The 24th Ward of Tokyo.
As the only area in the entire city that had not been fully explored by the CCG, and the only one without a CCG branch office, this place could be called a complete paradise for ghouls.
It was entirely different from the previous twenty-three wards.
Those areas were all modern, ground-level cities where humans and ghouls coexisted.
The 24th Ward, however, was a massive labyrinth built entirely underground.
The walls of this maze were constructed out of ghouls’ kagune, making it incredibly difficult to explore or destroy.
Because of this, the CCG had deployed a large number of investigators at the entrances of the 24th Ward and built bases there—not to continue exploring, but to stay alert in case the ghouls inside tried to break out.
No one knew where those underground tunnels led, but according to existing CCG intelligence, this vast underground labyrinth had already branched out beneath several neighboring wards.
Mado Kureo had once brought up a theory during an internal CCG briefing, suspecting that the 24th Ward had actually spread throughout the entirety of Tokyo’s underground long ago.
However, the idea was far too terrifying, and no one wanted to believe it.
If that were truly the case, it meant that another entire ghoul society existed right beneath the feet of Tokyo’s human population.
Once a piece of news like that got out, it would cause massive social chaos.
When Kenji drove his pickup truck to the entrance of the 24th Ward, besides seeing a large number of CCG investigators on high alert, he also spotted a familiar face: Shinohara Yukinori.
”Ah, Mr.
Kenji is here!”
Before the pickup truck could even come to a full stop in front of the CCG base, Shinohara Yukinori walked over quickly to greet him.
He had received word from Mado Kureo early on, which was why he was waiting here for Kenji.
”I really didn’t expect you to go to the 24th Ward, Mr.
Kenji.
I was quite surprised when Kureo told me about it.”
”Generally speaking, the 24th Ward is only open to internal CCG personnel, and regular people aren’t allowed anywhere near here.
But since you intend to go in to clear out ghouls, we will naturally make an exception.”
When it came to Kenji, Shinohara Yukinori felt it was best to be as respectful as possible.
After all, this was a powerhouse who could take down S-rate ghouls without even relying on a Quinque.
That was why he had made a special trip out here himself.
He had already reported Kenji’s entry into the 24th Ward to the CCG higher-ups, and the leadership had even held a special meeting just for this.
Thanks to strong recommendations from both Shinohara Yukinori and Mado Kureo, the agenda was passed very quickly.
”It’s all just to kill ghouls anyway.”
Kenji got out of the truck, lit a cigarette, and took a deep puff.
He held it for five or six seconds before exhaling, his eyes narrowing slightly.
”This is the map and intelligence we have cleared so far,” Shinohara Yukinori said, handing a map and a document to Kenji while pointing at the areas marked on it to explain.
”According to our information, the number of ghouls in the 24th Ward is terrifying—more than all the other twenty-three wards combined. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
Furthermore, most of the ghouls inside feed through cannibalism, so a lot of frightening Kakuja have been born.”
”Most of these Kakuja are incomplete ones.
In all these years, we only know of one full Kakuja, the One-Eyed Owl!”
”The One-Eyed Owl’s strength is terrifying.
If you run into it in there, you must retreat immediately.
Do not stay and fight…”
”The rest of these are the stronger ghouls we’ve marked out.
Their strength hovers somewhere between S-rate and SS-rate…”
…
”Also, this is a special communication device made internally by the CCG.
It can keep a connection even deep underground.
If you want to come out later, Mr.
Kenji, you can contact me through it.
The battery on this device can last for three days, and I’ve included three extra batteries…”
Kenji took the communication device.
While listening to Shinohara Yukinori’s explanation just now, he had also been studying the map in his hand.
He now had a rough understanding of what kind of place the 24th Ward was.
Because there were no humans inside and the entrances were heavily locked down by the CCG, the ghouls inside resorted to cannibalism.
This constant cannibalism forced them to band together into various small factions to survive.
The leaders of these smaller groups were usually S-rate.
These small factions would then form alliances or continue to merge, eventually coming together into massive organizations led by SS-rate ghouls.
As for the higher SSS-rate ghouls, Kenji only saw the One-Eyed Owl listed in the CCG’s data.
According to the CCG’s notes, the One-Eyed Owl hadn’t appeared in the 24th Ward for a very long time.
Kenji knew that this One-Eyed Owl was actually Takatsuki Sen, the creator of Aogiri Tree, so it was completely normal that she wasn’t in the 24th Ward.
In short, it was an incredibly chaotic, lawless, and dangerous underground maze.
But to Kenji, this place was practically a treasure chest!
With his strength, as long as an SSS-rate ghoul didn’t show up, he wouldn’t face any fatal threat.
He could easily take advantage of the chaotic situation inside the 24th Ward to fish in troubled waters, secretly taking down high-level ghouls to make himself stronger.
At the same time, he had to be careful not to reveal his human identity, or he would likely face a coordinated hunt by all the high-level ghouls in the entire 24th Ward.
It was a tunnel secured by a solid steel door that was twenty centimeters thick.
This time, Kenji didn’t bring any large-caliber firearms.
The terrain of the 24th Ward was an underground maze where those weapons couldn’t be used effectively anyway, and they were inconvenient to carry.
So, he only brought a few daggers, a handgun, several magazines, a few smoke grenades, and some explosives.
Once Kenji changed into his tactical gear, Shinohara Yukinori ordered the surrounding CCG staff to open the steel door.
At the same time, he drew his own Quinque, staying alert for any sudden situations.
Creak—
The steel door, which had been sealed for a long time, slowly opened.
There was no sound from within.
Kenji stood before the entrance, looking into a black, deep void that seemed to have no end.
”Be careful in there, Mr.
Kenji!”
Hearing Shinohara Yukinori’s voice from behind him, Kenji gave a slight nod and stepped straight through the entrance.
Bang—
The steel door slammed shut behind him.
The surroundings instantly plunged into pitch-black darkness, so dark that he couldn’t even see his own hand.
Huff— Huff—
The surrounding area was deathly quiet, with only the sound of Kenji’s own breathing.
Click—
Turning on his tactical flashlight, Kenji swept the beam across the area.
It was a square tunnel, about two meters high and one and a half meters wide, allowing two people to walk side by side at most.
The walls of this tunnel were formed out of kagune.
Kenji reached out to touch them, feeling a cold and slightly soft texture, much like flesh that had just been frozen.
Looking back, Kenji noticed that the steel door was covered in dark red bloodstains.
There were also quite a few fist imprints, as well as deep gashes left by massive claws.
Kenji stared at the claw marks for a moment, then withdrew his gaze.
Drawing his long blade, Kenji turned and walked deeper into the tunnel.
His figure was quickly swallowed by the darkness until he could no longer be seen.