By the time He Xi Qian Yu and the others reached the lowest level, the Bronze Tree elites who had arrived earlier, along with a large number of Ghoul prisoners pouring out of the cells, had already surrounded the Ghoul Search Officers who had rushed to reinforce them after receiving orders.
The Search Officers, with their backs against the cold metal walls and tightly shut passage gates, formed their last line of defense. The light of the Kouink flickered in the dim lower-level space, illuminating the resolute expressions on their faces.
Taking advantage of the chaos within the encirclement, which drew most of the attention, He Xi Qian Yu quietly detached himself. He pressed against the cold metal wall and quickly stealthily moved towards a deeper passage on the lowest level of Kukulia.
...
"Containment and detention are the duties of ordinary prisons," Yueshan Guanmu's elegant voice echoed in his mind, "but Kukulia, as the core value of a Ghoul detention center, lies in 'research' and 'production'; Kouink is its true output."
"And Kirishima Arata, as the 'new' Kagune sac donor for Kouink, his cage must be even more concealed."
"Continue to explore deeper into the lowest level of Kukulia; the answer you seek is hidden there."
The cold metal passage flashed by quickly before his eyes. The passage became narrower and narrower, and the air grew increasingly stagnant, leaving only his faint footsteps and the low hum of the ventilation system.
Suddenly!
At the corner of the passage ahead, several blinding spotlights swept across like sharp swords, immediately followed by a few short, stern warnings:
"Restricted area ahead, stop immediately, drop your weapons!"
"Hands over your head, repeat, hands over your head!"
A standard six-person tactical squad, dressed in uniform dark grey heavy protective suits and equipped with Kouink rifles and defensive shields clearly superior to those of ordinary guards, spread out in a standard tactical formation behind cover at the corner.
The sharp-eyed squad leader instantly judged that the red-robed figure, who had penetrated deep into the restricted area alone, was extremely dangerous. Six muzzles, gleaming with a cold blue light, were firmly locked onto He Xi Qian Yu.
He Xi Qian Yu stopped as he was told, raising his hands over his head in a very cooperative manner.
The Ghouls from the Bronze Tree outside were practically tearing Kukulia apart, yet these guys were still guarding here. It seemed he had underestimated Kirishima Arata's importance.
Well, there was no other choice.
"Mask." He Xi Qian Yu's voice rang out, calm without a ripple.
"...Received..." Slaughter's voice carried an uncontrollable excitement, "...Warm-up initiated..."
"Fire!!" The squad leader's pupils constricted. The intuition honed from years on the brink of life and death made him instantly feel the threat. He roared hoarsely and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Buzz—! Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh—!
Six streams of eerie blue flames instantly spewed forth, and a dense barrage of death, formed by specialized high-concentration Rc suppressants, covered the space where He Xi Qian Yu stood.
However, the anticipated scene of the target being struck down did not occur.
At the moment the barrage hit—
Countless viscous crimson substances emerged from beneath his skin at an astonishing speed, then condensed and took shape.
In an instant, a massive and terrifying silhouette suddenly formed under the pale light of the searchlights. It was covered in constantly flowing and writhing crimson goo, possessing a basic humanoid structure, but with proportions extremely exaggerated and enlarged, almost touching the ceiling of the passage.
Slaughter, descended.
Thud thud thud thud thud—!
Kouink bullets violently struck the newly formed colossal body. The bullets deeply embedded themselves into the writhing crimson barrier, only stirring up faint ripples, which were then enveloped by the viscous fluid.
Slaughter's massive body did not even sway a jot from the impact.
"Roar—!!!"
A terrifying roar, like a tangible shockwave, violently erupted. The emergency light tubes and ventilation grilles on the passage ceiling instantly burst, and fragments shot down like a rainstorm. The terrifying sound wave and pressure made the six guards' minds go blank, instantly losing the strength to pull the trigger.
Slaughter's massive body charged forward with an overwhelming momentum, and the narrow passage became its natural slaughterhouse.
Facing the monster before them, the team members' tactical training was instantly crushed, and fear completely dominated their actions.
Slaughter's sharp giant claw, with a shriek that ripped through the air, swept horizontally towards the huddled team members.
Bang! Crack! Splat!
The sound of bones shattering rang out.
The three closest team members were struck as if by a high-speed heavy truck, their thick protective suits instantly torn like paper.
One had his chest collapse, spitting blood as he flew backward, slamming heavily into the wall. Another's head was grazed by the giant claw, instantly deforming and bursting, with red and white matter splashing.
The last one was directly struck by the giant claw, his entire upper body was almost flattened and embedded into the hard metal wall, blood and shattered organ tissue sprayed out like spilled ink.
The other two team members turned to flee, but the passage was narrow, and Slaughter blocked the only escape route.
From the shoulder blade area on Slaughter's back, several crimson tentacles, the thickness of a bowl, suddenly shot out, so fast that they only left crimson afterimages in the air.
Splat! Splat!
The tentacles pierced the bodies of the two fleeing team members with extreme precision, one through the heart, the other through the abdomen. The immense force lifted them off the ground like candied haws on a stick. The guards let out agonizing screams, their bodies convulsing violently on the tentacles. The tentacles gave a sudden flick, and the two mangled corpses were violently slammed against the walls on either side like broken sacks, making heavy thuds before softly sliding down.
Finally, only the squad leader, whose mind was on the verge of collapse, remained. He slumped to the ground, his Kouink rifle dropped, and he futilely pushed himself backward with his hands, his eyes filled with boundless fear and despair, guttural, unintelligible sounds escaping his throat.
Slaughter's massive head suddenly turned towards him. Its enormous body leaned slightly forward, and its terrifying, gaping maw, filled with stark white fangs, opened to a chilling arc.
"No—no!!" The squad leader let out a heart-wrenching wail, futilely raising his arm to block.
Slaughter's head plunged down like a preying python.
Crunch—!!
The sound of a skull shattering was clear and piercing. The hard tactical helmet, along with the skull beneath it, was instantly pulverized by Slaughter's biting force. Red and white fluids, mixed with helmet fragments, violently spurted from between the giant maw's teeth, splashing onto the cold walls.
Slaughter's massive maw yanked backward, and with the sound of tearing muscle and the crisp snap of a cervical spine, the squad leader's headless body convulsed violently and fell, blood gushing like a fountain from the severed neck. His head, along with the shattered helmet fragments, was swallowed whole by the giant maw.
"...Crunchy..." Slaughter's low voice was tinged with a hint of satisfaction, "...Trash...cleaned up..."
The crimson giant shadow slowly contracted, re-merging into He Xi Qian Yu's body like a receding tide. The deep red robe still covered him, perfectly intact.
If not for the large patches of blood on the walls and floor, the scattered severed limbs and remains, and a headless corpse, no one would have known that six elite guards, along with their equipment, were unable to even put up a decent resistance against Slaughter's absolute power.