Upon hearing Fairy's message, Belle was overjoyed and quickly relayed the news to the Traveler, Xiao, and the others.
"Mr. Xiao, Miss Keqing, there's a core inside the monster's body. Once it's destroyed, the monster won't be able to regenerate!"
"Where exactly is the core?"
"I'm not sure, but it's definitely inside the monster..."
...
After hearing Belle's information, Keqing, Hu Tao, the Traveler, and Xiao exchanged glances and instantly formed a new battle plan.
The Traveler said seriously, "Break the monster apart and find the core."
Xiao nodded. "Got it."
Before the words had even finished leaving his mouth, Xiao had already lunged forward, spear in hand, and sliced the clone clean in half.
At the same time, Keqing and the Traveler swung their swords, while Hu Tao raised her Staff of Homa. Without giving the clone any chance to regenerate, they struck again.
For a moment, spear flashes and sword light flickered in the air.
Their combined attacks poured down on the clone like a rainstorm, shredding it into countless fragments.
Soon after, the Traveler spotted a glimmer of light near the clone's head.
"Found it! The core's in the head!"
Keqing called out, "Smash it!"
As soon as she spoke, Xiao swept his spear with the force of a windstorm, clearing away most of the clone's remains and revealing the core hidden within.
Immediately, the Traveler and Keqing thrust their swords at the same time.
Both blades struck the energy core simultaneously.
In an instant, Ether energy surged from the shattered core, quietly dispersing into the Hollows.
The clone's fragments dissolved into faint wisps of Ether, gradually fading from view.
The battle was finally over.
They had assumed it was just a slightly tougher monster, but hadn't expected it to be this powerful.
If not for Belle's timely warning, which led Xiao and the others to the core hidden inside the clone, the fight would've dragged on much longer.
The Traveler sheathed his sword and let out a deep breath.
"We finally won. Miss Proxy, thanks for the tip."
Paimon added seriously, "Yeah! If Miss Proxy hadn't told us there was a core, we'd still be stuck fighting that thing."
Belle smiled. "Don't forget, I'm a Proxy. Giving you intel is part of my job."
She was just about to suggest that Keqing and the others head back when—
Suddenly, Fairy's voice echoed in her ear again.
[Master, a hidden laboratory has been detected 1,239 meters ahead. Signs of human activity present. Shall we investigate?]
A lab built inside the Hollows... with traces of human activity?
No doubt about it—it had to be the rebels' doing.
Belle didn't really want to get involved with the rebels, but after a brief hesitation, she still passed the information on to Keqing and the Traveler.
Upon hearing it, both Keqing and the Traveler were surprised. Connecting it with the monster they had just fought, they immediately suspected the lab ahead was related.
Keqing said firmly, "Let's go check it out."
The Traveler nodded. "Right."
Belle sighed quietly. "..."
She knew it.
These people were fearless. There was no way they'd be intimidated by a few rebels. Fine, she'd help Soldier 11 deal with this rebel group while she was at it.
With that thought, Belle quickly steered Eous forward, her little legs scurrying to catch up.
...
At that moment, inside the lab ahead—
Several researchers stared at the screen in disbelief. The battle had ended. The clone was dead. Yet they still couldn't accept it.
Impossible.
They had poured so much effort into creating the Hoshimi Miyabi clone. Its power was nearly equal to the original.
How could it lose to a few Hollow raiders?
They couldn't accept it. But the reality was right in front of them—the clone had been killed.
Snapping out of their shock, one of the researchers suddenly said, "Looks like... we're their next target."
Another researcher panicked. "Professor, we need to evacuate—now!"
Unlike the others, the man called "Professor" showed no sadness or frustration. His eyes burned with fanatical excitement.
Success.
He had collected a wealth of battle data this time.
As long as they could escape, he could use that data to create an even more powerful clone.
"Evacuate immediately!"
"Got it, I'll go pack—"
"Pack what? There's no time! Leave everything. Just go!"
...
Before leaving the research center hidden in the Hollows, the Professor took only one thing—the data from the tattooed boy's battle. That was all he cared about.
The researchers piled into the car.
With rebel fighters covering their retreat, they quickly took the pre-planned evacuation route and left the A37 Hollow.
...
Not long after, Keqing, Xiao, the Traveler, and Hu Tao—guided by Belle—found the location of the rebel research center and encountered rebel soldiers.
The moment they made contact, the rebels launched an attack.
Belle ducked behind a nearby wall. "Knew it... rebels."
Paimon shouted, "What do we do?!"
If they were up against Ethereal creatures, they'd show no mercy.
But these were humans. And without knowing more, Keqing wasn't willing to go straight for the kill.
She said seriously, "Take them alive."
Xiao responded calmly, "Leave it to me."
Before he even finished speaking, he had already moved.
To the rebels, it was like a sudden gust of wind swept through. Their chests felt as if they'd been slammed by a heavy force—and one by one, they dropped.
Keqing and the others quickly approached.
Looking at the rebels lying on the ground, Keqing furrowed her brow.
"What's that monster got to do with you?"
One of the rebels growled, "Monster? That was a super-powered clone created by the Professor. It's a shame you managed to defeat it..."
The Traveler pressed, "Professor? Your leader? Where is he now?"
The rebel spat angrily, "The Professor's already gone. Do what you want with us. I know we'll meet a bad end in Defense Army hands anyway. Just get it over with…"
Hu Tao: "???"
Traveler: "???"
Defense Army?
They'd heard of that group—New Eridu's military force, responsible for protecting the city.
Clearly, the rebels had gotten the wrong idea.
Paimon declared, "We're not the Defense Army, and we're not gonna kill you! But you'd better behave yourselves and don't even think about running—or the Traveler will bonk you on the head!"
Traveler: "..."
Xiao asked calmly, "What should we do with them?"
Keqing thought for a moment. "Since they're local rebels, we should turn them over to the authorities. Let's escort them out of the Hollows..."