The next morning, in the park of District 20's branch, under the shade of a tree, Su Xiao was supporting himself with one hand, maintaining an upside-down position.
"543, 544, 545..."
Su Xiao was doing one-handed push-ups to build his arm strength. Sweat dripped down his cheeks, forming a small puddle on the ground below him. Even though the Reincarnation Paradise could boost his abilities, Su Xiao never slacked off on his own training. Most people would get addicted to the feeling of becoming stronger. Just imagine, feeling yourself getting stronger every day—what a joyful experience that would be.
"White Night, someone is looking for you."
A male investigator approached Su Xiao, someone he didn't recognize. Su Xiao exerted his arm, bringing his body upright.
"Who?"
"Yuma Takashi!"
Upon mentioning Yuma Takashi, the investigator showed a look of admiration.
"Yuma Takashi? Got it. Where is he?"
After learning Yuma Takashi's location, Su Xiao picked up his jacket and left the park. He didn't expect that the person he was waiting for was actually Yuma Takashi.
In the branch's cafeteria, Su Xiao was eating heartily. Across from him sat a handsome man with white hair and glasses—Yuma Takashi, the strongest investigator in CCG.
"So, you’re my superior now?"
Su Xiao finished his last bite of breakfast and looked up at Yuma Takashi.
"Yes, you have been temporarily assigned to Team Zero, responsible for the investigation in District 24."
Yuma Takashi spoke calmly, his expression as flat as ever. Su Xiao thought for a moment. He had 12 days of free time left; District 24 was dangerous, but it was also a good place. To get stronger quickly, one needed to take risks. There’s no gain without sacrifice; that’s a rule in the Reincarnation Paradise.
"When do we leave?"
"Now."
Su Xiao gave off a strong aura, which was evident from his low charm score of just 3. Yuma Takashi, being expressionless, made their communication straightforward. He didn’t suggest testing Su Xiao's strength, as clearing District 14 already proved his abilities.
Su Xiao followed Yuma Takashi out of the CCG branch in District 20 and drove towards District 24.
District 24 was located on the outskirts of Tokyo, in a remote area. To be precise, District 24 was a desolate land, with the real District 24 lying underground.
In the conference room of the District 20 branch, Maru Tei stood by the window, watching the car drive away, sighing.
"He’s really gone. If only the Black Reaper could join this mission..."
Maru Tei looked a bit down.
"Don’t worry, I might have a way."
Shinohara Yukiki patted Maru Tei's shoulder, gazing at the departing vehicle, lost in thought.
"A way? Tell me."
Maru Tei looked at Shinohara Yukiki in surprise.
Shinohara Yukiki smiled mysteriously and leaned in to whisper something in Maru Tei’s ear.
"Right, I didn’t expect you to come up with such a plan."
Shinohara Yukiki’s face darkened as he looked at Maru Tei in disbelief.
In District 24, a CCG armored vehicle stopped in a patch of overgrown grass.
"This is the spot."
Yuma Takashi got out first, followed by Su Xiao.
In front of Su Xiao was a large hole, about ten meters wide, leading underground. The entrance was pitch black, emitting a faint wailing sound, like the cries of ghosts.
That was the sound of the wind, indicating a vast space below.
"Yuna, introduce the situation in District 24 to White Night."
From the driver's seat, a young woman resembling a student stepped out.
Yuna was about eighteen or nineteen, with long black hair and a white sailor uniform. She had a slight figure and was carrying Quinque boxes in both hands.
Yuna glanced at Su Xiao and cleared her throat.
It was clear she was also a cold person.
"District 24, we call it the underground maze. So far, we haven’t been able to fully explore it."
Su Xiao felt a bit puzzled; he had only heard of the meat walls underground in District 24 but didn’t know much about them.
"Yes, the meat walls. They are made by the Kaku, similar to the technology used for making Quinque. Because of these meat walls, exploring District 24 has become significantly more difficult..."
Yuna began to explain the situation in District 24 in detail.
In short, the current exploration team consisted of three members: Yuma Takashi, Su Xiao, and Yuna. The other members of Team Zero had been reassigned by headquarters due to Su Xiao's arrival. The headquarters stated that they needed to spread their strength across various areas, given the unstable situation.
Although Yuna looked delicate, she was actually a quasi-special investigator.
"That’s all the information about District 24. We just happened to pass by here to give you a brief introduction. We’ll start our mission in the afternoon."
The three stood silently, and Su Xiao wondered if they were really just going to stand there until afternoon.
Finally, Yuna spoke first.
"Are you two just going to stand here?"
Yuma Takashi didn’t reply and went back to the car.
Su Xiao looked at Yuna, who was staring back at him, and they exchanged a silent stare.
"Return to the temporary branch."
Yuna spoke slowly, her tone a bit strange.
Through their brief interaction, Su Xiao realized he had misjudged Yuna. She wasn’t just cold; she was a bit neurotic and unpredictable.
Five minutes later, the three arrived at the temporary branch, which was a three-story villa.
This was a resting place for investigators in District 24. There were very few investigators in District 24, and currently, it was just the three of them.
As they walked into the branch, Su Xiao saw some busy staff members.
Besides these staff members, there were no other investigators, making the temporary branch feel somewhat deserted.
"Don’t look around. Besides the new recruits, it’s just the three of us investigators here."
Yuna changed her cold demeanor and became more enthusiastic.
"What time are we heading to explore District 24?"
Su Xiao observed his surroundings; the layout was simple, with only the logistics department and the information investigation department being important.
The logistics department should provide various supplies, while the information investigation department recorded the situation in District 24.
"We’ll set off at one in the afternoon. The cafeteria is inside, and that’s your accommodation."
After saying that, Yuna suddenly leaned close to Su Xiao, her delicate nose twitching.
"I smell blood. I like the scent on you."
Su Xiao’s lips twitched. This girl was a complete copy of Shizuo, even more neurotic than Shizuo.
Ignoring the neurotic girl, Su Xiao walked towards the logistics department window. He had received a notification from the Reincarnation Paradise earlier.
[Notification: You have entered a special area, the temporary branch of District 24.]
[Notification: The temporary branch of District 24 is a hidden area. In the logistics department of the temporary branch, you can exchange items using CCG contribution points.]
Su Xiao was curious about what items could be exchanged in the logistics department.
"White Night, welcome to the logistics department. Our items are of good quality and low price, but they are definitely not free."
A thin old man wearing small round sunglasses greeted Su Xiao with a sly grin.
Su Xiao was a bit confused. Was this really the logistics department of the CCG branch? It felt more like a store.
As the thin old man spoke, a list of items appeared in front of Su Xiao.
Upon seeing the first item on the list, Su Xiao’s eyes seemed to ignite with flames.
That dazzling blue light was something he had never seen before.
At that moment, Su Xiao felt incredibly fortunate to be in District 24, immensely grateful.
(End of Chapter)