An elite officer of the Defense Force… using her vacation to intern at Hare's House? As a professional agent?
Soldier 11 was speechless.
If she actually did what Sam Li suggested, word would definitely get back to the Defense Force—and her teammates would never let her hear the end of it.
As Soldier 11 hesitated, Sam Li continued beside her.
"We're heading to the Outer Ring. Want to co with us?"
Just a mont ago, he'd received a ssage from Caesar, leader of the Sons of Calydon. They had located Perlman's whereabouts and wanted to team up with Hare's House to bring him in.
For the next few days, Hare's House would likely be operating in the Outer Ring.
Seeing the serious look in Sam Li's eyes, Soldier 11 furrowed her brow slightly.
"Can you tell what you're really doing in the Outer Ring?"
That area wasn't under the jurisdiction of New Eridu's authorities. It was ho to countless factions: gangs, rebel escapees, opposition forces, and even mysterious organizations that even Soldier 11 couldn't gain access to...
Even the powerful Defense Force couldn't interfere in Outer Ring matters.
Calm as ever, Sam Li replied, "We're going after a wanted criminal nad Perlman. Logically speaking, we should be able to bring him in soon."
Hearing this, Soldier 11 frowned.
"I know Perlman. He's the head of Vision Company. But you're strangers to the Outer Ring—how do you plan to catch him?"
Sam Li said slowly, "We've recently tead up with a gang called the Sons of Calydon…"
He then explained their plan to work with the Sons of Calydon.
After hearing the details, Soldier 11 finally relaxed a little.
With help from a local gang, capturing Perlman wasn't out of the question.
Still, pulling it off wouldn't be easy.
Worried about Anby, Soldier 11 made her decision.
"Count in. You helped defeat the Ethereal last ti. I'll help you catch Perlman this ti."
Sam Li nodded. "That works."
Then he called over Master Tingman to settle the bill, which Soldier 11 paid in Dennies. Birdcage in hand, they headed back to Hare's House.
...
On the way, Soldier 11 shared so intel with Sam Li.
"Recently, the Defense Force commander launched an effort to deal with the rebels in the Outer Ring. Two agents were sent in undercover and collected a lot of intel. One piece of it stood out—supposedly, an unusually powerful Bangboo appeared out there. It started gathering stray Bangboos and even ford a gang called the Bangboo Gang…"
Soldier 11 had been shocked when she first heard about it.
It reminded her of a movie called Bangboo Public Enemy, where Bangboos fully awakened, turned against humans, and even tried to wipe them out.
She hadn't expected such a ridiculous plot to beco real.
Sam Li raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "A gang... of Bangboos?"
Soldier 11 nodded. "Yeah. The commander thinks it's a joke, but I actually think it might be real. We might even run into them while we're in the Outer Ring."
...
As they chatted, the two of them walked several blocks and arrived at the door of Hare's House.
Before they even stepped inside, Nicole's furious voice rang out:
"Billy! Are you trying to kill ? You changed the channel while I was in the bathroom?!"
Billy, sounding aggrieved, replied, "Boss Nicole, it wasn't ! Monica made do it—she told to switch it!"
Turned out that today, New Eridu Entertainnt TV was airing a special interview with Monica, where she would be answering fan questions.
Billy had even submitted one himself—of course he wasn't going to miss it.
But Nicole wasn't a fan of Monica, and she'd been hogging the remote.
So, Billy had taken advantage of the mont Nicole went to the bathroom to quickly switch the channel.
He hadn't even gotten to watch much before Nicole stord back, fuming.
As Billy flailed around trying to explain how it was "Monica's fault," Sam Li and Soldier 11 walked in.
The mont they stepped through the door, Billy spotted them.
Like seeing a lifeline, he rushed over to Sam Li.
"Boss Nicole! Sam Li's back—and he brought our VIP client, Soldier 11!"
When Nicole saw Soldier 11, she instantly frowned.
She couldn't be bothered to argue with Billy anymore. Her focus was now fully on Soldier 11—the notorious client-stealer.
"So it's really you, Soldier 11. Let's hear it—what do you want to commission this ti?"
Soldier 11 shook her head. "No commission."
Nicole narrowed her eyes. "No commission? Then you're here to poach again? Don't even think about it—I'm not letting you take Sam Li."
Since she wasn't here as a client, there was no need to be polite.
But then Sam Li spoke up.
"She's here for an internship. Starting today, Soldier 11 will be interning at Hare's House as an agent for one week."
Soldier 11 sighed. "That's right…"
Nicole and Billy both froze for a second, then finally processed what they'd heard.
An elite Defense Force officer...
Interning at Hare's House?
Soone please explain—what in the world was going on?
...
Right then, Nekomata and Anby arrived, drawn by the noise. They saw Sam Li and Soldier 11, newly returned, and Nicole and Billy standing there, stunned.
Nekomata blinked. "Nicole? Billy? What's going on? Why are you both speechless?"
Anby glanced at Soldier 11, then turned to Sam Li.
Nearby, Billy suddenly shrieked.
"The Defense Force is here to intern?! Are we sure this isn't so undercover sting?! Just like that ti criminal analyst Jane infiltrated the Mountain Lion Gang and wiped them out... Miss Soldier 11, I swear—Hare's House is a law-abiding agency! You don't need to co after us like this!"
Billy had heard the story of Jane and the Mountain Lion Gang from Sam Li.
And this felt way too similar.
Only difference? At least Jane had the decency to go undercover.
This ti, the Defense Force wasn't even pretending—they sent Soldier 11 in broad daylight.
No doubt about it—they were coming after Hare's House.
Billy's shriek made Anby frown.
Nekomata tilted her head, confused. "Undercover? Coming after us? Billy, what are you even talking about?"
Nicole frowned too, looking from Billy to Soldier 11 with suspicion.
She didn't really believe Billy's theory.
Sure, Hare's House often bent the rules by entering Hollows—but what did that have to do with the Defense Force?
If soone were coming after them, wouldn't it be the Public Security Bureau?
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