...
Billy glanced nervously over his shoulder. If they got caught here, they were screwed.
"I don't think so. Word is, those people are just here to test something. They probably won't go too deep into the Hollow. As long as we're careful and steer clear, we'll be fine."
"Proxy, you can keep us from getting spotted, right?"
Nicole looked toward Eous up ahead. Belle, who was piloting him, turned back and nodded—his floppy ears bouncing with an adorable jiggle.
"By the way, where exactly are we meeting up? Did Zane tell you?"
Even though Zane was an Ethereal, Nicole had long since stopped seeing him that way. To her, he was just a guy wearing an Ethereal disguise.
"Yeah, he mentioned it before we left. We're almost there."
Eous sprinted ahead, with Fairy actively scanning live data from the Hollow and guiding the group's route.
"There's a squad setting up an unknown device ahead. We'll detour."
Belle's voice came through, focused and composed as she operated from the HDD system. The combination of her legendary Proxy skills and Fairy's advanced capabilities made for a formidable duo.
Thanks to their careful coordination, the Hare's House crew smoothly evaded several temporary military outposts and gradually approached the mid-layers of the Hollow.
After navigating through overgrown Ether crystal clusters and a row of decaying residential blocks, several wandering Ethereals came into view.
"Enemies detected. Prepare for combat."
The voice belonged to Anby, who had already drawn her electric knife.
"Let's gooo! Star Emblem, strike!"
With that shout, Billy charged in first, twin pistols blazing as a barrage of bullets rained toward the incoming Ethereals.
Anby dashed in right behind, scanning the battlefield with a sharp eye as she weaved cleanly between the enemies.
"Billy, would you please stuff a silencer in your vocalizer during combat?"
Nicole backed them up from the rear, her turret firing concentrated Ether blasts to support the frontline.
...
While Hare's House battled fiercely, another pair elsewhere in the Hollow was in hot pursuit.
"This way, Senior!"
Several unidentified individuals were fleeing through the Hollow. Zhu Yuan and Qingyi, noticing the support device in their targets' hands, opted not to chase directly—instead, they broke off to flank.
"There!"
Qingyi's eyes locked onto a spatial rift up ahead. She leapt in without hesitation, Zhu Yuan right behind her.
A brief flash of surreal distortion passed—and as they emerged on the other side, they found themselves directly in the path of the fleeing suspects.
This was the perk of having support device.
Though not cheap and with limited use, Zhu Yuan's support device was a standard-issue model, provided free of charge by the Public Security Bureau—part of the perks for the Criminal Investigation Task Force.
"Boss! They're ahead of us!"
The fleeing group had been glancing backward to check for pursuit—until one of them looked forward and saw Zhu Yuan and Qingyi blocking the path. He immediately shouted a warning.
Their leader reacted fast. A strange wave of interference burst outward. Qingyi, mid-rush, suddenly halted—clearly hit—and grimaced in discomfort.
"Senior!"
"I'm fine—don't let them get away!"
Seeing that only one of them was affected by the EMP device and that their route was cut off, the leader cursed.
"Damn it! I just wanted to score an easy grab—thought no one would care for a while—and now two elite constables show up outta nowhere!"
"This crap doesn't even work in the Hollow! The seller made it sound like a miracle tool!"
Frustrated or not, they weren't going down without a fight.
"Let's go, everyone!"
With that, he led the charge at Zhu Yuan.
His underlings followed, yelling as they ran.
Unfortunately for them, Zhu Yuan's skills included more than just investigation—her combat abilities were top-tier.
In no time, the group was subdued and cuffed by the Bureau's restraints.
Just as Zhu Yuan and Qingyi were about to escort them back, the sounds of a nearby battle caught their attention.
Zhu Yuan paused and glanced toward the commotion.
Given that they were still in the Hollow, she wanted to investigate—but the timing wasn't ideal.
Qingyi picked up on her hesitation and spoke up.
"Zhu Yuan, I remember there's a military post not far from here. You go check it out—I'll drop these guys off and catch up with you."
"Got it, Senior."
Zhu Yuan nodded with her guns at the ready. Once Qingyi had left with the detainees, she headed toward the noise.
...
Some time later.
"Zhu Yuan, what's the situation?"
Qingyi arrived at her side, having delivered the suspects to the military base and rushed back.
"They were gone by the time I got here. But based on the battle marks, they weren't military."
"Probably some high-level Hollow raiders. To be safe, I waited for you before making any decisions."
Qingyi scanned the area, nodding as she assessed the scene.
"Good call. Always think twice in the Hollows—and especially here in the Cretan Hollow. Something about this place feels... off."
Off...
That word triggered a memory for Zhu Yuan—news that had made waves not long ago: rumors of an Ethereal in the Cretan Hollow that retained full human consciousness.
Though public interest had faded and many had written it off as a hoax, Zhu Yuan hadn't forgotten it.
And now, with the military acting so strangely... something definitely wasn't right.
"Senior, should we continue tracking?"
Zhu Yuan looked toward the direction the group had fled. She hadn't seen them directly, but she'd found their trail.
"We'll investigate—cautiously. Don't startle them. These people aren't your average Hollow thieves..."
Qingyi's eyes lingered on the scorch marks from high-voltage discharges and the bullet holes scattered along the wall.
Zhu Yuan nodded. Their thoughts were in sync.
With that, the two of them followed the trail left behind by the earlier combatants.
...
"Reporting in, sir. Restriction devices in Sector Three have been deployed. Two of them showed anomalies—already replaced after being disabled with EMPs."
At a large military base near the Hollow's outer rim, a junior officer stood reporting to a higher-ranking commander.
"Understood. Proceed with setup in Sector Four."
With the order given, the officer quickly departed.
The commander opened a support device interface within the command center, monitoring a feed extended by specialized equipment.
"With this dragnet fully deployed... we should finally pull off the capture mission."
"If this op goes smoothly, my record and achievements should be enough to get me into the Scepter Army..."