A sudden wave of motion sickness surged up.
Whether it was because the police car had transformed into a roller coaster, or because the corpse in front of me had triggered a panic attack, I couldn’t tell.
But I couldn’t collapse here. Even as the world spun around me, I forced my eyes wide open and held on.
Get a grip. There’s a dangerous monster less than a meter away.
If I didn’t desperately find some thread of survival, my life would end the moment this chaos subsided.
The car was swaying violently, unstable as a slithering snake. One wrong jolt from a bump in the road and the wheels could veer off, crashing into the sidewalk where pedestrians walked.
The vehicle was moving too fast.
The young police officer, whose head had vanished, remained slumped over the accelerator.
The speed would only keep increasing. The wind pressure would keep the doors from opening, and smashing the window to escape would be nearly impossible.
The middle-aged officer in the opposite seat... no, the Ghoul using a police identity, only sighed at the runaway train of a car, taking no action at all.
Was that composure born from the fact that a Ghoul’s body was tough enough to survive a crash at this speed without serious injury?
He was wearing a disguise, but he didn’t seem to feel a shred of guilt for killing a junior he had worked with for so long. Perhaps he was simply contemplating how to resolve this annoying mess.
Think.
Think.
Is there a way out? Can I see it?
I see it!
I sprang up from my seat, thrusting my upper body forward.
Over the lowered headrest of the front seat, I shoved my torso into the narrow gap between the headless corpse of the young officer and the roof of the car.
I had to take a spray of blood straight to the face, but I ignored it and stretched out my handcuffed hands.
“...!”
The Ghoul stared at my bizarre movement, eyes wide with surprise.
He likely didn't react immediately because he couldn't fathom my intent, but it was more likely a manifestation of his confidence—the belief that no matter how I struggled, I could never harm him.
That gave me the opening I needed.
I grabbed the shaking, uncontrolled steering wheel and yanked it with all my might.
Screeeech...!!!
Even though I hadn’t hit the brakes, the sudden change in direction caused the tires to shriek against the road, a sound that stabbed piercingly through my eardrums.
Clutching the wheel as if it were a lifeline, I fought against the centrifugal force trying to hurl me away.
“What are you doing...!”
Only then did the Ghoul react. He reached toward me, but it was already too late.
I glanced sideways.
A shadow was closing in on the window beside the Ghoul, swallowing it whole.
It was a truck barreling down the opposite lane.
KRAAANG!!!!!!!
The sound of metal being crushed in an instant. My mind, along with the world, rolled deeper into a pit of chaos.
***
Murmuring voices.
I clung to consciousness through the noise.
My head throbbed. My stomach felt as if it were about to turn inside out.
My vision was blurred, as if a thick fog had settled over everything. I couldn’t see a thing. Fear surged within me—had I blinded myself?
Murmuring voices.
I could hear people talking.
Relying on my hearing, I crawled toward the sound. Before long, I felt myself slipping out of an uncomfortably narrow space.
I rubbed my eyes and blinked several times.
Fortunately, my eyes weren't damaged. My vision gradually returned, and the surrounding objects came back into focus.
The first thing I saw was a crowd gathered on the sidewalk, staring at me with shocked expressions.
Turning my head, I saw shards of glass and fragments of metal scattered everywhere.
Looking behind me, I saw the police car I had just crawled out of... no, the heap of scrap metal it had once been, lying overturned like a flattened pancake. Behind it sat the truck, its front end completely crumpled.
Thank goodness. Even I knew that had been a reckless move, but I didn’t seem to be badly hurt...
“...No, I am.”
Drip...
Red seeped into the corner of my vision, expanding its territory.
Touching the wound on my forehead, I realized it was my own blood.
“What happened to that bastard?”
I looked back at the wreckage.
The passenger seat where the Ghoul had been riding had slammed head-on into the truck; it was now unrecognizable, crushed beyond form.
No matter how durable a Ghoul’s body was, surviving that should have been impossible.
...That vain hope was shattered in less than five seconds.
Thud!
A chunk of metal that had probably once been a door flew off, and from the rear of the vehicle rose a shadow I was in no way happy to see.
His hat was gone and his face was covered in blood, but thanks to a Ghoul’s regeneration, there were no actual wounds left.
The Ghoul stepped out of the car and turned to look at me.
His eyes, blazing as if molten lava had been poured into them, radiated unmistakable killing intent.
“For a moment there, you really made my heart drop. I thought you were just sharp, but I didn’t expect you to be this cunning. Honestly, I’m quite unlucky. Of all people, I had to pick someone like you...”
I pressed a hand to the wound on my forehead, replaying his words.
“Pick”? Me?
I pondered the meaning. The first time I met this guy was when I was returning home after finding the corpse.
He had stopped me for a random check.
A murder had occurred nearby. The reason I was suspected was the bloodstain left at the site of the questioning. He was a Ghoul. Ghoul bodily fluids had been found at the crime scene.
The case had been handed over to the CCG. That was why he had detained me as a suspect.
Pieces of the puzzle that had been scattered everywhere began to click together, completing the full picture.
And as I faced the truth, I ground my teeth.
Rage surged violently within me.
“You were the one who framed me...!!!”
Yes, it had started the moment I ran into this bastard during that random check at dawn. From that point on, everything had spiraled.
I had become his target.
“That murder was your doing! You accidentally left traces of yourself there, and you knew a Ghoul Investigator would move in! So you targeted me! You wanted to turn this into a 'human crime disguised as a Ghoul's doing'!! That's why you left that bloodstain where I was questioned!!”
The bloodstain—the most critical piece of evidence that had made me a suspect!
It hadn’t been blood from my guitar case; it had been planted by this bastard to drag me into the case.
“Correct.”
Clap, clap, clap.
The Ghoul smiled nastily, giving a perfunctory round of applause.
“You’re probably the first human to ever surprise me this much. Now, what to do? Originally, my plan was to imprison you, torture you, and force you to write a suicide note confessing to the crime... but since you've acted like this, I have no choice but to kill you right now, do I? If I keep you alive any longer, who knows what other nonsense you'll pull.”
The Ghoul shook his head as if he were truly troubled.
“My identity is exposed to a junior I’ve worked with for years, and I almost get killed by a human like you. Today really is a streak of bad luck. I hope nothing else goes wrong.”
“Don’t make me laugh. The one who should be lamenting their luck is me, not you!”
Do you have any idea how much you've ruined my life? I'm a murder suspect, Eto has vanished, I got snatched up by the police, and now I'm staring down a Ghoul.
If I could, I wanted to smash that Ghoul’s face in with everything I had.
Step.
He climbed over the wreckage and approached me.
I took a guarded stance and spoke up. “Hey, are you sure about this? There are plenty of witnesses here. You really want to kill me in broad daylight?”
Because of the crash, a large crowd had gathered. Revealing himself as a Ghoul here would be practically suicidal.
But the Ghoul only grinned, unfazed.
“Why not? Did you forget what my current profession is?”
In one of the Ghoul's hands... was a gun. I felt the blood drain from my face the moment I saw it.
Bang!
The Ghoul fired a shot into the air.
Police-issued firearms are loaded with a warning blank first, followed by live rounds.
That shot was both a preparation for live fire and a signal to draw the crowd's attention.
The Ghoul took a steady stance and aimed the gun directly at me.
“Don’t move, you vile criminal! As long as I’m here, you won’t lay a finger on the citizens!”
That was the problem. Regardless of his identity, to any stranger, he was simply a police officer.
And I, with my hands bound in cuffs, looked exactly like a criminal being apprehended by the law.
The commotion grew louder, but the whispers were now filled with suspicion and hostility toward me.
In this situation, I could scream that the officer was a Ghoul a hundred times, and no one would believe me.
“Damn it!!”
Realizing how dire the situation was, I acted quickly.
I had to get out of here.
The people here wouldn't protect me from the Ghoul; they would only validate his actions.
I sprinted toward the area where the crowd was thinnest. Terrified by the sudden charge of a "vicious criminal," the people quickly scrambled out of the way, clearing a path.
I saw an alleyway ahead. If I could reach it, I might escape his gunfire.
“Where do you think you're going!”
The Ghoul pivoted the muzzle toward me.
He pulled the trigger at the exact moment I threw my entire body toward the alley.
Bang!
The gunshot rang out.
***
Koma lunged, but he was too late. He could never outrun the speed of a bullet.
The Ghoul lowered the pistol, smoke still curling from the barrel.
He clicked his tongue and stared at the entrance of the alley where Koma had vanished.
The bullet, which should have pierced Koma’s body, had been blocked by a metal signboard standing at the entrance.
Koma had disappeared completely into the alley, out of sight.
The Ghoul muttered in a regretful tone, “Today really is a streak of bad luck.”
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