It was noon, and the sun shone brightly in the backyard of the temporary branch in Zone 24, in front of a sparkling swimming pool. A gentle breeze rustled the trees beside the pool, and birds chirped on the branches.
Su Xiao leaned back on a lounge chair, with a glass of orange juice and some fancy snacks beside him.
"White Night, why aren't you coming down?"
Yuna, wearing a bikini, was swimming happily in the pool.
"My wounds can't get wet."
Su Xiao's upper body was wrapped in bandages, and he was comfortably half-lying down.
The three of them had returned to the Zone 24 branch a day ago. Although time in the derived world was precious, Su Xiao had been seriously injured this time and needed to rest to recover his strength.
"Tch, boring guy."
Seeing that Su Xiao wouldn’t join her for a swim, Yuna turned her attention to Arima Takashi, who was sitting by the pool.
Arima Takashi wore a brand-new pair of glasses, sitting cross-legged by the pool, also wrapped in bandages. He held a book titled "The Egg of the Black Goat."
This book was written by Takatsuki Izumi. Without her identity as a ghoul, Takatsuki Izumi would definitely be considered a talented writer, as every book she wrote was a bestseller.
In the original story, Takatsuki Izumi, as a novelist, even managed to interview CCG's special investigators, showing just how famous she was.
The content of "The Egg of the Black Goat" tells the story of a female serial killer who gives birth to a son. The child appears normal in his early years, but as he grows up, he inexplicably develops a desire to kill, struggling between the life of a normal person and that of a killer.
Su Xiao only skimmed through some parts and guessed that it was likely Takatsuki Izumi sharing her own experiences.
Arima Takashi was deeply engrossed in his book, occasionally nodding as if he agreed with the content.
The three of them were in a relaxed state, completely different from their fierce appearances in Zone 24.
Arima Takashi, in his thirties, looked like a scholar while reading.
Yuna appeared innocent and carefree in the pool, showing no signs of the ruthless killer she became when wielding a scythe against ghouls.
Su Xiao, on the other hand, seemed completely lazy, lying motionless. However, the occasional glint in his eyes sent chills down people's spines.
With nothing else to do, Su Xiao took out his Dragon Slayer and some tools for maintaining his weapon, starting to care for it.
His movements were skilled. Although he could find someone to repair it in the Reincarnation Paradise, he cherished his weapon too much.
His weapon was his most reliable tool, and the Dragon Slayer had saved his life many times.
Unfortunately, the Dragon Slayer was starting to fall behind his pace. Su Xiao held the sword in one hand, raising it parallel to the ground.
The blade gleamed coldly. This sword had been discarded once by the Dragon Slayer Hero, Ryoma, due to damage. If it hadn’t been damaged, the Dragon Slayer would at least be a blue-grade weapon.
Su Xiao had previously thought about finding a way to repair the Dragon Slayer. With the various miraculous abilities in the Reincarnation Paradise, it was indeed possible, but the cost was something he couldn't afford.
The hints from the Reincarnation Paradise mentioned repair materials he had never heard of, including three blue-grade materials and several others that didn’t even show a color, marked simply as ???.
Even if he miraculously obtained those materials, he would still need to find a craftsman with "Master-level" forging skills in the Reincarnation Paradise.
Such craftsmen were treated like royalty. Every time they entered a derived world, they were surrounded by a protective team, afraid of even the slightest injury.
It was said that those craftsmen could forge blue-grade equipment, which was an incredible ability.
Of course, all this information came from Xi Luo Luo, and Su Xiao had never seen it himself.
"Ah~."
Su Xiao sighed. He was very comfortable using the Dragon Slayer, almost accustomed to it, but reluctantly, he had to switch to another weapon. The Dragon Slayer's quality was just white, the lowest level of equipment quality, even though it had a high rating of 10 points.
After taking care of the Dragon Slayer, Su Xiao continued to lie on the lounge chair. His health had recovered to over 80%, and most of his injuries had healed. The free medicine provided by CCG worked very well, reaching white-grade quality.
Of course, while the medicine was good, it was only available for free. To keep it, he would need to spend contribution points.
Since he was injured on duty, he had the privilege of using it for free.
After resting for two days at the temporary branch, Su Xiao's injuries were mostly healed, and he could fight without any issues.
...
In an office, Arima Takashi sat behind the desk.
"That's how it is. The last exploration was very successful, and the headquarters praised us."
Su Xiao raised an eyebrow.
"What kind of praise?"
"A verbal commendation."
Su Xiao pouted; the CCG headquarters was surprisingly stingy.
"The next exploration is tomorrow morning, still the three of us. Get ready."
Working in Zone 24 was like playing with fire, but Su Xiao didn’t care; he needed to quickly earn CCG contribution points.
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock on the door came, and after Arima Takashi said "come in," the door opened.
"Excuse me, Arima, White Night, there's a call for you."
A staff member from the temporary branch entered the office and respectfully handed the phone to Su Xiao.
Investigators held a high status in CCG, far beyond that of ordinary staff.
Su Xiao answered the call.
"This is White Night."
On the other end, there was a lot of noise, and Su Xiao could vaguely hear someone shouting, "The call is connected."
"Is this White Night? I’m Maru Tei, and I have good news for you."
Maru Tei sounded happy, as if he was in a good mood.
"Yes, what good news?"
"The higher-ups have issued a temporary order regarding operations in Zone 11. They want you to assist temporarily."
On the other end, Maru Tei patted Shinohara Yukiki on the shoulder.
The two of them didn’t know what method they used, but they managed to persuade the higher-ups of CCG.
"Oh? Is that so? No problem."
Su Xiao readily agreed because the Reincarnation Paradise had given him a mission.
[Camp Mission: Cover Operation.]
Difficulty Level: Lv.4.
Mission Brief: Assist the "Special Countermeasure Team" against the Bronze Tree to ensure victory for our side.
Mission Information: CCG camp mission, which will not count towards the clearance evaluation.
Mission Deadline: Until the operation in Zone 11 is over.
Mission Reward: 10,000 camp contribution points.
Failure Penalty: None.
...
This camp mission wasn't simple, but the rewards were generous, and he really needed the CCG contribution points.
With the exchange function at the temporary branch in Zone 24, Su Xiao's contribution points in the ghoul world were now equivalent to paradise coins.
He was very eager to get those two items from the logistics department in Zone 24, and he had a good chance of obtaining them.
After hanging up the phone, Su Xiao placed it on Arima Takashi's desk.
"It looks like I need to step out for a while. The headquarters has temporarily assigned me to the Special Countermeasure Team."
Arima Takashi nodded.
"No problem. The exploration of Zone 24 can be postponed, but the operation in Zone 11 cannot be delayed."
Arima Takashi did not stop him and directly allowed him to go.
Half an hour later, Su Xiao boarded a vehicle heading to Zone 20. Although he was going to operate in Zone 11, the meeting point for the Special Countermeasure Team was in Zone 20, as the CCG branch in Zone 11 had already been breached, leaving him no choice.
(End of Chapter)