The Two young investigating officers behind Kishitani tightened their pistols even more nervously, their gazes shifting between Dong Xiang and He Xi Qian Yu.
He Xi Qian Yu secretly thought, 'This is trouble.'
Although this Search Officer Kishitani did not hold a high position, he was clearly experienced and had a strong eye for detail.
He took a deep breath: "I... we live in the old neighborhood nearby, and sometimes we go for a walk a bit further at night... Tonight, I... I was a bit distracted, and before I knew it..."
As if remembering something, he quickly added, "My girlfriend, she's terrified. She's usually very introverted, and when she gets scared, she tends to freeze up and can't speak."
He turned his head and looked at Dong Xiang worriedly.
Dong Xiang cooperatively lowered her head slightly, avoiding Kishitani's scrutinizing gaze, her long eyelashes casting a small shadow beneath her eyes. Her body also seemed to tremble slightly in sync, as if she were truly speechless from excessive fright.
Kishitani's gaze swept back and forth between the two, clearly not fully believing He Xi Qian Yu's explanation, but he couldn't find more conclusive evidence for the moment.
"Please show me your identification," Kishitani's voice was unyielding.
"...Trouble..." Slaughter growled.
Can the Anteiku Coffee Shop's employee identification stand up to scrutiny?
Thoughts raced through He Xi Qian Yu's mind.
He pretended to fumble in his pocket while quickly thinking of a countermeasure. He pulled out his wallet, which contained an ordinary citizen's identification.
"Alright, Search Officer Sir."
He handed over the identification, while subtly shifting his body to cleverly block some of Kishitani's view of Dong Xiang.
Dong Xiang also cooperatively took out her identification from her small handbag.
Kishitani took the identification, examined it carefully, and then used his sharp gaze to compare the photo on the identification with the person.
The identification was flawless.
Kishitani's brows were still tightly furrowed; he always felt something was off, but he couldn't grasp any concrete evidence.
Finally, he handed the identification back to the two.
"Thank you, Search Officer Sir, we'll leave now," He Xi Qian Yu immediately put on a grateful smile, his voice light and quick. He naturally reached out and gently supported Dong Xiang's seemingly weak arm, making as if to turn and leave.
"Wait."
Kishitani's low voice fell.
He extended his hand, blocking their path.
"These are extraordinary times, with S-rank Ghouls committing consecutive crimes," Kishitani's gaze was fixed firmly on the two. "Please come with me to the 20th Ward Branch now for a formal investigation; this is a necessary procedure." His tone was resolute, leaving no room for negotiation.
The smile on He Xi Qian Yu's face instantly froze, and the hand supporting Dong Xiang unconsciously tightened a few points.
"...Someone isn't getting away..." Slaughter let out a cold sneer from the depths of his consciousness.
He Xi Qian Yu took a deep breath, trying to force out a sincere expression on his face: "Search Officer Sir, you see... she's really terrified, and in a very bad state. Can she... can she go back to rest first? I'll come back with you for the investigation?" His gaze towards Dong Xiang was filled with worry.
"No," Kishitani's answer showed no wavering.
His gaze swept over Dong Xiang's bowed head, and the suspicion in his eyes did not lessen in the slightest due to her apparent weakness.
"Both of you, must go together. Now, immediately."
The air seemed to be sucked out instantly, and a deathly silence enveloped the narrow alley.
The heavy smell of blood, the metallic and disinfectant scent emanating from Kishitani, the heavy breathing of the Two young investigating officers... everything froze.
He Xi Qian Yu slowly raised his head.
The feigned sincerity on his face receded like a tide, disappearing without a trace, replaced by a chilling calmness.
Those eyes, which were originally gentle, now reflected no light.
"What a pity..." He Xi Qian Yu's voice echoed clearly in the silent alley.
"...You could have... lived..."
Kishitani's pupils constricted sharply. The instincts honed from years of living on the edge of death instantly overwhelmed his doubt. He almost screamed, "Fire—!!"
However, his command was half a beat too late.
A crimson-glowing liquid flowed out from He Xi Qian Yu's body and quickly covered his entire form.
His arms transformed into massive blades, and several tentacles, composed entirely of viscous crimson liquid, burst forth from his back, shoulders, and even his side, writhing wildly in the air.
"Roar—!!!"
A non-human roar, mixed with excitement and the pleasure of destruction, erupted from the throat of He Xi Qian Yu—or rather, the monster that was now the embodiment of Slaughter. The sound waves vibrated, causing dust to fall from the walls on both sides.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The Two young investigating officers, driven by extreme fear and Kishitani's command, pulled their triggers. However, the bullets striking the viscous, writhing scarlet body only produced dull "thudding" sounds, splashing a few insignificant droplets of thick blood. The metal bullet heads, capable of tearing flesh, were easily enveloped and swallowed by the bizarre liquid organization.
He Xi Qian Yu didn't even spare a glance for the Two young investigating officers.
His writhing scarlet tentacles erupted with terrifying speed that surpassed the limits of human visual capture.
One of the sharpened tentacles, like a scarlet spear, instantly pierced through the chest of the young investigating officer on the left with a "whoosh" sound. The tentacle carried immense kinetic energy, impaling him backward and slamming him heavily against the wall.
The young investigating officer looked down in disbelief at the bowl-sized blood-hole in his chest, blood gushing out like a fountain. A desperate, gasping sound escaped his throat, and the light in his eyes quickly extinguished.
At the same time, two other thick tentacles wrapped themselves around the Search Officer on the right like lightning: one entwined his gun-holding arm, and the terrifying constricting force instantly crushed his arm bones, causing the pistol to fly out of his hand; the other tightly wrapped around his waist, abdomen, and chest.
The young investigating officer only managed to let out a short, shrill scream.
"Rip—!!!"
The sound of flesh and bone being torn apart by brute force rang out as the two tentacles violently ripped.
The young investigating officer's body was literally torn in half, and the splashing blood and minced meat exploded in the alley like fireworks from hell, a warm rain of blood drenching Kishitani.
The overwhelmingly suffocating smell of blood instantly covered everything.
Kishitani was, after all, an old hand. The moment the anomaly erupted from He Xi Qian Yu's body, he knew that things had completely exceeded expectations.
He was not without action; as he roared "Fire," his body instinctively retreated rapidly, one hand reaching for his emergency communication device at his waist. However, Slaughter's speed was too fast; before he could even retrieve it, the horrific sight of his subordinates' deaths struck his heart like a sledgehammer.
"Monster!!!" Kishitani's eyes were bloodshot. The instinct for survival and the blood of his subordinates stimulated him to unleash his last burst of strength. He violently drew the Kouink longsword from his waist, and dangerous blue-white electric arcs instantly danced on the blade.
Kishitani pushed all his strength and the Kouink's energy to the extreme, with a desperate resolve to perish together, and fiercely slashed at Slaughter's scarlet head.