Su Xiao walked into the pitch-black cave entrance. A swift gust of wind, tinged with a faint metallic smell, brushed against his cheek. The tunnel sloped downward, leading deep underground. After traveling some distance, the tunnel narrowed slightly, but it was still at least five meters high and seven to eight meters wide. Su Xiao wondered how long it must have taken the ghouls to dig such a large passage.
Although it was underground, the cave wasn't completely dark. On the ceiling, strange grayish plants clung to the rock, their stems growing thick and twisted. These plants produced unusual flowers that dangled from the ceiling, emitting a faint white glow, providing just enough light to see.
"Drip, drip..."
Water dripped from the ceiling, and both Arima Kishou and Yuna quickly stepped aside.
"Don't touch that liquid—it's the secretion from the 'light flowers.' It's highly toxic," Yuna warned.
Su Xiao nodded in acknowledgment.
"Don't take it lightly. Over fifty investigators have died from the light flower's poison," Yuna added when she noticed Su Xiao didn't seem too concerned.
"Thanks," Su Xiao responded briefly. Though Yuna was a bit eccentric, she was proving to be a useful teammate.
After walking a few hundred meters, they reached a massive metal door.
"We're here," Arima Kishou said, taking out a gold key that hung on a necklace around his neck.
He inserted the key into the lock, and the metal door rumbled open.
"Every time we pass through this damn door, I get the feeling we won't make it back. Who designed this thing anyway? Ugh!" Yuna grumbled under her breath.
The door had been installed by the CCG (Commission of Counter Ghoul) a long time ago to prevent the ghouls from escaping the 24th Ward. There were only two keys—one with Arima Kishou and the other with Washuu Tsuneyoshi, the director of the CCG.
As the door opened, the smell of rot and decay hit them like a wall. Beyond the door, two passageways stretched ahead.
Inside the metal gate, the walls weren't just earth anymore—they were made of a dark red, flesh-like material.
Su Xiao pulled out his Dragon Flash blade and poked at the wall. The texture was tough and elastic, almost like hardened muscle.
"Schlick."
As the blade pierced deeper, the fleshy wall began to constrict around it, trying to trap the blade.
"Which way this time, Arima?" Yuna asked, already familiar with these missions.
"You decide," Arima replied, holding his signature quinques, Narukami and IXA, in each hand.
Yuna flipped a coin into the air.
"Heads. We'll take the right."
Arima nodded in agreement.
Su Xiao watched the scene, a bit puzzled. Wasn't there a set route?
"Confused, huh?" Yuna asked with a teasing smile.
"There's no fixed path?" Su Xiao inquired.
"Nope, not at all," Yuna said with a grin. "These fleshy walls aren't permanent. They shift and change all the time. Sometimes there are two paths, sometimes three, or even five.
"That's why the 24th Ward can never be fully mapped out. The whole place is alive."
Her explanation made Su Xiao frown.
"How do we get out? If this place is constantly shifting, we could get trapped," Su Xiao pointed out.
"Relax. We've got this," Yuna said, pulling out a small compass.
Arima spoke up, "We're exploring for two days. If we find nothing, we'll head back to the temporary base and rest."
After some thought, Arima continued, "White Night, what are your strengths?"
He wanted to assess Su Xiao's skills.
"Close combat, perception, and breaking through enemy defenses," Su Xiao replied.
"Good," Arima said, adjusting his glasses. "I'll take the lead, Yuna will be in the middle, and you'll bring up the rear."
Su Xiao had no objections to this formation, but Yuna pouted.
"I'm not a rookie! Why do I have to stay in the middle? It's so frustrating," she grumbled. She glanced at Su Xiao, gauging his strength, and realizing she wasn't a match for him, reluctantly agreed to stay in the middle.
The trio started their journey deeper into the 24th Ward.
"Rooaarrr!"
A monstrous roar echoed from up ahead.
"Are you kidding me?!" Yuna cursed under her breath and immediately turned to run.
Arima Kishou didn't hesitate either and bolted in the opposite direction.
"Run! Something's coming!" he shouted.
Su Xiao didn't need to be told twice. Seeing the two of them running, he quickly followed, easily keeping pace with Yuna.
"What's coming?" Su Xiao asked as they ran.
"It's a... monster. The 24th Ward is different from the other wards. There's more than just ghouls here," Yuna said between breaths.
The trio quickly retreated to the fork in the tunnel.
While the layout of the 24th Ward changed periodically, the shifts weren't constant—usually, it took seven to eight days for significant changes to occur, with only minor alterations in between.
"The right path is blocked off. Blood-Eye is down that way," Yuna said, still catching her breath. She nervously glanced toward the right tunnel.
Su Xiao frowned. What kind of creature could even make Arima Kishou retreat?
"Arima, Blood-Eye is active. Should we call it off?" Yuna asked, clearly contemplating retreat.
"No need. Blood-Eye has limited movement range. We'll explore the left passage," Arima replied calmly.
Arima took the lead again, and the group entered the left tunnel.
Although they hadn't encountered any ghouls yet, the 24th Ward had already given Su Xiao a rough welcome—with the constant dripping of poisonous liquid and the presence of a creature strong enough to make Arima Kishou run.
For hours, the team ventured deeper into the Ward, encountering no ghouls or threats, which made Su Xiao suspicious. The 24th Ward was known for having many ghouls, so where were they?
"Boom!"
A sudden explosion echoed through the tunnel, shaking the ground and sending dust falling from the ceiling.
"Blood-Eye's rampaging again," Yuna said, her expression grim. She was clearly terrified of the creature.
"It's entering its molting phase. I fought it last week," Arima said, casually dropping that bombshell.
After another hour of walking through the labyrinthine tunnels, Su Xiao started to feel lost. The 24th Ward truly lived up to its reputation as a maze, with the countless forks and intersections they'd passed.
As they approached another turn in the tunnel, Su Xiao suddenly stopped.
"Wait," he said, causing Yuna and Arima to stop and look at him.
"What is it?" Yuna asked, immediately tense.
"There's a strong smell of fresh blood. It's right around the corner," Su Xiao explained.
Yuna, half-skeptical, crept toward the corner and peeked around it.
She nodded at them, confirming Su Xiao's observation.
Arima Kishou shot Su Xiao a glance, intrigued. The two of them quietly approached the turn.
When Su Xiao looked around the corner, he saw two ghouls feasting on a corpse. Judging by the red eyes of the body, it had been a ghoul too.
This was Su Xiao's first encounter with the ghouls of the 24th Ward, and they were very different from the ones aboveground.
It wasn't their appearance, but their attire—these ghouls were wearing grass skirts, and one of them even had a bone necklace.
Su Xiao was momentarily stunned. Had he just stumbled upon... primitive ghouls?
(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.