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Time blurred, and winter had officially descended upon Tokyo. The temperature in Ward 20 plummeted, and a fresh dusting of snow brightened the distant mountain peaks, masking the city's underlying grime with a deceptive layer of purity.
Late at night, a convoy of transport vehicles sped along the highway. The logos on the chassis were unmistakable: CCG. A closer look at the reinforced tires and the pressurized cargo seals indicated they weren't hauling standard office supplies. The security detail was armed to the teeth, carrying enough firepower to win a small urban skirmish.
The trucks were transporting a high-value shipment of Quinque Steel. This strategic alloy is the primary medium used to fuse with a Ghoul's Kagune, reconstructing the biological matter into a stable, pseudo-Kagune weapon known as a Quinque. While they lack the fluid adaptability of a natural Kagune, their structural stability makes them the most lethal tools for tearing through Ghoul biology.
On an overpass overlooking the mandatory route, three shadows waited.
"Why are we working for that guy? He drains my blood, harvests my flesh, and now I'm a highwayman? Does the Devil Ape have no dignity left?" Koma Enji squatted on the railing, his face a mask of resentment. He had been cooped up in the lab for so long he was practically vibrating with hyperactive energy.
"You had the option to refuse," Irimi Kaya noted flatly.
"Only a fool would stay in that basement when there's fresh air out here. Besides..." Koma shuddered, remembering Kael's clinical efficiency. "I'm not looking to find out what his 'Plan B' looks like."
Submission was the only logical operating system for a Ghoul. They had been thrashed by Yoshimura years ago, and Kael had simply repeated the process with even more overwhelming torque.
"Convoy's here. Focus," Renji Yomo interrupted, sliding his mask into place.
Koma Enji didn't wait. He took a massive leap, his body weight slamming into the hood of the lead CCG vehicle and crushing the engine block. The following cars swerved, slamming into the guardrails in a chaotic pile-up.
As the dazed guards struggled out of the wreckage, they found themselves hunted by three SS-Rank Ghouls. But they weren't using Kagune.
"Handy little gadgets," Koma mused, firing a high-grade tranquilizer gun.
The battle was a masterclass in efficiency, lasting less than three minutes. Kael had equipped the trio with gear salvaged from his various multiversal knowledge bases—signal jammers to kill comms and non-lethal tactical hardware that allowed them to win without leaving a biological signature. Applying Night City's Cyber-scavenger tactics to the Ghoul world was a literal dimensional strike.
Renji Yomo used a hacking deck to override the cargo locks, and the trio quickly transferred tons of Quinque Steel to a disguised getaway vehicle. By the time the CCG reinforcement protocols triggered, the "scavengers" were long gone.
Kael checked his watch as the trio returned to the underground lab. "Right on time."
"With the Devil Ape on the clock—" Koma started to brag, but Kael's calm gaze made him pull back instantly. "I mean, it was all thanks to your planning, Boss."
Irimi Kaya ignored the banter. "What's the endgame for all this metal, Kael?"
"I'm making something interesting," Kael replied, weighing a shard of the steel. Metal fused with biology... inspiration from Biotechnica and the Marvel Universe began to merge in his mind. "I'm thinking of developing a set of biological nanotechnology—Bio-Armor."
"Bad feeling about this," Koma whispered to Irimi. He was right.
"Wait, Kael! You harvested me yesterday! My kidney hasn't even finished its regen cycle! Use Yomo!" Koma screamed as he was pinned to the operating table.
"Who wants your useless kidney?" Kael muttered, injecting a sedative. "I need a fresh Kakuho for the alloy test."
Kael was a professional at "harvesting leeks." He extracted the organ with the precision of a Ripperdoc. The wound would close in minutes thanks to SS-Rank regeneration. Within an hour, he had successfully forged his first SS-Rank Quinque—a long-handled heavy weapon.
Koma, forgetting his pain the moment he saw the shiny new hardware, started swinging it around—only to lose his grip and send himself flying into a wall. "The learning curve is a bit steep," Kael noted.
Touka Kirishima approached Kael, her posture stiff. "I have school tomorrow."
"Go ahead," Kael agreed easily.
Touka froze. She had expected to have to "trade" for her freedom. "Just like that?"
"I've implanted Biological Markers in all of your neural stems," Kael said, stretching. "There's no 'ghosting' me now. The signal covers the whole city. Any more questions, or do you want to warm my bed tonight?"
Touka turned scarlet and bolted for the exit. She knew Kael wasn't just posturing; he was a man who followed through on his "incentives."
Kael decided to let Kaneki and Yoshimura go as well. Keeping them in the lab was a drain on resources, and he'd already collected enough baseline data. He only kept Irimi Kaya behind—someone had to model the various "tactical stockings" he'd been ordering, and the Yasuhisa sisters were still too young for that specific aesthetic.
"Stay quiet, all of you," Kael warned them. "Aogiri Tree just zeroed the Ward 11 branch. The CCG is mobilizing the Special Classes. Ward 20 is about to become a war zone because Aogiri is looking for Rize."
He smirked. Let them come. Between his Bio-Armor research and the SSS-Rank samples in his fridge, the "Calculating Survivor" was more than ready for an escalation.
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