"Brother, how's the situation on your end?"
Within the Eldon District, Belle piloted Eous, leading several members of Victoria Housekeeping deeper into the quarantine zone.
At the outpost on the other side, while maintaining her connection with Eous, Belle turned to Wise to ask about his situation.
With Shin's support, the entire outpost had practically become the siblings' personal base. Aside from essential technical staff, everyone else had been stationed around the perimeter.
The two held the highest level of authority here. As for the special equipment used to connect to Bangboo, it had been hastily built through Shin's and Fairy's combined efforts, completed after many sleepless nights.
Of course, this equipment could only be operated by the special Phaethon siblings. In anyone else's hands, it would be nothing more than a pile of scrap metal.
"Everything's going smoothly on my end. Shin mentioned earlier that those people have deployed a large number of personnel to other areas. The blockade inside the zone is now far looser than before."
"Still, we should be careful. Let's move quickly."
Wise's voice was calm and deliberate, his attention still focused on the quarantine zone.
He couldn't stop replaying the memory of the first quarantine zone—of that moment when he'd lost consciousness. This time, he'd made sure to prepare multiple contingency plans to avoid a repeat of that disaster.
As he thought, Wise spoke again, his tone quieter this time.
"Belle, you might experience the same thing I did. Once you're inside the Hollow, make sure to stay alert. If anything strange happens, contact me right away."
"Understood."
Belle nodded. Like her brother, she hadn't forgotten the incident where Wise fainted. Even without his warning, she'd already been cautious from the start.
That lost memory… What exactly had her brother gone through?
The answer to that would reveal itself soon enough.
Her expression hardened. Eous and the Victoria Housekeeping team continued their steady advance deeper into the restricted zone.
Not far from the tents, Shin stood quietly by the fence, silently observing the siblings.
Suddenly, a faint alert tone chimed. Shin blinked, then reached for her communicator. Upon seeing the sender, she raised an eyebrow.
After opening the message and skimming through it, she couldn't help but shake her head with a wry smile. Clearly, New Eridu's youngest Void Hunter wasn't one to simply obey orders.
She hadn't even planned to deal with those people yet, and that one was already close to infiltrating their base of operations.
Still, it was best not to stir up unnecessary trouble until things were stable on Zane's end.
Moreover, before Phaethon brought back the next Hollow, Hoshimi Miyabi still had to make a trip to Hollow Zero—where Zane was waiting for her.
With that in mind, Shin quickly composed a message, arranging a discreet meeting place with Hoshimi Miyabi to discuss matters in detail.
Once she sent it, she lowered her communicator just as the sound of voices came from the command tent. Both siblings had encountered resistance inside the blockade zone and were forcing their way through.
Shin wasn't particularly worried. Those two had proven themselves reliable more than once.
The pure white wings at her waist folded in slightly as she straightened, turning her gaze toward the massive Hollow Zero in the distance.
The outpost was close enough that she could clearly see the vast, shimmering surface of the Hollow with her own eyes—a cascade of prismatic light spreading across the horizon.
Her expression was calm, her eyes bright with unshaken determination.
Boom—
A thunderous sound rolled from the distant sky, followed by several sharp, piercing roars. High above, the latest generation of fighter craft streaked across the clouds—belonging to the Falkenhayn Mercenary Troupe, the same elite unit once known as Heaven's Judgment.
As in past operations, the aerial division remained the main force for this Hollow incursion, while the ground teams focused on providing tactical support.
Shin's gaze followed the aircraft as they sped toward Hollow Zero, her eyes briefly clouding with gravity before she masked it once more.
Her attention returned to the glowing Hollow ahead.
"Zane, we'll do everything within our power."
"The rest… is up to you."
...