While Amano Hiro and Rize followed Eto deeper into the underground Aogiri Tree laboratory, the atmosphere inside the Director's office at the top floor of CCG headquarters was as cold as frozen earth.
Washuu Tsuneyoshi stared at the repeatedly replayed footage of the 20th Ward branch reduced to ruins, as well as Amano Hiro's arrogant declaration. His knuckles had turned white from clenching.
On the light screen before him, the list of Special-Class Investigators was almost entirely marked in red with "Severely Injured, Under Treatment" or "On Mission, Unable to Recall."
The vast CCG, yet at this critical moment, had no one available.
"A bunch of useless trash..." he muttered under his breath.
Washuu Tsuneyoshi sat alone behind the broad desk. Only a single lamp was lit in the room, casting his shadow long against the wall behind him.
His fingers interlocked beneath his chin. The rectangular lenses of his glasses reflected a cold white gleam in the dim light, perfectly concealing the turbulence in his eyes.
On the screen was the newly compiled injury report.
Yukinori Shinohara, multiple fractures and internal trauma.
Iwao Kuroiwa, spinal damage.
Kousuke Houji, extensive burns.
A long string of names, shocking to behold.
"The human body... is ultimately too fragile," he murmured, his voice especially clear in the silent office.
A trace of impatience and disdain flickered at the corner of his mouth. "A bit of damage requires a long recovery period. Useless at critical moments."
Behind the lenses, his gaze drifted toward the locked alloy filing cabinet in the corner of the office.
"Pure ghouls must be eliminated as disasters. But pure humans... are too inefficient."
He released his hands and leaned back slightly into his chair, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the desk.
"Perhaps... it is time to activate those 'tools' that walk the boundary."
A vague and cold plan gradually took shape in his mind.
To use a ghoul's regenerative ability and combine it with human controllability, forging a special force that could quickly return to the battlefield even after being injured.
"Half-ghouls... sounds like quite suitable expendables," he finally murmured, a curve devoid of warmth lifting at his lips.
...
Rize stood quietly before the cold culture tank, staring through the thick glass at the once powerful man inside.
Washuu Yoshitoki's eyes were tightly shut, his complexion ashen. Countless thin tubes wound around him like parasitic vines.
With the faint rhythm of the machinery, his chest maintained only the most basic rise and fall.
Once, this CCG Director strategized within headquarters. A single glance from him could make every ghoul in Tokyo tremble.
Now, he was like a hollowed specimen, confined within this sunless underground laboratory, unable even to decide life or death for himself.
If Amano Hiro had not appeared, the one lying in this transparent coffin might very well have been her.
She instinctively moved closer to Amano Hiro and lightly gripped the corner of his clothing.
Yet her gaze could not leave that unconscious shell.
"Worse than death..." she repeated silently, feeling the true weight of those words for the first time.
Compared to being reduced to experimental material without dignity like this, perhaps dying cleanly in battle would be mercy.
Eto led them deeper into the laboratory. After passing through an airtight door, a long, cold corridor came into view.
Independent rooms were arranged neatly along both sides. Heavy metal doors were set with large panels of one-way glass.
From the outside, every corner inside the rooms could be seen clearly. Those within could only see mirror-like reflections.
Most rooms already had "occupants." Many were curled in corners, faces filled with fear and unease.
Some kept scratching their own arms. Others paced back and forth nervously, eyes vacant.
Only a very few sat quietly at the edge of their beds, expressions numb.
Yet beneath that calm lay a more chilling stillness.
Eto stopped in the middle of the corridor. The voice beneath her bandages carried unconcealed delight as she spread her arms like displaying treasured collectibles.
"Well, Hiro? These rooms contain our most successful 'works' recently. They are currently in the final observation phase."
Her fingertip lightly tapped a pane of glass. The young man inside immediately shrank back into the corner in terror.
"Once stability is confirmed, they can be deployed as combat power."
Amano Hiro offered no suggestions, only nodded slightly.
Most of these "experimental materials" confined behind one-way glass were investigators captured during the earlier 20th Ward operation.
Aogiri Tree's method of transforming enemies into their own combat power carried a certain ruthless efficiency.
Thinking of Kanou Akihiro, who always lurked behind the scenes, Amano Hiro could not help but sigh inwardly. Truly a rare talent.
This man maneuvered between Aogiri Tree, Nimura Furuta, and the CCG, serving as a crucial link across the entire board.
Since crossing into this world, Amano Hiro had yet to meet this mastermind personally.
His steps suddenly halted before one of the one-way glass doors, his gaze sinking toward the interior.
"What is it, Hiro?" Rize sensed the subtle change in his mood and followed his line of sight.
Eto also turned, curiosity in her bandaged voice. "Oh? Met someone you know?"
Amano Hiro shook his head lightly. "Not exactly. Just crossed paths a few times."
Inside the narrow room, a young man was curled in the corner, clutching his hair tightly, his body trembling nonstop.
The face that once carried youthful pride was now twisted nearly beyond recognition.
He muttered incessantly, eyes unfocused and frenzied.
It was Seidou Takizawa, once the bright and cheerful young investigator.
Eto glanced at the crazed figure inside, her tone almost cruelly light. "Ah, you mean Takizawa-kun.
Although there was a small accident during the modification process, he is indeed the most perfect 'work' so far."
Hearing Eto's casual evaluation and seeing Seidou Takizawa in a state worse than death, Amano Hiro understood immediately.
Just like in the original story, this unfortunate young man had likely been driven to the brink of mental collapse and forced into the desperate act of devouring someone close to him.
And the instigator behind it all was clearly inseparable from Tatara's increasingly intense hatred toward Kousuke Houji.
That hatred had not faded with time. Instead,