"Please take care of me," said Suzuya Shizuo with a smile.
"Huh?"
Marushou Zai held up one hand like a claw, trembling in front of him.
Beside them, Shinohara Yukiki watched this scene, pressing his hand against his forehead, looking like he had a splitting headache.
"Seriously."
Shinohara's gaze swept over and immediately noticed Su Xiao behind Suzuya.
Marushou Zai also noticed Su Xiao, and his previously stiff expression suddenly disappeared.
"Shinohara, the headquarters sent him to us temporarily? That's great!"
It's no wonder Marushou Zai was so happy; Su Xiao had almost single-handedly cleared out District 14, and everyone had seen it.
"Ah Maru, you might be celebrating for nothing. Bai Ye has been transferred to District 24 for 'whack-a-mole,' working with Arima Takeyuki."
Marushou Zai was taken aback.
"Deep in District 24? That cursed place seems unreachable except for Team Zero. Bai Ye has become a member of Team Zero? Isn't there a rule about that?"
"More like a temporary member."
Hearing "temporary member," Marushou Zai's eyes lit up.
"Temporary member, heh, that gives us some leeway. If the Black Reaper is present during the operation in District 11, even if we encounter trouble, we won’t suffer too many casualties."
While speaking, Marushou Zai had already walked toward the door, passing by Suzuya, and warmly approached Su Xiao.
"Bai Ye, we met before. We're having a meeting, and you should join us."
Su Xiao was a bit taken aback by this sudden 'warmth.'
"Uh..."
"Bai Ye, you have to wait for someone, and it will take some time, at least a day."
Su Xiao couldn't delay any longer and sat down in the meeting room.
"Um, Suzuya, you can listen in for now."
Suzuya looked confused at Marushou Zai.
"Listen in?"
"Outside, listen in!"
"Bang." The meeting room door was shut tight.
Marushou Zai was clearly someone who held grudges. He usually looked a bit rough but was indeed a reliable person.
Suzuya, wearing bright red slippers, leaned against the wall by the door as the meeting continued.
"Now, let’s talk about the key points of the operation. The Bronze Tree is clearly organized and disciplined, so I conclude that they have a leader among them. Based on past cases, their leader..."
Marushou Zai began detailing the operation, while Su Xiao yawned and rested his chin on his hand.
"I might issue some harsh commands, but please bear with me, I beg you. The operation is set for a week later. The remaining residents of District 11 need to find a way to relocate. Recently, the number of ghouls in District 14 has dropped significantly, so we’ll move them there. I will handle the media side of things. That's all, meeting dismissed."
"Yes."
Finally, the meeting ended, and Su Xiao had fallen asleep. The past few days of running around had worn him out.
"Bai Ye, let's go."
Shinohara Yukiki woke Su Xiao up.
"Huh? It's over? Marushou Zai sure talks a lot."
Su Xiao yawned and stood up.
"Ah Maru is just worried about the casualties this time. Our job is like this; we can’t afford to be careless."
As Su Xiao and Shinohara walked out, they ran into Marushou Zai by the door.
At that moment, Marushou Zai had a mischievous smile on his face as he approached Suzuya, who was leaning against the wall.
"So, you are Suzuya Shizuo? A pretty skinny little guy."
Suzuya didn’t respond, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Shinohara, who had been chatting with Su Xiao, noticed this scene.
"This is not good; I better go over."
Shinohara hurried over.
Marushou Zai saw that Suzuya was ignoring him but didn’t get angry. Instead, he leaned closer to Suzuya with a creepy grin.
"Have you been eating well? Do you have a little something down there when you talk?"
It was clear that Marushou Zai was looking for trouble because Suzuya had interrupted his meeting earlier.
"Huh?"
Hearing "something down there," Suzuya reacted a bit.
"Forget it, forget it, Ah Maru, Suzuya just got to the branch and must be tired. Let him be; we should go eat."
Shinohara pushed Marushou Zai's shoulder with both hands, and they walked out together.
"What’s wrong? I was just chatting with him."
"Forget it, we’ll talk about it tomorrow. Let’s go."
After saying that, Shinohara turned back and made a pleading gesture to Su Xiao.
Suzuya had just arrived in District 20 and was unfamiliar with the place. Plus, this little white-haired kid had no sense of right and wrong, making it easy for him to get into trouble.
In District 14, only two people could handle Suzuya. One was Shinohara, who was gentle with him. The other was Su Xiao, who would beat him up until he listened if he misbehaved.
...
After Marushou Zai left, Suzuya turned his head to look in the direction Marushou had gone, his large light red eyes deeply remembering Marushou's appearance.
This little white-haired kid also held grudges.
"What are you planning to do for revenge? With your current fighting ability, Marushou could kill you in ten minutes."
Suzuya's gaze returned.
"Bai Ye, I'm hungry."
"Let’s go."
Su Xiao took Suzuya out of the branch, and after looking around nearby, they found a barbecue restaurant.
This barbecue place was luxuriously decorated, and the average cost was clearly not low.
Su Xiao wasn’t short on money; before leaving District 14, he had received a considerable bonus from the branch there.
"Please come in, sir."
The waiter led Su Xiao and Suzuya to a table.
Suzuya ordered an eye-poppingly expensive beef dish and then grinned foolishly at Su Xiao.
Su Xiao ordered a large amount of meat and fish.
Soon, a wire mesh self-grill was brought to their table.
The beef Suzuya ordered was a type called "Wagyu" tenderloin.
"Sizzle, sizzle."
The surface of the beef on the grill started to show fat marbling, and when the animal fat dripped onto the charcoal, it made a sizzling sound.
Su Xiao tried a piece, and it was indeed delicious, the meat tender and the texture delicate, leaving a lasting flavor when paired with a special sauce.
After a satisfying meal, Su Xiao felt a bit bored as he walked down the street. Since entering this new world, he had been busy.
Now that he suddenly had free time, he felt a bit unaccustomed.
The sky was getting dim, and as he walked, Su Xiao spotted a café in the distance.
Upon closer inspection, the café's name was "Stabilization Zone!"
What a coincidence; Su Xiao wasn’t specifically looking for the Stabilization Zone; he was just wandering after his meal.
Since he was already here, he might as well go in and take a look, and he could also get a general idea of the ghoul situation.
Although the Stabilization Zone had strong fighters like the manager, Shikifuku Renji, the Magic Ape, and the Black Doberman, in District 20, Su Xiao wouldn’t take the initiative to attack, and the Stabilization Zone wouldn’t dare to act unless they wanted to leave District 20.
Su Xiao pushed open the café door, and a bell rang cheerfully.
"Welcome."
A sweet, childish voice greeted him.
As Su Xiao entered the café, he saw a little girl with short tea-colored hair and fair skin standing in front of him.
He recognized this little girl; she was Hinakawa Hina, who had just lost her parents recently.
For some reason, when Hina saw Su Xiao, she froze in place, as if she had seen something terrifying.
"No, don’t come closer."
Hina spoke with a quivering voice and plopped down on the floor.
Su Xiao had killed too many ghouls recently, and he was covered in blood energy, while Hina had a natural ability with an incredibly strong sense of perception.
Everyone can rest assured, I’ve been thinking about the ghoul plot for a long time. This is just the beginning; there will definitely be surprises in the future.
(End of Chapter)