On the east side of the 14th Ward, inside the Dayuan Auction House...
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is an item you absolutely cannot miss..."
As the auctioneer on stage introduced the item, the bidders below began calling out their bids. Since it was daytime, the auction house was mostly full of humans, though a few ghouls had managed to blend in as well.
The atmosphere in the auction house grew more intense. Two stern-looking elderly men had their eyes on the same item and began competing with their wealth.
Su Xiao was also seated in the audience, but his focus was different from the others. The auction house was quite large, capable of hosting several hundred people at once. There were three exits: the main entrance, the back door, and an emergency escape route.
The emergency route was usually locked and only opened in case of a fire or other emergency. However, Su Xiao knew that it could still be sealed off if needed.
Handling three exits with just Akira Mado wouldn't be enough; he would need more people from the division.
Su Xiao stood up, walked through the crowd, and headed to the restroom. He took out his phone.
"Senior Special Class Shinohara, it's White Night."
Shinohara Yukinori was probably on duty, as there was a lot of noise in the background when he answered.
"What's up, First Class White Night?"
Su Xiao was momentarily taken aback by how Shinohara addressed him. He had called him First Class, meaning the headquarters had already promoted him.
"I've found a large gathering of ghouls. I need manpower—a lot of it."
Su Xiao deliberately emphasized "a lot." Clearing the 14th Ward would be difficult with just him and Akira Mado.
It wasn't that Su Xiao lacked combat strength; clearing the 14th Ward required many people to help seal off the exits.
"How many people do you need?"
As a First Class Investigator, Su Xiao now had the authority to call in reinforcements, though he couldn't ask for too many.
"A lot, but they don't need to be strong—just enough to block the exits."
Shinohara Yukinori thought for a moment.
"The 14th Ward division doesn't have many investigators below Third Class, about 80 or so."
"But first, tell me your plan."
Su Xiao explained his plan to Shinohara, who seemed a bit surprised.
"Clearing the 14th Ward? That's not an easy task. The ghouls there aren't numerous, but they're well hidden. Do you have a way?"
"I have a way."
There was a long pause from Shinohara.
"Alright, but if this doesn't go well, it could significantly impact your career."
Su Xiao chuckled. He didn't care about his future career.
"It doesn't matter. I'm taking action tonight."
"I won't be able to get there in time, so I'll send Juuzou over. As for the manpower you need, they'll arrive soon."
Su Xiao was about to hang up when Shinohara stopped him.
"White Night, you've been promoted to First Class Investigator. Your new ID is at the division office. I'll have Juuzou bring it to you."
"Got it."
Su Xiao hung up the phone. Just as he was about to leave the restroom, he noticed a mouse.
This mouse was a bit unusual; its fur was pale yellow. Su Xiao took a closer look and realized it was actually a hamster.
Finding a rodent in a restroom wasn't that surprising, but why was there a hamster here? Could it be a pet one of the bidders brought along? It wasn't impossible.
The pale yellow hamster wasn't afraid of people. It stood up on the edge of the sink, holding something in its little paws.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
In the quiet restroom, only the sound of the hamster chewing could be heard. The little creature's cheeks bulged as it nibbled rapidly, looking quite cute. Its black eyes curiously observed Su Xiao.
For some reason, Su Xiao suddenly had the feeling he was being watched. It didn't feel like this was just a hamster—it felt like he was being observed by a person.
"Squeak!"
The little hamster made a noise and then, holding a tiny piece of carrot in its paws, offered it to Su Xiao.
The message was clear: it wanted him to eat it.
Su Xiao chuckled and walked away. Aside from being too smart, the hamster didn't seem off.
After Su Xiao left, the little hamster finished its carrot in a few bites and patted its belly contentedly. A blue light flashed in its black eyes, and with a few agile leaps, the hamster disappeared from the restroom.
...
In a house 500 meters away from the auction house, a girl in a light green dress suddenly opened her eyes.
"Sister, I've found him."
The girl in green had a pure, innocent look, with long hair cascading down her shoulders. If you were near her, you would smell the fresh scent of nature—not perfume, but the fragrance of plants and earth.
"What did you find? Is he really as strong as Han Yu claimed? That guy is extremely cunning. He pretends to be afraid of us, but he's actually scheming behind our backs. If it weren't for someone else's orders, we would have killed him already."
The person speaking was a tall woman in knight's armor, carrying a massive metal shield as big as a door. Despite her heavy armor, she wielded it effortlessly.
"Han Yu might have been exaggerating. According to Kaka (the hamster), that man has strengthened three attributes simultaneously: Strength 13, Agility 13, and Intelligence 12. His individual attributes are similar to ours, but he's gone for a balanced build."
The girl in green yawned, looking a bit tired. It seemed controlling the hamster from a distance wasn't easy.
The woman in armor frowned.
"Strength and Agility I understand, but what's up with Intelligence? He's a sword-wielding fighter—why would he enhance Intelligence?"
The girl in green lay on the bed, her pale legs swinging lazily in the air.
"Who knows? Weirdos are everywhere these days."
She giggled.
"Should we take him out?"
A husky voice came from a dark corner of the room. In the shadows stood a woman in tight clothes. If she hadn't spoken, no one would have noticed her presence.
The woman in armor, clearly the leader of the trio, thought carefully for a while.
"Of course we'll take him out. It's not normal for him to be the only one in his faction. Killing him will disrupt the balance of this world, which will then produce more World Source. We used immunity scrolls to enter this low-level world, and we don't even have a main mission. If we don't act, we're missing out. This is a rare opportunity."
The other two women nodded.
"When do we move, Your Majesty?"
The girl in green yawned again, still sleepy.
"Just call me Queen, drop the 'Your Majesty.'"
The armored woman glared at her.
"Alright, Your Majesty Queen~."
Now that they were discussing serious matters, the two women grew more serious.
"I'll find a vantage point."
The woman in tight clothes stepped forward, her figure revealing her voluptuous build. Behind her was a massive sniper rifle at least a meter long, slung across her back.
"I'll leave it to you, Black and White." The Queen said.
And so, the three unknown women began preparing to ambush Su Xiao, who was completely unaware. He was busy making preparations to eliminate the ghouls in the auction house.
(End of Chapter)
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Translator's Note :- I am Not that familiar with a lot of the fictional worlds mentioned in the story. So if I make a mistake naming something please correct me by writing a paragraph comment on the mistake. Thank you.