After turning down Qingyi's invitation, Sam Li stepped out of the patrol car, holding a birdcage in one hand. He knocked on the tightly shut door of the Hare's House with the other.
From inside, hushed voices could be heard:
"Boss Nicole, someone from the Public Security Bureau is knocking. They must be here to take back the reward from last time."
"Shh, stay quiet. Maybe they'll think no one's home..."
"Meow~ Honorable Officer, there's no one here, just a little kitty. Please come back another time..."
...
Hearing all the whispering, Sam Li was nearly speechless. If they were going to pretend, they could at least make it convincing.
He calmly said, "It's me, Sam Li."
Inside, Billy's voice could be heard whispering again: "Boss Nicole, the security officers are crafty... they're even imitating Sam Li's voice now to trick us."
Smack!
That was the sound of a slap landing on a metal head.
Nicole's voice followed immediately: "Stop talking nonsense. It really is Sam Li. Billy, don't just stand there—go get the key!"
Soon, the door to the Hare's House opened.
Billy was the first to peek out. The moment he saw Sam Li, he immediately put on a casual expression, as if he hadn't just been the one who locked the door.
Right after, Nicole, Anby, and Nekomata also came out to greet him.
Nicole glanced at Sam Li, then at Qingyi sitting in the patrol car. She instantly understood—Qingyi must've given Sam Li a ride back.
That public security officer was always trying to poach people from the Hare's House. She'd definitely have to warn Sam Li to steer clear of her.
Nearby, in the patrol car, Qingyi smiled when she saw Nicole and the others come out.
"Sam Li, if they ever lock you out again, just quit and join the Public Security Bureau."
Nicole quickly jumped in, "It's not what you think! Sam Li, don't listen to her nonsense."
But Sam Li didn't need her explanation. He already knew why they locked the door—it wasn't because of him, but to avoid Qingyi.
Once Qingyi was gone, Nicole immediately pulled Sam Li inside, had Billy pour him a glass of water, and eagerly asked, "So? How did the assignment go today? Did you find the target W-Engine? How much Dennies did you spend?"
She fired off several questions in a row, her eyes fixed nervously on him.
She knew Sam Li had a habit of spending big. If he shelled out more Dennies than the W-Engine was worth, they'd be in the red.
Sam Li set down the birdcage, took a sip of the water Billy handed him, and calmly explained, "Didn't need to spend a single Denny. The W-Engine Cass was looking for turned out to be the Guardian Angel you gave me before."
Nicole immediately let out a sigh of relief.
"A low-tier W-Engine for a top-grade one? That's a massive win! Don't worry, Sam Li—once we're done dealing with the lawsuit between Canvas Lane and Vision Company, I'll buy you a new A-rank W-Engine. It'll definitely outperform that Guardian Angel."
At the mention of the lawsuit, Nicole sighed again, frustration flashing in her eyes.
Sam Li caught on right away—something must have gone wrong with today's trial. "Did things not go well?"
Nicole looked dejected. "We were supposed to have the trial today, but something went wrong during the prisoner transfer. That guy escaped to the Outer Ring. The main culprit got away, so the trial had to be postponed... again."
She then recounted the entire day, starting from when they began escorting Perlman.
Passing by the Bale Building... falling into Perlman's trap... getting knocked out... running into Eous under Phaethon's control... then Perlman took the chance to hijack the airship and escape to the Outer Ring...
Just thinking about it made Nicole furious.
They had nearly secured a million Dennies, but after all that, Perlman escaped and the trial was once again delayed.
After hearing everything, Sam Li thought for a moment and said, "Maybe we can go to the Outer Ring and bring Perlman back."
Nicole shook her head. "No way. The Outer Ring is massive, and we don't know the area at all. We'd never find him. And don't underestimate that place—it's completely outside New Eridu's control. It's ruled by all kinds of gangs, and it's just as dangerous as the Hollows."
She paused, then muttered to herself, "If we could get help from a powerful gang out there, maybe we'd have a shot at tracking him down... but those gangs are vicious. Even the Public Security Bureau can't handle them—they definitely won't help us."
After that, Nicole turned on the TV.
Sure enough, the news was broadcasting Perlman's escape.
Nicole slumped even further into frustration: "..."
She had no idea what the Public Security Bureau was even doing—how could they screw up something as simple as a prisoner transfer?
Just then, Nekomata cautiously spoke up, "Nicole, it's already dark. It's time to eat mackerel. You promised us a big meal today."
At the mention of a feast, Billy immediately jumped up in excitement. "Let's go to the Starlight Knights co-branded restaurant!"
Nekomata shook her head. "No, we should go to the All-Fish Buffet!"
Nicole shook her head. "I always go with your choices. Can't we ask Anby for once? Anby, don't you love burgers the most? Alright then, we'll go have burgers—eat as much as you want!"
Anby nodded. "I'm in!"
Nekomata mumbled under her breath, "So stingy... just trying to save money again..."
Her voice was soft, but Nicole still heard her.
She turned to look at her. "Hmm? Nekomata, what was that?"
She quickly grinned and explained, "I said Nicole's super generous—taking us out for our favorite burgers!"
Billy just covered his face.
He had nothing left to say.
...
As night fell, Nicole led everyone from the Hare's House to the burger joint.
Meanwhile, outside the New Eridu metropolitan area, in a small town on the Outer Ring...
Piper finally made it back to the Sons of Calydon's turf just before dark. She parked the car in a courtyard and had just stepped out when she spotted three little pigs on the ground.
Then, a girl's voice called out behind her, "You're back this late? Don't tell me you blew all the Dennies Caesar gave you on scratch cards again?"
She turned around immediately—and sure enough, there she was, a girl wielding a spiked club.
It was another member of the Sons of Calydon: Luciana Auxesis Theodoro de Montefio. Yes, that really was her full name.
Luciana grinned. "Get ready to face Caesar's wrath!"
But Piper looked totally unfazed. "Sorry to disappoint you. No scratch cards, no impulse makeup buys. Everything's in the car."