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Beneath the Twenty Ward, a colossal, unknown entity lay hidden—a vast network woven from crisscrossing, interconnected tunnels.
This was the lifeline that Ghouls of Tokyo had dug out in the darkness to survive in the cracks of human society.
When Fangcun Gongshan calmly admitted its existence, and He Xi Qian Yu stepped into this underground world through the inconspicuous secret door deep within Anteiku Coffee Shop, he felt that the phrase "ridiculous opening the door for ridiculous—utterly ridiculous" was an understatement.
If he hadn't known that the Washuu family controlled the high echelons of the CCG, practically manipulating the entire order of Tokyo, he would never have understood how Ghouls managed to complete such a large-scale underground project silently, right under the humans' noses.
It was simply a miracle.
But it had to be admitted, this dark space, buried deep beneath the city, was absolutely perfect as a training ground.
At this moment, in a relatively open space deep within the tunnel, the air still carried the scent of sweat and dust. Kaneki Ken had been receiving rigorous training from Si Fang Lian Shi here. Not long ago, Nishio Nishiki also joined—the latter seemed to have been strongly stimulated by the previous Ghoul Restaurant incident, almost risking his life to become stronger. Each time he was decisively knocked down by Si Fang Lian Shi, he would grit his teeth, struggle to get up, until he was completely exhausted.
Occasionally, when Kaneki Ken and Nishio Nishiki sparred, since Kaneki Ken couldn't skillfully control and use his Kagune when conscious, Nishio Nishiki, with his more solid foundation and richer experience, often gained the upper hand.
He Xi Qian Yu had never set foot in this underground training ground before, because he didn't need this kind of basic training. But today was different; the system gave him a small toy when he signed in.
[Item: Glock 18 Pistol]
[Description: A full-automatic pistol developed by Austrian Glock company, 9mm caliber, known for its reliability and high rate of fire… ]
[Note: Ammunition automatically refreshes at 12 AM daily. Have fun missing shots]
He Xi Qian Yu weighed the cold, black polymer pistol in his hand; the cold touch was quite unfamiliar to him.
"Better than nothing," he thought.
The kinetic energy of ordinary pistol bullets could not even penetrate the tough skin of a Ghoul. Its only use, perhaps, was to snatch an unsuspecting human head in certain extremely chaotic scenarios.
…
The tunnel wall was temporarily used as a target wall. He Xi Qian Yu stood ten meters away, trying to recall the shooting postures he had seen in movies.
He took a deep breath, trying to steady his somewhat awkward grip, squinted one eye, and aimed at a blurry spot on the wall.
Deep breath, raise gun, aim, pull trigger.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Five rapid gunshots echoed particularly loudly in the enclosed underground space, and the smell of gunpowder instantly permeated the air. Bullets struck the hard concrete wall, splashing tiny gravel and dust.
As the dust cleared, five clear but impressively distant bullet holes appeared on the wall—they were scattered within a bowl-sized area, without any pattern, like a celestial maiden scattering flowers, with the two furthest apart by half a meter.
He Xi Qian Yu pretended to blow on the non-existent heat from the muzzle, covering his embarrassment.
[…Damn it…what's going on… ] Slaughter's voice was filled with surprise, […I actually…can't steady your hand… ]
"Qianyu-ge is amazing!" Kaneki Ken, who was watching from the side, praised sincerely.
His and Nishio Nishiki's sparring session had just ended not long ago, and Si Fang Lian Shi had silently disappeared into the complex tunnel network after their training, whereabouts unknown.
"Not at all, not at all." He Xi Qian Yu quickly put his hands behind his back, and the dark red viscous fluid attached to them rapidly faded, blending into his skin.
He cleared his throat, trying to put on a calm demeanor like an enlightened master: "Just luck, just luck."
"Heh, then perhaps the extraordinarily gifted Tsuruki-xiansheng can explain," Nishio Nishiki's voice, full of undisguised contempt, rang out. He crossed his arms and lazily pointed at the five unrelated bullet holes on the wall, "What is this? Abstract art? Or some kind of ritual we don't understand?"
"This precisely proves my extraordinary talent," He Xi Qian Yu said without changing his expression, talking nonsense with a straight face, "It's my first time touching a gun, and I managed to get all the bullets on the wall instead of flying at you and Jin Mu."
"…" Nishio Nishiki was choked by this powerful logic, and rolled his eyes dramatically, "By the way," he changed the subject with a hint of confusion, "Where did you get that thing?" He pointed at the Glock in He Xi Qian Yu's hand.
"A friend gave it to me." He Xi Qian Yu replied extremely smoothly.
"Tch, fine if you don't want to say." Nishio Nishiki pouted, bent down to pick up his jacket from the ground and dusted it off, "I have something scheduled with Kimi, so I'm leaving." He waved his hand, and his figure quickly disappeared at a fork in the tunnel.
"Qianyu-ge, then I'll head back to work too." Kaneki Ken also politely bid farewell and left.
In a flash, this open underground space was left with only He Xi Qian Yu. He let out a long breath, as if shedding a burden, and raised the Glock 18 again, a hint of stubbornness in his eyes.
"I just won't believe this evil!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Another five rapid gunshots, the smell of gunpowder grew stronger.
On the wall, five new bullet holes appeared symmetrically, forming an even more abstract "constellation map" with the previous five.
[…Wow…your talent…is truly…stably infuriating… ] Slaughter's sneering voice echoed in his mind, full of schadenfreude, […This pattern…is very…post-modern… ]
"Again…" He Xi Qian Yu gritted his teeth, feeling his cheeks flush slightly. He raised his arm again, his gaze more focused, trying to aim, and his finger firmly pressed the trigger.
Bang! Bang!
Click.
"Hmm?" He Xi Qian Yu was startled; his finger on the trigger only felt the slight touch of the slide lock, "Out of bullets?" He instinctively shook the gun body, only hearing the faint rattling of parts inside.
"Tsk, what a buzzkill."
"Forget it, let's go back." He grudgingly put the gun away, turned, and walked towards the secret passage leading to Anteiku Coffee Shop.
…
When He Xi Qian Yu pushed open the secret door and returned to the warm light and familiar coffee aroma of Anteiku Coffee Shop, the scene before him was completely different from the quietness when he left.
It was peak afternoon tea time, and the coffee shop was bustling with people, almost every seat taken. The soothing background music was completely drowned out by conversations, clinking cups and saucers, and the hissing of the coffee machine.
Koma Enji and Ru Jian Xuan were busy behind the counter, the coffee machine hissing and steam rising.
Kaneki Ken had already changed into his uniform, skillfully navigating through the crowded tables and chairs with a tray, fine beads of sweat on his forehead.
Dong Xiang, frowning, quickly wiped down a newly vacated table while motioning for new customers to wait with her eyes.
The air was filled with the rich aroma of coffee beans, the sweetness of desserts, and the hum of customer conversations, forming a busy and lively picture.
As soon as He Xi Qian Yu poked his head out, Dong Xiang's sharp gaze swept over. She gave him an exasperated look, her wiping motion not slowing down at all: "What are you still standing there staring at? Hurry up and change and come help!"
"Coming, coming!" He Xi Qian Yu immediately responded, quickly changing into the coffee shop's black uniform apron, then hurried towards the counter.
"Two lattes, one cappuccino, and one tiramisu for table three!"
"Got it!"
"Refill Americano for table seven!"
"Coming right up!"
"Two new customers, window seat!"
Instructions and calls came one after another. He Xi Qian Yu took a deep breath, temporarily putting his superb marksmanship out of his mind, and quickly integrated into this familiar and busy rhythm.
He picked up the coffee pot and skillfully began to extract espresso, his movements fluid and natural.
At least here, he was quite confident in his skills as a "barista."