More than ten people gathered in the not-so-large warehouse, but the atmosphere here was slightly oppressive.
Although Touka Kirishima was holding 'Zero', her eyes were unfocused, as if she was thinking about something; Yoshimura looked at his 'daughter (mistakenly)' and 'adopted daughter (greatly mistaken)' with expressions alternating between happiness and sadness, as if recalling something; Ken Kaneki was holding his phone, seemingly communicating with someone. Judging by his serious expression, he had not received any useful news; Ryouko Fueguchi was holding a needle and thread, seemingly making panties? As for Hinami Fueguchi, she was sitting next to her mother, whispering something…
The only person who was idle, Lancer, was standing in a horse stance, gripping an iron long spear.
The atmosphere in the entire warehouse felt somewhat oppressive, until —
Ken Kaneki walked up to Lancer with a serious expression, and Lancer also put away his horse stance.
"Crack~ Crack~"
The sound of his joints relieving pressure was like firecrackers, making Ken Kaneki's expression a bit strange. Although he could easily throw a sedan out after becoming a Half-Ghoul, he still looked somewhat slender externally. Looking at Lancer, who was about the same age as himself but much taller and stronger, he inevitably felt somewhat complicated.
But fortunately, although his mood was complicated, he did not forget the main point.
"Mr. Lancer, Juuzou Suzuya of the CCG seems to be looking for you."
Most Ghouls knew that the CCG was looking for Lancer, but in reality, only Special Classes and Associate Special Classes could execute this mission. Even First Class Investigators could only serve as assistants at most, as Lancer combat power was publicly recognized. In the eyes of most people, the only one who could steadily defeat Lancer was the one known as the 'Invincible Investigator, Kishou Arima'.
However, the people who received the mission were divided into those who were 'serious about executing it', those who were 'indifferent', and those who were 'disgusted'.
Those who clearly showed their disgust were the people from the 20th Ward. Most of them had acted with Lancer three years ago, and quite a few of them had been rescued by Lancer. In their opinion, even if Lancer possessed some strange abilities, he would absolutely not betray the CCG.
And undoubtedly, Juuzou Suzuya belonged to those who were clearly disgusted. At the auction house back then, Lancer only saw it as merely 'comforting' the opponent and nothing else, but Juuzou Suzuya was clearly very affectionate with Lancer. This time, he was one of the few Investigators who openly opposed Nimura Furuta.
And with Nimura Furuta taking office, although Juuzou Suzuya was not demoted or punished, he was effectively sidelined.
So why was he looking for Lancer?
Hideyoshi Nagachika, after some probing, decided to tell Ken Kaneki about this, after all, the matter of Urie Kuki leading a team to arrest Lancer and Lancer 'colluding with Ghouls' to escape had already spread within the CCG.
Of course, the matter of 'Lancer turning his Quinque into an unclothed young girl' was also circulating, but this matter was in a state of doubt. Naturally, a portion of gentlemen expressed extreme envy… no, anger, vowing to capture Lancer.
And Lancer, after hearing Ken Kaneki's message, hesitated for two seconds and chose to believe it. Firstly, although he didn't fully understand Juuzou Suzuya, he knew that the opponent was not a person who liked to be controlled. The only reason he became a CCG Investigator was because of Yukinori Shinohara. With Yukinori Shinohara clearly showing an inclination to let him go, Juuzou Suzuya could not possibly be intentionally setting a trap for him, no matter how he thought about it. Moreover, Lancer felt that the opponent was probably looking for him because of Yukinori Shinohara…
— — — — — —
Kishou Arima's words revealed a huge secret: the Washuu family, which had controlled the CCG Neon Branch for decades, were actually Ghouls. That is to say, this organization, which existed to counter Ghouls, was actually being controlled by its own enemies.
However, the fact that Nimura Furuta could quickly take control of the situation showed that even with the death of the two public rulers, the Washuu family was still incredibly terrifying. Iwao Kuroiwa had to be extra careful in countering this family.
He originally planned to go directly to Yukinori Shinohara, but before going to Yukinori Shinohara's location, he suddenly remembered one thing, or rather, a shared suspicion between him and Kishou Arima.
'Did Nimura Furuta collude with The Clowns?'
In reality, finding out this answer was very simple.
He twisted the throttle and drove his motorcycle towards the 23rd Ward. Undoubtedly, with his status as a Special Class Investigator, he proceeded unimpeded and met Deep-eye Haizaki, who was stationed there year-round.
"'The Priest'? Hasn't he been taken away by the Director already?"
Facing Iwao Kuroiwa's question, Deep-eye Haizaki seemed somewhat surprised. After all, in his opinion, how could Iwao Kuroiwa, as an Investigator stationed at the headquarters, not know about this? An SS-rated Ghoul being taken to the headquarters must be strictly guarded, and Iwao Kuroiwa must be involved.
"I'm not very clear either. I was out on a mission before. Approximately when was that?"
"Hmm… a little over 2 hours ago. What's wrong?"
A little over 2 hours ago? That means when Urie Kuki received the order to arrest Lancer? Iwao Kuroiwa's expression became increasingly serious, but he shook his head regarding Deep-eye Haizaki's inquiry.
"No, nothing. You know, I was one of the first CCG Investigators, and I followed the General Chairman to eliminate 'The Clowns'. The order to capture 'The Priest' was also given by me. I originally wanted to personally interrogate him, but it seems it will be somewhat troublesome."
"You can return to headquarters."
"Mhm, I will go back now without delay."
After speaking, Iwao Kuroiwa turned and left. As for Nimura Furuta's matter, he didn't even mention it. Why was this? It was simple, because it was meaningless.
Regardless of whether Deep-eye Haizaki was Nimura Furuta's man, a large number of personnel would have to be deployed here anyway, and even if he couldn't come to help Iwao Kuroiwa and the others, the 23rd Ward was simply too important.
So, it was better to maintain the status quo. This way, as long as Nimura Furuta was dealt with, there would be plenty of time to deal with Deep-eye Haizaki.
After leaving the 23rd Ward, he immediately went to the branch Yukinori Shinohara was responsible for. After telling him everything, Yukinori Shinohara constantly clasped his hands together with a serious expression.
"Special Class Marude, tell us, what do we need to do! The CCG exists to protect people and not become a weapon for Ghouls! We must eradicate this cancerous tumor this time!"
In reality, Yukinori Shinohara should not have believed him so easily based on Iwao Kuroiwa's unilateral account, but the disappearance of 'The Priest' and Kishou Arima's testimony were things that could be easily verified. He didn't believe that Iwao Kuroiwa would tell such a meaningless lie, after all, he would definitely go and verify it later.
Of course, a more major reason was that Nimura Furuta had detained his former mentor, his former partner, Kureo Mado. He had long been displeased with the opponent. This was also why he chose to trust Lancer before, and now Iwao Kuroiwa's explanation connected all the causes and effects, so he naturally wouldn't hesitate.