Once everything was ready, Wise initiated the consciousness transfer, taking control of Eous's body.
The first priority in the Hollow was to find any trace of Zhu Yuan and Qingyi, which wasn't hard with Fairy guiding him.
After spotting them, he kept his distance, making sure he remained hidden while trailing them to the criminal.
Along the way, Zhu Yuan and her partner encountered numerous Ethereals, though none posed any real threat to the duo.
When the number of Ethereals on the path began to rise, Qingyi immediately understood the reason.
"I didn't expect the EMP to not only fry electronics but also affect the Ethereals like this. All the nearby ones came out at once. If he escapes, more incidents are bound to happen."
After clearing the last Ethereal ahead, Qingyi sighed softly, and Zhu Yuan beside her nodded in agreement.
"Hmm, if the criminal carries a forbidden item like an EMP, he probably has connections to a criminal organization. We need to catch him and find out what's really going on."
Zhu Yuan started scanning the surrounding area for traces, hoping to track the criminal's escape route, but Qingyi quickly stepped in.
"No need to search. The criminal went to the right."
"Huh? Senior, how can you be sure?" Zhu Yuan's brow furrowed.
She hadn't even looked closely, so how could Qingyi already know for certain?
"Traces in the snow, marks in the sand… seeing the subtle reveals the obvious. Tracking someone for a thousand miles is a skill passed down in my family. Want to try learning it?"
Caught in Qingyi's enigmatic aura, Zhu Yuan actually took her seriously and even pulled out a notebook to write it all down.
"Wait, Senior, slow down! I want to write this down. Can you repeat it? How did you know he went to the right?"
Zhu Yuan's earnest expression made Qingyi want to tease her a little more. She squinted one eye, raised a finger playfully, and repeated her words.
"Traces in the snow, a snake in the grass…"
"Uh… Senior, isn't there a less… mystical way to explain it? It feels like you're just relying on intuition."
"Hmph, fair enough. I'm relying on intuition because my right hand feels a little numb."
Zhu Yuan didn't get mad. Instead, worry crossed her face.
"Ah… I didn't realize the EMP was affecting you this much, Senior. Is it uncomfortable?"
"Hmm, I'm not in much danger, but… Zhu Yuan, once we catch the criminal, can we rough him up a bit?" Qingyi spoke with a hint of personal grudge.
"Uh, looks like we need to catch him as fast as possible."
With that, they stopped talking and continued the chase. Wise, watching secretly, let out a quiet sigh.
"This EMP emitter is really annoying. I have to be careful not to get hit by it."
A few moments later, they found the criminal huddled in a corner, panicked and terrified. He was still shouting for the Ethereals to stay away, showing that attracting it with the emitter had probably been an accident.
"Calm down. The nearby Ethereals have all been dealt with. You're safe now," Zhu Yuan said, trying to calm him.
"Ah? R-really? The Ethereals... Am I safe? That's great. Wait... You're the Public Security officers from before!"
The criminal was overjoyed, but in his excitement, he recognized who had saved him.
"What's wrong? Didn't expect us to chase you all the way and catch you?" Qingyi spoke, her small fist clenched tightly and expression sharp and displeased.
It was clear that if he landed in her hands, this criminal wouldn't be safe.
"No, I… I didn't expect that even though I've been opposing you, and there were so many Ethereals nearby, you still risked yourself to save me…"
Hearing him speak so earnestly made Qingyi feel slightly awkward about her earlier thoughts of giving him a private punishment.
In the end, she decided to let it go. She would go easy on him this time.
"What are you talking about? Protecting citizens is what Public Security officers do. But like they say, evil deeds lead to their own downfall. If you hadn't misused the EMP, you wouldn't be in this mess."
"Hmm? Is that actually a poem?"
Even in this moment, the criminal had enough courage to answer, while Zhu Yuan, beside him, retrieved her notebook once more.
"Sir, according to New Eridu laws, my colleague and I are arresting you for illegal possession of dangerous weapons, endangering others' personal and financial safety, and other related crimes.
"What is your name?"
"Carlo Maroon…"
"Thank you for cooperating, Mr. Maroon. You have the right to remain silent. After leaving the Hollow, you may contact a lawyer from the Attorney's Association."
The criminal lowered his head in silence, seemingly resigned to his fate, while Zhu Yuan's gaze drifted toward Qingyi beside her.
"Senior, should we head back to the Public Security Office then… hmm? Senior, what's wrong? Why are you scanning around?"
Zhu Yuan's confused voice made Qingyi explain her odd feeling.
"Actually, all this way, I've had a sense that someone else was nearby besides us, but now… I suddenly can't feel it anymore."
Wise, who had been listening from not far off, curled his small body tightly behind a barrier, trying not to be noticed.
Fortunately, Qingyi didn't overthink it. She simply attributed the strange feeling to having been hit by the EMP several times today.
Even a normal machine might break after one wave, so it wasn't surprising that she felt a little off after several.
Since the criminal had been caught, there was no reason to stay in the Hollow. Ordinary people without Ether resistance could turn into Ethereal if they stayed too long.
As they left, Wise stopped lingering and disconnected his consciousness.
But when it returned to his main body, he felt a sharp, violent jolt, like something was wrong.
He quickly located the issue, and thankfully, it wasn't caused by illness or injury.
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