The Crows Bite

District 19.

"God, things have been so chaotic lately. How can I keep my wife calm when many of the Ghoul attacks in the area are concentrated during my shift? I should consider transferring to another shift or location; the stress is killing me," said a Ghoul investigator as he walked through the well-lit streets of District 19 in a populated area.

His companion, a Class A investigator, subtly smiled and murmured, "Come on, as long as I'm your partner, you should tell your wife there's nothing to worry about. If things go south, I'll have your back as I always have."

"Haha, don't be arrogant. Even if you're a Special Class investigator, there won't be a difference with those monsters. By the way, don't you think everything has been quiet today?"

"Don't talk nonsense; maybe there aren't many Ghouls in our area..." Before his words could finish, a man ran out from the end of the alley, screaming for his life.

"Help!"

"Stop right there, don't move!" Shouted a Ghoul investigator, stopping the approaching figure threateningly.

This Ghoul investigator's attitude was natural; they didn't know if it was an enemy or a monster disguised as a civilian to deceive and kill them. These tactics were a bit dangerous, but they expected them in their training, so they didn't fall for these kinds of dangerous games.

"What are you saying?! I'm human. There are several Ghouls fighting right over there... I don't know what the hell is going on, but we need to get out of here. If those monsters catch up to us, we'll be killed." The man wanted to keep running but was stopped by the Ghoul investigator, so he pulled out a candy with planned wrapping and tossed it to the human.

"What's this?"

"I want you to try it and tell me what it tastes like. If you can't answer that question, then we can't trust you," said the Ghoul investigator in a vigilant tone. Since things started getting more intense in District 14, in District 19, they had implemented new methods to avoid falling into traps that were too easy to interpret.

Their hero complex was suppressed by their desire to keep living and eliminating Ghouls. Although they take care of humans, they must take care of themselves first to continue eliminating enemies.

This is undoubtedly a closer approach to survival. If they don't do it this way, they'll likely die from a senseless trap they could have escaped from.

"Are you freaking kidding me?!" The man who received the candy, instead of panicking, frowned and asked angrily. Were these CCG investigators protecting citizens? Why are they treating him as if he were the criminal to be eliminated? It makes no sense!

"Do it now!" The Ghoul investigator shouted while his companion checked the surroundings, but at that moment, a liquid and thick drop fell on his cheek.

"Eh?" The Ghoul investigator touched his cheek, and the first thing he saw was a reddish tint; it was blood.

"Up!" When he looked up at the sky, the Ghoul investigator froze completely.

"Impossible..." Above them, on the buildings, there were at least twenty figures covered in black trench coats and crow masks. Some of them had hidden their Kagunes, and others held gunpowder weapons in their hands.

"Dear Ghoul investigators, it would be very helpful if you drop your weapons and surrender without showing resistance. As a token of gratitude, we won't kill you, just take your Quinques and obviously that human who knows much more than he should have heard," said one of the Ghouls while his Kagune twisted behind his back, releasing a huge burst of blood from his back.

"In your dreams, you damn beasts!" Although death was the only path left for them, none of the Ghoul investigators wanted to surrender in this situation. They couldn't do it, so by pressing a button, their Quinques were released, and both established a distance from the Ghouls over their heads.

"We're going to die!" said the man who had just been running while holding his head, gripped by panic.

"No, we won't, Satsuke. Take that man and run when you can."

"I won't leave you here, not with so many Ghouls waiting for us!" Satsuke said as he pressed a special button to request reinforcements.

"There's no choice; it seems that man knows something about what happened ahead... Whatever it is, we must keep him alive before reinforcements arrive."

"But..."

Boom! Boom! Boom!

"How dare they speak that way when we're right above their heads?" The Ghoul gave the order to throw several smoke grenades at the Ghoul investigators who weren't wearing gas protection.

Cough! Cough! Cough!

"Wonderful. Would they ever think a group of Ghouls would eliminate two prestigious investigators? Don't worry; we won't kill them because we don't usually do that... But if you allow it, we'll take your Quinques," said the Ghoul in perfect condition while the CCG investigators had fallen to their knees unable to breathe properly.

"The perfect way to eliminate weak humans is by using their own weapons. Who would have thought it would be so simple to be a bit smarter when facing them?" asked the Ghoul as his Kagune moved at the speed of lightning, penetrating the left shoulder of one of the Ghoul investigators.

"Don't underestimate us..." Satsuke murmured while moving his Quinque with the last breaths of strength, but it was stopped by the Ghoul's Kagune in front of him.

"Damn it!"

When the three targets were neutralized, the Ghouls who were watching descended and began to clean the scene. One of them picked up the Quinques of the CCG investigators and asked, "What should we do with these humans?"

"Let's leave them alive. The Master Crow's plan goes beyond just conquering the districts. Soon, we will attack a maximum-security prison to obtain the bodies of the prisoners. I suppose that will ease the high consumption of meat that the organization must now distribute." Said the man who, after killing a group of Ghouls in this territory, moved on to the next area.

"Zz... A group was completely annihilated in zone B. Send a group of Class S Ghouls to solve the problem. Also, the cleanup groups must hurry to collect all the Ghouls as soon as possible."

"Zz... The organization in this place is showing resistance. It will take longer than usual to resolve this issue."

"Zz... Wandering Ghouls are fleeing to district 14. They must take care of those Ghouls on the border of the districts."

...

Black Pearl Building.

Private room.

"How is the operation going?" Kenzo asked as his eyes were tinted in blood.

"District 15 has fallen under our absolute pressure; district 19 has shown resistance, and it is expected that in the next few days, we can take full control of the district. The problem is surveillance. This time we'll be in contact with five different districts that will want to know what is happening in our formed districts. What can we do about that?" Number One asked in a calm tone.

"We can't rush; this is the maximum our management capacity is currently giving us. But just to maintain appearances, you must take care of providing good entertainment in those districts and prepare the new recruits who should be ready by the end of this month." Kenzo drank red wine while analyzing his words thoroughly.

"How are the play areas?" Kenzo asked again, looking at Number One.

"We currently have 5 play areas in the districts that will be under our control. The games have been tested and are marvelous. In addition, our hackers are getting ready more and more so that the broadcast can reach the entire country without any problems," Number One replied while showing images of the games.

"Once we have control, the games will begin..." Kenzo thought this while imagining the faces of everyone seeing the plan he was preparing.