After resting for a few hours in the secret room, Su Xiao opened his eyes.
"We should go out."
The secret room wasn't a place to stay for long; it was only suitable for a quick rest. The environment was too poor and could lead to infections in his wounds.
Yuna was sitting nearby, her head resting on Su Xiao's shoulder, softly snoring.
Su Xiao nudged her shoulder, and Yuna jolted awake, jumping up.
"What’s wrong? Is there a ghoul?"
Yuna’s reaction was normal. In District 24, if you let your guard down, it could mean death.
"The ghouls have already left."
Su Xiao got up and approached the gap in the meat wall, slipping through sideways.
Yuna hesitated for a moment, battling her claustrophobia, but finally gritted her teeth and followed him through the gap.
Once they were back in the underground passage of District 24, it was eerily quiet.
Su Xiao had faced many dangers when he first entered District 24. This was probably the most dangerous experience since he entered the world of ghouls. Clearing out ghouls in District 14 was nothing compared to this.
Using his hand-drawn map, Su Xiao figured out the direction and continued moving toward the surface.
He noted every passage he passed through and left marks along the way.
After two hours of navigating the complex tunnels, Su Xiao stopped.
"Why did you stop?"
"I’ve been here before."
Looking down at the twelve marks he made with his knife, Su Xiao drew an arrow on his map.
He realized he was heading in the wrong direction, deeper into District 24 instead of toward the surface.
Getting lost was common without a clear direction.
Su Xiao wasn’t discouraged. As long as he kept trying, using his map and the marks he made, he would soon find his way out of District 24.
Suddenly, a loud thud echoed from the side, coming from behind a meat wall. Someone was fighting.
"It's Arima. That’s the sound of 'Mikagami' discharging electricity."
Yuna cheered; if there was fighting, it meant Arima was still alive.
Su Xiao remained silent, focusing on locating the source of the sound. Meeting up with Arima would be great; he was a comrade now. If it weren't for him holding back the ghouls, Su Xiao could have died in District 24.
"This way."
Su Xiao quickened his pace, shifting from a brisk walk to a run.
As he navigated the maze-like passages, his speed increased. He had a rough idea of the nearby routes.
The sounds of battle grew closer, and after turning a corner, he spotted Arima in the distance.
At that moment, Arima didn’t look like a hero. He was shirtless, his white hair stained with blood, and his glasses were missing.
"Why? Why won’t you talk to us? Do you think communicating with us is a disgrace?"
An elderly ghoul with white hair looked at Arima, heartbroken.
"Don’t waste your breath. He’s no longer one of us..."
Another old ghoul was about to speak when Arima raised his 'Mikagami'.
"Bang, bang."
Two electric balls shot out. The two elderly ghouls weren’t weak; they dodged skillfully.
Arima’s left hand, 'IXA', surged with energy.
"Thud, thud."
Part of 'IXA' had already transformed and burrowed underground. Now it burst through the ground, skewering the two ghouls.
"Why... why did you..."
One elderly ghoul looked at Arima with unwillingness, wanting to say more, but his life force was fading fast, and he could no longer speak.
Arima's lips moved silently, as if he was saying something.
From Su Xiao’s angle, he could see Arima’s profile, and surprisingly, he looked a bit sad. Was he mourning the death of those two ghouls?
Su Xiao frowned. The two deceased elderly ghouls seemed to hold some respect for Arima?
Yes, it was respect, as if Arima had once been their leader.
The strongest investigator of CCG was the leader of the ghouls? That sounded absurd.
"Arima."
Yuna called out tentatively, sensing something was off.
Arima turned to look at Su Xiao and Yuna, his right eye shut tight.
"You’re here. This exploration ends here."
The atmosphere felt strange. Su Xiao didn’t say anything. CCG was full of mysteries, and there was no way Arima didn’t have secrets.
His priority was to earn a lot of CCG contribution points, then exchange them for [Human Gene Enhancement Liquid] and [Crushing Spirit] at the temporary branch in District 24.
Both together required 28,000 CCG contribution points, but he only had a small amount.
Now wasn’t the time for suspicion; danger lurked everywhere in District 24. From Arima's actions, it didn’t seem like he was turning against them.
At least since entering District 24, Arima had been killing ghouls and hadn’t shown any signs of betrayal.
Unless Arima planned to defect from CCG, he wouldn’t oppose Su Xiao.
"Arima, what happened with those two ghouls?"
Yuna, being her straightforward self, asked the question directly.
"They were my friends from long ago. They disguised themselves as humans. I was young then and didn’t realize. That was many years ago. I never expected to meet them today, as ghouls and investigators."
A bitter smile appeared on Arima’s lips, blood dripping from his chin.
"I see. I had friends like that too. They were my classmates, and I killed them myself."
Ghouls mixed among humans, and it wasn’t uncommon for investigators and ghouls to become friends.
Investigators were just a profession; they usually blended in as ordinary people, while ghouls hid their true nature, trying to integrate into human society.
Even in the original story, it was common for investigators and ghouls to mistakenly become friends.
Yuna believed Arima's words; after all, they had been working together for half a year, sharing life and death. That bond wouldn’t be easily broken by this incident.
But could it really be that simple? Su Xiao didn’t fully trust it. He wouldn’t jump to conclusions either. Everyone had their secrets, and those who spent their days digging into others' secrets often ended up isolated.
Holding the hand-drawn map, Su Xiao led the way, with Arima and Yuna following behind.
Without a compass, his map was incredibly valuable.
He recorded every passage they took, and the map became more detailed. A long red arrow marked the way to the surface.
"I hear footsteps."
Su Xiao stopped, looking toward the dim passage ahead.
"Run! It’s the White Reaper!"
About a dozen ghouls appeared and, upon seeing Arima, turned and fled.
The three of them stood still. They were all at their limits and wanted to avoid fighting as much as possible.
Arima’s reputation was well-earned. In District 24, most ghouls would flee upon seeing him, avoiding confrontation.
This situation undoubtedly sped up their progress. An hour later, Su Xiao saw the metal door they had passed through earlier.
Arima opened the metal door, and after the three of them exited, he slammed it shut and locked it.
This was to prevent the ghouls of District 24 from escaping to the surface, but whether it would be effective was uncertain.
They walked through the straight passage, and a blinding light appeared ahead.
It was sunlight. Su Xiao had been underground for too long and was a bit unaccustomed to the brightness.
Squinting, he stepped out of the passage and back into the surface world.
Although he hadn’t spent long in District 24, it felt like he had been away for ages.
Taking a deep breath, the air above ground was fresh, lacking the faint, fishy smell of District 24.
(End of Chapter)