By the time the CCG headquarters reinforcement team rushed to Cochlea, the intruders had already vanished like mist without leaving a trace.
Shinohara Yukinori and Kuroiwa Iwao led their team into the devastated lowest level.
They silently inspected the scene. The alloy gates torn open by brute force, the bulletproof glass cells filled with cracks, the blood on the floor that had not yet dried, and the priest's open cell that now held no sign of life.
After listening to the frightened reports from the investigators and security personnel who had remained behind, the identity of the intruder was no longer in doubt. It was Carnage.
But what concerned Shinohara and Kuroiwa was the unusual nature of this operation.
The intruder seemed to have come only to rescue the One Eyed Owl. Aside from the target, he had not carried out a massacre against the stationed personnel.
The only additional casualty was the Priest who had also been imprisoned here.
Shinohara Yukinori looked around, raised his hand and rubbed his brow heavily, then let out a deep sigh.
"Iwao. The situation now is getting harder and harder to understand."
Kuroiwa Iwao nodded with a serious expression, his voice low.
"Yes. The public uproar caused by Takatsuki Sen's press conference a few days ago still hasn't subsided.
Inside the CCG there are also undercurrents everywhere now. People are uneasy."
"Yeah," Shinohara looked toward the shattered darkness at the end of the corridor, his tone complicated.
"Even Marude lately has been secretly investigating something. When I asked him, he only vaguely said we will know when the time comes."
Kuroiwa Iwao remained silent for a moment before shaking his head. A rare trace of fatigue and helplessness crossed his stern face.
"The decisions and movements from above are getting harder to understand too. Forget it. Whatever they want to do, let them do it."
After the on site investigation and preliminary cleanup were finished, everyone began preparing to withdraw. The oppressive atmosphere eased slightly.
Shinohara Yukinori adjusted his gloves and shook his head as if trying to temporarily shake off those chaotic thoughts.
"That's true. Instead of worrying about those confusing situations, it's better to think more about family matters."
He changed the subject and a rare relaxed smile appeared on his face. He nudged his old partner with his elbow.
"By the way, I heard your boy is about to settle his marriage."
Hearing this, the stern lines on Kuroiwa Iwao's face softened a little.
"Haha. Your information network is pretty good. Yes, it's almost settled. The date is nearly decided."
Shinohara laughed and patted his shoulder.
"Don't worry. I already prepared the gift money. I'm just waiting to attend the wedding banquet."
Kuroiwa nodded with a smile. The atmosphere between the two instantly shifted from the earlier heaviness to the warmth and familiarity of old friends.
...
Inside the CCG archives room, the lighting was pale.
Urie Kuki stood alone among the dense rows of file shelves, his fingers brushing the edge of a document he had just closed.
During this period, he had encountered the same problem as Marude Itsuki, as if he had fallen into a giant spider web.
The deeper he investigated, the tighter he became entangled in the web called the Washuu Clan.
Whether obvious or hidden, every detail, record, and even insignificant rumor he could find had not been ignored.
And the deeper the investigation went, the colder the chill in his heart became.
Carnage's words echoed more and more clearly in his mind. The Washuu Clan was too clean.
So clean that it was as if someone had carefully erased every corner with an eraser, leaving behind no real traces at all.
That itself was the greatest abnormality.
He was becoming more and more certain of that fact, but he did not possess a single piece of evidence that could be called decisive.
The helplessness of fighting alone often struck him. He knew that when facing a colossal entity entrenched at the top,
acting rashly without solid evidence would be no different from courting death.
"To move against them. I must hold undeniable proof." he murmured softly, preparing to return the file to its place.
Click. The archive room door opened.
Marude Itsuki walked in carrying a stack of documents. Their eyes met and both were briefly startled.
Urie Kuki quickly restrained his expression, returned the file, nodded to the veteran Special Class Investigator, and stepped aside to leave through the door.
"First Class Investigator Urie."
Marude Itsuki's voice sounded in the silent archive room. It was not loud, but Urie Kuki's footsteps froze instantly.
"Just now. Were you looking at the Washuu Clan's records?"
Urie Kuki's heart tightened sharply.
He noticed. Was he probing, or.
Maintaining his outward calm, he turned around and replied in the most natural tone possible.
"I was only curious about the history of the Washuu Clan who contributed so greatly to the CCG, Special Class Investigator Marude."
He could not determine Marude Itsuki's stance. This highly experienced Special Class Investigator.
Was he a colleague loyal to his duty, or a hound of the Washuu Clan.
Marude Itsuki did not respond immediately. He walked to the table, placed the documents down, and stood with his back facing Urie Kuki.
Then his voice clearly sounded again.
"Curious about why they are so clean."
Urie Kuki's entire body shook. He suddenly raised his head and met Marude Itsuki's gaze as the man turned around.
There was no scrutiny or hostility in those eyes. Only a heavy sharpness that seemed to see through everything.
"Special Class Investigator Marude, you."
Marude Itsuki met his gaze, his expression more serious than ever before.
"First Class Investigator Urie. Want to talk?"
A brief silence spread through the air. Only the low hum of the ventilation fan filled the archive room.
Urie Kuki looked at him. His tense shoulders slowly relaxed, and a single equally solemn word left his mouth.
"Alright."
Inside Marude Itsuki's personal office, smoke filled the air.
After the two exchanged the information they each possessed, a long silence followed.
Urie Kuki leaned back on the sofa with his eyes closed, digesting the shocking information.
Marude Itsuki held a cigarette between his fingers, his gaze passing through the smoke toward the window with an unreadable expression.
After a while, Marude Itsuki suddenly extinguished the cigarette and opened the desk drawer, taking out something.
"First Class Investigator Urie," he said, his voice slightly hoarse. "Have you read this book?"
Urie Kuki opened his eyes. It was a simply bound novel.
The newest work by that ghoul author Takatsuki Sen. He had heard about it but had not read it.
"No." he answered honestly.
Marude Itsuki handed the book to him.
"There are also some clues in it. You can take a look."
Urie Kuki's spirit lifted slightly. He accepted the book and began flipping through it quickly. Several sections had been carefully marked with handwritten notes.
As he read further, his expression gradually became more serious and his breathing slightly quickened.
The behavior patterns, ideology, and power structure of the human side described in the book had astonishing similarities with the Washuu Clan.
More importantly, the text repeatedly hinted that the true identities of those characters were actually collaborators of ghouls.
He raised his head and met Marude Itsuki's gaze.
The fragments of investigation in their hands and the marked passages in the book faintly fit together, pointing toward the same suffocating conclusion.
Urie Kuki slowly closed the book. The paper made a faint rustling sound.
He lifted his head, his eyes sharp.
"Even though we still cannot directly point to it, it is already enough. Should we act?"
Marude Itsuki did not answer immediately. He pressed the burnt cigarette butt in his fingers into the ashtray, crushing the last spark.
Gray smoke struggled upward and slowly dissipated between the two of them.
"No," he finally said, his voice heavy. "Not yet. We still need the right moment."