The storage room was pitch black, the ceiling light having been shattered by several sharp kagune crystals.
More than a dozen hostages were crowded at the doorway, with two ghouls wearing faceless masks hiding among them.
Mado Akira led a group of investigators surrounding the area outside, a trace of helplessness appearing on her face.
Uesugi Ryu soon arrived at the scene. After casually glancing inside, he turned to Mado Akira and asked, "What's the situation?"
Mado Akira's expression was somewhat unpleasant as she replied in a low voice, "Two ghouls. They should be auctioneers or related personnel. One is a Ukaku, and the other is unclear."
Uesugi Ryu rubbed his forehead. What kind of situation was this? The tone had suddenly shifted to a hostage rescue.
"Alright, you don't need to worry about it. Leave it to me."
In reality, matters like this often depended on the commander's preference. No approach could truly be considered wrong.
A more hardline choice would be to eliminate the ghouls regardless of the cost.
After all, letting a ghoul escape was equivalent to letting a tiger return to the mountains, inevitably leading to more predation incidents and further trouble.
Mado Akira parted her lips slightly, appearing somewhat hesitant.
"Be careful. And try your best to ensure the hostages' safety. Please!"
Uesugi Ryu maintained a calm expression and nodded, signaling for her to rest assured.
"I understand. There won't be any casualties."
He recalled the surrounding terrain in his mind. With intelligence far beyond that of ordinary people, his memory had nearly reached the level of photographic recall.
Seeing Uesugi Ryu so confident, Mado Akira finally relaxed a little.
She then turned around and waved to the others behind her, signaling everyone to temporarily disperse.
At that moment, Uesugi Ryu suddenly turned around, and his figure vanished from the spot in the blink of an eye.
Watching the direction in which Uesugi Ryu disappeared, Takizawa Seidou could not help but look puzzled.
"Wasn't he going to rescue the hostages? Why did he just leave?"
Hearing Takizawa Seidou's complaint, Mado Akira immediately turned to him, locking her gaze firmly onto him as she said seriously, "Second-Class Investigator Takizawa, just focus on doing your own job."
Faced with Mado Akira's sharp gaze, Takizawa Seidou responded somewhat unwillingly before quickly following the main group.
"The doves have retreated. What should we do next?"
The male Koukaku ghoul looked toward his companion. The two hiding in the storage room were precisely the auctioneers from earlier.
A crimson Ukaku manifested behind the female auctioneer, aimed directly at the hostages in front of her, ready to slaughter them at any moment. Beneath her mask, her brows were slightly furrowed.
"Something's not right. Let's take these goods and move out first. That damned bastard!"
The male ghoul said viciously. The "goods" he referred to were naturally the humans being sold as commodities.
Not far away, two pairs of eyes were fixed on them. In his invisible state, Uesugi Ryu's expression was cold and stern.
The reason he had pretended to leave earlier was to infiltrate more conveniently while invisible.
After all, with so many people present, acting rashly might have caused unnecessary complications.
Mephisto stood beside Uesugi Ryu, its feathers and claws gleaming with a metallic cold light.
Suddenly, a dazzling blade of light sliced through the air without warning, swift and fierce like lightning.
The magnificent kagune was instantly severed with a smooth, mirror-like cut.
As the kagune was cut off, the female auctioneer let out a shrill scream.
Before she could react, she felt a tremendous force at her neck, and her entire body was lifted into the air.
At the same time, Mephisto spread its wings and transformed into a black phantom, flashing past in an instant.
With a muffled "thud," the male ghoul was struck down to the ground.
He clutched his eyes in agony, letting out a pig-like howl.
Two large eyeballs, along with the surrounding flesh, were torn out by Mephisto's claws, leaving his face grotesquely mutilated and terrifying.
Hearing the commotion, the crowd in front began to stir, yet none of them dared to look back, trembling like quails.
"How is this possible!"
The female ghoul spoke in disbelief, struggling desperately to break free from Uesugi Ryu's grip.
"I'm in a good mood today. You'd better know something useful."
Uesugi Ryu raised his head and looked at her calmly, gradually loosening his grip until she was able to speak.
"Go to hell, you damned dove!"
"We ghouls are the true masters of this world. Worthless inferior creatures like you should just die obediently!"
The female auctioneer glared at Uesugi Ryu, her eyes filled with madness.
Even if she spoke, the best outcome would merely be imprisonment in Cochlea.
Being kept like a house dog in a cage was worse than death.
"Quite the backbone. I hope your mouth remains as tough later."
Uesugi Ryu remained expressionless, unmoved by her curses.
With a surge of strength, he lifted her body and hurled her against the nearby wall.
A loud crash echoed as the terrifying force embedded her deeply into the wall.
At this moment, someone finally mustered the courage to look back.
However, what they saw was not a righteous investigator, but Uesugi Ryu beating a ghoul with his bare hands.
The people on the periphery immediately screamed and rushed out, and the room was soon left empty.
Uesugi Ryu ignored the chaotic crowd and slowly walked toward the male ghoul.
The man was still emitting agonized screams. Through his shattered and hollow eye sockets, the pale white skull inside was faintly visible.
Uesugi Ryu asked indifferently, "So, do you know anything?"
As if hearing the whisper of a demon, the male ghoul lying on the ground no longer dared to scream. Choking back his sobs, he said, "I know. There's a small organization that occasionally supplies goods to the auction. I'll tell you everything..."
At this moment, Mado Kureo and the others also returned to the interior of the venue.
Fura Taishi leaned casually against a wall, lighting a cigarette and leisurely exhaling smoke.
Just then, a bone-chilling scream suddenly rang out.
At the same time, a group of panicked people instantly drew the attention of every investigator present.
Mado Akira, who was carefully checking the casualty situation, reacted immediately upon hearing the sound. She quickly turned her head toward the direction of the storage room.
She then decisively directed a portion of the investigators to calm the fleeing civilians before striding swiftly toward the storage room.
However, before Mado Akira could reach the entrance, a figure slowly emerged from the depths of the darkness.
Uesugi Ryu tightly gripped the female auctioneer's hair with his left hand, dragging her out mercilessly like a dead dog.
As he moved forward, the blood flowing from the female auctioneer's body continuously gathered, tracing a horrifying crimson path across the smooth marble floor.
In an instant, everyone present focused their attention on Uesugi Ryu.
Even the professionally trained investigators could not help but be stunned by the scene.
With a dull thud, Uesugi Ryu casually threw the female auctioneer aside and calmly instructed a nearby investigator.
"Throw this one into Cochlea. Transfer supervisory authority to Instructor Tokage Goumasa of the Second Academy of the Investigator Training School."
Madmen should be dealt with by other madmen. He believed that the next time he saw her, she would certainly become an excellent mathematician.
Most of the investigators participating in this operation were young, and quite a few had graduated from the Second Academy.
Coincidentally, the investigator beside Uesugi Ryu was also familiar with Tokage Goumasa's formidable reputation and could not help but look at the female ghoul with a hint of pity.
"The casualty report is in. One severely injured and twelve lightly injured, including two who sprained their ankles while pursuing ghouls."
Mado Akira asked nothing and simply reported the results of the statistics to him.
Hearing this, the corners of Uesugi Ryu's lips curled slightly into a smile.
He slowly turned his body, sweeping his gaze over the many somewhat exhausted investigators around him.
Then he raised his voice and said, "Excellent! Tonight, no one died. The only ones who died were those monsters!"
Upon hearing these words, the investigators standing nearby felt their respect for Uesugi Ryu deepen even further.
After all, achieving zero fatalities in this battle was largely due to his efforts.
He alone had eliminated more than half of the ghouls.
They shouted in unison, "Thank you for your hard work, Uesugi-sama!"
The cry surged like an impassioned wave, echoing through the night sky for a long time.
Cheers of victory resounded throughout the empty venue.
Mado Kureo looked at this scene with gratification, a broad smile forming on his lips.
The once inexperienced young man had now become a renowned Associate Special-Class Investigator.
Amon Koutarou gazed at Uesugi Ryu with a hint of envy, feeling genuinely happy for him.
Fura Taishi flicked the ash from his cigarette and observed the crowd's celebration through the drifting smoke.
He could not help but sigh inwardly, "Arima, this guy is even better than you at inspiring people."