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"Daoist Arden, Yiji, please take care of this!"
Belle handed the completed Carrot data into Belion, then passed it to Arden.
Arden and Yiji knew exactly what to do. After saying their farewells to Belle and the others, they went to the Yunkui Summit parking lot, mounted the sidecar motorcycle, and sped toward the outskirts of the Hollow where Perlman was being held.
Meanwhile, Belle used the equipment in Yiji's room to connect to the video store, activated the HDD Deep Dive system, and synchronized with both Yiji and Belion.
"All right, members of Hollow Special Operations Section 6."
When Arden arrived with Yiji, the Section 6 team was already waiting.
"Yiji, Belion, do your best!"
"Mm!"
"Eh-ne~!"
"Wow~ such an adorable Bangboo to meet!"
Miyabi picked up Belion and gave him a few pets.
The last time she had seen Belion was during the battle against the Overlord-class Ethereal Nidhogg in Hollow Zero; this was only the second time.
"Eh-ne~~ Eh-ne~~!"
Belion also enjoyed Miyabi's embrace, nuzzling against her chest. Being heavier than ordinary Bangboo, few people could lift him, making these moments of being held a rare treat.
"Should I come in with you?"
Arden asked.
He remembered Yanagi saying that rescuing Perlman could be left to Section 6. Arden also didn't think Miyabi would fail in such a simple Hollow, even if traps with Ether explosives had been set.
Even if something unexpected happened, Miyabi had the talisman he'd given her. He could wait outside and respond immediately.
"No need, it's better if Daoist Arden waits outside. If anything happens to us, we'll have to rely on you."
Miyabi's tone had shifted since previous encounters. Arden had once been just a "battle partner she merged with," so their conversations had been mostly neutral. Now, her tone was like that of a close friend, entrusting her back to him with confidence.
"All right. If you really encounter danger, don't forget to use the talisman."
Arden nodded and reminded her once more.
"I will."
With that, Miyabi and her team entered the Hollow.
"Hubby, don't forget about me!"
Yiji would also be going in to assist with navigation. Before entering, she pointed at herself with mock jealousy.
"Hehe, how could I forget my wife… mmwah!"
After a quick kiss, Yiji followed them into the Hollow with satisfaction.
…
Thanks to Yiji and Belion guiding the way, Miyabi and her team reached the interior of an abandoned factory within minutes and located Perlman.
The potato-shaped man had his hands bound to iron pipes, his mouth gagged, and looked like he was struggling to breathe. Flanking him were several guards in Public Security uniforms.
Miyabi and the others recognized the uniforms immediately—but they didn't assume these guards were on their side, nor that they were necessarily real Public Security officers.
"..."
The team watched the guards cautiously.
Click-clack… click-clack…
As expected, the moment the guards saw Miyabi and the others, they raised their guns and opened fire without hesitation.
The group immediately responded—dodging, slicing bullets out of the air, or deploying barriers.
After a round of gunfire, Hollow Special Operations Section 6 and Yiji were unharmed. Miyabi quickly closed the distance to the hostile personnel and dispatched them all within a few swift strikes.
"That simple?"
Belle's voice came through Belion, clearly full of surprise and disbelief.
After all the effort it took to capture Perlman, was it just to bring him to such a dilapidated place and assign a few guards barely stronger than a goose to watch him? It all seemed suspicious.
["Warning! Detection of an unknown spatial rift forming… forming… forming…"]
True to form, Fairy was the first to detect an environmental anomaly. But before she could finish speaking, her voice cut out abruptly, as if the computer had frozen.
"Fairy's under attack?"
Belle frowned. The so-called New Eridu's top hacker and smartest housekeeper could still be hacked? Maybe Fairy had just decided to self-destruct.
"No! It should be a connection interruption," Yiji judged.
If it were a "magical" network intrusion, Fairy could certainly defend herself. But if someone physically unplugged the connection, there was nothing she could do.
"Yunkui Summit? No! Belle, it must be your network cable that got unplugged."
Yiji first considered the relay equipment in her room but quickly dismissed the thought.
Yixuan and the other senior disciples were at Yunkui Summit. Who would dare cause trouble there without risking their life?
That left only Belle's side.
"This is bad!"
Belle immediately activated the surveillance system to check the area around the shop.
The video store was just a cover; as a Proxy, Belle had to constantly monitor the surroundings of their "criminal hub" in case something went wrong and they needed to flee.
"Open the door! We have wanted individuals nearby and are conducting an inspection!"
Though a cliché excuse, it worked well for entering to inspect.
"..."
The person who unplugged the cable had just revealed their identity. Belle and Wise exchanged a glance.
Wise then left the projection room where the HDD system was located and went out to greet the Public Security officers.
At the same time, Yiji called Arden to inform him of the situation as quickly as possible.
"Wanted individuals are active in the area. To ensure citizens' safety and the normal conduct of the municipal election, we are conducting a sweep of Sixth Street. All residents, please cooperate."
The male Public Security officers saluted Wise and explained their purpose.
Belle, in the projection room, felt a cold sweat break out.
The officers' words were clearly an excuse. Who conducts routine inspections by unplugging cables? This was clearly aimed at them.
If the HDD system was discovered, their identities as Proxies would be exposed. While that might not cause serious harm, the humiliation would be extreme.
"Hehe, our house isn't that big. There's no way anyone could be hiding here."
Wise forced a laugh, trying to stall the officers.
But at that moment, the previously friendly officers turned serious. Two of them restrained Wise's arms, preventing him from moving, while another moved toward the projection room to search.
Creak…
At the critical moment, the video store doors opened again, and two familiar figures stepped inside.
The officers immediately recognized them and halted their search.
"Orders from above: the Sixth Street sweep is now under the Criminal Investigation Special Response Team. You are dismissed."
Zhu Yuan spoke with unshakable authority.
Hearing this, the officers checked their radios, confirmed the Sixth Street task had been reassigned, saluted Zhu Yuan, and obediently left.
It seemed they were following orders, not Bringer's allies.
"Phew…"
Wise pressed against the wall to steady himself, avoiding collapsing from the shock.
Belle in the projection room felt as if she had narrowly escaped a disaster. She wanted a glass of water to calm her nerves—but her hands trembled so violently that she could only sip a little, spilling the rest over her clothes.
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