be on time, okay? Otherwise, if Miss Makima asks…"
At that name, no matter how high-and-mighty Pawa acted, she instantly became as obedient as a cat caught by the scruff of its fate.
"Got it. Humans are so long-winded."
Waving a hand, Pawa finally agreed.
Smiling with his eyes, Su Tang had been planning to hire an assistant anyway. Considering labor costs in Tokyo, he'd delayed—but he hadn't expected to get a fiend out of nowhere.
A fiend's physical strength and all-around abilities are naturally better than a normal human's. This was a small win.
"Also, Mr. Su Tang," Aki's voice sounded again at his side:
"Miss Makima would like to meet you."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Chainsaw Man: The Covenant of Flame Demon [ 71 Chapter ]