Chapter 18: The Beginning of Purge
The test tube spun between Su Xiao’s fingertips. With the dexterity of his fingers, the tube traced afterimages through the dim lamplight.
After noticing Yitiao’s expression, a faint smile appeared on Su Xiao’s lips.
“Clink.”
He pressed the test tube against the bar counter. Glass struck marble, producing a crisp sound.
That sharp noise made Yitiao’s heart clench, afraid Su Xiao might shatter the tube in his hand.
“So, what do you think? Want to cooperate with me?”
“This is the first time I’ve met an investigator like you—actually cooperating with a ghoul.”
Yitiao studied Su Xiao with curiosity. She knew deep down that cooperating with him was extremely dangerous, yet the liquid in the test tube he held was fatally tempting to her.
The tube didn’t contain some miraculous elixir. For humans, it was pure poison.
[Rc Cell Concentrate]
Quality: White
Type: Material
Rating: 8 (Note: White items are rated 1 to 10; higher ratings indicate greater value.)
Description: The test tube contains a high-concentration Rc cell solution, an essential material for CCG’s production of Koukaku, used for activating Koukaku steel.
...
[Rc Cell Concentrate] was only produced by CCG, making it unlikely for ghouls to obtain.
If a ghoul injected this, their Rc cell count would skyrocket. Though risky, it was far safer than cannibalism.
“With you putting this in front of me, do I even have a choice to refuse?”
A smile spread across Yitiao’s face, her attitude shifting dramatically.
“Tell me, what do I need to give in return?”
Trade was built on mutual benefit. While military threats might yield short-term gains, they were never a long-term solution.
“I need the locations of ghoul gathering spots in District 14. The more, the better.”
Su Xiao tossed the test tube to Yitiao. Her charming smile vanished instantly.
“Are you planning... to purge District 14?”
A trace of fear flickered in Yitiao’s beautiful eyes.
“Is there a problem?”
Su Xiao stared straight at Yitiao.
At that moment, Yitiao felt the test tube in her hand grow hot.
“No, no problem. Wait a moment.”
Yitiao grabbed paper and pen from the side, scribbling and drawing.
Five minutes later, a crude map landed in Su Xiao’s hands.
“The circles I drew are ghoul gathering spots—ghoul restaurants, auction houses, intelligence exchange points, and so on.”
The map was rough, but its usefulness was considerable.
“If the map isn’t accurate enough, I’ll be back.”
Su Xiao gave Yitiao a meaningful glance. She was a ghoul; he wouldn’t fully trust her.
After Su Xiao left the bar, the panic on Yitiao’s face faded.
“Bei, come out.”
Yitiao picked up a glass of human blood beside her, took a light sip, and her red lips grew even more vivid.
A ghoul with a peculiar appearance—lip piercings and a rather punk style—stepped out.
This ghoul was named Bei. He ran a mask shop in District 4, and Kaneki Ken’s mask was made by him.
“He noticed me.”
Bei sat down beside Yitiao.
“Impossible. With your stealth skills, that man would notice you?”
Yitiao found it hard to believe. In her daze, a trickle of blood slid down the corner of her lips.
“No mistake. Just now, I felt a prickling sensation on my back, like being targeted by some beast.
After all, he’s the monster who fought off the One-Eyed Owl head-on. This isn’t surprising.”
Bei leaned back in his seat, lost in thought.
“Forget it. As long as we don’t provoke him, it’s fine. Does the organization have any plans lately?”
Yitiao made a silent decision: move away! Stay far from the monster! She wasn’t ready to die.
Being targeted by Su Xiao was far from pleasant. Though Yitiao craved more [Rc Cell Concentrate], her life was more important.
“No plans. Nick and Roma have disappeared somewhere.”
The organization Bei and Yitiao belonged to was called “Jester.” It was a mysterious ghoul organization. Currently, five known members were:
Sota (the main antagonist, leader of Jester)
Nick (the transvestite with the lizard, a masochist)
Yitiao (bar owner in District 14, once provided Kaneki Ken information about Kamishiro Rize)
Roma (a female ghoul who later infiltrated the Anteiku coffee shop, becoming a waitress)
Bei (mask shop owner)
...
Among these five, aside from Sota, the remaining four were all SS-rank ghouls, usually hiding their strength and appearing harmless.
Sota, full name Furuta Nimura, was not only the leader of Jester but also a member of other organizations. This guy lurked in the shadows, possessing top-tier strength.
After transplanting Rize’s kakuhou later in the story, Sota’s power skyrocketed, even reaching the point of easily defeating Takatsuki Sen.
Jester was indeed powerful, but these members usually kept to their own roles and rarely gathered together.
In other words, Jester was just playing both sides between Aogiri Tree and CCG, avoiding direct conflict and waiting to profit from the chaos.
...
After obtaining the ghoul distribution in District 14, Su Xiao returned to his car.
“Xiao, where is this?”
Su Xiao pointed to a circle on the map. Akira Mado leaned in, frowning as she studied it for a long time.
“This seems to be the Dayuan Auction House.”
“Seems?”
Akira Mado took the map, looking troubled as she examined it further.
“Uh... it should be correct.”
Su Xiao sighed. The crudeness of this map far exceeded his expectations.
“It’s correct. This is the Dayuan Auction House.”
Akira Mado pulled out an official map of District 14 and carefully compared them.
“Sunday night at 11 PM, a large auction is being held. What does that mean?”
Akira Mado read the note on the map, puzzled.
“Exactly what it says. We’re working overtime tonight to continue culling ghouls. Head to Dayuan Stadium.”
Today happened to be Sunday.
Su Xiao leaned back in his seat. He wasn’t sure what ghouls would auction off, but it probably wasn’t anything valuable.
Over seventy percent of ghouls had some psychological issues.
The only food for ghouls was humans. Since humans looked exactly like ghouls, constantly devouring beings similar in appearance to themselves made psychological health impossible.
Moreover, Su Xiao felt that ghouls might not be naturally occurring creatures. Otherwise, in the long history of evolution, humans would have long been extinct.
The combat power in the ghoul world wasn’t strong, but compared to ordinary humans, ghouls were overwhelmingly powerful.
If ghouls had existed from the start, humans would have been wiped out. After humans went extinct, ghouls would be next.
The main quest had a time limit of twenty days, and only two days had passed. Su Xiao might be able to delve deeper into the secrets of the ghoul world.
But thinking about that now was premature. He should focus on completing Main Quest (2) first.
Just then, Reincarnation Paradise issued a notification.
[A large number of low-level kakuhou have been delivered to CCG headquarters. Gained 135 Contribution Points.]
[Current: Second-Class Investigator. Contribution Points: 525/400. Yes/No to promote rank.]
Su Xiao raised an eyebrow. Those low-level ghoul kakuhou were worth quite a bit, netting 135 Contribution Points.
As for why Su Xiao didn’t keep those kakuhou, it was because they couldn’t be taken out of the derivative world.
Except for items opened from treasure chests, most items couldn’t leave the derivative world.
He chose to promote rank. The notification from Reincarnation Paradise faded. To become a First-Class Investigator, he still needed CCG’s appointment, but that would arrive soon.
For now, he just needed to continue hunting ghouls. He intended to purge the entire District 14.
Su Xiao didn’t believe that if he killed all the ghouls in District 14, he still wouldn’t be promoted to Senior Investigator.