The Beginning

Chapters 1-20 belong to the prologue, with the main purpose of laying the groundwork for the plot. Because most of the manga consists of side stories and flashbacks, I cannot manage to leave out every single detail, so if there are any errors, readers please point them out and I will modify them upon seeing them.

Regarding the timeline issue, the setting I have provided is after the attack of the Owl, before Kishou Arima decides to plan for the One-Eyed King, so everyone please do not obsess over the specific time the protagonist is in.

Rize's arranged timeline is during the vacant period after leaving Yakumo Oomori.

Sen Takatsuki's (Yoshimura Eto's) timeline is after becoming a writer and breaking off with her father.

Readers are requested to view this article mostly from the protagonist's perspective, which can slightly reduce some of the mid-term timeline confusion.

"Huiqi, do you have any objections to this verdict?"

The judge's cold voice echoed in the room.

The expressions of the crowd below were all extremely complex, and among them, some people gazed at Huiqi with hateful, hostile, and angry looks.

A few individuals clenched their fists tightly, wishing they could kill the young man on the stage right then and there. Their eyes were filled with rage and hatred, as if this young man was the one who had destroyed everything they had.

"Objection? None, everything can just follow the normal process."

Huiqi's voice was very calm, yet his words thoroughly displayed his attitude.

"Do you really have nothing you want to say?"

The judge's brows furrowed slightly, and his gaze had already swept over Huiqi more times than he could count.

Why is there no objection? As long as he speaks up, the verdict can be avoided.

He subsequently recalled the day before the start of the verdict.

"Huiqi, as long as you utter the two words 'no objection', the death penalty can be avoided."

"Hey, hey? You can't sleep during working hours, you know~"

"Understood."

A lazy voice replied a moment later.

Huiqi rubbed his eyes and sat on the chair to relax his body.

"Sigh, I really can't do anything with you. Even though you've been working for three years, your attitude actually hasn't changed at all..."

The man next to him wearing a white coat was very speechless. The two of them had been partners for three years, and their main job was responsible for cleaning up small Ghouls and rear-guard processing. Without special circumstances, the two of them basically didn't need to participate in extermination battles.

"Can you muster up some drive! Headquarters has dispatched a new job, and this time we're going to the 24th Ward with Associate Special Class Investigator Arima to exterminate Ghouls."

"Huh? Going to the 24th Ward? Are you out of your mind? Does a ghost place like that still need a Third Class Investigator like me?"

Huiqi's expression changed quite a bit. It was said that the 24th Ward was basically an amusement park for Ghouls, and the main battlefield was underground, which was extremely unfavorable for Ghoul Investigators. The most important thing was that a Third Class Ghoul Investigator going over there would probably just be serving as an extra meal for the Ghouls.

"Associate Special Class Investigator Arima is going along too, you know, and there are several Special Class Investigators leading the team."

[Mission released: Participate in the 24th Ward rear-guard work]

[Mission reward: Primary bone enhancement and subsequent developments]

Subsequent missions?! The system definitely has a big score coming! Judging from my own many years of mission experience, this is definitely a bumper-crop level harvest.

He weighed the pros and cons in his mind.

I'll take it!

Thinking of this, Huiqi stood up and nodded.

"I'll participate. What is the time? I'll write my will in advance."

"Seven days... Seven days from now is the mission execution time."

Hearing the reply, Huiqi immediately got up and took out a piece of paper, his black pen swishing to write out a few large characters.

Will

Ten minutes later... Looking at the blank sheet of paper that had remained without a single word written on it for a long time, Huiqi instinctively smiled.

It seems there is nothing to say, as I seemingly have always been alone.

He tossed the pen aside and put on his white work uniform, preparing to welcome the countdown to leaving work.

He walked to a high point on the floor and quietly gazed below, the dim, yellow sunlight shining on his face.

In the distance, a slightly stooped figure approached step by step with an inexplicable smile on his face, only the words he spoke exuding an inexplicable profound meaning.

"Hehe... I heard the Ghouls in the 24th Ward are super perverted, I just don't know if the Owl is there... A Third Class like you is very likely to die, right?"

The voice drew closer and closer until the last sentence had pressed right next to Huiqi's side.

"Me? I don't know, but there's still a probability of surviving. Senior, please take good care of yourself instead, looking like neither human nor ghost."

Huiqi turned his head to look at the person in front of him. The other party's body was slightly stooped, and his eyes were different from normal people's; his right eye was actually rounder. (Not reaching the degree of anime expression, symptoms are in the mid-stage.)

"Is that so, is that so... Then who do you think is more like a ghoul, me or you? Hehehehe."

Accompanied by laughter, Kureo Mado's ferocious face gradually spun out of control. His eyes of unequal sizes began to twitch, and his hands gripped his Quinque case tightly.

Mentioning the three words 'ghoul' seemed to cause emotional fluctuations in the man before him.

"They're all the same. Instead of venting your anger here, you might as well go see if there's a spot for you in the 24th Ward. Chances are you won't even make the cut."

After saying this, he glanced at the watch on his wrist, the hour hand pointing toward the end of the workday.

Such a pathetic man, truly miserable. He can only watch powerlessly as his wife dies, ultimately falling to this state. But I heard his daughter is already studying in the CCG, and she's doing very well, always holding the top spot.

On his way, Huiqi recalled some matters regarding Kureo Mado. These pieces of intelligence were from many years ago, and he had only caught wind of a few rumors...

When the One-Eyed Owl attacked the CCG branch, the reinforcement team dispatched was no match for the Owl at all, suffering heavy casualties in mere moments. As the strongest Ghoul Investigator in the squad, Kureo Mado's wife, Madoi Mado, was left behind to hold the rear.

With his own eyes, Kureo Mado had witnessed Madoi Mado's utterly wretched state of death, her entire body gnawed until it lost its original shape.

The reason might have been that Kureo Mado's wife was the only Associate Special Class Investigator in the team, hence the choice to stay behind and cover them. Yet the matter was almost laughable; in the end, the Owl was actually repelled by the obscure Kishou Arima.

Huiqi's expression carried a hint of strangeness. Information on the first extermination battle of the Owl was scarce, and his own knowledge was also based on rumors.

Still, from this single incident alone, neither party was ordinary. At least from his perspective, Kishou Arima was definitely concealing his true abilities.

Monsters existed in this world. They hid in society, mingling among the crowd, hunting humans in the guise of human beings. These monsters were called Ghouls.

Ghouls did not differ much from humans in appearance, but the most distinctive point was that they possessed their own predatory organs known as Kagune.

Kagune were categorized into Ukaku, Rinkaku, Koukaku, and Bikaku.

Ukaku: The Kakuhou is located near the shoulder. They feature versatile forms with no fixed shape, typically lighter and thinner. They provide a significant bonus to the user's mobility and explosive power, but the drawback is that excessive bursts lead to rapid stamina depletion, making them unsuited for prolonged combat.

Rinkaku: The Kakuhou is located near the kidney. Their forms typically resemble several tentacle-like appendages covered in scales, with moderate weight and hardness. It is a Kagune balanced in both offense and defense.

Koukaku: The Kakuhou is located near the lower edge of the scapula. Most forms are relatively heavy and sharp with substantial weight, capable of providing powerful defense for the user, though excessive heaviness impairs mobility.

Bikaku: The Kakuhou is located near the coccyx and hip area, providing a major boost to lower-limb capabilities. They frequently manifest as tentacle, blade, or stinger forms.

Ghouls were ranked by classification from B-rank, A-rate, S-rank, SS-rank, to SSS-rank. Among them, the Owl was an existence at the SSS level.

The Owl was a codename for a Ghoul. Its entire body was covered by Kagune to form powerful armor, and its combat prowess was extremely formidable. Meanwhile, to become an Owl or a Kakuja, one needed to engage in cannibalism.

They devoured humans to satisfy their appetite and consumed the Kakuhou of fellow Ghouls to raise their Rc Cells concentration. Only in this way could they reach the existence of a Kakuja.

They corresponded to investigators of rank three, rank two, rank one, senior, associate special, and the highest rank-special class investigator.

"Bastard... There's actually no spot for me... I'm going... I'm going!!!"

Huiqi faintly heard someone's roar of fury, every single word practically brimming with anger.

Going to throw your life away?

A thought crossed his mind. He still held a slight evaluation of Kureo Mado; judging from their brief encounter just now, the man's strength was roughly at the rank one level.

Thinking of this, Huiqi subconsciously told the system in his mind to open his personal information.

System, open my personal page.

[Opened]

Host: Huiqi

Bloodline: Human

Strength Evaluation: Senior investigator

Items: A-rate Quinque long blade

A succinct panel appeared within Huiqi's field of vision. He felt quite satisfied looking at his current standard. Although his strength was not yet supreme, it was sufficient to get by on his adaptability alone.

Amidst his musings, Huiqi had already arrived at a coffee shop.

"A cup of coffee."

"Very well, guest, please take a seat over there."

The manager looked at Huiqi with a kind smile, yet his gaze lingered for a few seconds on the Ghoul Investigator's exclusive coat.

During the wait, Huiqi looked at the book in his hand, his eyes scanning page by page. The author of this book was quite interesting; the content seemed to narrate a story about humans and monsters.

"You've got quite the nerve, aren't you afraid of being held accountable?"

Having transmigrated over, Huiqi saw through the true nature of the book at a glance. It was evidently expounding upon the conflicts of present-day society, though the writing style was quite naive.

Seven days passed quickly, and Huiqi arrived early at the CCG headquarters, waiting for arrangements to set out. Meanwhile, his partner Kaede Kawashima seemed somewhat impatient.

Half an hour later...

A blue-haired man walked over from afar, carrying a briefcase. At the very first glance, Huiqi distinctly perceived the man's oppressive aura and the strength of his surrounding presence.

"My name is Kishou Arima. Please follow me."

The man walked up to the two of them and spoke in a gentle voice.

"Mm-mm, please take good care of us! Associate Special Class Investigator Arima."

Associate Special Class Investigator? How is that possible? At the very least, he's at Special Class level. What a monster.

The corners of Huiqi's mouth twitched slightly. The Kishou Arima before him was vastly stronger than Kureo Mado, and this was merely a judgment from a first glance.

"Let's move, Rank Three Huiqi. We're about to set off."

Kaede Kawashima waved a hand at Huiqi, signaling toward Kishou Arima, who was already walking into the distance.

"Got it."