At the Longcheng Bureau of Anomalous Investigations, Ikezawa, Li, Lü Heng, and Invincible Bro were gathered in the main hall. Ikezawa kept glancing toward the entrance. "Are you sure Robin's coming back today?"
Lü Heng, sitting across from him, sighed in exasperation. "This is the third time you've asked. To be precise, Robin returned yesterday. If you want the details, ask Shu Cat in the Chat Group—he's been working directly with her."
"Besides, just because Robin's back in Longcheng doesn't mean she'll come to the Bureau. She's technically an employee, but only in name."
Hearing this, Ikezawa slapped his thigh. "Damn it! Why didn't you say so earlier? What the hell am I waiting here for?"
Lü Heng stared at him, speechless. "Hey, I did tell you! You insisted on waiting here yourself."
As they argued, Zhong Wanhong suddenly hurried out of his office, his expression grave. "A Dimensional Rift has opened. Let's move out!"
Hearing the news, Lü Heng instantly stood up, his earlier lazy demeanor vanishing completely as he transformed into a sharp, disciplined soldier. Invincible Bro, having joined the Bureau of Anomalous Investigations more recently, reacted slightly slower. The three of them first went to the warehouse to retrieve equipment before heading to the police car parked at the entrance.
Ikezawa paused briefly before rising and following them. "Can I help?" he asked.
Normally, an ordinary person would be strictly forbidden from participating in such a dangerous operation. But Ikezawa was no ordinary person; he was an Evolver. Moreover, Li, who trailed behind him, was an even more formidable combatant.
Zhong Wanhong, leading the way, paused and glanced back at Ikezawa and Li—or, more accurately, his gaze lingered on Li for a longer moment. He nodded and instructed Lü Heng, "Lü Heng, keep them safe."
The group of five quickly arrived at the scene: the entrance to a residential complex. As soon as they stepped out of the car, Ikezawa spotted a dark vortex swirling directly above the complex.
To put it bluntly, Ikezawa's first thought was, "This Dimensional Rift looks positively dainty compared to the ones in the Beast-Eared Girl World."
Zhong Wanhong had briefed them on the situation during the drive. This was a "Birth"-type Dimensional Rift. According to the eyewitness who reported it, he had personally seen a group of "black-clad ninjas" spill out of the Rift and vanish without a trace.
It was worth noting that these so-called "ninjas" weren't Outsiders; they were genuine Monsters, albeit humanoid ones.
Though they could speak, their vocabulary was limited to stock phrases like "Damn it," "Intruders detected," and "Eliminate them!" In reality, these creatures were incapable of meaningful communication. No matter what you said, they would only parrot these preprogrammed lines.
Furthermore, their attack patterns followed a peculiar logic. They patrolled fixed areas like "mobs" in a game, entering an alert state upon spotting a "Player" before initiating combat.
Perhaps this dimensional rift in the sky was a gateway to some game world, and these ninjas were just low-level mobs that had spilled out of it?
Unfortunately, apart from Otherworld-type dimensional rifts, all other types were impassable. If Otherworld rifts were like doorways, the rest were like solid walls—even reconnaissance drones couldn't penetrate them.
Back in the present, the ninjas' behavior was remarkably simple: as long as you stayed outside their alert range, they wouldn't attack. So, soon after the rift appeared, the entire neighborhood had evacuated and gathered at the complex entrance.
Some residents peered curiously into the complex, while others scrolled through their phones, likely posting updates on social media.
As Ikezawa's gaze swept over the crowd, he suddenly froze. He rubbed his eyes and looked back in the same direction.
A girl with waist-length silver hair stood among the evacuees, yawning incessantly. She wore an oversized white shirt, light-colored pants, and slippers.
Her hair was still slightly tousled, clearly indicating she had just woken up.
But none of that mattered. What truly stunned Ikezawa was that he recognized her. "Firefly?!"
It was indeed Firefly. After all, the Dimensional Rift had appeared in her apartment complex. She had been asleep when the commotion woke her, and she had hastily joined the fleeing crowd.
Ikezawa raised his hand, stammering, "Fi-Firefly?!"
Lü Heng, standing beside him, followed Ikezawa's gaze and quickly spotted Firefly in the crowd. Her distinctive hair color made her impossible to miss. "Hey, isn't that Peace Dove?" Lü Heng remarked.
Ikezawa's confusion deepened. "What the hell? The Peace Dove from the Chat Group?!"
Lü Heng seemed puzzled by Ikezawa's reaction. "Yeah, so what?"
Ikezawa opened his mouth but couldn't form a coherent sentence. "No, she's... I... This..."
After a moment to gather his thoughts, he continued, "She's also from the Star Rail World! She's a member of the Stellaron Hunters—SAM!"
Now it was Lü Heng's turn to be stunned. "What?! She's SAM?!"
In that instant, Ikezawa finally understood why Peace Dove always appeared promptly whenever the Star Rail universe was discussed in the Chat Group, and why she was the only one praising Stelle when everyone else recoiled at the thought of her digging through trash cans.
Meanwhile, Lü Heng was utterly dumbfounded. He knew Firefly—the incredibly kind and beautiful young girl—and he knew SAM—the supremely powerful and cool silver robot. Now he was being told they were the same person?
Ikezawa: "Huh?"
Lü Heng: "Huh?"
The two stared at each other, completely bewildered. Then, Ikezawa realized he might have accidentally blurted out someone else's secret.
Oh crap! I'm screwed!
Their voices weren't particularly quiet, but the surrounding noise was even louder. Zhong Wanhong and Invincible Bro, who had just arrived, didn't catch their conversation. Zhong Wanhong said, "Alright, everyone, get ready. It's time to go in."