Mascot

The ghoul faction's Contractor was forced into an alliance out of necessity, but Su Xiao remained unaware of this.

Though he suspected the third stage of the main mission would involve combat, that was merely a guess based on the preceding tasks.

Early in the morning, Su Xiao arrived at Shinohara Yukinori's office. The man had mentioned the night before that he needed to discuss something today.

"Had breakfast yet?"

Shinohara Yukinori stood up, greeting Su Xiao with an enthusiastic warmth.

Su Xiao was taken aback. Shinohara's attitude seemed a bit too eager.

"Not yet."

"Perfect timing. Let's head to a small shop nearby—it's decent. The branch's breakfast is balanced nutritionally, but the taste..."

Now Su Xiao was certain: the man likely needed a favor.

"My treat." Shinohara Yukinori emphasized.

No doubt about it now—he was asking for something.

Su Xiao nodded and followed Shinohara Yukinori to a small eatery.

The place wasn't large but was bustling, already filled with customers. The aroma of food stirred Su Xiao's stomach, hunger surging.

"Over here."

Shinohara Yukinori found a four-seat table, gestured for Su Xiao to sit across from him, and ordered several breakfast items.

Once the food arrived, Su Xiao didn't touch it. He fixed a meaningful gaze on Shinohara Yukinori.

"Special Class Shinohara, this breakfast is unexpectedly lavish."

Noticing Su Xiao's stillness, Shinohara Yukinori chuckled lightly, signaling him to help himself.

"Let's eat first. She'll be here soon."

Su Xiao said nothing and began eating.

"Byakuya, the ghoul we expelled last night has been sent to headquarters. As an exception, they've promoted you to Second Class Investigator. Here's your new credentials."

Su Xiao set down the half-eaten pastry and took the documents.

Prompt: Hunter promoted to Second Class Investigator. Contribution: 50/400.

Su Xiao's promotion didn't require seniority, but it demanded more ghoul eliminations. A contribution value of 400 would likely mean taking down two to three S-class ghouls—a daunting challenge.

Rising from First Class to Upper Class would be even harder.

Under normal circumstances, Main Mission (2) shouldn't be this difficult.

The main reason was that Su Xiao was the sole member of the CCG faction.

Typically, the CCG side would have over a dozen ordinary Contractors. If they split the contribution, each would only need around 30 points to reach First Class Investigator.

But since Su Xiao was alone in his faction, he had to shoulder the tasks meant for many, resulting in this exorbitant contribution requirement.

Most of Ward 14 was relatively peaceful, making it tough for Su Xiao to hunt ghouls. If he'd been assigned to Wards 1 through 4, the difficulty would plummet.

Those wards had such dense ghoul populations that ordinary humans couldn't survive there.

The ghouls there survived by cannibalizing each other, so Wards 1 to 4 teemed with powerful ghouls.

Normally, S-class was the limit for ghouls. To grow stronger, they had to feed on their own kind, boosting their Rc Cell concentration.

D-class were infant ghouls, C-class could use Kagune but were weak, B-class were ordinary ghouls hiding among humans, A-class were elites within ghoul factions, S-class were rare prodigies, and beyond S-class, only cannibalism sufficed.

A ghoul's strength wasn't honed through training—it came from eating, endlessly devouring their own kind.

Lost in thought, Su Xiao bit into his pastry.

"Sorry I'm late."

As Su Xiao pondered, a slender beauty took the seat beside him.

Her pale blonde hair was tied back, and a black women's suit made her skin appear strikingly fair and delicate. Black stockings accentuated two alluring legs.

"Let me introduce you. This is Mado Akira, your future subordinate."

Shinohara Yukinori looked at Su Xiao with a knowing smile, as if to say how considerate he was, assigning such a beauty to work under him.

"I see. No objections, but..."

Su Xiao raised his head, fixing a sharp gaze on Shinohara Yukinori.

"She might die soon. I'm planning to head into high-density ghoul areas, like West Block."

Hearing no refusal, Shinohara Yukinori smiled—until West Block was mentioned, and his grin vanished.

"West Block? That's the Cannibal Zone of Ward 14. The number of S-class ghouls there is unimaginable. Byakuya, are you sure?"

"Sure."

If it were anyone else, Shinohara Yukinori would never agree. But Su Xiao's strength left him with no argument.

"Akira, it seems I'll need to find you a new superior."

Shinohara Yukinori turned to Mado Akira beside him.

"Special Class Shinohara, I'm fine. As a Ghoul Investigator, I've long been ready for anything—even heading to West Block."

Mado Akira stood straight, her tone resolute, and glanced sideways at Su Xiao.

"Thump, thump~."

Shinohara Yukinori tapped the desk with his index finger, pulled out his phone, and dialed.

The call was to Mado Kureo. After a few brief words, Shinohara hung up.

"That guy Kureo~... Alright, you'll temporarily follow Byakuya. Even though you're both Second Class Investigators, you'll take orders from Byakuya.

Byakuya, when do you plan to head to West Block?"

It seemed Shinohara Yukinori also intended for Su Xiao to go to West Block, where the ghoul cannibalism was severe and urgently needed cleanup.

"Going now. Let's move, mascot."

The "mascot" Su Xiao referred to was Mado Akira. Based on the original material, her combat ability was average.

As for whether Mado Akira lived or died once they reached West Block, that was up to fate.

Hearing the term "mascot," Mado Akira froze, pointing at herself in bewilderment.

Seeing this, Shinohara Yukinori gave a helpless wry smile and gestured for Mado Akira to follow Su Xiao.

A black sedan drove along the road. Mado Akira was at the wheel, while Su Xiao rested with his eyes closed in the passenger seat. They were heading to West Block.

"Second Class Byakuya, do you have any plans for West Block? What do I need to do?"

Mado Akira's expression was grim, her chest held high.

"Arrive at West Block. Chop."

This simple, brutal plan clearly startled Mado Akira. The beauty stomped hard on the accelerator, nearly rear-ending the car ahead—a classic case of a female driver.

"Then... what do I need to do?"

After calming herself, Mado Akira asked a second question.

"You just need to be pretty as a flower."

Su Xiao's calm demeanor made Mado Akira's anger surge.

"Ghouls won't lust after my looks!"

Su Xiao chuckled lightly. "Pretty as a flower" was just a casual remark; he had no intention of having her seduce anyone.

"Don't worry. You have a 'very important' role. Without you, my 'plan' probably wouldn't succeed."

Two seconds ago, Su Xiao had come up with a plan.

Catching Su Xiao's gaze, Mado Akira suddenly felt the urge to turn around and flee.

"Then... could you share your plan?"

Su Xiao's lips curled slightly as he shook his head. Though she was weak in combat, she could serve as bait—at least enough to lure ghouls.

"No. If you knew the details, it might affect the 'plan.'"

Mado Akira's heart grew bitter, and she slammed the accelerator as if venting her frustration.

With Mado Akira's anxiety mounting, the two arrived at West Block—the brutal Cannibal Zone.

Desperate for a child, ah pfft—desperate for votes.