Noon, with the sun shining brightly, in the backyard of the temporary branch of the 24th District, in front of a shimmering swimming pool.
A gentle breeze swept through, rustling the trees beside the pool, as birds chirped on the branches.
Su Xiao reclined on a lounge chair, with a glass of orange juice and some delicate snacks by his side.
"Bai Ye, why don’t you come down?"
Yuna was enjoying herself in the pool, dressed in a bikini.
"The wound can’t get wet."
Su Xiao was wrapped in bandages on his upper body, leisurely half-lying down.
The three had returned to the 24th District branch for a day. Although time in the Derivative World was precious, Su Xiao was seriously injured this time, his stamina heavily depleted, requiring proper rest.
Seeing that Su Xiao wouldn’t join her for a swim, Yuna shifted her attention to Arima Kishou, who was beside her.
Arima Kishou wore a new pair of glasses, sitting cross-legged by the pool, similarly wrapped in a lot of bandages, holding a book titled "The Egg of the Black Goat."
The book was penned by Takatsuki Sen. Setting aside her identity as a ghoul, Takatsuki Sen was undoubtedly a talented woman, with each of her books being a bestseller.
In the original story, Takatsuki Sen, as a novelist, could even interview First-Class Investigators from the CCG, showing her fame.
The content of "The Egg of the Black Goat" is about a female killing maniac who gave birth to a son. The child seemed normal at first, but as he grew, he inexplicably developed a desire to kill, oscillating and struggling between a normal life and a maniacal life.
Su Xiao just skimmed through some parts and judged that this might be Takatsuki Sen narrating her own experiences.
Arima Kishou was engrossed in the book, nodding occasionally, as if agreeing with its contents.
All three were now in a relaxed state, far from their fierce demeanor in the 24th District.
At almost thirty, Arima Kishou looked like a scholar while reading.
Yuna appeared innocent and lively in the pool, showing no trace of her crazed slaughtering of ghouls while wielding a scythe wearing ’Xing.’
Su Xiao seemed to be in a ’lazy mode,’ lying limp without moving. Yet, the occasional sharp glint in his eyes sent shivers down the spine.
With nothing to do, Su Xiao took out Dragon Slash and some maintenance tools, beginning to care for Dragon Slash.
His actions were skillful. Although the durability could be repaired by someone in the Reincarnation Paradise, he was exceptionally fond of his weapons.
The blade in his hand was the most reliable thing, and Dragon Slash had saved him from death several times.
Unfortunately, Dragon Slash was beginning to fall behind his pace. Su Xiao held the sword single-handedly, raising Dragon Slash horizontally.
The blade flashed with a cold glint. This sword, having been damaged, had been abandoned once by Dragon Slaying Swordsman Ryoma. If not damaged, Dragon Slash would at least be a blue-grade weapon.
Previously, Su Xiao also sought ways to repair Dragon Slash. With the various magical abilities in Reincarnation Paradise, it was indeed possible, but the cost was beyond what he could afford.
From the hints given in Reincarnation Paradise, he had never heard of those repair materials, three of which were blue materials, and several others had no color indicated, only showing ??? for quality.
Even if he luckily obtained those materials, he would still need to find a worker with a ’Master’s Level’ forging skill in Reincarnation Paradise.
Such workers were treated with great care, always protected by a team when entering the Derivative World, for fear of them getting hurt even a little.
It’s said that those guys could forge blue-quality equipment, which was an insanely powerful ability.
Of course, this was information given by Xi Luoluo, which Su Xiao had not witnessed firsthand.
Su Xiao sighed. He was accustomed to using Dragon Slash and even liked it, but unwillingly, he had to switch weapons. Dragon Slash’s quality was only white, too low, the lowest grade of equipment, even though its rating was as high as 10 points.
Having maintained Dragon Slash, Su Xiao continued lying motionless on the lounge chair. His Life Value had recovered to over 80%, and most of his injuries had healed. The medicines provided freely by the CCG were very effective in healing, reaching white quality.
Of course, the medicine was good but could only be used for free. To keep them, one would have to spend Contribution Value.
Having been injured in the line of duty, he had the privilege of using them for free.
After resting for two days at the temporary branch, Su Xiao’s injuries were no longer a major concern, enough not to affect combat.
Inside an office, Arima Kishou sat behind a desk.
"That’s how it is. The last exploration was very fruitful, and the headquarters gave a commendation."
Su Xiao raised an eyebrow. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on 𝗻𝗼𝘷𝗲𝗹•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝕟𝕖𝕥
Su Xiao smirked, finding the CCG headquarters surprisingly stingy.
"The next exploration is set for tomorrow morning. It’ll be the three of us again, so get ready."
Working in the 24th District was a life-and-death endeavor, but Su Xiao didn’t mind, as he needed to quickly earn CCG Contribution Points.
"Knock, knock, knock."
The sound of knocking was followed by Arima Kishou saying "Come in," and the door being opened.
"Sorry to disturb you, First-Class Investigator Arima. Bai Ye, there’s a call for you."
A staff member from the temporary branch entered the office, respectfully handing the phone to Su Xiao.
Investigators held a high status in the CCG, incomparable to ordinary staff.
Su Xiao took the call.
There was a noisy sound on the other end of the line. Su Xiao vaguely heard shouts like "the call is connected."
"Bai Ye, it’s Marutei. I have some good news for you."
Marutei spoke with a hint of laughter, seemingly very pleased.
"It’s me. What’s the good news?"
"The headquarters issued a temporary assignment order concerning the operation in the 11th District. They want you to come in as temporary support."
On the other end, Marutei patted Yukinori Shinohara’s shoulder.
The two had somehow managed to persuade the upper echelons of the CCG.
"Oh? Is that so? No problem then."
Su Xiao readily agreed, as Reincarnation Paradise had issued him a task.
[Faction Task: Cover Operation.]
Difficulty Level: Lv.4.
Task Description: Assist the ’Special Countermeasures Class’ in fighting against the Bronze Tree, ensuring the victory of our side.
Task Information: CCG faction task, not counted in the clearance evaluation.
Task Deadline: Until the end of the 11th District operation.
Task Reward: 10,000 Faction Contribution Points.
Failure Penalty: None.
This faction task wasn’t simple, but the rewards were generous, and he really needed CCG Contribution Points.
With the exchange function of the temporary branch in the 24th District, Su Xiao’s Contribution Points in the ghoul world were now equivalent to Paradise coins.
Those two pieces of equipment in the 24th District logistics department were something Su Xiao very much desired to obtain, and he had a good chance of getting them.
Ending the call, Su Xiao placed the phone back on Arima Kishou’s desk.
"Looks like I’ll be away for a while, as the headquarters temporarily assigned me to the Special Countermeasures Class."
"No problem. The exploration of the 24th District can be postponed, but the action in the 11th District can’t be delayed."
Arima Kishou did not obstruct and directly granted permission.
Half an hour later, Su Xiao boarded a vehicle heading to District 20. Although the operation was in the 11th District, the assembly point for the ’Special Countermeasures Class’ was in District 20, as the CCG branch in the 11th District had been overrun, leaving no other choice.