"These ghouls look really strange."
Yuna murmured, clearly having never seen ghouls dressed like these primitive beings before.
"Are these kinds of ghouls rare in District 24?"
Su Xiao casually asked.
"They should be quite rare. I've been exploring District 24 for half a year, and this is the first time I've seen ghouls dressed like this."
Yuna looked at the ghouls with curiosity.
"How about you, Arima? You've been exploring District 24 longer; have you seen these kinds of ghouls?"
Arima didn't answer Yuna's question but silently walked out from around the corner.
Su Xiao had a feeling that Arima might know something.
When Su Xiao first met Arima, he had a strange feeling that the other person wasn't human. That powerful physique could only belong to a ghoul.
But that was just Su Xiao's guess. He had seen Arima eat human food and had spent a long time moving alongside him without any odd behavior.
From Arima's actions, it was clear he couldn't be a ghoul.
Arima's body resembled a ghoul's, but his behavior was nothing like one.
While Su Xiao was deep in thought, Arima had already turned the corner, and his Quinque, "Ming Shen," appeared.
"Ming Shen" was an S+ level Quinque with three forms.
The first form was a cannon shape, capable of releasing a large area of electricity.
The second form was a claw shape, which could shoot electric balls from a distance.
The third form was a sword shape, very sturdy and suitable for close combat.
Right now, Arima was using the sword form.
"One for each of us; we need to finish this quickly."
Arima looked at Su Xiao, his meaning clear.
Arima's actions made Su Xiao even more puzzled. Those two ghouls weren't particularly strong; either of them could handle them alone.
Was he trying to test his strength? That seemed unlikely; the strength of those two ghouls didn't meet the testing standard.
Since entering District 24, Su Xiao had felt there were many questions. There must be some secret here, and Arima might know something.
But he wasn't familiar with Arima, who wasn't a warm-hearted person, so he would have to explore on his own.
"Okay."
Su Xiao held his "Dragon Slaying Flash" and stood shoulder to shoulder with Arima.
They positioned themselves behind the two ghouls, who were busy fighting over food and hadn't noticed them.
Arima raised three fingers and began a countdown.
When Arima's last finger came down, both of them dashed toward the two ghouls.
During the charge, Su Xiao noticed that Arima was very fast, almost matching his own speed.
This made Su Xiao even more suspicious of Arima's humanity. His agility was 13 points; could an ordinary human in the world of ghouls really reach that level?
After a quick series of footsteps, Su Xiao and Arima reached their targets from behind.
At this point, the two ghouls finally reacted.
A bright flash of the blade cut through the air, and one ghoul's head flew off, revealing a mouth full of rotten teeth.
Fast, precise, and ruthless, Su Xiao decapitated his target with one strike.
Looking up, he saw a headless corpse fall in front of Arima as well.
Yuna stared blankly at the two of them. She already knew how strong Arima was, but she didn't expect Su Xiao to be this powerful too.
"Damn it, why am I the weakest?"
Yuna's face showed some unwillingness, but there was nothing she could do.
After Su Xiao killed the ghoul in front of him, a notification from the reincarnation paradise appeared.
[You have killed a resident of "Diakman."]
[CCG contribution points increased by 46, "Diakman Tribe" reputation decreased by 92. Now the reputation of the "Diakman Tribe" is below -50, and they will actively attack you.]
After receiving the notification, Su Xiao felt even more confused.
What was this "Diakman Tribe"? In the story he knew, there was no such organization.
"Shh."
Arima sliced open the back of the ghoul's corpse and pulled out a "Kagune."
"This Kagune is very valuable. If you want to gain status, you can turn it in to the information investigation department of District 24."
Arima said, taking out a bottle of clean water to wash the blood off the Kagune before putting it in his backpack.
Su Xiao followed Arima's lead and took out the ghoul's Kagune. Upon touching it, another notification appeared.
[You have obtained a Kagune (Type 1), which can be exchanged for 40 CCG contribution points.]
Whether it was killing the primitive ghouls or retrieving their Kagune, both yielded a lot of CCG contribution points.
The contribution points gained from killing a primitive ghoul were at least ten times that of a ground ghoul.
Su Xiao still didn't understand the reason behind this; one mystery after another kept appearing, making District 24 seem more and more mysterious.
Just as the three were about to move deeper, a pair of red eyes stared hatefully at them from a distance. At the end of the passage, about a hundred meters away, stood a ghoul.
"This is bad."
Arima rarely showed an expression; he seemed worried about something.
The distant ghoul also looked primitive. Upon seeing the bodies of its two companions, it let out two strange cries.
"Oo~, oo~."
The primitive ghoul's cries were short and high-pitched, carrying far.
Arima changed the form of his "Ming Shen" into a ranged one.
"Bang."
A golden electric ball shot out, hitting the ghoul squarely.
After being struck by the electric ball, the ghoul twitched and fell to the ground, a burnt smell filling the air as it turned to charcoal and died.
Arima squinted behind his glasses, looking a bit grim.
"Prepare to face the enemy, Yuna, get behind me."
Arima pressed a button on his briefcase, and another Quinque appeared.
The Quinque "IXA," an S+ level Quinque, could change into multiple forms and was a powerful tool for both offense and defense.
"Where's the enemy?"
Su Xiao's expression turned serious. Although he couldn't sense the enemy, Arima's unusual behavior made him alert.
"Coming soon..."
Before Arima could finish his sentence, Su Xiao felt a slight tremor in the ground.
"Boom~~~."
It felt like thousands of horses were rushing down the side passages, dust falling from the ceiling.
"Oo~, oo~, oo~..."
That strange cry came again.
From both directions, a swarm of ghouls came rushing in, blocking both their paths forward and backward.
These ghouls all looked primitive, wearing grass skirts and bone necklaces as standard attire. Some had simple patterns painted on their faces.
If one looked closely, they would see that the patterns resembled a bloated fish.
A multitude of bare feet stomped on the ground, kicking up dust as the primitive ghouls shouted and charged forward.
"Damn."
Su Xiao cursed quietly. Conservatively estimating, there were at least over three hundred primitive ghouls on both sides, surrounding them completely.
"Even though we haven't fought together before, let's cooperate; otherwise, we will all die."
Su Xiao looked at Arima, who nodded seriously in agreement.
"Let's work together; you take the left side, I'll take the right, and don't let the ghouls surround us."
In battle, it was easy to build a bond, especially in a life-or-death situation like this.
"What... what should I do?"
Yuna asked helplessly, looking worried.
"Support us both at any time."
Su Xiao gripped his "Dragon Slaying Flash," ready to face the enemy.
"Leave it to me."
Though Su Xiao was just a high-ranking investigator, one level below Yuna, there was no time for ranks now; strength was what mattered.
"Chirp, chirp, chirp~."
A leader-like primitive ghoul let out a sharp cry, holding a long tree root and wearing a few bird feathers on its head.
After that strange call, the ghouls bared their teeth and lunged at Su Xiao like wild beasts.
(End of Chapter)