Seeing the achievement task: "Scavenger", Su Xiao was pleasantly surprised. It was an unexpected reward. Whether it was the 1 attribute point or the 7% World Source, both were quite valuable.
In fact, completing this achievement task brought better rewards than his main mission.
He lit a cigarette as thin trails of smoke rose.
Now that the conditions for Main Mission (2) had been met, he no longer needed to hunt down ghouls.
Though killing ghouls was a cruel task, Su Xiao had his own goals, and to achieve them, he would stop at nothing.
There were still 12 days left before the deadline for Main Mission (2), giving him plenty of time.
"First-Class Investigator White Night, what are we going to do next?"
Mado Akira, who had been accompanying Su Xiao to hunt ghouls for days, was exhausted.
"We're heading back to the branch."
...
The CCG convoy soon returned to the branch. As Su Xiao walked in, he saw Shinohara Yukinori and Juuzou Suzuya approaching.
"First-Class Investigator White Night, is today's mission complete?"
Su Xiao had gained some fame in the 14th Ward's branch, and actually, his name was now known throughout the CCG.
In just eight days, he had nearly eradicated all the ghouls in the 14th Ward, a feat that only "that one" had been able to accomplish before.
His reputation wasn't limited to the CCG; even among the ghouls, his name had spread.
Some ghouls called him White Night, while others referred to him as the Black Grim Reaper due to his black hair and eyes, and his ruthless nature of leaving no survivors.
Almost all ghouls ranked S and above had heard of Su Xiao, and if they hadn't heard of his name, they surely knew of the "Black Grim Reaper of the 14th Ward."
"It's done. The ghouls in the 14th Ward are basically wiped out."
Shinohara Yukinori smiled. This Special-Class Investigator wasn't hungry for glory but rather happy that more space was now safe for humanity.
"On behalf of all humans in the 14th Ward, I thank you, Senior Investigator White Night!"
Su Xiao was a bit surprised. Shinohara Yukinori already knew about his upcoming promotion to Senior Investigator.
"Don't be surprised. Headquarters' messages travel fast. I'm heading to the 20th Ward today to join up with the others. The situation in the 11th Ward is even more critical now. Aogiri Tree has overrun the 11th Ward's branch, and it's become a ghoul territory."
Hearing this, Su Xiao frowned.
The 11th Ward's CCG branch had been overtaken? That happened too fast. He couldn't believe that the Contractors hadn't had an influence in this.
"It seems a direct confrontation with Aogiri Tree isn't far off. Can you share when it will happen?"
Su Xiao wanted to probe for details on the CCG's upcoming battle with Aogiri Tree. It would be useful for his plans.
"I'm not sure yet. We're just being sent to the 20th Ward to form a Special Task Force."
"But White Night, you're coming with me too."
Su Xiao looked at Shinohara Yukinori, puzzled. Was he also going to join the Special Task Force?
"Though you're going to the 20th Ward, you're not joining the Special Task Force. Headquarters has assigned you a more important, and very dangerous task."
Now Su Xiao was intrigued.
"What kind of task?"
"Whack-a-mole!"
Su Xiao was taken aback.
"Whack-a-mole?"
Shinohara Yukinori chuckled at Su Xiao's reaction, as if it were strange that Su Xiao didn't know what "whack-a-mole" meant.
"Have you heard of the 24th Ward?"
Shinohara Yukinori's expression turned serious.
Su Xiao had indeed heard of it. If Wards 1 to 4 were known for being ghoul-infested danger zones, then the 24th Ward was a forbidden zone for humans.
In the CCG, there was a saying: "Even a Associate Special-Class Investigator doesn't qualify to enter the 24th Ward alone."
The 24th Ward wasn't a specific area; rather, it was a series of tunnels that ghouls had dug beneath Tokyo. These tunnels stretched across the entire city in a vast and intricate network, and to this day, the CCG hadn't fully explored them. Most Investigators only dared to venture into the outer edges.
Throughout the entire CCG, there was only one squad that dared to enter the depths of the 24th Ward: the Zero Squad. And the captain of that squad was Arima Kishou, the most powerful Investigator in CCG history, known as the undefeated Reaper.
Now, CCG Headquarters was ordering Su Xiao to go to the 24th Ward and play "whack-a-mole."
The danger of the 24th Ward could be summed up in one phrase:
"A-Rank ghouls are everywhere, S-Rank ghouls are as common as dogs, and only SS-Rank ghouls can survive by 'flexing their muscles,' though even that comes with great risk."
Yes, that was the 24th Ward—the human forbidden zone.
In the 24th Ward, cannibalism was a given. Ghouls there couldn't even get human flesh because there were no humans.
According to the Zero Squad's intelligence, there could be tens of thousands of ghouls, or even more, in the deep parts of the 24th Ward, the underground of Tokyo.
"Interesting. Will it be 'whack-a-mole' in the outskirts or the deeper areas?"
Su Xiao's question surprised Shinohara Yukinori. Most people would be terrified at being sent to the 24th Ward.
"You'll be going to the deeper areas with Arima's squad, of course. Given your strength, it's only fitting."
After getting the general gist of things, Su Xiao said his goodbyes to Shinohara Yukinori, who was off to the 20th Ward.
Su Xiao's transfer order hadn't arrived yet, but he would soon head to the 20th Ward to meet with someone.
Later that afternoon, Su Xiao received his transfer orders from CCG Headquarters and was issued a new ID.
[You have been promoted to Senior Investigator. CCG Contribution Points: 2053/10000.]
Senior Investigator was not the end of the line. Beyond that were Associate Special-Class Investigator and Special Class Investigators.
But Main Mission (2) only required him to reach Senior Investigator status.
Su Xiao opened his mission tab.
[Main Mission (2): Senior Investigator (Completed).]
[Mission Difficulty: LV.3.]
[Mission Description: Quickly rise through the ranks in the CCG to prepare for future missions.]
[Mission Info: Use any means necessary to rise in rank. Killing ghouls, bribery—any method is acceptable.]
[Mission Reward: 1 attribute point, 1500 Paradise Coins.]
[Mission Time Remaining: 12 days, 16 hours.]
...
Su Xiao could complete the mission at any time now. But just as he was about to finish it, a thought struck him.
What would happen to the remaining 12 days and 16 hours if he completed the mission now?
In the Reincarnation Paradise, the longer one stayed in the derived world, the more benefits they could gain.
All the resources Su Xiao needed to grow stronger were obtained in derived worlds. Once he returned to Reincarnation Paradise, he had no way of acquiring resources.
After consulting Reincarnation Paradise, Su Xiao learned that if he completed the main mission now, his remaining time in this world would be cleared.
Su Xiao thought for a while and decided not to finish the mission just yet.
In the CCG faction, he was the only one left. Even if the Contractors in the ghoul faction completed Main Mission (2), it wouldn't affect him.
Based on the current progression of the main missions, it was highly likely that Main Mission (3) would be a confrontation-type task. If Su Xiao didn't complete Main Mission (2), the Contractors on the ghoul side would have no choice but to wait.
He could complete the mission whenever he wanted, which was a significant advantage.
As long as the time limit hadn't been reached, Su Xiao's Main Mission (2) wouldn't fail. In other words, he had 12 more days of free action.
Now that CCG Headquarters was sending him to the 24th Ward to "whack-a-mole" with Arima Kishou, it was undoubtedly an opportunity to reap rewards.
The more ghouls there were, the greater the chance of treasure chests dropping.
Though Su Xiao had notoriously bad luck, he couldn't believe that ghouls would never drop treasure chests.
(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.