Chapter 44: First Appearance
Su Xiao walked into the pitch-black cave entrance, a slightly fishy rapid airflow brushing past his cheeks. The entrance sloped downward, gradually leading underground.
After going deeper for a distance, the cave narrowed somewhat, but it was still at least five meters high and seven or eight meters wide. Su Xiao had no idea how long the ghouls had spent digging to create a cave of this size.
Once inside, he noticed that although this was underground, it wasn't pitch black.
At the top of the cave, a plant with gray branches clung to the surface. This plant had dense roots and bore a peculiar flower.
The flowers hung from the cave ceiling, emitting a faint white glow that kept the cave from being completely dark.
"Drip, drop~."
Water droplets fell from the ceiling. Kōki Ōma and Yuna immediately dodged far away.
"Don't touch those liquids. That's the secretion from 'Light Flowers,' and it's highly toxic."
Yuna quickly warned Su Xiao, who nodded.
"Don't be careless. Over fifty investigators have died from the poison of 'Light Flowers.'"
Noticing Su Xiao didn't seem concerned, Yuna warned him again.
"Mm, thanks."
Although Yuna was a bit neurotic, she was a good teammate.
After traveling several hundred meters into the cave, the three of them came across a metal door.
"We're here."
Kōki Ōma reached into his collar and pulled out a necklace with a golden key threaded onto it.
The key was inserted into the metal door, and the door rumbled open.
"Every time I go through this damn door, I feel like I won't make it out. Which idiot built this thing? Damn it."
Yuna muttered a curse under her breath before silently grumbling for a while.
This was a checkpoint built long ago by the CCG to prevent ghouls in District 24 from leaving. There were only two keys, one held by Kōki Ōma and the other by Yoshitoki Washuu (the CCG Director).
As the metal door opened, a stench of rot rushed out.
Behind the metal door were two forked paths.
The area outside the metal door and inside were completely different worlds.
The walls inside the metal door were no longer soil but a dark red fleshy wall.
Su Xiao drew Dragon-Slaying Flash and pressed the tip of the blade against the fleshy wall. The wall was hard and highly resilient.
"Pfft."
As Dragon-Slaying Flash pierced into the fleshy wall, the wall began to tighten, trying to clamp down on the blade.
"Kōki, which way should we go this time?"
Yuna was familiar with Kōki Ōma; the two had been long-time partners.
"You decide."
Kōki Ōma carried a Koukaku in each hand, named "Narukami" and "IXA."
Yuna took out a coin and flipped it.
"Heads. Right side it is."
Kōki Ōma nodded.
Su Xiao watched this scene with some confusion. Wasn't there a set route?
"Strange, isn't it? This way of choosing paths."
Yuna smiled playfully at Su Xiao.
"There's no fixed route?"
"No, and there never could be."
Yuna's words made Su Xiao even more puzzled.
"These fleshy walls aren't fixed. They change frequently. For example, the fork in front of us sometimes has two paths, sometimes three, or even five. That's why District 24 can never be fully explored. The entire area is 'alive.'"
Hearing Yuna's explanation, Su Xiao frowned.
"After going deep into District 24, how do we get out? Given the situation, getting trapped and dying isn't impossible."
"Of course there's a way. With this thing, leaving isn't a problem."
Yuna tossed a compass in her hand.
Kōki Ōma spoke up.
"This exploration is set for two days. If we find nothing after two days, we'll return to the surface and rest at the temporary branch."
Kōki Ōma thought for a moment before continuing:
"White Night, First Class, what are you best at?"
Kōki Ōma wanted to get a sense of Su Xiao's abilities.
"Frontal assault, perception, and breaking through strongholds."
"Good."
Kōki Ōma adjusted his glasses.
"I'll take the lead. Yuna, you stay in the middle. White Night, you cover the rear."
Su Xiao had no objections to this formation, but Yuna pouted.
"I'm not a rookie. Why do I have to be in the middle? So annoying."
Yuna sized up Su Xiao and, feeling she wasn't his match, reluctantly chose to stay in the middle.
The three-person team began advancing deeper into District 24.
"Roar!"
Not far ahead, a roar echoed from the front.
"Damn it! Do we have to be this unlucky?!"
Yuna cursed under her breath and turned to run.
Kōki Ōma reacted the same way, immediately turning and fleeing.
"Fall back! Something's coming fast!"
He didn't need to shout. As soon as Su Xiao saw the two of them flee, he also turned and ran, slightly overtaking Yuna.
"What is that?"
While running, Su Xiao managed to ask Yuna.
"It's a 'monster.' District 24 isn't like District 14. There's more than just ghouls here."
Soon, the three of them ran back to the fork.
Although the terrain of District 24 changed, it did so periodically. Major changes usually took seven or eight days, with only minor shifts in between.
"The right path is blocked. The Blood Eye is on the right."
Yuna panted heavily, looking back at the right entrance with lingering fear.
Su Xiao couldn't help but frown. What kind of monster was so powerful that even Kōki Ōma had to flee?
"Kōki, the Blood Eye is active. Should we give up?"
Yuna was starting to feel hesitant.
"No need. The Blood Eye's range of activity isn't wide. Let's explore the left passage."
Kōki Ōma took the lead, and the three entered the left passage.
Before even seeing a ghoul, District 24 had already given Su Xiao two warnings: the ever-dripping toxic liquid and a monster strong enough to make Kōki Ōma retreat.
The trio's advance into District 24 went smoothly this time. They traveled for hours without any incidents, not even encountering a single ghoul. This puzzled Su Xiao—wasn't District 24 supposed to be full of them?
"Boom."
A loud crash echoed through the passage, shaking the walls and sending dust falling.
"The Blood Eye is going crazy again."
Yuna's expression turned grim, clearly wary of the creature known as the "Blood Eye."
"It's entered its molting period. I fought it last week."
Kōki Ōma's words were shocking—he had actually fought that unknown monster.
After another hour of advancing deeper into District 24, Su Xiao was completely lost.
District 24 truly lived up to its reputation as a maze. The number of forks they had passed along the way added up to at least several dozen.
Ahead, another turn appeared.
"Wait."
Su Xiao suddenly spoke. Yuna and Kōki Ōma looked at him.
"What's wrong?"
Yuna tensed up.
"There's a smell of blood, and it's fresh. It's just around that corner."
Yuna looked at Su Xiao skeptically, then crept quietly to the corner and peered around.
Yuna turned back and nodded to the two.
Kōki Ōma glanced at Su Xiao out of the corner of his eye, and the two of them moved lightly toward the corner.
Su Xiao approached the corner and saw two ghouls gnawing on a corpse.
From the red eyes on the corpse, it was also a ghoul.
This was Su Xiao's first time seeing ghouls in District 24. They were very different from those outside.
Not in appearance, but in attire.
These two ghouls in District 24 were actually wearing grass skirts, and one had a necklace of bone teeth around its neck.
Su Xiao was stunned. Had he encountered primitive ghouls?
PS: (Daily request for recommendation tickets)