"When exactly did you develop the illusion that I would personally intervene?"
Those icy words struck like a hammer, shattering Yoshimura's confidence and his pity for Luo Shu's supposed death, replacing them with the terror of realising he'd been played like a fiddle all along.
"I see now..."
"The first Kagune attack wasn't dodged - the test subject had already been killed by me."
"The Kagune bullet barrage wasn't avoided - the target had already died under my fire."
"And finally, that version of you pierced by the Kagune... was that to demonstrate the regular officer's carelessness?"
"How cruel... giving us hope of victory, only to personally snuff it out at the end..."
By now, Yoshimura's face was deathly pale.
"This was indeed a test through and through."
The test conductors were regular police officers. The test subject was the Ghoul Yoshimura.
And the results proved that under conditions limited to submachine guns and three types of bullets, just three regular officers could trade their lives for one SSS-rated Ghoul.
Is this the foundation of this world's strength?
Nearby, having witnessed Luo Shu dissipate and reappear, and seeing Yoshimura's emotional collapse, Touka Kirishima roared:
"You bastard! Were you toying with us from the very beginning?!"
"Shh!!"
Luo Shu raised a finger to his lips, signalling Touka to be silent:
"Don't shout so loudly. That only proves your weakness to me."
"You fucking bastard!!!"
Enraged by these words, Touka lost control instantly. The Kagune on her back unfurled like crimson butterfly wings ready for flight.
However...
"How insignificant..."
With Luo Shu's emotionless murmur,
Touka's entire body suddenly erupted with countless wounds.
Scarlet blood sprayed forth, staining the gravel beneath them crimson.
"Touka!" Kaya Irimi's pupils contracted sharply as she immediately turned to attack Luo Shu.
But in the next instant.
Thud! Thud!
Two massive holes were torn through Kaya's chest and abdomen, as if pierced by two invisible giant hands.
Thump. Thump.
Both women collapsed powerlessly to the ground, their slender forms swiftly painting the earth scarlet.
Witnessing all this, Yoshimura silently observed his two juniors who could only twitch on the ground. When he raised his head again, the light in his eyes as he looked at Luo Shu had vanished:
"Is this your true power?"
"No, this is your power."
Luo Shu, sitting casually on a rock, said nonchalantly:
"I merely redirected the misfortune you bestowed upon those regular officers and sent it their way instead."
Hearing this, Yoshimura's pupils constricted before he burst into loud laughter:
"I see... You sent my attack back at them..."
"So that's how it is, that's how it is..."
At this point, Yoshimura covered his mouth and viciously bit his own hand:
"To reflect all enemy attacks... what a shameless ability, what an overbearing power."
Every attack transformed into suffering for his own side - how could he, Yoshimura, deal with such an enemy? How should he deal with them?
He simply couldn't!
"So from the very beginning, this so-called test held no chance of victory."
Yoshimura released his hand, ignoring the rapidly healing wound, and spoke in a calm tone.
Luo Shu smiled as he looked at the only one still standing:
"That depends on how you view this test."
Yoshimura paused at these words, then calmly raised his head to meet Luo Shu's gaze:
"What do you want from me?"
Luo Shu toyed with an hourglass beside him, flipping it over.
Seeing this, Yoshimura remained silent for a moment before reversing his previous question:
"What can I do for you?"
Luo Shu smiled at the quick-witted Yoshimura:
"You should be asking what the authorities need."
'What do the authorities need?' Yoshimura pondered briefly before replying:
"You need the Ghoul intelligence I possess?"
As an SSS-rated Ghoul who favoured peaceful coexistence with humans, Yoshimura held extensive information about Ghouls.
Such information maintained value even across worlds.
At the very least, he could identify particularly dangerous Ghouls.
Facing this cooperative Yoshimura, Luo Shu merely smiled:
"With just that, you can't protect those close to you."
Hearing this, Yoshimura glanced at Touka Kirishima and Kaya Irimi lying in pools of blood.
Despite Ghouls' regenerative abilities, neither showed any signs of recovery, demonstrating how brutally the forced misfortune had affected them.
Looking at these two whom he'd practically raised as daughters, Yoshimura took a deep breath and turned back to Luo Shu:
"I once worked as a cleaner for an organisation, handling tasks they couldn't undertake openly."
"If required, I could resume that role."
He paused briefly before adding:
"Beyond that... I have no other skills to offer."
Only now did Yoshimura comprehend his own inadequacy.
From childhood, he'd only known how to fight Ghouls. As an adult, he'd only known how to kill for others. In old age, apart from the pastry and coffee skills honed through running a café, he possessed no other abilities, leaving him with nothing to bargain except the value of serving as Luo Shu's white glove.
Yoshimura experienced for the first time the frustration of wishing he'd read more books when they were needed.
"White glove, huh..."
Luo Shu narrowed his eyes, scanning Yoshimura before smiling slightly:
"Even if my orders would result in the deaths of all Ghouls?"
Yoshimura replied calmly: "...As long as those I care about survive, and no innocents are harmed, the deaths of countless Ghouls mean nothing to me."
"Cared ones and innocents..."
Luo Shu gave Yoshimura a rather surprised look:
"If you weren't a Ghoul, I think we'd get along quite well."
As he spoke, he jumped down from the rock, patted his trousers to dust them off, and walked towards Yoshimura.
This time, Yoshimura didn't move against him, simply watching as Luo Shu approached, then reached out to touch Kaya Irimi and Touka Kirishima.
Under Luo Shu's touch, their injuries rapidly healed, completely recovering in less than half a minute.
"This..." Yoshimura was utterly astonished.
He recognised this wasn't Ghoul regeneration - Luo Shu had taken something away instead.
What kind of bizarre ability was this?
As Yoshimura stood shocked, Luo Shu glanced at the scowling Touka Kirishima climbing up from the ground and smirked:
"No screaming this time?"
Hearing this, Touka stamped her feet furiously, glaring at Luo Shu with fiery eyes, but didn't dare attack again.
Though she'd been down, she'd heard Luo Shu and Yoshimura's conversation. Knowing the manager had compromised for their sake, she couldn't risk reckless action now.
Seeing Touka restrain herself, Luo Shu sighed regretfully:
"What a pity."
"I rather preferred the easily provoked version of you - much more entertaining."
Touka's face darkened further, nearly achieving perfect blackface cosplay.
Then Luo Shu turned, addressing all three with his back to them:
"Within three hours, compile complete dossiers on all Ghouls under your purview - including any you consider 'white-listed' - and submit them to me..."
A smartphone came flying towards them.
Touka caught it hastily as Luo Shu continued:
"This is your first assignment. I expect no... complications."
With that, Luo Shu prepared to leave.
Watching his retreating back, Touka merely tightened her grip on the phone.
Unexpectedly, Luo Shu suddenly paused and turned back to Yoshimura:
"Actually, one personal question."
The trio froze.
Luo Shu asked curiously:
"How did you end up renting Kogoro Mouri's shop space?"
The three blinked, having anticipated something more serious.
After hesitation, Yoshimura explained:
"Partly because there are many corpses in Beika Town - convenient for collection. Partly because we lacked funds, limiting us to small shops. But also..."
He hesitated before adding uncertainly:
"I always had this feeling... that around Mr Kogoro Mouri's vicinity, one could rather easily... stumble upon corpses."
"I see... a Ghoul's instinct for food..."
Luo Shu chuckled and shook his head:
"As expected, that Conan fellow being called the Grim Reaper means Kogoro Mouri bears some responsibility too."
After saying this, Luo Shu glanced at the vehicle Kisara had parked by the roadside. Before getting in, he said:
"You can continue using Kogoro Mouri's shop as your base. I'll handle the official issues for you."
With that, Luo Shu opened the car door and looked at them:
"Let's hope you prove somewhat useful."
Having spoken, Luo Shu got in the car and left, leaving Yoshimura and the other two standing in silence.
Only when the car had disappeared from view, its engine noise completely faded, did Touka Kirishima mutter under her breath:
"What's with that monster... He didn't show us an ounce of respect the entire time."
"You should be grateful we're still alive," Kaya Irimi said helplessly beside her.
Who could have imagined that man—handsome-faced and absurdly young—would be so terrifyingly powerful?
She hadn't even been able to react before being critically wounded in an instant.
She was an SS-rated Ghoul, yet in Luo Shu's hands, she might as well have been made of tofu.
At this point, Yoshimura, still recovering from his injuries, coughed dryly and said with a bitter smile:
"Well... it seems we have no choice but to betray our kind this once."
Touka Kirishima scoffed at this: "I wouldn't call those bastards 'our kind' anyway."
Compared to the Ghouls of Anteiku, the ones running wild outside were hardly decent.
And truth be told, it was their reckless actions that provoked the authorities and brought Luo Shu down on them, subjecting their group to this undeserved calamity.
Given the circumstances, Touka wasn't just willing to betray them—she'd consider it a favour not to settle scores with them first.
Noticing Touka's displeasure, Yoshimura chuckled:
"Touka has a point."
"Never mind."
"Let's focus on ourselves. No one is responsible for anyone else."
With that, Yoshimura sighed deeply:
"Gather the others. Let's return and organise the information. We'll save as many of the Ghouls we've supported as we can."
After all, if faced with the same situation again, Yoshimura truly lacked the courage to confront Luo Shu another time.
Fighting that monster? He'd rather take on Kishou Arima, the strongest human in their world.
At least with Arima, he understood the nature of his strength.
But Luo Shu's power...
That was something entirely beyond his comprehension.
That man's strength was just too unnatural!