Outside the auction house, numerous ghoul investigators armed with assault rifles were anxiously waiting.
They had never received such a strange order before. Instead of being ordered to eliminate the ghouls, their task was merely to guard the exits.
The sounds of fighting coming from inside the auction house made the investigators uneasy.
Mado Akira was equally anxious, pacing near the back door.
"What on earth is happening inside? First-Class White Night is being reckless. No matter how strong he is, he can't take on so many ghouls alone."
It had already been a full twenty minutes. The constant screams from inside the auction house had fallen into an eerie silence, which made Mado Akira even more uneasy.
Just as her anxiety peaked, Su Xiao's slightly tired voice came through her Bluetooth earpiece.
"Come in. Start clearing the auction house and prepare for a fire."
"A fire?" Akira was puzzled, but she led the investigators to open the back door regardless.
The door opened, and Akira, followed by a large group of investigators, rushed inside.
As soon as they entered the auction house, a heavy stench of blood hit them, causing Akira to wrinkle her delicate eyebrows.
Her pace quickened as she headed for the main hall of the auction house.
"White Night, First-Class…"
The sight that greeted her left her speechless.
Piles of ghoul corpses lay scattered everywhere, heaped together in grotesque heaps. Sitting atop one of these piles was a man with a cigarette in his mouth.
The brutal scene made Akira instinctively take a step back.
She had seen many dead bodies before, but nothing like this. It was a sight one might expect on an ancient battlefield, not here.
As Akira moved closer to Su Xiao, she suddenly slipped, nearly falling.
Looking down, she realized the floor was soaked in blood.
"What are you standing around for? Start cleaning up the bodies."
Su Xiao flicked his cigarette and sheathed his freshly cleaned Dragon Slayer blade.
"Yes." Akira straightened her posture.
The other investigators were just as shocked by the scene but maintained their composure. They pulled out numerous body bags and began clearing the corpses.
Su Xiao stretched his slightly sore body. He had tested his limits today.
If there were over a hundred ghouls, he could still manage. But if there were more than two hundred, he'd be as good as dead.
When the lights went out in the auction house earlier, he had used his night-vision equipment to gain the upper hand, striking fear into the ghouls.
Moreover, the two S-rated ghouls hadn't coordinated their efforts. If they had led the ghouls in an organized attack against him, the situation would have been very different.
While it seemed like a risky endeavor, Su Xiao hadn't acted recklessly. At any moment, he could have called in the investigators waiting outside to rush in.
He was confident he could hold his own, even in the midst of a swarm of ghouls.
Su Xiao knew his strengths—his attack power was incredible, and his combat experience extensive. In one-on-one fights, he could unleash tremendous power.
However, in group battles, his lower stamina meant he couldn't take as much punishment. His ability to sustain prolonged fights was weaker.
No one was perfect, after all. Su Xiao had balanced his attributes well. If he started focusing on stamina, it would slow his overall progress, potentially leaving him behind other contractors.
As a Hunter, he had to be stronger than other contractors of his level, or how else could he hunt his targets?
Sitting in the CCG vehicle, Su Xiao watched the investigators as they cleaned up the bodies.
It would take some time to clear out the auction house, so he decided to take the opportunity to rest and recover his health, which was down to 27%.
He took out a portion of Golden Fried Rice, a restorative food item. When activated, it transformed into a steaming hot dish.
A delicious aroma filled the air, making Su Xiao instinctively swallow. This stuff smelled amazing.
He pulled out some chopsticks and took a bite.
The rice was wrapped in soft egg, with the grains of rice slightly firm, creating an excellent texture. The flavor of the egg and rice was perfectly balanced, thanks to expert cooking.
After one bite, Su Xiao couldn't help but take another.
This Golden Fried Rice was outrageously delicious, the kind of food that could be considered criminally good. No wonder it came from the world of Food Wars.
Su Xiao suddenly had a thought—maybe he should kidnap a chef from the Food Wars world.
He chuckled and shook his head. The effort wouldn't be worth the reward. It was more important to focus on getting stronger. With enough power, he could eat whatever he wanted.
Before he knew it, he had finished every grain of the Golden Fried Rice. Not a single speck remained, and he found himself wanting more.
He washed it down with a bottle of mineral water and leaned back in his seat, content. After a good fight, there was nothing better than a full meal.
A warm sensation spread through his stomach as his health slowly began to recover.
As his health returned, the wounds on his body began to heal rapidly.
"What's that smell? It's so good!"
Juuzou Suzuya suddenly appeared, sniffing the air.
"Suzuya, get in the car. We're heading back to the division."
Although Juuzou was eccentric, he followed orders.
"Were you eating something? Can I have some too?" Juuzou's head popped up between the seats, a wide grin on his face.
"I'll treat you all to a big meal tomorrow."
Since he'd need these people to help him clear out the 14th Ward, building some camaraderie wasn't a bad idea.
Su Xiao had taken down a lot of ghouls, and the CCG had a policy of awarding a hefty bounty for each ghoul eradicated.
It was a dangerous job, and the high salary reflected that.
After dealing with Juuzou, Su Xiao began reflecting on the gains and losses from the battle.
He had earned 372 contribution points, bringing his total to 897 out of the 2000 needed to reach Senior Investigator. He still needed 1103 more points to complete the task.
He had also obtained a green treasure chest. Despite killing over a hundred ghouls, not a single white chest had dropped.
It made him wonder if he was cursed with bad luck—often referred to as the "African curse" implying poor luck in loot drops.
Most of the items he had obtained weren't from treasure chests but from specific circumstances. His Dragon Slayer sword, for instance, hadn't come from a chest, but from seizing it.
The Soul Crystal (Small) had only dropped because the monster he fought had been so much stronger than him.
Even Howl of the Evil Spirit (green), which had come from the ghoul called Yamori, who was crucial to the plot, had only resulted in a green ring with a score of 21.
"Really…" Su Xiao sighed. He was beginning to think he had the potential of someone with extraordinarily bad luck.
Still, he wasn't completely unlucky—just average.
With a wry smile, Su Xiao put those thoughts aside.
By 1 a.m., all the bodies in the auction house had been cleared out. The CCG investigators gathered, and the convoy set off back to the division.
It was an undeniable victory—an enemy completely wiped out with no casualties on their side.
Many investigators had smiles on their faces, looking at Su Xiao with reverence.
As the convoy moved through the deserted streets, illuminated by the dim streetlights, Su Xiao, seated in the front passenger seat, suddenly felt a sense of foreboding. It was as if he were standing on the edge of a deep abyss, his body leaning forward into the void.
Danger was approaching from below!
Without hesitation, Su Xiao yanked open the door and jumped from the vehicle, rolling on the asphalt before coming to a stop.
Another figure jumped out at the same time—Juuzou Suzuya, that sharp-witted white-haired oddball.
"Boom!"
The vehicle Su Xiao had been in exploded, flipping through the air and rolling several times before coming to a halt.
A massive crater appeared in the road. The bomb hadn't been planted under the vehicle but beneath the road itself.
Flames shot into the sky, and a strange burning smell mixed with the stench of gunpowder.
Su Xiao immediately identified the scent—it was the result of Polyisobutylene combustion. Someone had buried C4 plastic explosives on his route.
A contractor was trying to assassinate him, but relying on bombs alone to kill him was far too naive.
Drawing his Dragon Slayer, Su Xiao scanned his surroundings cautiously.
He had rested for over an hour in the car, recovering about 80% of his stamina. After consuming several expensive restorative food items, his health had fully returned.
Su Xiao had anticipated that contractors might try to ambush him, but he hadn't known exactly when.
That's why he hadn't hesitated to eat expensive recovery food—just in case.
Now it seemed his caution had paid off. In his previous state, he would have had little chance of survival.
(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.