After a brief and mostly trivial interlude, Zhong Yan was invited by Koleda into the site office. Alongside him were Grace, Ben, and Anton.
As Belobog Heavy Industries' core trio, wherever Koleda went, she brought them along without exception. They were also among the few with access to the company's internal affairs.
Koleda trusted them deeply, and they never let her down—each performing flawlessly in their respective roles.
"Ben, go ahead and fill him in on the situation," Koleda said, personally pouring Zhong Yan a cup of hot tea before giving the order.
Zhong Yan accepted the tea without complaint and sat down on the office sofa, showing no sign of impatience.
Ben, seeing this, began recounting the details at a steady pace.
"Uh... our company is relatively new in the field of mechanical construction, but we've made some progress lately and managed to secure the subway reconstruction contract... Honestly, we have you to thank for that, Lord Obito."
"But ever since we won the bid, a bunch of well-established corporations with deep pockets started treating us like a thorn in their side. They'd love nothing more than to see us stumble like Vision Corporation, just so they can snatch the project away."
"So, they colluded with the banks to deny us low-interest loans, sent thugs to stir up trouble at the construction site, blocked our building and fire safety permits, and then pulled shady stunts on national TV..."
"Then, just when we were at our most vulnerable, an accident occurred. You probably know about it already—three units of our Mark III In-Hollow Industrial Boring Machines went missing inside the Hollow."
Ben spoke in a steady stream, but before he could finish, Grace interrupted to take over.
"A few days ago, I had just updated their logic cores. While working inside the Hollow, three of them suddenly ignored commands and went deeper in on their own. They haven't returned since. As for why…"
"I'm sorry, we still don't know the exact cause. Honestly… whether it's chip failure or Ether interference, those are common risks for companies operating in the Hollow. But this time… something feels off. Even I'm completely stumped."
Her voice faltered, her mood clearly dipping. It was obvious she was deeply worried about her three "children," and if she could, she'd rush into the Hollow herself to retrieve them.
But with the machines lost deep within the Hollow—and combined with the suppression from larger corporations—Belobog simply didn't have the resources to retrieve them alone.
Their only hope lay in this mysterious man with no known background but who clearly feared none of the corporate giants.
"We've managed to get a rough fix on one or two of them. If possible, I'd like us to move out as soon as preparations are done. We can't afford to give those bastards a chance to pounce on our missteps," Koleda said, hands on her hips, donning her usual president's pose.
Well, "president's pose" was putting it kindly—it was more like a small adult trying hard to appear authoritative.
Often teased for her height, Koleda had developed a habit of standing this way to avoid being underestimated.
Truthfully, she wasn't arrogant at all—she just didn't want to be looked down on.
If it were anyone else talking to him this boldly, Zhong Yan would've already shut them down. But Koleda? He let it slide.
"I'll wait here at the site until you're ready," Zhong Yan said after a moment's thought, and the light in their eyes instantly brightened.
The group quickly dispersed to make the final preparations, while Zhong Yan left the office and climbed to the top of a crane—the tallest point on-site.
The view from up there was excellent. A slight tilt of his head revealed the towering structures of New Eridu's city center in the distance. On the opposite end lay the city's largest Hollow—Hollow Zero.
The construction site of Belobog Heavy Industries was positioned squarely between the two.
"So many Bear Thiren around... Is it because their physical output far exceeds that of regular humans?" Zhong Yan mused as he looked down at the Bear Thiren laborers toiling below.
The Thiren race didn't have low social standing—not exactly. But in the end, they were still seen as accepted outsiders within human society.
If not for New Eridu's labor shortage, it'd be hard to say whether open discrimination between humans and Thiren could've been avoided.
Zhong Yan personally didn't hold any prejudice toward these half-human, half-beast beings. Whether it was Ellen's aquatic kind, or the more common cat, dog, bear, or wolf Thiren—they each had their unique charm.
Some even held prestigious positions, like the Hoshimi family, to which Hoshimiya belonged. Starting from its third-generation head, they were known throughout New Eridu as martial arts masters. By Hoshimiya's generation, she had already earned the title of the youngest Void Hunter since the city's founding.
If more families like theirs rose to prominence, the Thiren's status in New Eridu could very well reach unimaginable heights.
"Mr. Obito, we're ready! Come on down!"
A loud voice snapped Zhong Yan from his thoughts. He looked down to see Koleda and her team gathered, signaling that preparations were complete.
Without hesitation, Zhong Yan jumped straight down. Under the stunned gazes of the group, he landed steadily on the ground.
Anton was the first to regain his senses and stepped forward. "The first one we're looking for is a grab-arm unit. Its signal isn't far from here. If all goes well, we should have it back within half a day. Hopefully that won't waste your time."
Half a day to recover one unit was already efficient, but Anton worried Zhong Yan might abandon the mission midway—after all, not everyone had the time to spare.
But clearly, he needn't have worried. For Zhong Yan, the only thing he really needed to attend to was school—and he could easily assign a shadow clone to take care of classes.
As for the real him, he had far more meaningful things to do.