The battle scenes in the holographic screen were bloody and efficient. Kuchiba Hiro's overwhelming combat style, combined with his unsolvable physical hardening ability, instantly ignited a frenzy on the internet.
"Holy crap! Seventh Master is awesome! Is this Hardening a conceptual-level ability?"
"A stat monster! A pure stat monster! But it's so satisfying to watch!"
"A one-man army, going head-to-head against the allied Transcendent forces! This is what a Vengeful Ghost should look like!"
"Danger intuition + invincible defense + superhuman physical fitness... How exactly is this Transcendent system categorized? Someone explain it to me!"
"Where are The Authorities? Come out and explain the Transcendent levels! What level is Seventh Master?"
"Those people with tentacles growing out of them look so disgusting. Their regenerative abilities are strong, but unfortunately, they met someone even more freakish."
"Am I the only one concerned about the 'ark'? Do those powerful elites really not know? I feel like the conspiracy runs deep!"
"The end of the world... With so much shown on the holographic screen, do people still think it's fake? They're just deceiving themselves!"
"Even if we suspect it's real, what can we ordinary people do? Let's just wait and see what else the holographic screen reveals."
Discussions about the apocalypse and the ark, under the massive flow of information and intentional or unintentional guidance, still struggled to form a unified consensus. Most ordinary people fell into a state of anxiety and helplessness, only able to passively wait for the holographic screen to reveal more of the truth.
In the holographic screen, the battle had already ended.
(The abandoned industrial zone was filled with the smell of gunpowder and blood. Kuchiba Hiro stood amidst the corpses, his black clothes stained with dust and blood, but he himself seemed to have suffered no substantial harm. He was like a tireless killing machine, yet his slight panting and the action of lighting a cigarette revealed a hint of exhaustion after the battle.
Soon, several white vans without any markings silently drove onto the scene. A group of people in airtight white protective suits got out of the vehicles. They were nimble and well-trained, beginning to silently clear the battlefield—recovering the bodies of the Bounty Hunters and the equipment left behind.
They were the Washu Clan, an organization that operated in the gray area, specializing in 'Transcendent-related' matters, particularly known for their efficiency, the recovery of Transcendent corpses, and the sale of sophisticated weapons and equipment. Kuchiba Hiro's recent killing spree had made him one of the Washu Clan's most important and dangerous 'major clients.'
Kuchiba Hiro was accustomed to all of this. He casually sifted through the pile of corpses; most of the equipment seemed like junk or useless to him. In the end, he only picked up a relatively simple-looking handgun from beside a corpse wearing a superpowered combat suit and tucked it behind his waist. He didn't spare another look at the rest, including the oddly shaped quinque weapons, the tattered combat suits, and all the corpses.
The person in charge from the Washu Clan showed much more respect than during their initial contact, even adopting a deliberately maintained 'friendliness.' If one ignored the scene of them stuffing mangled corpses into body bags, the conversation would have seemed like an ordinary business transaction.
"Mr. Kuchiba, after evaluation, this batch of 'goods' is worth a total of 186,000 gold coins. As per the old rules, should we deposit it directly into your account?" the person in charge asked, his voice sounding somewhat muffled through the mask but his tone remaining consultative.
Holding a cigarette in his mouth, Kuchiba Hiro slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke, using the brief moment to steady his breathing. "Those humanoid monsters with blood-red eyes and bones growing out of their bodies," he asked casually, "what are they?"
"You are referring to 'Ghouls,'" the person in charge answered without hesitation—this in itself was a form of invisible investment, as the Washu Clan would have previously discussed information fees first. "They are a relatively special type of humanoid Transcendent creature. Their most notable characteristic is that they can only feed on human flesh, can reproduce through bloodlines, and their offspring are born with Transcendent abilities—the attack organs they call 'Kagune'."
"They can only eat human flesh?" Kuchiba Hiro sneered, flicking his ash. "Are there actually creatures in the world with such bizarrely narrow diets?"
"Based on some historical research within the Ghouls and records held by our clan," the person in charge explained further, sounding as if he were discussing a rare species, "it is speculated that their ancestor was likely a Transcendent who possessed 'devouring' or 'evolution' related abilities. In an extreme situation, he consumed the corpses of his own kind, leading to an irreversible malignant mutation of his abilities. This mutation is rooted deep within the bloodline, granting their descendants great power but also twisting their physiological structure, making all food except for human flesh and blood like poison to them—unabsorbable and even causing severe rejection reactions."
Listening to this, Kuchiba Hiro only felt a wave of nausea. He had no favorable feelings toward this race that fed on humans, and he secretly noted: next time he encountered them, no need for words—just kill them outright.
He threw the finished cigarette butt on the ground, crushed it with his foot, and then took out his phone. The other party skillfully handled the transfer, and with a soft "beep," a massive sum of money arrived in his account.
Without saying another word, Kuchiba Hiro's figure vanished into the deep shadows of the abandoned factory area, continuing his seemingly endless journey of revenge in search of the ark.
Meanwhile, the white figures of the Washu Clan continued their silent work behind him, packaging and hauling away death and chaos, turning them into cold numbers and potential research materials.)
The scene on the holographic screen slowly faded, and the perspective quietly shifted.
(In Tokyo, on a busy street, a black business van drove smoothly through the traffic.
In the back seat of the car sat a woman with a unique aura. She had medium-length orange-pink hair, meticulously braided into a plait resting on one shoulder. Her face was cold and exquisite, but the most striking feature was her eyes, which seemed to contain countless golden circles—calm, deep, and devoid of any emotion. She was looking down at her phone screen, seemingly browsing movie information for recent releases, her posture relaxed, as if she were just an ordinary person with a few hobbies.
"Miss Makima, we've received news from headquarters," the driver in the front seat respectfully reported after taking a brief, low-toned call. "Regarding the Transcendent named 'Kuchiba Hiro,' he has been exceptionally active lately, continuously investigating information related to the 'Ark Project.' His threat level assessment has been significantly raised, and his confirmed kill record has been updated to 22 Transcendents. Headquarters is asking whether his bounty should be raised to 'World-class,' or if a 'Cleaner' squad should be sent directly to capture him?"
Makima's gaze finally moved away from the phone screen. Her golden-ringed eyes turned slightly as if she were reminiscing. She had some impression of this name; the file records seemed to indicate he was a rookie.
"What are his abilities?" she asked, her voice flat and devoid of emotion.
"Four abilities have been confirmed so far," the driver reported fluently, clearly well-prepared. "Animal control, physical hardening, superhuman strength—with an initial estimated upper limit of no less than 30 tons—and a suspected high-precision danger intuition ability."
"He should make a good subordinate," Makima commented faintly, her face remaining expressionless. "His current location?"
"The signal shows... he's near us, two streets away, currently on the move," another subordinate in the passenger seat said, looking up with surprise after operating a portable computer.
Makima didn't hesitate at all, not even putting down her phone. She simply gave a concise command in her characteristic, unquestionable tone:
"Go find him."
"Yes!"
The black business van immediately turned elegantly at an intersection, blending into another stream of traffic without drawing any attention, heading toward Kuchiba Hiro's location.
Inside the car, Makima's gaze fell back onto her phone screen, as casual as if she had just decided to buy a cup of coffee nearby. Only in the depths of those golden-ringed eyes was there a trace of hard-to-detect interest, as if she were looking at a novel tool.
"What is your essence?" she murmured to herself, calculating the deepest secrets of the Transcendents in her mind and looking forward to him giving her a surprise.)
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