As the two dodged the attack, the ambushers on the other side grew furious, one of them openly scolding his companion.
"Damn it! Who caused that noise just now? You ruined everything!"
"I do not know. A rock just fell from above."
"Forget it. The intel said there were only two of them. Let's take them out. Public Security officers disappearing in the Hollow is nothing unusual."
Agreeing with that plan, the group advanced together, launching a coordinated attack on Zhu Yuan and Qingyi.
However, these two were far from ordinary Public Security officers. Before long, the ambushers were completely defeated. Even so, as the two took a brief moment to rest, deep frowns appeared on their faces.
"These guys are stronger than I expected. And from what they said, they knew we were coming and set up an ambush near the evidence carrier."
Qingyi analyzed the information she had just extracted from the ambushers, while Zhu Yuan looked deeply puzzled.
"What exactly is going on...? Did information about us coming to investigate the evidence carrier leak out somehow?"
They had come here directly without reporting it, yet the other side still knew about their movements. That fact left both of them unable to understand how it had happened.
Unfortunately, there was no chance to think it through. The pursuers soon closed in, and with their numbers steadily growing, Zhu Yuan and Qingyi had no choice but to withdraw for now.
[|Warning. Multiple biological signals detected rapidly approaching the Public Security officers' location. It is recommended that the two Public Security officers immediately change their route. Failure to do so will result in direct contact with multiple armed personnel.|]
At the alert, Wise moved right away. However, Eous short legs meant his speed could only carry him so far.
When he finally reached the scene, Zhu Yuan and Qingyi had already been forced into a corner inside the building, fighting desperately.
"Fairy, hurry up and come up with a solution. We cannot let anything happen to them!"
Belle urged Fairy anxiously, while Wise had already infiltrated the building, hoping to provide cover for the two inside.
He pulled out a smoke bomb he had not used in a long time, and at the same moment, Fairy responded from the other side.
"Master, scans have detected multiple unstable spatial rifts near the officers location. These rifts are hard to register in standard Carrot data, but they can be used to assist the targets in escaping their current position."
After hearing this, Wise asked if there was any way to pass the message to them directly.
Fairy answered that she could connect to the communicator Qingyi was carrying.
Doing so would reveal their involvement, but under the circumstances, there was no better choice. Compared to secrecy, saving lives took priority.
Once the siblings reached a decision, Fairy wasted no time.
Meanwhile, inside the building, the two trapped officers were surrounded on all sides.
"Damn it, the enemy has completely sealed off every exit. Unless something distracts them, we have no way out."
Qingyi paused, then turned around with a solemn look.
"Zhu Yuan, if there's no escape route, I'll act as bait. You leave while you still can."
"What?! Senior, what are you even saying?"
Upon hearing Qingyi's words, Zhu Yuan's expression changed instantly.
She spoke back with restrained anger, while Qingyi quietly took responsibility upon herself.
"I was the one who insisted on going into the Hollow today. If I hadn't pushed for it, you wouldn't be risking your life. And I'm not human. Losing this body wouldn't matter much to me, but you're different. You can't just throw your life away."
"Wait a moment, Senior. I'm your captain, aren't I? If someone has to take responsibility for what happened today, it should be me."
Zhu Yuan obviously wasn't going to accept Qingyi's idea. For her, leaving her partner behind and running away alone was impossible.
"Moreover, Senior, your physical functions are far better than mine. Even if we really had to choose someone to escape, your chances of survival would be higher."
"Zhu Yuan, now is not the time to argue..." Qingyi said with a firm, unwavering tone.
Neither of them was willing to let the other make the sacrifice, and the argument dragged on, locked in a stalemate.
Then, at that very moment, an unexpected voice cut in.
"That's right. You two should stop arguing."
"Who's there?"
Qingyi stayed on guard, looking around. At the same time, Zhu Yuan noticed something unusual.
"The voice is coming from the communicator. Someone broke into our encrypted channel. How did they manage that?"
Wise didn't bother answering Zhu Yuan's question. There was no time, so he jumped straight to the plan.
"You don't need to fight over who becomes bait. I've got a solution that works for both of you."
"Who exactly are you? And why should we believe you?"
Qingyi spoke calmly, but her mind was far from settled. Even through the voice changer, she could faintly detect something distinctive.
She couldn't explain it clearly. It sounded familiar, almost attractive in a strange way. She was sure she'd heard it before, yet the memory just wouldn't come.
"You're right to doubt me. I'm a Proxy, someone who should never appear in front of PubSec officers. But I also have a conscience. I can't just stand by and watch good people die."
"Proxy?!"
Zhu Yuan was both confused and surprised by the appearance of a Proxy here. At the same time, they understood that the situation was far from ideal.
Qingyi, however, didn't hesitate to speak.
"So, what do you think we should do next?"
Even though they knew better than to trust strangers with unclear intentions, there was no better option at the moment.
For some reason, both of them felt they could trust this person.
Was it the way they talked? Or just a gut feeling?
Maybe it was the confidence they had that made them believe. Either way, it all sounded too unrealistic.
"Don't worry. I will create an opportunity for you to escape. You just need to trust me and follow my instructions."
As the operation started, Wise took control of Eous and precisely threw a smoke bomb into the center of the enemy group. A sharp boom echoed as dense smoke burst forth.
The sudden cloud blocked the enemies' line of sight, giving Zhu Yuan and Qingyi the perfect chance to retreat under Wise's direction.
By the time the enemies understood what was going on and moved to pursue, the pair had already reached the first rift.
The spatial rifts inside the Hollow were strange by nature. They couldn't be seen with the naked eye unless approached closely, and their positions were constantly shifting.
That was exactly why no one had ever been able to take proper advantage of them.
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