"This masked gentleman," Yue Shan Xi's gaze shifted to He Xi Qian Yu, his face still bearing that superficial joyful smile.
"If you choose to leave now," he tried to make his voice sound seductive, "I can pretend nothing happened."
"Is that so?" He Xi Qian Yu spoke coldly, "Then do I still need to thank Lord Yue Shan for his magnanimity?"
He slowly raised his hand, his fingertips touching the edge of the cold mask, and gently took it off.
When that familiar face was clearly exposed under the dim candlelight, the smile on Yue Shan Xi's face instantly froze.
"Why aren't you speaking?" He Xi Qian Yu's lips curved into a cold, mocking smile, "Didn't Lord Yue Shan just confidently say he would let me go?"
"Tsuru… Tsuruki-xiansheng," Yue Shan Xi's throat bobbed, as he desperately tried to maintain his last shred of composure, "There must be… some misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding?" He Xi Qian Yu seemed to have heard the biggest joke. He raised his hand, pointing to the unconscious, dying Nishio Nishiki, then to Dong Xiang, who was struggling to stand with a bleeding wound on her waist and abdomen, and finally to Kaneki Ken, who was curled up on the ground with a terrifying bloody hole in his abdomen.
"You kidnapped Nishiki's girlfriend, beat these three into this state, and even wanted to eat Jin Mu," his voice suddenly rose, "And now you're telling me this is a misunderstanding?"
"I know," Yue Shan Xi's speech quickened, "I know Yoshimura gives you a monthly salary of 500,000 yen. As long as you are willing to give Kaneki Ken to me… no, sell him to me, the Yue Shan Group can immediately offer you a job with a monthly salary of 5,000,000 yen."
He took a deep breath, trying to make his voice sound more convincing: "You don't need to get involved in this trouble for these… these insignificant people, do you? It won't do you any good."
"What you said…" He Xi Qian Yu nodded, seemingly deep in thought, "Does make a little sense."
Hope instantly ignited in Yue Shan Xi's eyes.
"But," He Xi Qian Yu's expression suddenly turned cold, his voice resolute, "I refuse."
"You seem to have overlooked one thing, Yue Shan Xi…" He Xi Qian Yu took a step forward, and an invisible sense of oppression surged towards Yue Shan Xi like a tide. He had a cold smile on his lips, "If I package you up and send you to your father, Yueshan Guanmu, for ransom, I'm afraid I'll get far more than that."
Given Yueshan Guanmu's doting on his only son, He Xi Qian Yu had no doubt that even if he wanted the Yue Shan Group, that old father would nod without hesitation.
"No, we can talk again. You name your price." Yue Shan Xi was completely flustered, his voice trembling with fear.
"No need." He Xi Qian Yu's voice was calm, "Your father and I… will have plenty of time to talk slowly."
As his last word fell, viscous dark red symbiote fluid suddenly surged from his body like a living creature, instantly covering him completely.
The oppressive Slaughter form rose up in the dim church, its pale eyes firmly locking onto its prey.
Yue Shan Xi's pupils constricted, and the instinct for survival overwhelmed everything. He turned to flee into the depths of the church.
But it was too late.
Two thick, crimson tentacles, like giant pythons, arrived with an air-tearing shriek, moving faster than he could react. They wrapped precisely around Yue Shan Xi's body as if alive, and the immense force instantly made his bones creak. Then, the tentacles retracted sharply, pulling this elegant gourmet fiercely towards the Slaughter like a lamb to be slaughtered.
"Ugh ah—!" Yue Shan Xi let out a desperate roar. The spiral blue Koukaku on his right arm condensed frantically. In his desperate struggle, he used all his might to thrust the sharp Koukaku tip fiercely into the Slaughter's chest.
Pfft!
The Koukaku deeply pierced the dark red body tissue, even causing that area to indent inwards.
However, that was all.
The indented area on the Slaughter's chest, formed by symbiote tissue, instantly returned to its original state. The Koukaku was tightly gripped by the wriggling tissue, unable to advance any further.
"Doesn't hurt a bit." The Slaughter's low, hoarse voice carried naked mockery.
The next second, its huge claw, carrying enough force to smash boulders, slapped fiercely onto Yue Shan Xi's head.
"Bang!"
Accompanied by a bone-jarring thud.
All of Yue Shan Xi's struggles ended completely with that one strike. He was like a broken puppet, his body limp in the tentacles. He spat out a mouthful of blood and completely passed out.
The church fell into a deathly silence, with only the faint gasps of the injured and the crackling of burning candles remaining.
Beside them, Dong Xiang, who was barely supporting herself, and Kaneki Ken, who was struggling to get up, felt their hearts unable to calm down for a long time—even though they had witnessed it before, the power's might still left them shocked.
The dark red symbiote receded from He Xi Qian Yu like a tide, revealing his original face.
"Are you two alright?" He looked at Dong Xiang and Kaneki Ken, his tone filled with concern.
The two endured their pain and shook their heads. For a Ghoul, as long as they replenished their energy in time, a mere penetrating wound would heal quickly.
"That's good." He Xi Qian Yu's gaze swept over the unconscious Yue Shan Xi, the severely injured Nishio Nishiki, and the bound Nishino Kimi, and he sighed helplessly, "Bring them all. Let's go back to the Anteiku Coffee Shop."
…
By the time they dragged their tired and injured bodies back to the Anteiku Coffee Shop, it was already late at night.
"Yue Shan Xi won't suddenly wake up, will he?" He Xi Qian Yu felt a little worried after placing the two unconscious individuals on the sofa in the lounge area.
"…Don't worry…" The Slaughter's voice was full of certainty, "…I have… my limits…"
"…He won't… wake up… for a while…"
"That's good." He Xi Qian Yu felt a little relieved.
Dong Xiang and Kaneki Ken had quietly gone to the kitchen area; they needed to eat as soon as possible to replenish energy and heal their injuries.
Only Nishino Kimi remained, her face pale, nervously guarding the unconscious Nishio Nishiki, her hands tightly clutching the hem of her clothes.
"Here," He Xi Qian Yu took out several tightly wrapped items from the kitchen's freezer and handed them to her, "Feed these to him, don't leave a single bit."
Nishino Kimi hesitantly took the cold package, her fingertips feeling an unsettling sensation inside. She looked at Nishio Nishiki's pale face, her lips trembling, but she didn't move for a long time.
"If you drag this out any longer," He Xi Qian Yu glanced at Nishio Nishiki's almost imperceptible chest rise and fall, his tone carrying a hint of impatience, "He really won't see tomorrow's sun."
"You must be Qianyu Jun," Nishino Kimi didn't act immediately. Instead, she looked up, her gaze complex as she looked at He Xi Qian Yu, "Nishiki… he often mentioned you."
"Oh?" He Xi Qian Yu raised an eyebrow, a little curious, "Did he say that I often skipped class and made him cover for me, and that I was a very troublesome guy?"
Nishino Kimi shook her head vigorously, her voice soft but clear: "He said… you are a trustworthy friend. One of his few… true friends."
Upon hearing this, He Xi Qian Yu was slightly stunned, his gaze falling on Nishio Nishiki's lifeless face. After a moment, the corners of his lips curled up slightly, forming an almost imperceptible arc: "…Not bad."