A Small Harvest

Mado Akira's halt gave that ghoul a chance to escape.

The ghoul was about to flee when it heard Su Xiao's threatening words.

It hesitated for a moment, then immediately turned and ran, paying no heed to Su Xiao's warning.

Or rather, that was the right choice—staying meant death, so why not seize that slim chance to escape?

Just as the ghoul ran a few meters, a long blade shot through the air with a whistling sound.

"Thud."

The blade pierced the ghoul's calf, driving deep into the asphalt street.

"Ah~"

The ghoul screamed, collapsing face-first onto the asphalt road.

"The right choice."

Su Xiao stood and walked slowly toward the ghoul.

Its attempt to flee seemed perfectly normal to him—if he were in its place, he'd do the same.

If staying meant death, why not try to escape?

"You, what are you going to do."

The ghoul's eyes darted in panic as it tried to crawl forward, but Dragon Slayer Flash was pinned firmly in the ground, unmoving.

Su Xiao gripped the hilt of Dragon Slayer Flash and pulled it free. The ghoul immediately tried to get up and run.

A blade flashed, and a spray of blood splattered across the asphalt road.

Four slashes—Su Xiao severed the ghoul's limbs, keeping his word.

With a ghoul's vitality, this injury was only serious, not life-threatening.

"What now?"

Mado Akira's face showed signs of fatigue. The earlier battle had worn her out, sweat soaking her clothes and her pale blonde hair clinging to her forehead.

"Keep going. Tonight, we kill as many ghouls as come."

A chill ran through Mado Akira's heart. West Block had hundreds of ghouls, maybe more.

"Are we really okay with this?"

Su Xiao said nothing and began clearing the corpses from the street.

He planned to set a trap here—the ghoul whose limbs he'd severed would make excellent bait.

But ghouls weren't stupid. With so many bodies scattered around, it would only scare them off.

He piled the corpses into an alley but left the blood on the asphalt untouched. The scent of blood would draw ghouls in.

The limbless ghoul was thrown into the center of the street by Su Xiao.

He didn't need to lure the ghouls too close—just showing themselves was enough.

With Su Xiao's agility, once those ghouls appeared, they wouldn't escape.

Hunting low-level ghouls had a low chance of dropping a Treasure Chest, but it earned CCG contribution points.

Not only that, his talent, Spirit Eater, also allowed him to increase his mana.

Mana was crucial to Su Xiao right now, and Blue Steel Shadow was a major mana drain.

Su Xiao stood in the center of the street, Dragon Slayer Flash in hand, with Mado Akira beside him.

"Will ghouls really show up? This place just had a fight."

Su Xiao ignored her. Ghouls that cannibalized each other were beasts—the smell of blood wouldn't scare them off, it would only draw them in.

Just two minutes later, the first ghoul appeared.

It was an elderly ghoul, thin and gaunt.

Seeing Su Xiao with his blade drawn, the old ghoul hesitated for a moment, then chose to retreat.

Too bad—leaving now was no longer an option. Su Xiao had already charged forward, blade in hand.

A minute later, Su Xiao returned to his spot, sleeves stained with blood, waiting for the next prey.

On the rooftop of a tall building in West Block.

The night wind blew, and under the moonlight, two figures stood atop the building.

"What do we do? If we let this go on, the ghouls here will be wiped out."

Ayato Kirishima, wearing a black rabbit mask, spoke, his gaze fixed on Su Xiao in the distance, filled with wariness.

Beside him, Tatara remained silent, watching the scene unfold below.

This was one of Aogiri Tree's "recruitment grounds." Aogiri's executives often came here to recruit stronger ghouls.

The Bottle Brothers, for example, had been scouted here.

"Abandon it."

Tatara's words made Ayato Kirishima feel a twinge of resentment.

"Here..."

Ayato Kirishima had just started speaking when he noticed Tatara staring at him.

"Are you going to stop that monster?"

Ayato Kirishima fell silent, turning his head away. The slash Su Xiao had aimed at him was still fresh in his memory.

"So~, you want me to go?"

Murderous intent surfaced in Tatara's eyes.

"No, I mean we should gather our members and kill this human."

It seemed Ayato Kirishima's hatred for Su Xiao ran deep—after all, Su Xiao had nearly killed him.

Tatara thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"The cost is too high. Even if we could kill this man, you and I might die in the fight.

Let's go. Abandon this place for good. Knowing that this monster is in Ward 14 is valuable intelligence in itself."

Although Aogiri Tree didn't rely solely on this one 'recruitment source,' abandoning it was still a heavy loss—a forced necessity.

Tatara and Ayato Kirishima left, and the ghouls here lost their support.

The sun gradually rose, and a golden morning light appeared.

In the heart of West Block, Su Xiao sat on the street, his face full of exhaustion.

Within a half-kilometer radius, large bloodstains dotted the streets at short intervals, and a thick smell of blood filled the area.

Su Xiao had lost count of how many ghouls he'd killed that night. By the end, he couldn't find a single ghoul left in all of West Block.

The unusually dense scent of blood had alerted the ghouls, and word spread among them:

Don't go near the central area—there's a terrifying human there!

Though Su Xiao's face was covered in blood, he meticulously wiped Dragon Slayer Flash clean and stored it in Storage Space. He treasured his weapon.

Su Xiao activated his mark to check the night's gains.

First, his contribution points: Second-Class Investigator, Contribution 390/400.

In one night, Su Xiao had earned 340 contribution points—a clear measure of how many ghouls he'd killed.

Beyond contribution points, his innate ability, Spirit Eater, had devoured 68 mana points.

His mana was now 238 points, greatly extending the duration he could maintain Blue Steel Shadow.

In Storage Space, five white Treasure Chests sat waiting.

He'd killed so many ghouls that even with a low drop rate, he'd still harvested five chests.

"Byakuya, Second-Class, let's head back. I can't go on."

Mado Akira lay flat on the street, no longer caring about ladylike decorum.

"I'm nearing my limit too. Back to the branch office."

Su Xiao stood and took a few steps, only to find Mado Akira still lying on the ground.

"Um~, I'm out of strength."

Mado Akira's tone was a bit awkward.

The night had mostly been Su Xiao hunting ghouls, while Mado Akira handled corpse disposal—she wasn't in combat. Even so, she was completely drained.

Su Xiao walked over to Mado Akira and hoisted her onto his shoulder.

"Please, don't take me back to the branch office. I look too embarrassing like this," Mado Akira said, eyes closed, then added, "My place is nearby. A few minutes' drive."

Su Xiao considered it. Mado Akira's suggestion wasn't bad—he urgently needed rest too.

He drove to the building where Mado Akira lived. Along the way, she recovered some strength, enough to walk on her own.

Mado Akira lived in a small single-person apartment—compact but cozy. Once inside, Su Xiao stripped off his shirt under her stunned gaze and headed straight for the bathroom.

He was covered in blood. A whole night had let it cake onto his skin, and it was unbearable.

Just as Su Xiao was rinsing himself with warm water, a knock came at the bathroom door.

"Byakuya, Second-Class, please hurry. I need to—immediately, right now—take a shower. I~, I have a cleanliness obsession. Blood caked on my skin is a nightmare."