However, even if Bai Ye didn't want to become a ghoul due to side effects, couldn't they still be used for trade?
Just as some would accept consuming demon blood to become demons for power, naturally, there would be those willing to become ghouls for power.
Moreover, compared to being unable to act in daylight after becoming a demon, the side effect of ghouls needing to eat people, as long as one could overcome the psychological and mental fear and repulsion, the price was even smaller than becoming a demon.
Bai Ye thought as he followed Kirishima Ayato into the factory.
Looking around, he could see a large number of ghouls inside the factory, at least two to three hundred, but their faces were unclear, all wearing masks.
This was also the reason why Kirishima Ayato immediately took Bai Ye for a ghoul.
Ghouls, when not hunting humans, were indistinguishable from humans, a sub-species with normal human identities in human society.
Therefore, to avoid exposing their identities and to live normally outside of hunting, ghouls would wear masks during hunts.
This way, they wouldn't expose their identities and be pursued by the white doves.
When Kirishima Ayato saw Bai Ye, Bai Ye had previously scanned Lan Qing's information with the Predator's bio-mask, so Kirishima Ayato naturally assumed Bai Ye, who was wearing a mask, was a ghoul.
Secondly, the way the Steel Slime liquefied items, wriggling like mud, bore similarities to the process of ghouls releasing their kagune, which also created a mistaken impression for Kirishima Ayato.
They walked through the factory to the front.
The executives of Aogiri Tree were gathered here.
"Ayato, well done." A girl, completely wrapped in bandages, wearing a red one-piece suit and a mask, leaped down from a steel pipe and then looked at Bai Ye, saying, "Are you the Eater?"
Bai Ye nodded. "Yes."
The girl smiled and then jumped back onto the steel pipe, saying, "Everyone, Owl asked me to tell you, it's time to usher in a new era!"
The One-Eyed Owl, the leader of Aogiri Tree, possessed immense strength but was very mysterious, almost never showing his face.
As the girl's voice echoed, the surrounding ghouls suddenly became excited.
They cheered loudly, whistled, and clapped continuously.
The girl continued, "Owl asked me to tell you that soon, a new era will descend. We won't have to hide anymore. We can live in the sunlight, and those white doves can no longer act with impunity against us."
The cheers from the surrounding ghouls instantly reached their peak.
At this moment, an executive asked, "What is Owl's command?"
"Ghoul Detention Center!" the girl said. "In that ghoul prison, a large number of S-class and SS-class ghouls are held. Their hatred for the white doves is no less than anyone else's, so what we need to do is release them and make them part of our fighting force."
After speaking, the girl leaped down from the pile of steel pipes and walked up to Bai Ye, pointing at him.
"Newcomer, to show everyone your strength, so..." The girl smiled and said, "You will lead the team to carry out this task. Is that okay?"
"You have received a forbidden zone activation mission."
"Break into the Ghoul Detention Center with a team. Mission reward: Forbidden Zone (Ghoul Detention Center) Activation x1."
A forbidden zone!
This was interesting!
Bai Ye grinned and looked at the girl, asking, "Location."
The girl's eyes flashed with a crimson light, and she suddenly smiled. "I like straightforward people. Of course, I will tell you the address. We will act tonight."
Bai Ye nodded. "Alright!"
A forbidden zone, since he encountered it, Bai Ye certainly wouldn't refuse, regardless of the reward for now.
Since he was already involved, it would be good to get some God Stone fragments by opening the forbidden zone.
After all, making money for milk powder was hard these days, and the Steel Slime ate too much.
There was still some time before nightfall, which was for the chosen ones to prepare and adjust their state.
As the activator of the forbidden zone, there were certain advantages at this time.
At least other chosen ones who were forcibly dragged into the forbidden zone had no preparation time.
However, Bai Ye pondered it over and felt he had nothing to prepare. It wasn't time to draw from the gacha yet, and nightfall referred to after dusk. If nothing unexpected happened, he would finish before his gacha draw.
Bored and with nothing to do, Bai Ye could only curl up in a corner and yawn.
Bai Ye felt he could act immediately, but since time was given, it meant it was a rule.
Two hours later, Kirishima Ayato approached Bai Ye and said, "It's time to go!"
"Ah, time to go?" Bai Ye mumbled, opening his eyes. "We should have left long ago!"
Not all executives of Aogiri Tree would participate in this operation. Bai Ye and Kirishima Ayato would lead.
However, what use could these fodder from Aogiri Tree be?
Bai Ye speculated based on his past life experience.
The first possibility was that the forbidden zone mission was probably a solo mission, but to create a chaotic "prison" environment, both sides needed to engage.
The ghouls in this area of Aogiri Tree were mainly there for this purpose.
The second possibility was that this was a forbidden zone with factional opposition.
Such forbidden zones were not uncommon. Bai Ye had encountered them before, for example, the Order faction and the Sin faction in the City of Sin.
Here, it would naturally be the ghoul faction and the white dove faction.
Chosen ones entering the forbidden zone would most likely be automatically divided into two factions for confrontation.
Of course, there was also a possibility that chosen ones who were active in this area had already chosen sides.
Because, Bai Ye remembered Lan Qing.
It was understandable that the ghoul investigators thought he had killed that woman last night and arrested him, but why was Lan Qing, as a chosen one, joining the fray?
Clearly, Lan Qing was likely also a white dove.
For chosen ones to be active in this area, they either followed ghouls or followed white doves.
Bai Ye felt he had guessed the general situation almost completely. The next step was to see how the forbidden zone would challenge him.
As Bai Ye was lost in thought, Kirishima Ayato suddenly spoke, "We're almost there."
Bai Ye's group had three trucks in total, all using container trucks. The containers naturally held ghouls.
Their target was ahead, a building that looked much like a research institution, but was actually one of the largest suggestions for imprisoning ghouls, with walls and guards outside.
Kirishima Ayato said, "We need to break through the outer guards first."
Bai Ye said, "That's no problem. You can just drive straight ahead. You don't need anyone else to get out. I can handle it alone."