"Though I hate to be a downer! But now's not the time to celebrate, Nicole!" Just as Nicole was about to lift the safe off the ground, she was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Eous. "Calm down and listen to me first!"
"It's all that wicked hacker's fault! It deleted the escape data I'd reserved for leaving the Hollow!"
"You... you mean we can't get out—!"
Hearing this, Nicole instantly panicked, her body going limp uncontrollably as she started to fall straight backward. Quick-eyed Ye Qingfeng stepped forward, intending to catch her with his broad chest.
But he was beaten to it by Anby, Nicole crying as she slumped against her.
...
*As expected... Anby's true love is really Nicole after all...*
"I haven't had lunch with Big Sister Monica yet, how frustrating... I'm not ready to give up!" Billy lamented his past life. "But well... I guess it's been a pretty good existence as a machine."
"Calm down, we can still think of other ways to get out."
Anby, still remarkably composed, injected a dose of confidence into the group.
"Um... Actually, I..."
Ye Qingfeng, who wasn't flustered at all, was about to speak but was interrupted by Eous.
"There is actually another way! But I need you to agree to it, Nicole."
"I agree!"
Nicole shot up so fast it startled Anby behind her.
"That was fast..." Belle muttered quietly, maneuvering Eous's arm to rest on the safe. "That wicked hacker said there's something similar to Rosetta data inside. With it, we can freely enter and exit the Hollow."
Ye Qingfeng heard three words he was quite familiar with.
*Rosetta data? Wasn't that something he had dealt with before?*
Back at the video store, time had been tight, so Wise hadn't mentioned it in detail — only saying that a hacker was using Nicole and the others, who were still in the Hollow, to threaten them for the safe combination.
"If what that wicked hacker said is true, we can use what's inside the safe to leave the Hollow. But of course, we still need your consent, Nicole."
"I already said I agree! Besides..." Nicole suddenly reached out and poked Eous's forehead. "Sure, I'm greedy, but you need money to spend it — and you need to be alive to enjoy it!"
"And the client?"
"Hmph! At a time like this, I couldn't care less about them! Just open it!"
Nicole huffed lightly. She hadn't even gotten around to dealing with the middleman yet! If they couldn't get out, how could she go shake him down for some Dennies?
Her gaze then shifted to Ye Qingfeng — the one she was most worried about. For a seasoned pro like her, news like this was enough to make anyone despair.
Especially for a newcomer like Qingfeng, right?
What surprised her quite a bit was that she could barely see any panic on his face. Before she could dwell on it, she noticed Eous trotting over to the safe on its little legs.
"You already know the combination, right?"
Nicole refocused her attention on the safe and Eous, asking uncertainly.
"Exactly!"
As soon as Belle finished speaking, the safe let out a *beep*. Eous quickly reached out and pulled open the combination door. A single chip lay quietly inside.
"But... I don't really know what's stored on this thing either. Forcibly reading it might have serious consequences."
"Hold on, there's one thing I don't quite get." Anby suddenly spoke up. "Your main body is outside the Hollow. You could have just washed your hands of this. Why risk coming back to help us?"
"What's your angle?"
Billy was unusually quiet, simply gripping his pistol tighter.
"Anby!" Nicole whispered her name reproachfully — after all, they still needed Phaethon to guide them out.
Ye Qingfeng, however, watched with interest, chin resting on his hand, silently observing Eous as he waited for Belle's answer.
No matter how things developed, he had the Hollow map committed to memory, guaranteeing he could lead everyone out.
He was also curious how Belle would respond to Anby's pointed question.
"What a strange question."
Instantly, the eyes of all three — excluding Ye Qingfeng — sharpened simultaneously.
"When you were explaining things to Qingfeng earlier, didn't you bring it up yourself?" Belle paused briefly, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly. "When you ran into the PubSec officers before, you didn't sell me out!"
"I'll return your trust by getting all of you out of this Hollow safe and sound."
Everyone present fell silent for a moment. Ye Qingfeng had an epiphany.
He hadn't expected Belle to be so principled. It looked like he'd have to advise Sister Nicole to cooperate more with Phaethon.
Hopefully, they could establish a long-term partnership!
After all, they would surely have commissions within Hollows in the future. Having such a reassuring support was extremely important — Ye Qingfeng definitely didn't want to get stabbed in the back later.
"Oh! I can tell right away that the manager is someone who gets things done!"
Billy silently put his pistol away, sidling up to Eous in a flash to buddy up.
Anby, too, seemed to acknowledge Belle's point, her guard lowering.
"Is there any other reason, though?"
Nicole mentally noted a favor owed to Phaethon, flicking her hair as she asked casually.
"Well... if I absolutely have to say..." Eous suddenly raised its hands, covering its cheeks in a shy gesture. "I bought a white suit for Qingfeng, and I really want to see him wear it!"
"Manager, manager! Did you get one for me?" Billy struck a cool pose. "If I wore a suit, I'm sure I could invite Big Sister Monica to dinner!"
Anby remained expressionless.
Nicole raised an eyebrow slightly, glancing at Ye Qingfeng with considerable surprise. *So that's how it is. That explains it!*
*When did Qingfeng hook up with Phaethon? No wonder he's so calm!*
*He must be certain Phaethon will get us out!*
*In that case — it's not in my nature not to use Qingfeng to ask them for a discount on the commission fee!*
"By the way! If I fail, the reserved HDD system command will automatically post a rescue commission for all of you on the Signal Net."
Belle didn't forget to add, "By then... I'll..."
"Don't worry! Once we get out, we'll definitely rush to the store to save you first thing!"
Nicole directly interrupted Belle before she could finish, silently adding in her mind:
*And then we can use the chance to get a discount on top of a discount!*
Thinking this, Nicole forcefully suppressed a strong urge to laugh, a faintly cunning smile spreading across her face.
Ye Qingfeng, completely oblivious to Nicole's hidden smile, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, sensing something bad was about to happen.
"Hmph~" Belle let out two cute little snorts, then said proudly, "Even if you say that, Nicole, I'm not discounting the commission fee!"
Belle decisively maneuvered Eous to insert the chip held in its hand into the port on its head.
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