Wise explained the whole situation to Zane.
"Panta broke down… and then just got fixed?"
Zane raised an eyebrow, surprised.
"Yeah. But Master Enzo seemed pretty relaxed about it, so it probably wasn't anything serious."
"The parts we brought didn't even get used. It was fixed right away."
Zane fell silent, lost in thought. Now that he thought about it, back when they were in the Hollows, Panta had always seemed a bit unusual—extremely resilient.
Neither the Ether corrosion nor any of the battles ever seemed to affect it.
So why did it suddenly have problems after they left?
He shook his head. Panta was back to normal now, so he let the thought go and pushed the matter aside.
Before long, Belle caught up with Zhu Yuan and explained the situation with Panta. As for the story she gave, she claimed she had picked up the Bangboo near the Hollows.
Compared to dealing with Zane directly, handling Panta's status was much simpler. For Zhu Yuan, it was just a routine task.
"All done. From now on, you're a legal Bangboo of New Eridu."
Zhu Yuan crouched down, gently patted Panta on the head, and smiled.
"Mm-hmm!"
With Zhu Yuan gone, Belle visibly relaxed. Dealing with a high-ranking security officer like her always brought tension—any slip-up could expose them.
After all, the crackdown on Proxies was no joke.
"Zane, how did things go on your end? Come on, tell me! I'm dying to know."
Belle excitedly pulled Zane into the side room next door, chatting non-stop as they walked.
"Oh, by the way, I set up a fan forum dedicated to you online. As long as we keep the content flowing, it's gonna blow up!"
"Let's take this chance to do an interview and wrap up that commission. Nicole's already getting impatient."
"Billy's been dying to meet you—super hyped. I wonder how he'll actually react when you two meet face-to-face…"
Wise glanced at Belle, sighed, and shook his head in resignation. Then he returned to explaining and recommending videotapes to the nearby customers.
...
"Meow meow meow…"
"Meow… meow meow meow…"
Near the place where Zane had once held the injured kitten, a sleek black cat was meowing nonstop, venting its grievances to the person before it.
Around them, a few stray cats who could understand its cries took a few steps back, quietly expressing sympathy.
"Rescued? Bangboo? Spaying?"
Nekomata crouched down, listening to the little black cat, a knowing look crossing her face. No wonder it was so agitated.
"Spaying is terrifying, meow."
She shook her head. She was a cat-hybrid—technically not a cat, right?
Spaying or neutering… that shouldn't apply to her. If it did, she'd be too afraid to ever meet that person again.
"But from what you said, he sounds like a really good person. Even took the cat to see a doctor—that's one vet bill I won't have to cover."
Nekomata stood up and stretched, arms raised behind her back.
She had found the injured kitten while hanging out near the Cretan Hollows. The Bangboo had been with it at the time.
Back then, the kitten hadn't been hurt yet. She'd even admired the bond between the Bangboo and the kitten. It wasn't until she came back today to meet up with her friends that she heard it had gotten injured.
Still, it seemed her help wasn't needed anymore. The kitten had already been rescued by a kind soul. That was lucky.
Once it recovered, she'd definitely buy a big, fat mackerel and throw a feast for all her cat friends!
"If we go find that guy later, you'll have to show me the way. But if he really heals the kitten and adopts it, then maybe there's no need to go."
Nekomata placed her hands on her hips. If the kitten found a home, it should be cherished—and she should avoid getting involved again.
She and the cats here were all wanderers.
Stay around wanderers too long, and you risk becoming one again.
A shadow crossed her face as the thought hit her. The cat at her feet, sensing the shift in her mood, meowed softly and nuzzled her leg.
"I'm fine, don't worry. Hehe, there's a discount fresh fish buffet tonight—I can't miss that."
Nekomata put on a carefree smile, joking with her furry companions about her evening plans.
"But first, I've got something to take care of. Let's regroup with the others. Hopefully we'll still make it in time for the buffet, meow…"
What she really wanted to say was that she didn't know if she'd make it back from the Hollows this time. But since her friends were here, she kept that thought to herself.
"Alright, kitties, I'm off. I'll bring back something tasty when I return, meow."
With a wave and a slightly uneasy heart, Nekomata dashed off with agile steps.
...
Back at the video store—
"Huh? You just walked right in? I've heard the Mars District Defense Force is no joke. You didn't run into any danger?"
Belle listened intently as Zane vividly recounted his story. She remembered taking on a commission in the Mars District long ago—and how the Defense Force had come off as pretty violent.
"I didn't face any real danger. But honestly… the number of people who came after me was suspiciously low. And I didn't see anyone else around either. That's what felt off."
Out of everyone in the world, Belle probably understood Zane the best. So aside from a few inconvenient details, he didn't hold anything back.
As he spoke, he raised an eyebrow, recalling something strange he'd noticed—there seemed to be something buried under the Defense Force base.
Could the missing troops actually be underground?
It was a reasonable guess.
After a while, Belle had a good idea of what Zane had gone through. Then she asked,
"Zane, can I post this stuff on the forum?"
"I mean the Cretan Hollows stuff, and the Mars District Defense Force base."
"Don't worry—I'll sanitize the sensitive parts and dress up the rest. Just enough flair to draw attention."
Belle had a sharp sense for this sort of thing. She knew exactly how to turn a story into a movement.
If she had the right channel—like a newspaper—she could make Zane's Ethereal persona a household name in New Eridu by tomorrow.
"No problem."
Zane nodded in agreement.
"But be careful. Once this kind of info goes public, it'll attract all sorts of attention. That is my goal—but you'll get pulled in too."
"If a skilled hacker follows the trail back to this video store, it could become a problem."
He laid out the risks clearly for Belle. For him, it didn't matter what kind of enemy came—he'd deal with it calmly.
Worst-case scenario, he'd just take the fight straight to them.