"...I'd worked so hard to raise them for so long. I'd almost grown attached."
Deputy Han suddenly seemed reflective as he narrowed his charming, seductive eyes.
"But there's nothing I can do."
"If someone has to rise, someone else has to step down."
"I'm looking forward to seeing what the newcomers can do..."
As if suddenly remembering something, Deputy Han gave Baldy further instructions:
"After midnight the night after tomorrow, come over again. There should be some 'fresh goods' here by then."
"Understood." The bald man replied solemnly.
Deputy Han nodded in satisfaction, then pulled a black notebook from inside his coat.
The leather cover was somewhat worn, clearly having been used for a long time, but it had obviously been carefully kept, without the slightest sign of damage.
He flipped to a point fairly deep into the notebook and continued writing something in line with the previous entries.
The bald man took two steps back, staring straight ahead and not daring to look any further.
"Excellent. Then the deal is considered a perfect fulfillment."
After putting away the notebook, Deputy Han signaled his subordinates to pick up several large Briefcases, then turned his head and said,
"Let's go. If we're any later, the patrol will come by."
"If anyone finds out..."
The corners of his lips curled up slightly as he said with a teasing laugh:
"I'll skin you alive~"
His tone was suggestive, but the content was exceptionally dangerous.
Especially when paired with the large Black Cat Detective Doll sitting on the ground with its belly completely exposed...
The bald men couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines.
Leaving behind Deputy Han's light laughter, both groups departed separately.
Baldy and his honest-looking underlings left first. After looking around, Deputy Han turned and left with his subordinates.
The Resting Mausoleum returned to complete silence.
However...
None of them noticed that,
not far from there,
beneath a silent gravestone,
a pair of eyes watched their departing backs from a dark crevice--
eyes split with rage!
The truth behind the missing corpse seemed to have been revealed.
Was that... Section Chief Liu?
Most likely.
The cold and brutal scene kept assaulting Bai Zhou's nerves.
What were they doing, and what were they trading?
What exactly was the so-called..."human material"?
Rage, confusion, and horror took turns assaulting Bai Zhou's nerves.
Everything he had never imagined had suddenly unfolded before him.
He really wanted to follow them and investigate.
But Deputy Han had been standing there, and merely looking at him a few more times had made Bai Zhou inexplicably break out in chills.
That man was dangerous!
When nothing was known, acting rashly was the height of foolishness.
Courage without understanding was not true courage;
a blind man rushing forward would inevitably fall into the Deep Pit!
His remaining rationality barely suppressed Bai Zhou and kept him lurking in the Deep Pit.
...However, this matter would not end here.
Staring fixedly at the backs of Deputy Han and the others as they left, Bai Zhou's face was as heavy as water in the darkness, and his grip on the Ash Urn tightened further.
Before tonight, Bai Zhou had actually been able to accept Section Chief Liu's death.
From the very first day he joined the organization, Section Chief Liu had constantly emphasized to newcomers like them that the Special Management Department had a high casualty rate.
His teacher, his colleagues, his superior...
And now, it was his turn.
This place had always been filled with danger and opportunity, but it was also full of people with ideals and passion who were always prepared to sacrifice themselves for the Federation and its citizens.
If that was the case, then dying on the path of pursuing one's ideals and becoming an immortal hero...
Though it would grieve the living, there was no need for them to feel regret on the dead's behalf.
Because that meant dying a worthy death.
--That was how it should have been.
But now, a hero, a familiar and kind senior colleague,
had seemingly been turned into that horrifying state.
His daughter was still lying in the hospital.
This was neither normal nor right.
Someone had to pay the price for this.
The day after tomorrow...
Bai Zhou frowned.
The day after tomorrow was when the Blood Worship Cult would invade.
It seemed Deputy Han intended to do something that day.
Perhaps...
he could also make preparations and do something that day.
--But before that, there was one thing Bai Zhou absolutely had to figure out.
Had Deputy Han become a mole, communicating with outsiders, betraying his colleagues for personal gain?
Or was there someone else behind Deputy Han, with him representing the will of the entire organization, or perhaps the organization's upper echelons?
Could it even be that the entire mysterious world of Blue Star was like this—a world where people eating people was commonplace?
This question was extremely important.
If Deputy Han was merely an isolated case, then this would be easy to deal with.
Bai Zhou was not an outsider. He was a Commissioner of the organization, as well as a newly promoted Level P3. He could easily borrow the organization's internal strength.
Once the higher-ups learned the truth, Deputy Han's fate went without saying.
--But if the entire Special Management Department was like this, Bai Zhou would have to reconsider his own situation.
If the entire mysterious world of Blue Star was like this...
he might as well return to Evening City, return to the Reflection Ruins Realm, and dance with that Fatty. At least he would feel safer there.
...Fortunately, it seemed more likely that the former was true.
After all, Deputy Han was still avoiding the patrols and acting furtively.
Actually, there was one point that made no sense no matter how he thought about it--
As an Extraordinary, Section Chief Liu was unquestionably a mid-to-high-level member of the organization. He had also been personally promoted to Level P4 by the Major and practically worshiped the Major, the highest-ranking person at the base.
Given his loyalty to the organization and the Major, and as the section chief of the Inspection Department under the Maintenance Department, if there was a problem with the organization's entire upper echelon, there was no reason for Section Chief Liu not to have heard even the slightest hint.
Why hadn't he been turned into one of them?
There was no reason for him not to be one of the beneficiaries of this "people-eating" system, but instead to be its lowest-level victim.
Even regarding Deputy Han... Section Chief Liu had clearly trusted him. Otherwise, he would not have told Bai Zhou that Deputy Han had "backing."
Since he was willing to trust this "backing," he must have had a reason for that trust.
Even Deputy Han himself should not have ignored the other Commissioners and Extraordinaries in the Special Management Department to kill a capable subordinate.
Would he really strike only at his own people and weaken his own forces?
And do so while risking exposure, taking great pains to kill a dangerous Extraordinary who was capable of resisting and never parted with his Mechanical Briefcase?
That made no sense.
Within the Special Management Department, there were countless people with lower positions, weaker abilities, and who were easier to deal with than Section Chief Liu.
Bai Zhou could not understand it.
Moreover, judging from Section Chief Liu's tone, Bai Zhou's promotion would probably never have happened without his "backing" exerting its influence.
So Deputy Han had helped Bai Zhou obtain his promotion out of consideration for Section Chief Liu, while also treating Section Chief Liu like this.
He had even taken the initiative to find Bai Zhou and encouraged him to work harder and become an Extraordinary as soon as possible.
Was this man schizophrenic?
...Perhaps Deputy Han's existence should be considered separate from the "organization."
Perhaps the reason was simpler than Bai Zhou imagined.
Could Section Chief Liu have accidentally stumbled upon one of Deputy Han's secrets and been forced to silence him?
However, there were far too many possibilities like that.
All of them transformed into dense fog that enveloped Bai Zhou.
"Crack--"
The cement slab in front of the gravestone was pushed open.
A hand reached out.
Bai Zhou crawled out of the grave and stood in the silent Resting Mausoleum.
His body was somewhat hunched.
But he still took a firm step forward.
Standing around imagining things was useless--
No matter how dense the fog, one could see clearly by drawing close.
No matter how swift the river, one could learn its depth by stepping into it.
Bai Zhou had decided to take action.
He knew he had to prepare for the worst and remain one hundred and twenty thousand percent vigilant toward everything around him from now on.
--Two days.
Only two days remained before the Blood Worship Cult arrived.
Bai Zhou knew that if he intended to take action, his best opportunity would certainly be that day.
Before then, he had to uncover the truth hidden behind Deputy Han.
"Let's give it a try."
He said it to himself.
This intense, unsettling sense of crisis made him inexplicably miss Evening City.
Everyone had told him how dangerous and absurd Evening City was.
But...
As he was about to leave the Resting Mausoleum, Bai Zhou looked back.
He looked at the gravestones standing all around him.
The glaring light from the overhead light strips spilled down again, pouring over Section Chief Liu's "grave."
A trace of mockery and confusion appeared in Bai Zhou's eyes.
Was this place, Blue Star, the Special Management Department...really any better?
--Hard to say.
But for now...
he could only pray that the Special Management Department and Deputy Han were two separate matters.
Because going against one person and fighting them to the bitter end was easy.
Going against an entire official organization,
was very cool,
but it also meant dying very quickly.
That kind of pressure was suffocating.
"Even so, do I still have to get to the bottom of it?"
Bai Zhou walked along the deserted road and quietly asked himself.
What if he really uncovered a serious problem?
But the answer came on its own before he could finish thinking.
--Wasn't that obvious?
Although everything was shrouded in fog and Bai Zhou had far too many unanswered questions,
there was only one thing he knew clearly--
Someone was going to die.
At the very least, Deputy Han had to die!
And perhaps there were even more people who deserved to die.
No matter what, he would uncover the truth.
Then he would kill
--everyone who deserved to die!
"Back this late?"
In the dormitory, Ya lay sideways on a floating ribbon, reading.
Hearing Bai Zhou open the door and come in, he did not even look up as he casually asked,
But there was no reply.
"Huh?"
With a hint of confusion, Ya raised his head and saw Bai Zhou's silent, gloomy expression.
It was the first time Ya had seen Bai Zhou this depressed, and moreover...
His eyes looked especially unfamiliar.
Even when he looked at Ya, he was no longer as close as he had been before.
He seemed wary of everything, trusting nothing around him.
Just like when he had first left Evening City.
...Slowly closing and putting away his book, Ya's expression turned serious as he walked slowly to Bai Zhou's side.
The familiar scent of coffee reached Bai Zhou's nose, mixed with the mysterious, faint fragrance of oranges.
"What happened?"
Ya moved closer and spoke softly.
"Can you tell me about it?"
"..."
Bai Zhou pressed his lips together, wanting to speak but stopping himself.
There was one thing he could not do himself.
But Ya could accomplish it with ease.
"Ya."
In the end, he studied Ya seriously for a long while before saying,
"Can I trust you?"
Before you continue