On the rooftop, the one-eyed owl, who is the store manager, was facing off against Shinohara Yukiki and others. The manager's goal was not to fight but to buy time. "It seems you've made quite a name for yourself. Maybe a few years ago, I should have taken your dominant hand, just like I did with your superior, Special Investigator Shinohara."
The manager was in his Heka form, his body covered in armor made of Heka particles, with sharp spikes on his back. That was Feather Heka, which had long-range attack capabilities. In this state, he had both strong attack and defense, along with impressive recovery abilities.
"Apan."
Shinohara Yukiki called out the nickname of the person beside him, Black Rock.
Black Rock nodded. The two had partnered for several years and understood each other's thoughts well.
"Leave Hirako behind."
Shinohara began to arrange the personnel to fight the manager.
"Understood."
Hirako was an average-looking guy, but his strength was unquestionable. Although he was a first-class investigator, his power was comparable to that of a quasi-special investigator.
"The rest of you go eliminate the other members of the Bronze Tree."
Though he said that, Shinohara was subtly trying to send the others away. These people didn't even qualify to die; they would only hinder the fight.
"Yamamoto, you go too."
Shinohara glanced at Yamamoto Kotaro. In Shinohara's eyes, Yamamoto was a good talent, but he was a bit too inexperienced.
Unexpectedly, Yamamoto stood still.
"Yamamoto."
Shinohara's tone became more serious.
"I want to fight with you all."
"This is an order from the officer; just do as you're told!"
Shinohara’s tone turned stern.
"I want to stay too; please let me fight with everyone."
Yamamoto Kotaro, the hot-blooded young man, clearly wasn't afraid of death and even sounded a bit pleading.
"You are an 'excellent talent that would be a headache if you died'; hurry up and leave!"
Shinohara meant that he was a liability and should get out of there.
Yamamoto, the stubborn young man, clearly didn't understand and stood his ground.
"I..."
"Don't hold us back during the fight."
With the crisis at hand, Shinohara didn't have time to deal with Yamamoto.
"Hirako, I'm really sorry."
Shinohara spoke with regret, knowing that leaving Hirako behind could mean death in this battle.
"I know my own strength; this is what I should do."
Shinohara nodded and exchanged glances with Black Rock. They both pressed a switch at the back of their necks.
"Click, click, click."
New armor attached to them, forming a dark blue-black suit that shimmered with a faint blue light in the night.
"Go!"
Shinohara shouted angrily and charged toward the manager with Black Rock.
...
On a distant rooftop, a group of contractors was watching the scene through their binoculars.
"How's it going? Is the main quest almost done?"
The old man with white hair, Han Yu, put down his binoculars and smiled as he stood in front of everyone.
"Lord Han Yu, our main quest is complete."
"Good. Xi Luoluo, how many more people do you need?"
Han Yu looked at Xi Luoluo.
"Two people, can we...?"
Han Yu raised his hand to interrupt Xi Luoluo.
"We'll talk about it later. Right now, CCG has the upper hand. We’ve already gained a lot from this battle; it's time to withdraw. One must not be 'greedy.'"
Xi Luoluo looked reluctant but ultimately didn't dare to say anything. She was a worker, and her combat ability was lacking.
Han Yu and the other contractors left the rooftop one by one, but one contractor stayed behind—Fire Explosion, who was allied with Han Yu.
Fire Explosion sat on the edge of the rooftop, holding a timer that showed 144 hours and 3 minutes, which was six days.
The timer was counting down, and it was a diamond-shaped metal block that looked very precise, giving off a sci-fi vibe.
"Six days? The preparation time for the interference launcher is too long."
Fire Explosion looked at the manager in the distance and sneered.
Once the time was up and the interference was successful, his strength would greatly increase.
"Whether my path is a dead end or leads to the throne depends on this experiment."
Fire Explosion tightened his grip on the staff in his hand, and a sense of ambition rose in his eyes.
Fire Explosion was a cunning person; he acted impulsively in front of Han Yu, but it was all a facade.
He brushed his fiery red hair with one hand and chuckled softly for some reason.
"I really hope to meet that freak from the CCG camp after the interference succeeds. I heard you faced off against Takatsuki Izumi head-on."
Fire Explosion let out a hearty laugh, his fighting spirit rising.
Although he was a fire mage, his body under the mage robe was anything but weak; it was full of strength.
...
In the lower levels of the Bronze Tree base, Su Xiao was hurrying to the top floor.
It had to be said that the Bronze Tree base was well chosen. The internal structure was complex, and reaching the rooftop required switching staircases multiple times. As for elevators, they were old and broken, and no one dared to use them; whether they even had power was a question.
"Thud, thud, thud..."
Su Xiao ran up the iron staircase, holding a sharp blade.
"Bang."
A loud crash came from above; someone was fighting, but Su Xiao didn't stop.
When he reached the scene of the fight, he saw that Naru was battling Shikata Renji, Bei, and Tsukiyama Yuki.
To be precise, Naru was standing there taking hits, showing no intention of fighting back.
Shikata Renji quickly ran in front of Naru and kicked him hard, sending his upper body flying.
Naru's body seemed to turn liquid, and after being kicked in half, the upper part flew a distance before quickly returning to his main body.
Three seconds later, Naru's injuries healed. This insane recovery reminded Su Xiao of Nicole, whom he had just fought.
Compared to Naru, Nicole's recovery speed was a bit slower, but she was tougher and wouldn't get kicked in half like that.
Su Xiao stopped, and upon his arrival, everyone else halted their fight.
"Looks like we have a tough guy here."
The three from Shikata quickly put on hoods to hide their faces.
"Beep, beep, beep..."
A rapid sound came from Naru's chest. He pulled out a phone-like device and pressed a button, stopping the noise.
"Don't block the way."
Su Xiao knocked the back of his sword against the metal railing of the staircase, making a sharp sound.
The three from Shikata stepped back, and Naru hesitated for a moment before also stepping back.
Su Xiao walked up the stairs step by step, making clanging sounds on the iron steps.
The few ghouls present didn't stop Su Xiao; they just watched him warily.
Su Xiao didn't have time to care about these ghouls; he needed to go to the rooftop to support Shinohara Yukiki and the others.
With a mission at hand, once he earned those 10,000 CCG contribution points, he could be promoted to a quasi-special investigator and exchange for that blue-quality potion.
If Shinohara and the others ended up dead and he was marked as failing the mission, he might not get such a good chance to earn contribution points again.
The potion could increase his stamina by 4 points and strength by 2 points, significantly boosting his combat and survival abilities, especially his survival skills.
Su Xiao clearly remembered how, during his earlier fight with Bai and the other three girls, a single shot from Bai nearly cost him his life.
If it weren't for the Queen standing in line with him, he would have been shot through. Plus, with Ye's mana running low, she couldn't keep healing the Queen.
Otherwise, after a series of shots from Bai, he would already be a corpse.
So, he absolutely needed that potion to boost his stamina; survival was crucial. If he lost his life, everything else would be meaningless.
Who invented the ability to 'tear tickets'? It makes one want to cry without tears.
(End of Chapter)