Chapter 56: Turn the Tables
CCG and the ghouls began exchanging fire at mid-range.
The ghouls in the Bronze Tree stronghold clearly had the advantage. Their kagune were shield-shaped, with small holes in the shields that allowed them to shoot while also blocking bullets.
CCG casualties began to mount. Within less than five minutes of fighting, dozens of combat personnel were dead or wounded.
Marude Shirazu, inside the command vehicle, watched this through the display screen, his expression displeased.
"How are we losing the shooting battle?"
His adjutant quickly replied.
"The enemy has kagune shields. They're very troublesome."
Marude snorted coldly, stood up, and walked out of the command vehicle.
"Bang."
Marude kicked open the rear door, ignoring the hail of bullets around him. He snatched a gun from a nearby investigator and fired several precise shots toward the Bronze Tree stronghold.
"Pop, pop-pop..."
With every three bullets Marude fired, a ghoul inside the Bronze Tree stronghold fell dead.
This terrifying marksmanship forced the ghouls to instinctively retreat behind cover, their firepower noticeably weakening.
"Boys, give it to them—"
Just as Marude was about to shout, he heard a familiar roar from nearby.
Marude stiffly turned his head toward the source of the sound.
Yoriko Shiina was riding a brand-new motorcycle, revving the throttle hard.
"Hey, what are you doing to my motorcycle?"
Marude's voice was urgent.
Yoriko Shiina grinned with delight, his eyes squinting in joy.
"Borrowing it."
With that, the little angel Shiina twisted the throttle, and the motorcycle shot forward with a roar.
"Stop!!"
Shiina ignored Marude's wail and rode the motorcycle straight toward the Bronze Tree stronghold.
"Hey, wait, hey hey~."
Marude was already incoherent, his face twisted in anguish. Su Xiao even saw tears glistening in Marude's eyes~.
Su Xiao was puzzled. Why did Marude bring a motorcycle on a mission? For a quick escape in an emergency? Given Marude's personality, it wasn't impossible.
Shiina rode the motorcycle up a steep slope.
"Boom!"
An explosion rang out. Marude's motorcycle was sacrificed. Shiina used the momentum to charge fiercely into the Bronze Tree stronghold. After a burst of gunfire, all the firing points inside the stronghold were cleared.
Debris from the motorcycle scattered everywhere. Su Xiao clearly saw Marude's tears streaming uncontrollably.
"My globally limited-edition motorcycle."
Marude sniffled, wiping the tears from his face.
Though Yoriko Shiina had destroyed his motorcycle, he had also broken through the outer defenses of the Bronze Tree.
"Charge!"
After a hoarse roar, Marude collapsed to his knees, completely drained.
A large group of CCG combat personnel rushed into the Bronze Tree stronghold.
"Marude, I'm heading to the designated position."
Su Xiao walked past Marude.
Marude, who had been kneeling, looked up at Su Xiao.
"The rear is in your hands. Don't let any ghouls escape in the chaos. I've already arranged the bomb disposal unit you mentioned earlier. They're using the main force's cover to search for any possible explosives."
Before the operation, Su Xiao had mentioned to Marude that the Bronze Tree stronghold might be rigged with large amounts of explosives. The ghouls would lure CCG inside, retreat through the back door, and then detonate the bombs.
After hearing Su Xiao's "speculation," Marude didn't hesitate much and requested a bomb disposal unit from headquarters.
As a field commander, Marude took any potential danger seriously, especially such a feasible plan.
In the original story, the Bronze Tree had indeed planted bombs. Su Xiao knew this, and the contractors on the ghoul side could also guess that the bomb plot had been exposed.
With the bomb threat removed, it came down to a straight fight of strength. Victory would depend on each side's abilities.
Su Xiao walked slowly into the Bronze Tree stronghold. He didn't head to the crowded upper floors but instead went to the back door of the stronghold.
He planned to intercept the ghouls retreating from the Bronze Tree here.
The night wind blew, carrying a faint scent of blood. Gunfire and screams echoed throughout the stronghold, but the back door area was eerily quiet.
Su Xiao jumped onto a three-meter-high concrete beam, sat down, and waited silently.
With his current physical condition, three meters was nothing. Saying it was "nothing" might be a bit arrogant, so let's call it "moderately nothing."
For now, not many ghouls would come to the back door. The area was completely silent.
Faint footsteps approached. A ghoul was coming.
"Oh my~, I seem to have run into a troublesome enemy."
A ghoul wearing a pink top and gold-rimmed sunglasses stepped out of the darkness.
The newcomer's appearance was androgynous, with a flamboyant stride, looking like a transvestite.
"Didn't expect an unexpected gain."
Su Xiao jumped down from the beam, rolling his shoulders, and walked toward the newcomer with Dragon-Slaying Flash in hand.
"If I remember correctly, your name is Nico, an SS-rank ghoul, a member of the Clowns."
Hearing Su Xiao's words, the transvestite Nico's expression changed, his relaxed demeanor vanishing.
"You actually know about the Clowns. I didn't want to fight you, but now I have to kill you."
Nico's red eyes appeared, and a kagune, a Ukaku, extended from the end of his spine.
Based on information from the original story, Nico's strength was considerable. Though classified as an SS-rank ghoul by CCG, his actual power was far beyond that.
His regenerative ability was freakish. He had once been stabbed through the abdomen by a lizard but recovered extremely quickly.
Nico kicked off his high heels and sprinted toward Su Xiao.
Su Xiao held Dragon-Slashing Flash horizontally in front of him, his eyes fixed on Nico.
After a few steps, Nico leaped and kicked at Su Xiao's head. Su Xiao dodged sideways, then spun and kicked Nico in the stomach.
Su Xiao didn't draw his blade. He needed to use it to defend against Nico's kagune.
Except for a very few ghouls, most had poor close-combat skills.
When fighting ghouls, the key was to watch out for their kagune, which could have unpredictable abilities.
And indeed, after being kicked back two steps, Nico's kagune coiled and lashed toward Su Xiao's neck.
Gripping Dragon-Slashing Flash with both hands, Su Xiao took a deep breath and swung his blade with full force at Nico's kagune.
"Pfft."
Nico's kagune was severed cleanly, the larger half flying far away.
"Ah~." Nico let out a trembling cry of pain, his face showing an expression close to ecstasy.
"This is really~, so good!"
Instead of looking injured, Nico lunged at Su Xiao, completely unafraid of getting hurt.
Ignoring Nico's bizarre scream, Su Xiao swung Dragon-Slashing Flash twice more at him.
"Pfft, pfft."
One of Nico's arms and most of his shoulder were cut off. But Su Xiao frowned. He didn't feel like he had cut through solid flesh; it felt more like slicing through liquid.
Nico stepped back two paces. His severed kagune had already regenerated. It coiled around, grabbing the floating arm and shoulder.
He reattached the arm and shoulder to the wound. Gurgle~, dark red liquid surged, and Nico's injury healed.
Nico's regenerative ability was no less than that of the freak Noro.
"Again."
Su Xiao lowered his eyelids. Ordinary slashes couldn't harm Nico.
Pale blue arcs of electricity appeared on the surface of Dragon-Slashing Flash. Azure Steel Shadow activated.
Since normal slashes couldn't hurt him, he would burn the energy inside Nico's body and use true damage to defeat the enemy.
PS: (Haven't asked for votes in a few days. Please give some recommendation tickets~.)