Chapter 16: Small Gains
Mato Akira's halt gave that ghoul a chance to escape.
Just as the ghoul was about to flee, he heard Su Xiao's threatening words.
The ghoul hesitated for a moment, then immediately turned and ran, paying no attention to Su Xiao's warning.
Or rather, this was the correct choice—staying meant death, so why not seize that slim chance to escape?
Just as the ghoul had run a few meters, a long blade shot through the air with a whistling sound.
"Pfft."
The blade pierced the ghoul's calf, embedding deeply into the asphalt street.
"Ah~"
The ghoul screamed, collapsing face-first onto the asphalt road.
"The correct choice."
Su Xiao stood up and walked slowly toward the ghoul.
In his view, the ghoul's attempt to flee was perfectly normal. If it were him, he would have done the same.
Not running meant death, so why not try?
"You, what are you going to do."
The ghoul's gaze was panicked as he tried to crawl forward, but [Dragon-Slaying Flash] was firmly lodged in the ground, unmoving.
Su Xiao grasped the hilt of [Dragon-Slaying Flash] and pulled it free. The ghoul immediately tried to get up and run.
A blade light flashed, and a large spray of blood splattered across the asphalt road.
Four slashes—Su Xiao severed the ghoul's limbs, keeping his word.
Given a ghoul's vitality, this injury was only severe, not life-threatening.
"What now?"
Mato Akira looked slightly weary. The earlier battle had tired her out; sweat soaked her clothes, and her pale yellow blonde hair clung to her forehead.
"Continue. Tonight, we kill as many ghouls as come."
Mato Akira felt a chill in her heart. The West District had hundreds of ghouls, maybe more.
"Are we really okay with this?"
Su Xiao didn't respond, instead starting to clean up the bodies on the street.
He planned to set a trap here. The ghoul whose limbs he had severed would make excellent bait.
But ghouls weren't stupid. With so many corpses scattered around, it would only scare them off.
He piled the bodies into a small alley. He didn't bother cleaning the blood off the asphalt; the smell would attract ghouls anyway.
The ghoul with severed limbs was thrown by Su Xiao into the center of the street.
He didn't need to lure the other ghouls too close—just having them show themselves was enough.
With Su Xiao's agility attribute, as long as those ghouls appeared, they wouldn't escape.
Hunting low-level ghouls had a low chance of dropping treasure chests, but it earned CCG contribution points.
Not only that, his talent ability [Soul Devourer] also allowed him to increase his mana points.
Mana points were crucial to Su Xiao now, as [Azure Steel Shadow] was a major mana consumer.
Su Xiao stood in the center of the street holding [Dragon-Slashing Flash], with Mato Akira beside him.
"Will ghouls really show up? This place just had a battle."
Su Xiao ignored Mato Akira. Ghouls that could cannibalize each other were beasts; the smell of blood wouldn't scare them off—it would only lure them in.
Just two minutes later, the first ghoul appeared.
It was an elderly ghoul, thin and gaunt.
Seeing Su Xiao holding a sharp blade, the elderly ghoul hesitated for a moment before deciding to retreat.
Unfortunately, it was too late to leave now. Su Xiao had already charged forward with his blade.
A minute later, Su Xiao returned to his spot, his sleeves stained with blood, waiting for the next prey.
On a high-rise building in the West District.
The night wind blew, and under the moonlight, two figures could be seen standing on the rooftop.
"What do we do? If we leave this unchecked, the ghouls here will be wiped out."
Kirishima Ayato, wearing a black rabbit mask, spoke, his gaze toward Su Xiao in the distance filled with wariness.
Beside him, Tatara remained silent, watching the scene before him.
This was a "recruitment base" for Aogiri Tree. The organization's executives often came here to invite stronger ghouls.
For example, the Bin Brothers had been recruited here by Aogiri Tree.
"Abandon it."
Tatara's words made Kirishima Ayato reluctant.
"But..."
Kirishima Ayato started to speak but noticed Tatara staring at him.
"Are you going to stop that monster?"
Kirishima Ayato fell silent, turning his head away. The slash Su Xiao had aimed at him was still fresh in his memory.
"So... you want me to go?"
A murderous intent flickered in Tatara's eyes.
"No, I mean we should gather members and kill this human."
It was clear that Kirishima Ayato harbored deep hatred for Su Xiao, after all, Su Xiao had nearly killed him.
Tatara thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"The cost is too high. Even if we succeed in killing this man, you and I might die in the fight.
Let's go. From now on, completely abandon this place. Knowing that this monster is in District 14 is also important intelligence."
Although Aogiri Tree had other recruitment bases, abandoning this one was a significant loss—but it was unavoidable.
Tatara and Kirishima Ayato left, leaving the ghouls here without support.
...
The sun gradually rose, and a golden morning light appeared.
In the center of the West District, Su Xiao sat on the street, his face full of exhaustion.
Within a half-kilometer radius, large bloodstains could be seen at intervals, and a thick smell of blood filled the street.
He had lost count of how many ghouls he had killed that night. By the end, no ghouls could be found anywhere in the West District.
The unusually strong smell of blood had alerted the ghouls, and a message gradually spread among them in the West District:
Never approach the central area—there's a terrifying human there!
Despite his bloodstained face, Su Xiao meticulously wiped [Dragon-Slashing Flash] clean before storing it in his inventory. He cherished his weapons.
Su Xiao activated his mark to check the night's gains.
First, the contribution points: now read [Second-Class Investigator, Contribution Points 390/400].
In one night, Su Xiao had earned 340 contribution points, showing just how many ghouls he had killed.
Not only contribution points, but his talent ability [Soul Devourer] had also absorbed 68 mana points.
His current mana points were now 238, greatly extending the duration he could use [Azure Steel Shadow].
In his inventory, there were also three white treasure chests.
He had killed so many ghouls that, despite the low drop rate for chests, he still managed to collect three.
"Second-Class Investigator Bai Ye, let's head back. I can't go on."
Mato Akira lay flat on the street, no longer caring about maintaining her ladylike demeanor.
"I'm also nearing my limit. Let's return to the branch."
Su Xiao stood up and took a few steps before noticing Mato Akira still lying on the ground.
"Um... I'm out of strength."
Mato Akira's tone was a bit awkward.
Throughout the night, Su Xiao had done most of the ghoul hunting, while Mato Akira handled disposing of the bodies without fighting. Even so, she was completely exhausted.
Su Xiao walked over to Mato Akira, hoisted her onto his shoulder, feeling her soft, full figure against his back.
"Please, don't take me back to the branch. I look too embarrassing like this."
The close physical contact made Mato Akira's cheeks flush.
"My home is nearby. It's just a few minutes' drive."
Su Xiao considered it. Mato Akira's suggestion wasn't bad—he urgently needed rest too.
He drove to the building where Mato Akira lived. Along the way, she recovered some strength, enough to walk on her own.
Mato Akira lived in a small single apartment. The room wasn't large but was cozy. After entering her home, Su Xiao took off his shirt under her astonished gaze and headed straight for the bathroom.
He was covered in blood. After a whole night, the dried blood on his skin was extremely uncomfortable.
Just as he was rinsing himself with warm water, the bathroom door was knocked.
"Second-Class Investigator Bai Ye, please hurry. I need to shower as soon as possible, right now. I... I have a cleanliness obsession. Dried blood on my skin is a nightmare."