"Yes, a well, a deep well leading underground. These ’Primitive Species’ come from there. What we need to do is drive these ’Primitive Species’ back to that well."
After listening to Arima Kishou’s description, the expression on Su Xiao’s face seemed to say, ’Are you kidding me?’ Googlᴇ search 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝙣𝙚𝙩
The ’Primitive Species’ in the Underground City number at least in the thousands. Forget fighting these Ghouls; if they expose their position now, both of them would undoubtedly end up dead.
Su Xiao patted Arima Kishou’s shoulder and turned to leave. His decisive attitude left Arima Kishou stunned.
"Are you going to defy HQ’s orders?"
Arima Kishou’s tone was calm, without any hint of threat, as if he were probing something.
"I’m an Investigator, yes, but I won’t carry out a suicide mission."
After hearing Su Xiao’s answer, Arima Kishou’s eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a different kind of light.
"Disobeying HQ’s orders usually results in being expelled, but under the current circumstances, if we two don’t complete this task, it will spell our doom when we return to the surface."
Su Xiao stopped in his tracks, looking at Arima Kishou. Today, Arima Kishou seemed a bit unusual, but he couldn’t pinpoint what exactly was different. It was just a gut feeling.
"Do you think the Ghouls here are normal? Most Investigators will never encounter Primitive Species.
If I’m not mistaken, your mission this time is to reinforce me. HQ would assign you one or two First-Class Investigators, maybe it’s Black Basalt? Anpu Kiyoko? Or possibly Marude Itsuki, while others are unlikely."
Arima Kishou had always been deep within the 24th District. He had a phone call with Su Xiao once, and then lost contact with the outside world due to no signal underground. That he could guess which First-Class Investigators HQ sent to the 24th District surely raised Su Xiao’s suspicions.
"What are you trying to say?"
"This task must be completed, absolutely must. If we manage to return to the surface alive, act as if nothing happened. Remember, even if you’re unwilling, pretend to comply."
Su Xiao stared at Arima Kishou, contemplating whether Arima Kishou was trustworthy.
In the original work, Arima Kishou always appeared to be obedient to Yoshida, like a chess piece.
But now, it seemed, Arima Kishou was no one’s ’weapon’. He probably knows many CCG secrets, and if he disobeys, he would be eliminated.
"Answer me one question: if I were to return to the surface now, who would Yoshida send to kill me?"
Arima Kishou let out a long breath, seemingly assessing Su Xiao before.
Just two simple words revealed much information.
"What if the two of us teamed up to defy the orders?"
Su Xiao still did not know if Arima Kishou was trustworthy, and he was probing.
"If the two of us teamed up, there’s a chance of survival. However, after that, we’d face relentless pursuit, with enemies you can’t even imagine."
Silence, a long silence.
Apart from the occasional low roar of some ’Primitive Species’, there was a deathly silence.
"Trying to drive these Ghouls away with just the two of us is suicidal; we need to think of another way."
The attitude Arima Kishou displayed just now was almost a subtle attempt to rope Su Xiao in. When Su Xiao suggested, ’What if the two of us teamed up to defy the orders,’ Arima Kishou did not show anger or loyalty to the CCG but instead answered Su Xiao’s question plainly.
Neither of them was sure if the other was trustworthy, so they could only probe each other inadvertently.
The point Arima Kishou mentioned earlier, Su Xiao found somewhat credible: if they did not complete this order from HQ, they would face danger even upon returning to the surface.
Su Xiao knew more and more about the CCG and stood out in terms of strength. Perhaps the CCG wanted to groom him into a second Arima Kishou, a ’compliant’ ’weapon’.
Arima Kishou’s attitude toward the CCG was feigned compliance; this guy must be plotting something.
Su Xiao sighed; he had only watched the first two seasons of the anime Ghoul and did not read the subsequent manga, learning about the Ghoul world mostly from snippets on forums.
This made him resolve that next time he returned to the real world, he must catch up on the series, massively catch up.
Catching up on the series isn’t for entertainment but to gather intelligence.
Arima Kishou picked up a Quinque box, rarely showing a smile, as if he had figured something out.
"We need a plan, and here’s my idea...."
Arima Kishou detailed his plan, which was very simple: use fresh flesh as bait to attract the surrounding Primitive Species.
The trust crisis was temporarily alleviated, but a new problem arose: where to find fresh flesh.
"Anyway, let’s leave here first. We can’t do anything while staying here."
Su Xiao surveyed the surrounding Primitive Species; there were only a few, and as long as they were cautious, they wouldn’t be discovered.
"What have you been doing here all along?"
When Su Xiao found Arima Kishou, the latter was lying on a rooftop.
"Cough~, dehydration and hunger made me a bit weak, so I was resting here temporarily.
Let’s leave here first and go find ’bait’."
Arima Kishou looked slightly embarrassed since being starved to the point of exhaustion and waiting here helplessly was somewhat shameful.
By cautiously avoiding the Primitive Species, the two of them, both highly skilled, managed to do so. If it came to stealth ability, Su Xiao was even better than Arima Kishou.
Leaping across the rooftops of steel buildings, it wasn’t long before Su Xiao arrived at the entrance of the Underground City.
He signaled to Maniwa Haruo and Tokaji above to stand by, then entered the passageway with Arima Kishou.
Fresh flesh to use as bait needed to be found within the underground passage.
Once inside the passage, Su Xiao heaved a sigh of relief; earlier, it felt like they were in stealth mode, having to speak in whispers.
"Arima, do you know the route? We won’t get lost, will we?"
Arima Kishou shook his head.
"We won’t. With such drastic changes in Central City, all the Ghouls in the control room must have fled. The Primitive Species won’t be able to operate the control room’s mechanics."
It appeared Arima Kishou was very familiar with the Underground City of the 24th District.
Noticing Su Xiao’s confusion, Arima Kishou continued.
"Central City is just this Underground City, the largest Ghoul gathering place in Tokyo. Most Ghouls live here, just like humans live on the surface.
Explaining the control room is a bit complex; simply put, it’s one of the most important buildings in Central City, capable of controlling the flesh walls in District 24, causing them to constantly change. Because of this, we can get lost in the underground passage."
Arima Kishou revealed a secret: the 24th District beneath Tokyo is the city where Ghouls live.
Humans live on the surface of Tokyo, while Ghouls live underneath. It seemed like some kind of balance was achieved, maintained only by the CCG.
But to Su Xiao, this order seemed somewhat twisted. Humans and Ghouls are mortal enemies and cannot coexist, so why does the CCG forcibly make them coexist together?
Su Xiao could now confirm one thing: the CCG absolutely doesn’t exist solely to protect humans, or perhaps the reality was far more terrifying than imagined.