"What do you want to do?" The male ghoul lowered his head in defeat, though his gaze remained dangerous.
"If I need you, I will come to find you." Su Xiao stepped aside, signaling for the ghoul family to pass through.
The couple was confused and exchanged a glance, not understanding Su Xiao's intentions. They had assumed he would control them in some way, like forcing them to ingest a slow-acting poison.
"Heh... you've been living underground for quite a while, haven't you? The world above is nothing like you remember."
Su Xiao had already seen their faces. If they chose to live above ground, it wouldn't be hard to track them down.
In this day and age, surveillance cameras are everywhere, and with CCG's power, finding someone is a simple task.
Without a word, the couple led their daughter past Su Xiao, keeping close to the wall. The little girl, with her adorable, innocent eyes, gazed up at Su Xiao as if silently accusing him of being a bad person.
Perhaps the couple still thought they were lucky that Su Xiao had let them go so easily.
They weren't lacking in combat strength, nor were they afraid to fight. But with a child to protect, things became more complicated. The "little burden" they carried was someone they would never abandon.
Fighting would mean exposing their daughter to danger. No parent, whether human or ghoul, would willingly put their child in harm's way.
As Su Xiao watched the family retreat, he felt no regret. He wasn't acting out of kindness—his sense of compassion had long since been crushed to dust. Compared to the secrets of the 24th Ward, the ghouls' kagune was worthless.
As for the treasure chests that could drop from killing two SS-rated ghouls, Su Xiao wasn't too hopeful.
He now seriously suspected that the treasure chests he'd earned from killing a black market merchant in the One Piece world were a result of that world's difficulty being far above his current level.
The difficulty of the Tokyo Ghoul world was closer to his own level. It was unlikely he'd encounter such fortune here.
Su Xiao remained stationed at the entrance to the 24th Ward, keeping ghouls from escaping. The sound of roaring and other strange noises echoed from deeper within the Ward, though fortunately, no ghouls had yet approached the entrance.
An hour later, the screech of tires echoed from outside, and a group of investigators rushed into the passageway. Headquarters had moved quickly, showing how seriously they were taking the situation in the 24th Ward.
"Inspector White Night, what's the current status?"
A stern-looking investigator, clean-shaven with small, sharp eyes, entered the tunnel, followed by several other investigators.
Su Xiao recognized the man—it was First Class Investigator Kiyoma Takizawa.
Behind him was a young rookie, also named Takizawa, though this one was Takizawa Seidou, a promising new recruit.
In the Ghoul Investigators Academy, the top-ranking graduates were often assigned to work under more experienced investigators, like First Class or Associate Special Class Inspectors, to gain valuable field experience.
Su Xiao wasn't familiar with the rest of the investigators who followed behind them.
"Nothing significant to report for now. Something major has occurred deep within the 24th Ward, but the exact cause is unknown."
Su Xiao didn't mention what he had learned, such as Arima Kishou already heading into the depths, or the fact that the primitive ghouls had taken over the "Central City" in the Ward, though he didn't know what that "city" actually looked like.
"Inspector White Night, sir, I'm Second Class Investigator Takizawa Seidou."
Takizawa Seidou seemed nervous, speaking with a bit of stiffness.
"Nice to meet you."
Su Xiao responded briefly before refocusing on the situation inside the passage.
Takizawa Seidou gave off the impression of being a "good boy."
But this was only how he presented himself outwardly. Su Xiao had come across some information about him in the forums.
In the early stages of the story, Takizawa Seidou was not particularly strong but showed bravery in the face of danger.
However, during the CCG's operation to suppress the manager, Takizawa was captured by Noro, who severed his arm with his kagune.
He even took to referring to human heads as "pineapples" and treated brains as his favorite "jam."
Even among ghouls, Takizawa was considered one of the most deranged.
Yet despite his ghastly transformation, Takizawa still held feelings for Akira Mado.
To sum it up, Takizawa Seidou oscillated between good and evil. When he was good, he was brave and decisive. But when he was evil, his deeds were beyond terrifying.
Several investigators set up defensive positions at the entrance, with some even attempting to repair the damaged metal door.
However, the damage was too severe for the door to be restored.
Among the dozen or so investigators present, Kiyoma Takizawa was the only one with notable combat ability.
The others didn't seem reliable to Su Xiao at all.
One of the higher-ranking investigators appeared particularly anxious, as if he had a bad history with the 24th Ward.
At that moment, Su Xiao's eyes suddenly sharpened.
"They're coming."
He turned his gaze to the dark, narrow tunnel, now unnervingly quiet.
"What is it, Inspector White Night?"
Takizawa Kiyoma spoke with his usual calm tone, never seeming to rush.
"Prepare for battle. About two hundred ghouls are heading this way."
Su Xiao's intelligence attribute was high—at a solid 12 points.
Intelligence in this context didn't refer to IQ, which is a combination of innate ability and environmental factors. Boosting intelligence wouldn't help if someone was born with a cognitive disability.
The intelligence attribute in Su Xiao's case increased his control over magic skills, as well as the strength of those skills.
It also contributed to his mana pool and, most importantly, heightened his sensory perception of his surroundings.
For mages, the intelligence attribute allowed them to sense and manipulate the elemental energies around them.
However, Su Xiao's path was different. Due to his [Anti-Magic Body] constitution, he couldn't sense elemental forces at all. So, he had developed this ability specifically for sensing nearby enemies.
While mages could also develop similar abilities, the interference from elemental forces meant their perception would never be as sharp as Su Xiao's, even with an equivalent intelligence attribute.
The [Anti-Magic Body] ability acted like a natural filter, ignoring the elemental clutter and heightening his ability to detect life forms instead.
This ability revealed how adaptable the Shadow of Extinction class could be.
Although Su Xiao was only the seventh person to inherit the class, it seemed there was ample room for further development in the future.
As for his unlocked skills, they were likely based on what had been developed by the previous six Shadow of Extinction.
Su Xiao had a hunch that the Azure Steel Shadow ability wasn't even the core skill of the class.
But now wasn't the time to ponder such things. The sound of rapid footsteps was growing louder from within the tunnel.
Thankfully, Su Xiao had about a dozen investigators with him who could provide covering fire.
"Boss, there are investigators ahead. What do we do?"
"Kill them. I'd rather fight investigators than face those 'beasts.'"
A swarm of ghouls surged forward, flooding the tunnel like a tidal wave.
Su Xiao let out a slow breath. He had seen this scene many times since arriving in the Ghoul world, and it no longer fazed him.
Su Xiao was calm, but the investigators beside him were anything but.
Takizawa Seidou stood there holding a tubular quinque shaped like a rifle. It looked pitifully ineffective.
He stared blankly at the oncoming "ghoul army," his body shaking like a leaf in a storm.
"Inspector White Night, I'll cover you! You should retreat with the others!"
Kiyoma Takizawa gripped his long-handled quinque, a massive blade known as "Red Tongue," which was forged from the kagune of Tatara's brother. It was an SS-rated quinque.
Takizawa Kiyoma looked as though he had already resigned himself to dying here, ready to stay behind and buy time for the others to escape.
"Takizawa, that's too dangerous. You can't—"
Despite trembling like a leaf, Takizawa Seidou rushed to stand behind Kiyoma, showing determination despite his fear.
For the other investigators, this mass of ghouls was nothing short of a disaster.
Su Xiao undid the top two buttons of his coat and stepped up beside Takizawa Kiyoma.
"Inspector Takizawa, if you can provide me with some long-range support, I'll be able to deal with these ghouls. Give me half an hour, and I'll finish them."
Takizawa Kiyoma and the others stared at Su Xiao in shock.
(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.