Seeing He Xi Qian Yu leave the coffee shop, the two Ghouls who had been eyeing him as prey no longer lingered and quickly got up to follow him.
The manager, Fangcun Gongshan, watched all of this with a deep frown, letting out a soft sigh.
If he wished, as an SSS-rank Ghoul, he could easily save He Xi Qian Yu.
But he couldn't do that.
Even though he didn't want to see anyone get hurt, as long as it didn't violate Anteiku's rules, he had no right to interfere with the Ghouls' normal predation.
He Xi Qian Yu wasn't the first ordinary person to stumble into "Anteiku," nor would he be the last.
This world was cruel, and he couldn't offer help to everyone.
...
District 20, Street
The moment He Xi Qian Yu rushed out of the coffee shop, the jingling of the wooden wind chimes behind him had not yet faded. He swore he had never run so fast in his life, his shoe soles scraping against the asphalt with a piercing sound. However, the unhurried footsteps behind him were like a persistent shadow, maintaining just the right distance.
If he could just run away, no normal person would be foolish enough to confront a Ghoul head-on.
The power gap between Ghouls and humans was too vast. Not to mention the Ghouls' unique "Kouink," their bodies, several times tougher than ordinary humans, ensured that any resistance from the latter was almost futile in front of them.
Even CCG Search Officers carrying "Kouink" needed to be extremely careful when dealing with Ghouls. For an ordinary person without a "Kouink" to try and kill a Ghoul was undoubtedly a pipe dream.
And his only potentially effective method at the moment was the "lethal injection," making his chances of survival extremely slim.
...
The two Ghouls chasing He Xi Qian Yu clearly realized he had discovered them. Seemingly thinking that their prey couldn't escape their grasp, they didn't rush directly at him but instead followed Qianyu at a perfectly measured pace, creating the illusion that he could escape.
"How disgusting..."
He knew these predators' tricks all too well—first, give hope, then crush it with their own hands.
Just like a cat toying with a dying mouse.
...
After running past three intersections, He Xi Qian Yu gritted his teeth and turned into a small alley, his lungs burning.
He turned around and pulled out the injection gun from his pocket.
A cold sensation came from his palm. He Xi Qian Yu spun around abruptly, pointing the gun directly at the alley entrance. The two Ghouls were indeed like shadows, the moonlight stretching their figures into grotesque, distorted shapes.
"White Doves?" The burly Ghoul stopped warily, but then let out a hoarse sneer after seeing the weapon: "With just that?"
The slender Ghoul impatiently revealed his Kakugan, its crimson glow particularly dazzling in the darkness. He lunged like an arrow from a bow but was struck in the chest by a lethal injection mid-air.
"Hiss ah—" A mournful howl tore through the night sky. The slender Ghoul's body stiffened abruptly, then he fell to the ground, writhing in pain.
"It worked..."
He Xi Qian Yu knew the opponent was fully capable of dodging; he was hit because he underestimated him.
Before he could celebrate, the burly Ghoul had already lunged at him.
As he revealed his Kakugan, two tentacle-like "Kou-kaku" suddenly grew from his waist, striking directly at He Xi Qian Yu.
He Xi Qian Yu rolled to dodge awkwardly, and fortune favored him; the second injection, at the last moment, shot into the opponent's neck.
The strong Ghoul's body trembled violently, swayed for a moment, and then also fell to the ground.
He Xi Qian Yu breathed a sigh of relief.
"Fortunately, the lethal injection works on Ghouls..."
Before he could catch his breath, He Xi Qian Yu's pupils suddenly constricted. The slender Ghoul, who had been hit by the first lethal injection, was actually staggering to his feet.
Although his movements were somewhat sluggish, his crimson Kakugan glowed with an even more frenzied light. A spiral-shaped black Kou-kaku also appeared on the slender Ghoul's right arm.
"So painful... boy..." The slender Ghoul's hoarse voice carried a crazed laugh. He slowly raised his arm covered in Kou-kaku and walked towards He Xi Qian Yu.
Seeing this, He Xi Qian Yu raised the injection gun but had no intention of firing the third lethal injection.
He had already realized something was wrong when he discovered the first Ghoul wasn't dead.
He had overestimated the effect of the lethal injection and underestimated the physical prowess of Ghouls.
From the current situation, even if two lethal injections could kill one Ghoul, whether the last lethal injection could hit seemed to have become meaningless—the best-case scenario was that he and one Ghoul would perish together.
And this was still based on the premise that his last lethal injection could hit. A Ghoul who was on guard would clearly not let him have his way.
To make matters worse, the burly Ghoul also began to twitch and crawl up.
Qianyu's Adam's apple bobbed. There was only one injection left in the gun.
"What should I do...?"
He Xi Qian Yu's mind raced, trying to figure out a way to escape.
A frontal confrontation was hopeless, and turning to run was already too late.
There was no way out.
...
"No choice, I have to take a gamble..."
He Xi Qian Yu slowly raised the gun, and under the bewildered gaze of the two Ghouls, he pressed the injection against his own carotid artery.
Even he himself didn't know if this method would work. If there were any other options, he would never choose to do this—it was tantamount to gambling with his own life.
But he truly had no other choice.
He believed he had done well enough, but the power gap between Ghouls and ordinary humans was like an unbridgeable chasm.
Those lethal injections that could easily take the lives of ordinary people could only serve as a momentary hindrance to Ghouls.
To survive, He Xi Qian Yu had no other option but to go all out and place his hope on his last trump card.
"Ho ho..."
Seeing He Xi Qian Yu point the injection gun at himself, the slender Ghoul couldn't help but grin menacingly.
In his eyes, the human in front of him was merely choosing to end his own life by suicide after realizing he was cornered.
...
Looking at the Ghoul, who was slowly approaching him with his right arm tightly encased in Kou-kaku, Qianyu knew this was his last chance.
He immediately stopped hesitating and resolutely injected the last lethal injection into his own body.
The moment the syringe was fully depressed, Qianyu felt a dizzying sensation. The world seemed to be in slow motion; he could clearly see the trajectory of the slender Ghoul's Kou-kaku striking, but he was powerless to dodge.
With his crimson Kakugan flickering, the slender Ghoul walked in front of him and slowly raised his Kou-kaku.
As if to vent his anger, he fiercely plunged the sharp Kou-kaku into He Xi Qian Yu's chest.
The dull thud of the Kou-kaku piercing his chest was exceptionally clear, and blood splattered onto the Ghoul's distorted face. Blood overflowed from He Xi Qian Yu's lips, yet he strangely curved them into a smile.
"You pretentious bastard... Go to hell!"
Seeing this, the slender Ghoul's fury intensified.
Just as he was about to pull out the Kou-kaku to deliver the final blow to the human in front of him, he was horrified to find that his Kou-kaku seemed to be stuck to something.
Dark red viscous fluid was gushing from He Xi Qian Yu's wound, coiling around the Kou-kaku like living tentacles, then beginning to spread backward along the Kou-kaku, emitting a horrifying "sizzling" sound wherever it went.