Chapter 17: Luring Yi Niao
In the afternoon, Su Xiao woke from a deep sleep.
A full rest left him feeling energized. Sitting up on the living room sofa, the aroma of food wafted over.
On the coffee table beside him were several delicately prepared dishes: a bowl of rice, a grilled fish, and a fragrant soup.
Next to the food lay a note:
‘Bai Ye, Second Rank, I’ve gone to the branch to handle the aftermath of the ghoul expulsion — Mado Akira.’
Su Xiao stretched. Though Mado Akira wasn’t strong, she was a capable assistant.
After finishing the meal, he took out the five white treasure chests and opened them one by one.
These five chests (white) were all dropped by ordinary ghouls. Su Xiao didn’t have high expectations. He obtained the following items:
[Obtained 1100 Paradise Coins] (total from five chests)
[Obtained Kakuhou (A-grade)] ×2
[Obtained Kakuhou (B-grade)] ×1
Among the five chests, two only yielded Paradise Coins, while the remaining three dropped Kakuhou.
These Kakuhou had no immediate use. Su Xiao still needed contribution points to raise his rank and couldn’t yet craft Quinque.
Fortunately, raising his rank only required reaching a certain contribution threshold, not spending the points.
Once promoted to Senior Investigator, he could use his accumulated contribution points to craft Quinque.
Even if he didn’t craft Quinque, these Kakuhou could be sold in Reincarnation Paradise for a decent income.
A gain of 1100 Paradise Coins was fairly good overall.
Leaning back on the sofa, Su Xiao began planning his next moves.
First, he needed to complete Main Mission (2). The penalty for failing it was severe: a deduction of 3 points from all attributes.
Strength, Agility, and Intelligence were manageable; losing 3 points would have a significant impact but wasn’t unbearable.
But if Stamina dropped by 3 points, his current 6 points would fall to 3, with dire consequences.
As for Charm and Luck, they were even more nerve-wracking. Charm would hit zero.
Regarding Charm, Su Xiao had a theory: it didn’t reflect physical attractiveness but personal aura.
For instance, someone with a warm demeanor might naturally have high Charm, like celebrities in the real world.
Given Su Xiao’s murderous aura, high Charm would be a miracle.
Still, this temperament had its perks—if he joined an evil faction, he’d be highly valued.
If Luck dropped by 3 points, it would go negative.
At that point, the scenario would resemble *Final Destination*, with death lurking at every turn.
Thus, Main Mission (2) was mandatory. Plus, completing it granted 1 attribute point and 1500 Paradise Coins—a substantial reward.
Next was the Hunt Mission.
Reincarnation Paradise hadn’t specified the reward for the Hunt Mission, but Su Xiao sensed it would be generous, given he was eliminating threats for the Paradise.
“Alright, time to find another ghoul gathering spot.”
The benefits of last night’s large-scale ghoul hunt had whetted his appetite. He wouldn’t waste time hunting them one by one—inefficient and low-yield.
Instead, targeting large ghoul gatherings was more worthwhile.
Finding such gatherings wasn’t easy. The obvious ones were too dangerous, like the ghoul strongholds in Districts 1 to 4, which housed hundreds or even thousands of ghouls.
Even Su Xiao wouldn’t dare approach those super-large gatherings. If a thousand ghouls charged at once, even B-rank ones, they’d wear him down.
The ideal size was under 100 ghouls; beyond that, he couldn’t handle it.
Last night, he’d killed dozens without injury mainly because they didn’t swarm him.
Fighting one person was different from fighting a hundred. As the saying goes, “Two fists can’t beat four hands.” Su Xiao was still flesh and blood—he could be wounded and die from his injuries.
With that in mind, he needed to visit the “Helter Skelter” bar again. Yi Niao should have that kind of information.
This time, he wouldn’t threaten her for intel—that wasn’t sustainable.
Even a cornered rabbit bites, and Yi Niao was an SS-rank ghoul.
Picking up the phone from the coffee table, he dialed Mado Akira’s number.
“Bai Ye, Second Rank, you’re awake?”
Mado Akira’s voice was crisp and cheerful.
“How’s the situation?”
“All handled. Headquarters took the ghoul bodies. If nothing goes wrong, I’ll get a new Quinque.”
Her laughter chimed like silver bells through the phone.
“Bai Ye, Second Rank, what about the Kakuhou from those ghouls? Since you expelled them, you have the right to decide.”
Su Xiao paused. His current contribution was [Second Rank Investigator, Contribution 390/400]. He needed just 10 more points to advance to First Rank Investigator.
“Submit two-thirds to headquarters. Use the remaining third to exchange something for me.”
He traded two-thirds of the Kakuhou for contribution points.
When Mado Akira heard what he wanted, she was taken aback.
“That thing? Alright~, I’ll report it to the higher-ups. But headquarters doesn’t have much stock—it’s only used when crafting Quinque.”
Mado Akira was diligent in helping Su Xiao. Partnering with him boosted her achievements and sharpened her combat skills.
The call ended. An hour later, Mado Akira returned home.
“Got it. The branch had one left. But Bai Ye, Second Rank, I’m curious—what do you need that for? It’s highly toxic to humans.”
She held a small metal case, handling it carefully as if it contained fragile items.
“Some things are better left unknown.”
Taking the case, Su Xiao opened it.
“Careful~.”
As the case opened, Mado Akira instinctively stepped back.
After confirming the contents were intact, Su Xiao closed the case and stored it in his inventory.
He didn’t hide this from Mado Akira, nor did she seem surprised by the item’s sudden disappearance—as if it were natural.
This was Reincarnation Paradise’s camouflage mechanism, integrating abilities into the ghoul world.
“Let’s go. Back to that bar.”
Mado Akira was full of questions but stayed silent.
As Su Xiao said, some things were better left unknown.
He could trade with ghouls, but Mado Akira never could—it was a matter of principle.
Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the “Helter Skelter” bar.
As before, Su Xiao had Mado Akira wait in the car while he entered.
“Welcome—”
Yi Niao started her usual greeting but stopped upon seeing Su Xiao.
In her eyes, he was a plague god. Last night’s massacre of ghouls in the West District made her even more wary.
“Relax. I’m here to make a deal.”
Taking out the metal case, Su Xiao retrieved a test tube.
The tube was delicate, about ten centimeters long and thumb-thick, filled with a translucent light red liquid with bubbles churning inside.
Seeing the tube, Yi Niao swallowed hard, unable to look away.
Ghouls rarely obtained what Su Xiao held, yet almost all craved it.
PS: (A new week has arrived—please vote for recommendation tickets~.)