A Brutal Side

A dull thud echoed as the two fists collided. The Grasshopper Gurongi let out a cry of pain, his arm slightly deforming as his body recoiled backward.

“How is this possible!”

Clutching his agonizingly painful and trembling arm, the Grasshopper Gurongi looked at Hozer in shock.

Hozer didn't understand what he was saying, nor was he in the mood to respond. He lunged forward, locking the creature's other arm, and delivered a powerful elbow strike to its chest.

The Grasshopper Gurongi cried out in pain, his body arching back, but he was jerked back by Hozer, who followed up with another elbow strike to the chest.

Two consecutive full-power strikes caused the Grasshopper Gurongi to temporarily lose his ability to resist.

With an arm-lock takedown, Hozer grabbed the Grasshopper Gurongi's left ankle, locked his legs tight, and proactively fell to the ground, forming a cross kneebar.

The cross kneebar is an incredibly brutal joint technique targeting the leg joint. If one tries to resist, the consequence is not just a broken joint but also potentially torn ligaments. Usually, unless there is a massive strength disparity, once the hold is set, it is nearly impossible to escape.

The Grasshopper Gurongi's strength was already weaker than Hozer’s. Once the kneebar was locked, the intense pain made even him, a Gurongi of a warrior race, scream in agony.

Yusuke Godai stood to the side, not knowing what to do. Hozer’s cold expression at this moment was terrifying, making him shudder.

“Godai, you shouldn't interfere. This is my battle.”

Before the words had even finished, a "crack" was heard. The Grasshopper Gurongi's ankle joint was ruthlessly snapped, his foot twisting into a deformed angle.

“Hozer-san...”

Godai wanted to stop Hozer.

But by this time, Hozer had used a knee to pin down the Grasshopper Gurongi's waist, his hands grabbing the head from above and below, followed by...

A neck snap!

The Grasshopper Gurongi's head was twisted backward. With a soft "thud," he fell to the ground, his body no longer moving.

Yusuke Godai was startled, took a step back, and averted his gaze.

Forcibly pulling the Geba medal from the Grasshopper Gurongi's belt and putting it in his pocket, Hozer let out a soft breath, his emotions having calmed down considerably.

“Godai, the police will be here soon. You should leave first.”

Yusuke Godai wanted to say something but stopped, eventually turning and leaving.

Not long after, Ichijo Kaoru led a charge onto the rooftop, followed by a group of police officers panting heavily, their tongues out and mouths agape.

Ichijo Kaoru saw the Grasshopper Gurongi's gruesome death at a glance. His gaze shifted to Hozer, and he frowned.

“Are you alright?”

Hozer shook his head. Having personally killed the Grasshopper Gurongi, the frustration in his heart had vanished, and he now appeared very calm.

However, Ichijo Kaoru still secretly decided to conduct a psychological evaluation for Hozer.

The police department was no stranger to cases where people were severely provoked and then underwent a drastic change in personality; he had to be on guard.

Although Ichijo Kaoru was very discreet, Hozer still saw through his thoughts.

But since Ichijo Kaoru was the one who silently bore the pressure for him, Hozer still offered a bit of an explanation: “Don't worry about my psychological state. They are enemies. These brutal methods—I won't use them on innocent people.”

Ichijo Kaoru nodded in silence and began handling the aftermath with the other officers.

At this moment, neither Hozer nor Ichijo Kaoru noticed a man in a long black coat, wearing a white scarf and a black fedora, quietly observing everything from a distance.

Undoubtedly, this was a Gurongi, and the fact that Hozer didn't notice his gaze was enough to show his terrifying strength.

Walking down the tall building, the man quickly disappeared among the buildings and entered an abandoned factory.

In the factory, the Rhinoceros Gurongi and the Rose Gurongi were both there.

Seeing the man, the Rose Gurongi approached him.

The man, using a bone-chilling, emotionless tone, calmly announced the news of their companion's death.

“Baduu has failed. He was killed by a human, without the slightest power to resist.”

“Not Kuuga?”

“No.”

The man gave a brief description of Hozer’s appearance. Hearing this, the Rose Gurongi said coldly, “So it’s him.”

“You know him?”

“Mm, but he isn't human. He only has a human appearance.”

Not human? But the feeling he gave me was clearly that of a human.

“Is there a need to eliminate him?”

“No need. He doesn't obstruct the game. Furthermore, you said Baduu had no power to resist, which shows his strength has increased. In the future, Daguva might be interested in him.”

Ending the short conversation, the man looked toward the Rhinoceros Gurongi.

“Baduu has failed. It’s my turn.”

The Rhinoceros Gurongi transformed into his monster form and stood before the Rose Gurongi.

The Rose Gurongi inserted the ring into the belt and said coldly, “Two days, ninety-nine people.”

The Rhinoceros monster let out a series of strange, excited cries and lunged straight out of the factory. It was clear he could wait no longer.
…

“This bracelet should be used for counting. Through analyzing the information at the scene, we preliminarily speculate it’s a base-nine counting system, and it very likely relates to the number of people Unidentified Lifeform Number Six has killed. However, to confirm this point, more evidence is needed.”

Ichijo Kaoru held a photograph of the bracelet and sought out the members of the Gurongi behavior pattern research group established by the police department.

The leader was a highly respected senior from the investigation department, with many years of experience in criminal investigation.

“Senior Kimura, so that drawing-board-like object seized earlier—do you think it’s related to this bracelet?”

“It should also be a tool for counting. It’s an abacus, serving the same purpose as the bracelet.”

“So does Senior Kimura have any opinions on this?”

Kimura, hearing this, kept his pipe in his mouth, took a deep puff, and paced back and forth in the room, frowning.

“The Unidentified Lifeforms before killed people without being limited to a specific method, whereas Number Six threw every victim from a tall building.”

“If not for this counting bracelet, I would have thought they were performing some kind of ritual, or it was just Number Six’s own wicked hobby, like how Number Five always poked out both eyes of the victims.”

“But now it seems they are very likely killing according to a specific rule, with a clear regulation on the number. It’s just that the purpose for doing so—I haven't thought of it yet.”

“Senior Kimura, so regarding the decoding of their language, is there any progress?”

Kimura sighed upon hearing this.

“No. Currently, we only know that ‘Linto’ means human and a few other simple words. To understand more, it would be best to have clear language recordings or a living Unidentified Lifeform that can communicate with us.”

“But that...”

Kimura shook his head; even he felt this idea was too far-fetched.

Ichijo Kaoru bowed to Kimura.

“Senior Kimura doesn't need to be discouraged; there will definitely be a way. Thank you for your help; I’ll be going now.”

“Alright, Ichijo. I heard you were discharged before your wounds healed; you must watch your health.”

“I understand. Thank you for your concern, Senior.”

After saying that, Ichijo left the room with a heavy heart. Hozer was waiting outside the door.

“Ichijo, Godai just called. He said Sakurako Sawatari has a new discovery.”

“Really? Let’s go right away.”

Hearing this, Ichijo Kaoru immediately changed direction and headed out of the police station.

Looking at the hurried Ichijo Kaoru, Hozer also admired him greatly.

Dragging an unhealed body back and forth, while always fighting on the front lines—one had to say he was truly a respectable person.