With the ghouls joining the manpower, the progress bar for searching for the "Dragon's" core visibly advanced by a large margin.
There was no helping it. In some matters, ghouls truly had advantages over humans.
They were completely immune to the red poisonous gas that caused humans to mutate.
During battles, they did not have to constantly worry about accidentally inhaling it or avoid moving through the mist like human investigators did.
Their movements were unrestricted. Ghouls could charge directly into dangerous areas and fight more straightforwardly.
They could even use the terrain and their speed to lure out those troublesome "Dragon Orphans" and eliminate them.
However, this was ultimately a massive undertaking. Facing that enormous creature occupying a large portion of Tokyo,
even with the elite forces of Aogiri Tree added in, quickly locating its core weakness was not something that could be accomplished in a day or two.
But the most immediate effect was this. The casualty rate among the human investigators had significantly decreased.
Previously, when they encountered those monsters that could "explode and release poisonous mist," human squads often had to pay a heavy price to deal with them.
Now, these high-risk targets were often taken on by ghouls directly or eliminated quickly through joint operations, greatly reducing the pressure on the human forces behind them.
Of course, with the cooperation only just beginning, expecting both sides to immediately become as close as family was just a dream.
There were definitely conflicts. Situations where they disliked each other, whispered complaints in private, or even looked at each other coldly were not uncommon.
The human side had years of hatred and suspicion. The ghouls also had their pride and unwillingness to submit.
But the situation was right in front of them. The shared threat was truly hanging above their heads, forcing both sides to put their backs together. They had crouched in the same trenches,endured attacks together, and after enough times, even if they did not say it out loud, a certain awkward understanding based on actual combat would gradually be forged.
This change required time, but at least, there was now a direction.
Once cooperation was established, the situation immediately became different. The ghouls could now be considered to have "official positions."
The TSC headquarters that had once made ghouls tremble in fear and avoid even passing by,
now occasionally had ghouls casually walking in and out.
The deployed mission teams also settled into a fixed configuration, basically becoming a standard formation of "three humans and two ghouls."
On this day, Nishio Nishiki wandered into the logistics area. With a glance, he locked onto that familiar figure.
He casually bought a can of coffee from the vending machine, walked over, and gently placed it on the table in front of Nishino Kimi.
"Hello there, beautiful lady. Do you have time to chat for a bit?" he said with a smile in his voice.
Hearing his voice, Nishino Kimi's shoulders trembled slightly. She turned her head, and as expected, it was him.
"Nishiki..."
Nishio Nishiki casually leaned against the edge of the table and looked down at her.
His voice softened.
"I've been looking for you. Before... why did you go to Kanou Akihiro's place?"
Nishino Kimi was silent for a moment. She opened the can and took a small sip, then softly said.
"I wanted to learn his knowledge. The knowledge about the essence of ghouls and humans."
"And after learning it?"
Nishio Nishiki continued looking at her gently, at the woman he loved most.
Nishino Kimi raised her head. Her gaze was clear and determined.
"To achieve my dream. So that in this world, no one can point fingers anymore."
"So that I, who am human, and Nishiki, who is a ghoul, can live together openly and honestly."
Nishio Nishiki stared at her for a long time. Then he suddenly smiled, his expression filled with pride and warmth.
"Just as expected of the woman I love."
...
The search work on the front lines continued.
In the original story, Kaneki Ken's wedding ring could be used as a target for a metal detector to locate the core.
Now without that convenience, they could only rely on the simplest method. They divided the "Dragon's" mountain-like body into sections and dug through them piece by piece like farmland, inspecting every area.
Time passed day after day during this tedious and difficult task.
After fighting side by side many times, the cooperation between human investigators and ghouls became increasingly smooth.
The tense and defensive atmosphere from the beginning unknowingly faded considerably.
Boom!
At this moment, a violent tremor suddenly came from beneath their feet. In the distance, the "Dragon's" body visibly twisted and rose!
"Attention! The 'Dragon' has begun moving again!"
"Monitoring team! Report the exact data and direction of movement!"
Inside the command room, Marude Itsuki grabbed the communicator, and his voice immediately spread through all frontline channels.
"All units, attention! The 'Dragon' has once again entered an active state! The primary mission is to ensure your own safety.
Immediately evacuate the current operation area and follow the predetermined emergency avoidance plan! Repeat, safety comes first!"
The "Dragon" moving again was absolutely not a good sign.
This meant it was about to begin large-scale feeding to replenish energy.
Following that, its body would expand dozens of times in a short period, like a balloon being inflated.
Once that happened, the difficulty of searching for the core would no longer be what it was now. It would practically become an impossible mission.
After Marude Itsuki issued the emergency evacuation orders, he could no longer suppress the irritation in his heart and slammed his fist onto the control console.
"Fuck!"
Nothing was going smoothly. So many days had passed, and there was not even a trace of the core.
Now this thing was about to begin a second stage of growth. At this rate, when would they ever find it?
Not to mention those colleagues who had been infected by the poisonous gas and turned into ghouls. Even now, there was still no method to return them to normal.
If it were not for the fact that both sides had barely entered a cooperative relationship, these people would instantly change from comrades into enemies who had to be exterminated.
...
The corridor outside the headquarters conference room was completely quiet.
Amano Hiro and Arima Kishou stood side by side in front of the enormous floor-to-ceiling window, silently watching the creature in the city that moved slowly like a mountain range.
"Your lifespan," Amano Hiro looked outside the window, his tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather.
"It should be almost over, right?"
"Mm. Probably."
Arima Kishou's answer was equally calm.
There was not the slightest trace of anxiety or fear about his approaching death, as if he was simply stating a fact unrelated to himself.
"Then why not try inhaling some of the 'Dragon's' poisonous gas?"
Amano Hiro suggested, his voice impossible to tell whether he was serious or merely casual.
"Although you will become a ghoul, it might complete the flaws of your half-human body and extend your life."
Arima Kishou was silent for a moment.
"No."
He finally spoke. His gaze remained fixed on the distant "Dragon."
"The world I want to see, although it is only a rough shape right now... I believe you will make it into something proper."
Hearing this answer, Amano Hiro did not try to persuade him again.
"I see."
He softly responded.
The two fell silent once again. Only from the distant city outside the window, the heavy vibrations caused by that inhuman creature's slow movement faintly reached them, like the beating of a heart.
The "Dragon's" movements were smaller than expected.
It did not immediately begin the kind of violent activity that would overturn the world. Instead, it was like a sleeping giant turning over in its dreams.
Its enormous body slowly and unsettlingly writhed for a while, crushing the ruins beneath it and creating endless dull rumbling sounds.
Just as everyone tensed their nerves, preparing for a more violent change, it slowly stopped again, returning to a state of near-deathly stillness.
There was only one difference.
The enormous and strange eyes scattered across its surface like stars had not closed.
Instead, they began flickering irregularly, brightening and dimming.
Like countless irregularly beating hearts, they emitted a faint and ominous glow beneath the gloomy sky, as if they were gathering something.
This kind of calm was instead more unsettling than violent movement.