Lone Wolf Outpost.
"Brother… why does it feel way more tense here than last time?"
Belle followed closely behind Wise, her posture proper and her voice hushed as she watched armed soldiers move back and forth. She was nothing like her usual self at the video store.
Break the rules here and you could really get shot.
"Maybe something's changed inside Hollow Zero. This is an outpost, after all..."
Wise's expression remained calm as ever. He didn't need to look around to get a read on the situation—just observing the soldiers was enough.
Outside of Hollow Zero acting up, what else could cause this kind of tension?
"Zane! Zane, don't wander off! The guards already gave a warning..."
Seeing Zane completely ignoring his surroundings, Belle hurried to call him back in a whisper.
"It's fine. We're here to help, not as prisoners. Why be so nervous..."
Zane waved dismissively, flashing her a grin.
As long as he didn't do anything reckless, what could possibly go wrong—
"Freeze! Hands up!"
"This is a restricted area. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed beyond this point. Proceed only along the designated route to public zones!"
Before Zane could even finish his sentence, two guards had rifles trained on him. Their voices rang out cold and firm beneath their helmets.
His smile froze.
"I told you not to wander..."
Belle and Wise quickly stepped in. Wise spoke to the guards while Belle tugged Zane forward.
"This doesn't make sense. I was just trying to get a better look at Hollow Zero from that overlook. What's the problem?"
"Was it always this strict around the outpost?"
Zane frowned. He wasn't stupid—he wouldn't knowingly walk into a restricted zone. That had just been a viewing platform.
"I don't remember it being like this. Maybe it's a new top-down order, or maybe something's going on inside Hollow Zero…"
Belle tilted her head slightly as she spoke, her gaze drifting toward the massive chasm that loomed in the distance, casting a shadow across the land. Her thoughts swirled.
Hollow Zero—the source of everything.
To this day, humanity had explored less than a tenth of it...
No one knew what was truly inside.
"But if you look closely, you can pick up a few clues."
Belle gave a conspiratorial glance around before continuing, lowering her voice.
"If they had a choice, the officials wouldn't involve independent investigators in something this critical."
After all, "independent" was just a polite term. In reality, they were unofficial Proxies—borderline rogue.
"But the fact that we're here means the authorities must be seriously stretched thin..."
"Look over there. See those two in uniform? You can tell they're nervous—probably rookies."
"In normal circumstances, newbies wouldn't be anywhere near an outpost or anything tied to Hollow Zero."
Belle's sharp observation skills kicked in. Just a few glances gave her a solid picture of how dire things were.
"Makes sense. Sounds like something really unknown is going on in there."
Zane nodded slightly. Belle's reasoning held up.
"Should we poke around a bit? Could be something interesting…"
"The strongest Proxy and the strongest Ethereal teaming up... now that's one kind of ZZZ."
Hearing Zane's half-teasing, half-serious suggestion, Belle's eyes lit up. She proudly accepted the "strongest Proxy" title.
She didn't fully get what "ZZZ" meant in his line, but investigating Hollow Zero had been her plan all along—Zane just gave it a fun spin.
"Sure, sure—then afterward…"
She lowered her voice and smirked.
"Zane, who knows, maybe we can even squeeze a little something out of the Defense Force. Just imagine... exciting, right?"
Zane raised an eyebrow, pointed at her with one finger, gave a few thoughtful waves, then clicked his tongue with a grin.
"You really are my kind of person."
"Hehe, of course! We're the ZZZ duo, after all..."
From behind, Wise finally caught up after finishing his talk with the guards. He saw the two whispering up ahead and raised an eyebrow.
Something felt off.
Weren't they all supposed to be in this together?
He could've sworn Zane was standing where he should've been...
...
A short while later, the trio arrived at a large camp within the outpost—Belle and Wise's mission site.
They looked around with curiosity. Zane's gaze eventually settled on a computer screen to his left.
Displayed on it was a large logo with five white characters underneath:
White Star Institute.
Belle scanned the area and eventually spotted someone who looked like they were in charge.
She made her way over, Zane and Wise following a few steps behind.
Belle was the main operative here. Wise came along as backup, in case anything went sideways. Zane's role was to assist later inside Hollow Zero.
Behind the desk, Ray looked up at the sound of footsteps. Spotting Belle, she smiled and spoke up.
"I noticed you the moment you stepped into the tent. You've got that fresh, energetic look."
She adjusted her black-rimmed glasses with one hand and chuckled.
"Or should I say, 'Miss Independent Investigator.'"
Without giving Belle a chance to reply, she introduced herself.
"I'm Ray, a researcher from White Star Institute. Most people just call me Ray—so you can too."
"Uh... that's not really any different..."
Belle's mouth twitched awkwardly.
Ray straightened up, one hand on her hip. A sleek mechanical arm swayed behind her as she moved, and her smile widened.
"Don't worry, I'm not some pencil-pusher from the association making you wait in line."
"As long as you bring me back my precious observation data from the Hollows, I'll treat you like my dearest partner."
Seeing Belle still waiting for more, Ray's grin grew. They were short-staffed, and she could use all the help she could get.
"As it happens, I've got an urgent job for you right now."
"One of our data stations near the edge of Hollow Zero was attacked by roaming Ethereal packs. We need someone to recover the observation data."
"And you'll also be escorting one of our investigators on the way—your examiner for this mission."
Fighting and escort duty?
Belle frowned slightly, then glanced back at Zane.
So that meant... Zane wouldn't be able to act freely?