"Proxy, didn't you say someone else was coming? Why aren't they here yet? Their sense of time is even worse than Billy's..."
After the brief interruption, Nicole stood waiting for a while, growing impatient.
"I told you other agents can't be trusted, but you didn't believe me. From now on, just leave all commissions to Hare's House—satisfaction guaranteed!"
She glanced at Eous. Clearly, that was her real agenda. Her earlier impatience had just been a setup for this pitch.
Seriously, having extra people only meant splitting the commission. That's basically the same as robbing Hare's House...
"They're here."
Belle's voice came from Eous, and Nicole looked over in surprise.
"Here? Who's here?"
"Mm, it's Zane."
Anby, sharp-eyed as always, immediately spotted Zane approaching in the distance. She smiled and waved.
Zane saw them too and let out a sigh of relief.
The legal entrances to Hollow Zero were all in fixed locations, and for someone unfamiliar with the area, it was all too easy to get lost!
"Awesome! So the person we were waiting for was Zane all along. This mission's in the bag!"
"Haha, it must be the blessing of the Starlight Knights that made Zane our teammate!"
The moment Billy laid eyes on Zane, he got fired up. He had been worried about the upcoming task, but now he felt completely at ease.
With Zane backing them up, even Hollow Zero was as good as cleared!
Just as Billy turned to see how Nicole would react, he found she was already negotiating with Belle.
"Proxy, we agreed on the commission fee—no changes. Even if Hare's House didn't contribute much, we still completed the job, didn't we?"
Nicole looked completely serious. With Zane around, today's mission was practically guaranteed.
She'd been part of both the Cretan Hollow and Dead End Hollow missions. She knew firsthand what they were like.
Now, it was just a big shot carrying four tag-alongs through a qualification test.
Nicole had no complaints. In fact, she was thrilled.
Being a tag-along was perfect—no work, free commission payout. If she could do that every day, life would be perfect...
"Nicole, don't get too excited. Zane will try not to intervene. The pressure's still on Hare's House."
Belle reminded her.
"Aww, come on..."
"Relax, Proxy. Don't you trust Hare's House?"
Nicole pressed one hand to her lips, stretched out the other like a snake, gave a little wave, and smiled.
As far as she was concerned, just having Zane with them was the ultimate safety net. Those ordinary Ethereals were just routine cleanup—Hare's House could handle that.
Nicole turned toward Zane, one hand on her hip.
"Zane, long time no see!"
Zane raised an eyebrow. Long time? It had only been three or four days since the Dead End Hollow incident, hadn't it?
"Long time no see, Nicole..."
He looked up and saw Anby waving at him. Curious, Zane headed her way.
Nicole watched him go and suddenly remembered that bold statement she had made on impulse.
Maybe she could really get Zane to join Hare's House?
A soldier who doesn't want to be a general isn't a good soldier.
A handyman agency that doesn't want Zane isn't a good one either.
The idea sparked a fire in her. With low risk and high reward, of course Nicole wasn't going to let this chance pass.
She'd just need to find the right moment to bring it up...
What if he actually said yes?
While Nicole was scheming how to rope in Zane, Anby had already started talking to him.
She had questions about the Ethereals.
These were things she'd been wondering about after watching Ethereal-themed movies the past couple of days.
After failing to find answers on her own, she naturally turned to Zane.
After all, no one knew Ethereals better than an Ethereal.
She had meant to talk to him later, but now that they'd met, why not just ask?
But when faced with Anby's hopeful gaze, Zane silently shook his head.
Sure, he was an Ethereal—but he'd existed for less than a month!
Anby's questions were way too niche and out there, totally beyond normal comprehension.
Especially ones like how Ethereals reproduce—that was clearly movie fiction. Only Anby would seriously ask him that.
"Alright, everyone's here! Info's been registered. We're ready to head into Hollow Zero!"
Eous put her hands on her hips and ran ahead to lead the way.
Behind her, Nicole and Anby were the first to follow. Zane, driven by Anby's curiosity and persistent questions, quickly caught up...
Time passed quietly.
...
At the edge of Hollow Zero.
"So this is... Hollow Zero."
The sky was dim and sunless, yet the land was still bathed in light. The ruins were in complete disarray, and scattered Ether crystals told the tale of terrible destruction.
Massive shattered structures floated in the air, ready to crash down at any moment. Space rifts cracked open everywhere, and lurking in the shadows were Ethereals, watching hungrily.
It was like every Hollow Zane had seen before—magnified hundreds or thousands of times.
This place was the culprit behind the old capital's destruction.
The root of all the Hollow disasters plaguing the new city.
It held countless treasures and secrets.
It was filled with dangers that terrified the weak and gave even the strong pause.
This was—Hollow Zero!
Zane looked up, taking in the overwhelming scene. The fire in his heart flared a little brighter.
Vast and dead silent—that was his first impression.
Chaotic and lawless—that was his second.
A paradise for Ethereals—that was his third.
"Boss Nicole, the Hollows we've been to before are nothing compared to this place..."
Billy held his twin guns, staying alert, clearly uneasy.
"What's there to be scared of? It's not our first time in Hollow Zero. And this time, we're fully armed!"
Nicole strode confidently at the front.
"Belle, you guys go ahead with the assessment. It shouldn't be too hard. I'm heading off on my own after this."
Just then, Zane, who had been scanning the surroundings, pulled his gaze back and spoke to Eous.
"Alright, but be careful!"
Zane nodded to the three members of Hare's House, then swiftly took off into the distance, disappearing from sight.
Billy watched him go, looking crushed.
He thought this would be a cakewalk, but as soon as they entered, the powerhouse ditched them to go solo!
He had just grabbed onto this lucky break, and now it was gone before he could enjoy it!
Even though he was bummed out, Billy shook his head and got back in the zone.
He looked ahead, only to find that Nicole had already deployed the cannon from her briefcase and retreated into the group, eyes scanning the surroundings warily.
"Boss Nicole, didn't you say we were fully armed and had nothing to worry about..."
Nicole blushed at his words, turned back, and glared at Billy.
"The 'armament' just left—so where's the 'fully armed' part now!"