Evening, at the H.A.N.D. headquarters.
In the conference room, Hoshimi Miyabi stood calmly before several departnt heads, briefly reporting on today's events in the Hollow, as well as yesterday's encounter with Keqing and the others.
She recounted their joint battle from the day before—the slaying of an Ethereal...
And everything that happened today: the replicas, the recordings...
"That's the situation. We've run into them twice now—yesterday and today. Those four are incredibly strong, especially the one nad Xiao. He looks like he's only in his teens, but he has the power of a Void Hunter..."
After hearing Miyabi's report, the officers exchanged glances, clearly skeptical and suspecting she had misjudged sothing.
Everyone knew that since the title "Void Hunter" was created, very few had ever earned it. It had beco a symbol of supre strength.
Hoshimi Miyabi had earned that title at a young age, even breaking the record for the youngest ever.
He was officially recognized as the top genius in New Eridu's history.
Yet now she claid there was soone even younger than her, with strength on par?
What kind of joke was that?
If a prodigy like that existed in New Eridu, they would've been recruited by an official departnt long ago. How could they still be in the civilian world?
The head of H.A.N.D. smiled faintly.
"Miyabi, I understand. You've encountered a gifted young man and want to bring him into Hollow Special Operations Unit 6. Don't worry, we approve. Go ahead and recruit him."
Another officer nodded.
"Exactly. Your team always gets the hardest and most dangerous Hollow missions, but there are only four of you. That's a heavy burden. We'll grant you two additional spots. If you find strong candidates, recruit them freely."
It was clear the officers had misunderstood Miyabi's intent.
She wasn't one to play political gas. If she had intended to expand Unit 6, she would've done it long ago—there was no reason to delay.
Standing nearby, Asaba Harumasa spoke seriously.
"Commander, it's true. That boy is really that strong."
The officer chuckled.
"Then just recruit him. Just submit an application—no need to make a fuss."
Asaba Harumasa: "..."
Just as the two officers were about to leave...
Suddenly, Tsukishiro Yanagi stood up and slamd a hand on the table.
"Commander, please take this seriously. Even if you don't believe us, at least watch the footage before deciding."
She turned to Harumasa, who understood imdiately and connected her laptop to the conference room's large display. Soon, the video of Xiao fighting Miyabi's replica was playing.
The mont the replica appeared on screen, the officers froze. They looked at Miyabi, then back at the screen, frowning deeply.
Could everything she'd said be true?
When the replica began fighting, their expressions shifted. When had the rebels developed sothing like this?
While not quite on Miyabi's level, the replica was clearly stronger than most regular agents.
But then...
Xiao moved—and cut it down effortlessly.
The officers' jaws dropped.
Who was this boy?
He looked like a teenager, yet possessed the terrifying strength of a Void Hunter.
Unbelievable.
With the evidence before them, they had no choice but to believe everything Miyabi had said.
One of the officers quickly asked,
"Where are they now?"
Miyabi answered calmly,
"Probably still in the Hollow. They said they were going to suppress Hollow A37 and wipe out all the high-level Ethereals inside..."
Under normal circumstances, the officers wouldn't have believed it.
But after watching Xiao fight, still reeling from shock, they couldn't help but feel that Keqing and the others might actually pull it off.
After a mont of silence, one officer said,
"With their strength, give them three or four days—they might actually be able to suppress A37..."
The other officer disagreed.
"No, Hollow A37 is connected to Hollow Zero through multiple spatial rifts. Suppressing it won't be easy. I say it'll take at least a week. Miyabi, take Unit 6 and assist them. Afterward, make sure to bring them back—I want to et that boy myself."
Miyabi hesitated briefly, but accepted the order.
However, before she and Unit 6 could leave the room, the door burst open and an employee rushed in.
"Report... Commander! Hollow A37 has fully entered a decline phase! This is data from the front outpost..."
The entire room fell silent.
Already?
The commander took the report and glanced at it—sure enough, A37 had entered a full decline.
And so, Miyabi's mission was imdiately canceled.
The two commanders looked at each other, stunned. They had underestimated the team Miyabi described.
A squad of just four had managed to suppress a near S-rank Hollow in less than half a day.
One commander took a deep breath, his gaze fixed on Xiao in the footage, his eyes burning with intensity.
"Miyabi, I have a new mission for you. Bring those people to headquarters—I want to et them in person."
"I'll do my best to bring them in."
Back in the Hollow, Miyabi had already realized that Keqing and the others were connected to Sam Li.
So, as long as she went to Hare's House, she'd likely find them there.
...
After leaving the conference room, that sa night, Miyabi took Tsukishiro Yanagi and headed to Hare's House to invite Keqing and the others to headquarters.
After Miyabi left...
The two commanders remained seated, staring at the footage, their expressions heavy with concern.
They might've found a super-genius...
But they'd also uncovered a terrifying truth—the rebels had already developed Ether tech capable of replicating powerful individuals.
If left unchecked...
If the rebels one day unleashed eight or ten copies of the Miyabi clone from the footage, who could possibly stop them?
With that thought, one of the commanders picked up the phone and called the Defense Force.
They had to act against the rebels—before it was too late.
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