The next morning, under the shade of trees in a park near the 20th Ward's CCG branch, Su Xiao balanced himself on one hand, performing handstand push-ups.
"543, 544, 545..."
Sweat dripped from his face, forming a small puddle on the ground beneath him. Despite the enhancements the Reincarnation Paradise provided for his attributes, Su Xiao had never slacked off in his personal training. Experiencing the sensation of growing stronger every day was something most people would become addicted to.
Imagine feeling stronger each day—how satisfying would that be?
"First Class White Night, someone's looking for you."
A male investigator approached Su Xiao, whom he didn't recognize. Su Xiao exerted strength with his arm, bringing his body upright.
"Who?"
"Special Class Arima!"
Upon hearing the name, the investigator's face filled with admiration.
"Special Class Arima, huh. Got it. Where is he?"
After learning Arima Kishou's location, Su Xiao grabbed his shirt and left the park. He hadn't expected that the person he was waiting for would be Arima Kishou.
Inside the CCG branch's cafeteria, Su Xiao ate his meal heartily. Across from him sat a handsome man with white hair and glasses—Arima Kishou, the strongest CCG investigator.
"So, you're my superior now?"
Finishing his last bite of breakfast, Su Xiao looked up at Arima Kishou.
"Correct. You've been temporarily reassigned to Squad Zero to assist in exploring the 24th Ward."
Arima Kishou's voice was calm, his face impassive, as always. Su Xiao thought for a moment. He had twelve days of free time left. Though the 24th Ward was dangerous, it was also a place filled with opportunities. In the Reincarnation Paradise, becoming stronger quickly meant taking risks. There's no reward without sacrifice—an unbreakable law of the Reincarnation Paradise.
"When do we leave?"
"Now."
Su Xiao gave off an intimidating, murderous aura at first glance, as indicated by his mere 3 points in Charisma. Arima Kishou, on the other hand, was the stoic, expressionless type, so their conversation was brief and to the point. Arima didn't feel the need to test Su Xiao's strength; clearing the 14th Ward had already proven his capabilities.
Su Xiao and Arima Kishou left the 20th Ward's CCG branch and drove toward the 24th Ward. The 24th Ward was located on the outskirts of Tokyo, a rural area. More accurately, the real 24th Ward was underground.
Meanwhile, in the conference room of the 20th Ward branch, Marude Itsuki stood by the window, watching the car drive away, sighing.
"In the end, he's still gone. If only the Black Reaper could join this operation..."
Marude's expression was a bit downcast.
"Marude, it's fine. I might have a solution."
Shinohara Yukinori patted Marude's shoulder, also watching the departing car, lost in thought.
"A solution? Tell me."
Marude looked at Shinohara in surprise.
Shinohara smiled mysteriously and leaned in close, whispering something to Marude.
"Right, exactly! I didn't expect this kind of idea from you, Shinohara."
Shinohara's face turned dark as he looked at Marude, speechless.
In the 24th Ward, a CCG armored vehicle came to a stop in a field of tall grass.
"This is it."
Arima Kishou was the first to exit the vehicle, and Su Xiao followed. In front of them was a massive, ten-meter-wide hole leading underground. The entrance was pitch-black, emitting faint, eerie sounds, almost like ghostly wails. It was the sound of the wind, indicating a vast underground space.
"Yuna, explain the situation in the 24th Ward to First Class White Night."
A young woman stepped out from the driver's seat. She appeared to be a student, around eighteen or nineteen years old, with long black hair and wearing a white sailor uniform. She carried a Quinque case in each hand. After glancing briefly at Su Xiao, she cleared her throat.
It was obvious from her demeanor that she wasn't exactly friendly.
"The 24th Ward is what we call an underground labyrinth. So far, we haven't been able to fully explore it. There are large sections of flesh walls inside..."
Su Xiao was a bit confused. He had heard of these flesh walls before but didn't know the specifics, only bits and pieces of information.
"Yes, flesh walls. They're made of RC cells, similar to the technology used to create Quinques. These walls make the 24th Ward extremely difficult to explore..."
Yuna continued to explain the situation in the 24th Ward in detail. Essentially, their current team for exploring the Ward consisted of three members—Arima Kishou, Su Xiao, and Yuna. The rest of Squad Zero had been reassigned due to Su Xiao's presence. The CCG's official reason was to disperse their forces due to the unstable situation.
Despite Yuna's delicate appearance, she was actually a Associate Special-Class Investigator.
"That's the basic information on the 24th Ward. We're just passing by for now; we'll start our mission in the afternoon."
The three stood in silence, and Su Xiao couldn't help but wonder—were they just going to stand here until the afternoon?
Finally, Yuna broke the silence.
"Are you two really planning to stand here the whole time?"
Without a word, Arima got back into the car. Su Xiao looked at Yuna, and she looked right back. They stared at each other.
"Return to the temporary branch," Yuna said slowly, enunciating each word carefully with a strange tone.
In this brief interaction, Su Xiao realized that his initial judgment of Yuna had been wrong. She wasn't cold; she was a bit eccentric and prone to sudden mood swings.
Five minutes later, the three of them arrived at the temporary branch—a three-story villa. This was where the investigators working on the 24th Ward rested. Currently, it was just the three of them.
As they entered the building, Su Xiao noticed some busy staff members. Apart from these workers, there were no other investigators, making the place feel somewhat deserted.
"Don't bother looking around. Aside from newbies coming here for training, it's just the three of us."
Yuna's previously cold demeanor had given way to a more cheerful one.
"When do we begin exploring the 24th Ward?"
Su Xiao scanned the surroundings. The layout of the building was simple, with only two important departments—the Logistics Division and the Information Investigation Department. The Logistics Division provided supplies, while the Information Investigation Department recorded details about the 24th Ward.
"We'll head out at 1 PM. The cafeteria is inside, and that's your room."
After saying this, Yuna suddenly leaned close to Su Xiao, her delicate face right in front of his. Her nose twitched.
"I can smell blood. I like the scent on you."
Su Xiao's mouth twitched. This woman was like a female version of Juuzou Suzuya, but even more unhinged.
Ignoring the eccentric investigator, Su Xiao walked toward the Logistics Division's counter. He had received a notification from the Reincarnation Paradise earlier.
[Notification: You have entered a special area—24th Ward Temporary Branch.]
[Notification: The 24th Ward Temporary Branch is a hidden area. You can exchange CCG Contribution Points for items in the Logistics Division.]
Su Xiao was curious about what items were available for exchange in the Logistics Division.
"First Class White Night, welcome to the Logistics Division. Our goods are top-notch but not free!"
A scrawny old man wearing small round sunglasses stood behind the counter, grinning wickedly at Su Xiao.
Su Xiao was a bit stunned. Was this really the CCG's Logistics Division? It felt more like he had wandered into a shop.
As the old man spoke, a list of items appeared before Su Xiao. The first item on the list immediately caught his eye, and it was as if a fire ignited in his heart.
That brilliant blue glow—it was his first time seeing it.
At that moment, Su Xiao felt incredibly lucky to have come to the 24th Ward. Absolutely, incredibly lucky.
(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.