Beside the massive crater—
Hoshimi Miyabi glanced at the crystal fragnt in her hand, then at the detector beside her. Her expression grew increasingly grave.
Both her instincts and the detector's readings confird that the crystal fragnt contained an anomaly—an attribute she had never encountered before.
It was just a small shard of crystal.
Yet, in her hand, it felt as heavy as a boulder, giving off an illusion of overwhelming weight and depth.
Soukaku rested his greatblade on his shoulder and scanned the surroundings. "Strange. A crater this big, yet not a single teorite fragnt in sight? Could they have mixed in with the Ethereal corpses? I'll go check!"
He rummaged through the debris.
Suddenly, he seed to have found sothing and jumped up excitedly. "Chief, look! There's a clear trail of footprints!"
At his words, Hoshimi Miyabi approached.
She took one look at the footprints, then turned and walked away without hesitation.
Soukaku hurried after her. "Chief, aren't we looking for teorite fragnts?"
Hoshimi Miyabi replied calmly, "We can leave such minor tasks to the Public Security Force. Our priority is finding the owner of these footprints."
A new attribute anomaly had erged in New Eridu—
A matter of great significance, one that could even determine the city's survival.
Hoshimi Miyabi's instincts told her—
The strange new attribute lingering on the crystal fragnt was likely connected to whoever left those footprints.
Maybe...
Even the bizarre teorite that fell from the sky had sothing to do with them.
Soukaku adjusted the greatblade on his shoulder and caught up with her. "Chief, weren't we sent here to handle the higher-ranked Ethereal?"
Hoshimi Miyabi spoke seriously. "The higher-ranked Ethereal is definitely dead, and most of the regular ones have been wiped out. The remaining stragglers can be left to the Public Security Force."
At this mont, nearly all the Ethereals in the Hollow had perished.
Because of that, the Ether density within it had suddenly plumted.
...
anwhile, as Hoshimi Miyabi and Soukaku searched for Sam Li—
Just a few dozen ters away, on another street, Sam Li followed the guidance of the Geo elent and found the location of the birdcage.
It was inside the cinema before him.
Standing at the entrance, he looked up at the sign: Starlight Cinema. Posters and advertisents covered the walls and billboards outside.
A preview for Star Emblem Knight 3.
A promotional poster for Daughter of the Water...
Unfortunately—
Swallowed by the Hollow, the once-bustling cinema was now abandoned.
"Once I find the birdcage, I'll have to buy the most expensive thrush."
Speaking of thrushes, there was the issue of money.
At the mont, Sam Li didn't have a single coin to his na. In fact, he hadn't even seen what currency looked like in this world.
"If I could just find a reliable wallet, that'd be perfect."
With that thought in mind, he pushed open the cinema's doors.
As soon as he stepped into the lobby, a rhythmic sound echoed through the hallways—
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud—
A familiar tune, commonly heard in films.
Sam Li followed the sound down the corridor, stopping at the very end.
The rhythmic thudding, along with the birdcage, was coming from the screening room ahead.
"This doesn't sound like a movie… more like vocal mimicry."
Which ant—
There were other survivors inside.
That was good.
If he could et soone from this world, he might learn more about it.
Sam Li reached out and pushed open the screening room door.
Instantly, the thudding sound cut off.
Inside, two figures—one big, one small—sat in the audience seats.
The little girl lit up with joy. "Anby, look! Your friend has co to save us! The big brother from the Cunning Hares House! We're here—"
Before she could finish, Anby quickly reached out and shielded her behind her.
"No! He's not from the Cunning Hares House."
...
When the Hollow Crisis erupted, Anby had been watching a movie in this very cinema.
There had been enough ti to evacuate from Twelve Streets.
But in order to save the little girl behind her, she had missed her best chance to escape. Now, the two of them had no choice but to stay in the cinema, waiting for rescue.
Anby believed—
Her comrades from the Cunning Hares would co for her.
But...
Nicole and Billy never arrived.
But instead of her expected rescuers, she was faced with a stranger… No—more accurately, she couldn't even be sure if this person was truly human.
Anby drew her knife and took a defensive stance. "Anby's Hollow Survival Log, Entry Two: I have encountered a new sentient individual. Although he looks very human, I cannot yet rule out the possibility that he is an Ethereal in disguise…"
Hearing this, the little girl gasped and quickly hid behind Anby. "Big brother… is he an Ethereal pretending to be human?"
Their startled reactions almost threw Sam Li off.
Still, from their words, he was able to gather so useful information.
For one, the girl's na was Anby, and she seed to be part of an organization called Cunning Hares.
Judging by her outfit, the weapon in her hand, and her well-trained stance, she was clearly no ordinary person.
"Don't misunderstand—I'm not the monster you're talking about. I'm just an ordinary guy looking for sothing I lost."
Anby remained skeptical. "No ordinary person could survive in the Hollow. Answer this—thud, thud thud thud, thud thud thud… What cos next?"
Sam Li thought back to the movies he'd seen back on earth. "Thud, thud thud, thud thud thud thud?"
That seed about right… though he had watched so many similar movies that the lodies were starting to blur together.
The mont he answered, Anby imdiately sheathed her knife. "Threat level neutralized. The suspected human is confird to be human. Additionally, he is a knowledgeable film enthusiast. Encountering him may slightly improve survival odds. I am pleased. If we safely escape the Hollow, I may exchange movie knowledge with him."
Sam Li: "…"
…He actually got it right?
Well, that saved him a lot of trouble.
Clearing his throat, he asked, "Have you two seen a birdcage in the screening room?"
Anby frowned. "A birdcage?"
The little girl's eyes lit up. "I know! When the Hollow first erupted, I saw a birdcage fall down."
With that, she ran to the back row of the theater and lifted a birdcage from between the audience seats. "Big brother, is this the one you're looking for?"
Sam Li smiled. "That's the one. Thanks for your help."
As he took the birdcage from her hands…
A notification echoed in his mind:
[Ding! Congratulations, host. You have successfully retrieved the lost birdcage.]
[Reward: 1,000 shop points. Role-play progression 5%—]
...
With his role progression increasing, Sam Li could feel the power of the Geo elent within him grow even stronger.
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