Sam Li pulled out his phone and turned it on. Sure enough, Belle had sent him several ssages—and one of them was a file.
He opened it.
As expected, it was related to the two Bangboos.
Nicole leaned in to read the file with him. But halfway through, her expression changed dramatically.
"What? Belle said the Golden Bangboo isn't made of gold? And the Platinum Bangboo doesn't contain any platinum either?"
Nicole had been dreaming about catching the two Bangboos and striking it rich.
But this news hit her like a bolt of lightning—completely blindsided.
She stood frozen in place.
Her face twisted in despair. "Who would be so cruel as to give them such misleading nas? Weren't they supposed to be made of pure gold and platinum?"
Anby responded seriously, "Rumors are always misleading…"
Nekomata ca over too, trying to console her. "Nicole, don't be so quick to despair. Their nas are still Golden Bangboo and Platinum Bangboo—they've got to be connected to money sohow, right?"
While everyone debated, Sam Li spoke calmly.
"That's right. According to the intel, they're not made of gold or platinum, but the Golden Bangboo loves collecting gear coins, and the Platinum Bangboo hoards Dennies. If caught, they'll even try to bribe their captors with massive amounts of both."
In other words—
Anyone who captured these two Bangboos could score a huge windfall in gear coins and Dennies.
Nicole imdiately perked up. "Seriously?"
Sam Li nodded. "Seriously."
Nekomata blinked. "ow~ What are gear coins, anyway?"
She had never heard of them before.
Were they even real money?
Nicole chuckled and explained, "Gear coins are an unofficial currency used only in Hollow Zero and a few other Hollows. Even though Hollow Zero is incredibly dangerous, there are people living there—researchers, gang mbers, fugitives, wanderers, stray Bangboos... and of course, black market dealers. These people have their own underground economy. They don't accept Dennies from outside—only gear coins."
However, under certain circumstances, you could trade with black market dealers to exchange gear coins for Dennies and vice versa.
If they could collect a large stash of gear coins...
It would be a huge gain for Hare's House.
Nekomata's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "That's incredible!"
Nicole grinned. "Hollow Zero's full of strange things—like the Crying Emblem, or Ethereals that explode into Dennies..."
Hollow Zero was both a disaster zone and a goldmine.
Still—
She wouldn't bring Hare's House into it unless absolutely necessary. It was far too dangerous.
It was crawling with Notoriety Ethereals, and Super Ethereals road freely.
So even claid that deep within the Hollow were terrifying Ethereals—zombie-like ones that resurrect endlessly, or ones that could physically teleport through space. Of course, Nicole had only seen these stories on forums. Who knew if any of it was true?
She paused for a mont.
After finishing Belle's ssage, Nicole looked thoughtful. "So according to Belle, the Golden Bangboo and Platinum Bangboo were coin-collecting constructs invented by Old Eridu? But if they went through all the trouble to build them, was it really just to gather gear coins and Dennies?"
Nekomata tilted her head. "Maybe… it really was that simple?"
Sothing still didn't add up.
According to the historical records, Old Eridu was more prosperous than New Eridu. Its citizens were wealthier too.
Why go to such lengths just to gather pocket change?
The gear coins and Dennies those Bangboos collected in the Hollows wouldn't have been worth much to people back then.
It didn't make sense.
Nicole shook her head and smiled. "No point overthinking it. Our goal is the gear coins and Dennies in their hands. We just need to catch them."
Just then, Sam Li's phone pinged again.
It was another ssage from the Phaethon siblings:
"Latest update—the Public Security Bureau, the Defense Army, and the Hollows Investigation Association are all taking the Bangboos seriously. They've confird their participation in the hunt. Also, I just breached the Hollows Investigation Association's internal network. The two Bangboos are currently located in a place called Golden City. I'll reach out again once I've got the coordinates."
Sam Li replied with a single word: "Got it."
Nekomata murmured to herself, "Golden City…"
Nicole glanced at her. "What? You've heard of it?"
Nekomata nodded. "Back when I was in Canvas Lane, I found an old book. That na ca up in it…"
Nicole lit up with excitent. "Then quick, tell —where is Golden City? Is it full of actual gold?!"
Nekomata sighed. "I forgot…"
Nicole: "..."
Looking embarrassed, Nekomata said, "Cats have bad mories when they're young. It's totally normal to forget a few things."
Anby said firmly, "It's okay. Proxy and the others will dig up the truth."
Nicole suddenly turned to Soldier 11. "Hey—you're with the Defense Army. Did they tell you anything about the Bangboo operation?"
Soldier 11 answered earnestly, "Until my leave ends, I'm with Hare's House."
Nicole: "…"
Well, fair enough.
The Defense Army probably already knew Soldier 11 was interning at Hare's House. No way they'd leak classified intel.
...
Ti passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, two days went by.
On the third day, Belle sent Sam Li another ssage.
She had found the coordinates to Golden City, and invited everyone from Hare's House to et at the video store to plan their next move.
The mont the news ca in, Nicole jumped to her feet with her suitcase in hand.
"The day has finally co! Sam Li, Anby, Nekomata, Billy, Soldier 11—let's move! The Golden and Platinum Bangboos are as good as ours!"
To prevent Soldier 11 from driving, Nicole imdiately claid the driver's seat. Once everyone was on board, she hit the road toward Sixth Street.
...
At the sa ti, on the other side of New Eridu—
The Public Security Bureau had deployed its elite Zhu Yuan unit, now working in tandem with the Hollows Investigation Association and the Defense Army to seize the two Bangboos.
As the Zhu Yuan patrol vehicle pulled away, one senior officer murmured,
"What kind of secrets are those two Bangboos hiding for HQ to take this so seriously?"
Chief Bringer responded grimly, "Word is... they might be connected to Professor Arche."
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