Battle

The blond young man's question immediately drew everyone's attention. After all, the person answering was a CCG Ghoul Investigator, whose words represented the official stance to some extent.

The café fell unnaturally quiet as everyone waited for Rank 2 Investigator Huiqi's answer. Even the manager and the two café employees lightened their movements to keep the noise down.

"Shh... that's not a very friendly question. I can't answer it."

Huiqi took a sip of coffee, an inscrutable smile on his face.

"Mm-hmm. Thank you for your answer, Ghoul Investigator."

The young man did not press further. Realizing he had asked something he shouldn't have, he rose from beside Huiqi and returned to his own seat.

The café returned to normal, with everyone chatting about their lives, hobbies, work, pleasures, and all sorts of other things.

Huiqi looked glumly at the empty coffee cup in his hand. He had only taken a few sips, yet somehow he had finished it.

Since I've finished, I should leave. It's getting late.

Glancing outside, Huiqi thought of his little house. It wasn't large, but it was the only home he had.

Gurgle...

His empty cup was filled again.

"Have another cup. Let me apologize on that young man's behalf."

At the sight of the full cup, the corners of Huiqi's mouth lifted slightly.

"An apology? Then I'll accept it. The coffee here really is good. It reminds me of my old life."

Before crossing over, Huiqi had earned a particular nickname. Those in the underworld called him the Thug. He handled unsavory matters, and occasionally even the government would turn to him when it couldn't afford to get its own hands dirty...

Before Huiqi could finish reminiscing, the manager lowered his voice and asked him a question.

"Ghouls are all evil, aren't they? They threaten humanity's survival and society's stability..."

"Heh. Who knows?"

Huiqi's smile turned strange as he gave the old man before him a meaningful look.

"I hope you enjoy your coffee."

After finishing his second cup, Huiqi got up and left Anteiku.

"Dee-dee-dee, da-da. Dee-dee-dee, da-da."

He hummed tunelessly as he walked home.

Rustle, rustle, rustle.

Tap, tap, tap.

A jumble of sounds suddenly reached his ears, none of them natural.

Are ghouls following me? What an interesting café.

Gripping his briefcase in his right hand, Huiqi headed toward a dark alley. His expression remained unchanged, as cheerful as ever.

"Is this Ghoul Investigator an idiot? How can he still be smiling?"

A burly man emerged from a dark corner and pointed at Huiqi as he walked along.

"Who knows? But he should pay for what he said!"

"Eat him! He doesn't even know his place, yet he dares say something like that."

The three burly men revealed their kagune: two koukaku and one kakuja. Their kagune complemented one another well, though they probably couldn't unleash their full potential in such a narrow alley.

Bang!

"Stop!"

Hearing voices ring out both ahead of him and behind him, Huiqi stopped and looked back with feigned terror.

"Hey, hey! What are you doing? Attacking a Ghoul Investigator will get you put on the wanted list!"

"Hahahaha! Wanted? Let's kill you first!"

"Who in Ward 20 would dare put us on a wanted list?! Do you think the Monkey Demon Organization is just for show?"

"I've already eaten plenty of Ghoul Investigators like you..."

The three ghouls wearing Monkey Demon Masks unleashed their kagune and attacked Huiqi. The koukaku attached to their arms swung with tremendous force, stirring gusts of wind.

"Demon Ape?"

Huiqi picked up an unusual piece of information from their conversation. At the same time, he pressed the button, and his briefcase transformed into a Tang Dao in an instant.

"Not bad taste."

After giving his new Quinque a couple of casual swings, Huiqi could clearly feel how much better it was than his previous one. Its form was longer and slimmer, its weight lighter, and its edge far sharper.

"Die!"

A ghoul's voice suddenly rang out right in front of Huiqi, close enough that he seemed poised to tackle him in the next second. Yet Huiqi's eyes remained utterly calm. With only a slight shift sideways, he successfully evaded the ghoul's first attack.

Long blade in hand, Huiqi slipped through the dark alley like a phantom. In an instant, he appeared before the second ghoul, the one with the kakuja. Before his opponent could react, his blade thrust out like lightning, aimed squarely at the kakuja ghoul's throat.

The kakuja ghoul let out a low roar and tried to evade the fatal strike, but he was too slow. The blade tore open his throat, sending blood gushing out. Yet the ghoul did not die immediately, continuing to struggle and attempt a counterattack.

Huiqi's gaze was now utterly cold, with none of his earlier amusement. His blade swung relentlessly, severing the kakuja ghoul's kakuja into several pieces.

Each swing scattered a spray of blood across the surrounding ground. Then he turned his blade on the ghoul's body, carving enormous wounds into it amid flashes of steel.

Blood poured from the ghoul's chest and pooled across the ground. In their very first exchange, Huiqi had already incapacitated one ghoul. Then he drove the tip of his blade deep into the kakuja ghoul's heart. With one final scream, the ghoul fell still.

"Morita!!!"

Agonized cries erupted behind him. The other two koukaku ghouls were overcome with grief and fury, their scarlet kakugan brimming with hatred. Their surging emotions even caused their kagune to swell.

But Huiqi had already dealt with the most troublesome opponent, the one with the kakuja. Handling the remaining two koukaku ghouls would be all too easy.

Koukaku ghouls generally had strong defenses but moved slowly. With enough agility, even students at the CCG Academy could wear them down and kill them.

The moment he saw the three ghouls, Huiqi had already formed his battle plan. He had evaded the first koukaku's attack solely to get close to the kakuja ghoul and kill him.

Otherwise, that opponent would have kept harassing him in the cramped space, making the fight harder.

"You two can die as well. Just in time to give me some nice new Quinques."

Quinques were made from ghouls' kagune, and their strength depended on the power of the ghouls they came from.

"I'll eat you!!!"

Before the two ghouls could make their move, Huiqi attacked. He darted through the dim light, swinging his blade diagonally. The instant its edge met the koukaku, a dull impact rang out. The koukaku ghoul's defenses were easily breached, and Huiqi's blade cut straight into his body.

Without giving the koukaku ghoul time to scream, Huiqi exerted more force through his arm, slicing the ghoul in two as easily as cutting tofu.

The remaining half of the body sprayed blood, staining the ground crimson.

Splat, splat.

Walking through the sticky pool of blood, Huiqi attacked the last koukaku ghoul.

Huiqi's reflection showed in the blood as his blade hacked at the ghoul. Unable to fight back, his opponent could only curl up in a corner and defend himself.

Yet all of it merely prolonged his death. Huiqi had plenty of ways to deal with this turtle-like defense, driving the tip of his blade frantically into its gaps.

Squish... squish... squelch... rip...

"Aaaaaaah!!!!"

Heart-rending screams echoed through the alley, ringing out onto the street until passing pedestrians stopped and peered inside.