In the New Eridu metropolitan area, on Sixth Street...
Zhu Yuan and Qingyi rushed their patrol car to Master Tingman's coffee shop. As soon as they got out, they looked around but couldn't find Sam Li at the entrance.
They hurried inside.
Seeing two constables walk in, Master Tingman, already ready to open for business, greeted them.
"Officers, what can I get for you?"
Zhu Yuan, panting heavily, quickly said,
"Sorry, we're on duty. We'll come back another time to enjoy your coffee."
Qingyi added,
"Master Tingman, have you seen Sam Li?"
Usually, whenever they passed by Master Tingman's café, Sam Li would be there with his birdcage. He had practically become a fixture of Sixth Street.
But now, Zhu Yuan and Qingyi couldn't find him — clearly, something unexpected had happened.
Hearing their questions, Master Tingman replied calmly,
"You mean Mr. Sam Li? Yes, today was different. About two hours ago, he had a cup of coffee, charged it to Hare's House, and left. Looked like he had something urgent to do. You know he's a professional agent — probably got a commission..."
Upon hearing that, Zhu Yuan's eyes lit up, and she hurriedly asked,
"Where did Mr. Sam Li go?"
Master Tingman shook his head.
"No idea. I'm just a law-abiding coffee shop owner. I never investigate where my customers go, nor do I track agents or Hollow raiders..."
Once again, they had lost the lead.
Qingyi took a deep breath and said,
"Even if you stick to the law, if you see Sam Li again, please notify the Public Security Bureau, or have him call me. He has my contact information."
Qingyi had already called Sam Li over a dozen times, but it kept saying he was out of service — unreachable.
There were usually two reasons for that:
One, his phone was dead or broken.
Two, he had entered a Hollow again.
The first case wasn't a big deal. The second one... was serious.
Zhu Yuan asked seriously,
"Senior, is there any other way?"
Qingyi sighed.
"The lead on the suspect Cass is broken. The only person he's been in contact with recently is Sam Li. We'll just have to keep looking for him..."
They were still investigating yesterday's theft at the W-Engine Research Institute.
Since the institute's report came in yesterday, Zhu Yuan and Qingyi had been working nonstop.
Last night, they had gone to the institute to gather evidence and found some clues through surveillance footage.
After a full day's investigation today, they finally tracked the trail to Cass.
From the evidence and leads they had, Cass was highly likely the one who stole the W-Engine parts.
According to their investigation, Cass's only known contact was Sam Li — so naturally, they needed to find him.
Just as Zhu Yuan and Qingyi were about to head over to Hare's House to check for clues, suddenly...
Zhu Yuan's phone rang.
She quickly answered,
"Hello, Zhu Yuan's team speaking. Got it — Qingyi and I will head over right away."
After hanging up, Zhu Yuan's face lit up.
"Senior, we have a lead on Sam Li. Enthusiastic citizens reported seeing a man carrying a birdcage heading toward the outer ring. Later, security officers encountered several injured robbers, who said the birdcage guy took a truck toward the Old Capital Metro Hollow..."
In all of New Eridu, a man carrying a birdcage could only be Sam Li.
Hearing this, Qingyi sighed and shook her head.
"The Old Capital Metro Hollow... I clearly warned him it was dangerous. Why did he still go there..."
Zhu Yuan thought for a moment.
"We asked Sam Li to keep an eye out for suspicious people. Could it be... he realized Cass's identity early and chased after him?"
Qingyi smiled slightly.
"If that's the case, then it's excellent news."
Without wasting another second, they jumped into their patrol car and headed toward the Old Capital Metro Hollow to search for Sam Li and Cass.
…
Meanwhile...
Inside the Old Capital Metro Hollow.
Piper had set his old axe aside and was now practicing swings with the heavy stone axe Sam Li had conjured from Geo.
The stone axe was twice as heavy as her old one.
It definitely wouldn't be practical for real combat.
But for training? Perfect.
Nearby, after organizing the system rewards, Sam Li wasn't planning to linger in the Hollow any longer. He intended to head back to New Eridu's city center and grab a coffee at Master Tingman's to recharge a bit.
He turned around — and spotted Cass sitting by the massive sword mark.
At this moment, although Cass had taken his revenge, he had also lost all purpose for living. He sat motionless at the ravine's edge, hollow and numb.
Sam Li walked over and patted Cass gently on the shoulder.
A simple gesture of comfort.
Cass's voice was lifeless.
"Mr. Sam Li... sorry. I don't have any money to pay you for your commission."
Sam Li replied calmly,
"You can repay me later."
Cass's expression was blank.
"There's no 'later,' Mr. Sam Li. You should go. I just want to be alone..."
Hearing this, Sam Li understood — Cass didn't plan on living any longer.
After a brief silence, Sam Li said slowly,
"Even though the Hollow has weakened, there's still a lot of Ether around. If you stay too long, the corruption will consume you."
Cass lowered his head, silent.
Of course he knew.
He simply didn't care anymore.
He had lost the will to live, wanting only to let the Hollow's corrosion end his life.
Dying here, where his lover had fallen, was enough for him.
Seeing this, Sam Li continued,
"If you get eroded by the Ether, you'll turn into an Ethereal. Think about it — do you really want to end up like the Notoriety Ethereal - Train Head?"
At these words, Cass lowered his head even more, unable to meet Sam Li's gaze.
After all the pain he endured to get his revenge, he certainly didn't want to become the next Hollow abomination.
Cass took a deep breath.
"Mr. Sam Li... what's the point of me living? I wanted to repay you by making a protective W-Engine — like a guardian angel — but someone like you doesn't need that..."
You can summon monstrous rock beasts with a wave of your hand.
You can clash head-on with a Notoriety Ethereal.
Someone with that kind of power doesn't need the help of a W-Engine.
...