The six black-red tentacles rapidly extended and retracted mid-air, the air cracking like firecrackers.
Boom!
The tentacles slammed into the gravel-covered ground.
The compacted earth, hardened over years of pressure, was pierced as easily as tofu; the impact sent spiderweb cracks radiating outward and kicked up a thick cloud of dust.
Yoshimura's Kagune, extending from his spine, slowly retracted, the massive tentacles that had pierced the ground withdrawing like whips, writhing in the air.
He frowned slightly as he surveyed the shattered ground—Luo Shu was nowhere to be seen.
"Vanished?"
"No, he was definitely standing there when I attacked... Did he dodge with incredible speed?"
Yoshimura's Kagune gradually spread across his body, forming a sturdy armour, while his face was now concealed behind a mask resembling bleached bone, with a single crimson eye exposed.
Scanning the area with that lone red eye, he soon spotted Luo Shu, completely unharmed.
His heart sank.
"A speed-type opponent... Troublesome..."
Meanwhile, Luo Shu, holding the white metal case, calmly observed the six cracked craters three metres ahead.
"Attack speed is fast—hundreds of metres per second, possibly higher. However, the range appears to be limited to approximately thirty metres. Maximum distance yet to be confirmed."
"So this is the Kagune that Ghouls use for combat?"
He studied the six tentacles extending from Yoshimura's back—the biological weapons known as Kagune, unique to Ghouls.
As he spoke, he deliberately widened the distance, stopping only when he reached fifty metres.
Yoshimura watched silently, hesitant to act. Luo Shu's earlier display of speed left him uncertain, and he was wary of the young man's methods.
Just as Luo Shu sought to test a Ghoul's combat capabilities, Yoshimura also wanted to understand how the strong of this world fought.
In gathering combat data, their goals aligned.
"The aura of misfortune has vanished. So, the maximum attack range of those tentacles is fifty metres?"
Luo Shu's calm remark didn't escape Yoshimura's sharp hearing.
"Heh. To deduce my attack range from just one strike... You're quite terrifying, young man."
Yoshimura chuckled, his single red eye scrutinising Luo Shu—and the white metal case in his hand.
"Aren't you going to use your Quinque?"
Given Luo Shu's precise identification of his identity earlier, Yoshimura naturally assumed he possessed detailed intel on Ghouls—including the specialised anti-Ghoul weapons known as Quinque.
In his original world, Quinque were always stored in white metal cases. Out of habit, he took Luo Shu's case to contain one.
"Quinque?" Luo Shu's lips curled in amusement. "When did I ever say the case contained something like a Quinque?"
As he spoke, Luo Shu lifted the metal case and unclasped the fastener with a click.
The white metal case opened under its own weight, revealing its contents.
At the sight of the objects inside, Yoshimura fell silent:
"...A submachine gun? And ammunition magazines?"
Indeed, Luo Shu's metal case didn't contain a Quinque, but rather a Minebea PM-9 submachine gun.
"The Minebea PM-9 has an effective range of 80-100 metres, 25-round magazine capacity, and a theoretical rate of fire at 750 rounds per minute. Standard equipment for the Metropolitan Police Department, Self-Defence Forces and special police units."
While explaining, Luo Shu single-handedly picked up the submachine gun while retrieving two magazines with his right hand.
Thud!
The metal case hit the ground, kicking up dust.
Witnessing Luo Shu wield modern weaponry, Yoshimura remained silent for a moment before remarking:
"I see... So this truly is a test..."
After this observation, he inquired further:
"Are you currently roleplaying as a tester? Or rather, whose perspective are you adopting?"
"Just an ordinary armed police officer."
Luo Shu flashed Yoshimura a smile before pulling the trigger.
Rat-tat-tat!!
Muzzle flashes erupted from the submachine gun.
The supersonic bullets gave Yoshimura no opportunity to dodge.
Yet he didn't evade.
Amidst the pinging impacts, the Kagune armour covering Yoshimura's body deflected every bullet with its formidable hardness.
After two seconds, Yoshimura emerged unscathed from the submachine gun's barrage, patiently explaining:
"Submachine gun rounds are lethal against any Ghoul. Unfortunately, Kakuja, who can spread their Kagune across their entire body, are different."
"Especially for SSS-rated Ghouls, firearms are ineffective."
Yoshimura expected Luo Shu to discard his weapon, but the young man's reaction remained composed.
"After Kakuja transformation, an SSS-rated Ghoul can withstand standard submachine gun ammunition."
Luo Shu's words were transmitted via the communication device on his collar to Kisara, who was stationed on the nearby mountain path.
Miss Kisara was currently taking notes on the data Luo Shu provided.
"If standard rounds are ineffective, then..."
With lightning-fast reflexes, Luo Shu swapped the magazine:
"What about armour-piercing bullets?"
The moment these words left Luo Shu's mouth, Yoshimura suddenly leapt into the air.
Simultaneously, tentacle-like Kagune unfurled from his back like spider legs, forming an ominous canopy above Luo Shu.
The next instant, black-red spikes rained down like a deadly hailstorm, blanketing every possible escape route.
Clearly, this was a premeditated attack from Yoshimura.
The projectiles weren't ordinary—they were a Ghoul's Kagune.
Possessing bullet-like velocity yet greater durability and size, a single hit could prove fatal to humans.
This torrential assault descended upon Luo Shu like a monsoon, threatening to engulf him completely.
Yet at this precise moment, a faint sigh drifted through the air.
"...Mr Yoshimura, you're being quite dishonest!"
Yoshimura, mid-air, barely had time to blink before Luo Shu—who should have been riddled like a hedgehog by the Kagune—vanished from his sight like a ghost once more.
"What?"
Yoshimura was utterly shocked.
At that very moment, Luo Shu's figure abruptly appeared on the mountain-ringed road to his right. In the blink of an eye, he raised his submachine gun and pulled the trigger at Yoshimura, who was still falling through the air.
Rat-tat-tat—!
The sound of gunfire erupted.
Yoshimura, in mid-air, grunted, rolled upon landing and immediately distanced himself from Luo Shu.
Like a giant leopard, he swiftly retreated to the cliffside railing using both hands and feet, his tentacle-like Kagune writhing menacingly in the air as he warily watched Luo Shu.
"Oh? Armour-piercing bullets actually work?"
Luo Shu, holding the submachine gun, observed the dense pockmarks on Yoshimura's chest with slight surprise:
"Seems your armour only has light tank-level defence... oh?"
As Luo Shu spoke, Yoshimura's bullet wounds visibly healed before their eyes.
Unfazed, Luo Shu calmly remarked:
"Armour-piercing bullets are effective. Target's defence approximates light tank armour. However, their excessive penetration power creates wounds that the target's rapid regeneration heals within approximately two seconds."
"Therefore, armour-piercing rounds aren't recommended. Specialised ammunition required."
After dictating these observations for Kisara to record, Luo Shu finally addressed Yoshimura with genuine admiration:
"Who'd have thought bullets could become ineffective precisely because they're too powerful at penetrating flesh..."
"Ghoul regeneration is truly formidable. Compared to sorcerers' recovery abilities, the advantage is quite apparent!"
Had Yoshimura been facing an Elite Rank sorcerer relying on ability-enhanced physical attacks or a martial artist, his regeneration alone would have granted an overwhelming advantage, trading minor injuries for lethal counterattacks.
This was the inherent superiority of different species.
Yoshimura felt no pleasure at Luo Shu's praise, only deepening wariness:
"To render me helpless with mere firearms... you're truly terrifying, young man..."
What truly unsettled Yoshimura wasn't the gunfire's power - he'd experienced comparable weapons in his original world.
The real terror was Luo Shu's previously demonstrated phantom-like speed.
Whether dodging Kagune tentacle thrusts or Kagune barrages, Luo Shu's two instantaneous disappearances and reappearances left Yoshimura profoundly alarmed.
So far, Yoshimura had displayed his Kagune tentacles, Kagune projectiles, Kakuja armour defence and Ghoul regeneration.
Yet Luo Shu, beyond his ghostly speed, had only employed a submachine gun with armour-piercing rounds.
Yoshimura never imagined that such simple equipment could put him in such difficulty.
No, not difficulty. This was being toyed with.
"Time check - two minutes elapsed."
Luo Shu glanced at the hourglass on a nearby rock before addressing the vigilant Yoshimura:
"If armour-piercing rounds are ineffective, we'll need proper ammunition."
As he spoke, he ejected the half-spent magazine and loaded his final clip.
"9mm specialised Cursed Spirit Bullets. Muzzle velocity 800m/s. 25-round capacity. Manufactured by Japan's Onmyou Agency. Ten dollars per round - practically oozing money."
Aiming the submachine gun at Yoshimura, Luo Shu smiled:
"Were you planning to follow your original strategy—jump off the cliff into the forest below to evade my bullets?"
Yoshimura's heart stirred at these words, though he wasn't surprised Luo Shu had discerned his plan.
For Ghouls, the best countermeasure against modern weaponry was always to retreat into terrain dense with obstacles—forests, or the interiors of buildings.
Such environments were ideal for Ghouls to leverage close-quarters urban combat tactics, the very secret that allowed their kind to resist authorities in their original world.
As a veteran Ghoul with decades of experience in such battles, Yoshimura could maximise their advantages even in forested terrain.
Yet the next moment, Luo Shu's words dispelled that notion.
"...But if you flee, I'll have no choice but to test these bullets on Miss Touka over there, who's been watching the show~~"
Hearing this, Yoshimura followed Luo Shu's gaze upwards along the mountain road, immediately spotting Touka Kirishima hiding behind a road sign.
"Touka? Why did she follow...?"
Yoshimura's voice darkened, his crimson eye flickering.
If he jumped, Touka would become the target. But if he didn't, those so-called Cursed Spirit Bullets...
After a brief hesitation, he sighed softly, straightened his posture, and slowly advanced towards Luo Shu.
Seeing Yoshimura abandon escape and instead walk straight towards his gun, Luo Shu's lips curled in delight:
"Wise choice!"
The next instant, he pulled the trigger.
————Bang!