"How can there be Ghouls using Quinques as if they were umbrellas?!" shouted an old man as his saliva splattered across the entire report table.
"According to the report from yesterday, July 30th, during the surprise raid to eliminate the Ghoul group known as the 12 Monkeys, an unidentified group established direct communication, and that's when everyone decided to act. According to suspicions, both parties were about to discuss complete control of District 14, and for that reason, we wanted to initiate the incision as soon as possible!"
"That doesn't answer my damn question!" An elderly man pounded the table forcefully; his eyes were filled with fury as he asked again, "How do Ghouls have in their possession the best technology of Ghoul investigators?"
"They stole them."
"What did you say?"
"The Ghouls stole the briefcases of Ghoul investigators. They took care of defeating the investigators before they could use their Quinques, and when they woke up, all they saw was that their briefcases were stolen." The Ghoul investigator in charge of District 14 had faced several attacks on the investigators in the district he oversees.
"Are you saying that a well-prepared group of Ghouls is stealing Quinques without us being able to do anything, and now we have armed Ghouls who can stand up to Special Class investigators?" asked the elder in charge of CCG management.
"That's basically what's happening."
"Don't the briefcases have trackers?"
"The previous generation doesn't have trackers, so it's impossible to find the ones that were stolen at the moment. But that doesn't matter; Ghouls are monkeys who can do nothing more than eat." A bespectacled man scorned Ghouls coldly, paying little attention to this problem.
"Mr. Tanaka, if we don't take Ghouls seriously, we would be defeated miserably. We don't know what's happening in District 14, but the situation overnight is similar to District 20, where questionable peace currently reigns."
"Are you afraid of Ghouls? You lead the District 14 branch, so you must do your job and find out what's happening. We must investigate thoroughly; it seems that what is happening in the district you manage is significant."
"Do you think I'm not doing it?!"
"Enough!" At that moment, a thunderous voice was heard in the report room, so everyone fell silent.
"For now, focus on following small traces. The Ghouls in District 20 must be thoroughly investigated because that would give us clues about what is recently happening in District 14."
"Yes, sir!"
...
Noah, who had followed the organization's instructions as promised, received the title of the 13th Pillar with an SS-class rating above average within the Three-Eyed Crow organization.
In a short amount of time, four new pillars had risen to the skies within the organization, making it one of the strongest organizations in the nearby districts. Therefore, Viper, who was the most reliable and understood Kenzo's intentions in District 14 the best, stayed behind to handle things.
"Boss, why did you agree to follow the Master Crow so easily?" asked a former subordinate of Noah, the Ghoul with the title of Old Monkey.
"I felt like I was in front of a real man who is willing to lead us to something better..." Noah simply responded as he observed the physical training of humans who would be hired for the expanding bodyguard company in District 14.
"Don't you think they might be suspicious of you because of that?"
"They won't be. I'm an SS-class Ghoul, and they'll need extremely strong Ghouls to dominate all the districts. I'm not a smart person, but as someone who has lived in the worst places touched by man, I can tell when to put my life in someone else's hands and when not to. At that moment, when the Master Crow said he was willing to give his life for his goal, I felt it for real."
Noah's words caused the Ghouls present to raise their eyebrows in surprise. A Ghoul looked at Noah as if he was sharing his feelings and asked, "Are you willing to give your life for that goal?"
Noah hadn't seen that question coming at all. Now that he was asked, he thought, "How far am I willing to go with this? I originally came here just to see if the words the Master Crow told me are true, but I think I ended up more involved than I expected."
Uniting all the districts is something that has never been achieved, but if, by some remote chance, it were to be achieved, how strong would they be? They would, for the first time, be heard as a united and communicative species. If that happens, he was sure that, like the Master Crow, he would be willing to go anywhere.
He had seen how the Master Crow had stopped the CCG's Reaper, a Ghoul investigator whom the most powerful Ghouls had never before escaped from. And in return, Kenzo had emerged unscathed from that confrontation, considering it lasted only a few minutes.
If Kenzo is as strong and determined as he claims to be, Noah was sure that the world as he knew it would change radically. If that's the case, he wanted to be by that man's side even if he had to follow his shadow. He didn't want to stand on the sidelines; he wasn't that kind of Ghoul.
"I would be willing to do anything if I'm sure we will win. I would hide and not show my head if I know we are going to lose." In the end, Noah responded in the way he usually would. He didn't want to admit too quickly that he would go anywhere just for the cause that the Three-Eyed Crow organization is pursuing.
Admitting that this dream plan has a chance is to believe in something that has never happened. He couldn't give that kind of image, or else he would actually present a kind of strange image to the others who still secretly watch him.
Admit it, if there's one thing he had learned in this place, it's how organized and integrated all the Ghouls present were in society. The things that had developed here were promising for all Ghouls; here is the future of humanity.
After a few seconds of consideration, Noah asked, "Have you heard it, right? The crows will meet with Aogiri Tree, those terrorists who are in constant struggle with the CCG. Among you, which organization has more future?"
"Between this place and the more turbulent districts, it would be obvious to say here," the Ghoul next to Noah replied immediately, a smile forming on his face.
"It's true, we've never had secure food for months without worrying about how to get it. Isn't that the best part?" At that moment, a voice interrupted their conversation.
"Kuren, I thought you were killed," said Noah, who knew a bit about the Ghoul in front of him.
"I guess I'm stronger than usual and, better yet, smart enough to survive." Kuren boasted of having been chosen by Kenzo to become an SS-class Ghoul with the help of many resources in this place.
"The next place to take would be District 19, do you think it will be easy?" Noah asked with a certain doubt in his voice.
"Weren't you indirectly related to those people?"
"Not directly, as you say, but the chain of command is so random that it's hard to think about it."