Nicole was in an incredibly sour mood.
After years in the Proxy business and countless Hollow-related commissions, this was the first ti she had ever been caught red-handed by law enforcent.
They could have escaped.
She and Billy had run into security officers while searching for Sam Li in the Hollow. With their agility, they had managed to toy with them and slip away.
But just as they exited the Hollow and were about to co up with a new plan to rescue Sam Li…
They ran straight into two passing enforcers.
Too late to run.
Caught on the spot.
And that led to their current predicant.
Seeing Nicole and Billy looking so defeated, Anby imdiately drew the blade from her waist, bracing herself as if facing a formidable threat.
A mont later, two figures erged from behind Nicole and Billy.
It was Zhu Yuan and Qingyi—officers investigating the scene.
Zhu Yuan frowned. "We've found accomplices of the Hare's House. Senior, watch over these two while I go after their associates."
Qingyi glanced at Anby, then at the large group of civilians standing behind her.
Sothing clicked in her mind.
She instantly understood what had happened.
With a slight smile, she mused, "A warren of rabbits digging a hole, traveling miles for nothing, only to stumble upon Canvas Lane. In saving the people, they appear pure of heart. What a marvel!"
Billy blinked. "That was… weirdly poetic?"
Nicole nodded. "Super poetic!"
Anby: "…"
Belle: "…"
Zhu Yuan looked thoughtful.
She seed to grasp the deeper aning behind Qingyi's words. Raising her flashlight, she carefully observed Anby and the people behind her.
More than a hundred slum residents.
Considering the direction Anby and her group had co from, he quickly connected the dots—
This had to be the group from the earlier ergency report.
The civilians who had been at risk of being bombed by Vision Corporation.
Realizing this, Zhu Yuan's stern expression softened as she turned back to Anby.
"...Miss Proxy…"
Anby t his gaze firmly. "Anby Demara."
Zhu Yuan corrected herself. "Miss Anby, did you save these people?"
Anby nodded. "Yes. To be precise, it was the Hare's House that saved them."
Nicole rattled the cuffs on her wrists and quickly added, "Exactly! If it weren't for us, these innocent people would've been blown to pieces by Vision Corporation. We risked our lives doing sothing good, and instead of a thank-you, the Security Bureau wants to arrest us? Where's the justice in that?!"
Billy echoed, "No justice at all! It's tough being a good robot!"
Zhu Yuan had to admit—they weren't entirely wrong.
But Security Bureau regulations were strict. Any unauthorized Hollow tunneling had to be cracked down on.
She couldn't just let it slide.
Sensing Zhu Yuan's hesitation, Qingyi chuckled. "Right and wrong must be judged separately. Rescuing civilians was comndable, but tunneling is illegal. When all this is over, you'll get a fair and just verdict."
Nicole sighed. "How long is that gonna take? These cuffs are really uncomfortable. Can't we take them off first?"
Billy nodded. "Yeah! If people see like this, it'll ruin my cool image!"
Qingyi didn't argue. Instead, she casually pulled out a set of keys. "Satisfied?"
Zhu Yuan made no move to stop her. "…"
She knew this was technically against protocol.
But since her senior was handling it, she figured there had to be a reason.
...
After getting a brief rundown of the situation, Zhu Yuan pulled out her phone to contact headquarters for backup.
But the second she did, her expression darkened.
"...Battery's dead. Senior, do you have any charge left?"
Qingyi shook his head. "Nope. Been busy all day. Took several support calls just now—drained it completely."
Zhu Yuan turned to Nicole, Anby, Billy, and the others.
They all just shook their heads.
Billy suddenly perked up. "Wait! Proxies definitely has a way to get in touch! Proxies? ...Proxies? He was here just a second ago—where'd he go?!"
Zhu Yuan froze. "Wait. Proxies is here? Senior, prepare to apprehend—"
Qingyi sighed. "Don't bother. He's long gone. Forget it—we'll handle this ourselves. Hare's House, take these civilians back to New Eridu. Zhu Yuan and I will return to Security Headquarters for reinforcents. We'll et up later at Vision Corporation's demolition command post."
Anby nodded. "Leave it to us."
Nicole quickly added, "Wait—does this count as a commission?"
Billy chid in, "Yeah! If it does, there should be a nice payout… which ans I can finally afford that Star-Knight collab gun oil!"
Zhu Yuan was speechless. "…"
Qingyi smirked. "If we count it as a commission, then the credit for saving Canvas Lane's residents goes to us."
Nicole imdiately backtracked. "Uh—never mind. Forget I said anything! You two should get going."
Zhu Yuan nodded. "Hare's House—see you soon."
—--------------------------------
While Nicole and the others led the civilians toward Vision Corporation's demolition command post, Zhu Yuan and Qingyi returned to the Public Security Bureau for reinforcents.
At that mont, in New Eridu…
Nekomata dragged Perlman by the collar, arriving at the headquarters of Vision Corporation's demolition operation.
In front of her stood a hundred heavily ard personnel, all aiming their guns directly at her head.
"Release Officer Perlman imdiately, or we will open fire!"
"Little girl, you're completely surrounded. Let him go now, or you won't escape!"
Hearing the threats, Nekomata didn't flinch. Instead, she casually kicked Perlman aside and glared at the ard squad's leader. "Stop the demolition, evacuate the civilians trapped inside, and I'll hand this shorty over. Otherwise, I'll toss him into the Hollow and let the Ether gnaw on him."
Her defiant stance made the commanding officer—Miss Sarah—chuckle. "A Nekomiya challenging Vision Corporation? Aren't you afraid of retaliation?"
Retaliation?
Nekomata had already prepared herself for death before she even ca here.
There was nothing left to fear.
She raised her voice. "Don't call 'Nekomiya.' My na is Nekomiya Mana. And since we're being honest—I'm from the Red Fang Gang. If you let Canvas Lane go, I'll take the fall. Bla everything on . That should satisfy you, right?"
Sarah smirked. "Self-sacrifice to save Canvas Lane? I never thought a Nekomiya could be so noble."
Nekomata let out a cold laugh. "Noble? A stray like has no business with words like that. I just can't stand what you're doing. So? Do we have a deal or not—"
Before she could finish, Sarah suddenly pulled a pistol from her coat.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out.
The bullet didn't hit Nekomata—it struck Perlman in the leg.
Perlman scread. "Who fired?! Who gave the order?!"
Sarah sighed. "Damn. Missed. Didn't hit a single target. Guess I should make ti for target practice."
Nekomata was stunned. "What the hell are you doing?! Isn't he your boss?"
Sarah's voice was indifferent. "Boss? Correction—he's not my boss. Truth is, Perlman ans nothing to us."
Then, she casually tossed her gun to the ground. "Alright, this farce is over. Take them both."
At her command, dozens of ard personnel stepped forward, their rifles trained on Nekomata.
Sarah waved a hand impatiently. "No need for prisoners. Open fire."
For a mont, the squad hesitated.
Then—
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
A hail of bullets rained down on Nekomata from all directions, cutting off every possible escape route.
This ti, there was no way out.
Nekomata let go of Perlman's collar, whispering an apology in her mind:
"Sorry, Sam Li, Anby... I couldn't buy more ti. I still owe you both a commission—guess I'll have to repay it in my next life..."
She hadn't even finished the thought when—
A golden light flared in the sky.
Like a divine presence descending from the heavens, a radiant glow streaked through the air, accompanied by a faint dragon's roar.
The golden brilliance crashed down in front of Nekomata—
Blocking every bullet.
For a mont, the entire battlefield fell silent.
Everyone was frozen in shock.
...
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