I am a female swordsman.

A flash of pure white light streaked past, and a bead of cold sweat slid down Amen's forehead. He didn't dodge or guess, because Amen instinctively felt that Huang Quan wouldn't harm him. Just as he expected, the fruit knife pierced the apple in his hand.

Right in the bullseye!

"That means you guessed right."

Huang Quan's lips curled up almost imperceptibly; crows could absolutely entrust their lives to each other.

"You really like to fool around... Never mind, Amon, think it over carefully while you rest." Mado Kureo glanced at Yomi, who had just done something dangerous, with a hint of reproach. The visit should be over soon; there were more important things to do next.

Amon stared at the fruit knife deeply embedded in the apple, speechless for a long time after Yomi and Mado Kureo left.

Do you trust them?

It turns out that she was too dazzling and powerful, and he himself did not believe that he could keep up with her figure.

………………

"Teacher, are you coming to Ward 23 with me too?"

With his hands habitually tucked into his trench coat pockets, Huang Quan naturally had to endure the admiring and longing gazes of passersby. He didn't seem too surprised that Mado Kureo would go to the ghoul prison with him.

After all, she had never set foot in that filthy place.

“There are some things you should ask an old monster, that would be very interesting, hehehe.” With his body habitually hunched over, Mado Kureo let out a strange laugh.

Having spent so much time in the database of District 20, he felt like he had developed a musty smell.

If we don't get some exercise, our old bones might start to rust.

Mado Kureo suddenly stopped and looked out the window. The 20th ward presented an unusually peaceful and serene scene, still serene even under the overcast sky. Yomi noticed that Mado Kureo was carefully rubbing his right hand, specifically his ring finger.

Mado Kureo, who always wears gloves while working, is probably wearing a wedding ring on her hand under those gloves.

Unwilling to let his deceased wife's belongings be tainted by ghoul blood, Mado Kureo, despite his eccentric appearance, is ultimately just a man who can't forget his past.

"Old monster?"

"Hmm, SS-rank. It took a lot of effort to catch that old pervert, and we even lost a Special Rank. What a pity. It would be great if we could get Kunk made from his kagune."

SS-rank ghoul, [The Priest].

This is yet another tragic entanglement. This ghoul, to be precise, has a deep connection with Amon Kotaro. Yomi knew that Amon was an orphan, once adopted by an orphanage. Who would have thought that the kind priest who adopted the orphan was actually a ghoul, his gentle and pious exterior concealing a true demon? Amon was the only orphan rescued, and for some reason, the priest didn't devour him when he was young.

No wonder Amon was so angry when he saw children orphaned because of ghouls. The thought of seeing such a demon in human skin suddenly made Yomi's hands itch again.

Chapter Sixty-Nine [The Priest]

The 23rd Ward Ghoul Prison, [Cochlia]

Located in Ward 23, the Ghoul Prison houses numerous ghouls, ranging from Rank C to Rank SS. The prison walls are coated with quinque steel, and a Special Investigator is stationed there to maintain order. Its defenses are extremely robust, further reinforced by RC inhibitors.

The ghouls captured by the CCG are all imprisoned here. Some ghouls who know a lot of information will be imprisoned by the CCG indefinitely, interrogated every now and then or asked to assist in investigations. The rest will be used to create quinques or for experiments.

They escorted Ryoko Fueguchi and imprisoned her in [Cokria].

It was under these circumstances that Huang Quan first visited this place, a place that she found extremely uncomfortable.

Huang Quan could clearly feel the lingering chill and resentment in the air of [Kukria]. Staying in such a place for too long would twist even a normal person's personality. Accumulated intense negative emotions could indeed turn a person into a monster.

He glanced at the panicked Ryoko Fueguchi almost imperceptibly.

"You'll be fine until you've completely lost your value."

The implication is that captured ghouls of value in [Cokria] will not be destroyed, but their locations and rations are limited. Once they run out of value, they will face destruction. After saying this to Fueguchi Ryoko, Yomi shut her mouth, as her mood was not so pleasant due to the surroundings.

"Thank you."

Ryoko Fueguchi nodded. This was a reminder from the [Sword Demon]. If she didn't want to be destroyed, she had to prove her worth. As long as she survived, there was hope.

Identity verification and security check.

Facing the guards' suspicious and probing gazes, Huang Quan returned the [Panming Sword] with a cold and sharp look. The guards sensed his overwhelming aura, a stark contrast to that of ghouls and investigators, and they all averted their eyes.

'This is really annoying...'

I felt restless, uneasy, and had an urge to raze this place to the ground.

After completing the procedures for detaining Ryoko Fueguchi, Kureo Mado then obtained the signed documents for the interrogation of the "Priest." As a senior investigator, he indeed had the right to request the cooperation of "Cochlia" during the investigation. Everything went smoothly, and in an unusually cold and dimly lit room, Yomi met the "Priest" her teacher had mentioned.

He stood in the bright, clean room, his expression gentle and polite, yet possessing an aura of evil that seemed to seep from the very depths of his being. For a fleeting moment, Huang Quan thought he was seeing Hannibal Lecter, the equally intelligent cannibalistic monster from "The Silence of the Lambs"!

"Oh! Is Death knocking on the door again? I'm always flattered by your visits."

A deep, magnetic voice came through the vents, even through a thick layer of glass. The SS-rank ghoul, [Father] Donato Prupla, was observing Yomi, who stood behind Mado Kureo, with great interest.

"Heh heh! [Father], how have you been lately?"

The priest's gaze shifted to Mado Kureo, the man he called the Grim Reaper, who was exceptionally dangerous. It was precisely because he was reckless that he was dangerous.

“I’ve been doing pretty well except for seeing you. It’s a pity I didn’t get to see my son this time.”

"Don't worry, as long as you keep stubbornly clinging to life, you'll definitely see Amon-kun." Those strangely sized eyes revealed a cruel aura like that of the Grim Reaper. To the ghoul species, Mado Kureo was like the Grim Reaper, impartially bestowing death upon them as a generous gift!

Nothing is more terrifying than "him".

Even after repeatedly sensing the deathly and destructive aura emanating from Mado Kureo, the [Priest] would instinctively want this man dead. He had originally predicted that this man would eventually collide with a powerful fellow human and lose his life, but now it seemed the situation was not as he had anticipated.

Was it because of the sharp-eyed girl behind him?

This is truly an unexpected delight...

"Come on, you old bastard, tell me about the poor piglets that used to be locked up in this pigsty! It doesn't matter if you can't tell me, that way I can get my hands on them legitimately!"

Mado Kureo stared at the priest with a sinister grin, his forehead almost pressed against the thick glass wall. His manic and ferocious aura penetrated the barrier and enveloped the priest. It was less of an interrogation and more of a hope that the priest wouldn't cooperate, so that a decision could be made against his already worthless conscience.

Yomi could sense Mado's unwavering urgency.

The priest waved his hand repeatedly, signaling Mado Kureo not to be so impatient.

"Haha! Don't be in such a hurry, I'll definitely cooperate obediently, Mr. Death! And please understand that I'm an old man with no relatives or friends here, it's hard to even find someone to chat with." The priest stopped keeping him in suspense, otherwise the Grim Reaper in front of him would have stormed in yelling.

"Name or code name".

"Jason! Yamori!"

"That's quite a name, even I, an old codger locked in the deepest cell, have heard of it. It's just a pity it's too fragile, I can't muster any interest in it at all. What's the point of escaping? My heart will still be in the cage, hahahahahaha!"

Amidst the unrestrained laughter, Huang Quan heard a devil shrieking. Even through the thick glass, she could feel the intense, overwhelming evil emanating from the priest.

"He shouldn't pose much of a threat to you, he's just a stray dog."

Despite his fierce and tyrannical appearance, Jason was nothing but a useless figurehead in the priest's eyes, and would not be given any importance even if used as a pawn.

"continue."

"However, his friend is quite interesting. Mr. Death, is a visible enemy more terrifying, or an invisible one? Stop looking at Jason, look at yourself... what you're ignoring."

The priest made a praying gesture; he was praying.

Like a clergyman who has just heard a confession, his expression was devout and solemn, seemingly gentle yet revealing boundless cruelty. At this moment, the seemingly harmless lamb revealed its deep, abyss-like darkness. The priest and Death looked at each other with sinister smiles, both thinking the same thing.

"Alright, the interrogation is over. Let's go."

"Please bring Amon next time, Mr. Death."

Watching the man, who resembled the Grim Reaper, slowly disappear into the darkness outside the room with the sharp and frightening girl, the priest, as if he had thought of something extremely amusing, burst into laughter. The laughter was unrestrained and exaggerated, like that of a clown on stage.

Chapter Seventy: Stripping!

"I want to kill him."

On the spiral corridor of [Cochlea], two white figures walked unhurriedly, one in front of the other. The silver-haired girl, half a step behind, suddenly spoke, and this unexpected statement made Mado Kureo, who was in front, turn around and glance at her. This was the first time that his disciple Yomi had so clearly stated that she wanted to kill a certain ghoul.

The "he" here should refer to the priest.

"It's rare to see someone as calm as you act impulsively."

Mado Kureo had not expected Yomi to react so strongly to the priest. Even during the encounter in Area 11, when Yomi was knocked down by Rize Kamishiro, she had not shown such a clear intention.

"What's the reason?"

"intuition."

Huang Quan's intuition told her that the [Priest] was more dangerous than any other ghoul, even if he stayed obediently inside [Cochlea]. This was an intuition without reason, and Huang Quan felt that it was indeed a bit far-fetched as a reason to want to kill the Priest.

Mado Kureo, who always relied on intuition as his reasoning, experienced an indescribable sense of absurdity for the first time, as Yomi actually answered him with intuition.

Unfortunately, Mado couldn't refute Yomi!

"But he's very valuable. To kill him, you'd need at least a Special Class Investigator's permission." After all, he was an SS-rank ghoul captured alive at the cost of a Special Class Investigator's life, and he possessed a wealth of useful information. No matter how you look at it, you wouldn't easily destroy him.

Huang Quan also understood this principle.

Unnecessary worries and anxieties are futile, and she quickly suppressed this instinct deep within her heart. Although Mado Kureo's interrogation of the "priest" was brief and veiled, and Yomi didn't understand what her teacher had gained, Mado Kureo still allowed Yomi to set off alone to return to the 20th ward.

He himself set off for headquarters, supposedly to retrieve a new Quinque for Amon.

Before leaving, Mado Kureo instructed Yomi not to rush to reveal any information about Aogiri Tree. Intervening in Area 11 without orders would be against regulations. If Aogiri Tree's ambitions were significant, the battle in Area 11 would inevitably intensify, at which point Raven could provide support.

Until then, we just need to pry more information out of Ryoko Fueguchi.

It's believed that Huang Quan will be shuttling between District 20 and District 23 for a long time to come.

The search missions for "Rabbit" and "Black Dog" have been temporarily put on hold, and the possible mutual aid ghoul groups in the 20th ward have only been filed in documents.

Looking at the huge pile of reports he needed to process, Huang Quan rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache.

But why?!

Forget about Yamen's report; consider it taking care of a patient—Huang Quan still has that much compassion. But who can tell her that she also has to handle her own teacher's report?! Haven't they been dealing with documents non-stop these past few days? Are they so busy that they can't even write a report?

While processing reports from the Crow Squad at the 20th District branch, Huang Quan, whose hands were sore and numb from writing, was greeted by a guest.

Ken Kaneki.

When Kaneki Ken appeared in the reception hall of Ward 20, Yomi thought she had misheard. The promise she made back then should now be fulfilled.

"It seems you're ready." These were the first words Yomi said to Kaneki. Kaneki Ken had almost made up his mind. Whatever the reason, he was determined not to back down. It happened faster than Yomi expected; something must have triggered something in Kaneki.

"Yes."

Wearing an eye patch, Kaneki nodded vigorously; he had indeed suffered a considerable shock that day.

He could only watch helplessly as others fought desperately, and as Hinami cried out in anguish after Ryoko was taken away. Kaneki felt even more strongly that there was something he could do. Just as Yoshimura had said, he was the only one who existed simultaneously in both the human and ghoul worlds; he could do things that many others couldn't!