The Ghoul Zone, within the Ghoul Area.
Against the backdrop of modern civilization, this world is largely indistinguishable from human society.
However, hidden among these humans are creatures known as ghouls.
Ghouls are beings that appear almost identical to humans but require humans as food to survive.
This is because, apart from human flesh, all other foods are like poisonous substances to ghouls, difficult to swallow. It's akin to humans eating rotten food, not only disgusting and unpalatable but also causing physical damage if forced down.
Humans perceive ghouls as monsters disguised as people, as no one wishes to be eaten.
Furthermore, in a certain sense, while ghouls eating humans is out of necessity, they do possess monstrous aspects.
Although ghouls appear no different from humans in their daily lives, they possess a unique organ called a "kakuhou" (赫包), used to store or absorb cells called RC cells during feeding.
These RC cells are also a ghoul's most potent weapon, capable of releasing weapons known as "kagune" (赫子) from the kakuhou.
The more RC cells a ghoul has, the stronger they become. Ghouls can even absorb the RC cells of their own kind by consuming them.
On the human side, there are also organizations dedicated to eradicating ghouls. Humans call them Ghoul Investigators, while ghouls habitually refer to them as doves.
To combat ghouls, humans, in addition to their own training, excavate the kagune from the bodies of deceased ghouls to craft weapons, known as Quinque.
Ghouls devour humans, and humans hunt ghouls…
More than cruelty, it is a form of helplessness.
A helplessness of natural selection, of the food chain's cycle.
Ghouls do not wish to eat humans, but they cannot consume any other food.
Some ghouls have attempted to endure, sustaining themselves with liquids, such as coffee.
However, such ghouls are rare.
While a ghoul's body far surpasses that of a human, prolonged starvation is also dangerous. Thus, they occasionally resort to digging up corpses from cemeteries to consume.
Of course, the majority of ghouls choose to follow their nature. Heaven has given them a reason to eat humans, so to survive, they naturally must.
Just as humans eat cattle, sheep, and pigs.
Some ghouls even treat humans as beings inferior to themselves in terms of biological structure.
However, the number of ghouls is very small compared to humans, making them more vulnerable to being hunted while they hunt humans.
Thus, ghoul factions opposing the doves have emerged.
Aogiri Tree is one such faction, and it continues to expand.
Rescuing Bai Ye is a part of Aogiri Tree's expansion plan.
The so-called "devourer" is the man in the suit Bai Ye saw last night, who has committed over a dozen acts of violence within a month.
Such actions have attracted the attention of the doves and also Aogiri Tree.
The doves intend to eliminate such a ferocious ghoul.
Aogiri Tree intends to recruit such a ferocious ghoul as a member.
Thus, the scene at the hotel unfolded.
The doves dispatched numerous Ghoul Investigators to the hotel to eliminate Bai Ye, while Aogiri Tree sent its executive, Ayato Kirishima, with his subordinates to rescue Bai Ye.
The only problem is…
Bai Ye is not the devourer!
Having learned the general situation from Ayato Kirishima, Bai Ye felt incredibly frustrated.
What had he done to deserve this?
But at this moment, there was someone more frustrated than Bai Ye!
"This script isn't going as planned!"
Li Jia Yi sat atop a building, watching the doves clean up the mess below, looking utterly bewildered.
Li Jia Yi only intended to lure Ghoul Investigators to deal with Bai Ye. The first part of his plan went very smoothly, with the Ghoul Investigators indeed arriving.
But the latter part deviated from Li Jia Yi's plan; he had never anticipated Aogiri Tree's appearance.
And Aogiri Tree…
Happened to be Li Jia Yi's target!
Li Jia Yi would never want Bai Ye to be involved with Aogiri Tree, but as it stands…
Bai Ye seems to have already become entangled with Aogiri Tree.
Meanwhile, Ayato Kirishima had brought Bai Ye to Aogiri Tree's headquarters.
An abandoned factory!
Ayato Kirishima got out of the car and said, "We're here. From today onwards, you are a member of this place."
Bai Ye asked, "Are you so sure I'll join Aogiri Tree?"
Ayato Kirishima sneered, "The doves are already targeting you. If you don't join us, you won't be able to move freely and will soon be found by the doves. What fate awaits you then? You should be able to guess, right?"
Ayato Kirishima spoke as he walked into the factory.
"Of course, we at Aogiri Tree do not force any ghouls to join us," Ayato Kirishima continued. "If you wish to leave, feel free to do so."
Bai Ye shrugged and followed Ayato Kirishima into the abandoned factory.
Bai Ye was somewhat intrigued by this area now.
Ghouls, Investigators?
Bai Ye held a degree of interest in both, but if he had to choose, his interest in ghouls was greater.
This interest stemmed from what he could gain from them.
Based on the current situation, the most valuable thing ghouls possessed was Quinque, but the core of Quinque was a ghoul's kagune, thus the ultimate source remained the ghouls themselves.
As for the value of ghouls…
Ghouls themselves were the most valuable things.
Bai Ye was interested in both kakuhou and kagune. Moreover, from the information obtained from Ayato Kirishima, Bai Ye deduced that becoming a ghoul would undoubtedly enhance one's physical attributes.
Ghouls' physical attributes were far superior to humans, and they also possessed kagune as special weapons.
Bai Ye did not rule out becoming a ghoul. As long as it could enhance his physical attributes and increase his strength, Bai Ye wouldn't care if he became a monster in the eyes of humans.
However, the current problem was that Bai Ye felt, if his deductions were correct, becoming a ghoul would come at a great cost.
That cost was…
Inability to consume any food other than human flesh.
This side effect was quite significant.
Bai Ye couldn't recall how many people he had killed in his past and present lives.
To survive in the world's battlefields, one had to continuously grow stronger. And to kill for the sake of becoming stronger, Bai Ye had long since become numb.
If this world required killing to survive.
Bai Ye didn't mind dividing "people" into two categories.
The first category was himself.
The second category was everyone else.
For his own sake, Bai Ye could kill all other people.
However, eating people…
This was something Bai Ye could not accept. Regardless, as long as "humanity" still existed, this was something that should not be done.
…