Mado Akira's hesitation gave the Ghoul a chance to escape.
The Ghoul had just started running when he heard Su Xiao's threatening words.
The Ghoul hesitated for a moment, then immediately turned and ran, completely ignoring Su Xiao's warning.
Or rather, this was the correct choice. Staying meant death, so why not fight for that sliver of a chance to escape?
The Ghoul had only run a few meters when a long blade came hurtling over with a sharp whistle.
"Pfft."
The long blade pierced the Ghoul's calf and nailed him deep into the asphalt-paved street.
"Ah~"
The Ghoul let out a wail and fell forward, his face kissing the asphalt.
"The correct choice."
Su Xiao rose and slowly walked toward the Ghoul.
The Ghoul's attempt to flee seemed perfectly normal to him. If he were in the same position, he would have made the same choice.
Staying meant death, so why not try to escape?
"You—you want to do what?"
The Ghoul's eyes darted about as he tried to crawl forward, but Dragon Slayer Flash remained firmly embedded in the ground.
Su Xiao gripped Dragon Slayer Flash's hilt and pulled it free. The Ghoul immediately tried to get up and run.
The blade flashed, spraying a large amount of blood across the asphalt road.
With four strikes, Su Xiao severed the Ghoul's four limbs. He did exactly what he had promised.
With a Ghoul's vitality, injuries like these could only be considered severe. They posed no danger to his life.
"What do we do next?"
Mado Akira looked slightly weary. The battle had left her somewhat exhausted. Sweat had soaked through her collar, and her pale-yellow hair clung tightly to her forehead.
"Continue. No matter how many Ghouls come tonight, we'll kill them all."
Mado Akira's heart chilled. There were several hundred Ghouls in West Block, perhaps even more.
"Are we really going to be okay?"
Su Xiao said nothing and began clearing the corpses from the street.
He planned to set bait here. The Ghoul whose limbs he had severed would make excellent bait.
However, Ghouls were not stupid. With so many corpses scattered around, they would only be frightened away.
He piled the corpses in an alley, leaving the blood on the asphalt untreated. The stench of blood could also attract Ghouls.
Su Xiao threw the limbless Ghoul into the center of the street.
There was no need to lure the other Ghouls too close. He only needed them to show themselves.
With Su Xiao's Agility, none of the Ghouls would be able to escape once they appeared.
Although hunting low-level Ghouls had a very low chance of dropping Treasure Chests, it earned him CCG Contribution Points.
That was not all. His talent, Spirit Eater, could also increase his Mana considerably.
Mana was very important to Su Xiao right now. Blue Steel Shadow was a huge drain on it.
Su Xiao stood in the center of the street with Dragon Slayer Flash in hand, while Mado Akira stood to one side.
"Will the Ghouls really come? There was just a battle here."
Su Xiao ignored Mado Akira. Ghouls capable of devouring one another were beasts. The smell of blood would not scare them away; it would only draw them over.
Only two minutes later, the first Ghoul appeared.
It was an elderly Ghoul with a thin, gaunt body.
Upon seeing Su Xiao holding a sharp blade, the elderly Ghoul hesitated briefly and chose to retreat.
Unfortunately, it was already too late to leave. Su Xiao had already charged forward with his blade.
A minute later, Su Xiao returned to his original position, blood staining his cuffs, and waited for the next prey.
On top of a high-rise building in West Block.
The night wind swept past. Under the moonlight, two figures could be seen standing on the rooftop.
"What do we do? If we leave this place alone, all the Ghouls here will be killed."
Ayato Kirishima, wearing a black rabbit mask, spoke as he looked toward Su Xiao in the distance, his eyes filled with apprehension.
Tatara did not speak. He silently watched the scene before him.
This was one of Aogiri Tree's recruitment grounds. Aogiri Tree's officers often came here to invite relatively powerful Ghouls to join them.
The Bottle Brothers, for example, had been noticed by Aogiri Tree here.
"Give it up."
Tatara's words left Ayato Kirishima somewhat unwilling to accept it.
"This place..."
Ayato Kirishima had just begun to speak when he noticed Tatara staring at him.
"Are you going to stop that monster?"
Ayato Kirishima was speechless and turned his head away. He still vividly remembered the blade Su Xiao had swung at him.
"Then... do you want me to go?"
Killing 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 price is too high. Even if we succeed in killing that man, you and I could both die in the battle.
"Let's go. From now on, we'll abandon this place completely. Knowing that monster is in Ward 14 is important information in itself."
Although Aogiri Tree had other recruitment grounds, abandoning this one would still be a considerable loss. They had no other choice.
Tatara and Ayato Kirishima left, and the Ghouls here lost their support.
The sun gradually rose, and a streak of golden morning light appeared.
In the central area of West Block, Su Xiao sat on the street, his face filled with exhaustion.
Across the streets within a radius of half a kilometer, large patches of blood could be seen at regular intervals. The thick stench of blood filled the entire street.
Su Xiao no longer remembered how many Ghouls he had killed that night. By the end, not a single Ghoul could be found anywhere in West Block.
The unusually intense stench of blood had alerted the Ghouls, and a message gradually spread among them in West Block.
Never approach the central area. There was a terrifying human there!
Although Su Xiao's face was covered in blood, he meticulously wiped Dragon Slayer Flash clean before storing it in Storage Space. He cherished his weapon dearly.
Su Xiao activated his imprint and checked what he had gained that night.
First were his Contribution Points. His rank had become: Second-Class Investigator, Contribution Points 390/400.
In one night, Su Xiao had earned 340 Contribution Points. That showed just how many Ghouls he had killed.
Besides the Contribution Points, Su Xiao's talent, Spirit Eater, had devoured 68 points of Mana.
His Mana had now risen to 238 points, greatly increasing the amount of time he could maintain Blue Steel Shadow.
There were also five white Treasure Chests in Storage Space.
He had killed too many Ghouls. Even with the extremely low drop rate, he had still obtained five Treasure Chests.
"Second-Class Byakuya, let's go back. I can't take it anymore."
Mado Akira lay flat on the street, no longer caring about her image as a lady.
"I'm almost at my limit too. Let's return to the branch."
Su Xiao got up and had only taken a few steps when he noticed that Mado Akira was still lying on the ground.
"Um... I'm exhausted."
Mado Akira's tone was somewhat unnatural.
Su Xiao had done most of the Ghoul hunting last night, while Mado Akira had handled the corpses and not taken part in the fighting. Even so, she was already completely exhausted.
Su Xiao walked over to Mado Akira and hoisted her over his shoulder.
"Please, whatever you do, don't take me back to the branch. I look too pathetic like this." Mado Akira closed her eyes, then added, "My home is nearby. It'll only take a few minutes to drive there."
Su Xiao considered it. Mado Akira's suggestion was a good one, and he urgently needed to rest as well.
They drove to the building where Mado Akira lived. Along the way, she recovered some of her strength—at the very least, she could walk on her own.
Mado Akira lived in a studio apartment. It was not large, but it was cozy. After entering her home, Su Xiao stripped off his shirt under her astonished gaze and headed straight for the bathroom.
He was covered in blood. After an entire night, the blood had congealed on his skin, making him extremely uncomfortable.
Just as Su Xiao began rinsing himself with warm water, someone knocked on the bathroom door.
"Second-Class Byakuya, please hurry. I have to wash up as soon as possible. I—I'm a clean freak. Having blood congealed on my skin is practically a nightmare."
Before you continue