Chapter 76: Starving Ghost, Yamato Renji

Chapter 76: Starving Ghost, Yamato Renji

In the Imperial Entertainment Bar, inside the General Manager's office.

Giovani sat in a grand boss chair, a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth.

Sitting across from him was Ethan Blake, dressed in his uniform.

The two of them stared at each other for a long time, neither willing to speak first.

Giovani sighed.

He extinguished his cigarette, activated the electronic tea set in front of him, and steam began to rise.

Giovani fiddled with the tea utensils and glanced at Ethan Blake.

"You've been out for a week, right?

So why aren't you handling the mess in Bluewater City? What are you doing here, causing trouble for me?"

Ethan Blake's face remained expressionless as he replied,

"Bluewater City is already back to its pre-monster invasion state."

Giovani's hand, which was holding the tea, froze. He looked at Ethan Blake in surprise.

"That's impressive!"

Restoring order in Bluewater City in just one week—only Ethan Blake could pull that off.

After brewing the tea, Giovani rubbed his hands together and winked at Ethan.

"So, what do you say? Should I find a couple of girls for you to relax?"

A trace of displeasure crossed Ethan Blake's face. He frowned and said,

"I'm here on official business."

Giovani's mouth twitched.

"Official business? Cracking down on the red-light district? What era do you think this is?

If you shut down my place, how will those women make a living?"

After the monster invasion, many women with no other means of survival turned to this line of work.

Though the industry was dirty, it was at least more comfortable than going back to the slums.

Even Ethan Blake usually didn't interfere with that.

Ethan shook his head.

"I didn't come here for that. The crackdown is just a cover."

Ethan's eyes turned cold.

"You dared to sell illegal pills, and that's something I can't tolerate!

I told you before—if you crossed the legal line, even if you were a hunter, I would still arrest you!"

Giovani finally understood why Ethan was here.

He smiled bitterly, shaking his head in frustration, his face full of grievance.

"Since I joined the guild, I haven't touched those things.

A few days ago, some kid who doesn't follow the rules showed up in my place and did all that.

I wanted to throw him into the river, but there's something strange about him—I couldn't get a hold of him."

Ethan's eyes showed a hint of disbelief.

Could someone really escape from the hands of Bluewater City's underground king?

This was Giovani's territory!

Ethan scrutinized Giovani's face for a long time, but found no signs of lying.

Ethan's expression softened slightly as he said,

"Lately, the security officers have taken down several awakened criminals.

These criminals seemed newly awakened, and their abilities resemble zombies from movies.

They all had one thing in common—they were addicts!

Through my investigation, I found that they had all been to your place."

Giovani's mind worked quickly, and he frowned.

"You're saying someone mixed Sap of Ascension into the drugs and sold them to these addicts?"

Giovani recalled the task that the guild had issued some time ago.

Don't expose the guild. Don't reveal your identity. Don't show the appearance of the Sap of Ascension, and randomly distribute it.

The task was so vague that many hunters were at a loss.

Giovani mulled it over, then regretfully pounded the table.

"Mixing Sap of Ascension into pills—that's genius!

Why didn't I think of that?

It's free points just lying there!"

Ethan was now fully convinced that Giovani wasn't responsible for this.

Ethan asked,

"You mentioned earlier that someone was selling these things in your place without following the rules.

You must have some clues, right?"

Giovani poured Ethan a cup of tea, then opened his computer, pulling up an image.

It was a picture captured by the surveillance camera.

Giovani tilted the monitor to show Ethan.

"That's him."

Ethan didn't touch the tea, and immediately stood up to leave.

"Hey!" Giovani called out to him.

"That guy's definitely a hunter. Why provoke him?"

Ethan stopped and looked back seriously.

"I have a feeling this person is dangerous. I need to warn him.

Besides, aren't you a hunter too?"

Giovani lit another cigarette, eyeing Ethan playfully.

"Aren't you afraid of offending the president?"

Ethan's body visibly tensed.

He said nothing, and walked out of the office.

This crackdown on the red-light district was just a cover to raid Giovani's place.

If the operation failed, he could simply file a "misunderstanding" report.

Besides, wasn't he the one writing and approving those reports himself?

So Ethan had no reason to use the girls as scapegoats for the mission's failure.

Although Ethan Blake didn't care for such women, he understood that they were simply pitiful people surviving on the desires of men.

If he were to shut down this business, he would feel like a villain.

So, he didn't trouble those women and let them all go.

The early winter night was cold.

A woman in leopard print wasn't dressed warmly—just a short skirt and black stockings, with a cotton jacket thrown over them.

As she walked, people passing by looked at her with disdain, while some had heated gazes.

To her, those stares felt colder than the biting wind.

Selling her body to survive had already exhausted all the courage she had.

Maybe she wanted to pretend she was virtuous after all.

Her phone rang. She glanced at it—it was her doctor reminding her to pick up her medication.

Her illness required several months of medication before surgery could be performed.

Lowering her head, she pulled her jacket tighter around herself.

Clicking her high heels, she quickened her pace toward the slums.

As she walked along the road that connected the old town and the new city, a sense of unease washed over her.

Seven or eight men emerged from a dark corner and surrounded her.

Their faces were pale, each exuding a strange aura—they were all awakened beings!

She forced a smile and said nervously,

"Big brothers, what… what do you want?

I don't have any money. Please don't hurt me. I'll do anything."

The men remained silent, their eyes gleaming with something sinister.

The woman clutched her chest in fear, taking slow steps backward.

Suddenly, she bumped into something solid. Heavy breaths blew against her ear.

Terrified, she quickly turned her head. When she saw the person behind her, she let out a sharp scream and collapsed to the ground.

The man behind her was dressed in a pristine white suit, wearing a ghastly white mask with a disturbing smile.

This man was Yamato Renji, also known as "Starving Ghost."

Yamato Renji looked down at her.

"Miranda, 27 years old, spiritual level 6, failed awakening.

Is that you?"

The woman swallowed hard and nodded, her voice trembling.

"P-please don't hurt me."

Yamato Renji nodded.

"So, it is you.

I'm looking for a maid for my master. Are you willing to do the job?"

The men surrounding them turned to look at the woman in unison after hearing Yamato Renji's question.

Miranda didn't believe for a second that all these men had gathered just to offer her a job.

But how could she dare refuse?

After working at Giovani's place for a year, she had seen all kinds of bad people.

Her instincts told her that the man in front of her was the worst of the worst.

Or maybe even a maniac.

Yamato Renji saw that she agreed and smiled smugly.

This task was incredibly easy!

Just then, one of the long-haired men in the group rushed over to Yamato Renji, grabbing him with both hands.

Yamato Renji frowned, looking down at the man's filthy nails, his dirty hands leaving marks on the white suit.

The long-haired man's empty eyes stared at Yamato Renji, his face filled with desperation.

"Boss! Father! This woman agreed!

Now give me the pills! I'm begging you, give me the pills!"

🌟 Unlock Exclusive Early Access on Patreon! 🌟

Hello, beloved readers!

Join my Patreon community to enjoy:

📚 Daily Updates: Never wait for new chapters—get your story fix every day!

📖 20 Chapters Ahead: Access new chapters far in advance of Scribblehub/RoyalRoad/Webnovel releases.

Support the creation of the stories you love and dive deeper into my world!

Patreon.com/Alex_Cruise