Mission

[Mission issued: Investigate the disappearances in Ward 7]

[Mission reward: Revealed upon completion]

Huiqi entered the records room and looked at the rows of cabinets, each labeled with a ward number from Ward 1 to Ward 23.

Click, rustle...

He pulled open the cabinet for Ward 7 and read through the files one by one.

A girl had disappeared ten days ago, roughly half an hour after school ended.

An employee named Nozawa Xiaosheng had disappeared five days ago, roughly an hour after work ended.

A student named Aso Nakai had disappeared one day ago, roughly ten minutes after school ended.

The three most recent disappearances Huiqi had reviewed all occurred around the end of school or work. The culprit was undoubtedly a ghoul, but why had Ward 7 still failed to catch them?

Huiqi frowned at the thought. If he went to Ward 7, he would have to investigate its CCG branch first.

Leaving the Ward 17 CCG branch, Huiqi waited for the train to Ward 7.

Ding-dong...

Ding-dong...

"We have arrived at Ward 7 Station. Passengers, please disembark."

The announcement echoed through the carriage, and Huiqi followed the crowd off the train.

"Hey, you're the Ghoul Investigator taking over the Ward 7 mission, right? Come with me."

Huiqi looked toward the voice and saw two Ghoul Investigators standing in the distance.

"Come with you? Where?"

"Back to the Ward 7 branch. We have more detailed records there."

After giving it some thought, Huiqi got into the car with them.

"Those three disappearances are no simple matter. Still, I didn't expect them to send a Rank 2 Investigator."

One of the men in the car spoke in a raspy voice. His ID badge read Mizutani Koma, Rank 3 Investigator.

"What makes them complicated? Tell me."

Huiqi spoke to the two men while leafing through the latest records.

"The ghoul is powerful-S-rate. We haven't dealt with him because he's been threatening us. He's warned us more than once to stop investigating, or he'll attack."

Yoshimori Shin, the Ghoul Investigator driving, sounded somewhat helpless. Ward 7's entire combat force consisted of just two Rank 3 Ghoul Investigators. Apart from clerical staff, they had virtually no other personnel.

The local police had repeatedly expressed their dissatisfaction with the Ward 7 branch's inaction. But the two Rank 3 Investigators were no match for an S-rate ghoul, so they had offered no response to those complaints.

"A ghoul threatening Ghoul Investigators? Is that how things work in Ward 7?"

Huiqi's expression grew steadily colder as he listened to Yoshimori Shin. He had never encountered a case this absurd since becoming a Ghoul Investigator.

"Headquarters won't send more personnel. Their excuse is that Ward 7's threat level isn't high, so other wards take priority for Ghoul Investigator support."

Mizutani Koma pinched the bridge of his nose, his voice equally resentful. A single Rank 1 Investigator could have eliminated an S-rate ghoul, yet headquarters had chosen to ignore the situation.

"I see. Then is that the ghoul you're talking about?"

Huiqi pointed at a figure standing up ahead. Wearing a mask, the ghoul stood brazenly in the middle of the road and even gestured for the car to stop.

"It's... him..."

"We're done for! If we survive this, we need to get to another ward."

Both men looked intensely nervous, as though they had seen something horrifying. The car pulled over to the roadside, and the ghoul strolled toward them.

"Has it really gotten this bad?"

The ghoul actually dared to intercept a Ghoul Investigator convoy in broad daylight, acting utterly unconcerned. He clearly had no regard for Ghoul Investigators whatsoever.

"Hahahahaha... A mere Rank 2 Investigator dared to take this on? You're going to die here today!"

Huiqi got out with his long-bladed Quinque and launched an attack, closing in on the ghoul at tremendous speed.

The two Ghoul Investigators in the car gaped. They had never imagined that a Rank 2 Ghoul Investigator would take the initiative to attack.

The ghoul had a rinkaku kagune, which gave him powerful regeneration. His other abilities were average, with nothing particularly outstanding. In Huiqi's eyes, he would not be difficult to deal with.

The instant Huiqi saw the ghoul's kagune type, he formed a battle plan. The long blade in his hand slipped past the ghoul's defenses like a phantom, aiming for the kakuhou in his back.

Huiqi moved so fast that the ghoul had no time to react in those few short seconds. By the time he realized the danger, Huiqi's blade had already pierced his kakuhou. The strike was precise and lethal.

Squelch...

The ghoul let out a howl of agony and cursed. "My kagune!!! You damned Ghoul Investigator!! I'll eat you!!!"

Amid his howls, the ghoul seemed to realize he was trapped. His desire to survive kept him from giving up, and he tried to fight back instead. But Huiqi's speed plunged him into utter despair. His counterattacks accomplished nothing.

He could only watch helplessly as the blade plunged in and out, leaving more and more bloody holes in his body.

Sensing death closing in, the ghoul realized he had to risk everything against Huiqi. Only an all-out struggle would give him a chance to survive.

The kagune behind him began attacking indiscriminately. His rinkaku swept wildly through the surroundings, gouging trenches wherever it passed.

Huiqi grew more cautious at the sight. Seizing an opening, he drove his long blade deep into the ghoul's body, then immediately pulled it out.

Under the eyes of the two Rank 3 Investigators behind him, Huiqi stabbed the ghoul to death, one thrust at a time. Throughout the ordeal, the rinkaku's distinctive regenerative ability only prolonged the ghoul's torment. His agonized howls and screams shook both men to their core.

[Mission reward: Slight increase in physical strength]

[Mission follow-up: The ghouls' revenge]

After Huiqi killed the ghoul before him, the system's voice sounded in his mind. This time, however, it did not stop after the first announcement. A second followed.

The ghouls' revenge?

Huiqi considered the system's mission. It would never issue a mission for no reason, so this most likely involved the dead ghoul's companions. Before that, however, he had to deal with the matter at hand.

"Hey, take him to headquarters for me. That's another Quinque right there."

Huiqi called out to the two dumbstruck men in the distance. He had not expected Ward 7 to be guarded by two useless Ghoul Investigators. No wonder a ghoul had threatened them into not daring to make a peep.

"Yes, yes, of course. Right away."

The two Rank 3 Ghoul Investigators hurriedly loaded the corpse into the trunk and headed for Ward 1 Headquarters. They moved so quickly it was as though they could not leave Ward 7 soon enough.

Once that was done, the police officers Huiqi had called for assistance arrived. They began cordoning off the area with yellow tape and cleaning up the aftermath of the battle.

"One-Eyed Cat is dead..."

Among the busy officers, however, one hid in a corner and relayed the news over a radio.

"Avenge One-Eyed Cat."

A voice filled with murderous intent came from the other end of the radio.