Chapter 53: Faction Mission
Noon, bright sunlight. Behind the temporary branch in District 24, before a shimmering swimming pool.
A gentle breeze passed by, the trees beside the pool rustled, and birds chirped on the branches.
Su Xiao lay on a lounge chair, with a glass of orange juice and some delicate pastries at hand.
"Bai Ye, why don’t you come down?"
Yuna, wearing a bikini, swam freely in the pool.
"My wounds can’t get wet."
Su Xiao, his upper body wrapped in bandages, reclined comfortably halfway.
The three had returned to the District 24 branch a day ago. Although time spent in the derivative world was precious, Su Xiao had been seriously injured this time, with severe stamina depletion, and needed proper rest.
"Tch, boring guy."
Seeing that Su Xiao wouldn’t join her for a swim, Yuna set her sights on Kishou Arima nearby.
Kishou Arima wore a new pair of glasses, sat cross-legged by the pool, also wrapped in bandages, holding a book titled *The Black Goat’s Egg*.
This book was written by Eto Yoshimura. Setting aside her identity as a ghoul, Eto was undoubtedly a talented woman—every book she wrote was a bestseller.
In the original story, Eto, as a novelist, could even interview CCG’s Special Class Investigators, showing her fame.
*The Black Goat’s Egg* tells the story of a female murderer who gives birth to a child. The child seems normal at first, but as he grows, he inexplicably develops a desire to kill. He then wavers and struggles between a normal life and that of a murderer.
Su Xiao had only skimmed through it, judging it to be Eto recounting her own experiences.
Kishou Arima was reading intently, occasionally nodding as if agreeing with the content.
All three were now relaxed, showing no trace of their fierce demeanor in District 24.
Kishou Arima, nearing thirty, looked like a scholar while reading.
Yuna appeared innocent and carefree in the pool, showing no sign of the figure who, clad in her "New" gear, wielded a scythe and slaughtered ghouls wildly.
As for Su Xiao, he seemed to be suffering from a "laziness attack," limp and motionless. Yet the occasional sharp glint in his eyes sent chills down one’s spine.
With nothing to do, Su Xiao took out Dragon-Slaying Flash and some blade maintenance tools, starting to care for it.
His movements were practiced. Although durability could be repaired in Reincarnation Paradise, he cherished his weapon dearly.
The blade in his hand was the most reliable thing; Dragon-Slaying Flash had saved him from death many times.
Unfortunately, Dragon-Slaying Flash was starting to fall behind his pace. Su Xiao held the sword with one hand, leveling it.
The blade gleamed with cold light. This sword had been abandoned once by Dragon-Slaying Swordsman Ryoma due to damage. If not for that damage, Dragon-Slaying Flash would at least be a Blue-grade weapon.
Su Xiao had previously sought ways to repair Dragon-Slaying Flash. With the various miraculous abilities in Reincarnation Paradise, it was possible, but the cost was beyond what he could pay.
The repair materials listed by Reincarnation Paradise were unheard of to him. Three were Blue-grade materials, and several others didn’t even show a color grade, with their quality marked as ???
Even if he somehow obtained those materials, he would still need to find a worker in Reincarnation Paradise with forging skills at "Master" level or above.
Such workers were treated like royalty—every time they entered a derivative world, they were surrounded by a team for protection, lest they be harmed.
It was said those guys could forge Blue-grade equipment—what an absurdly powerful ability.
Of course, this was all intel from Xiluo Luo; Su Xiao hadn’t seen it himself.
"Sigh."
Su Xiao let out a sigh. He was very accustomed to using Dragon-Slaying Flash, almost habitual, but reluctantly, he would have to switch weapons. Dragon-Slaying Flash’s quality was only White—too low, the lowest equipment grade, even if its rating was as high as 10 points.
After maintaining Dragon-Slaying Flash, Su Xiao continued lying on the lounge chair like a corpse. His health had recovered to over 80%, and most of his injuries had healed. The free medicine provided by CCG was quite effective, reaching White quality.
Of course, while the medicine was good, it could only be used for free; to keep it, he would need to spend contribution points.
Since he was injured on duty, he was entitled to free use.
After resting for two days at the temporary branch, Su Xiao’s injuries were no longer serious—at least, they wouldn’t affect combat.
...
In an office, Kishou Arima sat behind a desk.
"That’s how it went. The last exploration yielded great results, and the headquarters commended us."
Su Xiao raised an eyebrow.
"What commendation?"
"Verbal commendation."
Su Xiao clicked his tongue. The CCG headquarters was surprisingly stingy.
"The next exploration is tomorrow morning, still the three of us. Prepare yourself."
Working in District 24 was practically risking one’s life, but Su Xiao didn’t care. He needed to quickly earn CCG contribution points.
"Knock, knock, knock."
A knock came at the door. Kishou Arima said "Come in," and the door opened.
"Excuse me, Special Class Arima. First Class Bai Ye, a phone call for you."
A staff member from the temporary branch walked into the office and respectfully handed the phone to Su Xiao.
Investigators held high status in CCG, far above these ordinary staff.
Su Xiao took the phone.
"This is Bai Ye."
Noise came from the other end of the line, and Su Xiao vaguely heard shouts like "The call’s through."
"Bai Ye? It’s Marude. I’ve got good news for you."
Marude’s tone carried a hint of laughter, as if he was pleased.
"It’s me. What good news?"
"The higher-ups issued a temporary transfer order regarding the operation in District 11. They want you to come and assist temporarily."
On the other end, Marude patted Shinohara’s shoulder.
The two had somehow managed to persuade CCG’s upper management.
"Oh? Is that so? No problem."
Su Xiao agreed readily, because Reincarnation Paradise had issued a mission.
[Faction Mission: Cover Operation.]
Difficulty Level: Lv.4.
Mission Brief: Assist the "Special Countermeasures Squad" in opposing the Aogiri Tree, ensuring victory for your side.
Mission Info: CCG faction mission; will not count toward the clearance evaluation.
Mission Duration: Until the end of the District 11 operation.
Mission Reward: 10,000 faction contribution points.
Failure Penalty: None.
...
This faction mission wasn’t simple, but the reward was generous, and he badly needed CCG contribution points.
After experiencing the exchange function at the District 24 temporary branch, Su Xiao’s contribution points in the ghoul world had become equivalent to Paradise Coins.
He desperately wanted the two items in the District 24 logistics department, and he had a good chance of getting them.
Hanging up the phone, Su Xiao placed it on Kishou Arima’s desk.
"It looks like I’ll be away for a while. Headquarters has temporarily transferred me to the Special Countermeasures Squad."
Kishou Arima nodded.
"No problem. Exploring District 24 can be postponed, but the operation in District 11 can’t."
Kishou Arima didn’t stop him and directly gave the go-ahead.
Half an hour later, Su Xiao got into a vehicle heading to District 20. Although the operation was in District 11, the Special Countermeasures Squad’s assembly point was in District 20. The CCG branch in District 11 had already been captured, making this a necessary move.