After a series of battles, Su Xiao felt a bit tired. He decided to jump onto a concrete beam to rest for a while. Being up high would lower his chances of being spotted and ambushed. Wiping the blood off his hands, he lit a cigarette and sat on the beam, which was about three meters off the ground, holding his long knife.
But not even five minutes passed before hurried footsteps echoed nearby. The ghouls from the Bronze Tree were coming again.
With a sigh, Su Xiao jumped down from the beam.
"This way is blocked."
After saying that, Su Xiao charged toward the frightened ghouls.
...
Below the Bronze Tree base, three people were hiding: the shop manager, Fangcun Gongshan from the stable district, the black Doberman, Irimi Shuan, and the girl, Hina.
"Shuan, what’s the movement from CCG?" the manager asked, wearing the Bronze Tree's attire.
"CCG has split into four teams. Three of them are attack units, and one is for backup. But that backup team... no, it’s not really a team, just one person. That person has blocked the back door. So far, only one member of the Bronze Tree has gotten through, while the others have all been wiped out. Right now, CCG has the advantage."
After hearing Irimi Shuan's answer, the manager fell silent for a moment.
"One person guarding the back door, is that person human?"
Irimi Shuan looked at the manager in surprise.
"Of course, they are human. How could there be a ghoul in CCG?"
The manager forced a smile. There were indeed ghouls in CCG, but there were some things he couldn't say; they were too dangerous.
"If it's a human, then it must be two people. Looks like a 'Grim Reaper' has arrived. I wonder if they are black or white. The white one might be negotiable, but if it’s black, then we can only fight desperately."
The manager stood up, his red eyes showing.
"We have no choice. We need to buy some time for Dongxiang and the others. Shuan, you take Hina and leave first. Inform Dongxiang that if we can’t rescue Kaneki in ten minutes, we should prepare to retreat."
Watching the manager walk away, Irimi Shuan opened her lips, wanting to say something, but she didn't know how to start.
"Sister Shuan, will the manager be in danger?"
Hina looked worried, her small face scrunched up as she watched the manager go.
"He won’t be. The manager is very strong."
Irimi Shuan patted Hina's head, forcing a smile.
In CCG, being called a Grim Reaper basically meant someone who could drive away SSS-class ghouls alone. How could Irimi Shuan not worry about the manager's safety? If it weren't for him, she would still be a crazy 'wild dog,' hunting humans everywhere. The manager had saved her from being a ghoul and redeemed her as a 'human.'
What worried Irimi Shuan even more was that the manager hadn't eaten fresh human flesh in a long time, causing his Rc cell concentration to drop.
"Hina is so scared. It seems like there's a very dangerous person over there."
Hina pointed in a direction, toward where Su Xiao was.
...
At this moment, the main battlefield was in full swing, with CCG's investigators and the Bronze Tree's ghouls fighting fiercely inside the dilapidated building.
In a messy corridor, Ayato Amano was panting heavily, gripping two long-handled knives. In front of him lay two corpses; they were S-class ghouls, the Bottle Brothers.
"Mr. Jinto, you're right. I won’t give up until the last moment. I won't die before avenging you."
As Ayato prepared to rest for a moment and regroup with his team, he suddenly heard a strange sound.
Looking up, Ayato saw a shadow flying past the window, heading straight for the rooftop. The shadow was vaguely human-shaped and exceptionally tall, at least two and a half to three meters high.
"What is that?"
Ayato suddenly had a bad feeling.
...
After a tough battle, CCG's main force finally cleared out most of the Bronze Tree's ghouls. This boosted the morale of the CCG investigators. Under the leadership of special investigators Yukinori Shinohara and Kuroiwa Iwa, the main force rushed to the rooftop.
Based on previous thermal imaging, a large number of ghouls were gathered on the rooftop.
But when Shinohara and his team reached the rooftop, it was completely empty, not even a ghost in sight.
"This is Shinohara. We've reached the rooftop, but it seems like those guys from the Bronze Tree are not here. It feels a bit strange."
Shinohara reported the situation to Maru Tezuka.
A smile appeared on Maru Tezuka's face in the command vehicle. He had received reports about many hidden explosive points discovered in the Bronze Tree base, and now those points had been dismantled.
"It seems those guys from the Bronze Tree were just being clever. If no one is here, then let’s prepare to retreat. This wasn’t a full-scale battle; it was just a bait from their subordinates."
Maru Tezuka explained the situation to Shinohara through his Bluetooth headset.
And indeed, the Bronze Tree had no intention of fighting CCG.
To be precise, the Bronze Tree didn’t have the capital to fight CCG, which was far from being as simple as it seemed.
"Then let’s retreat. We’ve driven away quite a few ghouls, and more importantly, we’ve reclaimed District 11."
As he said this, a smile appeared on Shinohara's face.
"Mr. Shinohara."
Ayato Amano had arrived on the rooftop without anyone noticing.
"Amano, you’re okay."
Shinohara looked at Ayato with concern; they had a good relationship.
"Mr. Shinohara, I think I just saw..."
"Boom!"
Before Ayato could finish his sentence, a loud crash echoed as a massive object landed on the rooftop.
"Huh?"
Shinohara and the others turned their gazes toward the source of the sound.
"What’s going on?"
Maru Tezuka asked from the command vehicle as he saw an 'object' falling onto the rooftop on the display screen.
After Maru's question, there was a long silence.
"Ah Maru, it’s that guy, the One-Eyed Owl."
Shinohara's voice was low.
Through the green screen in front of him, Maru Tezuka also saw the scene on the rooftop.
Maru changed from his usual playful demeanor to a serious one, pressing one hand on his headset, his gaze icy.
"Shinohara, only keep those outstanding talents who are willing to die by your side. Others, even if they waste their lives, won't delay the time. Fight him with the least number of elite personnel and buy me five minutes, understood?"
Maru quickly switched channels to contact Su Xiao.
"Byakuya, are you still at the back door?"
The voice in the headset was very noisy.
"I am, but I'm busy right now."
Su Xiao dodged an incoming ghoul and slashed down, killing its owner.
"Forget about the back door. We need support on the rooftop. The One-Eyed Owl has appeared, and Shinohara and the others are preparing to face him. They might not be his match."
Su Xiao, who was battling a dozen ghouls, paused.
The ghouls looked at Su Xiao in fear, their bodies trembling. Some ghouls with severed limbs lay on the ground, howling.
"Got it. I’ll get to the rooftop as soon as possible."
"Thanks."
After ending the call, Su Xiao bent down to tear off a piece of cloth and wipe his Dragon Slayer.
"Disappear from my sight within ten seconds."
Hearing Su Xiao's words, the dozen or so ghouls scattered like birds and beasts. They had originally had over thirty companions, but now only fourteen remained.
After confirming the direction, Su Xiao began to head for the rooftop.
(End of Chapter)