Pearl, wide, and spacious…

The entrance to the CCG main office's lobby brought nothing but nostalgia to Kaneki.

He walked past the RC scan gates without trouble. The gates were designed to alarm should something containing a high level of RC cells would pass through.

It was the perfect device from keeping an area secured of any possible ghoul entity.

Well unless you were a part of certain organizations or was related to the Washuu clan.

Kaneki, having Rize's kakuhou implanted into him, made the RC scan gates useless to keep him away.

He could barely recall the countless times he's stepped through these things unfazed.

Which is why he was the only one capable of doing something no ghoul would ever dare trying and come out alive.

However, somewhere in his mind, perhaps in his memory as Haise Sasaki did this place bring an aching and longing feeling into his heart.

The security called out his attention, handing him the unsuspicious package that would without a doubt be the key instrument in his current mission.

He turned towards the rest of the lobby, and saw that Takizawa was waiting for him.

If it weren't for the façade, he kept up then the surprise and shock in his features would have been evident at seeing the investigator looking so young… so alive… and so not crazy.

The few times he had to face the man in battle were times that he could never forget. Without a doubt, Takizawa was one of the most difficult foes he had ever faced.

He felt sorry for the guy as he remembered the scarred mind he was left in. Perhaps there was a chance that he could never submit himself to that cruel fate that was in store for him.

Akira would occasionally tell him stories about her time with Seidou and Amon before she lost them.

She sounded so happy when talking about the moments she shared with both of them. But Kaneki could tell that there was deep regret and sadness hidden between those moments.

Kaneki looked around and surveyed the lobby he currently found himself in. His current situation was a gamble, so to say. The only information he had on the layout of the building was from his memories, but he had never found himself in the CCG offices internally until he joined them as Haise.

He was betting everything on his memories, and any inaccuracy could lead to his demise right here and now.

"You ever been here before?" Takizawa asked, noticing him looking around his surroundings. His eye then shifted towards his nametag. "Jiro-san?"

Kaneki noticed that an elevator was already on its way. It would seem that while Kaneki was busy looking around, he already called for one.

He had to watch out for his behavior from now on. Without a doubt, this place was bringing about different emotions to him at the moment.

"A couple of times…" Kaneki composed himself. "It amazes me to think that there must be so many great people here."

Akira had labeled Takizawa as the type of person who would suck up to people holding a position above him. So it was worth the shot to break through the investigator's defenses by exploiting that habit.

"Yes there are!" The twinkle in Takizawa's eyes showed that the stories Akira gave him were indeed true. It was also advantageous for him for Takizawa to gain a false sense of security around him to avoid suspicion.

The usual ring of an elevator echoed, and the mechanical doors of the elevator opened, revealing it to be empty.

That proved that their plans seemed to be on point. In order for there to be the highest probability of violence in his plan, then he had to act on the time at which the office was least operational.

There was already great risk involved the moment he stepped into those gates. And at this point on, there was no choice left but to move forward.

As soon as the elevator doors closed, the aroma of the ramen in the package he held wrapped around them like a blanket.

And Kaneki tried his hardest not to vomit at the disgusting aroma it emanated. The cruel side effects of being a half ghoul made that anything that didn't contain a certain number of RC cells smell and taste in a manner that would cause discomfort to a ghoul.

"The ramen smells so good!" Takizawa however thought otherwise. "I really hope Shinohara-san is treating us tonight!"

This guy was a real ass kisser for sure. Kaneki regained his composure, doing his best to ignore the foul aroma that blanketed them.

"You seem to really look up to this Shinohara person."

"Shinohara-san is an investigator I truly respect. "A smile plastered itself unto Takizawa's face. "He saved me on several occasions, and honestly watching a guy his age kick ass is really something else."

Takizawa really knew how to show respect to a guy. And based on the few times he crossed blades with the Special Class investigator, he was nothing less than a master at his craft, especially for a human.

The greatest and most threatening investigators were almost always related to the Washuu, that made their physical capabilities beyond human peak condition.

With Arima Kishou being the prime example.

The elevator ride was almost over and Kaneki checked his watch.

In a few moments the crucial moments to their plan would commence, and he had very little time to spare once everything fell into place.

They arrived at the 15th floor, and Kaneki was met with a sight that he was very familiar with.

That gave a small sense of relief to Kaneki. The CCG main office had a certain architecture and interior design that screamed big money. And since no ghoul would ever dare to attack one of the key sites in ghoul extermination, the place was never renovated from Kaneki's few years working there.

And it would seem that the same could be said before he became Haise Sasaki.

That meant that his memories were quite precise, and if he could bet on it, then everything was still were they were, with the exceptions of certain offices belonging to different individuals.

However, since Shinohara was out of action during his time in the CCG, his information on the location of his office came from a conversation he had with Suzuya.

Fortunately, he was lucky that Takizawa was around to escort him directly to it, and that saved the risk of looking around for it.

Not too long after arriving at the 15th floor, they made their way to the door leading to Shinohara's office.

Takizawa took out a key from his pocket and opened the door leading to the office. Kaneki looked around, and found that it was very similar to Akira's own investigation room. It was fairly organized, but it had a fair share of scattered paperwork indicating that the man had been quite busy during the month.

"Shinohara-san won't be back for a while though… He's currently in a meeting."

Kaneki was a step ahead. "He told me beforehand… However, he did tell me that someone else would handle the payment." Kaneki looked around and sighed in disappointment. "It seems that there's no one around however…"

"Don't worry Jiro-san, I'll handle it!"

Kaneki smiled as his impromptu plan worked. Due to Takizawa's nature with his superiors, he was fairly certain that the young investigator would take the bait.

Kaneki turned around walked towards the desk by the window that he figured to be Shinohara's. The desk stood right in front of the glass window that gave a near perfect view of night time Tokyo.

He took a brief glance from behind him and found Takizawa counting his bills. Before placing the package on Shinohara's desk, his hand hovered on a switch, and with a small click, he took out a small metal container and placed it on his back pocket.

He turned back towards Takizawa, taking the bills given to him.

"Thank you Takizawa-san." Kaneki politely bowed before making his way to the door.

Before Kaneki could lay his hand on the door, Takizawa beat him to it and opened the door for him.

"I'll have to escort you back to the entrance Jiro-san." Takizawa gave him a polite smile. "Security measures."

Kaneki nodded in understanding. Since the main office held a lot of crucial information, they couldn't just let anyone wander about unsupervised.

He checked his watch, finding that he only had a few more minutes before things would fall into place.

He had to act fast.

"Uhm… Takizawa-san…" Kaneki scratched the back of his head. "Would it be alright if I use the restroom before I leave?"

Takizawa patted him on the back. "Go ahead Jiro-san." He let out a chuckle. "We're still civil servants you know. I'll wait for you outside."

Takizawa then proceeded to walk towards the direction of the restroom and Kaneki followed after him. Briefly checking his watch from time to time, making sure that he wouldn't fall behind schedule.

"You sure check your watch a lot." Takizawa noticed his behavior. "Are you in a hurry?"

"Yeah… I've got another delivery on the way."

"You're really busy tonight aren't ya?"

Kaneki scratched his chin. "You could say that."

It didn't take them too long before they made it to the restrooms.

"I'll be waiting for you outside, don't take too long now!"

Takizawa leaned on a wall outside the restroom and Kaneki made his way inside.

Fortunately, there seemed to be no one inside. He briefly glanced at the mirror, inspecting his features, finding that the disguise he made out for himself was still intact.

He then quickly inspected each cubicle, to ensure that he really was the only occupant of the room.

Kaneki check his watch once more, finding that he only had less than three minutes left.

He hurriedly stepped outside the restroom, finding a rather surprised Takizawa.

"Woah you really are in a hurr-"

"Takizawa-san." Kaneki cut him off, giving him a panicked look. "I accidentally broke something inside."

Takizawa seemed unsure of what to make out of his words for a moment before a panicked expression plastered itself on his features.

The young investigator stepped into the restroom, looking around trying to find anything out of place or broken as Kaneki had claimed.

While the investigator was distracted, Kaneki locked the door behind him as it closed.

"There doesn't seem to be anythin-"

Takizawa felt all the air in lungs escape him as his gut felt like it had just been hit by a truck. Not even sparing a moment to recover, an elbow found its way onto the back of his skull, completely knocking him out.

Kaneki hurriedly carried Takizawa's unconscious body towards one of the empty cubicles, quickly switching their clothes as he did so.

He could've left him in the same position in Shinohara's office, but doing so would put the young investigator's life at risk.

"Sorry Takizawa-san." Kaneki placed Takizawa's tie on his robbed suit. "You'll probably wake up with a throbbing headache at most."

Kaneki stepped outside the cubicle, counting down the seconds on his watch, waiting in anticipation as the hands slowly made their way back to 12.

Yomo stood at the skeleton of a building, watching the construction workers go about their job from above.

It was a bustling sight, as different tasks were being done at the same time, illuminated by powerful lights for them to be able to perform their tasks even in evening shifts.

His attention was focused elsewhere, carefully tracking one of the workers who began to make their way to the crane machine.

He moved fast, easily walking past the workers unnoticed. As the worker made his way into the machine and started it, just before he could close the door, he felt a blunt force hit his head, knocking him unconscious.

The crane machine then turned towards a different direction, opposite to the building, and Yomo kept the man's foot on the gas, before quickly stepping out of the machine and hiding in the shadows.

He watched as distraught workers began to chase after the vehicle, the fastest of them hurriedly climbing unto the vehicle trying to stop the man from moving any further.

Large sparks flew across the construction site as the crane collided with one of the power lines.

All around them, darkness began to envelop them, as power went out in certain areas of the city.

The machine stopped moving, and Yomo figured that they must have turned it off before it could further do any more structural damage, but it was too late.

Yomo looked towards the darkness that now enveloped the 1st ward of Tokyo.

"I hope you know what you're doing Kaneki."

Yukinori Shinohara, Iwao Kuroiwa, and of course the Bureau Director himself, Yoshitoki Washuu.

Marude could make out a few reasons why these certain group of people sat facing each other in the Bureau Director's offices of all places.

Each and every individual around him had something in relation to one of the biggest threats that the CCG has ever faced so far.

Aogiri Tree.

But to assemble him next to these legendary CCG figures, Marude figured that the topic of their discussion was without a doubt of a serious manner.

"Thank you for coming today everyone." All pairs of eyes fixated on the commanding voice of the Bureau Director. "I've assembled you here to discuss few crucial pieces of information."

The lights around the room began to dim, and the screen behind the director turned on, revealing data visuals.

"This is the ghoul activity during the past month." What the assembled investigators saw was a rapid decrease in ghoul activity. "As you can see, the number of ghoul incidences reported have been on a drastic decrease since the 11th ward operation."

Marude felt a tinge of pride make its way to his chest at the announcement. However, he withdrew any comments, as he observed the features the Bureau Director presented to him.

Despite the inactivity of the ghouls being easily correlated to the success of the operation. With an estimated over three hundred ghoul casualty, it was safe to say that it was an overwhelming victory for the CCG.

But that wasn't a cause to reduce caution.

The screen changed, showing a different visual.

Even though the amount of ghoul activity has seen a drastic decrease, the police department had been busy rounding up missing person cases like never seen before.

While missing person cases have always been in line with ghoul-related incidents, the low numbers that were presented to them didn't coincide with the recent reports they were hearing from the police.

The visual changed, and shivers tingled down Marude's spine upon seeing the numbers.

Three hundred.

That was nearly the same amount of casualties that Aogiri Tree had lost during the 11th ward operation.

"I've never seen anything like it." Iwao commented, his eyes widening in surprise at the information.

"Aogiri Tree is behind this, aren't they?" Marude stood, a steel gaze looking straight towards the Director.

"We don't know for sure." Yoshitoki replied. "But they are the biggest suspects behind this."

"The numbers aren't anything like what is displayed on TV." Shinohara sighed. "Without a doubt, if this were to come out, there would be city wide panic."

"We will be cooperating with the police department." The Bureau Director said. "But before so, we will need to plan out a way for us to handle this, which is why I summoned you here."

"I've got a strong hunch that it's Aogiri Tree…" Marude crossed his arms. "But they lost a lot of numbers during the raid, I didn't think they would move this fast."

"It's possible that there are far more too Aogiri Tree than we calculated." Iwao spoke up. "After all, we were only able to hit them successfully thanks to anonymous information, which we have yet to track its origin."

"Much of their biggest threats are still active." Shinohara's gaze stiffened. "They have ghouls with strength that I have never faced in my long years of experience."

Marude knew exactly what he was talking about.

During the end of the operation, Shinohara's entire attack force was taken out by a single ghoul.

It was a ghoul that they had never seen before. Seemingly coming out of nowhere, showing up in different wards in Tokyo, and disappearing without a trace.

There is a strong suspicion that this ghoul resides in the 20th ward, as it was the first point of contact that the CCG could trace.

However, his recent encounter in the 11th ward battle, has caused an assumption that the ghoul is a member of Aogiri Tree.

"You're talking about the Eyepatch ghoul, aren't you?" Marude asked.

Shinohara nodded. "Even with an entire squad against him, even when me and Iwao had Aratas, he still beat us." Shinohara clenched his fist. "The way that ghoul wielded a quinque. It was as if I was facing Arima himself in battle."

Arima? That was quite the exaggeration wasn't it?

Marude tried not to believe it, but when he watched the body cams of all those who were in Shinohara's squad. He has never seen a ghoul who could utilize a quinque so well with his own kagune.

"Gentlemen, before we-"

The Bureau Director was cut off, as the lights around them began to lose power.

"A power outage?"

Marude took out his phone and turned on its flashlight. "Why hasn't the power generators turned on yet?"

The other occupants of the meeting room followed after him, using their phones as a light source, as the darkness began to fill with dim lighting.

"The power generators are under maintenance at the moment." Yoshitoki clicked his tongue. "There is a chance that this might not be a coincidence."

"It's been a few minutes and the power hasn't returned yet? Don't those things startup right away?"

"It's under maintenance."

Kaneki leaned against the wall, hiding his presence, blending in with the darkness that surrounded him.

He was currently on the 11th floor of the CCG main office. A large chunk of the floor was dedicated to the CCG's server room, which contained unencrypted investigation files, and other pieces of information that would prove to be vital.

Normally it would be enforced by heavy security, and different types of security checks before you could even get in, but if Youta was correct, then those precautions would be down due to the power outage.

"It's a good thing the backup system is working." He heard another voice. "On the day that the power generator was on maintenance too… What horrible timing."

"We should keep our guard up just in case." Their flashlights beamed right by the wall he was leaning against. "The security system should be useless right now, so we should probably stay here to be safe."

So Youta was right. The backup system was dedicated to keep the servers operational, since they consume a lot of power.

Next, Kaneki had to find a way to get that brief conversation he could make out, he figured around three guards possibly guarding the server room.

However, he had no visual confirmation, and he would need to get in right away.

Time was essence at this point, any extra second spent could determine the difference between life or death.

Kaneki checked his watch, counting his minutes before closing his eyes and controlling his breathing.

He took obvious footsteps that made his presence aware. Lights beamed towards his location, alerting the guards as they saw him.

"An investigator?"

"I was around the floor when the blackout occurred." Kaneki took a few steps forward. "I heard your commotion so I decided to check it out."

He noticed the guards lower their caution around him at his words. Fortunately, Takizawa's clothes fitted him well, making it easier for him to blend in.

There was still a glint of suspicion in their eyes however, and he couldn't really blame them as they must've been trained to be cautious especially at times like this.

"I'm sorry but you can't stick around here." One of the guards spoke out. "We can't risk any possible security breaches."

Kaneki expected him to respond in that manner. It was his job after all. However, given his current predicament, he couldn't waste any time as well.

Given the power outage, the power generator should be rushing its maintenance in order for power to return as quickly as possible.

He couldn't risk having the power return and having the CCG's best straight towards his throat.

"I understand." Kaneki gave them a smile. "I'll be on my way then."

Kaneki turned around, and on the small split second that he felt their guard lower, Kaneki moved.

In the blink of an eye, Kaneki's elbow found itself right under the closest guard's chin. The man's flashlight flew into the air, and Kaneki quickly caught it throwing it straight unto another guard's temple, effectively knocking out two of them in one fluid motion.

The remaining guard quickly moved for his radio and pistol, but Kaneki closed the distance between them before he could even touch them.

The last guard found a knee straight towards his gut, knocking out all the air in him as he collapsed into the ground.

A flashlight rolled across the ground, allowing Kaneki to see the frightened looks of a man and a woman, who he figured to be in charge of the server room.

He slowly walked towards the man, who stood shaking and leaning against the wall.

Kaneki reached out a hand and wrapped it around the man's neck, with enough pressure as to make him able to speak.

"Which one of you can open that door over there?"

He saw a frenzied look make its way on the man's eyes, and felt a heavy grip hold him on his lone arm.

"Kayako run!"

The young woman stood there shaking, before her eyes set out for the entrance.

Before she could even make a step however, a single lone kagune made its way towards her neck.

The atmosphere of the room quickly changed at that motion.

The young woman slowly moved her head towards the sharp sensation she felt on her neck, as the kagune just barely grazed her skin.

Kaneki closed his right eye, as his left turned sclera black. He turned his attention back towards the man who was pinned to the wall, feeling the tension around his arm leave, as a look of primal fear made its way to the man's face.

"Good you know what I am." Kaneki tightened the grip around his neck. "Now which one of you can open that door over there?"

"I-I can!" The young woman exclaimed in fear.

Kaneki let go of the man's neck and hit him with the back of his hand with enough force to knock him to the ground.

The woman's screams were muffled by his kagune as it wrapped around her mouth. He began to slowly make his way towards her. Slowly unwrapping the kagune around her mouth, placing his finger right at her lips.

Tears started to stream down her face, and Kaneki placed a finger on her head, placing a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Shhh…" Kaneki's kagune dissipated into the air. "You look young… It seems you're just getting your life together too. It would be a shame to throw it away just like that don't you think?"

He pulled back, looking the woman straight into her tear-filled eyes. The woman nodded instantly. "Good, now stay there for a moment."

Kaneki turned his attention to the three unconscious bodies outside, dragging them behind a corner, to hide them. He wouldn't be here long, but it won't do harm to be cautious.

After making sure that the bodies were out of sight, he made sure to keep their mouths muffled just in case they woke up and tied their arms and legs with whatever he could manage with, with their clothing.

He turned to look towards the woman behind him. She sat there unmoving, watching him from the dim light that shone from the flashlight he held.

"Open the door." Kaneki commanded, only to find the woman simply stared at him. "Now." He said more threateningly.

The young woman whimpered and slowly began to move towards the door. Taking out a key and unlocking it.

The door opened, and Kaneki realized that any one of the guards that were knocked out probably had the same keys to the door. Since the power was out, any additional security features that involved electricity would've been unoperational given the current scenario.

Kaneki pushed the woman inside the room, and he was met with the cold breeze of the server room.

The temperature in the room must've been really low if it was still chilly in here despite the loss of power. In contrast to the dark atmosphere in the rest of the building, blue LEDs illuminated the darkness before him.

Kaneki had to admit that he's never seen the insides of this room, nor has he ever seen anything like it. So all he knew about the place was everything Youta told him.

Kaneki placed an earpiece at his left ear and with a push of a button, a feint beep was heard, signalling that the device was on.

"I'm in."

"Good." A voice was heard from his earpiece. "There should be a computer there, access any one of them and plug the device in."

Kaneki looked around and found that there was a computer not too far from him.

Kaneki shoved the woman towards the computer. "Login."

The woman's fingers shakily hovered above the keyboard, before she began to slowly type in the information needed to have access into the computer.

"I just plug the device in right?" Kaneki asked through his earpiece.

"Just plug it into any USB port and I'll do the rest."

Kaneki directed his flashlight at the computer, looking around, before finding a vacant USB port and plugged the device in.

He waited in silence for a few moments, his heart steadily beating, waiting for confirmation from the other side of the line.

"We're in."

Kaneki let out a sigh of relief, watching as the monitor began to display various lines of code from its terminal, signalling that Youta was currently at work.

The woman next him stood shaking, her eyes wide in terror, realizing what she just let them use her for.

"Thank you." Kanekit took out a piece of cloth from his pocket, placing it over her nose and mouth.

Her eyes were wide in fear, feeling her hands grip widely at his sleeves until her flailing swoly stopped and Kaneki gently placed her on the ground as she fell unconscious.

Kaneki turned his attention back towards the monitor. "How long do we have?"

"It's a lot of data, but their specs are on the roof! I'd say about eight minutes give or take."

Eight minutes. That's a lot of time given their situation. He was currently on the 11th floor of the main building. If things go well, then he could make his way to the 15th floor in three.

However, knowing his luck, things would certainly almost never go well.

He heard a static crackle from where he left the guards around the corner.

"Ito-san? requesting confirmation… over."

Kaneki swore to himself. Why the hell does things always have to get complicated.

He quickly made his way to the unconscious bodies of the guards and turned off their radio equipment but left one to himself.

"Tokyo." Kaneki addressed Youta by his codename. "How confident are you in the time frame that you gave me?"

"100%. Why?"

"Things are about to get complicated... Just get it done as soon as you can and let me know right away."

"... More pressure huh? Alright I'll do my best."

Kaneki took out a flip phone from his pocket and dialed a number into it. He let it ring for a second before immediately ending the call.

He had to hold out here for less than eight minutes, take the device, then make it to the 15th floor immediately in seven.

It didn't seem impossible but given that anything can happen at this point, he had to be prepared, since he was skipping straight towards the end of his plan.

Kaneki took out a mask from his pocket and placed it on his face. He felt the small mass of RC cells dissipate into the air as he fitted the all familiar eyepatch mask to hug his free features.

"So you're Youta"

Kaneki sat across a brown haired young man who was supposedly one of the best hackers Tsukiyama knew.

At first glance, Kaneki would've never assumed the person before him to be Tsukiyama's go to person. Perhaps it was due to the stereotype that a hacker was this unkempt hooded individual.

The person before him however, was clean shaven, young, and seemed to know how to dress himself up. Though he did wear glasses, he looked more like a college student than a hacker.

"And you're the infamous eyepatch ghoul." Youta immediately stood up, taking Kaneki aback, and began to bow his head. "You don't know how much I respect you! It's an honor to meet you!"

Kaneki looked at him dumbfounded and unsure of how to respond. When he was the One Eyed King, this kind of treatment was rather commonplace for him, but seeing it right now was rather strange for him.

"You can sit down now…"

"Don't be so taken aback by this Kaneki-kun." Tsukiyama patted him on the shoulder. "After the rumors on everything you've done these past months, the name eyepatch is both a symbol of respect and fear to ghouls alike."

Kaneki sighed and turned his attention back towards Youta. "I'm sure Tsukiyama filled you in on the details."

Youta nodded. "When I first heard it, I was a little nervous to say the least… But…" Youta clenched his fists. "I can't fight… And this is the only chance I have to fight in a field where I have an advantage in."

"Did the CCG take something from you?"

Kaneki knew his question hit hard, as Youta immediately stiffened. At this point, Kaneki already knew the cause of his motivations. Any ghoul that reacted that way always had the same background.

"My… my younger brother…" Youta turned his face to the side, and Kaneki felt sympathy for him.

He reminded him a lot of Banjou. Youta didn't seem to have the physique and power to fight, but even so, he utilized one of his strengths in order to fight back.

He respected that.

"I admire you for your perseverance Youta-san." Kaneki stood up and extended his hand towards Youta and gave him a gentle smile. "Will you help me?"

Youta stood up and shook Kaneki's hand. "I'm in your care."

Two security personnel walked their way to the data center in the 11th floor of the main building.

Today just wasn't their day. There was a massive power outage in the entire ward, and they've been spending the past ten minutes hurriedly scurrying around the building to make sure that everything is fine.

They were without a doubt pissed as the guards on the 11th floor weren't responding to them, making them go through the hassle of walking all the way up here to inspect the place.

They seriously doubted anything strange would happen, as no one would be stupid enough to try anything in the CCG main office of all places.

The investigators stationed here are freaks of nature, and could very well be considered living killing machines after all.

However, there was a tinge of anxiety as the guards made their way closer to the entrance of the data center.

Their flashlights surveyed the darkness, and suspiciously found noone stationed anywhere.

"What the hell are those guys doing?"

The security personnel slowly walked towards the entrance, trying to find anyone in sight, only to find nothing, not even the workers assigned to the place.

"Maybe they're inside?"

"Maybe…"

Footsteps slowly made their way further inside. Their heartbeats rang on their ears, as a heavy feeling made its way to their chest as they inched closer.

Then something fell from behind them, and the two personnel immediately pointed their flashlights to the source of the disturbance.

A lone flashlight pointed into the empty corridor behind them, finding no trace of whatever caused the sound.

"What the hell was that?"

The personnel looked back towards his partner, but was surprised to find himself alone by the entrance.

"Oru-san!?" The man said, the growing feeling of anxiety now growing even heavier in his chest. "Did you go ahead?"

His breathing was shallow, and his hand began to move towards his belt. Was this a sick prank that was being pulled on him right now or was it something else…?

He slowly looked behind him, his flashlight guiding the way against the darkness, before it landed on a figure behind him.

Cold sweat formed on his forehead, and a primal sense of fear flowed into his veins at what he saw.

A toothy grin, and an eyepatch covering his right eye.

"E-Eyepatch." The man shakily muttered before the figure moved and the next thing he saw was darkness.

Kaneki sighed in relief as he checked his watch. In a few minutes Youta should be done and he'll be out of here soon enough.

He looked at the dropped bodies of the personnel, figuring that they were in charge of inspecting the building due to the power outage. Since he'd be leaving this place in a few minutes, he doubted that he'd run into any more trouble.

The biggest threat to him were the investigators, the main reason why he couldn't afford to take too much time was due to the fact that the special class investigators could get the drop on him if he didn't escape soon.

The power could turn back on in any moment, and he had to be prepared for it. He figured that he couldn't have been in the building for more than fifteen minutes since he got in.

However, the biggest threat to him was in the building as well.

With Arima's work ethic, he knew for sure that the reaper was only a few floors above him.

Which is why the sooner he got out, the lesser the probability of him running into him.

Kaneki's instincts rang and he twisted his body just in time to avoid getting a knife into his skull.

Kaneki eyed the knife currently embedded into the wall. It wasn't just any regular blade, and he could recognize that quinque from anywhere.

After all, the owner of the damn thing was one of the reasons he destroyed Tokyo in the first place.

"Will you look at that…" Suzuya stood a few meters from him. His figure casting a shadow before him as he stood in front of a flashlight that was dropped on the ground. "I was following those guys because I was bored but to think that I'd run into the Eyepatch ghoul here of all places…"

Suzuyu ripped open the buttons of his coat, revealing the dozens of knives that were hidden beneath. "You're not getting out of this alive!"

Dozens of knives were launched into the air, and Kaneki tossed Takizawa's coat into Suzuya's line of sight quickly ducking and moving away from the light that exposed him.

The coat was pinned to the wall, realizing what Kaneki was trying to do, Suzuya began to charge towards him, not letting him anywhere near the light source.

Kaneki's kagune wrapped itself around his wrist as he moved, allowing one of the knives to embed itself on the kagune, before it quickly dissipated, and with a spin, threw it towards Suzuya.

The investigator ducked just in time to narrowingly avoid getting impaled in the shoulder, but Kaneki expected this.

With a hand on Suzuya's arm and on his chest, Kaneki placed his foot behind Suzuya's heel, and in one fluid motion, the investigator found himself flat onto the ground.

Kaneki wasn't done however, he pulled his fist back and delivered two strikes to Suzuya's temple with the force of a pro boxer.

He was ready to deliver a third punch but found that Juuzou was unresponsive.

Kaneki slowly stood up, steadying his breathing and only began to realize that Youta's voice was calling him out.

"Sorry…" Kaneki eyed Suzuya's form. "I got caught up in something."

"The task is completed… I'm assuming you started the timer, so my guess is you have around five minutes to get out of there."

Kaneki began to move towards the device, but he heard a small scuffle where he left Suzuya.

He only expected as much from someone as impervious to pain as Suzuya, however he didn't have time to play around.

A single tendril wrapped around Kaneki's arm, as he placed his hand on Suzuya's head. He dug the kagune deep into the concrete, wrapping itself around Suzuya's features, before Kaneki separated it, pinning down the investigator.

As much as the investigator ruined Kaneki's future, he knew that at that time, they both had no other option but to kill each other.

However, now was a different time, and maybe there was a chance that their fates would not align in the same way.

He was still a friend after all.

Kaneki took the device, placing a protective layer around it with his kagune, and wrapping it around his waist, and made his way towards the emergency exit, and began to make his way to the 15th floor.

He checked his watch, making sure that he had enough time, before he made it to the extraction point.

He was surrounded by darkness, but Kaneki's enhanced senses made it easier for him to navigate through it. He couldn't risk drawing any more attention towards him.

He was able to make it near Shinohara's office without trouble, and in less than a minute, he'd be able to make it out of the office.

Then, warm air rushed towards the vents, and the lights around the floor began to return.

His eyes adjusted to the light, however, he found himself caught between a rock and a hard place.

He heard a gun cock from his left, finding Marude pointing his pistol straight towards him.

Forty-five.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Kaneki looked at the opposite end of the hall and found Shinohara, holding his quinque pointed towards him.

"You got balls I'll give you that." Marude said. "You're the first ghoul to ever get inside the CCG main office without being restrained."

Thirty.

"Careful Marude-san… The eyepatch ghoul is very dangerous, I don't think we'll be able to hold him off by ourselves."

"We'll just have to keep him here until the others come then. This fool has nowhere to run, and no matter how strong he is he can't possibly stand up against Arima."

Fifteen.

The tension around the three was thick enough to be cut with a knife. Neither made a move, as the investigators chose to keep him at a certain distance rather than engaging.

However, as the hands on Kaneki's watch slowly began to make their way towards twelve, it wouldn't matter.

Three…

Kaneki felt the rush of RC cells flow through his veins as his kakugan activated on his left eye.

Two…

Kaneki turned to Shinohara and brought out the key words that would be essential to the plan that took a month in preparation.

"Aogiri sends their regards."

One…

An explosion tore through Shinohara's office, causing the investigators to momentarily lose sight of the Eyepatch ghoul.

The sprinklers turned on, triggered by the heat of the explosion, and the investigators stood wide-eyed at the remains of what was once Shinohara's office.

They felt the cold breeze of Tokyo flow past them, as the ringing of sirens was all they heard with the Eyepatch ghoul nowhere to be seen.

It's both good and albeit stressful to be back. I tried to update as soon as I can, but despite the extra free time due to what's going around the world right now, I have other responsibilites and work to do, so I can't promise a decent update time, but rest assured I'll make sure it doesn't take as long as it used to.

If there are any readers out there who are familiar with how servers work I apologize if there are things that I got wrong, as I'm admitedly not that familiar with them!

Thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement!

Please Review!

Disclaimer: Tokyo Ghoul belongs to Ishida Sui